** EMAIL FROM 8/28/13 ** THE DAY BEFORE HER 22nd BIRTHDAY!!!

{{{{{{{{{{ Idk about you, but Im feelin 22! (name that song) }}}}}}}}}}

 

CIAO. dont have time really, sorry gang. but hey I am old starting Tomorrow! super strange, i dont feel 22 that is fosho! Sorry to all those who i cant respond to, I love you soooooo much! We went to a super pretty lake today near Brescia, pictures next week! And next pday I will be writing you about where I am going next! Pretty positive I will be leaving my beloved Bergamo. Walch will be done training and I have been here for 6 months.

This week, 3 new bap dates yayyy. Miracles, made a goofy music video with Walch to a lameee Group. Went to a funeral in a catholic Church which was all in spanish, we make up random band names in our spare bored time...idk what else really to say haha. Walch got a package of sour patch kids, i was pleased.

Really diggin pasta and tuna fish sandwiches all the time. ohhhh missionary life. lost weight tho. LOVE YOU ALL SOOO DANG MUCH.

I am an old granny. Be handin out pass along cards with my cane. Get to go to my fav members for lunch Tomorrow for my bday and another is buying me gelato yay!

I LOVE BERGAMO AND THE PEOPLE INSIDE!

haha okay ciaozies!

Sorella Gillette

**EMAIL FROM 8/21/13***

super short piccolo email

 

Okay so, I suck at multitasking trying to talk  to everyone here and read all my emails. I have had a consistent flow of love over my mission thus far, grazie mille. 

Totally just saw a photo from my Mission grandma, Mission mama, Mission mama, Slla Lopez's mama, and Sorella Wolfgramm, all at the SLC temple! AHHH jealous! excited for those mission reunion days! 

Comunque. Had to go to Milano last week to take my comp to the doctor. Dont order hamburgers in Italy people, you will be sad. 

We have had some good lessons this week. 3 new investigators, a couple from South America, seems super promising, they are so elect! 

Some sad things happening to the people we love out here. Marriage problems up the wazoo. Not only does the mission make you want to get married, but you def learn how to treat people and the importance of an eternal companion.

Gosh who am I? haha. 

Well, I will be 22 the next time yall read my emails! Oldest missionary in Bergamo pretty sure haha. yeahhh budddy. 

Allora, love you all tons, keep writing. I love hearing your stories and hearing about your miracles. Yall can send me some doritos and mountain dew too. or a postcard. its always nice getting all these emails, but sometimes its nice to run to the mail bag, search through the mail, find your name, yell and scream, everyones jealous and jumps into the bag. i hope this is a good visual haha. 

VI VOGLIO TANTISSIMO BENE!

A DOPO.

SLLA GILLETTE

EMAIL FROM 8/14/13**

TITLED - lumaca nel baccio  --- 
{I looked this up on Google and it said "SNAIL IN THE KISS"  ??}

BUOOOONNNNGIORRRRNNNOOO GENTE! 

I figured a random subject for each letter was a good way to spice it up. Can you believe I have been out for 6 months? Still mind blowing. Comunque, GRAZIE a tutti for the emails I have received, lots of friends wrote me and made me feel loved! Shoutouts and snaps. 

So august is super difficult haha. BUT some super rad miracles ieri. We were headed to an appt in Albino, had to go from Villa d'Alme to Albino, like an hour! bus to centro, tram to the end. I know none of you know what I am talking bout but anywhos, it was with this lady we met like 2 weeks ago and hadnt been able to meet up with. 

We get lost, life's hard without google maps. 

We see old investigator Bac riding his bike right next to us, bam make an appt for sat then he tells us where to go for our appt. THEN we get to our appt, find out her hubby is there and I was a little worried just because I pictured someone not super happy to hear from us, on the contrary! Cute little south american couple, the hubby comes out, we teach both of them, bam 2 new investigators! they both were pretty interested and attentive and so elect! trying to schedule a good time where we can come back. And she has a brother serving his mission right now in Lima. Ya i know right? 

Then leaving we ran into a less active on his bike and he chatted with us to the tram stop. 

Our other solid investigator seems to be having some difficulties, couldnt come to church last week, bout to pop out her 3rd baby. But she is the sweetest and called us today sorry that she didnt get to see us yesterday. 

So we are working with some pretty radly elect ppl right now. 

Friday we have to go to Milano bc Sorella Walch has been having severe hip problems for like a month. too bad I cant say hip in italian haha. 

Not much to say, too lazy to go through my planner to talk about everything haha, today was a lazy pday. literally baked and sewed like old hags haha. Idk if yall know this but i can cook now! all stove and oven baby. Im gonna whip up some bomb meals when I get home, stand back everyone, sorella gillette wont be eating tv dinners on the daily! sike probs will, way easier lol. 

Also they have made some mission rules stricter..yayyy. 

Wells I love you and miss you, Still got a year left to witness miracles. Side note, one of our new converts was totally killin it in gospel principles and explaining some topics to a less active. YEAH BUDDY.

A DOPO. 

Sorella Gillette

EMAIL FROM 8/7/13 *

A raccoon bit my lip     - {I don't know why she picked this title}

CIAOZIES TUTTI!

So numbers wise this week, we havent been super sucessful, Agosto is the month of vacay for everyone..but...DONT CARE! Still seeing hardcore miracles!

1. finally taught an inactive woman who was active my first transfer, told us how she was so confused about religion, had all these questions, she is going through a divorce. She couldnt answer if God was her Father in Heaven. I whipped out so many scriptures about how He is our literal father and how he loves us, why its so important we pray to him with real intent. She doesnt feel worthy to pray. PISH POSH. Dont ever think that people. So long story short I felt like I wasnt saying the right things and my italian wasnt good enough to help her, wasnt sure how the lesson was by the end of it.

THE NEXT DAY. she sends us a text saying how she was so grateful for our visit, she asked if he prayed for her, if so, she could feel it, if not, it mustve been our visit. she was really reflecting on everything we talked about. OF COURSE WE PRAYED. Ahh miracolo! So beautiful that she wrote us that text.

2. Same day, we got 2 cancellations, I was like okay lets go visit one of my fav members, its like a 20 min walk. I call her up and ask if we can stop by, of course shes down. We arent supposed to have dinner appts with members but it was right before dinner time and we wouldnt be eating with her but i was just thinking it was a good idea. So we are chatting it up with her and her son that just got back from a mission. Then we start talking about her sister who is inactive, turns out she was on her way over! So we share the same spritual thought we are sharing with most members right now, the nature of God, importance of prayer and answers through the spirit. We tweak it a bit depending on each lesson.

So we are reading scriptures, asking questions, the RM is throwing out bomb answers. We ask the sister how do we pray, then had her read a scripture and then Walch is like, so how do you feel about that. She ends up bearing a beautiful testimony of prayer and crying! i got teary eyed too.

3. I started talking to a dude at a bus stop, went over to go teach him, his Whole family was there! Mom, sister and Brother, we taught the full restoration for an hr and a half and they understood the book of mormon so well and were so excepting! they are such a beautiful family, we are so excited! They are from Ghana, yay African mission!

4. We got home early from English class, I was like lets go hit up the park, were walking around, getting shut down left and right, it was kind of funny, one guy cut me off, me: possiamo con- him:no no no no, his friend: bahahaha!

lol so were headed back to the house after almost and hr and we Always say buongiorno to errybody, then! african dude on a bike says Good day to us all nice like, i turn around and he looked back at me too so i turned after him and was like "CAN I ASK YOU A QUESTION?!"

End up talking to him about the BOM and he just moved here from verona, doesnt know anyone, doesnt speak italian and was just at the park asking God FOR DIRECTION IN HIS LIFE AND FOR A MIRACLE!!!! Ahh he was like I am so happy I met you! Today is going to be a good day!

 

SO ya that was only the last two days! Sunday Osato got the priesthood, Ylenia got a call about a job and said it was a blessing from going to Church, then another quick miracle!

So our investigator with a baptism date who is soooo awesome, her hubby is a member and a famous singer is Nigeria, ya we have his cd. he is a member. they were supposed to come to Church and didnt! so we would have to move her date back. I called them and told them to come to Church in the evening ward and we would go with them. called them 2ce about it. THEY ENDED UP GOING! And wore african attire. YES. It was fast and testimony meeting, Ziggy went up there and bore testimony about how we kept calling him up and he was feeling bad from that morning for not being able to go to Church, said that our calls were a big testimony to him that God lives and loves us.

AHHH I WAS SO HAPPY.

I was thinking we would annoy them, but NO! The gospel is never annoying hahaha.

 

This was so long, but I didnt want to forget these things.

LOVES YOUS.

CIAOZIES.

** Email from 7/31/13 **

Can I have your Hamburger chips?

That question is the latest quote from my companion. Yes they sell hamburger chips out here with a big american flag on em, you can taste the meat, cheese and pickles. italians are cray. 

So I spent some time writing people back today, so my letter will be short. Plus to save errybody the grief of reading an obnoxiously long letter. OUR NEW CONVERT GETS THE PRIESTHOOD SUNDAY. needless to say when I found out I danced a jig in the foyer. He was so excited too. "I will be a priest, I can baptize Destiny (their baby boy.)" That night we stopped by and brought him a tie, he was so giddy and smiley. Him and his wife starting speaking their African language and I cant even try to follow along haha. We are so happy for him. 

Dont remember if I mentioned but now we are apart of the Lecco district, strange changes in the mission. But we got to go thereon Monday for district meeting and my buddy Anz Murphy is in our district, along with Anz Guzzle who is from my MTC group! I cant get over how much I love all the people in this mission. Comunque Lecco is like the prettier version of Bergamo haha its only 45 mins away via train. and they have a gorgeous lake, we ate some nasty kebab on the dock of the lake. 

So our anziani found an ancient area book from like ten years ago in their apartment from the sorelle of ancient times. Since I opened, I have never been able to do area book finding. It was the most frustrating day of my life yesterday going thru that book. It took forever to organize and some missionaries didnt put addresses or phone numbers of people. Impossible. BUT we have a lesson tonight with the last person I called yesterday. after I made the apt I read their sheet and they had baptism dates before. So excited! only a couple other people actually answered their phones and we have an apt sat with one and in a few weeks we will hit up 2 more. 

EVERYONE goes on vacation during August. Kind of a pain.

I was thinking maybe the reason I stayed here is for this area book! 

also because ylenia prayed in our lesson that I wouldnt leave. haha Im going to ball like a baby when that day comes. 

LOVE YOU ALL. Miss your guts. Send packages...hint hint. haha.

Sorella Gillette