September 29, 2010

Subject: kistu ka..questo qui (siciliano and italiano) written phonetically for y'all..

Well Well, Buon Giorno carissimi!

Is it really time to write again? "Another week has flown by" as my father puts it every week... ;)

Ahem, OK, so to respond to some questions.... We will get transfer calls next Saturday the 9th, so we'll see what happens.

I hate writing letters and have gotten extremely lazy at writing them! haha I do regularly keep in touch with Kara my room mate though who has been in Panama and will be getting home two months before me, so January. Man, cannot even tell you how different our missions have been!!!!

-Physically I have never been more exhausted in my life, than the last year. It is also very interesting because I have never before in my life slept 8 hours a night either....Hmm, maybe was a little lazy? No no, ha! Just normal !!!! Haha, so to be honest, we sometimes have weeks where we run a few times, but most of the time I just can't get myself out there to go RUN. I'm always UP, just not running every day. Some days we jump rope, actually a good workout. There are always things to do like catching up writing in my journal, or just doing some yoga type stuff.

PS. I would love some pictures. Those are the best. The other day I as looking at some pictures feeling like I have forgotten my family!! It was super sad. Just so many other things to think about!

---I have had very strange dreams in the mission. Most of them have to do with people I went years knowing, and never sharing with them the gospel. I have a lot of missionary work ahead of me in my life, I've had some pretty crazy dreams in the mission.

We have had a ton of rain lately. TON. Have lots of Italians try to give us rides all the time because they see two "nuns" soaking wet running around giving Books of Mormon to people.. Guess they just want one. hm. I think I'm becoming weird. My comp keeps calling me out on ridiculous things I say that mean I've been in the mission for a while and its starting to get to me in strange abnormal ways. Haha ad esempiom the other day we saw this kid who was probably 13, listening to his I-pod, and I was like " that kid is only 13, and he's listening to music!" She said, Sorella, that is normal! Haha, dang it, I don't want to ever turn into a weirdy!!! SHOOT!!!!!!

Yesterday we had a really awesome Training in Catania where we got to watch a film of Elder Ballard who was in Rome a few weeks ago talking with people about the Temple. He talked about how we as missionaries in the Rome mission must be Master Teachers. We got a new training on a slight modification from Preach My Gospel, that we will now be studying through the end of the year. It was awesome! Also, the missionary dept issued a new "agenda" for missionaries and now we will only have zone conference every three months along with president interviews, real weird. And then we will still meet as a Zone once a transfer for some sort of training, but with the mission being so much bigger now, it saves the President from having to do a zone conference every week of the transfer now...

It was a meravigliosa week here in Ragusa!

Angelo and Tina two of our investigators were able to make it to Isaac's Baptism. They both loved the experience, and it made them less fearful about Baptism. We were able to finally fix a Baptismal Date with Angelo! October 9th!!!!! So even if I get transferred, I will still be able to see him get Baptised! We have truly been witnesses of his conversion, over the last month. His even physical appearance has changed, and spiritually he is progressing. After quitting smoking and attending church three weeks in a row, he is making incredible progress! Every time we leave a lesson with him I just feel so good inside, its honestly been one of the coolest experiences. Truly helping someone come to a knowledge of this message and seeing first hand how it changes them, is an absolutely precious experience!!!!!! Since he has started reading the Book of Mormon regularly each morning, his thirst for knowledge grows and grows. He just longs to know more and more, understand more and more, and obey every commandment with exactness. We taught him a lesson on Tithing, and he was so excited to be able to pay tithing that he took the slip right with him! He told us that he has never once in his life just picked up a book to read, but "The Book of Mormon makes his soul feel lighter!" It is truly a miracle! He is the type of person who you would never expect to become a member of the church, but now, he truly is becoming a different person! He is also generating awesome relationships of trust with the members at church. He also is making progress with praying. He tells us that he prays at home, and then when we meet, he usually has written down a beautiful prayer of gratitude. We are working on how he can eventually get to the point of praying directly from his heart in the lessons, but we will get there soon enough! He is so excited for General Conference this weekend. He told us he would watch, and be thinking about Baptism. He even ordered the Liahona on Sunday at church!

We have been really happy that Tina has been keeping her commitments of reading, especially the progress she has made with praying. For the longest time she had a hard time understanding the concept of prayer...That is, that it is a simple, real, and direct conversation that we have with God. But recently, she has been offering some of the most beautiful prayers I have ever seen. She is really starting to recognize the answers from the Spirit that she has been seeking.

Isaac was Baptised this week, and it was beautiful! He had to take the bus to Ragusa from Comiso, and was there a few hours early, waiting anxious yet calmly. Everything went smoothly, including the Confirmation on the following Sunday. He is already actively doing missionary work with his friends he is amazing! We will do the first two lessons with him after Baptism, and then he will be passed on to his Home Teachers. We will see him once a week, for two more weeks.

LOVE you all so mcuh, hope life is good.

Buona Settimana, un abbraccio,

MONICA

...Sorella Miller