Sorella Williams: 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