we talk to everyone...January 21st email

and that means also very drunk people occasionaly. We were standing on the bus and this man just grabs my back. I turn around and he just is smiling at me. I salute him and grab my tag and put it up to his face.. he then says to me 'ohhh you speak english!' grabs my arm and gets uncomfortably close.. 

So what do i do...  start to share the gospel with him. He was very nice actually. Probably shouldn't have been touching me as much as he was but we left him with a pass along card. As i was getting off the bus he grabs my hand and professed his love for me... i stared for two seconds, told him grazie and got off the bus as quick as i could. But who knows. Maybe he will come out of his drunken stupor, find the card and gain his salvation.. You just never know. 

This past Sunday we were at church with one of our simps who is just progressing soooo well. A month ago she believed that church's were not necessary and this past Sunday after church i asked her what she wanted.. she replied with 'i want Ruben (un membro) to baptize me. So we set a date for febbraio. I cannot believe the blessings the Lord is pouring out on us. I especially feel blessed because i am at the end and i am seeing so many things happening. Our work is literally on fire. On monday i had to do scambio with the Cimiano Sorelle and i had told my sorella about this place called made in Sicily that makes literally the best cannoli's. So we went to go get a cannoli after being told no for 2 hours. On the way there i see this woman and the Spirit said talk so i placed myself right in her way and asked her how she was. The biggest smile came to her face as we were talking and she was just so excited she kept saying 'i'm christian too' NEW SIMP! Seriously, every week we are finding at least one and usually more. My love for this work has never been greater and it's sad. because i know i have to come home eventually but i'll just say it, i don't want to. The reality of what we do has just really hit me. This gospel is the very core of who i am and to be able to share that with others every day is such a blessing. I am grateful for this last transfer (transfer news... we are staying in pavia fyi insieme!!!) where i really am the best i have ever been. I can speak, teach, and most importantly be guided by the Spirit. I am just so happy and blessed to be here doing the work of the Lord. As we got on another bus (still on scambio) A simp got on that has been avoiding us.. I run up to her and started talking. ( i have come to the realization that i do not know what is socially correct anymore... aka talking to someone who really doesn't want to be talking to me, but i don't really care because what i am doing is more important then them feeling awkward) She looks at my comp who doesn't know her, and says ''i can't get away from these missionaries, they always find me'' well duhhh,, you are praying for help and the best help you can get is the gospel...WE ARE THE ANSWER FROM GOD: WHY DON'T YOU PEOPLE SEE THAT?  We said that, and now she is meeting with us this Friday. MIRACLES!

Every day.. LOVE LOVE LOVE it.

Love you all, 

Have a fun week,

Sorella Woods

Another week is gone by: January 14th's email

I am good.. soo good infatti.. It is harder every day to keep doing exactly what i need to be doing, but i am happy and the work is going soooo good!!!. Thank you for everything you guys do. I don't know if you understand the extent of how much this mission has changed my life and who i am now. Every sacrafice that you and dad have made for me to be here is something that has eternal worth. And that is something that my mission has changed for me forever. What is the eternal worth of what i am doing and if there is none, then it's not worth my time. I really hope i dont come off as this chastizing crazy person, but i just get it and i want others to. I took a year and a half for me to 'get it' but i do now and there is nothing else that can replace that... when i come home i will do all i can to continue to share the gospel. to love the gospel. live the gospel. EVERYTHING goes back to the gospel. It is the the very root of me. The reason i wake up in the morning.. and so many others need that desire to wake up in the morning and go forward but how can they when they don't know what they are looking forward to?. I know with every sacrafice that you and dad have made, you will be blessed. I promise blessings daily to people.. that is part of my authority as His servant. And something that i promise on the daily to these people is that we are blessed in return as we do what the Lord would have us do.. Such a simple promise but it is the truth. As we seek His will and His desire. And when His desire becomes ours, we are both winners. We are truly free and truly happy because we are doing exactly what our Father wants us to do. So once again, thank you from the bottom of my heart... (english terms are so weird..) There are no words to describe what you have done for me as my mom and dad. You are my examples and teachers!. All i can say is, strive every day to live as He would have you live. Do what He would have you do... because that is all that matters in all the messes we deal with on the daily. Wake up, smile, be happy with what you have and what more you can become that day through our Savior. I love this gospel. I love you all!

Love Sorella Woods

Subject: Another week. gone. January 7th's email

I ask people allll the time. Sooo how did your week go?? And they just tell me it's Tuesday Sorella Woods and that the week just started... and i just saw you yesterday.. But for all i know it could be Friday or maybe Monday. Every day just blurs by. ITS CRAZY.

Good goooood goood week. So. We happen to be teaching this woman and her husband and they have know the missionaries for 15 years

15 YEARS!

and yesterday we finally set a bap date with her. WHAT? I know! MIRACLES EVERYWHERE! We actually fasted this past week. I want to see another baptism before i go home. I just love this gospel and the happiness that it brings me now and the promises that it will bring after amaze me.. and frankly, everyone deserves this opprotunity. I was just thinking about the fact that the gospel literally gives me every direction that i need in life for everything. I have no idea what would be the ancor if this wasnt mine.. and that makes me come to the conclusion that there is nothing else. If you don't believe in God, then what in the heck is holding you here. What do you do every day and why do you do it? Great thing is we literally have been given every answer. The end goal, and we have been given every tool to reach it. Sometimes while teaching these people i just want to grab them, shake them, and just yell 'CANT YOU FEEL THIS????' 

pazienza..

acutally i have to give a talk on that in a couple of weeks.. maybe it is something Heavenly Father still needs me to grow. A little patience.. But then the other part of me goes back to wanting to shake people or slap them upside the head and then maybe their brain will get it. It will just *click. I feel like thats what happened yesterday. The sweeeeet spirit that touched my heart and filled the room yesterday when i asked, 'so do you know the Book of Mormon is true?' and without hesitating she said 'yes. I know it is true and i know that Joseph Smith was given the authority of God to do what he did'

That, my friends is the golden ticket. There is nothing better. I don't care if at the end i couldnt bring anyone to baptism... I dont care who gets to be here to teach her, and bring her to this great and amazing thing. But i will say that i am grateful to be here and to be the missionary that gets to help her accept these blessings into her life. The fullness of the gospel that is on the earth today. Too cool.

Love you all.

Love

Sorella Woods

December 31st email

Heyyyyyy... Yeah, they celebrate it fairly much the same but they also celebrate the 26th for Santo Stefano so i got a third Christmas and i ate raw meat at the family Giusto's house. I tell you dad, you would die to eat this meat. It is the best thing i have ever eaten. I probably ate like a pound of it. I am glad you guys had fun!!. We will have a party when i get home. CHRISTMAS ALL OVER AGAIN! Something that i have learned is that i never have to stop being a desciple of Christ. When i come home i will do the same things i do here. I will never stop my study of the scriptures. I wont miss church, and i cant stop serving others. It is what drives me. It is what pushes me every day. What can i do more for someone else? My goal, as crazy as it may be from a world point of view is to live how i live here after the mission. Keep only the things in my life as to where i can have the Spirit with me always. This crap that the world offers isnt worth it. None of it. whether it is movies, tv, books... anything that offends the Spirit is not worth it because it offends God. BUT i cant do it alone so we will do it together. Living this way is what will get Clay and Carson on missions. Living this way means happiness all the time even though we still have to do work, school, and life. We can literally be happy alllll the time. It is just our attitude and  how we decide to look at the situation. I think about Connor and how he has to be living right now.. it is the gospel. As he accepts his covenants he is living the gospel. We have to do the same. We have to live in this way here on the earth because it is how we will live after.. We will feel so uncomfortable in our Father's presence if we have not given this life all that we have.

So we make goals as a family.. and not the stupid i want to loose 20 pounds to look like that idiot in the magazines. Instead we say i am going to use the atonement to live the Word of Wisdom completely. 

Quindi, le mete di Sorella Woods (goals of mine)

1. We study the scriptures on the daily as a family and me personally for at least an hour.. We have soo many hours in the day and if we cant give ourselves to God for one hour, we dont understand or appreciate the importance of the gospel.

2. I want to swim laps every morning. non lo so perche ma voglio farlo (prefereably with mom and dad.)

3. Temple at LEAST once a week. Our brothers and sisters are waiting... let's not keep them there too long. 

4. I dont want to waste hours with movies, tv, facebook, aka GARBAGE. Yes, enjoy them, but when it comes to just wasting hours.. Non vale la pena.

5. Try to really do what is pleasing to my Heavenly Father. Thoughts, actions, deeds.. whatever it may be. AKA, keep being a desciple.

I feel like as missionaries we are changed without question. All of us to some extent or another. But if we go home and return to how we were, it was for nothing. I feel like the purpose of a mission is yes, to help and change others, but honestly i feel it is more of Heavenly Father's plan to change us. To change our character and to change us into the person who will continue to do good and progress in the gospel throughout life and not just for this year and a half to two years. He changes us so we can continue to live in a way where we can continually effect the lives of others whether it is family, neighbors, friends, whoever He puts in our path. I love this gospel and i am grateful to have been given this experience of this past year. I have seen so much joy, probably cried more then i ever have in my life, and have gained a real faith in my Savior, His work, and His gospel. 

Love you my stange family more then anything else. Can't wait to see you people and start changing together.

Love Sorella Woods