Story of the Week (:

Hi guys! Thank you for the emails mom and dad! You guys are the best and you know me so well! I got the package finally! THANK YOU! Seriously mom, you are a fortune teller. That morning I was saying that I wanted to buy a new headband. How do you know? Every time? I was having a really hard day and I prayed for a little tender mercy and then an hour later it showed up! I showed the pictures to everyone and they loved them! And Grandpa's letter was exactly what I needed to hear!

This week has been a little crazy. We had zone conference on Monday in Catania, and since it's so far away we had to leave Sunday night. Zone conference is always so great because you get to see all the missionaries and I got to see my favorite missionary in the world. Sorella Stephens!!!!! Seriously that girl is my soul mate and it was so.good. to finally see her.

Sorella Wiltbank & Sorella Stephens (kindred spirits)

We did interviews with President Waddoups and he helped Sorella Bradford and I figure out how to help our companion [Kaeli is an assistant trainer to Sorella Bradford]. I hope he keeps me here in Palermo for at least one more transfer. It's hard getting transfered after just six weeks and I really just love Palermo. But I will go wherever the Lord needs me. Maybe someday he will need me to be with Sorella Stephens.... maybe? :)

I love my companions!

Saturday we did an activity with the ward. For some reason they asked the missionaries to plan the whole thing. One little fun fact. The church is the same throughout the whole world. But for us Americans it's a little more...organized? And done more orderly. Anyway...sometimes we have a problem with the members thinking that missionaries are here to hold up the ward and do all the work. Hence....a ward activity planned solely by missionaries. Anyways, it went well! We focused on unity and it was a great opportunity to get to know all the members!

Mafia story for the week: We were headed to the train station on Sunday to catch our bus to Catania. Like always I am on the look out for Mafia sightings. And we see a man walking toward us with the typical mafia look. I point him out to the other Sorelle and we all agree that he is mafia. As we pass him on the sidewalk, without making eye contact he says "ciao sorelle". And just keeps walking. WHAT?! Our first thoughts are...crap...they know who we are! They are gonna get us. But bold little blonde American Sister missionary me stops and looks back and I ask him how he knows us. (Because I really am curious) And he replies "Sono un fratello della chiesa" I am a brother of the church. Turns out he is from Palermo 2 and was walking to our chapel for a meeting. He was just really nicely dressed. haha :D

I just want to publicly let the whole world know that our Anziani are the best in the world! For multiple reasons. At zone conference they all did 3 minute interviews so that they could come back to Palermo with us and help us carry all of our supplies. Then from the train station they walked all the way to our house...which is 45 minutes away from theirs...to take our stuff home. And they didn't get home until 11. So we made them all brownies. And that night they showed up with homemade pesto and peanut butter and they gave us a golden referral. Wow. We are really taken care of here. But one more thing is that our first day here they gave us one of their investigators. Which, as a missionary, is one of the most unselfish things someone could do! Her name is Alessandra. And she is 23 and had a baptismal date back in February, but backed out. So we are working with her again and let me tell you, this girl has my heart. She wants to get baptized but she has a problem with smoking. And she has seen too many of her friends get baptized and then just fall away, so she wants to have a strong testimony when she gets baptized. But she has a really hard time quitting smoking. We told her how she could get a priesthood blessing and other ways that she could stop smoking. And yesterday at our lesson she told us how she was having a really hard time. She wanted a cigarette so bad! She was having like a mini anxiety attack. But she read the Book of Mormon and then didn't have the temptation to smoke anymore. And so she downloaded the gospel library on her phone. Gosh she is so great! And I LOVE watching her change her life and I feel so grateful to be a part of it!

This week I have continued my study on the Atonement. I have been reading Jesus the Christ. (Amazing read btw). Yesterday I was reading chapter 10. And when I started the thought came into my mind. "Why didn't Jesus Christ start his ministry until he was 30...three years before he died?" He was sent here to show us the way, but why for only three years? And here is where the light bulb turned on! The scriptures say that Jesus Christ grew grace by grace. And yes, he was special, I am sure he had to realize that he wasn't a normal teenage boy. But he still was half mortal. He had the veil over his eyes too. He was just living a really good life, knowing that that is the right thing to do. Then he finds John the baptist, and Jesus Christ knew that the right thing to do was to get baptized. So He gets baptized and then a voice comes out of heaven "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased". He had to have been thinking, what is this? He had to have been a little confused. So looking for answers he went into the wilderness to pray and fast. And from that point on he knew his purpose, he started his earthly ministry by calling 12 apostles and teaching the people and performing miracles.

I can't even begin to explain how big of an impact this was! And again, I hope that this all makes sense, I can't even begin to explain my thought process and how much my testimony in my savior has increased.
So my challenge to you all is to read Jesus the Christ, specifically chapter 10! [You can read that chapter - HERE.]

Well that's my week in a little wrap up! I hope everything is going well at home! Tell the boys to email me so that I can have their email addresses, I want to do better at emailing individually.
VI VOGLIO BENISSIMO!!!!!!!

p.s I really really hate to tell you this....like really. But my camera....ya it broke. ugh. not even my fault. But it has a one year warranty so I am going to go get it fixed or replaced, but I might not have lots of pictures for a while.