Ladispoli

Week 24

Buongiorno a tutti!!

This week has been great here in the lovely city of Ladispoli! It's
also flown by. Can't believe it's already Monday.

Last Monday we had a great PDay in Rome and joined up with a handful
of other missionaries to see some sites! It is crazy busy this time of
year, but it's still so amazing.

Trevi Fountain

casting coins in the Trevi Fountain

sightseeing in Rome with other Sorelle on Pday

Tuesday we had Zone Conference in Rome as well. ZC never fails to
inspire and uplift me, and I love our new mission president and his
wife, the Pickerds. They have a great work placed on their shoulders
but they handle it like no one else could. ALSO I got to see SORELLA
LEATHERN at conference who is now in my district!!! (My MTC comp!)
Holy happiness...and lots and lots of laughter. ;) So excited that we
get to see each other every week this transfer.

Sorella Moro, Leathern, Cueva, and me :)

This week we've been working hard to get to know a lot of the members
and less actives here in Ladispoli. The members here really are
amazing and want to work hard with the missionaries to share the
gospel. We set a goal to try and visit all of the members, and teach
them using the Europe Area Plan that the area leaders have put out. So
far we've had a lot of success and I'm excited to see how the rest of
this transfer goes.

Friday we went to Bracciano (a little town outside of Ladispoli) for
the day to do finding and missionary work there. We had Pranzo with
Diana, a member who lives there. She's recently married and just about
the cutest thing ever. She served a mission at Temple Square and is so
wonderful in helping us get to know the area and who were working
with. She also justifies eating gelato if we also eat salad, so we're
already great friends. ;)

She introduced us to her friend, Martina, this week. She's come to
church a few times and has started to read the Book of Mormon. We are
so excited and hope to start teaching her the lessons this week. She
is ready!!

Funny for the week:
The mamma of our ward mission leader is visiting from Messina (a
Sicilian city) and she is just the most southern Italian woman I've
ever met! Everyone calls her Mamma Giorgianni and she's hilarious. She
knows Sorella Cueva from when she served in Messina, so whenever she
sees on us Sunday she always shouts out (to not only her but me also
haha), "Ciao, gioiaaaa!!!!" And talks to both of us like she's known
us for ages. She seriously reminds me of Mamma Voodoo from Princess
and the Frog. But Italian instead of Cajun. So so great. She also
broke her arm so she's got this huge cast on that the grandkids drew
gelato on which just makes the scene that much better.

Spiritual thought for the week:
In Zone Conference this week we talked a lot about being consecrated
missionaries. Later, I read a verse in the Book of Mormon that
reminded me of the things we talked about. Omni 1:26 says,
"And now, my beloved brethren, I would that ye should come unto
Christ, who is the Holy One of Israel, and partake of his salvation,
and the power of his redemption. Yea, come unto him, and offer your
whole souls as an offering unto him, and continue in fasting and
praying, and endure to the end; and as the Lord liveth ye will be
saved."

My favorite part is the phrase that says, "...come unto him and offer
your whole souls as an offering to him..." As missionaries, we're
asked to give all our time, energy, and thoughts for a year and a half
or two years to the Lord, leaving behind worldly desires and worries.
But this invitation isn't just extended to missionaries, ALL are invited to
come unto him. As we come, and as we offer him our whole souls (all
our desires, our dreams, our will) to him and accept his will, we
become the people he needs us to be, and we are blessed with strength
and power beyond our capacity to understand.

I know the work I'm engaged in now is the Lord's. It is not always
easy. What he's asking for in that verse is a lot! I was so blessed to
be called to the Italy Rome Mission for more than one reason, but it
isn't a vacation, we're not here to study or to sight see or eat great
food. There are hard days, hard weeks, good days and good weeks. 
Times when I've never felt more capable or inspired and times when I feel
more alone than ever before. But this is the Lord's work. And he is
helping us!! He's there enduring with us, helping us every step of the
way. He always keeps his promises. I'm so grateful that for the next
part of my life I can give my whole focus to him and his work. And
though I'll eventually come home and take my name tag off, my mission
will never truly end. Once we give our will and souls to him, there's
no going back! And I'm so grateful for that. Because truthfully, there
is no better work than this in the world!

As always, thanks y'all for the continual love and support. I miss and
love you all!
Forza Italia e vi voglio un mondo di bene!

Con amore,
Sorella Kaitlin Carver

P.S.
The mission mailing address has changed....just a heads up! It's now:
Piazza Monte Gemma 9
00141 Roma
Italia

Cosenza

Week 23

Me ne vado via!

One thing I've learned...
Is that you just never know and changes are a part of life (especially
in the mission!).

Whooooo hheeeee this has been CRAZY.

This week up until Friday was fairly normal! Our less actives and
members are doing well and we got some really good work done. Friday
we had the Crotone Sorelle in town, and early Saturday morning we
headed to Paola to put Sorella Roberts on a train up to Rome. She's
finished the mish and headed home with honor! Then the plan was for
Sorella Dustin to stay with us in Cosenza until Thursday (transfer
day).

However. Saturday was Transfer Call day, and we were called ON THE WAY
TO THE TRAIN STATION as we carried two big ol suitcases in 98 degree
weather. It was an adventure y'all!

And for the news:::
As sad as I'm am to say I have to leave Cosenza, I'm excited to also
say that I'm headed to LIDISPOLI!! (A small city on the coast near
Rome!) I will miss Calabria and all the crazy experiences I've had
here. This zone is were I started my mission, and it'll always have a
special place in my heart! But I know it's time to move on and do the
lords work for me in another area of Italy.
My new companion will be Sorella Cueva, a South American/Italian and
we will be "blowing in" the city....mish terms for when both Sorelle
leave and two brand new ones come in! To say I'm nervous is an
understatement, but it'll just be another adventure. ;)

Sorella Sargent (and MTC Sorella from my group) will come and take my
place! Andddd Sorella Dustin (who thought she was staying for sure in
Crotone) is ALSO being blow out! She's headed to Sardegna!

So long story slightly shorter... Our whole mission will be flipped
around next Thursday!! Quite literally. (There are 75 companionships
and 72 of them are changing. )

Saturday afternoon we headed to Crotone last minute so Sorella Dustin
can start packing and getting ready for the blowout. So much to do and
so little time! We'll be here until Tuesday morning, then we'll head
back to Cosenza and it'll be my turn to say goodbye to people, pack,
and get ready to go on Thursday!

All of this change and experience has made me think often of the
scripture that says "Wherefore, be of good cheer, and do not fear, for
I the Lord am with you, and will stand by you; and ye shall bear
record of me, even Jesus Christ, that I am the Son of the living God,
that I was, that I am, and that I am to come." D&C 68) I know that
this is true, and that all of us have this help and promise! I've got
it as I face big changes and new experiences in the mission, and each
of you with all the things you're facing. He is with you. And he will
stand by you.

I love you all and I'm grateful for you all!

Love,
Sorella Kaitlin Carver

4th of July Festa prep

4th of July Festa with branch

Gelato :)

Cosenza

Week 22

( Written on July 4, 2016)

Happy Lunedi and Fourth of July, everyone! 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

It feels weird that it's PDay already since we just had it last Wednesday. Feels like not much has happened since, but in reality, we've done so much!

Meeting President Pickerd Thursday was SO great. As soon as he walked in the room filled with all the missionaries from the Bari and Taranto Zones, we could feel his love and care for each of us. He really is filled with the spirit and has the authority necessary to fill the big shoes that this calling is giving him, I'm excited to see the things that he and Sorella Pickerd do for this mission. 

Bari/Taranto Zone Conference with Pres & Sister Pickerd

With Sorella Hess and Anziani we knew in the MTC

While in Bari, Sorella Hess and I were reunited with two Anziani from our MTC group! It was so fun to be all together again and see how much growth and progress we've all made!

We returned home LATE Thursday night, and then Friday was full with a great trip to Amantea to teach two less active sisters who live there. (We had a lot time before our first appointment, so of course we stopped to take a photo at the beach! ;)) Our lessons went really well with Sorella Pignataro and Leone. It's hard to see faithful members who live so far away from church with out a car, or have family members opposed to the church, or health problems...whatever it may be, but have such a great desire to be the best members they can be and continue to have a testimony of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. One day I know the church here will be big, because it's continually growing, and it's my hope that they will receive the blessings one day of full activity in the church! 

Saturday we did some service for a member who has been in and out of the hospital for a couple weeks and had a lovely dinner appointment with Sorella Minieri. We also spent a lot of Saturday and Sunday getting ready for a Fourth of July Festa that we (missionaries) planned together for the ward tonight. The Anziani are barbecuing hamburgers, we decked out the church in red white and blue, and we're all going to watch Meet the Mormons together! We're doing all we can to build branch unity here and bring the members together, so we are hoping that this festa will help us! We're excited!! 

So two really exciting things happened this week:

Yesterday was my five month mark as a missionary! I can't believe so much time has passed already... As I looked back at how much I've learned and experienced in the past five months, I can't help but be excited for the next (and be a little scared by how fast this is all going! 😳)

AND I finished the Book of Mormon for the first time during the mission this week! I started while I was in the MTC and have loved every minute I have been studying it since. As missionaries, obviously we are asked to spend serious time studying it, because it's one of our greatest tools/resources in our work. But honestly, this time through reading it, I learned so much and felt so much. 

One of my favorite verses in the entire Book of Mormon is 2 Nephi 25:26...

"And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins"

I know that this book contains the fullness of the gospel and is another testament of Jesus Chirst. But reading it, I came to know for myself the Christ lives, he is our savior and redeemer, our advocate with the Father, and that His gospel truly has been restored here upon the earth in these latter days. I'm so grateful to have this testimony and the opportunity to read the Book of Mormon everyday. I know that if we study it with real intent (meaning we will then act on the answers and guidance we receive) we will feel peace and joy and this life and have hope and faith for the life to come. 

If you haven't read the Book of Mormon, I hope you will accept the invitation to read it. It will change your life for the better! If you've read it, continue to read it. It will continue to mold and shape us into better people and more effective instruments of our Father in Heaven.

Sending love and hoping you all have a wonderful week!

Love,

Sorella Kaitlin Carver 

Cosenza

Week 21

(Written June 29, 2016)

Buongiorno a tutti! 

It's currently 6:30am and I'm on a bus headed to Taranto. We've been up since four...SO this email might be a little bit more all over the place than they normally are.... 😜 Haha just a little forewarning!

How do I even describe this week?!! It's been crazy!

I'll just work backwards from today and hit some highlights.

Our new mission president (President Pickerd) came in this week, so we are headed to Taranto for PDay today with the whole zone, and then tomorrow we'll all heading to Bari for a special conference with him so we can meet him for the first time! We're all super excited! 

This week we have been focusing on working with members and less actives. Our little branch here needs some serious strengthening! So we've had some fun experiences with that this week. 

Yesterday we had Pranzo with Sorella Spizzirri, a really strong member here. Her daughter also was there, who is an inactive member. It was such a fun time with them. We weren't expecting the daughter to be there, but it was interesting to see how the little "spiritual thought" we had prepared for Sorella Spizzirri really worked perfectly for both of them. The spirit was really strong and we were all strengthened and edified together.

Last Friday we were invited by a sister in the branch to go "gather strawberries" with her. We really didn't understand what this activity was going to be exactly haha so we showed up at the meeting point in our skirts and flats and Sorella Fillipelli just gave us a glance and said, "You're picking strawberries in that?!" So she drove us home really fast, we changed into more appropriate clothes, and headed for the mountains with her, another Sorella (Zicharelli), and Sorella Fillipelli's non member grandson Luigi. We spent un bel po' di tempo together and picked a handful of the tiniest, most delicious strawberries I have EVER eaten.

While we were eating panini at Sorella Fillipelli's house, Sorella Zicharelli and Luigi were sitting next to each other, and I guess they accidentally touched feet or something, haha and Sorella Zicharelli (an elderly, 4 foot tall woman) shouts out "PIEDINI!!! Oh no! Piedini!" For a second I was so confused, but then she said something else like "I'm so sorry, Luigi, and I didn't mean to do that to you. I'm way too old for you!" And then it hit me. Hahahaha Italians have their version of Footsies too!! It was so hilarious and once I connected the dots Sorella Caliò and I couldn't stop laughing for a good five minutes.

Last Wednesday we also had a Scambio at Crotone! It was so good. On the way there the sunrise was SO beautiful. Sorella Dustin and I were together this time and we learned a lot from each other and had a great time while doing it! We're both really new in the mission but we work really well together and play off each other's strengths. Missionaries always argue that they have the best mission in the world, but I can argue that I'm in the best mission in the world WITH the best Sorelle in the world too. 😉

ALSO we went to teach a member at her store during lo Scambio and GUESS WHAT? She had huge jars of PEANUT BUTTER FOR €3,50!!!! You better believe we went back during Pranzo the next day and bought some. Hahah four months without peanut butter is toooo long (secondo me...😉) So now we've each got a jar and I'm making mine last as looooong as I can. That may have been the greatest (unspiritual) highlight of this past week for this missionary. 😍

So like I said, this week (and a half) has been kind of all over the place...! But one thing that has continually come to mind this week is the scripture in The Book of Mormon, in Alma Chapter 30:

"...all things denote there is a God; yea, even the earth, and all things that are upon the face of it, yea, and its motion, yea, and also all the planets which move in their regular form do witness that there is a Supreme Creator."

Whether it's been early morning sunrises on a Pullman, Lungo Mare at Crotone, or high up on the mountainsides of Cosenza picking strawberries, this week I've seen the beauty in the world around us, and for me, all these things say that there is an all powerful, all knowing God, who watches over us and cares for us more than we can comprehend. All we are and all we have is from him. 

I'm trying to do better everyday to recognize those quite moments or the beautiful creations that I'm so lucky to enjoy, and then take a second to thank him. For me this helps me recognize more my abundant blessings and the hand of the Lord in my life. I know he lives, I know he loves us, and I know that he blesses us in more ways than we can recognize. I'm so grateful to be here in such a beautiful part of the world doing my best to serve him and help others feel his love also.

Thank you all for your prayers and love! Vi voglio un mondo di bene! 

Sorella Carver

Cosenza

Week 20

(Written June 20, 2016)

Hello y'all!

This week has been....quite the week.
The work continues to roll forward though and I'm continually amazed
by the tender mercies of the Lord! I'm so grateful I get to serve him
and see these things everyday.

Favorite Moment of the Week:
We have a few regulars at English Course, and one of them is Domenico,
an older gentleman who works so so hard to learn every time! He's
hilarious, too. This week were having our discussion in English and he
always pitches in and participates. During a discussion about the word
"message" it somehow got turned into "massage" and he blurts out "My
dogs they like massage!" I about died.
Then a little bit later he starts to ask a question, but instead of
saying "I forgot..." He says "I'm dimenticated..." (using the Italian
verb "dimenticare"). Again, dying.
Oh boy...Corso D'Inglese never fails to make me laugh. :)

Spiritual Thought for the Week:
This week I learned a lot about the power of our words. I read a talk
by Elder Jeffery R. Holland called "The Tongue Of Angels." Holy cow.
So good.

He says:
“The spirit of the gospel is optimistic; it trusts in God and looks on
the bright side of things. The opposite or pessimistic spirit drags
men down and away from God, looks on the dark side, murmurs,
complains, and is slow to yield obedience.” We should honor the
Savior’s declaration to “be of good cheer.” (Indeed, it seems to me we
may be more guilty of breaking that commandment than almost any
other!) Speak hopefully. Speak encouragingly, including about
yourself. Try not to complain and moan incessantly. As someone once
said, “Even in the golden age of civilization someone undoubtedly
grumbled that everything looked too yellow.”
Yes, life has its problems, and yes, there are negative things to
face, but please accept one of Elder Holland’s maxims for living--no
misfortune is so bad that whining about it won’t make it worse."

How true that is. Our words have so much power, on ourselves and also
on those around us. They can make a world of a difference in any
situation... For better or for worse! I strongly encourage you to read
his full talk, because these little quotes don't do it justice. I
learned so much about things I can improve in myself!

Elder Holland continues:
"So, brothers and sisters, in this long eternal quest to be more like
our Savior, may we try to be “perfect” men and women in at least this
one way now--by offending not in word, or more positively put, by
speaking with a new tongue, the tongue of angels. Our words, like our
deeds, should be filled with faith and hope and charity, the three
great Christian imperatives so desperately needed in the world today.
With such words, spoken under the influence of the Spirit, tears can
be dried, hearts can be healed, lives can be elevated, hope can
return, confidence can prevail."


We use our words to communicate, and like he said, things can be
changed for the better when we use words filled with faith and hope
and charity. Another way we use our words is to communicate with our
Father in Heaven. Prayer is our line to him.
I love the counsel of our prophet, President Thomas S. Monson, who
said: “To those within the sound of my voice who are struggling with
challenges and difficulties large and small, prayer is the provider of
spiritual strength; it is the passport to peace. Prayer is the means
by which we approach our Father in Heaven, who loves us. Speak to Him
in prayer and then listen for the answer. Miracles are wrought through
prayer."

I know this is true. I know that miracles happen when we use our
tongue to uplift, encourage, and speak peacefully. When we approach
Heavenly Father in humble prayer, he takes our words, our needs, and
our desires, and helps us in our day to day lives.

I love you all and I'm grateful for your continual love and support!
Vi voglio tanto bene!

Sorella Carver

Sunrise on the way to Crotone

Cosenza

Week 19

(Written June 13, 2016)

Hello everyone!

Mamma mia where do I even begin with this week?! So much has happened
and so many miracles have been had. This week's email will be short
though haha because it's been a little bit crazy of PDay also haha.
Tuesday was Zone Conference at Taranto. Conference was so great! I
love all of the missionaries in our zone so much.
After that, We were supposed to catch the two thirty bus that
afternoon to head home to Cosenza, but the bus never showed
up....(Apparently if no one buys a ticket in advance, it doesn't come
to the stop! But we had always bought them straight on the bus, so we
had no idea!)
By the time we figured that out...it was already almost 4. The next
bus wasn't until 8! Because the missionaries live so far from the
station, it made more sense to wait there than to try and go do
anything else.
So we (Sorella Caliò, Anziano Stanley, and Anziano Nessen) waited.
For four hours.
At the bus stop.
And then we didn't get home until 11:40. Wayyyyyy past our bedtime. ;)
It was an interesting adventure to say in the least.

And from there the week just got even crazier! We have two new people
we have begun teaching this week and one of them is named Mirella. It was
kind of a miracle how we met her! She is so sweet and came to church
with us this Sunday. I'm so excited to see how this week goes with
her!

This Sunday we had District Conference (like Stake Conference but way
way smaller haha) and it was super good! A little bittersweet because
it was the last time we will see President and Sorella Waddoups before
they go home at the end of this month. The talks were wonderful
however, and it was so good to be all together with all the members in
our district! We had people here from Catanzaro, Crotone, Reggio
Calabria, and Cosenza. It was amazing to see us all come together. In
this area we may be small as a church, but we are strong.

This week I want to share a part of a scripture form the Book of
Mormon, in 3 Nephi 27:27. In this verse Christ is speaking. It says,
"Therefore, what manner of men ought ye to be? Verily I say unto you,
even as I am."

I'd like bear my testimony that I know that Christ lives. He is our
perfect example. While life is hard and there are always challenges to
face, if we choose to follow Christ, we cannot go wrong. Everyday we
need to learn of him and seek to follow his teachings. By following
his gospel, we will be able to return home to our Heavenly Father and
receive all the blessings that he wants to give us. The peace and the
comfort that I have received from this is the reason I am here in
Italy sharing (to the best of my ability!) the glorious news of the
gospel.

Thank you for the prayers and the support you give me every week. I'm
so grateful for you all!

Sending love,
Sorella Carver