I am going to the Island!

 Name that movie.

Picture of Beautiful Italy

Emilia and her daughter doing my hair. So cute.

Okay so I have news...the call came in and I'm out of Pescara. I'm getting called to SASSARI, SARDEGNA with Sorella FELICE (Felice means happy in Italian)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm so excited. I LOVE Pescara and I've loved my time here and I'm going to be SO sad to leave my investigators...but I am SO excited. I just feel like my time here is done. I mean I've been here six months and I have worked A LOT. I could stay because I love these people so much, but when that call came, I just knew it was right. I'm way excited to go to the Island! I hear it's beautiful and there's lots of sheep and they have their own type of Italian language and I have no idea what to expect, but I'm excited! Everyone says Sorella Felice is so much fun so I'm excited to party up Christmas with her! 

 

 

Saying Goodbye to some great friends in Pescara

 

So in Pescara there were four sisters and two elders...well my companion, Sorella Mckenna, also got her transfer and she is going to Rome! So we are getting blown out! My good friend Sorella Patterson (we've practically been together our whole mission) is also going to Rome. So three sisters are leaving Pescara and two sisters are coming. It's kind of sad because we've made so great process with our investigators and now they're getting whole new people. But I'm sure they'll be fine. This weekend has been full of goodbyes. The ward is so upset to lose three sister missionaries (they love their sister missionaries here, we are their angels as they call us...no offense elders). The bishop is especially upset to have less missionaries because he's so into missionary work. 

 

 

 

 

 Saying some more Goodbyes to great friends in Pescara.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO YOU ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This cute old lady might be making us some "American" thanksgiving food Wednesday and then Thursday will be transfers so I'll be traveling all that day. Oh guess what...I have to take a plane to get to Sardegna. Haha so awesome that I have to take a plane to get to another area in my mission. And I can only bring one suitcase...so today I've been sorting all my stuff into things I need and things I could go without for a few months or who knows how long (usually the people who go out there are out there for a while because the plane is expensive). I'm not bothered at all, I really don't need all the stuff I have. 

 

Okay now I wanted to share a quick thought for everybody. Sometimes life is hard. It is way hard and sometimes God gives us things that we don't need or want. My favorite scripture, that I've really learned on my mission, is Ether 12:27. ...unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them. . 

I love this scripture because it explains why we have hard things happen to us. Sometimes we get a little prideful or we get lazy in our prayers or scripture studies or we sin or something else. But God wants us to be better than that. So what does he do? He gives us experience to help us grow and to learn. God always knows what is best for us and he will always give us what is best for us, whether we like it or not. But he will never give us something that is harder than we can handle. We need to have this trust that God is trying to give us more faith and is trying to make us stronger so when we have trials--we shouldn't get discouraged but try our best to be strong and to use this experience to get closer with God. Sometimes that's hard to do and that's where we need to be humble and ask God for more help and he will certainly give us that help. "For my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves" And if we bear our burdens with faith and with trust, I know that God will bless us more than we can imagine and we will become stronger than we were before. So please don't get discouraged or sad when bad things happen to us--pray harder, read the scriptures, remember Christ and his grace, and move forward! When I'm having a hard time, I study patience...because EVERYTHING will pass with a little time. I love you all so much! I hope you have a great thanksgiving with lots of food! 

Guess what in exactly a month I get to talk to yall (my companion is from the south. yall comes out once in a while)! So be excited for that! Wow I can't believe all that is going on with the family; I am missing a lot. I'm glad dad is doing better and I hope everything continues to go well. Ah bridal shower for Chantel. I can't believe I had to miss that. But oh well. 

                                  Love you all!

The Rains came down and the floods came up!

Okay so this week has been great! Pescara flooded over. Seriously two feet of water was everything! I had to practically swim to get to English course and then we spent some time cleaning up member's houses this week. And now I'm a bit sick. But after what happened in the Philippians...I'm not going to complain at all! 

 

 

 

 

       The flooding and crazy rain in Pescara

 

 

 This week I went to Rome, again! But this time to do Exchanges with the lovely sisters in Roma 5 and that was a lot of fun.

 

A sister from Rome 5 who I did an exchange with

Also, the famiglia Dintino is making great process, they all came to Institute and and loved what the bishop said about the BOM and now they're reading it more.

 

Also, guess what. I sang in church yesterday with the three other sisters. Who knew I could sing? Wow do missions change you. Okay I can't tell you how great the ward is here in Pescara! Yesterday in church all the talks were on missionary work; the second counselor talked about how the members need to do more work and they are seriously working on it. Everyone is stepping up and trying their best to expand this ward in Pescara. The Bishop here is incredible, I'm pretty sure that every night this week he has a dinner set up with investigators, meno attivi, or part member families. A few months ago we visited with this excommunicated sister and her companion and we weren't able to get them to come to church. But suddenly the bishop went to work and got them both to come to church yesterday! What a difference it makes when the ward is involve. I feel so lucky to be in the ward.

 

So this week I got the cutest little envelope filled with letters from our extended family so tell them all thanks for that!! I haven't got your Dear Elder package, I'm surprised you sent me another one haha! Well I'm sure I'll love it when it arrives...or don't send me packages and just send me money. Because guess what? I can buy yummy gelato and cute Italian jackets with that :). Yeah I didn't get to see Cheree, but my city and area is really big...

 

Oh poor dad! Is he going to be healed soon or what needs to be done? I will certainly pray for him. Ah wow I can't believe Becca's baby is almost here! Send me a MILLION and one photos.

Best Pizza Ever---Sorry Dad...

 

Making Brownies with Analia and her daughter

Well next week is transfers and who knows where I will go (Pescara again!) vediamo!

vi voglio bene!

P-day in Rome and Zone Conference

Our little ghosts

Pumpkin carving from Halloween

 
If I had a nickel for every time I was asked if I was a nun.
I'd be rich.

Seriously I get asked if I'm a nun all the time. "Do you live in the church?" "Can you get married?" "Do you pray all day?" Nope, I'm not a nun. Haha although to some creepy guys I just tell them straight up that I'm a nun and then they leave me alone :)

So this week was great! But there's not a lot to tell because we went to Rome 2 times and that took up a lot of time. We had Zone conference and Stake Conference which were both awesome! Also last P-day we got to spend in Rome so guess what...I saw the Coliseum and the Trive fountain (I have no idea how to spell those in English). And they were so awesome and beautiful!!! We had to go in the night...so the pictures aren't that great, but it was still fun! 

 

 

Also Italian apartments aren't that great...so guess who's bathroom got covered in mold! Whoo mine! So that was fun cleaning up. 

Okay so Zone conference was amazing.  We learned about the BOM and how important it is. We had some great lessons and enjoy learning more to help us all be better missionaries.  Here are some pictures from Zone Conference.

After Zone Conference I felt like that was the main thing our investigators need right now to help them progress is to read and have a testimony of the BOM! So that was our goal this week! We went over to Famiglia Dintino and taught them the Restoration (we've already taught it...but that was a few months ago) with the invite that they really need to read and pray about it. We've never been able to teach the mom before, but she happened to be there! She had a ton of questions and said how it's hard for her to believe in the BOM and Joseph Smith. I asked if she has ever read it. She said no. We told her how she needs to read it first before she can decide and we testified of the BOM and the spirit was seriously so strong when we talked about it! So the whole family committed to reading and praying about it! And they all want to go to institute this Thursday where our Bishop teaches about the BOM, which we are so excited about. It was one of the best lessons I've had in my mission, not because they all committed to be baptized, but just because we knew that no one can really be converted in the long time unless they read the BOM and I know that they're all going to read the BOM, have a testimony, and then remain strong in the church. This family is going slow and steady. I just know that they're all going to get baptized and be a great family in the church! 

Okay I wanted to share a quick thought about the BOM that one of our members shared with us. He was saying how he doesn't need to ever pray if the BOM is true, but he needs to pray if He is true to the BOM. The BOM will always be true, but it's us who stop reading it and stop believing it. The BOM is full of answers and information, but it's up to us to read it to find those answers. People who lose their testimonies, don't read the BOM. So read it tutti! Every day I am so amazed at everything I find in the BOM and all the answers I get! It is true. I know it! I love being a missionary! Love you all! 

Sorella Knudsen 

Operation...Get out the Catholic

So...this week...has been just a wee bit difficult. Pretty much all our plans fell through every day and usually that's fine because that means God has prepared another miracle for us to see and usually we fine some awesome person or something. But this week that didn't really happen. But that's okay, God was just teaching us something! But it was a great week and we did a fun pumpkin carving activity with the young women that went great--first time any of them did pumpkin carving! Halloween is not that big of a holiday here, especially compared to All Saints Day, November 1st, where they worship...all the saints ever. Most people hate Halloween, especially our bishop, but somehow we were able to do this activity and he actually loved it! Whoo!

So...Dintino...first off--HE QUIT SMOKING!!! We taught him the word of wisdom and he hasn't picked up another cigarette since! Instead every night he sits in his house and plays his accordion to keep himself from smoking so he could be baptized on the 7th. But for some reason he decided to go on vacation this weekend and didn't come to church...he has to come to church three times before baptism so now he actually can't get baptized. It's weird because he was so committed. Actually to tell you the truth Sorella Mckenna and I have been a bit confused about him and if this is the right time to get baptized. He believes everything, he has shown great signs of faith (stopped smoking, worked all night to come to church), but...we haven't even taught him all the lessons and I don't think he's reading everyday. Then it hit us--he's still catholic. Our ward mission leader explained this to us: Italians are LAZY when it comes to religion. To be catholic means to wear a cross and go to church once a year--no reading the scriptures, no going to church every week, no serving others (for the most part, not everyone is like this). So Dintino believes everything, is almost willing to act, but wants to be very lazy with the church. Sorella Mckenna and I have started "Operation: Get out the catholic" where we're going to move his date back a couple weeks and teach him the importanza of coming to church every week, reading the scriptures, acting, serving others, paying tithing. We want to help him realize how big of a blessing these things are and how blessed we will be when we do them. We feel really good about taking this extra time, because we don't want him to get baptized and then become inactive. Hopefully he'll stick with us though! Prayers!

Also yesterday we found a new investigator, named Cherry! She's from the Philippians (shout out to Ashley Mecham!) and the cutest thing ever. We taught a lesson yesterday...in ENGLISH! It was the easiest lesson I've ever taught. Man you should've heard me explain that apostasy, I described it so beautifully in English! Ohh Italian. Haha well I guess it's a good thing I have to learn a language to always keep me humble.

So today I'm heading on a bus to Rome to finish my Pday and for zone conference tomorrow! I'm so excited! Rome! We're going to the Coliseum!
Also no pictures today because this computer is old school and it won't work ahha. Also this week I celebrated my SIX MONTHS IN THE MISSION. How has time gone by that fast? One more year until I will be in your arms again! ahha. If you can get me out of Italy. I can't leave Italy yet. And the cheese (seriously who knew cheese was so good, you should see these stores here).
Vi volgio bene!
Sorela Knudsen!s