Cosenza

Week 18

Good morning, tutti!

This week has been CAH-Razy and looking forward at the next few it's
just gonna keep going!

The beginning of this week was filled with visiting people, packing,
and meal appointments as we got ready for Sorella Pinnegar to head to
Rome. I won't tell you how many gelatos I ate during those first few
days...but let's just say we were treated to quite a few.

with Emma from English corso

One of my favorite evenings was with the Famiglia Favre...a really
strong family here in our district. They work really closely with the
missionaries, and have a soft spot for the sisters because their
daughter is serving right now in Colorado. ;) They were really close
to Sorella Pinnegar and wanted to make us a nice dinner before she
left. It was soooo good. We got to help Presidente Favre cook and it
was really fun. We had spaghetti with shrimp, calamari, and tomatoes
which was to die for. Watching him clean the squid and shrimp made me
a little nervous ahead of time haha but man that was some good pasta!

Making calamari pasta with Presidente Favre

Then Thursday was Transfer Day!! So crazy. We got Sorella Pinnegar all
to the station and on her way. It was so sad and hard to say goodbye!
We had two amazing transfers together, but we were both excited for
the new changes that were coming too.

And then Sorella Caliò arrived!! She's pretty great! Short, spunky,
and very Italian. We've got a lot of good work headed our way this
transfer and I'm really excited. It's weird adjusting to a new comp
and a new person in the house, but so far all is going great.
(She came from Battipaglia which is known for is Mozzarella di Bufula
(Buffalo Mozzarella!) and its tradition to bring some to your new city
when you are transferred! So she brought a whole bunch and I had my
first experience eating that this week as well. Sooooooo good. So
weird but so good.)

With Sorella Calio

Thursday evening we had a lesson with Michelle. She's ten years old
and her mom is a great member here. The Sorelle had tried teaching her
in the past, but the attention span just wasn't there haha. But we
started again a couple weeks ago with Sorella Pinnegar and the lessons
were going much better! And now she and Sorella Caliò seriously just
CLICKED. (I think she can just relate to her and understand her in a
way we can't!) We are excited to see her continue to progress, because
honestly, she is so ready for baptism. We are hoping for a date in the
middle of July. If she can commit to the decision, I know that it
won't be just an amazing blessing for her, but it will be a huge
blessing for her mom too as they continue to support and help each
other down the pathway of the gospel.

Besides that we had few meno attivi lessons and have just been
introducing Sorella Caliò to the city and all the wonderful people
here!

Sunday we had a West Europe Area Conference, so the missionaries from
Crotone and Catanzaro all came to Cosenza Saturday night. We did two
really good Gessos with them (one Sat and one Sun) and it was so fun
to have so many missionaries working with us in our city. (And they'll
all be back next week for District Conference too haha... Sorella
Roberts and I were laughing last night because between conferences,
scambios, and combined DDM were are literally seeing each other EVERY
WEEK this transfer! Haha.)

And right now, we're all on a bus headed to Taranto!! We'll spend PDay
there and then have Zone Conference tomorrow! Like I said, crazy
week...and it just keeps going!

This week I was reading an old talk by President Hinckley. In this
talk he is specifically addressing the young women of the church, but
I think his wise counsel about how we use our time here on earth and
how we look forwards the future is so great and applies to all of
us... He says,

"Go forward in life with a twinkle in your eye and a smile on your
face, but with great and strong purpose in your heart. Love life and
look for its opportunities...
...Never forget that you came to earth as a child of the divine
Father, with something of divinity in your very makeup. The Lord did
not send you here to fail. He did not give you life to waste it. He
bestowed upon you the gift of mortality that you might gain
experience--positive, wonderful, purposeful experience--that will lead
to life eternal."

Sometimes it is easy to forget why we are here and who were are. But I
have a firm testimony that as we remember these simple truths, our
lives will have more purpose and our hearts more peace during the
trials of this life. We are all so different...with diverse
personalities, backgrounds, and ideas. But we are all children of a
Heavenly Father who loves us, who sent us here to learn and grow, and
who will help on this journey back home to him.

President Hinckley finished up with this:
"Look to the positive. Know that He is watching over you, that He
hears your prayers and will answer them, that He loves you and will
make that love manifest. Let the Holy Spirit guide you in all that you
do as you look to become the kind of woman [or man] of whom you dream.
You can do it. You will have friends and loved ones to help. And God
will bless you as you pursue your course."

I know that this is true, and I'm so grateful for this knowledge.
I love you all and I'm forever grateful for your love, support, and
prayers. I love the members and the people here in Cosenza that I get
to serve everyday, and I'm grateful for the opportunity that I have to
be a missionary.

Love,
Sorella Carver