BUON NATALE A TUTTI‏

Hello Everyone!

This will probably be a quick one because we will SEE each other and have so much time to chat in like two days. Plus I don't have tonnnns of time or exciting things to say so I will probs just send a bunch of photos! This week was super great, everything is just going well. We have been having so much fun celebrating the Christmas season and enjoying the JOY that it brings. Being able to testify of Christ each and every day is literally the best way to spend a Christmas season...I recommend it to you all! The people here are much more open to talk to us about Christ during this time of year and it has yielded many wonderful miracles and experiences. We all have so many differences-religiously, culturally, physically, emotionally, family-wise, but at the end of the day we all have one thing in common and that is the fact that we have a Savior. He was born for ALL of us. I love that about this culture, they are for the most part Christians, so even if they are not super interested in learning about the Restoration, you can almost always have a really nice conversation about the Savior and what He means for us in our lives. It is interesting because as we talk with people, a lot of them don't have a really great grasp on the WHY behind the Savior or how He really helps us each and every day. This is why we are here, to invite people to discover the difference that He makes in our everyday lives, IF we truly let Him in and accept the gift that He has given us.

This week we went to a few Christmas parties and were able to go caroling down in centro and we have just been passing out the Christmas pass a long cards like CRAZY. We have soooo many and we really want to give them ALL out before Christmas. Both of the Torino wards had their Christmas parties this last Saturday and we went to a little bit of both of the parties! The luxuries of working in two wards :) The parties were really fun and at the one in Torino 2, there were a TON of non-members! It ruled, we were able to meet so many people and just had a really great time. The party was more of like a big talent show with TONS of food, so it was really entertaining! at the end, Santa came out with 6 big bags and they called the missionaries up to the front and gave us these huge bags full of food! It was super nice of them and we were laughing because in the bags it was literally ALL pasta, tomato sauce, olive oil, and cookies.....classics Italian. The other special Christmas moment we had this week was on Monday night. A sister in our ward had talked to us about a month ago about a little idea that she has been wanting to do for about 4 years now and she really wanted our help with it. She has been wanting to throw a little Christmas get together for all of the little old ladies and people that live in her apartment complex! So we helped her by practicing and performing a little Christmas concert where we sang spiritual and also fun Christmas songs with Santa hats and taking turns playing the piano. It was super fun and just a really great experience! I cannot really explain it super well but it was just really fun and all the people that came really enjoyed it! After the singing part we showed all of them E nato un Salvatore and we were able to bear our testimonies of the Savior and it was just really neat! They were all super impressed with how it all turned out and were really curious about who we were and why we are here! It was a really neat opportunity and just really brought the true Christmas spirit! I will send some photos!

That is about all I have for now! I am so excited to see all of your cute faces. Talk to you soon!

BUON NATALE A TUTTI!

Love,
Sorella Burt

A place called Eataly that we went to on Pday.

Us looking slightly crazy about all the food we received.

Sorella Taylor and I.

Us with the hostess of the party.

A little taco/crepe place downtown.

Christmas party.

Hello

HELLO
This week has been really crazy with transfers and everything we have had going on. Now that we are over both areas in Torino, our work has gotten very busy and we are just trying to stay on top of it all! But at least it is only 2 wards, not 12, like some missionaries have to do in the states, so I think we will be okay! We are learning the importance of really good and detailed planning and trying to stay on top of everything. Also it is important to try and discern from the spirit which people need this message at this point especially in their lives. So far things are going really well! It is fun to have new people to teach and to get to work in another area. The other side of Torino is much different then the area I have been working in. But both areas are good and fun for their own reasons and the Lord prepares people everywhere. We have been really good about not getting lost, thank goodness for Google maps and iPads! A miracle for us this week was that we were able to set a baptismal date with the girl I told you about last week, L.! She accepted a date for the 23rd of January and was exctied! She said that she would do her very best to be ready for that day. it was Sorella Nedelkov's last day and so it was a wonderful way for her to end her mission. She gave L. her CTR ring and L. was just SO excited and actually close to tears. She is so very prepared and is truly searching for the truth. She told us about how she had prayed during the week about the Book of Mormon and the church and she tried to explain to us this strange feeling that she had in her heart. We told her that it was the spirit and she told us another story of when she felt like that in her life. She is really starting to recognize the spirit and how it speaks to her specifically. She is wonderful and is making great progress!

This week we also went to Milano for Consiglio- and that is always an adventure! I love going to those meetings and just learning and basking in the beautiful spirit that is there. I learned so much and it was just really great to see old friends after a while. We then had our Christmas Zone Training meeting yesterday and we were in charge of a training on Christlike attributes. It went really well and we also had a section where we did Christmas celebration! There was a special musical number, we sang carols, and we acted out the Nativity scene! We asked President and Sorella Dibb to be Joseph and Mary and it was just super cute and fun. It was a great way to enjoy the Christmas season.

I don't really have anything else super exciting to report! Just trying to stay sane and not stress out about all of the things that there are to do. It is a beautiful time of year and I am just really trying to bask in the beauty of it. It really has been so wonderful to share the Savior is Born video with everyone and to just really be able to ponder on what that really means for me. The world without a Savior would be nothing. The birth of Christ for me is so significant. It means rebirth, for each of us. Not only when we are baptized or when we partake of the sacrament...but our Savior made it possible for us to repent and change and have a rebirth or a new start every moment of every day. Each day we can decide that we want to follow our Savior and do something a little bit more to align our life with His and to follow in His footsteps. He makes joy possible. He Is the reason for our hope.
I love you all! Have a great week!
Love,
Sorella Burt

Zone Conference

My BFF

Fun to see my MTC companion

A cute couple in our ward

I LOVE Sorella Nedelkov!!!

     

His Hand

Ciao tutti!
This week the miracle continues with L., the wonderful girl from Peru that I wrote about last week. This miracle was wonderful and truly strengthened my testimony of the power of our faith. So it was Wednesday and pday had just ended. We were at our house making some calls. Last week when we saw L., we had set up an appointment for Wednesday at 7 but during the week we had tried to contact her and she hadn't been responding to our messages or calls all week. We didn't know what was going on or if she was going to come to our appointment because we couldn't get a hold of her. We were trying to figure out if we should go all the way to the church when we didn't know if she would be there or if there would be a better way to spend our time. As we were sitting there, I kept thinking, maybe we should go to the church...but then just kept making phone calls. Finally I had the very distinct impression from the spirit that said "Go to the church." I immediately told my companion that we needed to go to the church and that L. was going to be there. We quickly went to the church and when we got there, she wasn't there, but for some reason I just had so much faith and I KNEW that she was going to come. It was weird, I guess but I just felt such a sure faith. Without a doubt she was going to be there. Not even five minutes after we got to the church, we hear the doors open and close and there was L.! SHE CAME! I was like jumping up and down with so much joy! It was a huge miracle. I couldn't believe it. She actually came. The Lord truly works miracles according to our faith! It is so real. I was amazed and I know that the Lord made that possible. It may not seem like a huge miracle but for me it really taught me LOT. It was a real life example of receiving promptings from the spirit, acting on them and then seeing the miracles that come to pass. We were able to teach her a beautiful lesson on the Plan of Salvation and she accepted a soft baptismal invite. We were just so joyful and I know that it was the will of the Lord! The Lord is so very good and His hand is in every detail.

Another little miracle story happened a couple days after Pday. We had some extra time in the morning before lunch without any appointments planned. During nightly planning the night before, my companion and I both thought of the same member lady that we thought could use a visit. We decided to give her a call and see if we could stop by. We tried calling her but she didn't answer. We decided that we would pass by anyways. Getting there that morning was a little bit slow because first, we got our transfer call and that was bit distracting, then we missed our stop on the bus and had to walk a long way. But in the end we make it to this lady's street. As we are about to turn onto her street, she walks right in front of us, leaving her house on the way to the market! The Lord literally made it possible so our paths would cross. We were able to talk with her there on the street and she shared with us some personal family problems she has been having and she just really needed comfort in that exact moment that we met her. She told us that she wasn't going to come to church for a little while just to let things calm down and we were able to talk with her about how going to church is the thing that will help her the very most in this moment! It was a beautiful moment that the Lord gave us and taught me that He truly cares about each one of His children. She told us that she had left the house earlier but decided to go back up to grab an umbrella and if she hadn't done that, we wouldn't have met! It was truly the hand of the Lord and He truly put this struggling sister in our path.

This week was quite interesting because we spent most of it without a phone! When we went to bed on Friday night, we plugged in our working phone and then when we woke up on Saturday it was no longer working. Doesn't even turn on, nothing...just a black screen. So yeahhhhh we have been phone-less for quite a few days which makes missionary work quite difficult. We have been having to borrow the other Sorelle's phone when they are home but during the day we are just out of luck. It is making me really grateful for technology and also I am learning the importance of keeping our records updated! Because now that our phone is gone so are all of our numbers! It has made life interesting, that is for sure.

In other news...we got our transfer call this week! Let's just say that I was a bit surprised but I also kind of thought it would happen. Due to the lack of new sisters coming into the mission and the large amount of sisters going home this transfer, the mission had to close three companionships of sisters. One of these three companionships is the other Torino ward. So they took away that companionship and now I will be with Sorella Taylor, one of the sisters that was serving in the other ward. The other sister in the closed companionship is going to another city and Sorella Nedelkov is headed home. So that means that Sorella Taylor and I will be over both wards, which is going to make things a little bit crazy! We are going to focus more on the work here in our ward because there are 4 other anziani in the other ward but we will still work with all of their investigators and less actives and do some member work. It should make things quite exciting and busy but I am excited for the change! It is the exact thing I needed for my last transfer, I think. Just like that little drive and push and a little bit of a change! It will be good and I am excited to see how it will all work out!

That is about all I have for today! You are all the greatest and wish you the happiest week during this beautiful Christmas season!
love,
Sorella Burt

yaaaaaaaaay for Christmas!! #ènatounSalvatore

Hi

FAMILY I LOVE.
Thanks for being the greatest. I love you allllllllll. This week was good! it was a little bit super busy with scambios, zone conference, stake conference and what not! We spent a lot of time on trains going to scambio but it was still really good! It is freezing cold now but don't worry i now wear two coats so i am nice and warm. I still need to find some gloves though!

This week, our greatest miracle was with a new Investigator named L.! She is actually the friend of a member. This member has been bringing her friend to church on and off for a little bit now but L. has been a little bit too timid to meet with us until now. We were finally able to set up an appointment with her. Unfortunately, her friend moved back to Peru, but she still met with us! We were able to teach a wonderful Restoration lesson to L. and really get to know her and her story. It turns out that since she was little she has been in contact with many members of the church-missionaries and also just friends of hers that have been members-in Peru and also here in Italy. We were amazed as she told us about all of the friends and encounters she has had with members because she has literally been prepared, step by step, little by little over the years! One of her Mormon friends told her to meet with us and so now she feels like she is ready! She is amazing and honestly has a real desire to learn. She told us that she really wanted a copy of the Book of Mormon and begged her friends for like 2 months before they finally gave her one! She had already started reading by the time we met with her but she wants to start over from the beginning now that she knows the story of the Restoration. She is 19 years old and really searching for the truth. She has a firm belief in God and in the fact that He will answer her prayers. It was a beautiful miracle to find someone that prepared. We were very excited and hope that all goes well! We have started doing the publicity for the new Christmas film #ÈnatounSalvatore and that has been really fun! we got the cute new pass along cards that i just love and have so far already seen some good success in the past few days. I am so excited to just go crazy this Christmas season and truly help everything JOY in the birth of our Savior.

Yesterday i had a beautiful moment when we were out doing some finding. I was on scambio with a sister from Argentina and we were with a 15 year old member that is just amazing and wants to serve a mission. We were talking to a Romanian lady named O. that was sitting on a bench. We had showed her the new video and i had born my testimony of the Savior and who He is for me. I turned to Sorella Sirena and as i listened to her bear her powerful and simple testimony and then as G. did the same thing, the spirit hit me with such a great and simple power. In that moment i felt the joy of what we are doing. I felt so much peace and i was just in awe at the fact that we testify of our Savior all day everyday. I realized that every moment is precious and the spirit witnessed to me that our little part is making a difference. O. felt the spirit yesterday and in that moment i felt a renewed sense of just absolute love for my Savior and for the opportunity that i have to take part in this marvelous work. It was a simple but very special moment for me. Each moment is precious and i feel so much gratitude for each one i have as a representative of the Lord.

Thanksgiving Day Zone Conference

I love you all! we had a nice Thanksgiving, all is going well! We are just continuing to push forth and trust 100% in the Lord. Have a great week!
Love,
Sorella Burt

Another Week

Hello ALL!
Well we had another week. man it is amazing to me how we just keep having more pdays and more pdays! they just sneak right up on us and they just keep passing. We had a pretty good week this week, nothing super exciting or new happened...i feel like i say that every week...i guess that's just how it is! But i feel currently really content with things. it was another pretty up and down week and we had our fair share of strange days for a large variety of reasons, but the Lord is comforting us and giving us the strength to move forward. This week i was pondering quite a bit on what it is that motivates me to continue to go outside day after day and try to talk to people...because if you think about it for a second it is pretty strange that we just keep doing the same thing day after day, day after day...without seeing tons of success from it. What motivates me? what is it that keeps me going? I have decided that it is a few things and also those things change from day to day. Some days it is a sense of Duty...to the Lord, to my family, to myself. I go out because i know i need to. Because it is what i have committed myself to do. Other days it is out of pure desire to help someone in need. Other days it is out of a desire to share with someone something i read in studies or maybe it is the pure hope and faith i have that one day we will find someone that is searching for the truth. It is a lot of things put together i guess. But in the end, i know why i am here and overall my love for my Savior is the thing that keeps me going. It is that simple. He is the reason i am here and the reason i continue in faith each and every day. Trusting that my small part truly is making a difference.

One experience i want to share from this week happened on scambio. We have been trying to do more work with members and there is this super cute member from Ecuador that has a huge desire to come out and do finding work with us once a week. I was with Sorella Taylor, who had never done finding with members before so it was a great opportunity for her to see how beautiful it is! We went out for about an hour and this member is just a great little missionary with a great faith and fire burning to bring the gospel to the world! During the hour, our goal was to find three people that we could teach and we reached hour goal right as the hour ended! We found people that, although they weren't particularly interested in our message in this moment, we found them in their time of need. One old man had just dropped his keys into the sewer and was really worried and needed a comforting word that we were able to give. Another two ladies were visiting from Sicilia and were stressed with documents and things and they were worried about their children that they left behind. We were able to leave them smiling in their moment of need as well. It was just a wonderful experience to be able to help God's children in a very literal way. I have a testimony of member work and also of the fact that the Lord places His children in need into our path. I say that over and over
again, but my testimony keeps being strengthened of it! The Lord puts the people in our path.

We are really focusing on increasing our faith that the field really is white, already to harvest. These past few weeks have been rough and i think that we have been able to see our faith diminishing. We realized it this week and are going to make steps to increase it again. I know that the Lord has a plan for His work here and i know that if we continue to do our part, He will ALWAYS do His. I am learning that instead of stressing out that we aren't doing enough, we just need to do our part, and leave room for Him to do the rest. I am the type of missionary that just really has to do do do do and if i am not doing everything or if i forget something, i feel bad and i feel like i am not doing enough. But i realized that if i go crazy and stress myself out to do too much, then i am not leaving space for the the Lord to His part. I cannot do it all. I cannot do anything on my own. We need to figure out what our small part is and then worry about that, not about doing everything at once.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and we are blessed to be able to spend it at Zone Conference with our wonderful mission president and His wife! they are cooking us an american Thanksgiving feast! i am excited, it should be a very well-timed much needed conference and i am very excited to see what they will teach us.

I am grateful for all of the people i love out there in the world! thank you from the bottom of my heart for all you do and have done for me. You are in my heart forever!

Love,
Sorella Burt

Ciao

Ciao a tutti!

We had a good week this week! Sorry again that last week I sent like the worst email on the face of the planet. I learned my lesson and am starting with the main email this week! This we started a new transfer, the weather got super cold, we saw a guy got robbed on the bus, I made a drastic decision that I still can't decide if I regret, we saw miracles, we met with some great member families, we did some finding with one of our members, and handed out SO many fliers for the new "Conosci I Mormoni" film or "Meet the Mormons" that is finally in Italian! It was a good good week. Most importantly, I feel like we laughed a lot. Things didn't go perfectly but we were just happy and that made all the difference.

I'll start off with one miracle that I would like to share with you from our week. This was one of those beautiful pre-weekly planning finding miracle! I have truly gained a testimony of that 30-60 minutes of finding that we are asked to do before planning because we have truly seen miracles. We went out to a certain street that we had previously thought of and as we were walking down the street, we see two men up ahead standing at a bus stop. Since we have been trying especially hard to be super brave and talk to everrrrrrrrry person no matter if they are men, they didn't scare us a single bit! Without discussing what we would do, as we approached the men, Sorella Nedelkov started talking to the man to her right and I started talking with the other man. It turns out that these two men were both super bravi and we both had really great conversations with them! The man I was talking to told me that he has been wanting to go to church but hasn't because he doesn't know anyone and doesn't know where to go. I explained that he is welcome to come to our church and that there we are as a large family with many friends waiting to be made! He was excited to come and to learn more and at the end when I asked if there was something I could pray for in his life, he told me that he really really wants to quit smoking. I bore my testimony on how I know that through the help of the Savior we can overcome anything. It was a really neat moment and I got his phone number and he said that next week he will come to church. Sorella Nedelkov had a really great conversation as well and we walked away from those two men knowing without doubt that we were supposed to meet them in that short amount of time that we had. The Lord literally placed them in our paths. I love The Lord! I say it time and time again, but He literally makes us instruments in His hands.

Two quick funny/crazy stories from the week: first, as I mentioned above we witnessed a little robbery first hand on the bus and it was some intense stuff! two teenage gangster boys stole a guys phone out of his pocket and when the bus stopped, they got off but luckily the guy noticed and got off and started yelling and shoving these two boys. Another courageous bystander jumps in to assist the man in getting his phone back and tells the bus driver not to drive away. Meanwhile everyone on the bus is just freaking out/shaking their heads/mumbling under their breaths things like "what is this world coming to." The man gets the phone back and hops back on the bus to face an entire bus pretty much just in straight awe at what had happened, treating this man like he had just saved the world. We all clutched our bags a little tighter after this and it was a good reminder that there are silly people that do silly things. hahaha but yeah it was just an intense little moment. second story happened the other day as we were trying to get to the church for correlation...we were running late but we had to run home to grab our one and only bike to take it to the church because the ward is going to fix up that one along with the new one they are giving us. We live about a 45 minute walk away from the church, a 15 minute bike ride and like a 20 minute bus ride. Having to take the bike but only having one, we tried to have one ride on the back but that didn't work...feeling desperate I had the brilliant idea of having one ride the bike and the other jog along side it all the way to the church, switching off when the runner got tired. Keep in mind we are sister missionaries so we are wearing skirts and boots and just not the best running gear in the world....we did this all the way to the church, run, switch, ride, run, switch ride, and we were just suuuuuuper tired by the time we got there. We make it literally only one minute late and then we look at the phone to see that the correlation was cancelled...naturally. Everything cancels on us, even correlation! We ran all the way to the church for nothing...but at least we got a good laugh and a good exercise out of it!

Other then that this week...we have really been trying to hand out as many "Conosci i Mormoni" cards as we can because it is free to watch it in Italian only until the end of the week. That has been a really cool opportunity for us to try and help people understand who mormons really are! Everyone thinks that we are the ones with lots of wives or without technology but we are here to show the world who we really are! We have had some really good experiences with it! We have also been visiting more member families lately in effort to really strive to strengthen our ward and get them excited about the work. We have had some really good experiences with that and we feel the ward coming together a little bit more and getting excited about the work! One of our cute little members from Ecuador came out and did some finding with us for like an hour the other day and it was just the greatest experience, for her and for us! Members make all the difference!

And last but not least, I made a drastic decision this week in the evening when one of the girls we live with just really wanted to cut my hair and give me bangs...idk if it was just a weak moment or if I am just getting careless about somethings but I agreed, honestly without thinking too much about it. so yup that is that. I have bangs and I like literally think I hate myself for it. but whatev I guess I learned that we have to live with the consequences of our actions! I will send pics. don't judge. or hate. ha

Kay well I love you all so very much! I hope you have a great week and remember that Jesus Loves YOU!!!!
Alma 37:36-37
Con tanto amore,
Sorella Burt

This is the adorable Sammaccica family! I literally adore them so
much! Mom, they want Laura's husbands information so that they can
write to him :)

This is the adorable Sammaccica family! Our good friend's husband (Jim Korth) baptized him over 30 years ago.

Hiiiiii

FAM!
Hello I am super sorry I don't know where all my time went but it is pretty much gone so this is going to be super short this week! SORRY. next will be better I promise. I don't know why I saved this one to the end. so silly.

I gave a talk in sacrament meeting last week and I thought it went well. I really felt like I was guided by the spirit and that I was able to say what they needed to hear. The spirit was very present and many members thanked me for it. There was a special spirit in the meeting in general so it was really a good experience! we are doing follow up because I also invited the members to pray to find a friend that they can introduce to us and we are hoping that we will see some good things!

We got district ties from a member and owls that fit our personalities.

THIS WEEK WE:
-went to Milano to get my permesso! I got to see Sorella Hibo one last time and it was just super happy!

Sorella Hibo goes home tomorrow - CRAZY!

-ate at one of like the 3 Subways in all of Italy! it was a little slice of home and just made me suuuuuuuper happy! it literally was just like the subway in america and made me think loads of my amazing family. I will send pics of it next week.
-Got transfer news! we are staying together for the next 4 weeks! I am Sorella Nedelkov's last comp and that means that I will end my mission here in Torino. crazzzzy.
-saw the cute family C. and A. and it was greattttt! He accepted a baptismal date and they are progressing nicely!
-A BUNCH of less actives and new people came to church and it was just a super happy missionary Sunday. the spirit of missionary work was SUPER present and it was just super happy.
-We WORKED hard. laughed. cried. saw miracles. are just loving life!

I am seriously sorry this is so short but yes. I still am alive and everything is going well!

Congrats Hailey on earning your YW medallion!! I wore mine today in honor of YOU!

Have a splendid week and know that I LOVE YOU ALL.
Love,
Sorella Burt

Finding Joy in the Small Things

CIAO!
My purpose in writing this email is finding joy when things are rough. This week was one of those weeks where you just feel a thousand emotions and things go wrong and you just don't really know what to do. So then I had the thought/impression that I should write a list of the positive things that happened throughout the week and dwell on those things rather then the problems. As I followed this impression, I realized that the Lord really was working with us this week and it was really not as bad as I thought it was in the moment. I would like to share this list with you all as we all learn together the vital importance of looking for the joyful things in life and recognizing the hand of the Lord in our lives each day!

-For Pday last week we decided to go up to the large catholic church on the hill called Superga. You can see it from pretty much anywhere in Torino and when you are the top you can see the whole city. The other Sorelle that we live with had the brilliant idea called taking pumpkins up with us to this mountain and carving them up there. And that we did. It just turned out to be probably the worst weather for doing so. We got up there and the fog was so thick that we couldn't even see the massive church while standing right in front of it. We carved pumpkins in the rain and just had a supppppper great time enjoying the beauty of the mountains in the fog.

-After we got over the disappointment of the stolen bike last week, one of our wonderful members called us and said that they have an old bike at their house that they don't use anymore. They are going to fix it up as a mutual activity and then donate it to the sisters! We were so grateful and so happy to receive such a loving and thoughtful phone call.

-I finished my second full mission journal and it brought me so much joy to look back through the pages and remember the amazing experiences that have made up my mission. Each day recorded is so very special.

-We passed by the work of this potential African lady named J. this week and it turns out that they work out of this small little garage FULL to the top of old clothes. They receive old clothes and then send them to the people in Ghana that need them. I cannot really describe the experience that we had there...they are just joyful people that LOVE life and love Jesus and just love to laugh with new people. Unfortunately they are not interested in our message, but they are wonderful people and we had a joyful 30 minutes of our lives spent with people that enjoy life.

-We had an appointment set up with an american member of our ward named S. We went over and showed her the bible video of the Lost Sheep and talked about how we need to look after those around us and search after those that our lost. The spirit was there and we had a nice discussion, but the beautiful moment came when, with tears in her eyes, she told us a story about a girl near her hometown in Texas was recently killed and how much it has effected her. This girl was preparing to serve a mission and just had the biggest heart and loved to serve others. S. cried as she told us how much she just wants to carry on her legacy by serving others and doing the small acts each day and how our message came at the exact time she needed. We were joyful that the Lord made us instruments in His hands to comfort His daughter.

-We were doing some finding near the church and the only person near was a woman named R. sitting on a bench. As we talked with her and got to know her she shared with us how she had recently lost her "very special husband" and how alone she felt. We testified to her of the reality of God's plan and how she never needs to feel alone. She had tears in her eyes as she told us that we had lifted her soul and gave her the hope she needed.

-We did a ward-wide fast for the sake of the missionary work in our ward and during fast and testimony meeting many members got up and bore powerful testimony of the ways missionary work has blessed their lives. I felt a beautiful spirit in church this week. It was the exact spiritual re-charge that my soul needed and i received answers and just learned MANY good things about the plan of salvation and how beautifully perfect it is.

-I found a less active lady on the bus! I just told her that i liked her scarf and then she said thanks, I am a member of your church! I was stoooooked and we had a great little chat and I got her phone number. It taught me that nobody falls through the cracks. The Lord put her in my path.

My list was longer then this and I honestly could go on and on...but it is already super long so I will stop there. All I know is that I learned a powerful lesson this week...The Lord is in the fine details. When we feel like everything is going wrong, all we need to do is take a step back and realize how much is going right! I am so grateful for all the things that I am learning and for the Lord's plan for me. It is personalized, He knows what Sorella Burt needs in every moment. He knows because He is my Father. And I witness that this is true! I love being a missionary. It brings me so much joy.

Con tanto afetto,
Sorella Burt

ps in other news i got a call this week saying that I can go to Milano
to pick up my permesso!! (this is my second one because I had to renew
the first one) we are going tomorrow and i am just so happpppppppy.

LEARNING

HELLO PEEPS.

Well to start off I guess I will tell you about the saddest thing that happened this week and then work up from there to happier more positive things. It all started and ended I guess on monday. We rode our bikes to District Meeting at the church and that was good and normal. The meeting ends and we grab our helmets to return back home to eat lunch and as we walk out the door I look over to where we had previously locked our bikes and to my total and utter dismay and disappointment I saw that instead of having two bikes locked to the pole we now just had one. Yup. It happened. We were robbed of the thing that brought us so much joy. The weirdest thing about it is that we made sure that we locked them up good and we had one of those super thick locks and I honestly have no clue how they stole it. So yeah we were just like totally devastated and still are and it kind of put a damper on our monday but we figure that Heavenly Father works in mysterious ways and he gives us our trials for a reason. Maybe He really needs us to find someone special on the bus or something...we still have hope that we will find the missing bike somewhere around town, our eyes are peeled, and we literally have been just inspecting each bike that we see. So yeah that was super sad and my dream of being in a bike city has come to an end. It was fun while it lasted and I guess all good things have to come to an end...often we don't understand things, but The Lord has a much greater plan for us!

The most beautiful part of the week was last wednesday when we went to Milano for the conference with Sister Burton and Sister Oscarson- the General Young Women and General Relief Society Presidents! We got to meet them individually and their wonderful husbands and it was just a special experience. Their husbands are just as amazing and spiritually forte as they are...literally I could not stand the cuteness of the Burton's they are just such a beautiful couple! I had the opportunity to translate for some of the conference, not all of it because there were a few other people also asked to help with the translation, including Sorella Hibo! It was so great to see her again before she finishes her mission in like 2 weeks. I was suuuuuper nervous for the translating but it was an amazing experience. It was one of those moments where Ii just felt extremely inadequate but I literally felt the Lord sustain me and qualify me for what He had asked me to do. He trusted me and He helped me. The gift of tongues is a real thing, I testify of that. It was just all around a beautiful conference. One of my favorite parts was actually during lunch time. I sat at the table with Sister Burton and her husband - a bunch of us sisters that were sitting there just sat there in awe as she spoke about her experiences as a general authority...a normal day, her experiences with the apostles and so many more beautiful things. She sat there and everything she said was just accompanied by such a strong spirit. I cannot explain it, but she is truly called of God, they all are. All of the sisters in the mission was there and it was just a neat experience where I truly felt how special our role as sisters truly is and exactly what the Lord needs us to be and how we can help Him in this work. We are enough. The things we do are enough. And He sees each and every one of them!

Other then that we had a pretty normal week! We did two exchanges with our sisters and they both went incredibly well. I had the chance to exchange with two younger sisters in the mission and I was seriously so very impressed by their amazing level of knowledge and passion for the work. They are just on a different playing field, they came out here already knowing how to be missionaries. They already know their purpose and what it means to fulfill it. I found so much joy in laboring with them and just seeing so many miracles and blessings and learning together. Going to the sister conference and just seeing soooooo many sisters that I have gotten to know throughout the course of my mission just made my heart so incredibly happy. I have had the amazing opportunity to get to know and serve with so many amazing souls and have made so many dear friends that I will have forever. The Lord is so very good to me. I am learning so much and I feel myself coming closer to my Savior each and every day. I know that this is His work, His gospel, His church, and that He knows us each individually. I cannot even begin to describe on this screen or in words my deep and abiding love for Him. I wish I could share with you all of my thoughts and feelings and all the things I am learning through the spirit and through these experiences. I feel myself becoming who I am supposed to become...I am still a long way but the progression is there. Persistence=Progression. In life, in overcoming weaknesses, in talking to people on the streets, in relationships, in general. I am so grateful that my Father in Heaven knows me so well to teach me the things I am learning.
Have a wonderful week!
I love you so much!
Sorella Burt

Let's play - who can find Sorella Burt :)

Guided by the Lord

Buon giorno a tutti i miei cari! Vi voglio un sacco di bene a spero che abbiate avuto una bella settimana!
This week we had some beautiful experiences and miracles and things that just really strengthened my testimony and made me realize once again the infinite power of the Lord and how much of a HUGE part He plays in His grande opera. Last Thursday morning we had an appointment set up with an ex-investigator that we found in our area book. We went to her house and when we rang the intercom thing she told us that we couldn't come up because she had to leave. We were momentarily bummed but then a member of the church that just happens to be the custodian or cleaner lady of that exact building came out of a room and said hello sorelle! Would you like to come in! We gladly accepted and went in and had a beautiful little visit with this recently returning from inactivity little sister. She was wonderful and told us all about how she met the missionaries as we drank some tesana and ate cookies. As we were talking the phone rang and it was someone telling her that the sister-in-law of another sister in the ward was in a coma. We shortly after that, wrapped up our message and headed out the door.

The night before in planning we had planned to do some finding work off this certain metro stop that we had never been before. We went to this place and started talking to people as they walked up and down the streets. We quickly saw that no one was particularly interested in talking to two young girls on their way to do the groceries or to go to work. I just had this really strong desire to find someone that was lost/alone/or in need of comfort, inspired by an email that someone had sent me the day before. I just wanted to find that ONE person that we could help.. Slightly lost and not knowing what to do, we did the only logical thing to do..we prayed and asked Heavenly Father to direct us to this person that needed our help. After the prayer we kept walking, taking a few turns here and there, not feeling particularly guided...and we end up on this random street that runs next to a large busy market. Pausing in the middle of the street, trying to decide what to do, my companion says...wait a member lives here, let's call her and see if we can stop by and say hi! So we call this member and it just happens to be this sister that has the sister-in-law in a coma. We were amazed and she invited us in. This poor sister was so heartbroken and just desperately sad. We were able to comfort her in her very moment of need and share an inspired message that was the EXACT thing she needed to hear. We were SO very grateful that The Lord led us right to our house and allowed us to be instruments in His hands to help a struggling sister. Wanting to find someone lost or alone that needed to feel God's love, I thought it would be someone on the street that we didn't know, but it turned out to be our sweet member that really needed the Lord's comfort in that very moment. It was a very wonderful moment. We often don't feel like we are being guided, but when we ask the Lord to help us and then go out and act, He makes that miracle happen at the end...no matter what street we take.

This week we were able to have an appointment with a girl named G. who is 16 years old and a member referral who has been coming to church for a few months now. We went over to her house and had a lesson with her and her member friend that lives next door. G. is just so very wonderful and already very involved with the ward and already knows quite a bit about the church. She is excited to learn more and was very excited that we came over and that we gave her a copy of the Book of Mormon that she could keep and read herself! She is a wonderful girl and has already seen how the church has blessed her life seeing as she has been coming to church with her friend for quite a few months. She said that at first she came for friendship but she has seen the change and how the things that she learns at church help her to be a better person. It was a wonderful lesson and we are looking to give her a baptismal date this coming week, we already have another appointment set up! She is a huge miracle for us and I really think that she could be baptized in the next month or so. We are very excited to be working with her. She is just pure and willing to learn.

Another neat new investigator find came through one of our less actives, A.! She is only 19 years old but has a husband and a little baby. We had a lesson with her and her husband and baby both came! we were able to teach them twice this week, actually, and her husband is our new investigator. They are from Peru and literally just the cutest little family you will ever see. A. is trying to work out things to come back to church and is a really good influence on her husband! We asked him if he would be interested in learning more and he was very open to it. We are really excited to help them to become an eternal family because literally they are just sooooooo very cute. Another similar little story to the one I shared earlier also happened this week! We were doing some finding work around the church before our lesson with A. and we didn't really know where to go. After we said a prayer to ask for guidance, we felt impressed to go down this certain street. There was like one lady on that street and we stopped her and she turned out to be a ex-member of the church. It was really a big blessing to be able to run into her and talk with her for about 20 minutes. It was like good but also sad to hear about some of the things that happen in people's lives and cause them to fall away. This lady used to be the Relief Society President and held callings in the stake and everything...she said that she was a church fanatic...and then things changed. It just made me realize hardcore how important it is to hold firm to our testimonies and turn to The Lord in times of difficulty. No one is "safe". Enduring to the end is not easy. And the Lord is aware of us but we MUST follow His commandments to receive the full blessings and happiness available! We were grateful that The Lord placed her in our path, it shows me that He still loves her and that He truly searches after the One. That was about all for the week! It was a great one and we are just happy and working hard each day. Tomorrow we go to Milano for the conference with Bonnie Oscarson and Linda K. Burton and we are very excited about that!
Have a wonderful week, I love you all!
Tante belle cose, Sorella Burt

WE ARE BIKING SORELLE

Hello everyone!
I am so glad that you guys were able to have a killer time at Moab together this week! It looks like it was nice and warm and that you were able to have some enjoyable time together. We had a decent week this week...it definitely is not in the running for one of the best weeks I've ever had but hey that is life and things go on! The definite highlight of the week was kind of given away in the title of this email but...we are officially BIKING SORELLE. yay. literally it is the happiest thing! we were able to get the long lost bikes from the anziani and it turns out that they are in really good condition. they just needed a little air in the tires and they were ready to hit the road. we don't ride them everywhere we go because it is quite a large city and sometimes it is just better to take the bus...but for the times that we are going to the church or doing pass-bys around our area the bikes work great and actually save us tons of time! it is literally just so much fun to bike around. it puts such a fun different little feeling to missionary work which has been really good for me. we are still able to talk to lots of people though because we have been planning time in to walk places or park the bikes so that we can still have lots of opportunities to meet new people and spread this glorious message. it is a tinsy bit sketchy at times to ride bikes in this country..I am not sure where these people learned to drive... they are a little bit crazy but we are extra cautious and ride mostly on the nice sidewalks provided for bikers.

On the morning before we had interviews with President this Monday, we had some time to go out and do some finding on the way there. We had planned to go to a certain area and do some strada and then parco before we jumped on the bus to head to the church. We had a wonderful experience as we did strada and were able to stop a Philippine lady, G.,with her 18 year old son, W. We showed them Grazie a Lui in Tagolig and then talked with them about Chirst and how His restored church is on the earth again today. It was a beautiful experience and they had a lot of interest in seeing us again! We were able to set up another appointment so they both became new investigators! We were so excited to find a family that we can teach :) Right after that we found another man named J. in the park. We stopped him in such a natural manner and right from the start he was just so sweet, just like a nice old grandpa that treated us like his grandchildren! He had such a good heart and we had a wonderful lesson with him that brought him comfort in his time of struggle. We taught another woman on the bus and we were excited to be able to get three lessons already in the morning using three different methods! that was definitely one of the beautiful parts of the week..it doesn't sound like it was much but I really appreciated it and it brought joy to my heart. This week we did a scambio with the Collegno sorelle and I went there with Sorella Hastings. She is a wonderful sister that is one transfer ahead of me. We had a wonderful scambio and although there weren't many appointments planned, we were able to teach 6 lessons in just one afternoon/evening! It was a beautiful time and The Lord literally placed so many truly good people into our path. We were very happy and felt like we were truly instruments in the Lord's hands especially because Collegno is a small town that has been struggling for quite some time. but we were able to find some really good potentials and i feel like restore some much needed hope back into the city that a lot of people think is dead.

That is about all I have to say about this week. sorry it wasn't much but I guess there isn't much to say! we have been working really hard and have been having quite a few little trials of our faith. we are just trying to stay positive and trust in the fact that things will get better and that we just need to keep plugging along. He blesses us according to our faith and our obedience and I know that we will be blessed and things will start to change around here.

I love you all so very much.
love you,
Sorella Burt

I bought a new sciarpa today...small joys

Our district leader made this trophy for companionship of the week and HOLLA...we won it! YAY!

Torino...

Greetings from TORINO.

A few of the Sorella at transfer circles - I got to see Sorella Hawks again!! Yay!!

It is honestly so weird to be in a new city. I think that I am having a hard time accepting the fact that this is not Milano and that time is over! But slowly but surely I think I will get used to being in a new place! It is another big city, Torino! But I think that it is prettier then Milano..everyone says that there are just SO many things to see here and just a lot of history in this city. We live in the nice part of Torino..apparently there is a nice part and a sketchy part. Our apartment is quite large because we share it with another companionship of sisters that are in the other ward. It is definitely a different experience, living with four of us! The first time in my mission for sure. But at least we have 2 bathrooms so that isn't an issue! both of the other sisters are super cute though and we all get along really well! We live right next to this super cute market that happens every morning and so this morning we went there to by fruits and vegetables for the week! I was like dying it was just so fun and I felt so Italian. It is a part of the Italian culture to go to the little markets or small little shops in the morning to buy your daily food. I have always wanted to do it and now we can! dream fulfilled. ha . It is a good city though, nice and large! We have been using mostly buses and our legs to get around but yesterday we made a discovery that there are BIKES hiding somewhere under the elders apartment and I just about had a heart attack. we are probs going to go and get them so we can start riding them around and fulfill yet another mission dream.

These are the girls that we live with plus some from a near by town

The work here is not doing super well...we have a couple investigators that aren't making much progress but it sounds like we do a lot of less active work. I have just been super excited to get out and find new people to teach so we can get the work going strong and so far we have had some good success! One miracle we saw was the other day in between conference sessions we decided to go out and do some finding work near the church. We prayed to know where to go and both felt like left was the right way to go. So we turned left and the first lady we stopped was super nice and it turns out that she had already met the anziani in Vercelli and has been to the church there and stuff but has recently moved here to Torino. We were able to talk with her and get her information and she is very willing to meet with us and to learn more! We were very excited about this simple miracle and that the Lord placed her in our path and guided us through His spirit to know which direction she would be in. We also got let into a house the other day while we were knocking some doors and found a Romanian lady that was actually pretty interested! yesterday morning we were able to find a new woman named R. that just had a beautiful spirit about her and was actually interested in seeing us again and learning more! Also we found a cute little lady from the Philippines yesterday that was also a really great find! She said we could see her on Sunday and is very interested in seeing how the gospel can bless her cute family! Soooo yeah, in short we are working hard and have some really solid goals to just make this a really grrrrrreat transfer of miracles and changes in the work. I am excited to be working with Sorella Nedelkov again and to see how much we have changed in the year that we have been apart. It has been fun to do some reminiscing about the good ol' days in Trieste and to catch up on the rest of the mission. I think that we will see some good things this transfer and I am very excited to see it!

Conference, of course, was absolutely wonderful! This was my first time watching all the sessions in Italian so that was a fun experience! I really received so many answers and the all the exact comfort I needed in the exact ways that i needed it. It was beautiful. I definitely want to go through and watch them all again because I did really miss hearing the voices of all the cute apostles and what not. It is a good thing that we have wifi in our new apartment so I can download any talk at any time! holla. no more wifi problems! The Lord blesses us after our struggles. A couple major things that stood out to me in the conference...the beautiful simplicity of the gospel. I was just overcome with that beautiful truth that the gospel is so simple. Especially when President Monson was speaking, it really hit me. He wasn't saying anything crazy new or special...just the simple truths of the gospel. Sometimes as members and especially as missionaries we really try to complicate things when in reality the gospel of Jesus Christ is so beautifully simple. I went into the conference with the question of how I can align my will with the will of the Lord's and I have found some beautiful answers to that...both in conference and in the study of the scriptures. I loved how much The Savior was talked about and how coming closer to Him is the key to aligning or will with the Lord's. I loved when Sister McConkie said that we each have a cause and that cause is to become ONE with the Lord. We always hear that we are here on earth to become like our Father...which is true, but this week I learned that it is more then that, we are striving to become one with Him. That includes our will, our desires, our character...we must become one in purpose, in mind in heart. That is the ultimate goal. And step by step we can make that happen but only with His help.

Conference Selfies

Another cool thing that our mission is doing is a Book of Mormon reading challenge. We are reading the whole Book of Mormon starting October 1st and ending on Christmas as our Gift to Christ. As a mission we are studying it and looking for all the passages that talk about Christ, His attributes and His ministry. It has beeen absolutely BEAUTIFUL so far and i am learning sooooo very much. The Book of Mormon is true, I can testify of that!

Welp that's about all I have for you all today! I love you bunches. hope you have a great week!
Love,
Sorella Burt

The Sorelle of the Mission Leadership Council

This picture was posted on the mission blog this week. It is a picture of Karli and her companion participating in a "role play" with President Kearon (president of the Europe Area Presidency) - he recently visited their mission.

President Kearon sharing a "Role Play" with the Mission Leadership Council.

Another New Start

One of our investigators and her friend

Ciao!
I don't have a ton of time today so I will probably keep this one a little bit on the shorter side!

MIRACLE: This week our miracle would be with our new investigator named P. She is 33 and from Peru. We found her in the area book, she was an old potential that the sorelle found about two years ago and she agreed to meet with us. We met her at a bus stop near the church and as we walked to the church she told us all about her life and some of the hard experiences that she has had to face. She told us that she has been searching for her path and has tried many different churches but none of them feel right. She just really felt that she should accept the invitation to meet us and said that she doesn't believe in coincidences. We were able to teach her a beautiful restoration lesson with a member that turns out to live right by her like on the same street! She was amazing and the spirit was very strong as we told her about the first vision and after, the room was quiet and she softly said...this means I need to ask God too, huh? It was a beautiful moment and she really just understood what we were teaching. Before the lesson she said that all she wanted in her life was to feel at peace and to feel calm and at the end of the lesson we asked her how she felt and she couldn't help but smiling while saying that she felt so much peace! We testified that that was the spirit and she was just thrilled, saying that she didn't feel like we were trying to convince her of anything as she has felt in some of the other churches. She accepted the commitment to read and to pray and to come to General Conference this weekend with a question in her mind and she just seems very sincere and determined to figure out for herself if it is true! man, it was just a beautiful experience and we were left in amazement that The Lord has been preparing this woman for years to accept the truth.

SCAMBIO: This week we did a scambio with the beautiful sorelle from Reggio Emilia! We met them at a train station in the middle of our two cities, switched companions and then got on the train to head back and start the exchange...about 20 minutes into the train ride we get a call from the other sisters saying that they took the wrong train and were headed back to the same city we were going to, on the same train! So we decided to just all four work in Reggio Emilia and it ended up to be a really wonderful experience! I was with Sorella Bradshaw and she is just an amazing missionary with a wonderful missionary spirit. We went out and saw miracles, met our goals and just had a wonderful
time learning from each other. I love seeing new little cities, meeting new people and having the chance to learn from each and every person I come in contact with.

NEWS: We also got transfer calls this week...on Saturday during lunch bringing the very sad news that I am getting transferred. I kind of felt like it was my time to leave but it was still really sad. I am getting transferred to Torino...another pretty large city more on the west. And my new companion is actually not a new companion...I have already served with her! Sorella Nedelkov, was my 2nd companion in the mission and now we are going to work together again! I am excited because I love her and we are both a lot older in the mission now so it will be fun to see the difference in the work and to be able to catch up and learn more from each other! I go tomorrow and I am excited to see what it has in store for me.

I would just like to end with my testimony that I know that Heavenly Father knows us and He knows what we need. It may sound simple but the reality of it was truly felt in my life this week. His power is greater then any other and He truly comprehends all things. I am so grateful for the peace we can find through our Savior and for the opportunity we are given daily to follow Him. I love you all have a wonderful week!
love,
Sorella Burt

My "going away" FHE with the ward

Add caption

Saying goodbye to Milano

We were able to attend the World Fair Expo again - for free this time! :)

heyyyy

Buongiorno a tutti! It is a very cold morning here in Italia. Literally so very much cold and rain and wind and yah..just cold! It is going to be one of those nice in the house relaxing type of pdays for us, but we are happy about it! a good rest is very needed every once and a while! We have had another good week full of good solid just hard work and we have never been happier. I am just amazed with this transfer and the amount of pure joy I feel each day...just pure joy to be exactly where I am at doing exactly what I am doing. I wouldn't want to be anywhere else at this point in my life. The time I have out here is sacred. It is precious. And every moment counts. Just like every moment counts in a soccer game or in baking a cake...and also in life. I am really seeing the vital importance of literally just LOVING every moment and rejoicing because The Lord is SO very good to us. It amazes me, the goodness of The Lord. Day after day, week after week...He continues to pour His love upon us and showers us with blessings. This life is a time for us to not only find the joy but to BE joyful. Not only to be joyful ourselves but to SHARE that joy with everyone and anyone! We have been given so much. We too must give so much.

One beautiful human that the Lord put into our path this week was a woman named G.. We were doing some last minute, somewhat late night finding near our favorite park by our house and we stopped this woman. She was not like most people. She was absolutely thrilled to be stopped by us as she told us that we just glowed with joy and she wanted to be uplifted. We had a beautiful conversation with one of God's children, who knows who she is. She has zero doubt in her mind and she lives her religion as a part of her. She told us how her day was altered for the better because she met us and as we walked away we could not help but just smile soooo large. She had edified us, in an incredible way. It is amazing to see the incredible people that walk among us and the way that they have been touched in their lives by the power of the Lord.

C. is progressing beautifully. We were able to see her this week and she has such a real desire to be baptized and to follow Christ. She had some really good questions this week about baptism that we were able to answer and she has such a willing heart and mind! She told us that she knows that she will be baptized. The spirit touches her heart in such a special way, it is amazing to be apart of this 'journey' as she always calls it. She knows that this is the truth and she is willing to do whatever it takes to continue her journey towards the truth.

We also have a new beautiful investigator named C.. We found her on the street a few weeks ago and we were finally able to meet with her..She is from the Philippines and has really just had a hard life. We had a nice Restoration lesson with her and she was just very touched by the spirit. She too recognizes the good in our message and is willing to experiment upon the word and to find the truth. I love seeing the gospel enter people's lives for the first time, it is really a sacred experience to see how they change because of it!

In other news....I ate an entire fish this week...head and all. It doesn't sound that cool but for me it was like a milestone! I actually enjoyed it too! I took some pics on my camera I will try and send those! Mom, you would be so proud. I actually like fish now! Transfers are next week so I will be sure to let you all know what happens! I really don't have a guess, so it'll be interesting!

The guy in this pic is a new convert. He used to be Catholic priest - coolest story ever!

Early morning exercise selfies - ohhh ya don't we look good?

Look Mom - I like fish :)

I love you alllllllll. have a good week!
Sorella Burt