July 28, 2010

Ciao Familglia,

Wow. Well, I have big news that I was not at ALL expecting. We will indeed be in a 3some for the next 2 and a half weeks, but I am actually TRAINING! Haha yeah, I know. President called us on Monday morning (and we were actually the last of 3 companionships for him to contact, which was super distracting, since we were supposed to get the calls on SATURDAY! haha) and he asked to talk to me. He began by telling me not to pack my bags, because i would be staying in Ragusa, but that I would have a "daughter" haha Then he talked about how training is one of the most important callings you can have in the mission. So yea, he directed this at me, since my companion is getting very trunky haha and will be leaving really soon. Its crazy. I cried a lot that day. I myself most of the time have no idea what I am doing out here, but i know that it will take my mission in a direction that will only have me more frequently on my knees, and looking somewhere other than at myself. I feel incredibly humble, but know this will be an incredible opportunity for me, and this new sorella. I look back to the time i spent with my trainer, and how much I learned about her, and about the mission. I remember specific moments thinking to myself, "man, if I ever train,m I will totally do this" also there were moments where I felt like "man, I would NEVER do this if I trained" haha. I truly know that each companion I have had up to this point, has taught me different things, and has prepared me for this chance to Train. We were rooting on President to bring all of us up to Rome to pick them up, but after they looked at how much it would cost to fly about 15 missionaries to Rome, they decided we would pick them up in Sicily. So on Friday morning we will be training it up to Catania for a trainers conference, and then will be back Friday night. I am so excited to just get outside myself, and really help make this transitionn for her the best it can be. It seems like yesterday I arrived at the MTC, and that was already almost a year ago!! Mammamia!!!!! TIME FLIES!!!!!!!!!! I am also super excited about this because it means I will probably be able to stay in Ragusa for a few more months. I absolutely love it here. I LOVE RAGUSA. It is THE most beautiful sister city in Sicily. Even though right now it is ridiculously empty, it makes it that much easier to talk to people! haha There is a bright side to everything! When we see someone, we basically know we HAVE to talk to them! haha But yea, i Will Be here for little while longer. Meaning i will probably just do one more city....Weird.

This week we actually went down to the Sea though, looking fro where everyone has gone to in these days. We took the bus to the Marina di Ragusa (google it, as I always say..) Incredible. I think I say this like every week, but I still just have times where I feel like I am in a dream, and I am not ACTUALLY walking along the Mediterranean Sea talking in Italian to these people on a mission am i? WHAT?? Its so weird. I had a cool study this week as I was reading in Mark chapter 4, where he talks about how Jesus went to the sea, and multitudes gathered there on the seashore to listen to him preach. It was the beautiful imagery that came into mind, and I just felt so much like that. Even though it is far from multitudes gathering to listen to me. We walk along the coast of Sicily as representatives of the very master of the Creator. I still feel a special part of me now belonging to the Sea. I always want to testify of God to people, and point out to the vastness of beauty of which we are surrounded by, and see if they can honestly deny the existence of God. I love those moments in nature, where to me ,it seems impossible to deny of His existence.

Anna's Baptismal date has been postponed. She has to work through some more things in her process of repentance, so we hope that her baptism will just be postponed by a few days or so. She is finally beginning to get really attached the book of Mormon, which has always been a struggle fro her understanding it, and being able to retain what she read. She is starting to get a connection with it, and learn that it applies to us in our day! i love the Book of Mormon.

Paola the lady we had that amazing experience with the other day, took off for a vacation home to Romania, this morning, in fact. We were supposed to have a lesson with her last night, but she didn't show up. That was a little upsetting. But we were able to see her again since that first lesson, and give her a Book of Mormon, of which she started reading, and really liked it. We hope to get missionaries to her home in Romania-- speriamo bene. Shes pretty much amazing.

Big news. I basically live with a celebrity. I found out that my companion's grandpa plays the voice of rabbit, on Winnie the Pooh. Yeah. i was pretty thrilled to hear that, haha it was one of those rare bonding moments we had as a companionship. She appreciated that i appreciated that. But she was really confounded that I thought that to be anything of importance or significance. Haha anyways.

Daddy, thank you so much for your letter. Not going to lie I was telling my comp the other day i was feeling a bit abandoned by my family in these days! haha They are just the world travelers!

Have you received my two packages yet???? I hope so, i sent how two packages about two weeks ago with a bunch of books and journals in them, so I really hope those did not get lost...eeeeeek.

I love you all so much and know this gospel is true. i love the mission so much. it is the funnest thing I have ever done. The hardest, the best, most real life /not real at all experience of my life. I love you all and hope you are good.

Vi voglio tanto tanto tanto bene,

MONICA

...Sorella Miller

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