October 13, 2010

Cara Famiglia,

Wow, well, I write to you from the last time, from my beautiful Sicilia. I will indeed be leaving Ragusa. Tonight in fact! I am going to be heading to Bari. That's right, I'm going to step foot on the main land! Bari is up in the Puglia aka, DA' BOOT! I I am super excited actually. Bari is bigger than Catania, but smaller than Palermo. I have heard nothing but awesome things about Bari, so I'm pretty stoked. Most missionaries I know who have served there said it was their favorite place to serve. There are two wards there, and 6 of us missionaries. I think it's going to be a pretty big change for me, since I have been in two fairly small cities. Siracusa has about 90,000 citizens and Ragusa about 60,000. I think there are about 300,000 in Bari. It will be fun to have that experience of serving in a BIG city. I hear we will be doing a fireside on Saturday night (all 6 missionaries) for the members, on how we can help them create opportunities to talk to their friends about the gospel. The nature of the work and the atmosphere with the members will change a lot I think.

I have heard from most people in Ragusa of course, that it is nothing like Ragusa...Ragusa is WAY more tranquil and calm than Bari, but I am pretty excited. I also have a belated Birthday present....Remember what I have been praying for for the last year of my mission? I will have an Italian companion! Her name is Sorella Tinoco and she is from Genova. She came in the same transfer as Sorella Foote (she is starting her 3rd). ) I am really excited to be able to finally serve with an Italian. Not gonna lie though as excited as I am, things are going to be EXTREMELY different these last few months of my mission than they have been for the first year! Haha SYL 24/7 baby. I'm going to just wear my self out these last few months!!! I talked to her on the phone yesterday fro a few minutes. I told her "you know Sorella, I'm basically Siciliana..." And then she laughed, and said, "yea, I can tell from your accent" HAHA YESSS!!!!!! I love my Sicilians!!!!!! She has a beautiful North Accent, so I am glad that I can finish off and rub off a little bit of her classiness on my dirty Sicilian/Italian that I have attained in this last year. HAha that made me feel so good. You might not think it would, but I just love Sicily so much that I was happy to hear I have picked up their accent here in the dirty/breathtaking South : )

Speaking of dirty. Mamma mia, I got those pictures! THANK YOU!!!! That was like Christmas morning!! You all look so good! So clean, not sweaty, fresh hair, not tired. Haha for a few minutes I had a bit of a selfish moment and really really started craving getting a fresh color on my hair, and maybe feeling "cute" for a minute...Then I remembered that doesn't matter for now. Anyways, you all look amazing!!!! I can't believe how much everyone (all the nieces and nephews that is...) have changed!! It's crazy!!

It's been a good week here in Ragusa though. As always, sad to have to say goodbye to people who I have come to love so much here in Ragusa, but it will be good to have a fresh start, and finish these last 3 Transfers strong, improving my language, and just living every day as it were the last day in Italy. I have come to see how when I truly just put myself out there and try to talk to everyone, try to love them, and see them as children of God, the Lord blesses us with people to teach.

We found two new investigators this week, after a couple of low days where it seemed like everything was falling through. We found a girl named Bianca from Romania who speaks perfect English. She just came to Sicily 3 months ago wtih her daughter. She is divorced, and the night before we met her, she found out that her dad had been diagnosed with Leukemia. She is desperately trying to save money to make it back to see him before he dies.

The other investigator we found was a lady named Rita. We were on our way to District meeting, running a few minutes late. We passed a lady, and as we passed her something inside for me told me we should talk to her, but we were late tp District meeting so I kind of brushed it off. Seconds later, my companion Sorela Foote said to me, I think we need to talk to her. So I said that is great, because I had just seconds before ignored that same prompting. So we awkwardly pretended for a minute to not know where we were, and stalled for a minute so she could catch up to us. So we spoke to her, and found out she is from Como (northern Italy) but has been here for many years with her husband. She has a Book of Mormon, and so yesterday we went back to talk to her. So we had a great lesson with her.l She got a little bit offended if she would put out her cigarette as we were talking about God, struggling to see each other through the cloud of smoke, but she quickly got over it as we all were edified by the strong spirit that shortly thereafter came into the room. She told us how about 4 years ago she was studying with Sister Missionaries (in Ragusa) but after she had a car accident, she stopped. This is why...So she had been in Como visiting her sister/celebrating at a festival for some Catholic Saint. She then was on her way back to Ragusa and got in this accident. It was from that point on that she believed that this Saint had saved her....And since we don't believe in Saints, she took that as a sign that it all wasn't true. She told us that since then she has avoided all missionaries/contact with the Church, but that the other day when we approached her "something inside me(her) told me (her) that she should talk to us" Wow. It was a testimony that we HAVE to follow the Spirit. At the end of that lesson at her house she was really excited, that maybe this was God giving her a second chance! They have some great work for them here in Ragusa.

We went to Comiso on Monday to make amends with a HUGE misunderstanding that we had with Angelo teh other day when we were supposed to go to his house fro a lunch apt, but we forgot to tell him that we needed to have another woman in the car. He took it personally that we didn't trust him, and it created this huge drama, but in the end he said " I knew that you would come back" (When we came walking towards the plaza we always teach him in, Monday evening. I think with him it will just be time..

Well, next week I will have an exciting letter from the waters of Bari! I am excited to be able to go back to the Sea! I have missed that the last few months! I also have heard that Bari is a city where everyone puts on weight, because there are tons of members that love to feed the missionaries. And also because its where most of the CHEESE originated from....uh oh. Imma be careful though.

We head to CAtania tonight where we will sleep, then I take an early train tomorrow morning, then a boat ride away from Sicily, then another train to Taranto (about an 8 hour trip) then my comp will be waiting for me in TAranto, from TAranto we have about 2 hours to Bari, so I should be arriving in Bari by Thursday evening after a long trip. I love you all and hope life is well!

Vi voglio ben' assai,

MONICA

...Sorella Miller