Con amore,
Sorella Flansberg
Monday, January 25, 2016
Week 35: Talks, milkshakes, missionary broadcasts, and adventures galore
Dear family and friends:
Well this week was full of adventures. Like lots of crazy adventures
and lots of funny stories. Some of them were only funny as I look back
on them now.
Wednesday was a big day in the mission. We were able to watch a
worldwide missionary broadcast by the apostles/general authorities of
the church. It was such a good 2 hours, and I learned so much. But the
one thing I want to share with y'all is what I learned about teaching
with the spirit. And just following the spirit actually. Elder Bednar
said that any statement that could be started with "I've been thinking
about", "or I felt like I needed to" is probably a prompting of the
spirit... If it is something good. Sometimes in lessons, it is easy to
wonder, "is that just me or does the spirit want me to say that". But,
he said that if we think of something, we don't need to know whether
it is revelation or not before we say it. Just see what happens. Then
Anziano Stanley's mom works for the closed captioning part of the
church, so we turned those on at the end. She said she was going to
send a smiley face. Like this. :/ But that is a bit more like an
awkward face. I wonder if anybody else saw it. :)
Thursday was Thursday. It was probably the worst day of the week. But,
that's okay. Some days are just like that. That morning, we had
planned to have a lesson with a potential, but she didn't show up.
Since we were waiting outside a McDonald's, we decided to get
strawberry milkshakes and French fries to console ourselves. Haha...
The milkshakes ended up taking 30 minutes for them to make. And I feel
like that shouldn't even be allowed. They should have been free!
Customer service does not seem to be a first priority here. Then the
day continued with another cancelled lesson, a lesson with a new
convert which was really good (not all bad things happened), and then
we waited at a bus stop to go to English course. 1 hour later, the bus
shows up, and we are 30 minutes late. Meno male (thank goodness) for
the anziani! Then I had pretty much had it and I really wanted to go
home and go to bed, but then English course happened. One of the
anziani started to teach them slang (don't ask me why) and the ONLY
sentence one student could come up with in English using the word
wanna was "I wanna dance with the girl..." gesturing towards me since
I am the only girl in the room. Really? I hate being flirted at by 45+
year old men.
Saturday was a busy day also. But busy in a good way. We went up to a
mountain town at the base of Mt. Etna with the Bruno's. It was super
adorable and the houses are American style, meaning separate buildings
instead of apartments, and I could live there if it wasn't at the base
of an active volcano. We got this new family referral from the Bruno's
(members are the best!) and they are super prepared for the gospel.
Then we had a lunch appointment where I ate so much. We had the usual
pasta dish which was the size of a normal meal in America, and then
she brought out the meat dish, which had sausage, a quarter of a
chicken, and French fries. Then we were supposed to eat salad, bread,
a banana, and drink soda which they buy special for us. And another
side dish that I was too full to eat for two reasons. (It was purple
octopus.)
As we were leaving the meal appointment, we received a call from the
1st counselor in the bishopric. I answered, "pronto Fratello" and he
asked me to give a talk on Sunday for 10 minutes. Should I need to
mention that this was at 4:30 on Saturday? After we got home from the
YW's activity that night, I worked on my talk from 8 to 10:30. And I
was pretty impressed with myself that I wrote a 10 minute talk in
another language and translated stories in 2.5 hours. Not too shabby.
Then on Sunday, there was no electricity in church, so we only had
sacrament meeting. No electricity means no microphone, and no piano.
The ward members were counting on me to pick the starting note. I'm
not that great at singing guys. Haha.. :)
On Friday, sorry, time traveling here. Friday we FINALLY got to see
Gabriella. And guys she's still reading the Book of Mormon! It's
literally a miracle! We were so happy that she is still reading, and
she said she gets answers from it. I think the book might actually be
true. ;) She also asked if we had more pamphlets for her to read. She
is so prepared for the gospel, and sometimes I wonder why life
situations have to be so hard. We are hoping and praying that she can
marry Giuseppe and then get baptized at least before he dies from
liver failure.
Saturday morning, we walk downstairs and the outside apartment door
doesn't have a lock on it anymore. Um, okay. That's a bit strange.
When we got back on Saturday night, they had changed the lock without
giving us new keys. So all of Sunday, when we needed back into the
building, we had to ring people's buzzers. We strategically didn't ask
the same person more than once, but some people were a bit wary of
letting us in. So we'd say, "we're the sister missionaries." And then
they'd be like. "No. I'm not interested." And we were like, "okay,
that's fine, but we live here so if you could open the door.. It would
be appreciated."
And during companionship inventory, Sorella Davison told me that she
was bracing herself for next week. She described it as the scene from
Tangled where Rapunzel is having a melt down about leaving the tower
comparing it to me preparing to most likely leave Catania. Everyone
has decided that I'm leaving and Sorella Davison is training. But, I
decided that scene is pretty accurate with how I feel. I'm ready to
move to a new city... But I also have a piece of my heart that will
forever be in this city. Get ready for next week. :)
That's about it for this week. Hope y'all enjoyed reading about my
crazy adventures. Also, today we went to a botanical garden. Sorella
Davison and I weren't too crazy about learning about all the weird
plants from around the world, we were more concerned with how
beautiful this garden was and how we could elope and get wedding
pictures done there. Haha... We're weird.
Love you all!
Con amore,
Sorella Flansberg
Well this week was full of adventures. Like lots of crazy adventures
and lots of funny stories. Some of them were only funny as I look back
on them now.
Wednesday was a big day in the mission. We were able to watch a
worldwide missionary broadcast by the apostles/general authorities of
the church. It was such a good 2 hours, and I learned so much. But the
one thing I want to share with y'all is what I learned about teaching
with the spirit. And just following the spirit actually. Elder Bednar
said that any statement that could be started with "I've been thinking
about", "or I felt like I needed to" is probably a prompting of the
spirit... If it is something good. Sometimes in lessons, it is easy to
wonder, "is that just me or does the spirit want me to say that". But,
he said that if we think of something, we don't need to know whether
it is revelation or not before we say it. Just see what happens. Then
Anziano Stanley's mom works for the closed captioning part of the
church, so we turned those on at the end. She said she was going to
send a smiley face. Like this. :/ But that is a bit more like an
awkward face. I wonder if anybody else saw it. :)
Thursday was Thursday. It was probably the worst day of the week. But,
that's okay. Some days are just like that. That morning, we had
planned to have a lesson with a potential, but she didn't show up.
Since we were waiting outside a McDonald's, we decided to get
strawberry milkshakes and French fries to console ourselves. Haha...
The milkshakes ended up taking 30 minutes for them to make. And I feel
like that shouldn't even be allowed. They should have been free!
Customer service does not seem to be a first priority here. Then the
day continued with another cancelled lesson, a lesson with a new
convert which was really good (not all bad things happened), and then
we waited at a bus stop to go to English course. 1 hour later, the bus
shows up, and we are 30 minutes late. Meno male (thank goodness) for
the anziani! Then I had pretty much had it and I really wanted to go
home and go to bed, but then English course happened. One of the
anziani started to teach them slang (don't ask me why) and the ONLY
sentence one student could come up with in English using the word
wanna was "I wanna dance with the girl..." gesturing towards me since
I am the only girl in the room. Really? I hate being flirted at by 45+
year old men.
Saturday was a busy day also. But busy in a good way. We went up to a
mountain town at the base of Mt. Etna with the Bruno's. It was super
adorable and the houses are American style, meaning separate buildings
instead of apartments, and I could live there if it wasn't at the base
of an active volcano. We got this new family referral from the Bruno's
(members are the best!) and they are super prepared for the gospel.
Then we had a lunch appointment where I ate so much. We had the usual
pasta dish which was the size of a normal meal in America, and then
she brought out the meat dish, which had sausage, a quarter of a
chicken, and French fries. Then we were supposed to eat salad, bread,
a banana, and drink soda which they buy special for us. And another
side dish that I was too full to eat for two reasons. (It was purple
octopus.)
As we were leaving the meal appointment, we received a call from the
1st counselor in the bishopric. I answered, "pronto Fratello" and he
asked me to give a talk on Sunday for 10 minutes. Should I need to
mention that this was at 4:30 on Saturday? After we got home from the
YW's activity that night, I worked on my talk from 8 to 10:30. And I
was pretty impressed with myself that I wrote a 10 minute talk in
another language and translated stories in 2.5 hours. Not too shabby.
Then on Sunday, there was no electricity in church, so we only had
sacrament meeting. No electricity means no microphone, and no piano.
The ward members were counting on me to pick the starting note. I'm
not that great at singing guys. Haha.. :)
On Friday, sorry, time traveling here. Friday we FINALLY got to see
Gabriella. And guys she's still reading the Book of Mormon! It's
literally a miracle! We were so happy that she is still reading, and
she said she gets answers from it. I think the book might actually be
true. ;) She also asked if we had more pamphlets for her to read. She
is so prepared for the gospel, and sometimes I wonder why life
situations have to be so hard. We are hoping and praying that she can
marry Giuseppe and then get baptized at least before he dies from
liver failure.
Saturday morning, we walk downstairs and the outside apartment door
doesn't have a lock on it anymore. Um, okay. That's a bit strange.
When we got back on Saturday night, they had changed the lock without
giving us new keys. So all of Sunday, when we needed back into the
building, we had to ring people's buzzers. We strategically didn't ask
the same person more than once, but some people were a bit wary of
letting us in. So we'd say, "we're the sister missionaries." And then
they'd be like. "No. I'm not interested." And we were like, "okay,
that's fine, but we live here so if you could open the door.. It would
be appreciated."
And during companionship inventory, Sorella Davison told me that she
was bracing herself for next week. She described it as the scene from
Tangled where Rapunzel is having a melt down about leaving the tower
comparing it to me preparing to most likely leave Catania. Everyone
has decided that I'm leaving and Sorella Davison is training. But, I
decided that scene is pretty accurate with how I feel. I'm ready to
move to a new city... But I also have a piece of my heart that will
forever be in this city. Get ready for next week. :)
That's about it for this week. Hope y'all enjoyed reading about my
crazy adventures. Also, today we went to a botanical garden. Sorella
Davison and I weren't too crazy about learning about all the weird
plants from around the world, we were more concerned with how
beautiful this garden was and how we could elope and get wedding
pictures done there. Haha... We're weird.
Love you all!
Con amore,
Sorella Flansberg
Monday, January 18, 2016
Week 34 Pictures!
Con amore,
Sorella FlansbergA beautiful villa that I could live in someday with no complaints.. :)
The ape... Yes, it is a truck with 3 wheels. I'm not sure I would even fit inside. :p
Scambio with Sorella Harmon. :)
Week 34: Umbrellas, scambios, winter, & daily bread
Dear friends and family:
It's past the middle of January, and I feel like the new year just
started. I just have this feeling that the year is going to show me
just how fast it can go. But I won't be impressed with it's record
speed times! Ahh! Slow down just a bit?
Well, winter has hit Sicily. Snow on Mt. Etna, rain and cold humid
wind down in the city. I love the rain, and it is a nice difference
from the sweltering heat of summer... But wearing layers and trying to
convince myself to go outside and be a dedicated missionary is not my
favorite. But I do it anyways. Still counting my blessings that I'm
not in the middle of Russia. Also, I've been hit in the face by
umbrellas a few too many times this week. That's what happens when you
are tall and your face is at everybody else's umbrella level. :p
This week, we traveled down to Siracusa again for scambios. I was with
Sorella Harmon this time. She is from Grants Pass, Oregon.. And I was
like, "hey, I know where that is." It was really great. We made some
good memories such as getting lost and walking in circles and Italians
not giving good instructions. We also walked around the city with a
sign that said "free English course" and people were stopping their
cars and driving backwards down bus lanes to avoid getting hit by a
bus just to get the information about it. And we also laughed at
ourselves a bit while doing it. Nobody should walk around a city
holding a whiteboard. But.. Missionaries do, because we fear no man.
;)
That night, I was talking to her about how sometimes I get frustrated
doing service on the mission. Not because I don't like doing the
service (because I love doing that), but because everything we do has
to be turned into a finding opportunity. For example, English course.
If your English course isn't churning out new investigators, you're
doing something wrong. And I just feel like we should do service for
the sake of doing service regardless of whether you get new
investigators. Sorella Harmon shared with me a really cute story by
Stephen R. Covey about him, I think, as a mission president in
Ireland. It talks about how the missionaries just went around houses
at Christmas time and asked if they could help decorate or clean or
cook. They didn't ask for numbers or names or referrals. It was purely
based on service. It then talked about how Christ didn't serve only
for the outside motives. He didn't serve to find new followers. He
served and as a result, people drew to him. And the article went on to
say that there is a time for service and a time for teaching.
Sometimes it is helpful to mix the two, but we shouldn't combine them
all the time. I really liked it!
Friday, we had a lesson with our cute new investigator, Sarena. She is
9 and the niece of Angela Bordonali (who was baptized a year ago). We
taught her the beginning of the restoration, and she was so good! For
a 9 year old, she was very mature in her answers and she said she
wants to know for herself. But she likes the idea of grandpa baptizing
her. And by grandpa, I think great grandpa. We are really excited to
continue teaching her, but holy cow! It is so hard teaching kids!
Friday was also the 15th of January which is the day I opened my
mission call a year ago. I don't know how it has already been a year.
I remember how jittery I was to open it, and Italy seemed like such a
dream. And believe me, it is a dream. How lucky I am to live in such a
beautiful place for a short time giving all my time and energy to the
Lord. Is it harder than I thought? For sure, but the blessings are
around one hundredfold more than the hard times. My testimony has
flown through the roof, and I've learned so much! However, I still
can't believe it's been a year since I got that big white envelope in
the mail. :)
Saturday, we were supposed to go with the Bruno's to see a less
active. But, they texted us that morning and said maybe this next week
because of the cattivo tempo outside. Bad weather... Which was
actually just sprinkling rain. We were only a little frustrated,
because we still get to go outside when the weather is like that, and
our plans just fell through. I think Italians watched the Wizard of Oz
too many times when they were younger, because they all think water
will kill them. Or like, Mrs. Schuette would say... "You aren't made
of sugar, and therefore you won't melt." Oh well.. We were given the
opportunity to go find less actives. And we found one and she let us
in. Hoorah! :)
On Sunday, we had church and it was ward conference. It was really
good, and sacrament meeting talked all about how we can have stronger,
more united families. The bishop, stake president, relief society
presidentessa, and the elders quorum president spoke. Then after
church, we had a pranzo with the ward council members. And the pasta
was still warming up in the oven and I was hungry, so I ate a banana
and some bread. Then Fratello Battezato (the older one) got all hyped
up that I mixed the order of the courses. I just blamed it on the fact
that I'm American and that is how we eat. We don't have a specific
order.. We just put all of it on the table at once and then you take
what you want and eat it all on the same plate. They think that is
crazy too!
After the pranzo, we stayed for about an hour of ward council and it
never turned over to the missionaries. It was like a stake leadership
training... So we left because we had an appointment, and we walk
outside and it is literally freezing! As we were walking towards the
bus stop, we lifted our faces to the sky and were like, "Heavenly
Father, could the bus please come soon after we get to the bus stop?"
And as we were crossing the street to the bus stop, there comes the
bus... Chugging around the corner. Che literal miracolo. I think you
can figure that one out. ;)
This week, I read a really great young adult devotional from 2011 from
D. Todd Christofferson. He talks about how sometimes we need to rely
on the Lord to provide us with daily bread. He compared it to the
Israelites after they escaped from Egypt. He said the Lord helped them
build faith and trust in him by making them rely on him to give them
manna each day. He said that sometimes, we just need to take things
one day at a time or even one hour at a time. We can do anything for a
little while. Heavenly Father helps us do the things that are required
of us, and will give us enough daily bread to satisfy our needs. I
think a mission is one of the day by day things. It's hard sometimes,
and it forces you to do things out of your comfort zone, but as we
take it one day at a time.. We'll make it to the end. I've been trying
to think less about how much I have left to go and only thinking about
what I need to do today. It's helped me to stay more optimistic about
doing the hard things.
He talked about navy seal training and how one of the senior officers
told them this before it all started. "First of all," he said, "I do
not want you to give in to the pressure of the moment. Whenever you're
hurting bad, just hang in there. Finish the day. Then, if you're still
feeling bad, think about it long and hard before you decide to quit.
Second, take it one day at a time. One [phase] at a time. Don't let
your thoughts run away with you, don't start planning to bail out
because you're worried about the future and how much you can take.
Don't look ahead to the pain. Just get through the day, and there's a
wonderful career ahead of you." It also reminded me of something
someone said in the MTC. You can do anything for 30 seconds.. And it
is true. (We can adjust the time if needed.) He also said it applies
to becoming Christlike. We must take that one day at a time, repenting
each day, and trying again the next.
I hope you all have a wonderful day, week, 3-day weekend. I love you all!
Con amore,
Sorella Flansberg
It's past the middle of January, and I feel like the new year just
started. I just have this feeling that the year is going to show me
just how fast it can go. But I won't be impressed with it's record
speed times! Ahh! Slow down just a bit?
Well, winter has hit Sicily. Snow on Mt. Etna, rain and cold humid
wind down in the city. I love the rain, and it is a nice difference
from the sweltering heat of summer... But wearing layers and trying to
convince myself to go outside and be a dedicated missionary is not my
favorite. But I do it anyways. Still counting my blessings that I'm
not in the middle of Russia. Also, I've been hit in the face by
umbrellas a few too many times this week. That's what happens when you
are tall and your face is at everybody else's umbrella level. :p
This week, we traveled down to Siracusa again for scambios. I was with
Sorella Harmon this time. She is from Grants Pass, Oregon.. And I was
like, "hey, I know where that is." It was really great. We made some
good memories such as getting lost and walking in circles and Italians
not giving good instructions. We also walked around the city with a
sign that said "free English course" and people were stopping their
cars and driving backwards down bus lanes to avoid getting hit by a
bus just to get the information about it. And we also laughed at
ourselves a bit while doing it. Nobody should walk around a city
holding a whiteboard. But.. Missionaries do, because we fear no man.
;)
That night, I was talking to her about how sometimes I get frustrated
doing service on the mission. Not because I don't like doing the
service (because I love doing that), but because everything we do has
to be turned into a finding opportunity. For example, English course.
If your English course isn't churning out new investigators, you're
doing something wrong. And I just feel like we should do service for
the sake of doing service regardless of whether you get new
investigators. Sorella Harmon shared with me a really cute story by
Stephen R. Covey about him, I think, as a mission president in
Ireland. It talks about how the missionaries just went around houses
at Christmas time and asked if they could help decorate or clean or
cook. They didn't ask for numbers or names or referrals. It was purely
based on service. It then talked about how Christ didn't serve only
for the outside motives. He didn't serve to find new followers. He
served and as a result, people drew to him. And the article went on to
say that there is a time for service and a time for teaching.
Sometimes it is helpful to mix the two, but we shouldn't combine them
all the time. I really liked it!
Friday, we had a lesson with our cute new investigator, Sarena. She is
9 and the niece of Angela Bordonali (who was baptized a year ago). We
taught her the beginning of the restoration, and she was so good! For
a 9 year old, she was very mature in her answers and she said she
wants to know for herself. But she likes the idea of grandpa baptizing
her. And by grandpa, I think great grandpa. We are really excited to
continue teaching her, but holy cow! It is so hard teaching kids!
Friday was also the 15th of January which is the day I opened my
mission call a year ago. I don't know how it has already been a year.
I remember how jittery I was to open it, and Italy seemed like such a
dream. And believe me, it is a dream. How lucky I am to live in such a
beautiful place for a short time giving all my time and energy to the
Lord. Is it harder than I thought? For sure, but the blessings are
around one hundredfold more than the hard times. My testimony has
flown through the roof, and I've learned so much! However, I still
can't believe it's been a year since I got that big white envelope in
the mail. :)
Saturday, we were supposed to go with the Bruno's to see a less
active. But, they texted us that morning and said maybe this next week
because of the cattivo tempo outside. Bad weather... Which was
actually just sprinkling rain. We were only a little frustrated,
because we still get to go outside when the weather is like that, and
our plans just fell through. I think Italians watched the Wizard of Oz
too many times when they were younger, because they all think water
will kill them. Or like, Mrs. Schuette would say... "You aren't made
of sugar, and therefore you won't melt." Oh well.. We were given the
opportunity to go find less actives. And we found one and she let us
in. Hoorah! :)
On Sunday, we had church and it was ward conference. It was really
good, and sacrament meeting talked all about how we can have stronger,
more united families. The bishop, stake president, relief society
presidentessa, and the elders quorum president spoke. Then after
church, we had a pranzo with the ward council members. And the pasta
was still warming up in the oven and I was hungry, so I ate a banana
and some bread. Then Fratello Battezato (the older one) got all hyped
up that I mixed the order of the courses. I just blamed it on the fact
that I'm American and that is how we eat. We don't have a specific
order.. We just put all of it on the table at once and then you take
what you want and eat it all on the same plate. They think that is
crazy too!
After the pranzo, we stayed for about an hour of ward council and it
never turned over to the missionaries. It was like a stake leadership
training... So we left because we had an appointment, and we walk
outside and it is literally freezing! As we were walking towards the
bus stop, we lifted our faces to the sky and were like, "Heavenly
Father, could the bus please come soon after we get to the bus stop?"
And as we were crossing the street to the bus stop, there comes the
bus... Chugging around the corner. Che literal miracolo. I think you
can figure that one out. ;)
This week, I read a really great young adult devotional from 2011 from
D. Todd Christofferson. He talks about how sometimes we need to rely
on the Lord to provide us with daily bread. He compared it to the
Israelites after they escaped from Egypt. He said the Lord helped them
build faith and trust in him by making them rely on him to give them
manna each day. He said that sometimes, we just need to take things
one day at a time or even one hour at a time. We can do anything for a
little while. Heavenly Father helps us do the things that are required
of us, and will give us enough daily bread to satisfy our needs. I
think a mission is one of the day by day things. It's hard sometimes,
and it forces you to do things out of your comfort zone, but as we
take it one day at a time.. We'll make it to the end. I've been trying
to think less about how much I have left to go and only thinking about
what I need to do today. It's helped me to stay more optimistic about
doing the hard things.
He talked about navy seal training and how one of the senior officers
told them this before it all started. "First of all," he said, "I do
not want you to give in to the pressure of the moment. Whenever you're
hurting bad, just hang in there. Finish the day. Then, if you're still
feeling bad, think about it long and hard before you decide to quit.
Second, take it one day at a time. One [phase] at a time. Don't let
your thoughts run away with you, don't start planning to bail out
because you're worried about the future and how much you can take.
Don't look ahead to the pain. Just get through the day, and there's a
wonderful career ahead of you." It also reminded me of something
someone said in the MTC. You can do anything for 30 seconds.. And it
is true. (We can adjust the time if needed.) He also said it applies
to becoming Christlike. We must take that one day at a time, repenting
each day, and trying again the next.
I hope you all have a wonderful day, week, 3-day weekend. I love you all!
Con amore,
Sorella Flansberg
Monday, January 11, 2016
Week 33: Castles, miracles abounding, and saldi season
Dear family and friends:
This week, we truly had miracles abounding here in Catania. I am
completely amazed and humbled by the 8 new investigators we have. I
never imagined that we could find 8 in one week.. But Heavenly Father
can do anything if we have faith.
You all heard about the new mission president coming soon in July.
Both him and his wife served missions in Italy, so it will be fun for
both of them to be fluent in the language. I hope I am in Rome when
they come in.
Last Monday for p-day... Sorella Davison and I hit up the stores for
saldi season. Italy has two times a year when everything goes on sale.
July and January. We were just going to go window shopping, but I
ended up doing a really naughty thing. I bought something for a really
good deal that I could not pass up. I saw a coat. Originally 90€ but
70% off. You do the math and tell me if it was worth it. It is super
classy, and it makes me really happy. :) For after the mission too.. I
need to stop doing that.
Monday night, we went to get a hot chocolate for the last bit of
p-day. We sat down at a cafe and these two men start to talk to us. It
goes from ,"oh you speak English" to what are you doing here, to a
short gospel conversation, to maybe we could go out to eat sometime,
to I have a really beautiful house in Taormina and you should come
some time. Uh... That escalated quickly. They are 40 + year old
doctors. Sorry, but we are already both fidanzate (taken) and you
could be my dad.
There was a festa on Wednesday. January 6th. There is a witch who
comes and does what Santa does with stockings. Coal for disobedience
and candy for obedience. Maybe my future family will save stockings
for January 6. We'll see. :) That day we went to the elderly
Battezato's house for lunch. It was really great. Homemade real
Italian lasagna is one of my favorite things. :) I also ate a real
fresh Sicilian orange and it was like heaven exploded in my mouth. Try
not to be jealous of my everyday diet.
This week, we began teaching a family who is a referral from a ward
member. We learned that they believe in the Old Testament but not in
Jesus Christ after we taught them the Restoration. The father is a bit
dramatic and he was saying how he doesn't trust in any man. But we
were able to break it down to the fact that they need to ask God about
their questions. We could have talked about all the proof that we have
that Jesus is the Christ, but they will only know if they ask God
themselves. We felt kind of silly because we didn't ask about their
religious background before we jumped in. I think we assumed that they
were Catholic and believed in Christ. But I am glad that we didn't in
the long run. I was reading in Chapter 10 of PMG and at the end it
talks about teaching people who don't believe in Christ. It says that
as they read the Book of Mormon, pray and come to church, they will be
taught by the spirit. Those actions build more faith in God than
talking about his character.
The day we went to teach that family, we went with the Bruno's. I was
forever grateful that they were there. Members are so great during
lessons. It also helped them gain more respect for us as missionaries
since they were able to see us in a teaching situation. But Fratello
Bruno drove us out to the little paesino where they live. (Country
town) And they live on a pretty steep hill, and we had to turn around
a few times, and we were in a manual car. I will never cease to fear
for my life when Italians are driving a car. However, even though they
are crazy drivers, they also have some of the quickest reflexes.
This week, a lightbulb switched on in my head. I learned something
that I probably should have learned a long time ago. But, I learned
that there is a difference between a sin and a weakness. It is
important that we don't mix them up, but I think I always put them in
the same category. A sin is a willful disobedience to one of God's
commandments. But a weakness is a sin without the willful part.
Sometimes we make mistakes even when we are trying our hardest not to.
And our weaknesses are covered by the grace of Jesus Christ. This was
an enlightening thought for me, and it changed the way I see the
atonement.
This week, we met as missionaries to discuss how we are going to split
up and organize the less active work here. 700 people to search down
and find. Also, the ward list is really out of date with people who
have moved or died. Someday, the missionaries will finally get it all
organized. This transfer I am definitely learning that as missionaries
who serve in the same ward, we need to be on the same team. Each
companionship doesn't have their own work. It is okay to help each
other and to give advice and work together. Because it isn't our work,
it is the Lord's.
January 9 was my 6 month mark in the beautiful city of Catania. I
arrived on July 9, and I have changed a lot. I've become a better
missionary, and I've learned so much about myself. I've learned how to
love others, and how to change and I'm not the same person who left
home 7.5 months ago. Man! Sap city! I'm so ready for the next 10
months.
Today for p-day, we went to a castle that hangs off a cliff in a
neighboring town to the north, Acicastello. It was beautiful, a real
nautical dream, great photograph opportunities, and district fun. I
love p-days in Italy. :)
Con amore,
Sorella Flansberg
This week, we truly had miracles abounding here in Catania. I am
completely amazed and humbled by the 8 new investigators we have. I
never imagined that we could find 8 in one week.. But Heavenly Father
can do anything if we have faith.
You all heard about the new mission president coming soon in July.
Both him and his wife served missions in Italy, so it will be fun for
both of them to be fluent in the language. I hope I am in Rome when
they come in.
Last Monday for p-day... Sorella Davison and I hit up the stores for
saldi season. Italy has two times a year when everything goes on sale.
July and January. We were just going to go window shopping, but I
ended up doing a really naughty thing. I bought something for a really
good deal that I could not pass up. I saw a coat. Originally 90€ but
70% off. You do the math and tell me if it was worth it. It is super
classy, and it makes me really happy. :) For after the mission too.. I
need to stop doing that.
Monday night, we went to get a hot chocolate for the last bit of
p-day. We sat down at a cafe and these two men start to talk to us. It
goes from ,"oh you speak English" to what are you doing here, to a
short gospel conversation, to maybe we could go out to eat sometime,
to I have a really beautiful house in Taormina and you should come
some time. Uh... That escalated quickly. They are 40 + year old
doctors. Sorry, but we are already both fidanzate (taken) and you
could be my dad.
There was a festa on Wednesday. January 6th. There is a witch who
comes and does what Santa does with stockings. Coal for disobedience
and candy for obedience. Maybe my future family will save stockings
for January 6. We'll see. :) That day we went to the elderly
Battezato's house for lunch. It was really great. Homemade real
Italian lasagna is one of my favorite things. :) I also ate a real
fresh Sicilian orange and it was like heaven exploded in my mouth. Try
not to be jealous of my everyday diet.
This week, we began teaching a family who is a referral from a ward
member. We learned that they believe in the Old Testament but not in
Jesus Christ after we taught them the Restoration. The father is a bit
dramatic and he was saying how he doesn't trust in any man. But we
were able to break it down to the fact that they need to ask God about
their questions. We could have talked about all the proof that we have
that Jesus is the Christ, but they will only know if they ask God
themselves. We felt kind of silly because we didn't ask about their
religious background before we jumped in. I think we assumed that they
were Catholic and believed in Christ. But I am glad that we didn't in
the long run. I was reading in Chapter 10 of PMG and at the end it
talks about teaching people who don't believe in Christ. It says that
as they read the Book of Mormon, pray and come to church, they will be
taught by the spirit. Those actions build more faith in God than
talking about his character.
The day we went to teach that family, we went with the Bruno's. I was
forever grateful that they were there. Members are so great during
lessons. It also helped them gain more respect for us as missionaries
since they were able to see us in a teaching situation. But Fratello
Bruno drove us out to the little paesino where they live. (Country
town) And they live on a pretty steep hill, and we had to turn around
a few times, and we were in a manual car. I will never cease to fear
for my life when Italians are driving a car. However, even though they
are crazy drivers, they also have some of the quickest reflexes.
This week, a lightbulb switched on in my head. I learned something
that I probably should have learned a long time ago. But, I learned
that there is a difference between a sin and a weakness. It is
important that we don't mix them up, but I think I always put them in
the same category. A sin is a willful disobedience to one of God's
commandments. But a weakness is a sin without the willful part.
Sometimes we make mistakes even when we are trying our hardest not to.
And our weaknesses are covered by the grace of Jesus Christ. This was
an enlightening thought for me, and it changed the way I see the
atonement.
This week, we met as missionaries to discuss how we are going to split
up and organize the less active work here. 700 people to search down
and find. Also, the ward list is really out of date with people who
have moved or died. Someday, the missionaries will finally get it all
organized. This transfer I am definitely learning that as missionaries
who serve in the same ward, we need to be on the same team. Each
companionship doesn't have their own work. It is okay to help each
other and to give advice and work together. Because it isn't our work,
it is the Lord's.
January 9 was my 6 month mark in the beautiful city of Catania. I
arrived on July 9, and I have changed a lot. I've become a better
missionary, and I've learned so much about myself. I've learned how to
love others, and how to change and I'm not the same person who left
home 7.5 months ago. Man! Sap city! I'm so ready for the next 10
months.
Today for p-day, we went to a castle that hangs off a cliff in a
neighboring town to the north, Acicastello. It was beautiful, a real
nautical dream, great photograph opportunities, and district fun. I
love p-days in Italy. :)
Con amore,
Sorella Flansberg
Monday, January 4, 2016
Week 32: Firecrackers, tender mercies, and baby blessings.
Dear loved ones:
Happy 2016!
I'll see y'all later this year. On New Years Eve, we went to the
Bachetti/Battezato household again. 3rd time in 2 weeks! I think they
like us! :) It was super fun as always, and they were all like "how do
you feel about going home this year?" And Sorella Bachetti was shocked
that I go home in November. She was like, "GIÀ??" (Already?) Time
flies for everyone else too, because they still don't believe that
I've been here for 6 months. BUT... 2016 should be a good year!
On Tuesday this last week, we had an appointment with my Sicilian
grandmother, Lucia. We walked to her apartment and no answer on the
citofone. So, we snuck into the building and went up to her floor and
niente. I was a tad bit frustrated because that would have been like 6
miles of unnecessary walking, but we sat on the stairs to write her a
note when she came out of her neighbor's door. Miracles are real! :)
That evening, we had a ward activity. We got permission to stay at the
church until 9:30 for it because members were supposed to bring their
friends and it was supposed to start at 8:30. So, we are at the church
and there is this family there. They were invited to come and we
introduced ourselves. We talked for awhile and enjoyed conversing. The
daughter was gorgeous and had a beautiful smile and all the elders
were staring at her with googly eyes. Haha... But they've met with
missionaries before, and so we are hoping to have a family home
evening at the elderly Battezato house with them sometime in the near
future. They were super sweet. Sicily has such a laid back culture
though, because it was 9:30 and the activity hadn't even started yet.
It's worse than Mormon standard time!
New Year's Eve had a few miracles. That afternoon, our plan had fallen
through.. And I really didn't want to go finding on New Years Eve.
So, I said a little prayer and I remembered we could go see Marieanne
(the lady from the Mauritius islands). It was really good to see her,
and as we were heading home, we ran into Angela Maglia! It was such a
coincidence, but it was a LITERAL tender mercy to see her as I haven't
seen her in 2 months because of university business and she wasn't
even living in the city at that point in time. She said she really
needs to meet with us again. :) So after the feste... We have plans
and a lesson with her.
Firecrackers. That is the one word I have for New Years Eve. We went
to bed at 10:30 like obedient missionaries, and promptly at midnight,
we awoke to firecrackers. Hundreds of them going off at the same time.
I felt like I was in the middle of a bomb raid during World War II, no
joke. I was terrified! Also, people are stupid here and light them
right next to buildings. Who thought that was a good idea? Deck sent
me an article about the injuries that happened from firecrackers. A
few missing fingers and eyes, but nobody died.
One night this week, I supposedly slept talked in Italian. One of my
goals was to dream in Italian, and so it has happened!! Haha... I've
probably been dreaming in it for a while longer than that.. But I
never remember my dreams. So who knows?
January 1, the whole mission was to deep clean our apartments. We got
a list of things we needed to do, and wrote them on paper and drew
them out of a hat. It was so much work! We have a larger apartment and
only two sisters, so lots and lots and lots of work. It took us 5
hours. However, now our apartment is clean and that makes me really
happy. :)
On Sunday, Emmanuel and JoJo (Jennifer's boys) were blessed. They
looked quite spiffy in their suits and it was adorable. Emmanuel was
old enough to sit in a chair, but JoJo was clinging onto Fratello
Bruno for dear life. They were a little confused, but it was really
cute. And baby blessings have always been one of my favorite things.
:)
This week, one of my favorite scriptures is Jacob 4:5. Actually just
one part of it. It says "for this cause, we keep the law of Moses, to
point our souls to Christ. " I really liked that phrase, especially if
you change the law of Moses to the commandments. We keep the
commandments in order to point our souls to Christ and to worship him.
We talked in Sunday school yesterday how we come to know who Heavenly
Father is, and we do that by keeping the commandments and following
Christ's example. "Ye should consider on the blessed and happy state
of those that keep the commandments of God. (Mosiah 2:41)"
I also made some resolutions this year. I love resolutions, even
though in the past... I'm not the best at sticking to them. But, I
will be better. There is a quote from a talk from April 2015 general
conference that I love. Dale G. Renlund said, "God cares more about
who we are and who we are becoming than who we once were. He cares
that we keep on trying." One of mine this year is to take the stairs
whenever we get home or go to an appointment. It's been a good
additional workout. :) But in all seriousness, I'm grateful for the
ability we have to set goals. Without goal setting, progress is much
slower. I also came to the abrupt realization this week that even at
the end of my mission, I won't be the person God wants me to be. I'll
still have work to do, and I will need to continue to progress for my
entire life.
Happy New Years again! I hope 2015 was good to all of you as it was
really good to me. Let's make 2016 even better.
Con amore,
Sorella Flansberg
Happy 2016!
I'll see y'all later this year. On New Years Eve, we went to the
Bachetti/Battezato household again. 3rd time in 2 weeks! I think they
like us! :) It was super fun as always, and they were all like "how do
you feel about going home this year?" And Sorella Bachetti was shocked
that I go home in November. She was like, "GIÀ??" (Already?) Time
flies for everyone else too, because they still don't believe that
I've been here for 6 months. BUT... 2016 should be a good year!
On Tuesday this last week, we had an appointment with my Sicilian
grandmother, Lucia. We walked to her apartment and no answer on the
citofone. So, we snuck into the building and went up to her floor and
niente. I was a tad bit frustrated because that would have been like 6
miles of unnecessary walking, but we sat on the stairs to write her a
note when she came out of her neighbor's door. Miracles are real! :)
That evening, we had a ward activity. We got permission to stay at the
church until 9:30 for it because members were supposed to bring their
friends and it was supposed to start at 8:30. So, we are at the church
and there is this family there. They were invited to come and we
introduced ourselves. We talked for awhile and enjoyed conversing. The
daughter was gorgeous and had a beautiful smile and all the elders
were staring at her with googly eyes. Haha... But they've met with
missionaries before, and so we are hoping to have a family home
evening at the elderly Battezato house with them sometime in the near
future. They were super sweet. Sicily has such a laid back culture
though, because it was 9:30 and the activity hadn't even started yet.
It's worse than Mormon standard time!
New Year's Eve had a few miracles. That afternoon, our plan had fallen
through.. And I really didn't want to go finding on New Years Eve.
So, I said a little prayer and I remembered we could go see Marieanne
(the lady from the Mauritius islands). It was really good to see her,
and as we were heading home, we ran into Angela Maglia! It was such a
coincidence, but it was a LITERAL tender mercy to see her as I haven't
seen her in 2 months because of university business and she wasn't
even living in the city at that point in time. She said she really
needs to meet with us again. :) So after the feste... We have plans
and a lesson with her.
Firecrackers. That is the one word I have for New Years Eve. We went
to bed at 10:30 like obedient missionaries, and promptly at midnight,
we awoke to firecrackers. Hundreds of them going off at the same time.
I felt like I was in the middle of a bomb raid during World War II, no
joke. I was terrified! Also, people are stupid here and light them
right next to buildings. Who thought that was a good idea? Deck sent
me an article about the injuries that happened from firecrackers. A
few missing fingers and eyes, but nobody died.
One night this week, I supposedly slept talked in Italian. One of my
goals was to dream in Italian, and so it has happened!! Haha... I've
probably been dreaming in it for a while longer than that.. But I
never remember my dreams. So who knows?
January 1, the whole mission was to deep clean our apartments. We got
a list of things we needed to do, and wrote them on paper and drew
them out of a hat. It was so much work! We have a larger apartment and
only two sisters, so lots and lots and lots of work. It took us 5
hours. However, now our apartment is clean and that makes me really
happy. :)
On Sunday, Emmanuel and JoJo (Jennifer's boys) were blessed. They
looked quite spiffy in their suits and it was adorable. Emmanuel was
old enough to sit in a chair, but JoJo was clinging onto Fratello
Bruno for dear life. They were a little confused, but it was really
cute. And baby blessings have always been one of my favorite things.
:)
This week, one of my favorite scriptures is Jacob 4:5. Actually just
one part of it. It says "for this cause, we keep the law of Moses, to
point our souls to Christ. " I really liked that phrase, especially if
you change the law of Moses to the commandments. We keep the
commandments in order to point our souls to Christ and to worship him.
We talked in Sunday school yesterday how we come to know who Heavenly
Father is, and we do that by keeping the commandments and following
Christ's example. "Ye should consider on the blessed and happy state
of those that keep the commandments of God. (Mosiah 2:41)"
I also made some resolutions this year. I love resolutions, even
though in the past... I'm not the best at sticking to them. But, I
will be better. There is a quote from a talk from April 2015 general
conference that I love. Dale G. Renlund said, "God cares more about
who we are and who we are becoming than who we once were. He cares
that we keep on trying." One of mine this year is to take the stairs
whenever we get home or go to an appointment. It's been a good
additional workout. :) But in all seriousness, I'm grateful for the
ability we have to set goals. Without goal setting, progress is much
slower. I also came to the abrupt realization this week that even at
the end of my mission, I won't be the person God wants me to be. I'll
still have work to do, and I will need to continue to progress for my
entire life.
Happy New Years again! I hope 2015 was good to all of you as it was
really good to me. Let's make 2016 even better.
Con amore,
Sorella Flansberg
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)