Buongiorno!

     It's hot people. It's real hot. Italians are ridiculous and don't believe in air conditioning (they are superstitious about air blowing around them, they call it colpa d'aria). So you can't even find relief indoors. But I'm making it work with double duty fans in the apartment, secret air vents I've found in the city, and of course gelato.

     This week we found two new investigators! Maria is the neighbor of a less active we visit and she is willing to continue meeting with us. She's an herbalist (lets hope not the Colorado kind) and her work takes her out of town often. She believes that all religion is good and doesn't understand why affiliating with one would be important. I bore testimony to her that when Jesus Christ came to the earth he established his church with the correct authority that God had given him to perform ordinances such as baptism and conferring the gift of the Holy Ghost. Christ also gave this sacred authority to his apostles. But after his death, and the death of the apostles, his church over time was changed and distorted, scripture was misinterpreted, and the correct authority was lost. With time, many churches emerged to try and follow Christ's original church, but none practiced the complete gospel without having the authority to do so. Our church today is the restored church of Jesus Christ with all the same authority that had once been on the earth, given again to our prophet in these latter days. With this authority, we can be baptized, receive the Holy Ghost, and have eternal life with our families. I'm so grateful for this knowledge and told her if she prays to know if what we said was true, she would receive an answer.

     Our second investigator is Samuel! And I love him. He was so interested in what we had to say and was eager to start reading the Book of Mormon and pray to know if it is true. I'm so excited to see him again.

     A lot of people have been asking about Eunice. I wish I had a good excuse but we honestly just can't get a hold of her. We can't pass by her house because she lives over an hour away. It's been hard and sad, I miss her a lot. But I'm hoping when Doris comes back in town on the 2nd we can go to Roccastrada, see Doris, and then pass by Eunices and see where she's been!

     A cool experience happened Sunday when after sacrament a boy walked in all by himself in a little suit looking so cute! He is American and told me he's in town staying at a family friends house who lives here. He decided to walk by himself to church just to take the sacrament. It broke my heart to tell him he had missed it, but I grabbed the branch President and the 4 of us went into a separate room where the bread and the water were blessed just for him so he could have his own sacrament after walking all the way to church by himself! The spirit was strong and I knew the little boy was so happy. Come to find out, the family this little boy is staying with for the summer is a less active family from Utah who decided they were done with America and moved all the way to Italy a couple years ago. We have been trying to meet with them for a while, but the wife is pretty anti-Mormon. We hope that this little boy can have a good example on them and soften their hearts so we can invite them back to church.

     Monday and Tuesday we had scambio in Florence. I went with Sorella Insalaco and we taught some AMAZING people. A woman met us at the church and wanted to learn more. We taught her about the Book of Mormon and the restoration of Christ's church on the earth today. The spirit was so strong and she was excited to learn more. After the lesson we asked if we could pray all together and asked her if she would feel comfortable saying it. She said "sure! Where's it written?" and started flipping through the pages of the Book of Mormon. We explained to her we don't used memorized prayer, but instead believe it to be something from the heart, like a conversation, to our
Heavenly Father. Well she was very hesitant to say it after that, but we told her we would help her. She then gave the most heart felt prayer I've ever heard and midway through she couldn't help but cry. By the end of it we were all in tears. She kept saying "I don't know what I'm feeling I don't know what I'm feeling". We hugged her and
asked her what it felt like and she said "peace". I felt so lucky to be there and see the very moment someone discovered for themselves that God loves them individually and confirm to her that what we had taught was true.

     Palio is Saturday and the city is absolutely electric. I can't even walk down the streets anymore without hearing drums, chants, mass groups of singing, flags being waved in my face, parties, etc. Siena, since before medieval times, has been divided up into "contrada's" which they chose based on what neighborhood or street you lived in. To this day those contrada's still stand and the people are so loyal to which ever one their family has been apart of for generations and generations. I have seen grown men cry tears of joy when discovering their contrada would be competing in this years race. I feel so lucky to be here for this event!!! I love Siena so much and all its amazing
history so I will join the crazies Saturday and watch the horse race. It's about to go down.

I hope all of you have a great week!!!!

Sorella Williams


My favorite senior couple the Ferrara's. They came to Siena for Pday and I played tour guide. They took us out to lunch and gelato. It was the best!

Buona festa del papà!!!

     Happy Father's Day to so many great dads out there, especially mine! I love my dad and miss him so much. I was thinking about how influenced we are by our fathers and how not all of us have the best relationship with our earthly fathers, but we are also our heavenly father's children and he loves and carefully watches over each of us. I'm grateful for the knowledge that I know I am a daughter of God. I truly can feel his love for me and those around me everyday.

     This week I hit my 6 month mark which is so weird. I feel like I have learned and grown so much in this time simply by trying to put others before myself. It's incredibly humbling knowing that right now during this very short period in my life I am able to dedicate all my time to the Lord. I love that I can feel the spirit with me so often as I try to do His work. He has already put me in the path of so many amazing people. I'm so glad I chose to serve this mission. I'm looking forward to this next year.

     On that happy note, this week was pretty crappy to be honest hahah. So many people with appointments ended up not showing up! So that was fun. We did finding work pretty much all week long which always leads to lots of interesting encounters, funny stories, some miracles, and a lot of grand denials. We also were challenged by our mission leaders to call 25 random people we don't know from our area book. And we found lots of new people willing to meet with us and hear our message which was so exciting!

     In other news I may or may not have accidentally joined a band this week hahaha. I stopped a man on the street and we started talking. The man did not stop talking for AN HOUR PEOPLE. whew, it was rough I'm not gonna lie. He told me he was a musician and wanted to play with me in the park (even though I told him I can play "un bel niente" haha) I told him I wanted to teach him more of our message and next thing I know he's got me committing to certain days in the park with his band. It was one of the most confusing conversations I've had so far hahaha but he said he's bringing pizza so let's be honest I'll probably be there.

     I've been discouraged this week with the work in Siena. I feel such a heavy burden to help this branch. I'm doing what I can with my circumstances and I know God is aware of that because even though I come home exhausted, with virtually no lessons taught that day, I know I tried and did what I could. I've been on my knees more this week than ever before and that feeling of loneliness always leaves the minute I ask for help. I know that we go through trials in life for a purpose and if He could he would take it all away, but we have to experience this to grow and to become our best and happiest selves. 

I hope you all have great weeks!

Love Sorella Williams


On the top of the famous Piazza del Campo Tower


Sorella Williams & Barlow on top of the Piazza del Campo Tower

SALVE and Happy Bday to ME

SALVE

This week was crazy.

     Last week on Wednesday Sorella Rowe came back to visit Siena with her parents. They took me and Sorella Barlow to Eunice's house to have dinner all together!!! I was so happy to see Sorella Rowe again (even though it had only been a couple of days). That dinner will forever be one of the highlights of my mission. Eunice, Adriano, Nicole, Jason, Doris, Luciano, and Danielle were all there and we had the best food and laughed all night. I love the people in Roccastrada with my whole heart. 

     This week we have been doing a lot of finding!! We had many denials and many people who listened! I was on the bus and felt so strongly to talk to a woman standing near by. Her name is Daisy and she agreed to meet with us again! We are really excited about that.  

     My birthday was  Sunday and I want to say thank you to all of you who reached out to me and made my day so special for me!!! Your letters and emails meant so much to me and really made my day so great!! Birthdays on the mission are weird because you literally do nothing different haha. You still do missionary work all day. But it's a great feeling knowing you're serving the Lord before you serve yourself.

     Sunday we had to wake up at 5:45 AM just to get to the conference in Florence on time. To describe how tired I was, I realized when I got to the hotel (where the conference was held)  that I was still wearing my pajama shorts  under my skirt! I got dressed in bed and clearly had forgotten to take them off hahahah. So that was a pleasant surprise. Other missionaries were so sweet to wish me a happy birthday and Elder Harris had even bought me the sweetest bore t-shirt and chocolate. The conference was really good. On the way home we talked to this guy on the train for the whole 2 hours. It gave me a confidence boost with the language because my companion was totally passed out asleep hahah. In the end though we misunderstood each other because he thinks we are going out for gelato sometime this week...we can if he'll let me teach him the restoration with my companion hahah. 

     The baptism for Eunice has been THE BIGGEST STRUGGLE for the past week. We needed to figure out if our blow up/assemble-it-yourself baptismal font even worked so Saturday morning  Sorella Barlow and I worked to find all the pipes and screws and try to do a 4 man job all by ourselves. We almost peed our pants laughing at how helpless and pathetic we were. Then we got a phone call from Eunice saying that Adriano has to leave town for three days to Rome and she no longer has a ride to get down to Siena for her interview with president who is already coming FAR out of his way to meet her. There is a bus coming down, but there isn't one returning to Roccastrada that night. She has two young kids and wouldn't have anywhere to stay that night or find a ride home. The next time president said he would be able to come down all the way to Siena for the baptism interview  would be July 4. So we will have to postpone the baptism until then. I just feel like the odds are always against us in this branch. Problem after problem keeps arising and I don't know why. But I'm still working hard and trying my best to help.

     In other news  Sorella Barlow and I got lost for almost 2 hours trying to find this guy named Paolo's house who hasn't been to church in about 3 months. I couldn't even be mad about it because the area we got lost in was this BEAUTIFUL Tuscany country side with green hills for miles and giant mansion villas all with old stone work and grape vineyards. I still can't believe I live here. We agreed we are going back soon to do some casa:)

     As I have felt a little defeated this week I read Psalms 118:6 & 8. We have strength unknown to us because the Lord is on our side. Trust in him, and see the miracles work. I know I am. 

     I hope you all have great weeks!!

love Sorella Williams

Dinner at Eunice's house

Nicoletta & Sorella Williams

Sorella Williams & her new companion Sorella Barlow

So grateful and happy for all the birthday cards!

Farewell Rowe Hello Barlow

Buon Giorno!

     I hope everyone had great week!  My week seemed like it went so fast and soooo slow. Can't decide which one.

     Last p day Wednesday was Sorella Rowe's last day in Siena so we woke up early and went running through our favorite park, so sentimental huh? We spent the day cleaning and packing. I even got to see Sorella Taylor and her siblings who came back to Italy on vacation and it was SO GREAT. Then we took her bags and traveled all day on a million different trains and buses to Bergamo so I could pick up my new companion Sorella Barlow! We spent the night in Bergamo and dropped Sorella Rowe off at the station early the next day so she could head
to Milan and meet up with her parents, I only cried a little. Sorella Barlow and I got to Siena late Thursday night and had lots of planning, un packing, and grocery shopping Friday.

     We taught and did lots of finding! I've had to introduce Barlow to all our people so that has been fun. Sunday we had the Western European stake conference broadcast where Elder Christofferson and Elder Keron spoke. It was really good!  Sorella Barlow and I really want to help the less actives in our branch because If they are active then this branch could be a ward and as we have met with some we can see how they would like to come back to church, but little obstacles keep getting in their path. And then there are the big obstacles like they just don't have a ride to church and they live an hour away...so we are working with them on that. We called every single person on the branch list and it broke my heart as I read each name and the majority are less active. I'm not sure how to help them. We call, we teach, we listen, and we serve them, I just hope something clicks soon.

     We had a cool experience while we visited Francesca like we usually do Sundays. Francesca is a member who is very old and has completely lost her memory so she is in an old folks home. She can't really speak anymore so we always sing hymns with her and it makes her so happy. When we got there, there was a woman sitting next to Francesca who introduced herself as her niece! I started freaking out because this whole time I've been dying to know if Fran had any family. This woman began to cry as I explained to her that we see Francesca twice every
week and how happy she is when we come. The niece lives in Rome and Francesca is one of her only living relatives and it breaks her heart to see her memory gone. She was so grateful to the missionaries for visiting her aunt because she feels like she's abandoned her and has so much guilt about it. She hugged me probably 25 times and just cried and cried! I thanked God that we came at the time when we did because had we been only 5 minutes later, we would have never met her and she would have had no idea that Francesca is looked after.

     We went to Florence for district meeting and talked to so many people on our way there and back! We were walking through the station in Florence getting ready to leave when we hear someone say in English "you missionaries must seriously struggle with the work in this country" we spun around and see this bearded, sweaty, sunburned, backpacker sitting on the floor looking up at us. We started talking to him and asked how he knew who we were, he told us he used to be Mormon and really respects us for coming to a country like this. We didn't get to talk for very long, but we wished him well and headed for our train. Well we were seated in a random cart when in walks backpacker man! I was like "stop following us weirdo!!!" And then told him to sit next to me. He happened to be going to Poggibonsi so we got to talk for over an hour. He told us his whole life story and we discussed his conversion, and then his falling away from the church. I bore testimony that we have a modern day prophet who leads and guides this church just the same as in biblical times because I know that God loves his children no less today than he did at the time of Abraham or Noah or Moses. That miracles and revelation from God exist and still
happen today. That every aspect of this restored church and all its ordinances are fundamentally the same as the church that Christ had established on the earth. And that he can know this to be true again. He was such a nice guy and had nothing but respect for the missionaries. I hope something good can come from that conversation and that one day he can find his way back.

I hope all of you have great weeks and know that Heavenly Father loves
each of you!! And so do I!

Love Sorella Williams


Sorella Rowe came back to visit Sorella Williams and they were both wearing the same outfits!


Bergamo


One of Lindsay's MTC Teachers visiting Siena


Bergamo

Food, Food and more Food!!

Salve buona mattina!

     This week was great because we were so busy with lots of people and lessons! AND we were fed 3 times what whhaaaat.
       We taught the Goris and they fed us celestial food. Italians (even for lunch) eat in four courses so you are literally always stuffed. And goodness forbid you say you're full. Pasta, chicken, potatoes, bread, salami, salad, A BLOCK of parmesan cheese (I thought I had eaten good cheese before Italy, no I was wrong, the cheese here is to die for), toast, and then gelato. I couldn't move, but you never can say you're done, they will put more on your plate. After our lesson with them we had exactly 8 minutes to get to our train because Italians do not stop talking and you can try interrupting and telling them you have to go and be walking out the door and they will continue talking!!! That was by far the fastest we have ever run and we BARELY made it. We both almost threw up because we were so full! Sorella Rowe was sick for the rest of the night hahahahahah ahhhh good times.

     We went to Roccastrada and Eunice fed us clams with black rice, sausage, salad, bread, boiled eggs, and then cake. Random huh? I was sooo full. We reset her baptism date to June 19th because we have a conference in Florence on the 12th. I love going to their house it's like family.

     Jennifer finally got out of the hospital! And Paul got his papers to stay in Italy! Irma was too busyto meet
 this week-_- but Daniella moved into her new house so that's good. The Natale's are still finding every excuse not to come to church, but I'm not giving up. We taught Nicoletta English and then taught her about the Book of Mormon. She asked really good questions and told us she would come to church this Sunday. I like her a lot she's funny. She told us that  Rowe and I have different accents because I sound like I should be in an American movie and Rowe sounds more like a proper, formal American. hahah don't know what that means but ok! She started impersonating me and jumped out of her chair and was running around the room because I guess I'm full of energy when I talk. It was cracking me up, but she's just as crazy as me so we're besties.

     Sunday we ate at Sorella Feri's house and it was sooo good. The best pasta I've had so far, then steak, bread, peas, cherries and gelato. I love visiting her because her apartment is the most traditional old classic Italian house you've ever seen right in the middle of Centro. Anyone who lives in centro has had their house in the family for generations and it gives them a lot of pride. She knows everyone in the streets so people walking down the road are constantly yelling up to her through her open window and she talks to them as she cooks. I love it so much. These people are born, raised, live, and die in these ancient apartments so everyone knows everyone. Then she told us to come with her and her sisters to campo so we could "see the crazy Siena people". We didn't know what to expect, but when we got to campo there were thousands of people crowded into the Piazza. That night was the night they were choosing who gets to compete in the Palio. Men were dressed in medieval clothing all waving their Contrada flags. Loud trumpets would play from the tower and they would present the flag of the chosen contrada out the window and the crowd would go CRAZY. It was so awesome to be there. I can only imagine how much more crazy the actual Palio is going to be.

     Monday we went to Florence for district meeting and Sorella D'aleo made us arancini because it's her last week before she goes home to Sicily. They were so good!! It's hard saying goodbye to everyone who is dying this transfer. Especially Sorella Rowe UGH!! She is seriously one of my best friends. How often can you say you were within sight and sound of someone 24/7 for 4 months straight?! I feel like I'm getting a divorce people!! This is not fun! Today we both go to Milan and stay the night in Bergamo then Rowe will meet her parents at the
mission office and I will meet up with my new companion Sorella Barlow. I'm relieved because she's older than me in the mission, I was scared I was going to have to train because we are getting SO MANY new sisters the next couple transfers but I don't feel confident enough in the language quite yet. All I know about Sorella Barlow is she's British so I guess we will just be talking a lot about Harry Potter and Harry Styles. I don't know what else British people talk about. Jk. But I'm excited!

Ok have a good week vi voglio bene!



Homemade arancini


Sorella Feri cooking for Sorella Rowe & Sorella Williams


Siena is preparing for the big Palio in July. The mountain goat contrada (district) came through and then the porcupine constrada came and marked their territory.  The Palio is a huge event, the town has been preparing for several months.