Lettuce Man

I am so grateful to be here. I love these people. I love this work. This is the hardest thing I have ever done in my life but even the hard moments there are things that are good.

Changes

Well next week we will be finding out if we are or leaving como. Sorella McCann and I both think that she is going to leave because she has been in como for almost 6 months now. I am getting nervous because I have a feeling next transfr is going to be a big change and is going to be very hard. I am excited for change but at the same time I feel like I am finally getting comfortable with things so maybe it is time for a change.

Sunday

It was a great day. We seriously had all of inglaterra (england) and germania in our ward on Sunday. It was fun to have people from the outside world of como,italia! ha We even had a member in the ward translate so the visitors could understand the talks. I am grateful I didnt have to translate because the speakers all spoke so fast and I wouldnt be able to translate that fast. We had one of our investigators at church for all three hours! It was so great to see her walk in during società di soccorso (relief society). Sundays are probably easily my favorite day because there are always little sunday miracles. Also a meno attiva was able to come to church because shefinished work early. We wee so happy to see her at church as well. Its the little things that bring us joy here!

Why I love my mission

During our last district meeting for the transfer our district leader made us write why we love our mission. There are many reasons why I love my mission. I love the people. I love when you see someone feel the spirit for the first time, come to church, pray for the first time, and bare their testimony for the first time. I love seeing good people change and become better. I love seeing people change and when you see that their countance is changing. I even love the hard moments when you are so tired and are trying to roll our of bed in the morning. I love that I am creating a closer realtionship with my savior. I love that I get to study the scriptures in the morning and that my testimony of the gospel increases each and everyday I am here. Most of all I love my mission because I am becoming the person I have always wanted to be. I love my mission here in each day more and more.

Lettuce Man

So this week as we were walking to the bus stop I decided to say hello to everyone I passes with a smile on my face. So I pass an old man(with a bike and two boxes containing lots of lettuce) and say to him "Buon Giorno!"..then he says somethig back to me in english. Then he proceeded to talk to us and gave us two bags of lettuce to be nice. Before he left Sorella McCann and I he blew us a kiss and stroked both of our cheeks. It was so cute and funny. ha Talking about it now just puts a smile on my face. Sometimes I wish I could record all of the funny little things that happen to us on the mission. Sadly we had to throw away the lettuce because we had an appointment and the lettuce looked a little bit juicy. ha it was the thought that counts I guess! ha

Giu Bus or Su Train

Well in Como we have this constant joke if we are on the giu bus or the su train. Giu in italian means up and su in italian means down. So if one of us is having a hard day we ask one another are you on the giu bus or are you on the su train. ha We always tell one another that we need to get back of the su train. My favorite thing to do is when you notice the other sorelle or anziani down to say "I am conducting the su train. so get on this train and join along"..or something of the sort.

Sad day

We had a lesson the other day with a woman that was an ex investigator about 4 years ago. So we decided to have a lesson with her again. Well I started by talking about how God is our loving Heavenly Father and that he love us. I asked her "How doe that make you feel to know that you are a daughter of God?" She basically just shut me down and said I dont believe that and I dont believe in God. We asked her later in the lesson if she loved her family and she told us yes. So we thought yes we are getting somewhere. So we asked her "would you want to live with your family forever if you could?" and she told us no. I have never felt so sad in a lesson before. I literally had to fight back the tears because it made me so sad to she how sad this woman is.

This moment made me realize why the gospel is important to me. I love my family. They are everything to me. There would be no purpose to this life if we had no plan of what where we were to go after we die. I am grateful for the plan of salvation. I know God lives. I know we are all his children. Although this lesson brought us giu at the end she said a prayer to God and we have an appointment with her next week. This gives me hope and I know that although she doesnt agree with our beliefs, I know that she felt the spirit. In the end the spirit will testify of truth.

These moments help me to appreciate the knowledge that I do have. I hope that I can share this joy to people who need this happiness in their life like that woman. There are so many sad people in the world who literally have everything (home, family, clothes, worldly things and etc) but they arent happy with their life. I can say that even my hard days on the mission I am genuinely happy. There are hard days but I am happy with my life, and who I am becoming.

I just want to end my letter this week with a scripture in the book of mormon in Helaman 5:9-12. Read them. There is a promise that is so beautiful in verse 12. If we build our foundation (life) on Christ we cannot fall. I know this is true. I love these verses and I can promise that they are true. I feel so much more joy doing the Lord's work. It's crazy to think that I would have finished my first year of college at home but I am soo graeful to be serving this mission. In October it will be a year since the age change announcement for young men and young women. I am so grateful for that revelation by President Thomas S. Monson because I dont think I would be here without the age change. I love you all! Thank you for your love. There are some days when I think of you all for a second and I can genuinely feel your love. I am grateful for this gospel. I hope you can read Helaman chapter 5 it is an amazing chapter in the book of mormon.

I will tell you what happens next week for transfers. Love you all!

Love,

Sorella Carter

Como today!

My district!

Look I wear my gold shoes!

I had to get some Italian Disney books like dad got! ha

The Ward is Back!

Well everyone in the ward is back from the Switzerland temple! They were all missed! Sorella McCann and I were so excited to see them. It was like seeing family after a long semester of college or coming home from vacation. I am so happy to have them back!

Church

The woman I talked about last week that was an ex investigator from a long time ago came to church and guess what else? We are teaching her two daughters as well who are 10 and 12! They are so sweet! They loved church and the ward members loved them. We had another lesson with them yesterday and the mother started to cry as we sang "Joseph Smith's First prayer". She knows that this church is true but doesnt fully understand why she needs to get baptized again because she is catholic. So the next lesson we are going to talk about that with her. But honestly with her and her sweet girls when we teach them they seem very familiar as if I knew them somewhere before. They are always so kind to us and the girls love to be around us and love to laugh. I am excited to see them all grow because they all have a desire to know if this church is true. One of the girls after family home evening asked us, " How do I know if the Book of Mormon is true?" Sorella McCann and I justed looked at eachother and smiled.  They are so ready it makes me get so excited for them. The ward members love them and gave them sooo much love on their first day in church.

Our investigator that was baptized Agosto 10th blessed the sacrament! It was so sweet to see him do that! I felt like a parent in a way. ha! He is doing great and is such an asset to the ward!

Climb Every Mountain

So Sorella McCann and I had an appointment in the mountains I kidd you not! As we were climbing the mountain we started singing the sound of music song "climb every Mountain". It is the little things in the mission that make us smile.

Little Miracle

Sunday we were doing some finding and we saw this man. I turn to Sorell McCann and asked her if we should talk to him, but before we could say anything to him he starts a conversation with us! I asked him if he had heard of our church before and he said "Yes. I am a member of your church". Sorella McCann and I just looked at eachother in complete ahh.. Then he proceeds by telling us his name and we both recognize it because the bishop talked about this person. SO we were able to have a lesson with this less active member and invited him to come to church. It was a little miracle but it was pretty cool.

Bounty and kinders

Well these two candy bars are my weakness. I hadnt had them for a long time. so when we were at the grocery store I got the kinder bar by the cash register.  we paid separate and I had a kinder bar in hand. Sorella McCann finished and the man said next.. I look a her and I said I still want more chocolate...hah. i didnt want to leave her alone because we had run into a creepy man only like 3 minutes before we left. So I awkwardly went with her back to the candy eisle to get my bounty bar. I felt like augustos gloop from charlie in the chocolate factory. ha well at least now i have my chocolate to keep me content.hah

Bacci

Well here in italy they do something called bacci. It is like what the french do when the kiss both of their cheeks. It is just like saying hello to a friend basically. Well on the missions as sorelle we are allowed to do it to other woman but not to men. But sometimes you get into some awkward situations. For example when you are at the grocery store and you see and old man named Luigi and has a mustache like luigi from mario brothers as well. He came up to us and started to talking..and it was too late..he shook our hands and before we could say anything we got the bacci..not the typical two bacci but it was three.. Plus he had a scratchy moustache and bad breathe. It all seemed to be in slow motion during the time. The awkward baccis. It is a real thing. Also when someone tryies to bacci you and you accidentally almost kiss them on the mouh because you both accidentally go the same direction. ha note to self always go to the right to be safe. hah

Book of Mormon

This week I was reading in Alma 56 and in verses 47-48 it talks about the 2,000 stripling warriors and the impact of their mothers. Also in Alma 57:21 is a great verse. Look them up..It will make you appreciate your mother. I can promise you that. I have never realized how much mothers do really until I left on my mission. There are so many things that you do as a mother and a lot of the time the things you doarent very fun at the time because as a mother you have to be selfless...which is a difficult thing to do for most people. Being a mother is probably one of the hardest jobs because you have to teach, nuture, love, and other things as well. Especially teaching children about the gospel. Like the 2,000 stripling warriors I have seen the blessings of having this church in my life. Life is difficult. There are bumps, twists and twists in the road but one thing that is always there is the gospel.  Seriously I am grateful to have this church in my life because it brings me sooo much peace in my life. I am so grateful for the example that my mother has been to me. I get very overwelmed thinking about children and trying to teach them simple gospel principles, that is a pretty big responsibility! Luckily I am only a missionary! ha Phew! I am so grateful for mothers and all that they do. I am grateful for my mother and all of the things that she has taught me growing up and continues to teach me.

Well I love you all!

Love,

Sorella Carter

Pictures

Dont judge me.

Today we went to brunate and did a hike to the light house there.

Yes, I am using my passport holder as a fanny pack.

I am taking you on this hike one day!

These are real pictures. it looks like postcard

Tangled tower! I thought of rapunzel and pascalas we walked past this! It was like Disneyland!

Snow whites house!

Rapunzel!

The light house