Auguri

Well I'm currently sitting in Ravenna where we're spending P-day with the Sorelle here. It's been quite fun. We toured a whole bunch of churches this morning, including some I remeber studying in school. We made homemade pizza, and Sorella Lemos cut our hair. 

Last night we tried something new with the Rimini English Class. We have three different classes that we teach- the anziani take the conversation, Sorella Bucco teaches intermediate, and I have the beginner class. So we decided to have a party, combine the classes for the night, eat treats, and play scattegories. It went really well. We paired them up on teams, putting more advanced english speakers with my very basic class. Everyone seemed to have a lot of fun, so we think we'll have an activity once a month. 

We had several people who where there for the first or second time. One of those leaned over and started asking questions about what else we do in the church. I mentioned church on Sunday mornings, and she wanted to come, but has work at that time. 

Afterwords, two of the other ladies asked if we could meet up another evening during the week to practice more english. Of course we said yes. I love teaching english. You're able to develop really good relationships with people, and they naturally become interesting in the gospel, and then there are people like S. in Pordenone who got baptized last Thursday!!!!!!!!!

Last Friday the Anziani called up with a refferal of a lady they had met on the street.We called her and invited her to church, but much to our surprise on Sunday, she came! The members were so welcoming to her. She had a ton of questions, and loved testimony meeting. She told us to call her that night to set up an appointment for the week, but before we could call her, she called us. We'll be seeing her on Friday! It always amazes me how the Lord prepares people and places them in our path. This truly is His work. 

I love you all and hope you have a marvelous week. Auguri to all those who ran the Marathon last week. 

Sorella Pace


Side Note from Julie
We talked to Karen this Sunday for Mother's Day. She is doing well and looks beautiful! She sends all her love!

Rain is pouring all around...

As I sit here in the church typing this letter, there is a crazy thunderstorm going on around us. Luckily we're safe and dry, but we're slightly worried about when we'll need to leave the church, and I think our appointment outside in centro tonight is cancelled. 

Such is life, especially as a missionary. 

This week's been pretty exciting.

I had a scambio in Reggio Emilia, we had interviews with Presidente Dibb, and most importantly, 

We set a baptismal date!!!! With our wonderful miracle investigator, C. 

She spent a week reading the Book of Mormon, and then came to church. It was The Best sacrament meeting that day with some really powerful talks. Afterwords we went into a classroom for a lesson. She really wants to know if this is God's true church, and she's working to recieve an answer. We were able to set a bap date for 6 June. She's going to England to visit her daughter for a couple of weeks, and asked us for the address of the church there. We're super excited for her. 

I love you all! Have the best week ever!
Sorella Pace

Life long dream accomplished! I was a Helping Hand! We had a district activity where we cleaned up a park here in Rimini. It was pretty awesome!

Buona Pasqua!

Buona Pasqua! And Happy Anniversary Steve and Melanie! 

Easter was absolutely amazing. It also happened to be fast and testimony meeting as well. The Spirit was so powerful. One of the youth had brought her mom to church for the first time. I guess the mom has been pretty against the church which makes it hard on the daughter, but she cried throughout all the testimonies and had a wonderful experience. 

That morning the nonmember mom of member family called us up as we were walking to church and invited us over for Easter pranzo (lunch). We've eaten with her once before, and she perfectly matched the idea of an Italian cook feeding you until you're ready to burst, and then adding five more courses. For Easter we were a little more prepared- mentally if not physically. What we were unprepared for was that it all would be fish. Which I'm fine with, but Sorella Bucco hates fish. So as our host was busy in the kitchen, we snuck food to my plate and the empty seashells to Sorella Bucco's plate. 

That evening we went to the Branch President's house for a dinner of homemade pizza and homemade gelato. It was delicious. By the time we arrived home that night we were stuffed to the brim and still couldn't eat breakfast the next morning.

My favorite part of missionary work is teaching. When you're in a lesson with someone who really is searching for the truth, there is a powerful and sweet spirit that completely guides the lesson. After a lesson we'll talk about what happened, and half the time I'll have no idea what exactly I said, only that it was what they needed to hear. Last week we taught a restoration lesson to an ex-investigator from the Area Book, and it was a powerful lesson. It was actually the first time Sorella Bucco and I had taught the restoration together, but it went beautifully. We were able to adapt completely to her needs and help her really understand the importance of the Book of Mormon. She was so committed to read the Book of Mormon and pray about it. She asked for three chapters and a week to read, and then next Sunday we'll meet again to discuss about it. Sorella Bucco and I left that lesson completely amazed and grateful for the help of the Lord.

The sad part is that my bike broke right after that, so we had to walk the bikes home. We got lost, and had forgotten the map at home so the walk took two and a half hours. Our feet are sore, but it was worth the lesson.

Vi voglio tanto bene!

Sorella Pace

Easter Pranzo (lunch)

Scambio

Cara Famiglia,

So today we visited San Marino and I felt like I was living in a dream. We were running around like crazy and taking pictures like crazy because we had only a short amount of time before we had to catch our bus back to Rimini. I think it was the best p-day I've ever done.

Last Thursday we headed up to Modena for my first scambi as a sister training leader. I was with Sorella Holloway from my MTC district who I basically haven't seen for a year. It was so much fun to work with her and realize how much we've grown since the MTC. Modena is the coolest city, and Sorella Holloway and her companion just opened it to sisters last transfer.  As we arrived in Rimini the next day we were able to meet up with our companions by the beach- my first view of it in Rimini. It was beautiful, even if the wind was blowing up a sand storm. 

Then this week I was in Ravenna on another scambio. Wow that city's beautiful as well. It has the neatest brick churches, something you don't see much in Italy.

Being on scambi so much is really fun since I get to work with so many different sorelle and I learn so much from them . It does means that I haven't spent much time in Rimini though. Tomorrow and Friday I'll be doing my first scambio here which should be interesting. Hopefully I don't get too lost.

This week I've been so full of gratitude for everything the Lord has given us. 

He has the perfect plan for everyone and puts us in eachother's paths to bless one another. When I was in Ravenna we stopped a lady on the street and talked to her for a while. She's going through a hard time and struggling to feel God's love for her right now, but as we talked I could feel her relax and feel the spirit. She wasn't ready to give us her contact information to meet with the sorelle again, but I know that we were placed in her path that day so she could feel that our loving Heavenly Father is looking out for her.

Buona Pasqua!

Sorella Pace

So today we decided to leave the country and head up to San Marino.

Best decision of my life.

I literally have never been in a place so beautiful. It's a castle built on top of a mountain. From one side you look out and see the coast - the land, the cities, the sea - and from the other side you look out and see the most breathtaking landscape of mountainous hills leading off towards Tuscana. I literally took over two hundred pictures in the space of two hours.

From one of the towers

Looking towards the Adriatic Sea

A super windy day by the Rimini beaches with the Modena Sorelle after a scambio. We really struggled to get a picture without someone's hair completely covering their face. This is the best I got.

RIMINI!

Dear Family,

I've now been in Rimini for almost a week. I arrived Thursday evening, and then woke up very early to catch a train to Milano for mission council. That's a long train ride, especially when you do it three times in two days. The fun thing was that I was able to ride a Freccia (a fast train) for the first time. It did take a couple of days to get over the exhaustion though.

Conference is absolutely amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!! Wow. I LOVED the Women's Conference. Everything was so powerful- the talks, the video, the music. I just about cried when they had all the little primary girls stand up and sing.

I'm loving Rimini. The branch is very strong, very missionary minded, very wonderful. Dad, I can completely understand that the first missionaries had such miracles, because they found the most powerful people.

Yesterday we went out with a recently returned missionary from Rome. We visited a less-active, and then she took us to meet another inactive she mentioned that this inactive has a roommate who she'd met once and could be interested in the gospel. We had a nice lesson with the inactive and left. As we were walking home, we stoped a girl on the street and started talking to her. After a mintue she mentioned that she knew someone who had just served a mission in Rome. After a second we realized that we were talking to the roommate! We had a lesson with her, and then she came to english class that night. It's amazing how the Lord puts us in the path of people who are preparing to hear the gospel.

Tomorrow I'm going to Modena for my first scambio as a sister trainging leader. Basically a sister training leader is like a zone or district leader for the sorelle. We do scambi with them and make sure they're doing well. We're over five sets of sorelle, so we'll be busy with exchanges the whole transfer.

My companion Sorella Bucco is amazing. She's a convert of several years, with a very powerful testimony. I'm so excited for this transfer with her.

Love you all! (Vi voglio bene!)

Sorella Pace

Trasferimenti!

Dear Family, 

So it's that time of the transfer again, when it ends. I figured that I'd be leaving Pordenone since I've been here for four transfers, but I was not expecting the call from Presidente Dibb on Monday night calling me to go to Rimini and be a Sister Training Leader. Wow! 

I'm excited and nervous and hope I'll be a good leader. My companion is Sorella Bucco who's supposed to be amazing. Rimini is one of my dream cities- it's on the Adriatic Coast, pretty touristy, and every missionary who serves there absolutely loves it. My trainer Sorella Heupel had just left Rimini and talked about it all the time. So it seems like once again I'll be spending the summer by the sea. Which is really nice because I was dreading an Italian summer inland. 

It's going to be really sad leaving Pordenone, especially since I'll miss S's and L's baptisms. They are so wonderful, and the gospel is truly changing their lives. 

There have been so many wonderful people here in Pordenone who I love with all my heart. But I'm excited to head to Rimini and serve the Lord and the people there. 

Vi voglio bene!

Sorella Pace

Last P-day we went for a hike in the mountains above Pordenone. It was bellissima! Even if I was so not in hiking shape and used muscles I haven't touched in the last year.

My dear sweet 84 year old who's going to be baptized April 12! It has been an absolute miracle watching her understanding of the gospel grow. I think one of my greatest joys was when she was finally able to pass the fake baptism interview because she remembered what everything was.

Karen, a member, S. who is going to be baptized.

I have never met anyone more ready for baptism. She loves the gospel and everything about it. My greatest blessing of the mission has been meeting her.

S. and the Sorelle

Our miracle inactive. We were truly guided to her, and she's come to church ever since!

The Keefers. They're the Military Relations missionaries here. They're amazing!

We were riding our bikes back from Roveredo the other day and rode past this field. It's so beautiful here!

Mestre!

Cara Famiglia, 

We've been having an absolutely beautiful spring! It rained a lot this weekend, but then it's cleared up and left the tops of the mountians brilliantly white with fresh snow. Yesterday Sorella Carter and I were up in an paesini named Polcenigo really close to the mountains, and it was absolutly gorgeous. Everything's so green and fresh and springy. We both just died, went to heaven, and now today we're headed back up by the mountains to hike around. 

Last Friday we have a triple zone conference in Padova. And it was amazing! Presidente Dibb had asked all of us to read the first 13 chapters of the Book of Mormon twice before the conference, and then in the morning he went through and pointed out so many doctrines, principles, and examples that apply direcly to our investigators. 

Then I hopped on a train with Sorella Montagnoli and we did a scambio in Mestre! It was my first time doing a scambi outside of my own city and was super fun to be where Dad served for a day. We even went up to the church for a baptism interview, so I was able to get a picture there. 

In other amazing news, we set a baptism date with S.!!!! We've been working for one for weeks, and she finally set one. She's so ready for baptism, she literally could be baptized tomorrow. She knows it too, but wants to wait until 1 May.I've never before taught anyone so ready to accept the gospel. She loves every commandment, the Book of Mormon, church. She's already made so many friends in the ward, and everyone loves  her. We all leave each lesson on a spiritual high. 

I love you all! Have fun in Moab! 

Sorella Pace

I had a special treat this week visiting Mestre on scambio for a day! (Dad served here)

Zone Conference

MTC comps a year later

The District