Time is Marching On...

Ciao!

Well it is pretty crazy that this day has actually come. I currently feel so weird and anxious and tired and excited and nervous and hungry and happy and stressed and just pretty much all the emotions that you could possibly imagine which results in shaky hands and many thoughts in the brain. We will see where this email goes...

Today and this whole week has probably been the most stressful of my entire life. Saturday is the day that our lives got completely crazier then we were imagining. We got the phone call telling us about the transfer news and we were just thinking that things would be normal and happy and Sorella Taylor would simply be told her who new companion was going to be and we could just continue on with our normal lives. But instead...the Lord likes to teach us some lessons and throw curve balls our way. When Sorella Taylor received the phone call from President Dibb, we knew something crazy was coming our way. We found out that our area was going to be what we call, "white-washed"... where both current sisters leave and two new ones come in. Sorella Taylor is being transferred to Florence! This is definitely not something we expected and preparing for the both of us to leave the city has been quite an ordeal. I was quite sad when we found out that our city was getting white-washed. Our work is going really well right now and normally this only happens when cities are struggling! We just have a LOT of people that we are working with and a huge city to cover which is going to make things really difficult on the new sisters. We had to do our best to make it as easy on them as possible by writing down ALL the information about the house, the area, and EVERY person we see. I know how it feels to whitewash a city because I did it my very first transfer as a missionary and it is definitely not an easy thing. The more information left behind the better. Our lives have just been really busy...between visiting people, packing, cleaning, preparing for a baptism, updating the area books and writing down every important piece of information that we can think of. Our pday today consisted of straight packing and cleaning and now we are doing email in the church while the font fills up! Both of the new sisters are actually arriving tonight and will hopefully make it in time for the baptism. Man...so many things going on!

But...yes! One of the happiest things that could ever happen is going down in about two hours and that is called the baptism of our wonderful T.!! It is all just perfect time and I could not be more grateful to the Lord for the perfect ending to a wonderful mission. It is literally a miracle that everything has worked out so perfect and that I can witness this beautiful moment right before I head home. My words can not even express the amount of gratitude that I have for this moment. T. is so ready and she is so very excited for this moment. We met with her on Monday and she was already just really anxious and said that she can hardly sleep because she is so excited! She understands that she is making a very important step in her life and I could not be more proud of her. It has been a really beautiful experience working with T.. When Sorella Taylor and I became companions they had very recently started teaching T. and she wasn't really progressing. A few years back, T. was in a coma for about two weeks but she made it through and is alive to tell the tale. She to this day, however, suffers from some minor brain problems so she has a hard time remembering things. From the beginning, we have focused on making our lessons simple, bold, and very clear...repeating things many times and doing a lot of review, and we have seen a drastic change in her. She is probably one of the most driven people I know and she studies like no one I have ever known. As a result of her huge desire and never failing will power, she has learned and grown and gained a testimony. It has been absolutely amazing for us to be a part of this changing experience and I am more then stoked to witness her fulfill her dreams in just a few short hours. Man, the Lord literally works miracles in the lives of His children.

Trying to summarize or describe the current state of my heart is nearly impossible. It still does not feel completely real to me that this chapter of my life is coming to a fast end. I remember very clearly in my mind the day I stepped foot on Italian soil for the first time and took in a big breath of that smoggy Milano air. I had no clue what was ahead of me, but I was ready to give it my all. That is one of the greatest goals that I had heading into my mission. I wanted to give the Lord my very best so that when it was all said and done I would have no regrets. As a new missionary, you feel like your best just doesn't cut it and that you will simply never arrive at the point where you actually feel like you are doing something for the Lord. I remember at the beginning of my mission...maybe first or second transfer...the moment that I really realized why I am out here. I was struggling with all of the normal things that new missionaries struggle with...new country, strange language, being far from home, not having any clue how to be a missionary, etc...I remember clearly one day during my studies I was feeling very down, thinking about all of the things that were weighing me down. Then the thought came to my mind..."this is not about you". In that moment I realized that this mission had nothing to do with me and that if I wanted to be happy and successful I needed to forget about myself and serve the people around me in the best way I could. That was the moment that everything changed. From that moment on I did my very best to put my own problems and struggles aside and put all of my strength and effort into helping other people with their own.

During the course of my mission, I have seen the promise found in Matthew 16:25, "For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it." When we put our own problems and worries and struggles and weaknesses aside for the sake of the Lord, we find ourselves. We find who we really are and who the Lord wants and needs us to become. This is one of the greatest things that I am taking away from my mission; a knowledge of who I REALLY am. When we thrust in our sickle with ALL our might, the Lord provides us with an abundance of fruit in many differences shapes and sizes. The Lord has molded and shaped me into the person that I am today, but only because I gave myself to Him. I know that the Lord knows me, with my entire being and soul, I know that! He has carefully prepared and crafted this year and a half to be the exact thing that I needed. This is a huge testament to me of the fact that He knows us perfectly because we were with Him before this life and He wants SO badly for us to return back to Him. I am in awe every time I think or teach about the beautiful and flawless Plan of Salvation. It is so perfect and we each have our own specific role that we are meant to play. I know that the Lord's biggest desire is for His children to be happy and during my mission I have learned about the recipe that we each need to follow if we want this true happiness. It starts and ends with exact obedience to the Lord's commandments. When we are exactly obedient to all of the things that the Lord asks of us, He POURS out His blessings of happiness upon us. Obedience is an act of love. It is an act of humility. It is an act of us giving up our will to follow His.

I could literally write for weeks about the things I have learned and the ways I have grown during this year and a half. It is something that I will never forget and forever hold very dear to my heart. I realize that time is marching on, a new time is ahead, and that the Lord has prepared many more wonderful things for my future. I feel content with where I am at and what I have done. I know that things must end and change must occur so that we might continue to progress on our path to become more like our Savior. I am more then grateful to my Savior and that He makes change possible. He changes our hearts as we come unto Him, little by little each and every day. I will strive to forever have His name written on my heart and His name on my lips so that I am forever ready to testify to the world that HE LIVES.

I am more then excited to see you all! I want to thank you all so very much for the incredible support and love that you have shown me throughout the course of my mission. The prayers were felt and were most definitely needed. May the Lord bless you for all that you do and continue to do to follow Him!

Vi voglio TANTO bene!
A presto,
Sorella Burt

Creation

If I could use one word to describe this week it would be: Exhausting.

My body is literally just done. I am tired and sore in a way that I have never been before. It is unreal, I literally feel like an old person. With even the slightest of movements, so many things crack and my back feel like it is going to break in half. But that is okay, I guess that is what happens after a year and a half of nonstop working! It is the most satisfying tired though I think that you could ever be!I get home at night and just crash but at least we are satisfied with what we accomplished. I am ready to just sleep for a solid uninterrupted 2 weeks!

Sorry that paragraph was quite complainy...I promise I really am happy! We had another great week and honestly it just flew by. I cannot believe that I am writing emails again. We are still just crazy busy and running from one side of the city to the other and just trying to keep going! We saw lots of people this week and many small but significant miracles along the way. Two of these small but beautiful experiences happened on Thursday. The morning and early afternoon were full of appointments. After a lesson with our investigator, C., we took the bus that takes us from one church to the other. While I was standing on the bus, I noticed a really cute little family that looked like they were from South America. It was a mom and two of her small children. I immediately had the feeling that I should talk to them, so I positioned myself in a good place and waited until the moment was right. I started talking to this cute mom and it turns out that she is from Ecuador! I always get excited when I meet people from Ecuador and tell them that my dad LIVED there for two years of his life as a missionary. She was just super cute and as we got talking, she told me that they actually had missionaries that would come over to there house only about 6 months ago, but they moved and so the missionaries lost track of them or something! It was so great and I asked if we could come over and visit them and she very willingly agreed. It was wonderful and I was so grateful that I followed that prompting to talk with her. We have an appointment set up this coming Friday and I am really excited!

The beauty continued as we got to the church and made a few phone calls, and then we had about 20 minutes until our ward correlation meeting. We decided to go out and do some finding work! We said a prayer outside the church and asked for direction and to be able to find someone that was searching. Not even 5 minutes later, we stop a lady named G. We get talking to her and after a few minutes, she looks at me and says..wait you have talked to me before! I then remembered that I had stopped her in front of the church about 3 months ago and had a wonderful conversation with her. It was amazing! As we got talking, she told us that she had lost her faith and is searching for it again. She just looked very sad and looked as though she had lost all hope. We taught her and testified of how she can find her faith again and that the message that we bring is how she can find that faith again the spirit was very strong and we prayed and she cried and when I asked if we could have her number, she said no. I was heartbroken. She needs this so bad, and I know that she felt something...this time, and last time Heavenly Father put her in my path. I walked away feeling sad but grateful to the Lord for having placed her in my path again and allowing me to testify to her once again and help her to feel of the spirit. I know that this is just another step in her accepting the truth and I was grateful for this experience. It is experiences like this that I will truly miss. The Lord guides us. He answers our prayers. He puts people in our paths and He puts the words in our mouths.

It was a wonderful week full of way too many beautiful experiences to write them all so I guess I will just leave this email simple. I am so grateful for what the Lord does for me each and every day. He is so very good to me and is my greatest supporter. I want to leave you with a quote that I read this week that really touched me: “God left the world unfinished for man to work his skill upon. He left the electricity in the cloud, the oil in the earth. He left the rivers unbridged and the forests unfelled and the cities unbuilt. God gives to man the challenge of raw materials, not the ease of finished things. He leaves the pictures unpainted and the music unsung and the problems unsolved, that man might know the joys and glories of creation.” -President Thomas S. Monson

He gives us talents and skill and knowledge so that we might create, imagine, and dream. He is the master creator and if we want to become like Him, we too must experience the joy and satisfaction of creation. Each day we can create. We can keep trying. We can turn to Him, and He makes us greater then we could ever be on our own. He doesn't give us every thing already perfectly figured out, but gives us the opportunity to discover and to learn on our own. He wants us to grow and as we follow Him, a natural consequence is personal growth. I am so grateful for my own personal growth that I have seen during the course of my life and I know that I have a long way to go. But as I continue to turn to Him as I create my life, everything will work out and He will make me great!

I love you all! Have a wonderful week :)
Love,
Sorella Burt

Another Week....

Hello Everyone!
Welp another week has come and gone and holy cow this was a fast one! It think that the weeks are flying by because we are just so busy, which makes it really nice! We were full of appointments and just running from one place to another that the days just end so quickly! We were able to see all of our investigators this week, including all 5 of the new ones that we found last week and that was a great accomplishment and a huge blessing. We are keeping really busy and happy and things are going great! We are helping T. prepare for her baptism that is coming up on the 3rd of February. She is very excited and we still have a few more things to teach her but I think that she will be ready! She had an interview this week and we got some things cleared up and so everything is going well. I have never had an investigator so excited to get baptized! She is wonderful and has a real desire to change. We are so excited! She came to a baptism this week of a little boy in the ward and the whole time she was asking us questions about her own program and who is going to do what and what she will wear...ha she is just so excited! We were also able to set two new baptismal dates with two of our investigators this week! One with L., we had to move her date back, but she feels that she will be able to be ready for this new date. She is wonderful and really making progress! We were able to have a wonderful lesson with her yesterday about courage because she hasn't even told her parents of
her meeting with us and her desire to be baptized. But after we talked about Esther and the courage she showed in talking to the King, she committed that she would do it! She is just full of faith. The other baptismal date that we set this week is with our new investigator named J. She is a referral from some of our other investigators and she is just great! She is reading the Book of Mormon and has come to church three weeks in a row! She accepted her baptismal date without any problems and we are very excited to continue to help her progress.

One cool miracle we saw this week happened the other night pretty late, it was about time to go inside but we had a few minutes, so we decided to do a little walk around where we live. There weren't many people out but I knew we would find someone. We walked over to a certain side of the street where I felt guided to and the first people I stopped were a couple that had just come out of a door. We stopped them and started talking with them and we ended up having a really wonderful conversation with them. they were very amazed by us and the fact that we leave everything to serve the Lord and to help others. At one point the man asked, why do you do it? What is it that motivates you to come out here just to get rejected all the time?? It was a neat question that we were able to answer, bearing testimony of the Savior and what He means for us. They were very touched by what we said and you could just tell that they could feel something different in us. The prayer touched them especially and they said that they had never tried to pray in that way before. They had interest in meeting with us again and we got both of their phone numbers. It was just a really neat encounter and I know we were supposed to meet them. It has happened time and time again, but I know that the Lord places people in our paths, as long as we are obedient, follow promptings, and give Him our very best.

This week I really saw the importance of effective planning and I definitely have a testimony of it! We had a few days where the appointments that we had scheduled were very close together and with travel time in between, it seemed that we would be cutting it very close to get to all the places in time. But we planned everything out, and prayed a lot, and the Lord literally made everything work out perfectly! For example, yesterday...we had three appointments back to back but in different areas of the city. We had exactly how much time we could spend at each appointment planned out and how long it would take us to get to the next thing. At one point we were walking swiftly/ running to try and catch a bus to get to our next appointment and we had to cross the street, and the bus that we had to catch waited and let us cross, making it possible for us to catch the bus! I am sure that that sentence didn't make any sense but just know that the Lord made it happen and He was leading us and guiding us! He is in the small details and my testimony was strengthened in that yesterday. If it is important to us, it is important to the Lord and He can make it happen according to His will. He is so good to us and literally showers His blessings and peace upon us as we strive to follow Him in all we do and be diligent to the things that He has asked us.

We had many good experiences this week in teaching and finding and just helping and serving. Each day I feel exhausted knowing that I gave my all to the Lord. It is the best feeling in the world, knowing that you are doing exactly what the Lord asks. We are not perfect but we are trying and the Lord makes us so much greater then we could ever be on our own. I know that this experience is going to serve me for the rest of my life and I know that the Lord has great things in store for me. He is a God of love and He will do anything to help us to be happy. I have received a lot of comfort through prayer these past few days and I know that He is aware of me and all my mixed emotions and
feelings. He is giving me the strength to push forward and I couldn't be more grateful for how my mission experience is ending. I am still very happy to be here and for each moment that the Lord gives me to try and lift someone else that stands in need. My little part that I give each day is enough in His eyes and I know that He is aware of me.

I love you all and I hope you have another splendid week!
love,
Sorella Burt

Cool book stands like this line the streets of Torino. Dad and Hailey would be in heaven.

This is the building the Torino is known for - it's called the Mole (Mol-ay)

On the Lord's Errand

Ciao!
This week was wonderful! We are working really hard and are finally seeing some of the fruits of our labor so as far as getting new investigators is concerned. We have been having a really hard time getting new investigators lately and it has really been bothering me and I really haven't been able to figure out why we were having such a hard time finding new people to teach. For our scambio that we had this week, I set the goal to get a new investigator during the course of the scambio. We worked SO hard during the scambio and I really tried to consecrate myself and give the work my FULL effort. We talked to EVERYONE, on the street, in the bus...it was just a wonderful scambio and there was just a great sprit and vibe that was with us throughout the full 24 hours. The Lord blessed us with miracles and with wonderful experiences!

A couple of the appointments that we had set were cancelled or the time was changed and at one point we were left with a little bit of time before an appointment. We were in an area where we had met a potential lady about a week ago and we saw her go into a house nearby. I had the idea that we should go do some casa in casa (knock on the doors..) and on our way there, we met a lady that I KNOW we were supposed to meet. She knew the church because she was from Peru and was very kind. We testified of the power of the Savior and I KNOW that she felt the spirit. In the end she wouldn't give us her information and wasn't interested in seeing us again but I know that we were just
one more step on her road to conversion. After that we started ringing the doorbells of this apartment complex and we got into the apartment because someone was leaving. I was thinking that we should leave because we were going to be late to the appointment but Sorella Smith was like, no let's just try the first door. So we tried the first door and the girl on the other side was super cool and open and didn't even slam her door on us! She said she was busy but she wanted to know more so said we could pass by another time. It was sure a miracle and I learned from the faith of Sorella Smith following that prompting from the spirit. We were SO close to getting new investigators during the scambio multiple times but at the end, we weren't able to set any return appointments with the people that we met. I was a little bit disappointed but I knew that I had given the Lord my all and I knew that He was aware of my efforts. Boy was He aware. He blessed us with 5 new investigators in the space of two days...all of which are incredible people that truly want to know more and progress. It was a miracle and I know that the Lord blessed us for our consecrated work in behalf of His children.

One neat experience that we had with one of these new investigators, C., happened on Sunday after church. We looked at our phone while waiting for the bus to return home for lunch and saw that we had two missed calls from C. We quickly called her back and she said that she wanted to meet us right then, she needed someone to talk to. We immediately took the bus to the other church on the other side of Torino and met C. there. We sat down and it was very clear that she was really struggling with something. The look of despair was just written across her face. We started with a prayer and she started to tell us some of her feelings and her overall desire to find peace and to let go of her sins, repent and find a better life for herself and her son. We had a really spiritual experience with her as we testified of Chirst and the power that His gospel can have in her life. We explained what we do as missionaries and how this message can change her, if she chooses to accept it. It was an amazing experience and the spirit was so strong. In the end she asked what she needed to do next and is just so willing to change and to act. She is in desperate need of comfort and relief. I don't know as I sat in that room and felt of that sweet spirit, I was just overcome with gratitude. This is why we are here as missionaries. It just felt so real in that moment. The Savior literally heals souls and brings joy and hope into the lives of those that choose to accept it and it was amazing to actually be able to help someone that really WANTED that help and so desperately needed it. We so often talk to people that think they have no need for our message and that don't understand the impact that it can truly have in their lives, it was just really refreshing to be able to bring it to someone who really cared and who really needed it.

As far as our other investigators are concerned...T. is still doing well and is on track for her February 3rd date. We taught her about the Word of Wisdom and she committed to stop drinking coffee and tea. She is doing great and still just super stoked to get baptized. We struggled again in seeing L. this week as much as we would like due to some family problems so she will probably not be ready for her 23rd of January date. But she still has a great desire and is progressing well! She came to church and it was great because we actually had to give last minute talks about the plan of salvation! So it was perfect to have her there. S. is another investigator that we have that unfortunately is a bit frustrating. I won't go into details for times sake, but we taught her about authority this week and as clear and straightforward as we were, she still thinks that any good person in the world can receive the priesthood..ya. And E., the cute grandma that is the mom of a member, really opened up to us yesterday about her feelings and some of her really personal fears about baptism and what not. It was wonderful to hear and just the fact that she trusts us so much.

It was just a great week all around and we are just happy and things are going well. The work is moving forward and the Lord is with us every step of the way. I couldn't be happier to be able to take part in this splendid work and I know that our Savior lives and guides this church. I also know that Thomas S. Monson is indeed a true prophet called of God. We watched the movie about him, 'On the Lord's Errand' last night and it literally changed me and I felt the spirit in such an incredible and overwhelming way. I am so grateful to be on the Lord's errand I pray that I might be able to give Him everything that I am.
I love you all so much and I hope that you know it!
Love,
Sorella Burt

Il Duomo di Torino

Our scambio with the Collegno sisters! 

Sorella Smith found my blog and emailed me before she came to Italia

We found this really cute place that makes delicious herbal tea

Candles lit in a Catholic Church

Picture of the Holy Shroud

This is how the Italians do the Nativity...just super big and elaborate!

Another biiiiiig Nativity in a Catholic Church

This is how we do groceries...you lug SUPER heavy bags and water all the way home and almost die.

It's Gonna Be a Good Year!!

Heyyyyyyy all.

We had a nice little week...some days more exciting then others but overall I am not complaining about anything! It is really beautiful because I just feel really happy right now. This is probably one of the happiest transfers I have ever had and I am not exactly sure why it is so happy! I know that my companion has a lot to do with it. We have really clicked these past few weeks and we just have so much fun together. I have honestly never laughed so much with a companion! It is great we just make jokes that are really dumb but we have the same sense of humor so we just die laughing and it just makes life so much more fun! Life is just better when it is enjoyed! We are just really choosing to find joy in the work and not get caught up in the disappointments or the grind of the work. It is neat because this 'joy' was the thing that I really wanted to have for my last transfer as a missionary. Going into this transfer I just prayed for a joyful experience where I didn't stress but rather got lost in the pure joy of serving the Lord. He has most definitely given me that experience and I could not be more grateful!

Finding JOY with Sorella Taylor

Last week for pday we went to a classy art museum of the famous painter, Monet. His art is on display for a limited time here in Torino so we had to go check it out. Apparently everyone and their dog had the same idea and we ended up waiting in line for quite a while but in the end it was worth it and I really enjoyed the beauty of his art. So many things in this world are so beautifully captured by talented humans putting paint on paper. It is incredible the talents that we have each been given!

The next day was New Year's Eve and we had to be home at 7. New Year's Eve was a wonderful day. it was one of those special days where there were just good vibes all around and we were especially happy! We talked with so many people and just had such a beautiful day. With our spare time at home we were able to get some work done with the area book and then after planning we had a really great time ringing in the New Year. It was beautifully simple, we just chatted about our feelings of the last year and really pondered and discussed the things that we felt like we learned. We talked about what we want to do with our new year, the clean slate, the new opportunity and it was just
really nice. I spent some time in studies that morning to really reflect on 2015, my full year as a missionary and the things I learned and the person I have become. It was a really moving and spiritual experience for me to think about the ways the Lord has shaped me and what things I still lack. I am determined to take control of this new year and not just make goals that are quickly forgotten. It is up to us. If we are really committed and have the right intentions...our goals will not be forgotten halfway through the year, but they will become a part of each day! To cap off our great little 2015 and ring in the new year, we stayed up til midnight and then went onto our porch to see the neighbor's fireworks. We got quite the show right in front of our house of huge fireworks and it was just really fun! Everyone was just out on their balconies wishing one another a good new year and it was just a good time!

As far as our investigators are concerned this week...we were not able to see L. at all, so that was really sad. She was busy with the holiday and what not, but we are seeing her today! We saw T. last week and gave her her baptismal calendar and laid out clearly the things she still needs to learn before she can be baptized. Apparently she got up in church on Sunday during fast and testimony meeting(we weren't there because we go to the other ward) and announced her baptism and invited everyone to come! Let's just say she is very excited. Hopefully she can continue to keep her commitments and understand the real reasons that she needs to do it! she is progressing though and we are happy! What a special person, oh T! Haha :)

We went to Milano this week for my last Mission Counsel meeting and that was pretty weird...just that it was the last one. It was great though, just as they always are. We got some new instruction about how we are supposed to do exchanges and some things will be changing with that. it was fun to see everyone, I will attach some photos. Tomorrow is our Zone Training and I will be giving my 'Commencement Testimony' normally it is called a dying testimony but president doesn't like that because we aren't dying, we are just beginning the rest of our lives...ha either way it is weird that it is my turn to do so.

Another really crazy thing happened to us this week, but I think that one is most definitely better of saved to be told in person! It is a great story, remind me to tell you!

That's about all I have for you all! I hope you have a great week and are having a happy new year!

It's gonna be a good year!
Love
Sorella Burt

Sorella Hawks...awhhhhh. I adore her.

All the missionaries from my group that were at Consigilo...
that's 4/9 Sorelle that are going home. 

 We took this one in honor of our dear ol' Presidente Dibb...his reaction was...
"Oh you look so happy, that is very cool." Ha

Life Pondering

Hello everyone!

It feels like we just talked and I just told you all about my life...oh wait we did do that! Man, that was just so great. We'll see if I can still whip out a few more details I didn't manage to include during our wonderful little skype call. Talking to you all just reminds me how incredibly blessed I am with a wonderful family. Thank you for all you do in your personal lives to make yourselves better people and in turn strengthen each member of the family. There is a reason that the family is the central unit and essential to the plan of God. We need each other, and the Lord knows that. He gives us the exact humans to call our family members that we need and that need us during the course of our lives and throughout eternity. If you think about it, it is a pretty amazing concept! But yeah anyways after that little missionary rant...I just mean that I love you.

SO yeahhhhh like everyone surely knows this week was Christmas! Yay for Christmas. I will be completely honest and say that I am not super sad that Christmas is over...(actually it is apparently not over until the new year...Italians still sing Christmas songs after Christmas and continue to say AUGURI to everyone they come in contact with) but I am kind of glad that all the parties and food appointments are over because I can say with complete honesty that I gained so much pasta weight this week it is ridiculous. I have never eaten so much food...but especially pasta...in one week in my entire existence. Every meal was huge and every meal consists of exactly what you would think...pasta, bread, oil, meat, cheese....in large amounts and prepared in every way you could possibly imagine. They always say...if you don't like it don't eat it...but then they continuously tell you, "There's more Sorella, EAT EAT!!!" And so it continues for about 2 hours and you start going into a small food coma. Italians take their holidays seriously in the food department. It is like straight eating. You think you are done and your stomach is satisfied and then they bring out a thousand more courses and you think that you are literally going to die. We learn what it means to Endure to the End for real in this mission. You just keep going and in the end it is satisfying because you get to stop. Ha plus I never threw up so that is a miracle.

Besides all the eating, our Christmas was quite a simple one. I was really striving to focus on the purpose and just concentrate my heart on that and this year I feel like I was really able to do that. It was a special Christmas for me and for that I will forever be grateful.

Our work is going well, it is a bit rough during the Christmas and New Year season because everyone is busy with all of their parties so it makes it a bit hard to see people. But we were able to see a few people and that was good! We saw L. a couple times this week and that was wonderful. She is doing great and is progressing beautifully.

I have been doing a lot of life pondering lately...seeing as it is that time of year. It is really neat for me to think about that the year 2015 will forever be the year that I was a missionary. It will forever be a very special year where I was able to just give myself to the Lord and see what comes of it. The blessings I have seen in my life this year are way to many to count and I just feel overwhelmed with the ways that the Lord has taught me, shaped me, and blessed me in every way. I feel like this is my biggest growing year I have ever had. I don't feel like the same person I was when I started the year...that is a lie, I am the same person just a refined version. I have realized that the mission truly helps you find yourself. you learn more about yourself..about your true character, personality, flaws, quirks, weaknesses, strengthens...then you ever could any other way. You learn who you want to be and how to trust in the Lord to help you get there. It is truly an amazing feeling and I will forever be grateful to the Lord for this beautiful year that I have spent in His service!

I invite you all to ponder your life and to see what you can see!
I love you all and I hope you have a very happy New Years!
Love,
Sorella Burt

Keeping the cinnamon roll tradition alive! I make them from scratch!

Our Christmas tree

Us half asleep on Christmas morning!

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