Buon Natale da Trieste!

Greetings from Trieste!!

Buon Natale da Trieste!

Ciao all! Lets just say that this week was completely insane! my entire mission life changed. It all started last Thursday...aka the longest day of my life! We woke up at 5 and took a train to Milano. Sorella Woods had to be there early to pick up her new baby. It was soooooo sad to say bye to her. like just the worst. I just love her so very much, but all good things must come to an end.

Goodbye "Momma" Woods!

I will see her again though in like 2 weeks because I have to back to Pavia for Permesso stuff (the thing that allows you to stay in the country, you start it in your first city and have to go back to finish it..huge pain).

But yeah, so i just had to wait at the train station in Milano for like 4 hours with a bunch of other missionaries, Transfer Circles, it is called. It is really fun because you just get to see tons of friends and missionaries and it is just a good time. Our train finally left around 12:30..we got to ride in a Freccia...a really super fast and nice train, just because we were traveling like clear across the country! I was with a bunch of Anziani the whole way there, which was interesting for sure, but at least i wasn't alone. It is a reallllllly long train ride and we had to get off and switch trains like 3 times and it was just crazy and exhausting. I was probably traveling for a total of 7 hours, yikes...the exhaustion struggle was so real!! But i made it.

My new companion, Sorella Nedelkov, was there at the train station to greet me...and her old companion, Sorella Carter, who got permission to do a delayed transfer because of the ward Christmas party. So we were in a trio for about 3 days.  But i LOVE my new companion, Sorella Nedelkov! She is from Ogden, she is 19, and is only 1 transfer ahead of me..so we are both definitely newbies. But she is here to follow the rules and to work hard, as am I, so we get along great!

Hello Sorella Nedelkov!

Trieste is a total dream...it seriously is SO BEAUTIFUL. i cannot handle it. It is right on the ocean but also has mountains. the Whole city is like built on Hills, and holy moly it is just gorgeous. It is hard to explain, but it really is just an incredible city! I got really lucky. The ward here is incredible as well! They are just so welcoming and kind and they really know how to work with the missionaries and do work!  It is nice here because everyone lives in Trieste and you can access anywhere on a bus, so it isn't hard to visit members or to bring them to lessons and such, SUPER nice.

Pictures don't do Trieste justice!

It is another bus city, unfortunately! I hope to someday serve in a biking city. It is just really hilly, so biking would be a terrrible struggle. I got here and we have like NOTHING to work with. like nothing. it was a little dissapointing, but it just means that we have a lot of work to do. We just don't really have many investigators or anything...BUT, we are going to change that. We have set a lot of goals and are really trying to just concecrate our work, 100%. It has just been a little bit of a rough start. The other day we went to try and find a potentials house and got SUPER lost. like incredbily lost. Trieste is just super confusing and Sorella Nedelkov has only been here for one transfer! We got lost the next day as well...we had an appointment with an ex investigator and we never found their house. It was just extremely frustrating and we just really didn't understand why we kept getting lost. We know that God has a reason and a plan for everything but we really didn't understand what He was wanting us to learn. Maybe He was seeing if we would keep working, if we would continue to talk to people and to try? Maybe He is just showing us that sometimes things are hard and you don't understand why, but you just keep going forward. I know that He has a plan. I know that people are being prepared here in Trieste and that miracles are on the horizon. We just need to continue to have faith and press forward, doing absolutely everything we can do. It is frustrating at times to not see outward success, but i know that if i continue to give it all I have and put my trust in Heavenly Father, the work will go forward!

Next week is Christmas!!! HOLLA. it is really an Amazing time to be a missionary. To go out everyday and to talk to people about why we celebrate Christmas and just bear my testimony to them. It is truly incredible and I could not be happier! I love just going out and talking to people about what i believe! nothing beats.  i am suuuuuper stoked to talk to you all next week!!! yipeeeee. i dont really know any details, on the skype thing...unfortunately, but i will have to let you know next week.

My new address is:
Via Largo Uno Mioni 9
34138 Trieste (TS)
Italiasend stuff here, because otherwise i will not get it for a super long time!!

I love you all and I am so grateful for each of you! remember the why for the season and make that your focus. I CANT WAIT TO SEE ALL OF YOUR FACES!!!!!!

SORELLA BURT
Isaiah 55:8
Alma 36:7

Loving Trieste so far!