Trio Trio Trio

If you guys keep saying "last weeks" I'm seriously going to stop reading your emails. 

America

I got all the letters you sent me Mommmm :) Thanks. I played my America CD the whole time Sorella Williams was packing because she is from Canada and she said she hates all national anthems. She got mad when I used to sing the national anthem down the empty streets at night. haha. 

People keep writing me and I think they think I'm trunky or something.. NOT trunky. It just makes me laugh because it still hasn't actually hit me that I'll leave one day. It feels like I'll be a missionary forever in Siracusa,' so when people say things like "dying" and "5 weeks" it doesn't really phase me. 

It was a little weird writing all the days in my next planner though. I'm just not really thinking about it. Also, update for you Mom, my back is much better.. so thanks for the advice. 

This week was a lot of goodbyes and organizing things because we are putting two companionships into one. 

Current Events:

-We got a pamphlet about exorcisms in our mailbox from one of the local churches, haha.  We decided to add that to our list of finding tools in PMG.

-Two italian opera singers/simps sang goodbye to Sorella Vickers in our chapel and I cried. 

-Italy is out of the World Cup and we are all sad about it. 

-I got hugged by an African man at the train stop in Catania and all the anziani saw and they won't let me live it down. 

-One of my favorite members made us a lasagna and then drove us all the way to Catania to drop off Sorella Vickers AND downloaded all of the "Frozen" songs for us in Italian.

"Okay, Ciao"

-So Sorella Vickers had to stay an extra day to pick up her permesso (and when we went, it WASN'T even finished) so she needed to fly alone back up to Rome.. We went to the airport to drop her OFF and pick Sorella Kippen up. 

We checked her in and got her to security and everything and then we went back to Siracusa for the ward party.. We got to the ward party and I got a call from the office elders..

"Pronto!" - me

"Where is Sorella Vickers?"-OE (OE-office elders)

"Ummm... on the plane?"-me

"No. She isn't."-OE

"What do you mean she isn't on the plane?!"-me

"The airport just called us. They said she checked in but never made it to the counter... 
Why didn't you make sure she made it to her gate?!"-OE

"We took her to the security and we can't go past that, anziano."-me

"You didn't WAIT to make sure she made it THROUGH?"-OE

Kidnapped?

So then Pace and I are freaking out because our first thought it that she is beautiful and that she got STOLEN.. and the Office Elders think she has tried to run away and Giuseppe is calling every number that exists for the Catania airport and we can't breathe... 

About an hour later they found out that her gate had changed and she had gone to the one written on the ticket because it was going to the same place at the same time. So that was the scariest part of the week... 

Colors of Brazil

-Then we had a great ward party and all our contacts and almost all of our investigators came. We did a photo scavenger hunt and it was a lot of fun.. It was 'I Colori di Brasile' or 'The Colors of Brazil'. 

-Sunday we had 5 investigators in church! I think that's the most I've had my whole mission! Enza and Emmanuelle came! even though I called them ALL Saturday and couldn't get ahold of them.. they came on their OWN! 

So did Anna Maria.. I haven't been able to get her in church for two transfers! Then Isabella came who is one of my favorite investigators from the other sorelle and Naomi, another one of my favorites. 

Divine Combine

It was so divine to put us together, I just kept feeling like I had a connection with their investigators and even Pace said that Isabella told her (before the combining) that she felt like we had known each other forever.. and Pace felt the same way about our investigators and now we get to work all together. 

We seriously have SO much work.. it's such a contrast from when I first got here. We built up a ton of work on our own, and now with ours mixed with the other sorelle we are just trying to fit everything in. It's going to be such a great transfer. 

Conversion

So when Kippen came down (she had taken my place in Rome 2) I was asking her about all the members and everyone and she says to me "Oh yeah, Marco got baptized my last day there."... 

MARCO!  Marco is Luca's best friend... and LUCA got to baptize him. It was the best news ever. 

The first time we had an appointment with Luca he asked if he could bring his friend... I remember the first lesson with Luca and Marco, and now they are BOTH baptized and LUCA got to baptize him. I get emotional every time I think about it. 

Luca's Baptism

Marco's Baptism

The Lord has blessed me so much on my mission. I remember vividly the first time I met Luca on the 336 bus, we had been talking to the bus driver and we were almost to our house.. I realized that Luca was the only other person on the bus and he had been listening to our conversation with the bus driver and we decided to give him a pamphlet just in case he was interested... he said no.. and we got off... 

And from that small, simple encounter, he and his best friend are now baptized. 

Small and Simple

It's really the smallest, simplest things that lead the the salvation of many (Alma 37:6). 

 Alma 37:6 Now ye may suppose that this is foolishness in me; but behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise.

It just reminds me of how little we do as missionaries.. We play the smallest part in the great work, and with the efforts of MANY and great effort on the Lord's part we can see so many blessings and so many miracles. 

Vi viglio tanto tanto bene.

A Presto.

With love from Siracusa,

Sorella O'Connor 

(Email Sent - June 30, 2014)

This guy says he looks like Dad

random fire in the neighborhood

Countdown: T-5 Weeks