For Him

This past week has been a little bit crazy to say the least! First of all the talent show went so well! Almost all of the branch members were there! It was a success! We had some friends of the members there as well which was wonderful. We sang with one of our members "Sempre vicino a te" and I sang contralto (alto). So it was a great festa for the branch. 

This past week was a little bit rough. 

We have been trying so hard to find new people to teach, but almost all of the people that we have found have dropped us already. I have had some hard days on my mission but I dare say this was the hardest week of my mission thus far. 

The weekends always seem to be the roughest because that is when our investigators are out of town, busy and etc. So we did lots of finding this past week. It has been so hard because we call to set return appointments with the people and they either just just respond, answer and hangup when they find out that it is us or are a little bit mean to us.

But..

This week I realized something that helped to put everything into perspective. I began to think who I am doing my mission for and why I am doing it. When it all comes down to it I am doing this for my Savior Jesus Christ whom I am grateful for. I love my Savior and I realized that I am going to have to suffer at times because he suffered everything for me and all of the people who will ever live. 

As I began to think about that it made it easier finding all day realizing that I am doing everything out of the love that I have for my Savior.  Seriously I feel like Ravenna has been so challeging for me. Especially starting from square one. But I can say that all of the trials that I have had here in Ravenna have been for my good. I have learned so much here and I am grateful because it has strengthed my love and testimony of my Savior. 

There are always tender mercies each and every single day. 

It was pouring rain again in july. We had our rain boots, rain coats in all. That day a women that we met told us that we could meet her again. She is so sweet. She asked us to pray that she can find the right path for her in life. I am praying that will continue to meet with her. 

Sorella Yost's birthday went well and we had a good day together. We got gelato to celebrate her birthday and also mom's birthday! AUGURI MAMMA! I got gelato in honor of your birthday mom! 

The things that got me through it this week: the fragola and cocco granita, they now have a ticket machine in Ravenna and realizing that everything I do is because I love my Savior. 

I am grateful for this time that I have to serve the Lord. I am tired but I love the Lord and I am doing all of this for him and his children that live here in Italy!

Vi voglio tanto bene,

Sorella Rebecca Carter

AUGURI SORELLA YOST E MAMMA

the rain storm in july! We got pretty wet to say the least!! HAHA

rain boots 

pday in rimini

ferris wheel in rimini

di nouvo..

piadina in rimini 

il mare 

Scambio

Well this week has gone by fast! 

This past week we were teaching one of our investigators who is practically atheist but still believes in something greater in life. When we were teaching her she begin to ask us lots of questions about the plan of salvation. I will be honest I was a little bit scared because I wanted to answer her in a way that would help her the most to understand what we believe. She told us that is hard to believe that there is a God when so many bad things happen in the world. It was such a interesting lesson because by the end we sang "Where can I turn for peace" and the room was filled with complete peace and the spirit. 

She asked us to pray for her that she would be able to believe like we do in the plan of Salvation. I am so grateful for our Savior Jesus Christ and the hope that we have because of him. His atonement and suffering is finished and likewise for us one day the trials that we face will end as well! Sorella Yost and I were talking about that after our lesson with her. I am grateful for the people who ask questions like this because it helps me to think and to understand the doctrine better. 

Tonight we have our branch talent show! Wish us luck! I am hoping that it will go well tonight! 

I had an interview with President Dibb and Ravenna is so close to becoming a ward! It is exciting! I don't know if I will be here for that day, but I know thtat it is going to happen soon I am sure. 

Monday and Tuesday I had a scambio with the sorelle in Rimini and this time I went to Rimini!! It was so much fun because I was with Sorella Clawson and she was the sorella who took my spot when I left Como.. So to say the least she caught me up with all of the mos recent como news! It was tooo much fun! I realized that I want to make sure that I am doing everything with the reasoning because I love my heavenly father. So it will be easier t do the work when it is slower. 

Funny moment of the week was seeing a cat wearing a diaper! No joke! haha It was hilarious

Friday is Sorella Yost's birthday so I am trying to do something fun for her. It will be a fun day for sure. 

I am grateful for this time that I have to serve the Lord. I am learning so much each and every single day. 

vi voglio bene,

sorella rebecca carter

our branch activity last week in the mountains!

branch activity in corniolo 

bbq.. italian style

like zorro!

happy birthday sorella yost a little bit early

scambio with sorella clawson

brownies gone bad... the top cooked..but not the middle.. it still tastes good! 

I now know what the word acciughe means

Okay well this past week there have been lots of surprise rainstorms.. And when I say rainstorms I mean pouring rain, lots of thunder, lightning and wind..

The classic Italian rainstorms. It is reminding me of last summer in Como wearing my sandals with the surprise rainstorms. Oh man! 

We were riding our bikes to the church this past week and all of the sudden it was pouring. Pouring rain! To the point where it was getting hard to see where we were going.  Our timing was hilarious as soon as we pulled up to the church the anziani pulled up to the church in their warm car.. hahah They felt so bad for us as we were dripping wet. I had to ring out my skirt to get out all of the water. It was embarassing because after our lesson in the church there was a huge puddle on the floor from my skirt. haha whoops! 

Last week I decided that I wanted to get a pizza because it had been a while since I have ordered a pizza. I was a little bit tired when I ordered it and so I didn't really realize what I was getting myself into. For some reason I thought I was getting an artichoke pizza but it turns out that it was acciughe AKA ANCOVIES!!! So I get my pizza and I was so excited. I opened the box and I knew something was wrong... There were strange little brown things on my pizza and it smelled like fish..I thought to myself, " No it's fine it's fine.. It will be okay." I began to eat the pizza and I began to smell like the anchovies. The whole apartment smelt like the little fish.. I ate what I could of the anchovy pizza and after a little while I said to myself," BASTA!" So this week I learned the hard way what the word acciughe means. Next time I will ask Sorella Yost before I order something out of the ordinary. 

Just when I thought my week with anchovies was over it happened again! We were a a dinner appointment with a less active  members house and everything was going good. All of the sudden I looked at the table and I saw them.. Yes.. 

Anchovies..

It is not a joke. 

They were in a little saucer dish with olive oil, garlic and the little anchovies. Sorella Yost and I both knew what they were, but Sorella Yost asked her what it was.. 

The member said, "ACCIUGHE!" 

I thought to myself, " No not again!!" So the member comensed to explain to us how we eat them. She said, " You put a little bit of butter on the toast and then the anchovies on top.." So we watched her first to stall the time a little bit. Sadly, the member took the two smallest pieces of the anchovies.. So let's just say Sorella Yost took one for the team.. She took the biggest anchovy (aka papa anchovy) that there was with hair and all on it and took the first bite. As she took the bite the toast fell down and the anchovy was still in her mouth. I just watched her in awe.. She was such a champion! I took the smallest one I could find.. When made it through the dinner. Luckily we didn't have to finish them.. We are survivors! 

We had a wonderful fhe last week and we did a little activity with the story of Lehi's vision of the tree of life from the book of mormon. We had the iron rod "verga di ferro" (string) going in the member's back yard that went to the "tree of life" or l'albero della vita (the plum tree). I was supposed to be the holy ghost to help them get to the tree of life. One of the little boys there said to me,"Tui sei lo spirito santo?" It was soo cute! At the end this same little boy found a huge zucchini and was holding it on his shoulder and said, "Non è l'albero della vita! ma la zucchina della vita!" Little children are so funny. I am grateful for the little things. 

We have been having a hard time keeping investigators that we find. We had a sad breakup with someone on monday. She came out with the Book of Mormon that we gave her and she told us that she wasn't interested. Luckily she kept the Book of Mormon, so I hope one day she will read it. Right after we left it started pouring again.. Yet again it felt like a Les Miserables "On my own " moment. SOmetimes the timing in life is just so hilarious. It makes me laugh! 

We are happy though because our meno attiva that we are working with came to church for her third time on sunday! It was a tender mercy! 

Next week we are having our branch talent and I am so excited for this. I hope that someone that we can teach will come to it. 

I am just so grateful to be a member of the church. Every rejection I recieve daily makes me more grateful for the knowledge that I have. I am so blessed and it is such a priviledge that I have to share my testimony of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ everyday. I am starting to understand more about our Savior Jesus Christ and how even he was rejected and crucified. I am grateful for his sacrifice and love that he has for each and everyone of us.  I love you all so much! 

Happy Summer!

Love,

Sorella Rebecca Carter

my anchovy pizza

a meno attiva gave us sea shells from ravenna

summer days!

don't mind how gross I look.. the acciughe pizza 

this wasn't even the bad rain storm....

they made the wall!

my district!

For longer than forever..

Well this past week we had a little bit of a surprise to say the least..also known as  SPACE TRANSFER! So Saturday afternoon we got a phone call from President Dibb.. As soon as we saw that it was him calling I knew that we were being separated. So he told Sorella Gillette that she would leave on tuesday to go to her new city Lodi. We were all so sad to say goodbye to Sorella Gillette. We all had a blast together for those two weeks together. So yesterday we were on the train for about half of the day because we had to take her up to milano. It was soo sad. Sorella Yost and I were exhausted after being on the trains all day! We went to bed right after we planned for wednesday and crashed.. 

So now it is just Sorella Yost and I again. The trio was fun while it lasted. 

We had a young women activity where we had one of the members teach us how to sew buttons and etc.. When I was sewing I didn't really pay to close attention to how close we sat next to one another.. Because a minute later I accidentally poked one of the young women with my needle.. whoops! I better be more careful next time! haha 

The fourth of July was the best day ever! We spent pranzo with our branch mission leader and his wife. It was adorable because he put up an american flag on his flag pole for us, even though he didn't know that it was the fourth of july that day. We had an Italian BBQ and learned some phrases in Napolitano and Romagnolo. We saw our branch president and his family that day as well and they asked us to sing some american songs for them. So we sang them some american songs and then we sang the Italian anthem with them, which was so much fun. After on our bike ride home a man was basically dancing in the pathway on his phone.. He moved back so I thought to myself, " I can make it!!" So I kept going. Right as I went in front of him he basically danced in front of my bike..haha IT was too late.. I accidently hit the man and somehow he stopped my wheel from moving and he just kept saying ,"Mi scusa.. mi scusa.." I looked back at Gillette and Yost and we all just laughed our whole bike ride home.. Ohh man!  Let's just say that the 4th of July was unforgettable! 

I love our members here they are so sweet! They are all so caring and really want our branch here in Ravenna to become a ward. 

On our train ride home from Milano we had a lesson with a very intectual man. It was a very neat experience to teach this man and to have my testimony strengthened of the gospel as we taught him. It made me realize that with the gospel we can find logical answers to our questions, but it is important for us to have the faith first. That it is so important for us to recieve a witness through the Holy Ghost of the truth. 

I am realizing everyday that my time on the mission is getting shorter and shorter. I still have weaknesses and I am by no means perfect. But I am a different person than I was at the beginning of my mission. I am trying my best to make the most of this time that I still have left because I want to give my life for my Savior as his representative. I want to continue to become more like him. 

Mark 8:35 I know that this verse is true. I have seen that as I have given my life and I have sacrificed my time, talents and efforts for the Lord I have recieved soo many blessings. We have been given so much and I am grateful to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. 

I hope you all are well. I love you all so much and I hope that you know that! 

Vi voglio tantissimo bene, 

Sorella Rebecca Carter 

pre 4th of july

4th of July with our branch mission leader! They are wonderful! 

God bless America! With their cute little american flag! 

"i like cibo...i like cibo.. i like cibo..hey hey hey heyyy!"

Granita! 

goodbye sorella gillette! 

classic