#ShareTheGift

NOVEMBER 26^th’s EMAIL

 Do ittttttt. Share the gift of the life of our Savior has given us! We're so blessed! So we had our conference about technology... and no IPAD's, at least not in the future of my mission, but my eyes were definetly opened to the fact that i dont need technology in my hands to help others to utilize it. We have been so blessed to be put in this time to have the tools we have. Anziano Fingerlie literally gave us a list of things that i'm totalllly going to do..

1. Share mormon messages on Facebook with others

2. Invite everyone to things like talks, farewells, programs, homecomings (you can utilize that one here pretty soon) JUST INVITE

3. Hashtags... (cough)  #ShareTheGift

4. familysearch.org

etc,etc,etc

The most important thing in this life is our families. Everyone has a family and everyone deserves a chance to be with theirs again. But they cant enjoy these blessings now if we do not open our mouths or utilize the things given to us.

Sorella Burt and i started the week with a fast. This week is consecration week and with that we are opening our mouths so much more to anyone who will stop. Thoughts, actions, everything we are doing is to try and focus on our work here in Pavia. We want 10 new investigators, talk to at least 70 new people, and we want to teach at least 21 lessons.. High goals but God makes us promises and then fulfills them if we do our part. Met some crazies this week who dont want to hear a word and are actually in the just rude catagorey, but we are also meeting those who have been prepared.

I'll say it again,, WE ARE SO BLESSED.

Life is too cool friends. Every day is just a new adventure. A new day to make someone else's day.

Love you all, 

and just to drill it in your brains, please 

#ShareTheGift

Sorella Woods

Suckiest day ever..

NOVEMBER 19^th’s EMAIL

Was a Monday.. this past Monday in fact.. and we don't even know why it sucked so bad. It just did.. and it was raining literally ALL day. So that night we were doing some good old 12 weeks and we were watching a video on paying tithing and all of a sudden i feel like God was chastising me in a very...loving way i guess i could put it. Malachi says in the old testament that the windows of heaven are opened to us as long as we pay a full tithe.. i was sitting there watching the video thinking, 'man, what i would do to make my problems right now just having to pay tithing.' and then ever so abruptly a voice in my head said, 'this is your tithing Sorella Woods' and my whole perspective changed. I have been told before many a times that serving is like paying your tithing, but i never really got it..Until Monday night, and God revealed it all. I have been given SO much my whole life and all He has asked for is this year and a half. I went to bed that night just so happy. I feel like i have been in this rut. I'm so close to home but there is SOO much more work to do. I cant wait to see my family, or hold my new babies in the family for that fact, or go to school again (never thought i would say that) but this is my time now to pay back just 10% of all the Lord has given me and all that He will give me. I want to be paying back everything that i owe every day! And with that perspective in mind, everything has just kind of turned around. That fire to find and talk has come back so strong again. The faith that people are literally on the street who will listen to us is there. God really is so great. He lets us learn, and suffer just a little bit. Not ever more then we can handle, but enough to give us the opportunity to exercise our faith, and then learn from that faith exercised. Miracles do come as we do exactly what the Lord has asked. Heavens window is opened. We set a bap date with another lady who we met months ago. We invited another one to be baptized who basically invited herself to church. The members are wanting to work with us and they just show us so much love. So, basically lesson learned. 

Have a good week.

Love!

Sorella Woods

MIRACOLI

NOVEMBER 5th's email

Ogni giorno.. So i am lazy and dont want to write the WHOLE story so just ask me about it when i get home. We were on a train and just so happened to sit next to this girl. She is from Texas but lives here in Italy (long story) but she was on the wrong train. So she got off with us and the next train wasnt for two hours, and she had an appt. she had to be to in one hour in a whole differnt city... So the impression came to my mind to invtite her to our appt with us.. Normally that just wouldnt be a thing you do inviting a stranger to someones home but it came from the Spirit so i did. Turns out this family we were going to didnt have a car at home to drive her in but a scooter... problem with that is she had her suitcase and that is a no go on the scooter route. So the son took her on the scooter and we took the bag so she could come pick it up from us later that night when she got back to Pavia. On the train ride home it came to our minds to write a note in a Book of Mormon and put it in her bag... so we did... Later that night we got her bag back to her so she could head home to BERGAMO, and then we headed home... So that whole night Burt and i just keep looking at eachother just waiting for a text or something from her... Never got one, so we decided 1. she hates us. 2. She just was so ingrossed in the BOM that she hadnt had the time to text us.. or 3. She hadnt unpacked yet... Naturally we were thinking it was option 1 until lunch time the next day.. I walked into the kitchen crying because we had gotten the most miraculous text from her about our note and the BOM..., and how she was so blessed from Heavenly Father to have met these two girls that were 'in the RIGHT place at the RIGHT time..' And the most amazing part is, we had nothing, absolutely NOTHING to do with this.. It was all Heavenly Father. We were simply the instruments He worked through. Another testament to me about how real God is and how aware He is of me as His servant. 

MIRACLE STAMP*

and miracle 2. The family that we randomly found one day while doing ricerca 'by being in the right place at the right time..' who the mom is a member and the sister but they havent found the church here in over to years!! Well the mom is now reactivated! And we just set a bap date with her son for the end of this month. Pavia is probably the hardest city i have served in finding new people wise, but it is turning into one of the most miraculous. I love this gospel and the work we do every day. It is so real and so exciting. It is hard, but so fulfilling. 

For all my americans. HAPPY HALLOWEEN, and THANKSGIVING soon.. Eat as much as you can for me. (:

Love Sorella Woods

...and i just got a call from Dibb.. We got a third comp coming end of the week!!

...

I am coming up with a blank today. We didnt end up getting our third companion... At first we were bummed because of the adventure it would have been but then we quickly came to the conclusion that our little group of 2 is just perfect.. practicaly in every way. I could die with Burt in all honesty. She is an amazing missionary. I really dont even know what day it is besides the fact that i am emailing. But seriously, every day is a blur. It was a really good week though. The time just keeps going and going though. It really is crazy! I went and did a scambio in Navigli this week, so that was fun. We actually just ended up getting lost in this beautiful city that Sorella Smart nor i had been to..Whenever something like that happens i just look around and think, man i am such a lucky duck to be lost in some random city in  Italy. And we left our two babies here in Pavia because Smart is training too.. AND BURT DID SO GOOD. She realized she can do everything without me!. Italy.. And every day just feels normal. We have to remind ourselves frequently that we are in Italy just to enjoy the fact of it. But honestly, it is just every day normal life. MISSION TOUR!!!! I am so excited. Main reason for the fact of seeing people that i havent seen my whole mission. SO STOKED. Other then that, there really isnt much else news. We just walk out the door every day and yell 'we're saving souls!' and then we go to work. I am just so happy and content.. I get a little trunkie when i start thinking about the future because there is so much to do, and my brain has gotten into this 'you have to do everything and couqer the world' mode, but then i realize every day how blessed and lucky i am to bring others to this light. There are still so many people waiting for me. (: They gave us some talks to start preparing for the conference... and they're all about technology...

can anybody say IPAD....

IPAD IPAD IPAD!!! I might actually get an ipad before i go home! BEST DAY EVER.

Love you friends. Have a fun week.

Love

Sorella Woods

Heyyyy...

For Dad

My wall of love

Yeah, worst letter i will ever write.. not making promises, but i am doing some other stuff so i will sum it all up in a list.

1. I love obedience.. obedience to something as simple as the mission rules, to the bigger things like the commandments.. I am so blessed because i choose to be obedient.

2. We found 2 LEGIT ladies in centro last week. We will meet them this week. And we found them both on nights where we had nothing NOTHING to do, so we went and started the search even though it sucked. and we were blessed.. Obedience blessings...? Yup.

3. I love my mission every day more, and more. I love these people and this time that really is so short.

4. I love you all. Sorry i dont write you all or tell you everything but you will get to see me for the rest of your lives, so in general, it really doesnt matter.. you wont get me to shutup afterwards.. enjoy the silence now.. 

Love you soo much!!! We are so happy and the transfer is already over... but we are together again!! I told Pres i want to die training. Baby number 3! I have never loved something so much.. Only two more transfers after this one. It is going quick my friends, but i wont wish the time away. Love you all!

Love Sorella Woods

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!! 

(:

Try a little harder to be a little better-October 22nd's email

Theme... we like to title our weeks.. sometimes days and maybe even hours..It was that kind of week last week to need that title.. and then yesterday when we had a day literally without any appointments.. That meant hitting the streets for the whole day.. Hourssss. But we made it through and taught three lessons! So the good Lord blesses us when we do what we are supposed to do. So we have this investigator who is in the hospital because she has cancer, and that is the only thing that is stopping her from being baptized. All of us missionaries went to see her and her mom this past Sunday and everything had just gone down hill for her health wise. That night the anziani gave her a priesthood blessing. I left that night feeling just so torn up, but i had felt the power of the priesthood and the Spirit that came to be with us that night. We cant change things a lot of the time.. And in the end the only thing left to do is go heavenward. It really is amazing that in the long run of it all is the thing that we will always come back to will be God. We need Him and His help every day. I cannot immagine going a day without His help and i really have learned how to rely on Him as i have been here because He has been the only one to turn to. Pavia is a hard city. It is hard to find new people to teach and who are ready. But i know they are here. Gods plan is so specific.. I just have to make sure i am always doing my part. We went and volunteered at a soup kitchen this past Saturday with the catholic church, and seriously, it was the coolest thing! I cant wait to do it at home. All of these people without a cent to their name come and eat a home cooked (may i add cooked my a retired Italian chef) meal made by these wonderful people.. These people who volunteer are the people who are wallking as Christ did. It hit me though as i watched to see how ungrateful some of these people were who came to eat. One man asked me what school did the chef go to to make this garbbage... i laughed, said eat it, its good. but then was so shocked!!. It then came to my mind the phrase we must be poor in heart. THese people who have nothing in the world would be assumed to be humble and grateful, but its not true.. I could be the poorest person on the planet, and still not be poor in heart. Being humble has nothing to do with the money in my wallet but really who we are in the inside. It was a cool thing to realize.. The coolest part about this is everyone that is there is pretty much catholic and they all would ask who are you? Whats your name? Sorella Woods. And then we got to talk about the church and us being missionaries to all of these people who were volunteers. We are changing the way these people in this community will look at missionaries.. Burt and i just walked away with stupid smiles, and then we both yelled we are pioneers! Mixing the religions and serving together as one here in Italy! Well friends, i think that sums the week up.. Im at a sketch internet point so no pictures today.. Dont want to send you i virus. BUt i love you!! And i just am as happy as can be. Nothing in the world is better than this. 

Kiss nugget for me.

Love Sorella Woods