** 6/11/14 **

l'estate è arrivata...moio.

Okay so it's super hot and I am cranky about it. So humid! Another downer is that I just found out my cat passed away...maybe it doesn't seem like a big deal to some but I feel like I just lost a family member. :( 

Also I got my customs letter and release information last week. The bad news continues. haha. 

But ya know we have scambied with Trieste and Verona and they were both very good. We have had a lot of scambi miracles happening. When I was here in Mestre with Slla Miller we taught 6 lessons by 4 pm and we were late to all of them and they still went through!

Riding the famous pink bike that Gross rocked around the Verona 2 area. Pretty cool.

Cool miracle from that: Waiting for a bus and we both smell some fresh baked goods. We blood-hounded the scent but just went in a circle of tristezza. Then I get tapped on the shoulder from a very tall woman. She acts like we have met, so I'm like uhhh ciao! She tells me she met missionaries on the bus a while back and has been reading the book of mormon that we gave her. She was in the hospital in Padova and saw the number of the anziani and gave them a call looking for us. I am shocked and explain to her we hadn't met yet, and asked her when she met the missionaries. She said 7 years ago! Jaw dropped and made an appointment with her and got all of her info. Then I ask what she thinks about the book of mormon and stuff. She's like "Well I would be Jehova's Witness, but I believe in Mormon." hahaha. THIS NEVER HAPPENS.

I have noticed a lot of cool tender mercies. One in particular, we visited with a member family for lunch and it felt like pulling teeth to get them to talk. So Sorella Strong and I weren't feeling very homey in that moment. Then we go visit dear old Sorella Rizz, she just made me feel like I am helping people. Idk if I have mentioned her, but she is an inactive that has schizophrenia that we visit weekly. It depends on the day how she is doing and she was having a bad day, we watched the ending half of the testaments with her and she was teared up. So was I, the spirit was really strong and she doesn't usually get overwhelmed by the spirit. Her mind was so clear. Then Strong played some piano and the famous duet, Sorella Rizz knew it and they played it together! It was so tender. She was smiling and laughing at my jokes. Then in her prayer she didn't say anything crazy, she thanked God that we came and made her feel better. Later on that day she called saying she wasn't doing well, I asked what I could do. She said "Well I know you love me."

This week we talked alot about what defines a miracle and how the word might be overused in the mission field. I don't care. I think anything where you can recognize the hand of the Lord, even in the little things, are miracles. Dumbing down the cool experiences you have, as small as they may be, is just lame.

I got my hair done today at a less active's house today. Me, Strong, her and her mother all got our hair done. It was really cool because the hairstylist was a childhood friend and recently started reading the book of mormon! Then we watched the mormon message "Mountains to Climb" with the less active that I loveee after everyone left. Then we had a very deep spiritual conversation and we all cried and got to the inner workings of her heart. I think she is really coming back.

Lastly to close the longest letter ever, I have used different aspects of my parents' story so much lately. About how God sends you sicknesses to whip you into shape, and we taught our dearrrr filipini last night the law of chastity and I used the example of my parents getting married when I was 20. 

I am just super grateful that so many people across the world need to hear their story to help them know anything is possible. There is so much hope in everything if we keep in mind who is really in charge here.

If you haven't noticed by now, I love you.
Sorella Gillette

foto: me and Caroline and Honor, new convert after Conference

poi me and Sorella Quinton at my fav ice cream shop Romana's. Haven't been there in a year! But they didn't have pesca ;( Side note, Quinton is buddies with Fish and Lyd. small world.

Kassi and anziano Murphy

Kassi and sorella Strong and skippy peanut butter!

This last picture was sent to me (Debi aka Mom)  by someone visiting Venice and she met Kassi and her companion there and sent me an email with this picture. I guess Kassi gave her my email address. So I thought I would include it.