Hey all

I am currently on a train writing this email so that is a first...yipeeee. We have had an enjoyable pday! We traveled to a nearby city called Como to do a little hike and that was a lot of fun! We went with some other Sorelle in Milano and hiked up to a lighthouse that overlooked the whole city and tons of beautiful mountains. Man this country is such a dream.

Our hike in Como

We have had another good week here in Milano. It literally went by so fast though I cannot really believe how quick the weeks are flying by. I'll just share a few stories that taught me some lessons this week! The other day we had some extra time so we went over to the park near our house. I've talked about it before and generally the humans there are kind and what not but this time we literally talked to the grumpiest people everrrrrrrrr. Like four right in a row, hardcore rejections. One got up and walked away right when we approached, another said she didn't have time as she leisurely sat on a bench doing a crossword, others were just plain rude! We were trying hard not to get down...saying there HAS to be one kind human in this park! We were about to go home because it was time to go in but we were like, nah one more person. We stopped a man and he was slightly awkward but he actually talked to us and let us teach him a little lesson!! It wasn't anything super special, he's not ready for the gospel or anything but it really taught me an important lesson. Satan wants us to get down and discouraged. He is going to do all he can to get us down and keep us from doing this work. But I learned that no matter how many grumpy people you talk to or how it seems like no one you
talk to is prepared...you just gotta keep talking and keep trying. That's when the miracles arrive. The little things truly do make a difference.i think that man needed a small little chat about Christ in his day, and although he may not be ready now, I know that it helped him in some way so that one day he will be ready. No effort is wasted out here.

Yesterday we were in a big rush trying to get from an appointment to the church for FHE and we were late so just like hurrying. We got off the metro and were like running to our bus stop. To get to the church you can either take the bus which takes like 3 minutes or walk for like 10, so the bus is better but just doesn't come all that often. I was just praying in my heart that a bus would be there when we arrived and I told Heavenly Father that if He gave us a bus, I would talk to someone in that three minutes we rode the bus. We got to the stop and literally 20 seconds later the bus came! I was like hallelujah. Thank you. Now I gotta do my part. I got on the bus and had a little chat with a lady and gave her a card...once again it wasn't something super large and miraculous, but for me it was special and I learned that ALL prayers are answered. Even the little baby ones in our heart for a bus to come. He listens ALWAYS and is ready to bless us. That lady I talked to may have needed that little conversation after a hard day at work, who knows. We never know why we are placed in people's paths or why things happen the way they do. But we are in His service and He knows all! He loves us and helps us when we are doing our best to help Him in His work.

Everyone is starting to leave. In the summer EVERYONE goes on vacation for like the whole summer. Either back to visit their own country or just to get away for awhile. I can already tell that is going to make missionary work very interesting. Milan is just crawling with tourists, which also makes things hard. But that's okay we're just gonna keep working hard hard harrrrrrd. Good thing it hasn't been like deathly hot lately, so that's a blessing. Things are going well with R.! Her date is currently for the 7th of July so the day before Sorella Boscia goes home. Hopefully all will work out! She is doing well though and still has such a strong and real desire to be baptized. I love her sooooo much! The work is happy and the field is white. I am so grateful for the chance I have to be apart of the Lord's army in this incredible country. He knows us. We are all needed. And we all belong.

Love you all!
Xoxoxo
Sorella Burt


 

Another week over and gone. They just keep on flying by and I am grateful for the things I learn in each and every week I spend here in the mission.

To start off, last week I went to the beautiful city of Lugano, Switzerland for an exchange with the sisters there. We had a good exchange even though I am still learning what it means to be a leader and all that good stuff. With time it will come. It is just a small bit weird to be over some sisters that are older then me in the mission, but I know that I was called because I have something to bring and that is what I am striving to do. During our exchange we met up with the Hercules family on the street because they weren't able to have us over for dinner. It was THE HAPPIEST thing to see them, holy cow. I was just so stoked. I didn't realize it had been 5 years since I had seen them...mamma Mia what a good reunion. We talked for a while and they bought us gelato and we talked to them about what we have learned from our missions and what not. It was a very wonderful and special experience to see them, but especially Kent. He will forever have a very special place in my heart because he literally did SO much for me back in the day when he was my soccer coach!! Ah, so happy.

Karli with Kent Hercules and his family. Kent was her favorite soccer coach! He and his family live in Lugano, Switzerland

Other then that we had a really good week as far as work goes! We have a lot of new converts in this ward that are just suuuuuper wonderful and we are helping them all prepare to go to the temple in September with the ward. They are all still very strong and have such a real desire to go and receive the beautiful blessings that the temple has in store. I am realllllly learning out here the vital importance of the temple and how often we Utahns take it for granted. It is like the talk, "Is it still wonderful to you" from this last general conference. We often take for granted the beautiful things that are right in front of our faces or they just become normal and common place. The people out here sacrifice much to go to the temple and it has sooooo much meaning and significance to them. It needs to have the same significance to us!

The other piece of biiiiiiiig news is R.! I finally got to meet her this week and also her husband. They are just the greatest people ever. We had planned to move her baptism date back because we haven't been able to see her enough to make the other one. So we taught both of them about the gospel of Jesus Christ and the lesson went really well. They were both really into it and asking great questions and what not. When it got to the baptism part, R. was like..."yeah I want to be baptized!! I am happy here and I want to be a part of this church because I know it is right!" She was very firm and decided on her decision and her husband was like....okay, if she's happy, I'm happy!! Ahhhhhhh. It was just the coolest miracle!  It was amazing and I truly saw how the Lord ISSSSSS preparing His children. Man,

Lastly, I would like to encourage you all to read the story from the last Ensign, May 2015 about the ship in the harbor. I cannot remember the name right now but it really touched me this week and I would recommend it for all! It says, "a ship is safe in the harbor, but that's not what ships are for." We are like the ships and are meant to navigate the oceans and experience the adventures of life. We must sail out into the ocean that is large and sometimes unknown if we want to make it to our eternal destination. It's not easy, it's not comfortable, and it's not safe. But the storms and winds of life are
not meant to be. We must trust in the lighthouse of the gospel of Jesus Christ that will lead us back to our heavenly home.

I love you all and I hope you know it and never forget it!

Love,
Sorella Burt

Lots of learnin'

Buon Giorno a tutti!
What a crazy wonderful week here in Milano. I love it more and more each day and am slowly starting to get a hang of everything being so new and such. It is exciting to be in Milano, in the know...every day is just something new and exciting! I love it. I have learned and grown loads this week and my testimony of the power of prayer and fasting has grown immensely.

Soooo this week was kind of a whirlwind. It was a little bit hard at the beginning, still trying to get used to everything, ..and was honestly having a really hard time. It was hard because I felt a bit as I did when I was a greenie... I hated that and definitely felt like I changed and was able to be myself when I was in Trieste. I want to talk and teach and be a part of this work and I want to be able to be myself and truly help these people! So yeah I was just having a roughhhh time with that.  I prayed a LOT that I would know what to do. We had fast Sunday and literally that is the day that everything changed. It has been absolutely incredible to see the differences and to see how i have been able to follow the spirit and say and do things to improve my situation and to feel better! Things are going WONDERFULLY now. I don't really know how to describe it but the difference is night and day. We are learning how to work together and I am learning the importance of being bold and always voicing my opinion. It is amazing, the power of prayer is so real and I can truly testify of the fact that our loving Heavenly Father knows us perfectly and gives us certain situations so that we can learn how to overcome them. We are working really hard and seeing miracles. The work here isn't as great as I had heard, we are struggling finding people to teach but they will come, I know that for sure. I am excited to see the work grow! It is really cool because we are actually teaching the cousin of Sorella Boscia that lives here in Milano..she actually has a baptismal date so that is really cool! Another testament that we are sent exactly where we are supposed to! She is meant to be here so that she can help her family!! So cooooool. I loooooooove Sorella Bosica with all my heart, we get along so well and woah, I learn SO much from her daily! We literally eat only pizza and pasta...she is a master cook. Mom asked what I normally eat for meals...breakfast is cereal and then lunch is pasta or pizza usually :)

Okkkkkkkay COOLEST THING EVER. so you all know how my old coach Kent Hercules lives in Switzerland? Well I get to go to Switzerland tomorrow for an exchange with the sisters there. The sisters that are serving there called us the other night to tell me that they have a surprise for me! They set up a dinner appointment with entire Hercules family for the night that I am going to be there!! The girls are there visiting for a little so it is just perrrrrfect timing!! So tomorrow I get to go to their house for dinner!!! Man I am just soooooo excited! What a beautiful tender mercy. I will send you all pics next week for sure.

Dad also asked about cars in the mission...all the zone leaders have cars and only one sister training leader has a car for right now. They might change it in the future but for now that is how it is. That is about all I have for right now. I am loving every minute I have here and just soaking up every opportunity that I have to learn and to grow. It is incredible how much we learn here! Thanks for everything.
xoxo

Sorella Burt

Me and Sorella Griffin. She was on Kent Hercules' soccer team with me. She is serving in Milano in another ward. We had PDay together and then this guy photobombed us.

My Italian grandma

One of my friends from Trieste

One of my good friends

Me and Sorella Boscia - I have so much love for this beautiful gal

So much LOVE for this lady!!

One of my favorite families

LOVE and miss the girl so very much

I am holding a baby kitten

PAVIA....so close yet so far

New Adventures

Greetings from the grande città we like to call MILANO. Holy moly. Sooooo much has changed and happened and has been learned since we last talked it is s bit CRAZY to think that just one week ago I was in Trieste. Mannnnn. Okkkkkay so to start off leaving Trieste was probably one of the hardest things everrrrrr but actually coming to Milano has probably been a bit harder. There are just so many changes, so many new things to learn, to do, to get used to...it is all a bit overwhelming. To be honest I had a pretty hard week. I was exhausted after my trip from Trieste because I hardly slept the night before and it is a long trip...and that exhaustion plus everything else put together equals a lot of hardness and tears. Milano is huuuuuuge but it is split into 3 different wards, and then there are eight missionaries serving in our ward!! Also the Milano Navigli ward is the ward that President Dibb is
in so that is fun. He doesn't come super often because he travels often and what not but this past Sunday he was definitely there! It was terrifying because I had to share my testimony in front of the whole ward and prez and so yeah that was fun. Milano is pretty much exactly what you think of when you think of a big city. We use the metro, there are TONS of people, the majority of which are from different countries (probably not true but that is what it seems like), it is suuuuuper hot and busy and the cars just drive crazy and never stop for pedestrians. It has been a big adjustment from the beautiful little dreamland of Trieste...but I am sure with time I will love it!

The work here is really good though, we have people to teach and they have had a lot of baptisms in the last few months. I am still trying to figure out everything, names and who is who and everything which is not an easy task! Plus learning the how to use the metro will take some time! There are just so many different lines and stops and ahhhh lots of stuff. Annnnnd Sorella Boscia...she is wonderful! I really love her but it has been quite the adjustment to be speaking ONLY Italian 24/7. It is good for me, I will learn and progress a ton in the language, but it is still a bit tough! I just have a hard time truly being myself and expressing myself fully in Italian, but i suppose that will come! It is pretty weird, like the other day I went through an entire day without speaking a single English word...haha what an experience! It is also weird to go from being with the same companion for 4 1/2 months to suddenly being with someone different. Everyone, naturally, does things different and it will take time to get used to it and to mesh our ideas and ways of doing things. But I absolutely love Sorella Boscia and have already learned sooooo much from her. She is extremely wise and just a very loving and giving person. It will be a good transfer for sure!

Me and my new companion - Sorella Boscia

Yesterday and the day before we did our first scambio with some Sorelle in our zone. I was a tinsy bit nervous with it being my first one as an STL, but it ended up being a realllllly great scambio and was exactly what I needed. The days before that I had been struggling with a bunch of things that were going on and to be able to go to a different city and get a new perspective on things really helped me! I LOVE being able to meet new Sorelle and help them in any way that I can. It is funny because I am supposed to help them learn, but I felt like I learned way more then what I did for her. Ahhhhh, it's just sooooo neat the enormous amount of things that are available for us to learn our here on the mission. They just keep on comin! This week I learned first hand the vital importance of our relationship with our Father in Heaven. I know that when we feel like we are alone and maybe don't have someone to talk to...I can testify that we can always talk to Him and He will ALWAYS listen. I am learning more and more how to trust in Him and in His plan for each one of us and how perfect it is. There is always something new to learn, in every situation.

 We have seen some wonderful miracles this week, i lovvvvve doing finding on the metro and the different people that are here! It is so diverse and I love that. Our ward is made up mainly of people from South America so that is really fun! Dad, there are a lot of people from Ecuador which is super fun and makes me think of you every time! I love this opportunity to get to know new people and have new adventures and learn about new cultures! Man, it is just too much fun. There are also lottttts of parks in Milano which make for great places to find wonderful people. I swear, all the nice people sit in parks. Word to the wise...if ya wanna be nice, go sit in a park! Anwayyyyys ya that is kind of what is going on currently! Lots of crazy things and what not, but overall I am humbled. I marvel at this glorious message of the Restored gospel that we get to spread to God's children ALL over the world. Recognize the miracles and then thank the source of ALL things beautiful. I love you all with my whoooooole heart plus more! Have a splendid week and don't forget to smile!!
Love,
Sorella Burt