Verona 1 - Transfer 7 - Week 4

October 20, 2011

Dear Family and Friends,

Wow, it has been a hard week!  About a week ago, I started getting those same dizzy spells.  Just like in Milano.  My head would spin around in circles, and I couldn't get out of bed or stay out of bed for long.  We miraculously have been able to still teach people.  Just like in Milano, I'm just fine during the lessons.  The Spirit sustains me when we're with investigators, but pretty much any other time, I'm in bad condition.  I mean, I'm fine.  No need to worry, but I just don't feel fine.  Luckily Sorella Hanks is just the sweetest little companion anyone could ask for.  Incredibly obedient, supportive, and studious.  She'll close all the windows and have just enough light to be able to read so I can sleep off and on during the day.  The worst was when we went with an investigator and her friend to get hot chocolate by the lake, and on the way home, we had to pull over so I could... well, undrink the hot chocolate.  Ooops.  Then the elders came to our apartment and gave me a blessing.  That was a little strange to have anyone else in the apartment, but particularly the missionaries.  The blessing was beautiful, though, and I felt much better.  I was even able to make it through ward council and church the next morning.  The power of the priesthood is undeniable. And I also have really grown a testimony of it as I have been studying to teach it to my dear investigators.  Two of them, Unity and Monday, young men from Nigeria, have been particularly interested in why they'd need to be baptized again.  We actually carried our toaster from the apartment to the church and gave them the 'unplugged vs. plugged in' toaster lesson to demonstrate why baptism needs the proper authority.  Monday thought it was hilarious, and Unity got it.  Unity is set, and Monday still needs to decide to read the Book of Mormon.  He loves the lessons, though.  It's funny.  He says, 'I'm the kind of person who cannot be convinced,' but then when we taught them the Word of Wisdom, they both agreed to try it for a week to see if they didn't receive the blessings.

We brought our family (the Meneghini family) to church again, and the primary program was so cute!  Their son, Gabriel, also participated in it.  I'm pretty sure I've already described their family, but they are all pretty awesome.  She is from Brazil, near Rio in a place called Salvador, I think.  He's Veronese, and the kids are SO cute!  She started introducing her friends to us now, and it's been fun to see the gospel bless their family.  Her whole family has been members for years, the Reis-Lago family...  I think that's how it's spelled.  But now they're going to join together as a family.  It's just so lovely to see them progress.  Reading the scriptures as a family, as a couple, and receiving answers to their prayers.

I've really missed my studies this week.  I can usually get in about 10 minutes of Book of Mormon reading, but after that my head spins.  I feel that mancanza... that's not English... Let's just say that I miss it a lot.  I think I'm going to have to keep up 2-3 hour scripture study after the mission too.  Hopefully I won't have anything else to do at 8:00 every morning.  :)  But this morning it was really great because I was able to wake up only an hour late and read from the New Testament a little.  It's pretty incredible how diligent and blessed Paul the apostle was.  He really knew his duty, and he did it.  I want to be more like Paul.  Paolo, in Italian. :)  I finished Acts and started Romans.  It is amazing how the Bible and the Book of Mormon really do go together.  We were planning a lesson on the Book of Mormon, but I was able to find awesome stuff in the Bible to back it up!  

Anywho, I'd probably better start wrapping it up.  Thank you again for your emails this week!  It was great to hear from each of you!  I hope that the Lord continues to bless you and help you in your families, work, school, etc.  I pray for you, and I'm so grateful for your prayers!  I really feel the Lord supporting me in hard times, and I know it's because so many people pray for me with faith!  Say hello to the temple for me!  I've been particularly missing it this week.  All those of you who are temple going people, go once for me this week!  And those of you who aren't, pray about how you can prepare.  I know one of the first best ways is to read from the Book of Mormon.  

May I recommend Helaman 5 to those of you in search of a chapter.  I just love the description of the voice of the Holy Spirit that it gives in verses 30 and 45-47.  It also inspires me to be a better instrument, more faithful, and less fearful.  But then, of course, the scripture mastery verse, vs. 12, is incredibly powerful.  It talks about how we can only be safe if we build upon our Savior.  He is "the rock... our Redeemer . . . Christ, the Son of God."  I know that the more sure we are in our testimony of Him and obedeient we are to His will, the less power the adversary will have over us.  He really is our 'sure foundation.'    I am getting to know Him more personally, and I am so grateful for what He did for me!  And for everyone!  It has been great to see prophecy fulfilled out here in Italy as the Gospel is literally preached to all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people.  I am grateful for the chance I have to be here.  

Thank you all for your support, sustain, friendship, love, prayers, and everything!  

Keep the faith!

Tanti Saluti da Verona,

-Sorella Willey

--
Sorella Willey

elizabeth.willey@myldsmail.net

Sorella Elizabeth Willey

Missione Italiana di Milano

Via Gramsci, 13/4

20090 Opera MI

ITALIA

Verona 1 - Transfer 7 - Week 3

October 12, 2011

Dear Family and Friends,

I just got a ton of beautiful emails this week from so many of you!  Thank you for the good news, kind words, fun stories, awesome dreams, etc.!  I have been just loving reading them, and now, as usual, I probably won't be able to respond to most of them.  But I am so glad to hear of all the good things going on in your lives!  Thank you for your good examples to me!  

So, let's see.  What happened this week.

 

Sorella Hanks has been suffering from a sore knee, and she's been a real trooper.  It's been hard to plan lessons because we can't always use the bikes, but she is still going strong on passing out Books of Mormon.  Yesterday she tried to give one to a teenager who looked like she needed some direction, and was flaty refused.  She bounced right back and wasn't at all offended.  I just love how energetic she is about the work.  She is just up to doing anything!  Some of you asked where she is from, but I don't remember who asked.... She's from Boise, Idaho.  She's so great, and we just giggle.  I hope not too much, but she keeps me from getting too stressed out.  That's for sure.  Sometimes things just don't go how we planned.  But that's ok, because usually it's because the Lord needs us somewhere else.  We've been really loving working with our families and other investigators.  Yesterday we had an investigator bring 4 friends with him to the lesson.  Luckily, we had Alex there to help us teach the lesson.  It was really powerful, the SPirit, that is.  It really helped me to realize (again, and again) how very little I have to do with the work.  THe Spirit really bore witness, and I could see people making decisions right then and there whether or not to accept the Spirit.  I KNOW that Joseph Smith was a prophet.  It's hard to say just when I got from believing with all my heart to knowing with all of my being.  But there is no denying it.  When we talk about the first vision, about the BOok of Mormon, about Jesus Christ restoring His Church, I just feel the Spirit bearing witness right along with me and my companion.  

Of course it's also fun to see other people realize that for the first time.  It seems that all of our investigators (or at least most) are now at the point where they are waiting for their 'answer.'  It's been amazing to see how they understand just what they need to do, and they all talk about the great feelings they feel when they read the Book of Mormon.  

I do know that the Book of Mormon is true.  With all of my heart.  I am now reading it in 3 languages in 4 different places.  I keep learning new things every day!  Even up the 4th time I've read certain passages, I learn something brand new!  Such an inspired book.  Punto.

We actually dropped the bikes off to get them fixed today, so it'll be lots of bussing for us!  

Oh my! 5 minutes left!  Time flies!

May I take this moment to tell you all how much I love and appreciate you all!  I have had lots of crazy dreams (also my companion, sister, and various other people have been telling me about their dreams), and it is fun to see you.  Even though it's just in dreams.  Particularly those of you who write me show up in my dreams from time to time.  It's fun.  :)  One of these days.... fra a few months, we'll actually see each other, and I'll expect some grande hugs!

Have a wonderful day, and keep the faith!

Always,

-Sorella Willey

--
Sorella Willey

elizabeth.willey@myldsmail.net

Sorella Elizabeth Willey

Missione Italiana di Milano

Via Gramsci, 13/4

20090 Opera MI

ITALIA

Verona 1 - Transfer 7 - Week 2

October 5, 2011

Dear Family and Friends,

We have been so busy this week setting up appointments, going here and there, and preparing our dear investigators for baptism!  It's so amazing how the Spirit is really teaching them what they need to know.  Sometimes (like last night) we can hardly understand what they're saying, but the Spirit tells us what they meant, and somehow they understand us too.  :)  Our sweet family (Agostino, Natalice, and Jonathan) who is preparing for baptism later this month has been learning all the commandments little by little.  We had a fun experience last Friday when hopped on the wrong bus to go to an appointment with them.  I felt like I should give Slla Hanks the chance to ask the driver- even though I knew it wasn't the right bus.  She asked if he was going to Corbiolo, and he said, 'Yes,' in so many words.  But we both knew it was the wrong bus.  We also both knew that we needed to stay on the bus though.  It was weird.  As the bus went along, we got a little worried.  I asked the bus driver again, and he said, "I'll tell you when to get off."  We moved to the front of the bus, and as we were sitting there, we got talking to him.  We ended up giving him a Book of Mormon!  And he seemed to really want to read it.  Unfortunately we couldn't get his number because then we had to jump off the bus.  He said, "It's that bus right there."  We also knew that bus was wrong, but we hopped on, and asked, "Corbiolo?"  The driver (who was also on the phone) said yes.  Then he said, "Oh no!!  Corbiolo is that bus!!"  The right bus was just passing the bus stop, and he waved it down for us.  We hopped on the right bus, and made it to our appointment just in time.  We taught tithing, and they accepted!  :)  But now everyone on this bus (we take it almost every night) knows who we are, and say, "Salve Sorelle" or "Come va, Sorelle?"  It's interesting to see how people know who we are even before we talk to them. 

Our dear Dorina and Cristian keep having crazy experiences, and last week, poor Cristian got in a car accident, broke his wrist, part of his neck, and got glass in his head and nose.  He said, however, that he knew now, thanks to an experience in a dream and his time thinking in the hospital, that Jesus Christ is his Savior and that he is now completely ready to obey all of the commandments.  His experience was, for those of you who know Alma the Younger, very much like Alma 36.  We ended up reading it at their lesson on Thursday, and it was incredible.  It is amazing to see people who suffer so much have such great faith in the midst of trials.

Let's see.  Sorella Hanks is SOOO FUN!!!  We get home and just giggle.  She and I go running every morning, then we ride our bikes all around.  We get plenty of exercise, but then we eat plenty of food.  It's my job, afterall, to introduce her to Italian culture (aka gelato, pizza, kebab, pastries, ciocolato, etc. etc. etc).  But we have a pretty good time.  We have been giving away lots of Books of Mormon, and seeing lots of fun miracles with our investigators.  She's great.  All of my companions have been great, but she's pretty special.  I call her my 'firstborn in the wilderness.'

Well, I'm excited to be here.  I keep having these strange dreams that I'm already home, and I'm sure the time will keep flying by and pretty soon it will be true.  I really love it here, though.  It's plenty hard, but it's worth it all to see people changing there lives and be blessed by the Spirit as I pray, study, and participate in all of the Church and missionary meetings.  We have a great district.  6 Elders (including our zone leaders, district leaders, and two elders who are also the young men president and sunday school president in the Montova branch).  I can't believe it will be a whole year since I went to the MTC this November!  Time really flies... even though it seems like I've been here for decades.  Crazy.

I love you all, and I am so grateful for your letters and news!  I have been so lucky to have such a great family and friends like you in my life!  

Keep the faith!  

Love always,
-Sorella Willey

P.S.  Wasn't General Conference GREAT?????   I got to see the first session in Italian, and then the 2 middle sessions in English.  I sure missed my choir as they sang so beautifully!  Can't wait to get back to Temple Square!  If anyone missed any sessions, go to LDS.org and watch it!  I won't get to read the last session til we get our Liahona magazine next month.  Maybe we can get permission to watch it on a P-day, if we have time.  

P.P.S.  Pray for Luc!  :)  His family is trying to come to Italy, and all he has to find now is an apartment.  Then they can all get baptized together, and he won't have to live away from them anymore!



-- 
Sorella Willey

elizabeth.willey@myldsmail.net

Sorella Elizabeth Willey

Missione Italiana di Milano

Via Gramsci, 13/4

20090 Opera MI

ITALIA

Verona - Transfer 7 - Week 1

September 28, 2011

Dear Family and Friends,

 

It's another picture week!!!

 

1. Sorella Cazier, Baptismal model: Alex Igho, Sorella Willey

2. Sorella Wolfgramm, Sorella Hanks, President Wolfgramm

3. Sorella Willey with the jewelry store "Frey Wille."  Actually members always call me "free willey" when I'm in my first transfer in each city.  But I thought the jewelry store was even better.

 

I loved my short time with Sorella Cazier, and it was hard to see her go!  She was so patient with me, and she taught me to "bear mine afflictions" with hope and patience.  I will never forget that transfer that flew by where we got to celebrate with our African brothers who joined the fold of God!  One of them within 4 weeks of meeting the missionaries!  WOW!!!  What a rockstar!  That's Alex, and yes, he really is the perfect model of a new convert.

 

Sorella Hanks is my new companion!  She's from Boise, Idaho, and they tell me I'm supposed to be training her.  But really she's training me!  We are being as obedient as we can possibly be together, and seeing ALL kinds of miracles!  Obedience really is the best way to live.  It's so much easier to be 100% obedient than 90%.  Obedience helps us to be more obedient.  And then we see more blessings and miracles!  I know that God gives us commandments for our good and to make us happier people.   I'd like to recommend Mosiah 2 as a great chapter to read to help us be more obedient and prepare for GENERAL CONFERENCE this week!!!  Can't wait to go had listen to the words of our leaders!  In English!  YAY!!!

 

Our dear Dorina and Cristian just set a baptismal date yesterday!  Today we're teaching them again, and also our cute family: Agostino, Natalice, and Jonathan who will be getting baptized next month, and the younger kids Gabriel, Kaiki and Tais. They are SO cute!  It's been incredible to watch people use the Atonement and change their lives!  It really is all about the atonement of Jesus Christ, and if we have faith in that, we can love everyone, even when it's hard!  I read a few different things this morning, but one I loved was from Elder M. Russell Ballard.  He said that our conversion to the gospel of Christ is distinguished by the way that we feel.  If we are truly following Jesus Christ, we will have that peace in our hearts, love for one another, and excitement for life.

 

Anyway, I'm going to try and attach more photos. 

 

Thank you all for your support and prayers as always!  I am changing in so many ways out here, and I am grateful for this chance to watch miracles happen, be touched by the Spirit in modes I never imagined possible, and meet beautiful people who's testimonies have strenghthened and solidified mine so much!

Have a wonderful week, and I think I might get a couple more photos into another email before time runs out.

 

Keep the faith!

-Sorella Willey

--
Sorella Willey

elizabeth.willey@myldsmail.net

Sorella Elizabeth Willey

Missione Italiana di Milano

Via Gramsci, 13/4

20090 Opera MI

ITALIA

Verona 1 - Transfer 6 - Week 6

September 21, 2011

Dear Family and Friends, WOW!!!!   I get to stay in Verona ANOTHER transfer!  This will be my first third transfer in a city!  I hope that made sense.   :)  AND I'm training!  Mamma mia!  I'm so excited to get to meet someone who's fresh from the MTC and filled with the spirit of obedience and fresh energy!  I've been loving all of my companions, and I've learned a lot of really incredible things from each one of them.  It will be a new challenge, but I bet I get more 'trained' than they do!  There is just so much to learn in this mission!   I have loved serving with Sorella Cazier, and she will do an amazing job in Reggio Emilia.  She's been so patient this transfer, and really helped me to see things from a different perspective.  I'd love to serve with a sister for longer than 1 transfer, but I am also happy to be able to get to know more people! I think my emails get shorter and shorter.  It's not that there's less to talk about, just that Slla Cazier still needs to pack a little, and today there's less time on the internet card.  Somehow I only got 40 minutes instead of 1 hour today.  Hmm... Oh well.  :)  Hopefully we'll actually have more time next week.  I did want to share a thing that I heard this morning.  Charles and Alex (who were very recently baptized) study the scriptures every day alone and TOGETHER!!!  It's so fun!  They both have been so strong, and come to lessons with us and the Elders almost every day!  They just bear testimony after testimony, and I am amazed by their faith! I love this work.  It really is teaching me how to live with total peace.  There are lots of challenges and heartbreaks, but each time I go to the Book of Mormon in prayer, I feel that God really is in charge.  He is guiding this work.  He is leading me, as long as I let him do so!  I love in Alma 32 how if we nourish our testimonies, we can enjoy the fruit.  And in 1 Nephi 8 and 11, we have to hold to the Word of God to reach that fruit.  I know that this journey is possible EVERY DAY!  Not just at the end of our lives. I'd encourage each of you to go to the scriptures and ask what God wants you to learn today! Love you all! -Sorella Willey -- Sorella Willey elizabeth.willey@myldsmail.net Sorella Elizabeth Willey Missione Italiana di Milano Via Gramsci, 13/4 20090 Opera MI ITALIA

Transfer 6 - Verona 1 - Week 5

September 14, 2011 Dear All, What a week!  Alex got baptized, and he's scarily strong!  He still wants to come to church and see us every day!  And now the Anziani are also teaching him about priesthood responsibilities, so sometimes he sees the missionaries two or three times in a day!  It's crazy!  But he's great!  During the baptismal service, he bore his testimony to his friends of Joseph Smith.  Three times during the past week, our investigator Michael has been with Alex and Charles as they've borne testimony during lessons.  Two days ago, Michael said that his uncle essentially told him to come to his church instead, and he wasn't sure exactly what to do.  We had a lesson planned around the Restoration and told him again of the Book of Mormon promise.  We read from Moroni and explained how he'd recognize his answer.  Then he said, "Actually I already know that Joseph Smith was a prophet.  I already know that the Book of Mormon is true.  But I'll pray anyway.  And I'll pray that He'll help me in deciding what to do still."  He really has gained a strong testimony, so I know he'll receive his answer. That's one thing that is for sure.  Joseph Smith WAS a prophet.  The Book of Mormon IS truly the word of God.  I knew it before, but my testimony doesn't stop growing.  I definitely haven't 'arrived,' and probably never will.  But I do know that this work is the work of God.  I know that Jesus Christ is my Savior, and I KNOW that my life would never have been nearly as worthwhile if I hadn't had this opportunity to come here on this mission.  I had a pretty amazing life before, so many blessings, so many opportunities, and so many wonderful people who helped me become who I needed to be.  But now I only pray that I can keep remembering all of the things I have learned and am learning here.  My life will never be the same. I pray that my people, God's people whom I've been able to meet, will continue to pray and feast upon His words to keep their souls nourished by the Spirit.  I pray the same for all of you. Keep the faith, and remember that you are loved more than you can ever realize! With love, prayers and thanks always, -Sorella Willey P.S. Pray for Modena! -- Sorella Willey elizabeth.willey@myldsmail.net Sorella Elizabeth Willey Missione Italiana di Milano Via Gramsci, 13/4 20090 Opera MI ITALIA

Verona 1 - Transfer 6 - Week 4

September 7, 2011 Dear Family and Friends, We had a great week this week, and it's been great to hear from all of you!  I have tried to respond to a few letters from this week, so hopefully I get most of you.  :)  Thanks for the updates and miracles that you've shared with me!  I just love you all so much, and I pray for you often!   This week we have been working with our new convert, Charles, and he is AMAZING!  He bears his testimony to everyone, and he has also introduced us to two of our investigators, Alex and Michael, who are getting baptized this transfer also.  But I got a phonecall a couple of nights ago, and the man introduced himself as Charles (I thought), and asked if we could send our people to fellowship him because he found a job and was moving to Sicilia.  We both were so sad to see him go, but told him how happy we were for him to get work.  Then yesterday in the lesson, we asked Alex if he'd heard from Charles and knew how he was doing in Sicilia, how he'd found the job, etc.  He said, "He's great!  He was at the Questura with me this morning. But I don't know what you're talking about with Sicilia, etc."  Then we tried to explain the phonecall, and he said, "How many Charleses to you have in your church?"  So we called this number again of the guy who I thought was Charles, and we had Alex ask his name (because sometimes the accent is hard to understand for me).  He said it was Stanley! Which maybe doesn't sound a lot like Charles in American English, but they sounded almost identical to me with the awesome Nigerian accent.  :)  Stanley was the friend of one of our ex-investigators who we passed to the Anziani because he (Mavin) had a crush on Sorella Smith.  But Stanley had also come to the lessons, and he was so touched that when he moved away from Mavin, he called us to send missionaries to him!!!  We then had a double celebration that Charles was still here, and that Stanley had felt the Spirit enough to ask for missionaries!  Hopefully the Rome mission gets on that referral!  He's pretty golden!  :) Alex is getting ready for his baptism on Friday, and we looked at his progress record yesterday and realized we've seen him EVERY SINGLE DAY since the day we met him!  He just can't get enough of church, the gospel, and the Spirit!  On Monday, we gave him the homework to start working on his family history, gave him a pedigree family group chard to start filling out, and encouraged him to call his mom or someone to help him get started.  YESTERDAY (Tuesday) he brought it back nearly half-way finished, and said, "I would have done more, but the network was bad when I called my mom."  He's the oldest of his family, has 8 siblings, and I wish I could remember all the names of his siblings.  First or all, his parents are Mary and Joseph.  Then some of his siblings names are: God's Gift, ABlessing, Little One, Mercy, and I don't remember anymore.  But it's so funto start learning about his culture and hear about his family.  They don't seem to have last names in general, but his name, Alex Igho, is actually special because he got his Grandfather's name!  SO COOL!  I want to do Nigerian family history work!  It sounds incredibly difficult and therefore full of miracles and really fun! Hopefully we'll be able to have enough to teach him.  We're nearly finished teaching him the new convert lessons, and he's already learned a lot about the temple, getting REALLY excited to go, and today he's learning about the priesthood!  SO FUN! Anyway, I'm about out of time now, so I've got to wrap it up.  But it's been really incredible this week to feel the Spirit teaching with us.  I've really felt that the Lord has blessed me with special talents and gifts here that I know I never had before the mission.  I hope that I can develope them and use them enough that even after the mantle is taken from me I can have a little extra help getting back to normal life.  I still see my weaknesses, they're definitely still there, but I feel the help of the Lord in overcomming and resisting temptation. I love you all, and I thank you again for your support, friendship and love! Keep the faith! -Sorella Willey -- Sorella Willey elizabeth.willey@myldsmail.net Sorella Elizabeth Willey Missione Italiana di Milano Via Gramsci, 13/4 20090 Opera MI ITALIA