A New Companion

Buongiorno!

I hope everyone had a great week! Its is great here in Genova Italia!!

Last Thursday Sorella Russell and I travelled to Milano so she could

go to Como and so I could pick up my new companion!! It was kind of

stressful that morning because we missed our train... twice... haha.

Really I have no idea how. We literally missed them by a few seconds.

But I think there was a reason because we were able to talk to a few

people and we also ended up talking to a couple from Kansas City who

were here for their anniversary. He was a minister for his church and

it was just really great to talk to them about their lives and how

much they love God. They shared how their faith has helped them in

their life and how God has totally led their lives. It has turned out

so much different than they thought, but so much better. They are

doing a lot of good things and helping so many youth believe in God

and do good things. It just gave me a whole new respect for other

religions. It also shows that God has a plan for everyone. This man

has a student who is LDS and actually went through a temple open

house. And then they ended up talking to 2 missionaries in Italy for

about an hour and a half waiting for a train. Maybe it's not their

time to become members yet (he told us he was in the process of

starting up a church in a new area), but little by little they are

being brought to the gospel.

So I got my new companion and she is so great! Her name is Sorella

Gregg and is from Spanish Fork, Ut. She is about 5 feet tall!!  She is in her 9th

transfer right now and has served in Prato and Ravena. She is just

adorable! She is always telling me stories! It's so great. Just stories

of her mission and crazy things that have happened to her. I love it.

She's pretty easy going and easy to get along with. She just loves the

people and is super sweet to everyone. I think we're going to have a

great transfer together :)

Friday we met with Mayra. For the past 2 weeks we have been trying to

meet with her but she either cancels, isn't there, or we have to move

it. So we finally got to see her! She was baptized when she was little

but doesn't really have a testimony. So we're helping her. She's funny

and will always read the Book of Mormon the day after the sorelle

visit her but then doesn't after that.. she said she prays and then

opens the Book of Mormon to a random page expecting a response but it

never works. We told her that even though that works sometimes we also

have to show faith and read everyday to show Heavenly Father we're

serious and will keep doing the right things. She's going to Ecuador

next month but said she really wants to be serious and start coming

back to church when she comes back, so hopefully she does!

We also saw Sophya so Sorella Gregg could meet her. She's so great!

Saturday we passed by Teresa and Madelin and they were home! And the

husband was there, too! That was a miracle. We hadn't met him yet. We

had a great lesson about the Book of Mormon. It's kind of sad because

they recognize that there is a lack of spirit and that life isn't as

great as it was before when they read the scriptures and came to

church, but they just won't do anything about it. We commit them to

read the Book of Mormon, but they just don't read it. We set up a time

to see them Tuesday, but then they cancelled yesterday.

We had English later that day. In our class there is this lady named

Elena who comes every week. She loves learning English. So after

English we always share a spiritual thought and the time before this

time we committed her to pray. Times before that she said she was

atheist and everytime we invited our class to pray she said she would

but never did. But last time she said she really would. So then on

Saturday we asked her and she said she did!! YES!! It made me so

happy! I honestly think that she knows that God exists but has had

hard times in her life and also just caught up with history and

science and stuff. But piano piano she's learning and feeling the

spirit :) (piano piano is a phrase they say ALL the time here. It just

means slowly or bit by bit pretty much. It's just sounds so much

better in Italian)

Then I took Sorella Gregg to see Cate!! Aw she's so great! She called

earlier in the day asking when we were going to come see her so its a

good thing we planned for her that night! She's so funny. When I

answered the phone she asked who I was and I said Sorella Dixon and

then asked if I was the one she has met. haha ya she doesn't really

remember anything. She always tells the same stories over and over.

But they're so great! She just makes me laugh.

So on the way there we were on the bus and this kid sits next to me

and I just say "ciao!" and he says "ciao" back and then we just start

talking. He was nine and his mom was standing there by him but wasn't

much into talking.. so I just talked to him! He was adorable and

carried on a conversation really well! We told him our names and he

asked if we were sisters haha and then after I told him we were

missionaries and a little about what we did he was like, so you aren't

sisters and you work in a church named Sorella Gregg? Hahahaha How

cute! We explained our tags and what the real name of the church was.

I know he'll see missionaries again someday :)

Sunday Talia came to church!!! Finally!!! She said with her work she

can come every other week. She was able to stay for Relief Society

this time and met lots of great people. She LOVED the Relief Society

lesson and could really feel the spirit. She said she felt like it was

just for her. She also said the people were so nice! After church we

had a lesson with her and Rebecca. That was a great lesson! Rebecca

was really able to share her testimony and Talia just ate it up.

Sorella Gregg got to meet members so that was good. Its crazy for her

here because we're over two wards. And since we are, I don't really

know a ton of members either.... so sometimes we're meeting them

together! That night we were able to meet with a great ward family

from Ecuador. Oh that's another thing that Sorella Gregg really

noticed here, we meet mostly people from South America. So many people

from Ecuador live here! I love it!

Monday morning we didn't have anything planned so we just did bus

finding and we ended up finding a lady named Ana from Ecuador whose

cousins might be members. They have gone to our church at least. We

are going to meet with her and her family Saturday! Then the Anziani

in Genova 1 and us split the ward so we actually had people for us to

find and reactivate. So that will be good. We've been wanting to do

that for awhile but we never found a time, so it was good to actually

get that done. Later that day we met with Stefania. I can't remember

if I told you about her. She was in church when she asked us if we

would come study with her since she felt like she couldn't be open

when the Anziani came over. Her boyfriend whom she lives with is a

member... The problem is is that she's married to another man. But

separated and they can't find him to get divorced... and since she's

not divorced she can't marry her boyfriend... So that's lovely. We're

kind of teaching her slowly because of the situation and she wants to

go really slowly to really understand everything.

After that our appointments fell through so we did a lot of passbys...

a lot. And we actually had a good lesson with someone. Everyone else

couldn't, BUT every single one answered! Miracle!! So we planned for

other days to come by.

Tuesday we saw Ester in the hospital. She's always just so sweet. It's

so sad because Ofilia's dad is now at home.... and we have no way to

contact them.... We wanted to continue teaching them about the Book of

Mormon after he goes home but never got their number. Bummer... and

Ofilia was actually reading it! So hopefully a miracle happens with

them and they see the missionaries again someday. Then we saw

Giorgina. She is so great. She is just so down to earth and sweet. We

had a great lesson about God and Christ. She has a lot of faith. She

said she doesn't know if she'll come to church this Sunday because she

doesn't know anyone and we're going to the other ward, but there's an

activity this Friday that we invited her to where we can introduce her

to great YSA (or GANS in italian) members. so hopefully that will help

her!

Then we had a lesson with Talia!! We taught her about the Word of

Wisdom. She pretty much has no problem expect she likes wine and beer

every once in awhile. She said she will start living it next week once

she finishes the bottle of wine she has in her house.... haha. We will

probably have to move her baptism back a week since she has had so

much work.. but I think it will still work in this transfer!

Well, that's was my week in a nutshell! I'm so excited for this transfer!

It's been fun showing Sorella Gregg around beautiful Genova and

introducing Focaccia and pesto to her! :)

Well... have a great week full of miracles!!

Vi voglio bene!

Love,

Sorella Dixon

Sorella Gregg and Sorella Dixon

With Cate, a sweet friend from South Africa!