Italy, Week 36 (7/15/15) - Dream City

Hello and welcome to the wonderful land of Cimiano Milano! (Pronounce Chee-mee-on-no) It's not the most beautiful city, but it's definitely got the best work I've ever seen with my own eyes. It's incredible! We teach so many lessons and have so many appointments! In my other cities there was always at least a few hours of just finding pretty much everyday, but here there is none of that. No time. What?! No time to do finding?! I still can't fully wrap my head around it. We teach people on the metro between appointments and it's so fun! I never thought I would like the metro, but I really do! It's kinda fun and you see a lot of interesting people. One guy got on, turned on his boom box, and just got down and jiggy with it. Obviously for money, but it was still pretty entertaining.
My companion is awesome. Her name is Sorella Nilsen and we have the same trainer! So we're literally sisters haha. We get along super well and we're both super determined to lose weight this transfer: yay!  My gosh there are just so many people and so many things I don't even know what to talk about... Sunday was great, the ward welcomed me with open arms, which was really nice. The majority of our ward and the people we meet with are from South America, mostly Peru. They're super wonderful and loving. Plus I'm learning Spanish here and there which is pretty fun. We also meet with some Filipino people and they're so wonderful. Gosh, all of the people we work with are so loving. 

Anywho, I'm sorry but I really don't know what else to say... Oh! I see Sorella Burt a lot, my Como who I was with for three transfers in Trieste, it's super fun! We did a Pday together today at the duomo! We went to the top! We died of heat. It's freaking hot here... 41degrees Celsius.... It's awful. I'm sweating so much.
Whelp, just know at God is there. I'm starting to learn that we can find inspiration and learn something knew from every chapter and every moment we put into studying the scriptures. Even the war chapters throughout the Book of Mormon is filled with things that we can learn and take from them; how to arm ourselves against the world and Satan, how to be prepared, to always turn to the Lord and repent and be humble, and sooo much more. I know that if I read the scriptures and after I didn't learn something new or was reminded of something I need to work on, I didn't study well. We always need to start and finish it
with a prayer and stay tuned in with the Spirit. The scriptures are how God speaks to us. Find what He's trying to tell you!
I love you all so much, keep up the good works and always stay strong.
Vi voglio bene!
Sorella Hawks :)

Italy, Week 35 (7/7/15) - MIRACLE WEEK

So first off, so I forgot to inform you that my Pday was moved up a day this week... Heh heh, oops.... Anywho. This week was awesome! Oh, first of all, I should probably share some sad yet exciting news. I've been kicked out of Trieste :( but I have been here for six months, and it's been an incredible six months. I've changed so much here, I've met some of the most incredible people, and I've seen so many miracles. I'm so grateful for every moment I had to be here in this incredible city. Now the exciting news: I'm going to Milano! I’ve been called to serve in the big city Milano in the Cimiano ward. And get this: with my mission sister! She was also trained by Sorella Yost right before me and I got to meet her when we had to go down to pick up Yost's permission to stay thingy. So I'm super stoked! I already know
she's super great and we're going to get along, so I'm excited :)

So this week we set a baptismal date with one of our investigators!  Cool story: so we wanted to pick a date for July so we picked two days and prayed to know which date would be best for her.  While we were praying this number 26 came into my mind and I was like, that's not one of the options... So I pushed it aside but it just kept nagging me. So after I checked the calendar and the 26th was a Sunday, which wouldn't work... So we went with the date that we both felt good about. When we got to that lesson, she informed us that she had health issues and wouldn't even be able to really love her house until the end of August... Oh.... So we went back and decided to find a date in September. When I flipped my calendar to September, I quickly discovered that there was a Saturday in September that was the 26th...  Can you talk about God knows His children or what? When we gave her the date she was so excited and went and wrote it down on her calendar "il mio battesimo". It was so great!
Saturday some of the YSAs threw to get her a BBQ to celebrate the Fourth of July and it was so fun! We got our transfer calls during it though, so that was kinda sad haha. But it was such a great afternoon. I love these people so much!!!
Then I had to give my goodbye testimony I church on Sunday which is always difficult... But it's finneeee. Then we had a really fun dinner with this great family in our ward and our investigator Patrizia. So fun!  And then we've just been running around saying goodbye to everyone, packing, crying, laughing. I basically look like a chicken with its head chopped off just running around in circles. Che stress.   So much to do!!
But anyway, I'm excited for the adventures that lay ahead. I will certainly miss being in this ward and in this city. They've changed me and I am forever grateful for that. But I know it's time to go. I'm satisfied with what I've done here. There were certainly regrets, but at the end of it all I'm happy to say that I have no regrets. I gave it my all and I tried my best. Now it's time to go forward and grow and learn more. I'm excited for the things I'm going to learn from my new companion, Sorella Nilson, and to serve the wonderful ward and people of Milano Cimiano.
I love you all so much! I hope you have a great week! Vi voglio bene!
Alla prossima,
Sorella Hawks :)