Sorella Williams: Veloce Settimana!

Hi wow,

OK so. I would like to have a moment of silence for the death of Severus Snape. I was just informed - I have ways- and wow. That is so sad. I loved that guy.

Its been quite the week. First of all thank you for so many letters. You have no idea. I can tell I'm definitely the kind of missionary that likes to hear everything about your lives so don't hold back. Thursday we went to the temple which was so perfect!!! The temple is so beautiful.

Most of this week has again just been a string of chaotic teaching!!! All day every day. We have such special moments with our investigators. It makes me so excited to go to Italy and find the people that are ready for the truth. No matter how many times I read the Joseph Smith history or the first vision, I can always have the spirit ALWAYS. Whenever a discussion is going south or making no sense I immediately just read them the first vision and talk about Jesus Christ restoring his church. There is nothing more profound than that one afternoon in a grove. I love it.

I also need to say a little something of Sorella Hoffman. She is an unbelievable person and I love her with my whole heart. We are similar in a lot of ways and sometimes I pretend teach her like she is an investigator and still the spirit can be felt so strong. She is so in tune with the holy ghost and truly teaches by guidance. She shared a story this week to us about one of her investigators from her mission in Italy named Angela. She always refers to Angela as her golden investigator because she was so ready to hear the message and recognized its truthfulness almost immediately. She cried as she told us such personal details about their lessons with her. Angela was baptized and to this day I don't think there is anyone in the world that loves her as much as Sorella Hoffman. It's so sweet. It is truly unbelievable how this gospel and the truth of it can turn people towards God. She said you will experience so many people that are not ready for the gospel or don't want to listen, she said don't spend all your might on these people when there are people like Angela ready to return to Him. I'm learning a lot here about how to recognize what it is the Lord would have me say to these special people he introduces me to. I have experienced the spirit prompting me in a lesson to say something that may be different than the lesson plan and it has always been exactly what the person needed to hear. I love being His instrument in this bigger than life work!

My older missionary couple friends, the Fitzner's, left on their mission Monday morning to Rome. I was sad because I know I wont see them as I will be in Milan. But NO ONE was more excited to go back to the mission he served in 45+ years ago than this sweet Frotello. He had some Italian missionaries come together and shared with us incredible and tender stories from his mission. I loved hearing about it so much. He said the hardest part of his mission was coming home after it was over. I hope I'm like that too!!!

Anziano Harris's mom sent him something called the Riccardi Letter. ITS AMAZING. He read it to us when we had an hour to kill. If you have time to kill to please read it. They are honest letters about a guy on his mission and some of the things he learned. I read it all the time now. I FEAR NO MAN.

SO this week has been exciting because 6/12 apostles are here training new mission presidents. You always know where they are because the hallways will be blocked off with lots of security. Well that was no challenge for me and I found a way to get inside and casually walk around hoping to bump into Uchtdorf and be like oh hello sir- uchtdorf is it? yes I am Sorella Williams. But that didn't happen, but I did bump into Brother Mills from the "before and after" devotional I was talking about in my last letter and was probably scaring him with how excited i was to see him. I was happy I got to tell him how much I appreciated his talk. That night Elder Neil Anderson spoke to us. Awesome. I now have had 2 of the 12 apostles speak to me while being in the MTC!! how lucky am I?! It was so great. I think my favorite part about hearing from the 12 is their unwavering testimonies of them being witnesses to the resurrected Christ. Nothing more powerful in the world.

OK now I have to talk about the fact that I had the chance to host yesterday. Hosting is when you have to pull sobbing family members off of their missionary and pull their suitcases inside the MTC and drag them with you. I was dreading it because MY OWN WOUND IS TOO FRESH FROM THAT DAY and I was so scared that I would join in on the family hug and start crying when it came time to drive away. ugh and I hate emotions and knew I would get stuck with some cry baby sister. I was not looking forward to it. It ended up being the most hilarious day ever. I was all over the place and they do NOT mess around here. We had to go to a conference to learn how to do it. well I was Joe too cool for school like whatever this is dumb. No it was not, this place runs like clockwork and they had the system down. I have to share some funny things. I hosted about 7 or 8 sisters (record in the whole conference thank you very much;) and one girl was crying saying goodbye to her family. I did well in the emotion department and just took her bags and started to walk away. I didn't know that her family was recording her walking away with me so I turn around and at full volume say to this elder down the road HEY IS THIS THE ONLY SISTER I NEED TO GET OR DO I NEED TO GRAB A COUPLE MORE CUTE CATS. only sisters can pick up sisters and we were short sister hosts so I was doing double duty a lot, so I wanted to double check lol. It was so awkward because I turn around and the entire family is frowning at me because I just ruined their very dramatic home video. I awkwardly said sorry and dragged their daughter away forever. AND THEN another time I got back to the curb (man I was sweating up a storm at this point lugging so many suitcases around-stripped down into the cardigan if you know what I'm saying) and all the sudden this older volunteer guy starts losing his mind looking at me saying SISTER THE VAN-THIS IS YOU- YOU'VE GOT THIS OK?! I'm like what the crap why is this guy losing it. well then I looked and realized why, the mother of all vans was chugging down the road straight to me. I was like sweet mercy help me. It was one of those vans that has like 5 rows of seats and had approximately 3 years of fast food shoved in the windshield. I was like THERE'S GOING TO BE LIKE FORTY SISTERS POPPIN OUT OF THIS BABY MAKE WAY EVERYONE HERE WE GO. And I was the only sister so I was the only one who could do it. I start doing some jogs in place and stretches when the van KEEPS DRIVING. They missed the stop line and kept on going on their merry way. So the volunteer guy is like SISTER THIS IS YOU STOP THAT VAN. um talk about panic. So I tear off up the road running full speed behind the biggest white van of all time waving my arms. Dress and all. I can only imagine what this must of looked like. But elders were cheering me on like KEEP GOING GET THOSE SISTERS YOU GOT IT and a lot of laughing. man it was quite the time. anyway eventually I got it stopped and out plopped one singular cute sister. WHAT THE HECK WHY WAS THIS BUS NECESSARY but she was crying so I thought it best not to ask her. Another time I was taking 3 Spanish sisters to the 3rd floor. I have never been to the third floor because the only people there are all Spanish speakers. well let me tell you I've been missing quite the party because the minute the elevator doors opened there was a full on fiesta going on and everyone was talking Spanish and took the girls right from me. wow what a party! From there I took a Danish sister to the European floor, the fourth floor (my floor) not a sound when we got off the elevator hahahaha. nice. huge culture difference. Hosting man, got to love it.

My comp has been saying good morning to everyone in the mornings and some days no one says it back. Well I got mad and one day said "Mordate mi!" while smiling and waving which means "bite me" and they all returned the wave and had no idea what i said. hahahaha. best thing ever.

I am so happy to be a missionary. I learn about myself as a true daughter of God in ways I never have. I want to tell you all that He is so aware of you, and you can feel his love for you if you simply ask. So many tender mercies have come my way just by asking him. The Holy Spirit is the way he can tell us he loves us. He would much rather stand next to us and hug us, but that wouldn't be helpful in learning how to be strong and have faith would it. Turn toward God and away from your past. Repent daily- it is the best thing we have been given. So many of us have a bitter taste with the word repentance. It is not meant to be something that scares us. We sin everyday- he knows this, but Christ wants us to grow closer to him and exercising the gift he died for so we could have, is not a bad way to repay him . Decide what you really believe about the Savior and His atonement, and then get on your knees and pray to know more. He will tell us. That is what I learned from Elder Anderson. I am another witness of Jesus Christ. I know that he lives and that he leads and guides his church which has the full gospel. Pray for knowledge, strength, comfort, solace, and forgiveness. And then do something about it!!!! These answers don't come to everyone in the same way. Appreciate your individual relationship with him. he loves you.

I love you all and hope you have such a great week!!!!