One chapter end another begins

If there is one word I could use to summarize how I feel right now it would be satisfied. This year and a half has not gone as I expected or planned it to go, but it was exactly what I needed. There were moments of everything in the color spectrum from red to gray and everything in between. 

But the moments that I will always remember are those moments of joy and pure happiness that I have felt. The moments were you see people rejoice together as familes, feel the spirit, feel love for those you don't even know, when someone reads the book of mormon and finds out that the church is true, hearing someone bear their testimony to you, people completely changing everything to feel the joy that comes from the gospel. 

This past week I was a little bit sad realizing that I will be leaving Italy, but yesterday night I just complete and utter peace. I felt that I had done everything that the Lord wanted me to do in this year and a half among his children in Italy. I know that it is the time to go home and I have learned and done everything the Lord wanted me to do. 

The 25th of October 2014 is a day that I will never forget. All of the stress and work that we had to do beforehand was worth every effort. The three sisters that we were teaching were baptized. Each one of them beamed with joy that day. The day before one of them told us,"It's like waiting for your birthday or for christmas!". They all were so prepared and ready to be baptized that day. 

The room was full. It was the biggest crowd I have ever seen come to a baptism. There were probably at least 50-60 people there. The spirit was thick during the baptism. As the youngest sister stepped into the font I got a little bit nervous because the water was freezing. But after they all told us that as they stepped into water it was cold, but they could feel the spirit in their hearts warming them up in the cold water. 

The two oldest sisters bore beautiful testimonies and I felt so much gratitude that I was able to see their baptism on my last Saturday as a missionary. All of the hard moments, the rejections and etc were all worth it..It truly made me appreciate that day with them. 

At the end of the baptism I gave the closing prayer and I started tearing up because I was so happy and grateful for each one of these three sisters. They have changed my life and I will always be grateful for them. 

It will be a day that I will never forget and likewise the same for them. Their mother was so happy to see them all get baptized. 

On Sunday we had stake conference and a member from Como was randomly there and I was able to talk to her for a little bit. I am so grateful for the time that I had to serve in como for 7 months. Also I am grateful for my other cities that I have served in Bergamo, Ravenna and Milano. I have learned so much in this year and a half it is remarkable. 

I know that this chapter of my life is ending, but there is just another chapter right around the corner. I am excited and I am ready to start this new adventure because life is an adventure. We are all constantly learning and changing. I am ready to take these lessons that I have learned here in Italy home and use them for the rest of my life. 

I love Italy. Oh how I will miss it here! It has been my home for so long now, but I know it is time to go home. 

I want to thank you all for the love and support that you have given me this year and a half. I am grateful for each and everyone of you and for the love you have shown me. 

I love you all and I will see you all soon on Halloween! Ci vediamo! Vi voglio tanto bene! So che questa è la vera chiesa di Gesù Cristo sulla terra. Sono grata per il mio salvatore e redentore Gesù Cristo. So che il Libro di Mormon è la parola di Dio. Sono grata per ognuno di voi perche mi avete sostenuto durante nelle momenti difficili ed archè nelle momenti belle. Vi voglio un sacco di bene e ci vediamo presto! 

con affetto, 

Sorella Rebecca Carter 

questo è una mostra di Van Gogh 

Il battesimo di Karla, Melanie e Michelle 

le tre sorelle 

con la mamma di loro

sono felici!

membro di como e alcuni membri di milano

random ones

photo like my first foto in front of the duomo

that moment when we were taking this foto to look like my first day in italy and all of the sudden a random man came up to me and put popcorn kernals in my hand for the pigeons...hahah.. the best was when the pigeon was perched on sorella welch's arm. we were all laughing after that. not good photos of me, but they are funny.

viene fonte di ogni grazia

All that I can say is that time is going by very fast.. My brain and body get more and more tired eachday but it is crazy to think that I only have one more week left in Italy as a missionary. 

I am realizing that it is going to be a little bit hard when I get home so you all will have to be ready for some fun times ahead. 

This week we are in a trio! This is my third two week trio! So it is going to be a little bit crazy this last week for me. 

Last week I ate cow lungs.. That was interesting to say the least. It had the consistency of a sponge.. ha 

I speak italian english at times...I now say,"I have 20 years" instead of, " I am 20 years old"..So it is going to be a little difficult for me to speak english when I get home. 

As you can probably notice I am getting a little bit spacey and out of it. So I am sorry if what I am writting doesn't make any sense. 

This weekend we have stake conference and we are singing a song called "Come thou fount of every blessing". As we were practicing this song on sunday I began to feel gratitude for my Savior because through him and his sacrifice I have recieved all of these blessings in my life. I am so grateful for our Savior Gesù Cristo because as we have faith in him all things are possible. I am so grateful that we will sing this song because it fills me with gratitude for everything that the Lord has taught me in this year and a half. 

The girls are ready for baptism this weekend we just have to figure out the date. I am just praying that I will be here when they get baptized. The oldest sister bore her testimony to us saying that she knows that this is the true church. They are all so excited to be baptized and are so ready for this day. I am grateful to have been able to teach them and see their faith and their love for our Heavenly Father. 

I love you all and I will write you all one more time next week. 

love, 

Sorella Rebecca Carter

last pday we hiked the duomo in milano 

duomo

milano

sud america. the classic food. 

This is Italy

Last week when we were at Lecco looking out towards the lake I began to feel like I was in Como again. I felt close to home. I began to feel the feeling of this is my home right here in Italy. Home is truly where and what you make of it. I have come to see that on my mission. The people here in Italy have truly become my family and have made me feel at home. They have helped me to become a part of their family. I am grateful for the people here in Italy. Last Pday I was almost teary eyed thinking about leaving Italy because it has become my home during this year and a half. I love this people and this culture. I will miss all of this. I love being a representative of the Lord and it is hard to believe that there are only about 2 and a half weeks left here.  

The work is really busy here in Milano. I feel like the Lord is blessing me for all of my hard work that I have done during my mission. I am so grateful to be ending my mission here. It is the perfect ending to my mission. The Lord has taught me a lot here in Milano and I am grateful for these last lessons he is teaching me. These last few weeks are going to be very busy for us here to say the least.

Sunday was my last fast and testimony meeting and I knew that I needed to bare my testimony, but I didn't want to take time that someone else could speak..But then the thought popped into my mind that this was the way to show my Heavenly Father gratitude for all that he has taught me on my mission. So I went up for my last time as a missionary and bore my testimony to the ward members. It is weird. I don't know how I feel. It is sad because it feels likes this story is ending , but I know that right after a new story will start again. 

We have a part member family that we are meeting with and three of the daughters are not members. We have been teaching them and they are supposed to get baptized not this saturday but next saturday. The mother who is a member told us, "This day is going to be a special day for our family." I know that it is going to be a very special day for them. It will be on my last saturday in Italy. I am so grateful for them and the faith that they have. I am grateful for eachday that I have here. I am so happy to be serving the Lord. It feels like I am getting to the climax of a movie and everything is just unfolding right before my eyes. 

I love you all!

love, 

Sorella Rebecca Carter 

this was last pday when we went to Lecco. 

this week an old woman asked if I was french. haha each week it changes. 

lecco

birds

this is italy 

lecco is like como but it looks a lot more like switzerland. 

All of the cities that I have served in except for Ravenna.