Currently Kaitlin: Palermo

Week 42

(written on 28 Nov 2016)

Hello everyone!!

*after weeks of three liner emails, this one might take the record in longness. 😬 To get to the best part, just skip down to the part about being a light and the picutres...But don't skip that 😏*

Well, our first full week here in Palermo is done and we had such a great time! It was hands down one of the most event filled, craziest weeks ever, but we loved it!

Tuesday: Our sweet senior couple, the Garretts, made all the missionaries in these two districts a Thanksgiving meal. It. Was. Amazing. They went all out and we felt so loved and at home! We also taught our first English Course class here in Palermo that night. English Course is one of my favorite things on the mission, and this group didn't fail to make me laugh. We had a lot of fun and I can't wait to keep working with these people!

Wednesday: Wednesday morning was really awesome. We volunteered at a center for youth with one of the brothers from the Ward. He volunteers at the center every week, teaching English to middle school aged kids who have been kicked out of school and come from rough homes. This center gives them the opportunity to keep studying, take the exams to get into Scuola Superiore, and provide them with a good support system and positive influences. These kids are so wild and rambunctious, but they have a light about them and just need some loving care. We plan to keep working with them every Wednesday morning, and I'm super excited about this opportunity to serve. We also visited a sweet old sorella from our Ward Wednesday evening, Sorella Siragusa. Seriously ancient, speaking half Spanish and throwing past remote while leaving off the middle of some words, BUT just full of love and hope. Her husband is ailing quickly, and it's hard for them to move around, but she loves the light we bring into her home, and her face was so smiley when she saw us in church on Sunday.

Thursday: THANKSGIVING! Seriously one of the most memorable Thanksgivings of my life. We had a pranzo appointment planned with some members, so we headed up to a small piazzino by bus, and they came to pick us up from there. (It's a husband and wife, with there two grown daughters, one of whom is married and lives there with her hubby). This family, the Albaneses, live CLEAR up in the mountains of Palermo, and its absolutely beautiful. We loved getting to know them and talking with them about how we could help them fulfill their missionary responsibilities. They also surprised us with home made pumpkin pie!!! That right there made me want to cry. It was a good day. And THEN. That night at English Course, as we're laughing at the Italians pronouncing English Christmas words, Zina (a woman we found last week) walks in with a HOMEMADE CAKE for us, saying she knew it was hard for us to be away from family on a holiday (she's from Russia!) and so she made a cake to help us feel better. Seriously. These people. I love them all with all my heart. We are working with her and building trust, and hope to share more of our message with her this week. :)

Friday: A member visit to the Aloisio family, and then a miracle where we get a media referral on our iPad, go to hunt this person out, and end up finding and teaching her and her sister. Grazia and Rosi. I'm still unsure and dumbfounded about HOW they found out about the church exactly and requested a BOM, but all I know is it was a huge miracle and blessing for us to be able to teach them. We plan to go back tomorrow and continue to try and share our message with them

Saturday: This was one of those days where you're like, "Heavenly Father....we're trying. But we're not exactly sure what you want us to be doing right now....?!" Blow ins bring a lot of those days, I just have to keep reminding myself. As we figure out good finding spots, who's home when, etc. etc. But! We did our best and we kept going. We did, though, on our way to find an old investigator, go through an open street market. IT WAS A WHOLE NOTHER WORLD. Aboslutely insane. People shouting, whole swordfishes laying on tables, and fresh fruit everywhere. When we got out to the Main Street again, Sorella Ferre and I just kind of looked at each other like..."Uh what just happened?!"

Sunday: HAHA. This was ONE OF THE MOST CRAZIEST SABBATHS OF MY MISSION. I loved it all. We thought church started at 9, so we get there at 8:30. Good thing though, because he church was left a MESS from Stake Conference the previous week. So we get to working stacking and sweeping and cleaning. Nine a clock rolls around and no members have shown up. Mormon standard Time in Italy is even worse, but there should have been AT LEAST ONE OTHER PERSON, RIGHT?! Not even the Anziani were there. Then they show up, and they're like, yeah it's 9:30, Sorelle. Oops. Haha. THEN, it's the Primary Program (when all the kids speak and sing in Sacrament Meeting) but there's only five primary kids in the Ward. So. As Sorelle, we sang in the primary program. 😳😬 To give it some more "umph" as Sorella Aloisio said. Haha. It was really really funny. We were just hiding behind these kids and trying our best to remember these primary songs from back in our days, and them sing them in Italian. Not sure we helped at all, but we did out best. During our second hour of sacrament meeting (yes....we have twooooo 😏😏) we played the piano (first time in at least four months I've sat down behind a piano...it was rough), lead the music, and gave 5 minute talks (that the branch president asked us to give two minutes before the meeting) IN ENGLISH, MAMMA MIA, I can't speak anymore.

Needless to say, we walked away from the church building tired, hungry, but so so happy. There is nothing quite like giving it your all to serve others and seeing them receive blessings, especially on the Lords special day.

In fact, this year for Christmas, the church has created an initiative for all church members and people all over the world alike. In English, it's "Light the World" and in Italian, "Sii una Luce". I AM IN LOVE WITH THIS IDEA.

First: click this link and watch the video. https://www.mormon.org/christmas/light-the-world?play=hero

Next: cry like I did during personal study because it's just so beautiful and pulls the heart strings every time.

Then: Act. Twenty five days. Twenty five ways to serve like Christ, to be his hands, to help our fellow brothers and sisters. Sorella Ferre and I have decided to follow this "advent calendar" everyday and I can't wait to get started.

This morning, she shared with me this quote from Elder Bednar's recent conference talk.

"We come to know the Savior as we do our best to go where He wants us to go, as we strive to say what He wants us to say, and as we become what He wants us to become. As we submissively acknowledge our total dependence upon Him, He enlarges our capacity to serve ever more effectively. Gradually, our desires align more completely with His desires, and His purposes become our purposes, such that we would “not ask that which is contrary to [His] will.”

"Serving Him requires all of our heart, might, mind, and strength. Consequently, selflessly serving others counteracts the self-centered and selfish tendencies of the natural man. We grow to love those whom we serve. And because serving others is serving God, we grow to love Him and our brothers and sisters more deeply. Such love is a manifestation of the spiritual gift of charity, even the pure love of Christ."

Missionary service is the most exhausting, tiring, and draining thing I have done. But it's also the most fulfilling, joy-filled, and inspiring thing ever. I have grown to know my Savior more in the past ten months then ever in my life, and as I reach out to serve others daily, my heart is filled with compassion for them and for this work that we have been called to do. I have never felt so purpose-filled and driven than when I am in the service of others, be it in the mission or at home.

I invite you all to watch this video and ponder about the things you can do, not only in the next twenty five days, but EVERYDAY, to serve Christ and our fellow siblings here on the earth. I promise you life will be filled with more light, and you will in turn, LIGHT THE WORLD.

We can truly essere una luce.

Vi voglio un mondo di bene! Grazie per il vostro sostengo e le vostre preghiere!

Sorella Carver