BOUN NATALE FOR REALS NOW!!

I can finally say it because it is here!!!!! SO BOUN NATALE EVERYONE!! It is pouring rain, and the wind is crazy. Maybe we will get a hurricane for Christmas this year! Last night we had Christmas eve dinner with the family Cangialosi which was just great. They bought our investigator Kevin shoes for church. His baptism is this Saturday... and so is Yosmairas!!! We are sooo excited. They are so prepared. Miracle is that Yosmairas husband wanted nothing to do with religion. This past week someone broke his arm... bad business, but he wants to change his life now. He is coming to her baptism and church on Sunday. Heavenly Father really works miracles. Today for Christmas we are going to members houses that have invited us over. I am just so happy to be here. It is not about presents, or really even anything that we think of when we think of Christmas...or at least i think of, but it really is all about Christ. This past week i have realized how real my relationship, and everyone's relationship can be with our Heavenly Father. When we pray its not like me sending a letter from here and hoping it will get to you guys in a week or so. When we first speak His name, He is already there listening. It is in the most real sense direct communication with the creator of all. THAT in itself is amazing... When we have the faith to really open our mouth, and talk to Him, He is there. It is just mind blowing. I started thinking  about how important the covenants we make in the temple are. We literally made covenants with God. Sacred and eternal covenants, and i am so grateful for that trust He has in me personally to have made those, and the power that it brings daily when i do what is right. Another thought this week i had is the reason we missionaries have to go through the temple and make sacred covenants before we go to wherever we are signed is because this work is sacred! It is the work of our Heavenly Father. He is so wonderful, great, and the creator of all. This work is His work. That is why it is commanded for not only us missionaries to to do, but all members of the this church to do it. This work works because it is His. I love my family here in Sanremo with my whole heart. I will know these people for the rest of eternities. I was always meant to come here. We are all preordained for something, and going on a mission is something that i was always going to do. I remember the day i got my Patriarchal blessing. I looked at both of you mom and dad and said i was going to serve a mission. I forgot about it until around last year this same time, and i really felt the call to serve. Heavenly Father needs me and all these other missionaries at this time. I just hope to be the sacred missionary that can deserve to really do this work and deserve to be here with these amazing people i have come to love. So many people ask if i am sad i am not home for Christmas.. And in truth, i am not at all. The opportunity that i get to teach about our loving Savior and his birth is more than i could ever ask for. The opportunity to be here is the greatest blessing i could ask for in this moment. I really hope that this Christmas is filled with that happy bubbles that we get this time of year for all of you!! I hope you are finding missionary opportunities. I love Christmas and will love it in 2015 with all of you, but i cannot explain in words how happy my insides are to be here. I can somewhat understand the term 'my heart is full' because it really is, in the most truest sense. I love my savior, and i love the story of His birth from His beautiful mother Mary. It all started with the light of the star that was the sign of His birth, and he is now forever that light for us! Sequiamo la luce. Merry merry merry Christmas!!!!!! BOUN NATALE! PLEASE watch Buddy the Elf, Home Alone, and Christmas Vacation! You just have to. They are too good not to watch... BUDDY THE ELF; WHATS YOUR FAVORITE COLOR?!

Love Sorella Woods!

Boun Natale!!!

So we spent three hours making Christmas decorations for our apartment today!! We even made a tree! Stamp of approval? I think yes. :D We are just here in sunny Sanremo seeing miracle after miracle every day. We are soo lucky to be here. There is this one woman named Rizzi.. She is kind of ancient and rides her bike everywhere even though she can barely walk. Sorella Egbert and i were walking to our apartment yesterday, and we found her just sitting on a bench in Plazzo Colombo smoking away. She really doesnt know our names, but she calls us gioia. So as a district we work on a diferent Christ like attribute every day.. yesterdays was patience.. let's just say walking her home took patience. Conversation with a very old woman, who is somewhat bitter (she hates Christmas) and walks like she is walking through molasses took a very long time. But we were able to serve her, and carry her bike up the stairs for her again. How she ever does it on her own, i do not know, but the miracle in this story is, is she now has a Book of Mormon in her house, and she has invited us back!! I just really love her though... and who couldnt love a woman with the name Rizzi.. I dont think its her first name but that is what we call her. We had a zone conference in Alessandria this past week. Three missionaries are going home tomorrow.. i couldnt even imagine. I mean i still have a long time, but the thought i coming home.. ? Ugh. I am just loving it here to much. Everyone keeps asking if we miss home or miss Christmas at home, and in all reality, yeah, i miss my family and everything, but the spirit here is so different. This Christmas has nothing to do based of the material things of the world. Everything that we are doing is for our Savior. The fact that every day i get to talk about Jesus Christ and his birth to everyone i meet is such a special opprotunity. I would never trade it for anything! This Christmas is really about Christ! Its just so great. :) We are going to our Branch Presidents house for Christmas day.. he is probably one of the most funniest and loving people i have ever met! This branch here needs that. Like i have said before, this branch really is a family. Sometimes its a little weird that everyone is in everyone elses bussiness, but for the most part they just really have that love for others that Christ has... And they love missionary work. Our lessons with members present grows weekly. We are truly blessed here. We have our three baptisms coming up, and we are soo excited!! Pray for them and their progression in this wonderful gospel we have! Always remember that the sign of Christs birth was light. The star in the sky, and He will forever be that light in our lives!! Find others this Christmas that need that light, and i promiise that through your efforts, you will feel the love of Christ even more for yourself. I know that we have a loving Heavenly Father. He answers our prayers daily if we truly have faith in Him. I love this gospel with my whole heart. I feel it with my heart, and that is how i know it is true! I am so blessed to be here and have this sacred opprotunity to be his servant and his disciple. I will be forever grateful! I love you all! All of you are just a great bunch of weird people that i care about.. the Italians here are even weirder, and i cant even explain the love i have for them! Tell next week! MEERRRYY CHRISTMAS!

Sorella Woods :)

Lesson Learned...

Do not travel on the day called Sciopero. Because this is the day where all the Italians go crazy, stand in the road, park their trucks in the middle of the road, and shut everything down because they don't like their government.. and that includes the trains. We decided to go to Savona for our district meeting. We get there thinking everything is all hunky dory until we had been sitting on the train to get back to Sanremo for four hours because all the stations are blocked. The even better part is we have to go through Imperia to get to Sanremo and that is where everyone was going crazy because that is where the union or something like that is... finally after four hours our district leader gets the bright idea to pray... 20 or so minutes later, we found another train that took us home. So what is the lesson learned here... Probably ask Heavenly Father to help first before you are in a train for four hours. Pretty sure prayer is pertinent for all troubles though! So what i am getting at is PRAY!! WOW, because really, It works! We are very lucky though that it is mostly over in Sanremo so it is safe to be walking around again.. and we can buy food again. Sometimes this thing goes on for three days or so or until the government decides to change something.. It is almost like a fiesta though. They do this every year! And still... fixes nothing. What a bummer. So our branch president called us the other night because his wife had washed her hands at the church and lost her wedding ring. The word for ring and lamb are very similar in italian, so Sorella Egbert thought what he was asking us to do was to go to the church and find her lamb... I totally thought of you mom. I will bring you home an Italian lamb so it doesnt get eaten here... but what he meant was ring. It was hysterical because we could really just imagine her carrying her pet lamb around... Why not? I mean they bring their goats into the kitchen? What would be the problem.. hahaa, anywho, the work is moving forward. We cant seem to teach the actual lessons planned with the mom and daughter who have baptism dates this month, but Heavenly Father knows what needs to happen.. It is where i need the divine gift of patience... which i lack. I will always remember what Nana told me... patience is a virtue.. Trust me, i try very hard to have it too. I just really want them to have this special day all together, but you cant push people! They just have to feel it and if we continue to teach them with this faith, i know they will be baptized. As for our other baptism date, she is soo ready and perfect. When we talk about elect people, she has a neon sign above her head. She knows everything is true. We asked her to live the word of wisdom, she said okay without a question. She is amazing! It just brings so much hope to see these wonderful people changing their lives. I was just thinking about why i know this gospel is true, and it is because there is nothing else in this world that brings this happiness, peace, or even just content feeling in life. That is the perfect way to describe how i feel in my insides. Content... with really everything.. Content to be a missionary, and just with the progression of this work.. Really more content. I bounce up and down sometimes because i am so happy!.. Sorella Egbert thinks i am a freak.. but we all know it is true. LITTLE DRUMMER BOY IS PLAYING! I LOVE NATALE! Ah, i am so excited for Christmas here. I get to be here with these crazy people that i just love with my whole heart. I made a new homeless freind. Her name is Maria. We made cookies last week and i stopped and gave her two because we always see her and she is just really nice. She sits outside our church door sometimes too so i gave her crackers today. She really is great! Just a really humble person.. i like humble people. I should be more like them... maybe just not homeless.. i dont want to be that.. Well we are just so excited for Christmas!! We are going to make sandwiches for the homeless with the giovanne this coming week, make cookies today and bring them to random people. sing christmas songs in the Plzz. Colombo with some branch members, and just bring the wonderful message of our Savior to everyone!! Because everyone needs it. I read it again in a talk by Uchtdorf. The brightness of dawn always comes when our nights seem the darkest. We need to bring that to people because we know it, and they need it. Serve someone this Christmas season! Just do what Jesus does.. he brings everyone happiness. Do the same!!! HAPPY CHRISTMAS!!!

LOVE YOU ALL!
Sorella Voods (or what they all call me now)

It is Christmas time in Italy!!!

Annndddd, we are so excited because we have three baptisim dates all on the same day this month. MIRRRACLESS every day! We are so blessed. Sanremo is supposed to be warm year round, but it has actually been freezing. I keep telling Sorella Egbert that we are going to wake up and there is going to be snow on the ground!... even though it hasnt snowed here in years upon years. Hey, but i can hope, and hope i do every day. So the Cangiaolsi family made us Thanksgiving last week.. They even brought an American flag to hang up. They are seriously some of the two greatest people i have ever met. We had pasta... very italian, and lasagna.. more italian, and lots of bread... so just Italian. The food wasnt thanksgiving food, but it was probably the best Thanksgiving evaarr. We listend to a CD Ciro bought in Zions called Indians Dream with my all time favorite jam, Under the Eagles Wing... because that is what all Americans listen to on Thanksgiving.. I cannot explain how great it was. And miracle was that two of our girls that we teach in English class came!! And now one is a new investigator, and the other we are helping her with family history, so hopefully this next week she will also be a new investigator. Tonight we are decorating CHRISTMAS sugar cookies that Sorella Egbert and i are hopefully going to have time to make today. They love when we bring our american food. It is so funny how they are all so fascinated by how we do things. So we were walking up the street the other day, and i saw a really cool leaf on the ground.. and i just like leaves(Sorella Egbert calls me a gatherer)... i do not know why, but these are Italian leaves, so i grab it real quick to show Sorella Egbert, i turn around and she is gone. My first thought was... Sorella Egbert.... BASTA. I literally thought she had booked it or something. So i turn the other way, and she is just standing there watching me like i am crazy. So this got me thinking what would i do if she just dissapeared and i was in Italy all by myself. That is a horrifying thought.... There is not really much more that happens that i can really explain in email. Writing emails is kind of hard because there is just so much that happens every day that there is no way to explain everything, or even how i feel. Heavenly Father is in everything here though. It is amazing how much closer we get to Him by being emersed(emmersed..idk, i dont write in english anymore) in this gospel. That is probably one of the coolest things about being a missionary. You feel so much closer to Him, and that allows us to reach out to other people and bring that love because we just feel it sooo much more every day. We have to rely on Him here to do this work. Back when i was at home i could get by every day without needing Him in everything, but now i cant walk out the door without His direction. Something really cool that i read in the Liahona from Anziano Uchtdorf was, it is not our job to convert someone. That is the Holy Ghosts job. Our job is to share what we know, and not be afraid. That is not just for missionaries, but EVERYONE!! YEah! So great!!! Share what you know, and bring people the hope we have every day. You will be soo happy. (: So just one more amazing story that we saw Sunday with Ciro and Francesca.. First we had a coming home party for a girl named Jessica!! She served in Rome! That was great.. and really sad. I am never giving up the tag. It is mine foooorrevvveeerrrr. But anywho, Ciro and Francesca drove us all the way to Imperia to see a woman in the hospital. She has gone through some really hard things, and now her mind just cant really handle things now. but we were able to share a message with her and bring her the hope and light back in her life of this gospel. We drove the hour or so back to the church.. So the thing is about our church, it is not a church building, it is actually just over a grocery store, but i lovve it. We have a lot of homeless people that like to hang around the door of the church though.. They are everywhere all the time. There was one on Sunday that rang up on the phone, and Ciro answered. The guy wanted food, so Ciro went and grabbed his wallet and headed down. He asked the guy what he wanted and went into the store to buy him food. I dont think i have ever seen someone do that. And our whole branch here would do the same thing. I am surrounded by some of the most greatest members i think i have ever met. They live this gospel. It is not something that they have to work on every day or convince themselves to live. They just live it, and it is so simple to them. Live the gospel, and you have happiness. Everything really is so simple.. we have our guide and the way. That is why people can accept this. It is so simple, but so true! We are planning on just singing at the doors of people. They may slam the door on hi, we are missionaries... but who would shut the door on Christmas songs??... that is our next tactic in line. Well my brain is out of words. HAve a happy happy CHRISTMAS MONTH at home! I will be here in Italy enjoying the snowless warmth!!! (which actually is a really great blessing when you are outside ALL the time) Just remeber, the shadows in our lives cannot stay when we have the light of the gospel! I loveee everyone. BYE!

Love Sorella WoodsLove Sorella Woods

One transfer gone...

I feel like i blinked and, oh hey look.. the time is literally gone. How was your first six weeks in Italy Sorella Woods? Well great, but in reality, it felt like a day if that.. but some just great news. We are staying in Sanremo for another transfer... and when i say we, SORELLA EGBERT IS STAYING WITH ME!! We get to be companions for another six weeks! No sarcasm included, i am super stoked. We literally have been seeing miracles every day. First transfer was a success. We have four baptismal dates set all for the 28 December. Three are all from the same family. We get to give Jesus the gift of more people in this wonderful and so beyond true church! It just makes me smile every time i think about it. One of them is a 19 year old boy... and oh hey, he wants to serve a misson! Thaaankkk youuuuu Heavenly Father! It is just super cool to be a missionary. I just want to stay here for the rest of my life.. Sorry mom and dad. I love you and all, but this is just too great. I told Sorella Egbert that Presidente called and said we get to stay together in Sanremo basically tell we die. The forever sister missionaries.. Okayy, that makes me sound like a nun. I don't want to be that, but all of those words put into a small short sentence is, i just really love this work. So this past week we asked this lady in our branch (sorella Panella) If she knew anyone with a violin because they want sorella Egbert and i to play in sacrament together.. At first she couldnt find one and than she found this random older woman that she knows that has one. I call her Signora Violin because i forget her names... i cant remember italian names for the life of me... anyway, so the reason she has a violin is because her husband was a violin master. He was the director of a symphony here in Italy. Well he actually passed away 20 years ago, and she has let NO ONE touch his violins in 20 years... and than i came along! Sorella Panella called her up, and asked her. She thought about it for a couple of days, and than we got the okay, This past Sunday we had lunch with the Panella family (i do not ever want to eat calamary again.. i literally thought i was going to throw up on their table) and than headed over to the house of the Signora. Basically it was the most beautiful violin i have ever played in the history of ever... but what was really beautiful was her reaction. She was actually kind of giving us the cold shoulder at first. I started playing 'A Poor Wayfaring man of Grief' and she just started crying.. after that she told Sorella Egbert that she had an amazing piano in the back room, and we could play together. I really loved playing the violin again. It was really cool to use a talent that i have had for so long to touch somebody's heart, but what was great is that allowed us into her home to bring that spirit. We finished with a message. She doesn't have faith she says..none. But we were able to tell her why we do, and the beautiful truths that we have in this gospel. She told us to come back anytime we wanted to play. We actually ran into her on the street the day after. She would have just been another Italian woman that more than likely would have blown us off if we started talking to her, but because we were able to connect with her first, she stopped and talked with us. In fact we have another appointment with her tomorrow afternoon, and she is coming to church this Sunday. She wants to hear the violin again. It is just something that doesn't happen every day.. and i get such a cool experience not only to play some masters violin (which i am totally geeking out about), but we get to bring something into her life that just gives so much light to everything. There is no shadow that the light of the gospel cannot reach. We have miracles every day. I really cannot write in an email what we experience here.. there is just too much.. I am just happy. I have sooo much that i need to improve on, but that is the great thing, we get to do that every day for the rest of our mortal lives!! Yeahhh for improvement! I got a haircut today.. i learned the word for trim... but maybe it meant cut.. because i have very short hair now.. and lots of bangs, and it cost a lot of euro. I don't think i will get my hair cut again while i am here.. but hey, like you always say mom, it looks nice and healthy... i about threw my bag at Sorella Egbert when she said that same thing after.. other random tid bits.. we teach english.. and that is hilarious.. And we are thinking about teaching them duck, duck, goose... that would be hysterical! They love anything that we do. We are making chocolate chip cookies today with some members.. They go crazy for these cookies. Thank youuu mother for the recipe! (: and some of our other members the family Cangialosi are having Thanksgiving for us this Saturday!! Ciro Cangialosi is the one that threw the rooster at us..and Francesca loves purple, and she looks so much like you mom.. it is weird. They are seriously my favorite! Ahhh! My family in Sanremo. So great.. Okaay.

All for this week!

 i LOOVVE EVERYONE; Sorella Woods (:

Hello from almost the other side of the world...

>> HII! I am just so great. I hope everyone is too wherever you are. So what i

> have been thinking this week is about how much trust Heavenly Father has
> put in two 20 and 21 year old girls. He literally has given us a whole
> city, and everything around it to bring the gospel too.. For all anyone
> knows we sleep in tell 10 every day, and just wander around Sanremo! (not
> really...i think the guilt would kill me) but seriously. That is just huge.
> I am so grateful though that he has that trust. That we are here for a
> specific reason, and he has given us thousands of people to teach...
> Sanremo just continues to make me love it more, and more every day. I am so
> attached to this place.. transfers week is coming up though, and it makes
> me want to puke. I know that wherever i am sent is where Heavenly Father
> needs me, but i seriously LOVE these people. They have just made their way
> into my heart. It is going to be like saying bye to my family all over
> again.. But, until the day i leave here, we continue to work. Last week we
> were challenged by our area President to teach 21 lessons in one week...
> and for the first time in what we know of in Sanremo history, we Sorelle
> accomplished it! That was a nice time call to Presidente.. Scary thing of
> the week.. i am senior companion.. that means i have the phone, and keys.
> Those two things are basically our lives in the palm of my hands.. And the
> fact that i have been the one setting up appointments with people is
> actually somewhat of a horrifying fact too. There is a lot of oh,, si, oh
> capito... si. Haa, it is just a whole bunch of fun. I really am just loving
> it here. Just being able to see people start to change and accept this
> message. I am chaning too with them. I learn more and more about Christ and
> his atonement daily. I am learning how to listen to the spirit, and be
> guided. I see people in a different way now. I just really want them all to
> listen, and accept. I want them to know how much they are loved by me, and
> by Christ, and by heavenly father.. just everyone! Maybe we can just stand
> on the side of the street, and have cards with a, take one please, sign
> because we love you.. and than automatic BAPTISIM! Talk about easy life..
> Sorella Egbert, (or Eggbird as she likes to be called) can chase them
> down.. We have gotten real good at running... and in skirts for that
> matter... our bus or train is usually about 2 minutes away from leaving
> when we are still 5 minutes away. We basically get all the exercise we need
> trying to get to the thing that will take us to our next destination... we
> could probably just continue to run, and make it there quicker than the bus
> would. But all is great. We went to this members house, the Cangialosi. Two
> of my favorite people ever! They are like my parents. They live in the
> mountains, and Ciro the husband threw a rooster at us, and he brought his
> pet goat in the house before we had lunch. They just remind me soo much of
> you mom and dad. Beside the fact they are Italian and have pet goats... so
> what i am getting at here is my coming home present is a goat! I told
> Sorella Egbert i wanted a pet goat. In fact, a caught  a baby lizard last
> night in the church! I asked her if we could keep it... but the white bible
> says no pets, so we let it free.. and i dont think she really loved the
> thing as much as i did. We have two baptisim dates, and more to come this
> week. We love Sanremo, and our family here. Heavenly Father is in
> everything we do. I am just so thrilled to be doing this work every day. I
> love being able to testify every single day about what i believe, and what
> i know. And every time, my own personal testimony grows. I love this
> gospel. I love who i am becoming, and who these people here are becoming.
> Heavenly Father has such a great plan for these people, and we get to be a
> part of it! I am soo lucky. Lucky and my heart is just soo happy. Until
> next week.. I have not been arrested our chased by anyone yet. That will be
> a fun email. LOVE YOU ALL!! (:
> Sorella Woods

One month in Italy...say whattt?

One month down, and my first transfer almost over... That is beyond crazy. I really only have like 15 months left, and 11 transfers! I thought time flew at home, but here it seems like our days are hours, and our hours days at times. When we have a full schedule though i am just oh so happy. (: Miracle this week is that we were teaching this mom. Only her and i kind of thought she fell off the side of the planet because we hadn't heard from her, and she didn't come to church. Anyway, we ended up setting up an appointment at her house. We go over expecting to just teach her, and than her son and daughter walk in the room, sit, and listened! We got three new investigators in one day! Set a baptismal date with the mom, and with her oldest son who is 19. This family is soo elect. They are from Ecuador, and i am just so thrilled to be teaching them. I in all honesty love this work. It is hard when i think of home, or start thinking about what i would be doing otherwise, but when i work there comes this happiness that i cannot explain. Basically when we are not happy, or loving the day, we talk. And talking makes everything great. We get to share this amazing message with SOO many people every day. I was telling Sorella Egbert last night that i don't even really need a PDAY because i am just so content with what we do every day. I am not going to lie, i wake up some mornings when the alarm goes off, and the last thing i want to do is get up, exercise, and get ready for the day, but than i just realize the opportunity that i have to be able to get up, and talk to people about why i am so dang happy all the time. I just love it here. I miss home, but i wouldn't miss this experience for anything. In Sanremo it is basically spring year round so it is mid November and i am wearing a short sleeved shirt. Its reallll nice. Sanremo is just like how you imagine Italy to be. Old, and just beautiful. We started teaching English this past week in church.. I do the conversation class, and only one woman can really have a conversation in english so i talked to her. She is actually very curious as to why us missionaries look so happy. She said that it is in all our faces. She has never seen a mormon sad.. and we have a look of peace that no one else has..and than she asked if she could come to church! She is waaay catholic, but they wont let her divorce her husband, so she doesn't like that because she says God knows her heart. And He does! She is just so great. We wont have a baptism this transfer but we are hoping on at least four this next. We have the best branch here. I realized the difference in our wards (branches) here than at home. They are a family here. There is a unity between them that i have seen nowhere else. It is amazing. And they are my family here. They feed us every day, and basically take care of us like their kids. Sorella Egbert continues to teach me with her wiseness every day.. she is like a pretty girl version of Yoda... Haaaha, but it is really so true. A thing that i do miss all the time is the temple. As we walk around i see people in the perspective of if they were all in white in the temple. When i see them that way, it just really changes what you think which is probably fairly judgmental, and it turns into how Christ sees them. I am just so very grateful and happy to be here. I have changed so much in such a great way. And it has only been three months or whatever it is now.. Sorella Egbert always makes fun of me with my weird OCD's that i have, and in return she gets made fun of.. We attempt at Yoga sometimes, but it usually just ends up with us on the floor in crumpled messes laughing. I forgot that i am a Sorella missionary the other day and i totally smacked her in the arm.. she looked at me like i had just professed that i was a JW. We also have problems with going over to members houses and they make enough food to feed 6 people instead of 2.. and the prize word is, Manga, manga..!! and we always follow the command of an Italian woman, who at any moment could eat me alive.. At least i do. Sorella Egbert has learned how to say no after eating for an hour strait. I have yet to learn how to say.. no, i am going to be very sick and throw up on on floor if you feed me more, but i am very grateful.. Ohh, man. There is just too much. I will never be able to explain in words or these emails how it is here. Heavenly Fathers hand is in everything.. In fact, Sorella Egbert said, that we are his hands.. and as crazy as that is, it is true. We are messengers that were called by a literal Prophet of God. I told that woman from english class that that is how i am here, and she just stared... i do not know whether it was in wow, that is amazing.. or this 20 year old girl is patzzo, but none the less, it is true. I love this gospel. I love this work. And the people are just amazing. Amazing in faith, and in love. They really have the love of Christ in them.. i learn from them every day. Thank you for all the fun things, and emails, and love, and just everything!! Ohhh, so very much appreciated. (:(:(: but really. 

And i was thinking about eternity... (the brilliant and amazing thoughts of a missionary.. haa) picture this. A time where we are all together. Our family, and just those moments where we are so happy just being together ( the ones that make me miss home) and than picture that but x's it by like 100000. That is eternity with Heavenly Father and Gesu!

Love SORELLA WOODSSSSS! 

.. and Sorella calls me strange..

Coming to you from the equator so it is never cold here!!!

So that is how it is supposed to be here, but i have actually had to put on a jacket! We were walking closer to the ocean yesterday, and it had been raining allll day, and i thought i was going to die it was so cold. So this past Thursday, we had an earthquake.. Soo that is cool, but i acually slept right through it. And from what our members say, it was a pretty good shake. Our apartment could probably start burning, and i would sleep right through it. Good thing i have Sorella Egbert. I am the security freak that makes sure everything is locked twice, and she makes sure everything else is in order. We make it by pretty well though. The reason pday is today and not tomorrow is because Anziano Texeira (i think that is how it is spelled.... i cannot spell english or read it anymore.. my brain is becoming a mix of Italian and mush) is doing a mission tour. We have to get on a train after my questura appointment tomorrow, and head to Milano. We have acutally had some fairly amazing miracles on the train though. This past week we were heading to Savona again, and we talked to this woman who acually looked a little rough. I would have never thought she would listen, but she acutally ended up becoming one of our new simpatizzanti! We are going to go see her this Friday in fact. (: We were than walking down different cars, and we saw a man sitting by himself. So we sat down and asked him what he was looking for in life. He responded, and said Gesù Cristo. SAY WHAT? GOLDEN. We started with a prayer, and we opened our eyes to find him crying! We taught him the restaurazione, and come to find, he has been taught by the Anziani before like three years ago! He said he wasnt ready than, but he is now.. We invited him to be baptized, and gave him il libro di mormon. He prayed at the end. It was seriously AMAZING!! I love Italy! I love Italians! I should probably just claim i am Italian.. I could be close enough.. it is like a melting pot over here. Anywho, everything is great here. We get fed every week buy our amazing memebers who loooooveee missionary work. I do not think i have ever seen members of the church like this. They are seriously the strongest most genuine people i have ever met. When they say they they are a member of this church, they are really a member. They show that they are in every way. They love eachother, and care for everyone. New people show up, and the first thing they do is sit next to them and start sharing their lives. Seriously some of the most amazing people i have every met... and even though i just met them, i know i knew them before. It is actually the strangest feeling. We had new missionary training this past week in Milano.. That was acually awesome because i got to see my whole Zone from the MTC. I miss them a lot, but i actually could not wait to get back here to Sanremo. We have been doing a lot of casa.. and someone actually let us in. She is this english woman acutally so we got to teach in english. She actually did not believe a word we said, and said we were wasting our time here because everyone is just very catholic and blah blah blah. I did listen, but i cannot remember exactly what she said..but hey, we got into a house! Very exciting when most say, how did you get in here??? (Because we are supposed to be buzzed in) And than they close the door on us.. but hey. They dont want to listen now.. that is just great. We did the best we could do at this point. Sorella Egbert continues to teach me daily.. I am grateful for her, and her amazing example. We work together well which makes me SO happy. We literaly have been talking to everyone. We count points in our district. Every person is a point, and whatever copia has the most at the end of the week wins. We talked to 110 people. 110 who may just change their lives!! Our goal this week 222 people!! We are going to do it! So one more story... This wonderful lady that we have been teaching... the kind of crazy one..? YEah, well she came to the baptisim for Uche which is great. We had just got done with talking to her about i am not sure what mixed with the restauration.. She handed Sorella Egbert and i some candy. I had started fasting already (This was Saturday afternoon) so i put mine in my bag.. Uche forgot to bring flip flops so we had to run down to the store under us.. (our church is above a grocery store conad) We are walking down the isle, and i hear, ugghhh! I look over and Sorella Egbert looks at me with her mouth opened and its black. she than mumbles alcohol! I start laughing and tell her to spit it out.. We than run back upstairs and i had some candy that tasted like chriistmas and a pyne tree going down your throat.. i gave her a couple to try to get rid of the alcohol breath.. Funny thing is is she had to translate for Sorella Dibb with what i call alchyne breath.. HAaaha, so great. Luckily for me i was fasting and didnt get to taste the wonderful candy our crazy but very sweet kind of very catholic investigator gave us. She is great though.. We had a Halloween party because they are opsessed with what we do for Halloween.. when they say Italians know how to party.. they really do. and they totally danced to thriller which made my day. And they sang karaoke.. everyone including our branch president.. he actually sang the most.. and than everyone yelled ZUMBA,, and they all started doing zumba.i cant even explain. Funniest day here yet. I love everything. My mission is like the MTC for the rest of etenrity..(i cant spell in english anymore..sad) I feel so may things here that i have have never felt before. I fell everything x by ten..I love these people with my whole heart. Challenge this week is truly be a member missionary. Dont just be another mormon that goes to church on Sundays and every other day just lives. Spread this work beacause that is where the greatest joys come from. Live the gospel of Jesus Christ. I am finding joy in the work. It is hard, but i am happy.

The work is working (:

Love you all oh so much!

Love Sorella Woods

Italy!!!

We have arrived in Sanremo... first Sorelle! And we live in probably the coolest apartment. I always thought being a missionary you kind of just accept that you are going to have to live in a cardboard box, or maybe next to a garbage can, but no... not at all. We have a three bedroom apartment to two people. Our apartment is bigger than any of the other apartments that have actual families they have to fit. It is crazy actually, but i am so grateful. We can basically see all of Sanremo and the ocean... Any who, i love Sorella Egbert. She is probably the most concecrated person i have ever met. And she is teaching me how to be that. We do this 12 week program. It is how long my i have my trainer, unless we get another transfer together, but basically it is just her teaching me everything.. so when i train... which is a scary thought, ill know how to train that poor Sorella! It is all rather cool actually. But she seriously just caries this spirit with her all day. We have actually come to find that we are basically the same exact person, just in two different bodies... which if you think about who i am and than add another one... Let you soak that one in. She really is amazing though. We can have really really cool spiritual experiences together and just feel the spirit so strongly...but than we can also have SO much fun, and just laugh. I actually don't think i have laughed so hard before... like today we had to take five huge bags of garbage down five flights of stairs because the Anziani so graciously left them for us when they moved, and than down the street because that is where the dumpster is... on the way down, one of my bags broke and we basically just fell on the stairs..i dont know if it was because we just gave up or it was to dang funny that an Italian man just sat there and gave us a dirty look.. We just have fun every day, but than we also get to preach the gospel every day. I love it. I have the best of both worlds, and we have a really good balance. Creepy stories of the day could include that two men followed us into our stairwell to our apartment.. we offerred them an Il libro di mormon, and they left. Some guy kept trying to say hi and wouldnt give up so he switched to english, and finally we just told him we don't speak english... and than a probably about 90 year old man that is about two feet shorter than me looked up at us as we were walking by and started blowing kisses.. You just got to love it. But we are safe and happy. (: If anything we can throw our book of Mormons at their heads, and run. It all works out. We have a family that we are teaching right now, and we are just really working on strengthening our branch.. which is seven pages long! It is so big, but majority is less active. So we are working with a lot of them. Church was good. I couldn't understand everything, but its coming. One of our investigators is crazy, and she just wont accept the truth but she comes to church all the time. Something really cool that happened this Sunday though is that she has a tumor or something like that, so she asked for a priesthood blessing. She is a full blown catholic, but believes in our priesthood?.. Yeah, i don't know, any who but after the blessing she just started crying. And she finally admitted that she felt the spirit!!!! Than last night we went to teach a part member family. Mom is less active, dad is not a member, and they have two kids. They have a lot of work to do, but after we left Sorella Egbert just grabs my arm and tells me shes had a dream before about them in that exact house, with the exact same little boy playing, and they same mom and dad. Everything.. Heavenly Father sent us here for a reason. Sanremo needed the Sorelle. Our branch president even said it... a big change is coming here. We are going to make a miracle happen.. We are going to complete families, and bring what these amazing people need. We share with people everywhere from park benches, to trains, to them coming to find us. It is truly amazing. We have pday today because we have to take a train to Milano tomorrow for new missionary training. But it will usually be on Wednesdays... actually always on Wednesdays. We are having a Halloween party on Thursday with our members!! I am so stoked. They are the loudest, most energetic, and loving people i have ever met. It is so strange though because i feel like i have know these people before... like i have known them forever.. And who knows. It is very well possible that i did in the preearth life. I just love this place. And even for the people who do not accept, i respect them for being willing to listen to two young girls walking around in almost what they would consider pilgrim clothing carrying around this little blue book. We definitely turn heads... but it is all part of the fun. Because the moment they look at you, you get to turn around and say Crede in Gesu? and that just starts all the fun. I am happy, and safe, and we are working with angles right beside us daily. Something to do this week is do everything you can to attend church.. there is so much power that comes from going each week to the Lords house. You miss church, and your whole week will be affected... everything will be.. Quick side note... the Italians wanted to know how we do Halloween... so we got to choose what we are doing.. It is going to be hysterical to say the least. They are sooo interested on how we do things... It is weird.. who wants to be like us?

My address is Via Marsaglia 71 Sanremo Italy btw.. idk the zip right now though...google it? Non lo so..

Well love you all!! Thanks for everything!

LOVE SORELLLAA WOOOODS! (:(:(:

1st week in Italy! YAY!

Im going on an adventure!!!!!..Actually im in one big adventure... After calling you mom at 3 in the morning, which i dont apologize for, we finally made it to Milano. President picked us up, and than kept us up for the rest of the day... which was awful in the sense that i thought i was going to pass out while shaking his hand for the first time, but awesome because i just love Italy, and Italian people, and the food.. i just love everything. The rest of our group wich was six of them including my companion that we left in Salt Lake made it by eightish or so that night.. So as of now my city is Sanremo, but we are not in Sanremo. We are in Savona. Our apartment has Anziani in it because we are pink washing! First Sorelle in Sanremo will be Sorella Egbert and i! So AWESOME! But its cool because we get to travel every day, and meet people from all over. We are right on the ocean though. Google it. It is amazing. I cant figure out how to do commas and other things on this keyboard, and its driving me crazy. Our pdays are on Wednesdays, which is the best day to have a pday. I LOVE our branch in Sanremo. There are some of the strongest members i have ever met in my life there. They know how important missionary work is, and they do it! One of my favorites is Sorella Pol. She was baptized over five years ago, and has gone through the temple now, and everything. Her husband is a nonmember and so we are hoping we can possibly change that. He his such an amazing person.. He just needs to be even more amazing, and accept the wonderful, true, and just plain awesome gospel. He wants us over for dinner though, so hopefully thats our in.. i feel like im some person that just does whatever to get into someones home.. but i guess thats exactly what we do.. Sorella Pol though, ah I just love her. She talks a million miles an hour, but so does everyone here... its a problem sometimes, especially when they want to talk to me specifically. I just smile, and pretend to know what is going on... which usually i do.. depending on who is talking. My top favorite things so far are the food, food, food. Please still love me when i come home fat. One of our members Rosa fed us lunch yesterday.. but get this. Their lunch is like our Thanksgiving.. but it happens every day!! It is probably the best thing that has ever happened to me. We walk all day every day though so hopefully that will equal the intake of getting gelato 3 times a day. Heavenly Father new Sanremo needed sorelle though. The members are so excited, and we have so many less active single woman who just need someone. I cannot wait to officialy move there... which is hopefully by the end of this week. To continue on with the list of my favorite things so far is the people. They are some of the coolest people. I love their culture, their way of life, and just them. Especially the members. Some of the most genuine people EVAAARR! Im just really stoked on life. And i want everyone to listen to me (which they dont) They see the black square that im holding and than look at my tag... and almost flee) but for those who do stop and listen, i respect. I learn every day. I LOVE my trainer, Sorella Egbert. She teaches me new things every day.. and i thing i added excitement to her life.. We were planning a Halloween party yesterday, and she told me i would be good at it because i seem like a partier.. what does that even mean? (That question mark is at the top of the keyboard... strano) Any who, i just love this gospel. It is so true, and i realize that more and more every day. I realize how much i need Jesus Christ. I realize how much these people here need him. Just lots of realizations here.. and all for the best. We have a baptisim in Sanremo this Saturday, and one here in Savona. The work is working. I am just so happy. I wasnt happy yesterday for like an hour because all we were hearing was, no no no!! Sto bene... and than you just things. Cosa male con Lei? Accept the truth! But Viviamo é impariamo... the keyboard actually spells Italian.. otherwise all other words are squiggled under with red that they are wrong.. its driving me patzo. Well i dont really have much else. We get a lot of kisses blown at us, and a lot of comments that probably arent really appropriate, but i figure i dont understand most of them.. so we are doing just great. Our area book was a complete disaster, and being the OCD person that i can be, we spent three hours on the train and here in Savona fixing it... figures though. It came from Anziani... ... that was rude. Scherzo, scherzo. We have some great Anziani in Sanremo now though. We have 2 simpatizzanti that we need to see this week, and lots and lots of non actives. But we are doing it, and i am so excited! Just some advice for the week... Spread the gospel! Read your scriptures, and sincerly pray to Heavenly Father. He is always waiting and listening. We just have to take the time to speak to him. He will speak back.. i promise, and learn how to make some good Italian food, because i never want the food we have at home again. I love the gospel, and Italian people... maybe more than all you at home now..

Scherzo. Io buffo... but really.  (:

Love Sorella Cristal Woodsssss! ... and they cant say my name, so they just call me the word for Woods which is boski..? Penso di si..any who, and go Ahhh..... and than attempt at saying Woods again. Ah! I just love them. (:(:(:

Oh, so what's this? Six more days in the US. OKAY. :D

I LOVE WEDNESDAYS!!!! And this Wednesday is the last Pday in the good ol' United States. I'm absolutely terrified of real Italians, but hey, it's Italy! I can't wait! And i'm even wearing pants today.. and that just makes it a real dang good day... plus i Diet Coke.. We got the real stuff smuggled in. Communque, i not only love Wednesdays for that reason, but it's drop off day. I love drop off day. There is the strongest spirit up at main campus when you see car after car dropping off new missionary after new missionary. I don't know why, but new missionaries bring the greatest spirit. They make me SO HAPPY! I want to cry with the families, but mostly just grab the other missionaries hand, (which would be real hawkward if it was an elder.. THREE FOOT DISTANCE... i'm getting weird already) and share with them the excitement that i have for this work. I LOVE IT MORE THAN ANYTHING IN THE WORLD, and i'm not even doing the real life stuff yet. It's amazing. General conference was absolutely amazing. I have never watched it with the mind set that i have now. The spirit was amazing, and seriously... a talk would end and i looked forward to the next talk like it was a present.. super strano, ma magnifico. Presidente Thomas Monson e la profeta di Dio, e' io poso dire la tere che!!! Io sono FELICA!! If you did not watch all four sessions, go back and do it. That's a command... i could do it in Italia, ma than you people wouldn't understand... It's very important and vital info...mation fo you people.. So i'm getting this think called missionary humor... let me tell you all, it's totally real. I think some of the stupidest things are funny... but they wouldn't be funny to you normal people. I have loved my MTC experience though. This will be my last email from the states, and i so excited! It's going to be amazing. I will be in Italy teaching the gospel!! So this morning we got started late, and things just got all screwed up... so us four were getting all irritated... and i just thought and said "Heavenly Father needs us to be late for some reason... whether it's if we meet someone, or not get hit by a bus.. he needs us to be late." So we go to the temple, and get out late so we decide to go have lunch at main campus. We're sitting there eating minding our own bussiness, and this elder missionary couple sits down and starts to chat with us like ALL the elder missionary couples do (We LOVE it btw... and sad random fact. No BTW in Italia... They don't have W in their alphabet!) Any who, we start talking and long story short... guess what? Heavenly Father let us meet the person we needed to meet! This couple knows a girl who lives in Milan who is looking for the GOSPEL!! She doesn't speak Italian, but she wants to learn... so heyyy.... We know Italian,..why don't we just teach her Italian and THE GOSPEL!!! So basically what i'm saying through all these....... and !!!!! and GOSPEL!.... is that we have a referral already... a referral who wants the happiness that we have. AMAZING! Never think Heavenly Father hasn't planned out things.. He's literally planned everything!!! EVERYTHING! We look at things in such a bad way when they don't go as planned, but i promise. I PROMISE. (Missionary promise.. can't lie :))) That he has an ultimate plan, even for the little things. So next time your held up, or things are not working... He knows what he is doing. All you do is put your best foot forward, and wait for what he needs you to do. He used us today in such a great way. We may just get to bring another one of our sisters home!! And if not us, another missionary. We will not loose her name. She will learn of this restored gospel, and feel and know the truthfulness of it. I know she will. I'm so confident because we have the WHOLE TRUTH! The gospel is spreading. I meet missionaries who are going all over the world daily. Converts who are missionaries! It's the most amazing thing. I am so dang EXCITED. After conference i was just bouncing of the walls. My 'comps' looked at me, and were like what the heck? I can't put it into words, but i had so much happiness and just bubbles because i am understanding my purpose. I know what my purpose is.. i've memorized it in two languages, but the difference is UNDERSTANDING! It's a beautiful thing. Invitare le perssone avenare a Cristo. Auitondole accettare il vangelo mediante la fede in Gesu' Cristo e la sue espiazione. Il pettimento, il bapttessimo, il conferimento, del dono delo spirto santo perserverando sino alle fine! I know why i'm here! And i just don't know, but i LOVE why i'm here! Well i think that about sums up what i have for today. I'm so happy. The gospel is true,... and hey folks.. I'm heading to Italy! (:(:(: Do all you can to push the work forward here. We are a strong army (not to toot my own horn or anything).. some of the strongest, ma we can't be everywhere at once.. take every opportunity you have to share this bea..U..TI FULL gospel. I love you all.. until next time when i'll be talking to you all from almost across the world!

CIAO!

L'amore Sorella Woods!!

At the Relief Society Broadcast

 Sorella Woods & her companion look like they could be sisters!

Studying her Italian dictionary between conference sessions:)

This is Sorella Woods today writing us this email

Maintaining their distance from the Elders

 More relief society broadcast

Cristal hugging the relief society president! Awesome!

Sorella Woods goes to Italia this coming week! Check the blog for her updated address. Her email address will stay the same her whole mission so keep on writing her! We love her and are so proud of her and what she is doing. She is an example to all of us. :):):)

Week 4 in the mtc

Email for everyone....

Oh hey there people who love me! Today marks the four week mark, and i cannot believe it. It is so crazy. I love this work though.. and i LOVE this gospel. It brings such happiness to my life. I am so stoked to go to Italy. I will literally be there in two week from yesterday.. PATZZO!!! The Italian is actually coming along really good. It's hard, but the gift of tongues is sooo real. This gospel is so real. We got to watch the Joseph Smith movie this past Sunday. I love that man. I love that story. It is different watching it here. I almost watch it with new eyes .... in a way. That sounds weird, but soo soo true! He literally gave up EVERYTHING to bring forth the gospel. How can it not be real? There is so much evidence.. how could anyone deny it? I was able to be a 'host' today for new missionaries. Every time i see them, i want to just hug them, and love them. They have answered the call to serve our Lord! We are his army! I am so excited for this work. It is in the most real sense the most amazing truth. I am forever grateful to Joseph Smith. I am grateful for his strength, and faith in our Heavenly Father. Our teacher gave us an amazing analogy relating to Italy. His name is Fratello Jeter who served in Milano too... btw he gave us our mission song... AMAZING!!! It made me so happy. But what he related it to was hiking timp to see the sunrise. The hike up is awful. It's dark, cold, and full of obsticals. You get to the top and sit there and wait... and wait... but than out of no where you see specks and flickers of light... and than the world is just lit up..even before you can even see the sun. Italy is in the dark.. they have been for YEARS!! They are still in apostasy technically speaking. No one knows what is the truth anymore, so they just stopped caring... but than the temple of our Lord was announced.. and all of a sudden after being in the dark for so long, there are flickers of light, and fire. Excitement. The temple is literally the sun... and it is lighting all of Italy. We are the most lucky dang duckies in the whole world because we are literally entering into the field right has that light is hitting. We are on the wave, and it has finally come... Italy will have the truth! They know the missionaries there. They know who we are and what we have.. and they are excited. Who wouldn't be?? This gospel is EXCITING! They know what the little black tag is on my left shoulder, and they respect us. The gospel will go to every kindred, nation, tongue, and people.. and i get to be apart of that! I am sooo soo HAPPY! I love my Heavenly Father. I am eternally grateful for Gesu' Cristo and his atonement! And good thing we have eternity.. This gospel is so true. So amazing!! It is exciting! One of the most important things i have learned is listening to the Spirit. He will literally be your guide24/7 if you will just listen. LISTEN! ASCOLTALARE!!! I don't know if saying it in Italian makes it more important, but either way... Do it. I never realized how much he spoke to me before i got here. It is absolutely amazing. A challenge for the wonderful whole of you!! Every night.. EVERY NIGHT, and morning, get on your knees, and for 15 minutes talk with our father. Have a literal conversation with him. I do, and it will have forever had an amazing effect in my life. Tell him everything. He is literally waiting to hear it all. Have your own personal devotional with him. I didn't think 'prayer knees' was a literal thing.. but they are. Mine are all dry and worn from literally being on my knees so much.. but on our knees is where we will receive the most strength, and power. I promise. Io prometto!!! It is probably the most comfortable position to be in now.. weird. Comunque, io amo il vangleo di Gesu' Cristo. Il vangelo e vero e' molto importante. Ascoltalare il spirito santo. Lue e' ascoltalando!

Padre' Celeste e nostre Padre! Dio la ama! Io prometto lui e' ascoltalando. Io sono grato, SONO GRATO per mia salvatore Gesu' Cristo. Io sono grato per mia famiglia. Grazie. Grazie multo grande. I love you all so much. I'm almost out of time.

The work is moving forward. The work is working.

All for now from this happy Happy HAPPY girl.

Love Sorella Woods

Btw... i called my teacher a scaulo(shark) again, and than he called someone in his BYU Italian class that.. I'm rubbing off on him! Haa,, he loves us.... and i may have sprayed him with silly string.. It was all of our ideas... But i actually went through with it. I've never seen anyone jump so high...and give such a scary look.. i was somewhat scared when he turned around. And than i got the "Sorella Woods, lei e Sorella missionaria!".. and than tried to be serious, and couldn't be. It was probably the funniest thing i've seen while i've been here.. Apparently all my actions are not sister missionary like.. Can't take the Cristal out of the sister missionary i guess. I'll always be me. (: Love you all!

Week 3 in the MTC

HIIII!!!!! How is everyone

Im doing just dandy. There really isnt much to say. The MTC is pretty routine everryyyy dayy. BUT i do love P DAYS! Today is the three week mark! I leave in three weeks from yesterday, and i cant wait!! SOO, im singing in the broadcast at the conference center! How amazing is that. Seriously a once in a lifetime experience, and our good ol prophet should be there... or so ive heard. Mom, requests would be my white and blue maxi dress.I can wear it here apparently.. which is awesome. And they recommend them for my mission, which is cool. I want cookies and bread... but homemade. DADS COOKIES! I miss home, but i dont have homesickness. It feels like ive been here forever... like the twilight zone but than it feels like its gone by supperr quick. Ill try to send pictures today. OH, holy cow. Did you pay off my credit card mom, and i still need to do those papers for my loans. Temple was amazing. My love for the temple seriously grows day after day. Every time i go, it is just that much cooler. It is amazing a susepitable i am becoming to the spirit. It is truly an amazing thing. When you read Jacob 5, read all the cross references as well. It gives it a whole new meaning. My really good amico or Anziano left for ItalyMonday. He got held back for anxiety issues, but its amazing how close we all got to him. He truly is going to make on heck of a missionary. I was having a really hard time with the language last week. REALLY BAD. I couldnt understand anything, nor speak it for like three days straight. We went and taught real people, and i said maybe 2 sentences in Italian. We got back to class, and i just started crying. Sorella Carter, Yost, and McPeek all talked to me and we decided it would be best to get a blessing. The only two Anziani that i wanted to do it was anziano Parker, and Valencia. Right when Sorella McPeek and Yost walked out to get them, they were coming down the stairs. Heavenly Father knew i needed them. Anziano Parker came in and went straight to business. It is amazing to see an 18 year old boy have so much power. AMAZING. The words that Anziano Parker spoke were not his own, but Heavenly Fathers. The blessing just kept going and going and going. He addressed every little aspect that was bothering me. EVERYTHING. Talk about knowing the truthfullness of the gospel and how much Heavenly Father is aware of each of us. It was truly an amazing experience..for both Anziano Parker, and me. He was a mouth piece for God. We as missionaries have the same power as the missionaries in the B.O.M. Alma, and Amulek. All of them. We have the same right and authority as they do. I, the girl you all know, i have the power from on high. It is amazing. I cannot wait to bless lives. To use that power that i have from being set apart as His servant. I am honored to wear this tag i wear. Its hard here. Unbelievealby hard, but we push through. Not every day is great, but it will be worth it. I love you alll so much. I am so blessed to have to many people who love me. Thank you for the support. Keep going. Attend the temple weekly and read the B.O.M ever night. Pray every night. I promise you it will bring you the blessings that are promised to you because of my service. We are promised blessings,, but you still need to deserve it. I love you all. Anything that is homemade is accepted here!!! Love you all!

Love Sorella Woods

Looks like she is having a blast. These are all the pictures she 

has sent us. Can't wait to see more of her adventures. Hope you all enjoy!

Sorella Woods and her zone! We love her!

This is the only picture we have gotten from Cristal so far! This is her and her zone! One of the girls in her zone sent this to all the families. She is having a wonderful time serving The Lord! We are         

                    so proud of her! 

Sorella woods week 2 in the mtc!! Yay!!!

OHHH, HEY THERE!

First week is the hardest... and after that you just feel like you're in this weird time zone where the real world does not exist, and you just talk about Gesu' all the time in Italiano... So basically, second week=success. (: I still miss home, but i'm happy here. Some hours are just like kill me now, but for the most part this past week has been great. Thank you everyone who wrote me. AND KIRA HAD HER BABY??? WHEN? I got my shoes mom. The orange ones are too big so i'm sending them back today, and then they'll be shipped back to you. We had a Tuesday night devotional and we got to usher it. Because we did that (our zone) got to sit on the second floor on the floor. It was super cool. I sing in choir, but we thought it might be a general authority coming so we didn't sing this past Tuesday. One of our Italian insegnate Fratello. Jeter said we can no longer speak english to him... only Italin... That's when i thought great,.. i'll just become a mute. We went to the temple this morning, which was super good. I want to "accidentally" run into you guys there.. but that is probably not aloud. Oh, i know i'm an awful daughter.. right as i sent that email off last week, i remembered that i forgot to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!! I promise i didn't forget. I think i've been driving my companions crazy with, crap, i forgot to tell my mom happy birthday.. so happy birthday 11 days late. I'm learning more and more Italian every day. It's hard to sit in a class ALL day, but we're learning, and that is what's important. Something really cool that the speaker said Tuesday was forgetting yourself is also forgetting what you can't do now. As i was pondering that, it was basically testified to me that a part of loosing myself is loosing the selfish, i can't speak the language, and can't do this, i can't do that. All of those had i in it.. So i'm forgetting the "I" and changing it to, what do my investigators need? What does Heavenly Father need from me as a missionary? I'm so excited to be doing this work. It is hard. Harder than i would have thought... and it's just the MTC. But i cannot wait to be busy with real people. People that i promised i would find in the pre earth life... i will find. It's amazing. Truly amazing. Just know i'll stick this through. No matter how upset i am, or how much i miss everyone, i'll stick it through. Tell Dad the little punk to write me or use dearelder.com. I want to hear from him. AND HOW'S MY BABY NUGGET!?? I LOVE HIM!

Any who... My comp Sorella Carter, and basically my other two comps, sorella McPeek and Yotes have seen my weird side.. and they're all freaks too... good thing. We're all pretty much best friends.. It's crazy, because i feel like i've know everyone in my zone from the pre earth life. Anziano Parker brought that up.. and it makes perfect sense. We were prepared and trained together in the pre earth life because we all knew that we would be doing what we were doing. We're a family... and that's why they all ring so familiar to me.. And think about who would have been training us for this battle. Just think on that... The Italy mission is not for weak players. No mission is. That is why this is the last dispensation. We are the last push.. the last army to fight this battle. To prune the olive tree, and bring forth the good fruit... READ JACOB 5. I know it's long, but read it.. and think about it. It's hard to understand.. but think. It's my one task for ALL of you. We we're reading it today in the Celestial room (Anziano Valencia, Parker, Sorella Carter, and i) And the spirit just testified.. Truly amazing... Listen to the spirit. He is hard to hear, and that is what i've been learning this week, but once i heard, he just comes again and again.

I LOVE YOU ALL!!!! l'amore il vengelo di Gesu' Cristo. Io grato per Gesu' and la sue l'espiazione. Molto grato!! Io falicito!!! 

And all my prayers are in Italian now.. it makes praying twice as long... but thats how the gift of tongues is received apparently. Try try try... and then try some more.. (:(:(:!!! 

BYE!! until next week.. the adventures of Sorella Woods, Carter, Yost, and McPeek..

BTW.. send me good food. We were up all night last night because Sorella Carter got food poisioning... SKETCH.. and another girl in our district had glass in her hamburger.. in other words.. FEEED ME!!! before i waste away... eating only raisin bran, and diet coke... THEY HAVE DIET COKE HERE VANESSA!

and i might try out to play the violin here!! awesome.. i know

okay, for reals.

BYE! 

Love Sorella Woods