Scambio with an Italian..

So we had a scambio yesterday and i got to go with Sorella Palumbo.. Shes from Sicily!! I seriously have to have an Italian comp here because i loved her. It was soo much fun running around Italy with a propio Italian.... The day started off really good until i realize shes half way accross the street and i am supposed to be following her... There was actually a couple of intersting things that happened like when we missed the last bus of the night and we were in the middle of Pavia nowhere and not close to home what so ever.... so what do we do. We start running in the direction we THINK home is.. and we keep running. Eventually we come upon some signs that tell us kind of which way we should be going, and what do you know.. Its like a 40 minute walk and we were already past time to be inside. All of a sudden Sorella Palumbo.. thank goodness shes Italian and knows what shes doing.. sees a private coach or tour bus thing and runs for it. Im laughing hysterically because im running after this tiny Italian sorella..so we chase down this bus and start knocking on the window. The lady finally opens the door and says... NO no no.. Not this bus. We ask her what direction to go and she asks us who we are. We explain and youll never guess whats next. She tells us to get on and shell take us most of the way home without us paying her.. And let me tell you. That doesnt happen here. Usually we have to pay to use a public bathroom..I felt like we were in the movie Dumb and Dumber when they pick up those hitch hikers off the side of the rode and i hear Jim Carreys voice in my head.. WELL PICK UM UP..  In the end they drop us off and this bus full of the greatest set of Italians youll meet drives off with everyone waving at us.. 5 minute walk later, and we are safely home. Seriously sooo much fun. Adventures are the best... especially in good old Italy. It was so cool that Heavenly Father prepared a way even when we missed the first way to get home. He will always provide a way. So something cool that Sorella Palumbo put into perspective is that we are literally doing what Christ would be doing. When we are setting a bap date or teaching these people, it is literally just doing it for Him... and i know that already, but just the way she put it kind of blew my mind. My actions are his. We have the literal authority to teach these people. We have been set apart by one Gods servants. Everything i do every day i wouldnt be able to do if i were not set apart.. It is all in Christs name. These are His actions. He would be the one setting these bap dates if He was here. That is amazing. This time is too short, but i am amazed at His love and guidance that He has to offer to each and every one of us if we listen. I know this gospel is true with my whole heart. I feel it. I feel His love and i know it. I know Him.. I could never deny the truthfullness of the gospel. I really understand things now. With knowledge really does come a more powerful testimony. All of it just makes soo much more sense now, and i will forever be grateful. I love you all so very much!!!!!!!! and i hope this week is really just great. 

Love Sorella Woods

Crazy crazy life...

.. But than i always just come to the conclusion that everything we do and
everything that happens here is just all normal.. It wouldnt be in normal
life, but here, yes.. Very normal..
Top Weird thing count down:
6. Getting asked if i am a Russian Gypsy by a Romanian Gypsy because of my
beautiful clothes that i could burn at this point..
5. Getting stuck in Seriate (very sketchy city...) late at night because
the busses just dont happen to come that often and the tram stops after 9..
winners
4. The word of this week is awkward.. just awkward..
3. Our golden simp goes a little crazy this past Sunday...We have a lesson
with her last night and it felt like going on a first date where you dont
know whats going to happen... First date with a Nigerian Woman..
2. We are at the train station when this woman lays in the middle of the
tracks when the train is coming and than just gets up and walks towards
us.. My comp and i ask her how shes doing and she says 'just fine.
Thanks'.... 5 minutes later, the police have her face down on the ground.
1. and my favorite experience would have to the drive home from Bishops
house this past Sunday... which is in tim buck two in the mountains nowhere
and takes forever to get home.. Picture a tiny Italian car and inside
driving is Bishops son. Passanger seat is our simp from Nigeria.
Back seat which is super small has this cute old Brazilian woman, me in the
middle, and Sorella Carter on the other side of me. Mikhail is just trying
to get this packed full clown car of woman down the mountain side, Rita
starts beat boxing to who knows what, cute little Brazilian member is just
talking in circles about nonsense, im sitting there laughing, and Sorella
Carter is just smashed in the corner. We turned heads as we drove by...
maybe all of these are just things you had to be there for, but it has made
for an entertaining time. Work has been slow.. We are teaching a lot of
lessons on the tram and busses, but noone really has real interest to learn
more... Its been a little more difficult... but we will conquer the
unthinkable...hopefully. We have 2 baptisms that are coming up at the end
of this month, so hopefully all goes as planned. I love seeing the little
answers to my prayers that Heavenly Father sends... because He will never
not answer. I had the realization at the beginning of this week. And when i
realized that i started to see the answers that He has sent and that He
does send every day. It is crazy that we can literally communicate with the
creator of all. It blows my mind a little bit. I continue to ask what we
need to do.. where we need to go and who we need to talk to. I feel bad a
lot because of the fact that He has to deal with me as His instrument, and
than i have to remember that He does not sit there with judgy eyes looking
over his glasses at us, but rather He looks with love and reassurance...
and that in and of itself explains who He is. Have a great week!
Love Sorella Woods

Bergamo 1

First off, its like living in Park City. We are in the mountains and its basically like home here beside the fact that everyone around me is speaking Italian or some other language besides english. So we are teaching this woman from Nigeria and she has got some sass.. Really, and i LOVE her. She has a bap date for the end of this month, and she is soo excited. More than half the lesson she preaches to us. It is probably my most favorite thing because we teach for about 10 minutes and than she just finishes up for the rest of the lesson. She used to be a preacher... she is definelty cut out for it, let me tell you. It is really so cool to see how excited she is! She asked us last night what time her baptism would be so she could invite ALL her friends. We taught her the Word of Wisdom Sunday, and that next day she wanted to start handing out the pamphlets to her friends! She taught her one friend all of it actually but told us that he wasnt ready for the wisdom yet.. but she said we ALL need more wisdom. She is the first person i have gotten to teach in English, and i love it. Such a weird experience and actually a more difficult because i have a thousand thoughts going through my head rather than just the densified Italian thoughts that i can make up.. This week my perspective has been changing a little bit. I still have a year left, but at the same time 6 months just went by in the blink of an eye... i kind of had to start doing a self inventory. Two things that i want to see by the end

1. Charity

2. Conversion

I think those are probably two of the most important things that we all need. If i accomplish anything here, i want it to be that i showed my love for these people. I want them to have felt the love of Christ because thats why im here. Im just the instrument He has to work through. I want to see charity in others... and hopefully that comes by the examples of others and more specifically Christ. He is our example for EVERYTHING! Just our perfectly perfect brother... and i see that my love for Him is growing as i understand Him and His life more.

We have to be converted. Im reading the fourth missionary again which is at home in the family room ...at least thats where i left it..and you all should read it. I want to see that i did my best to help these people here be converted... whether they have been a member 30 years or 2 days.. I want to help them be what we all need to be. For them to be that though, i need to be that.. I need to understand what it means to be converted. We are always changing. That is why we are here is to change and become better in this life.. We have to give ourselves to The Lord. He cant just take us because thats against our agency and the plan of happiness.. but we need to willingly hand ourselves over to Him, His gospel, and the things we are taught. I just cant believe where the time is going. Before i know it, it will be over and i never want to look back on this short short time thinking i didnt do what Heavenly Father sent me here to do. I want to know i accomplished His will... because its not about my will but His. I love all of you! Have a great week!

Love Sorella Woods

Study room

Day dedicated to women

Hitchhiker

Space Transferred..

For those of you who don't understand that word it basically means you get a call from President one night and he tells you that you are leaving your city in the next couple of days for a new city and new companion... Now the only reason this happens is if one of the sorelle gets sick or goes home for some reason... 

And who got space transferred... This lucky Sorella right here... I think saying goodbye to my members was harder than saying bye to you guys.. I have such a love for these people that goes so much deeper than i thought it did. My new city that i am working in now is Bergamo, which kind of reminds me of Park City. We are in the mountains and it is sooo quiet. It is so different than Sanremo, but Heavenly Father has some kind of plan for me. Cool thing is i left Monday for Bergamo, and i am actually in Sanremo today. We traveled across the country twice this week already... me when i transferred..and i actually went on a train by myself and me being me, i sat next to a drunk guy who was probably the most obnoxious person i have met...but we are all Gods children, aren't we, but sharing the gospel with him was probably not the best idea in that moment..and than being by myself was probably the strangest feeling ever.. Story as to why i am back in my beachy home today is I got my permesso and had to come back because i have a class tomorrow for it in Imperia which is super close to Sanremo... well thats just too bad that i had to come see all of these people that i just love sooo much!!!... and it just so happens to be FHE in the church tonight... I walked in and every room there were different members. Every time i walked in the room they all said, 'Non ci credo, non ci credo!!' which is exactly what it sounds like.. They asked what in the world was going on and if i got to stay.. I just feel so much love from them. Sunday was probably the most loved i have ever felt in my life when people just came up to me to say bye, and told me the difference that i had made that i didn't realize that i had made...They bore their testimonies about me for heavens sakes. I dont cry, and i sure cried for them...I feel like we never notice what we do good and only what we do bad... that needs to change, because Heavenly Father doesn't see us how we see ourselves. He sees us for how these members say they see me.  Its sad that i can only be here for tonight, but Heavenly Father is just letting me love my family here a little more before i move on to my next one in Bergamo. This is definitely a special place and it will forever have changed my life and my heart.. I cant wait to come back here next year and see the progress that my branch will have made by then. Love my home Sanremo... but its on to the next adventure..its like im a greeny alllll over again.

Love Sorella Woods :D