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

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Saying goodbye to Milano

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