Cosenza

Week 16

Hello!

We've had a great and busy week here in lovely Cosenza!

We spent some time in Crotone for Scambio and a combined DDM, we had
lots of visits with less actives this week, and we had two members
give us names of people/friends they knew that might be interested in
meeting with us! All in all its been a great week, with lots of
promise for next week too. :) This transfer is cut short, so we
actually receive transfer calls THIS Saturday! Crazy how fast it's
gone!! We are betting that Sorella Pinnegar is moving on (seeing how
she's been here NINE months already!!) but other that that were not
sure what will happen! Vediamo!

Funny Italian experience number 2389: yesterday we set aside an hour
to finish up our weekly planning session (that was cut short because
we were in Crotone Friday). We had a list of about 10 people to call
to confirm or set appointments for this week, in priority order of
like who we needed to call first so we could tell the next person when
we were free, etc, etc... Anyways... We sit down and get work, and I
kid you not, every person said basically "Sì, si!" when we asked if we
could see them, and then when we asked when they'd say "Uhhh... Non lo
so... Ci sentiamo, okay, va bene??" ("Don't know, we'll hear from each
other, okay?")
....it's the Italian lifestyle.
....Va bene.
Haha we tried and it all works out when you're doing your best and
you're on Lord's errand, right?! Right! ;)

This week we used a lot of finding time ringing citofonos and knocking
on doors trying to talk to people. :) We were in a part of Cosenza
that we had never tried before and as we were going from Palazzo to
Palazzo I noticed how beautiful each door was! Intricate and detailed,
dark wood or brightly painted. (I will try to send some pictures -
we have really terrible Internet!) As we knocked on each door or
rang each name on the citofono, I was reminded of the painting of the
Savior knocking on the door that doesn't have a handle on the outside,
showing that we must open the door, as the ones inside.

 Later, I read this scripture from Revelations 3:20

"Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and
open the door, I will come in to him..."

Little thought I had about these two things... We all have doors to
our very different and very unique lives. But Jesus Christ, as our
brother, Savior, and Redeemer, stands at the door, knocking, waiting
for each of us to open. We are the only ones who have the ability to
do that!

We have busy lives filled with things to do and places to be.
Sometimes we are burdened down by the amount we need to do or the
tasks that are before us. But Christ has told us,
"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in
heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy,
and my burden is light." (Matthew 11:28-30)

I know at as we come unto Christ, we open the door for Him to do His
work and miracles in our lives. The way we do this is through learning of
Him and keeping those small and simple commandments that hold so much
power: scripture study, church attendance, and sincere prayer...by
coming unto him and making room for Him every day. If we do this, we
are promised rest. Rest from the things of the world that weigh us
down, and peace of mind, knowing that with Him we can do all we need
to do. I know that this is true, and this is why I'm here sharing what
I know and want so badly for others!

I love you all and I'm grateful for your love. The experiences I'm
having here are amazing, Italia is lovely, and the people here are
wonderful. (And sometimes crazy and hard to set appointments
with...but simply wonderful!) ❤️

Hoping you all have a great week!

Lots of love,
Sorella Carver

Homemade Gnocchi!

Citta Vecchia

Cosenza

Week 15

Hello, carissimi!

An appropriate summary for this week would be "April flowers bring may
showers..." I think Cosenza may be more weather moody than Gulf
Breeze! The sun has finally come out today though, and we are hoping
for it to staying that way for the rest of this week!

Twirling with Marlysa

On Tuesday we headed to Taranto again for another Zone Conference.
Conference was WONDERFUL! Learned so much about being an effective
missionary and had a great time with the other missionaries. (Also!
For those who know Sister Brooke Bertaldo... Her brother just got
transferred into my area! So I got to meet him and that was cool.)

Thursday morning we were back in Cosenza and bright and early we
headed to the Questura (police station/government building) for my
Permesso Di Soggiorno appointment. It was NUTS. I thought the DMV was
bad at home...we waited at the Questura for 3 HOURS. But several
fingerprints and a few signatures later, we made it through, and I'm
officially legally allowed to stay here in Italy. We have to go back
later to pick up my actual ID card (I've been carrying around a folder
of "receipts" and photocopies of my passport for the past two months!)
but it was a relief to be all through with that!

Other news for this week: I made my first phone call in Italian! That was fun.

This Sunday we taught a lesson in Sunday School on the importance of
work. As missionaries, we are responsible for the time given to us
everyday to do this work. We must work with diligence and we need to not
just "fill the time" but "dominate the day." This is one of the things
we talked a lot about at Zone Conference that I really loved.

President David O. McKay said, “Let us realize that the privilege to
work is a gift, that the power to work is a blessing, that the love of
work is success.”

When I think of an example of a hard worker, I think of my daddy.
Whenever we were doing chores, yard work, or any other kind of task as
kids and we were struggling with it, he would often say, "Gotta put
some elbow grease in it!" (One of my favorite memories of this is when
I was learning how to change my car oil for the first time... Grease.
Literally. Everywhere. That saying took on a whole new meaning that
day haha)

Diligence and hard work are important things in this life. Without
them, we accomplish nothing. With them, we can overcome anything. The
way we use our time, gifts, and talents during our life is one of the
many ways we can show love to our Heavenly Father.

But like President McKay said, it's not just work...but the love of
work that brings success. Our attitude and disposition play a huge
role in our end happiness and the results of our work. When I thought
about this on Sunday, I thought about this past week and the work I
had done. While as missionaries things rarely pan out as planned, we
have to keep a happy and cheerful disposition. We have to work as hard
as we can. And we have to enjoy the journey.

In D&C 123 we read:

"Therefore, that we should waste and wear out our lives in bringing to
light all the hidden things of darkness, wherein we know them; and
they are truly manifest from heaven...
Therefore, dearly beloved brethren, let us cheerfully do all things
that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost
assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be
revealed."

Now obviously this applies to other forms of work than just missionary
work!! School work, jobs, service, church callings, family
responsibilities...the list could go on and on. My commitment to
myself this week (and to all of you as well!) is to remember to rub
some elbow grease in all the tough things I have to do, to look for
the good in every situation, and to "cheerfully do all things that lie
in my power"!

I'm grateful that everyday for this short period of my life I get to
do missionary work. I know that as I "invite others to come unto
Christ," I'm helping Him accomplish His work. He knows each and every
one of us. He is aware of our situations and the work we are doing and
stands ready to help us. As a representative of Jesus Christ and His
church, I bear testimony that He lives, He is our Savior, and He loves
us.

I love you all. Thank you for your prayers and support.

Sending lots of love,
Sorella Carver

Cosenza

Week 14

Ciao, everyone!

This week has been so so great. Probably one of the best in my mission so far! Just keeps getting better and better.

We've had a week full of miracles, to stay in the least! This week we focused a lot on working with our less active church members, strengthening and helping them.
We had a lot of really good lessons and a lot of good relationships built with them.

One of my favorites was with Sorella Scalera. She is a miracle in and of herself! We were able to come in contact with her a few weeks ago, but we could never find her house before that. This week, instead of meeting us at a Piazzo, she actually showed us where she lived, took us in, made us food (of course), and let us share a little spiritual thought with her. It was a really amazing afternoon! Now that we have visited with her a few times we are really hoping we can continue to build our friendship with her, help another sister in the branch fellowship her, and continue to grow her testimony and desire to return to church.

We also got to visit a few other sisters and families. Some of my favorite were with Sorella Minieri (nicest and calmest lady I've ever met), Sorella Tamara (Dad-she's from Russia and when I told her you served in Russia she got so excited. She's from Saratov, and she said Samara is right near by...? She's amazing.), and la famiglia Lopez (who just received news Tuesday that two girls they have been trying adopt for a year have been cleared by the judge for their adoption...I've never seen them more happy!).

Another miracle we saw happened Friday night. Most members and others we visit like to have us come visit during the week, so the weekend is usually spent doing finding. Friday night we walked all over Cosenza doing casa a casa, ringing citofono after citofono with no luck. We ended up near a street, and Sorella P said that in a complex a little ways down the street, a women lived that she had taught a lesson to once but hadn't been able to meet again because she was too busy a few months ago. We decided to give it a try and see if we could find her again. We didn't know her name, so we rang a few buttons on the citofono, until someone said "va bene" and opened the door to the building. Not knowing which house had let us in, we started knocking doors, again with no luck. We had two doors left, and we were thinking like its late, we should probably start heading back...but we decided to finish the doors in the building anyways. We get to the last door on the top floor and knocked... 

And low and behold... The woman Sorella P knew answers the door and says basically, "What took you guys so long to get up here?! I've been waiting!" :) Her name is Manuela! She has three small children, she's really young, and is a widow. She is SO SO nice. We shared with her a Mormon message video, and she agreed to meet with us again if we call and reconfirm again an appointment with her. We are hoping and praying that we get in touch with her this week. I know the gospel can bless her life and her family so much.

And the last miracle but DEFINITELY not the least...MOTHERS DAY.

As missionaries we are allowed two phone calls or skype calls home a year, typically Mother's Day and Christmas. However, the Internet in the Church has been out for a couple of weeks, and things weren't looking good come Saturday. Most members don't have Internet, and the one family that does was in the process of getting theirs fixed also. I was totally and completely prepared to not be able to skype this week. I was so so sad, even though I knew we would be able to push it off to another day. 

I knew before, but now I know for sure one thing: Heavenly Father loves the mothers in this world, and wants them to be able to talk to their babies on Mother's Day. 

The Lopez Family miraculously got their internet fixed Saturday night. 

They are so kind and loving to the missionaries, and as soon as it was fixed the first thing they did was call us and invite us over so we could skype on Mothers Day. I'm so grateful for them, for modern technology, and the amazing time I had talking to my family. We were able to get a three way skype going so we could all be "there", the connection worked great, and it felt like the happiest hour of my life.

Mother's Day Skype with Dad in Michigan, Momma and kiddos in Florida

Today I want to share with you my testimony that I know that families are meant to be together forever. I miss home a lot, but I've never felt more at home than when I was talking with my family, even though I'm across a huge ocean and seven hours ahead in time. The family is central to our Heavenly Father's plan for us. They help us learn, grow, and provide support for us in the good and the bad times. 

And what would families be without mothers?! President Thomas S. Monson said,

“May each of us treasure this truth; one cannot forget mother and remember God. One cannot remember mother and forget God. Why? Because these two sacred persons, God and [our earthly] mother, partners in creation, in love, in sacrifice, in service, are as one.”

I cannot adequately describe how grateful I am for my mother. I appreciate her more and more everyday, and think of her example and teachings whenever I need support or help. She has been my biggest role model, someone I can always turn to for love, and one of my best friends. I strive each day to become like her, and I only hope I can be the mother she has been for me for my future children. I look forward so much to the day when I can be a mother and love my children as much as she loves me.

I'm grateful also for all the "mothers" in my life - grandmothers, YW leaders, teachers, friends, friends' mothers, and any one who has shaped and molded me into the person I am today. Thank you. You are all so amazing. Happy (late) Mother's Day to all!

I love you all and hope you all have a wonderful week ahead of you!

Much love,

Sorella Carver

Cosenza

Week 13

Buongiorno everyone!

I'm sorry my email titles are so lame. It's a bit embarrassing. I need
to start being more creative than three to four word alliterations,
week after week. I need an email-title-generator or something. Jacob,
maybe you could put your creative juices together and whip something
up? ;)

Well this week has been...interesting... But then again, when is
missionary work not interesting?!

To start out, last Monday was some sort of Festa nationally celebrated
in Italy. When Italians celebrate (which is often), they celebrate.
This means 99% of stores are closed and public transportation is
barely functioning.
Unfortunately, it happened that on this Monday we had to travel to
Crotone again. Sorella Muçe's companion had finished her mission, and
she was now companion-less. We had planned to spend until Thursday
(transfer day) there with her and help her prepare to transfer to
Siracusa.
In a lovely turn of events, we stopped in just about every city in
Calabria before we got to Crotone. No joke. But we made it. It was
quite a day! :)

We ended up have a great week in Crotone. There was a lot of service
to be done to help Sorella Muçe get ready (she had a foot injury they
were trying to let heal, and was told she wasn't supposed to walk as
much as possible until transfers! Makes it hard to pack and do
missionary work if you can't walk!).

Saying Good-bye to Sorella Muce

Because we hadn't been in Cosenza for most of the week, we were
looking forward to going home and getting to work in our city.
We got in late Thursday afternoon, visited with a meno attiva sorella
(Sorella Scalera - she is so wonderful, and we just found/met her a
couple weeks ago... Hoping we can continue to build this relationship
and trust!) and then headed to the church that night because there was
a branch festa for a Sorella who had just finished her mission and was
coming to visit with her family! (Again with the festas.... Haha)

And then things were seeming really great, but...
You know that feeling when you know you're about to get a fever? Your
head feels all pressurized haha and you are so cold... Or does that
just happen to me?
I think with all the traveling to and from Crotone, the new town and
lots of hand shaking, lack of vegetables (no joke), and the cold
front/huge change in weather we had, my body just threw in the towel
and was saying, "Sorella Carver. I'm dying."

Cosenza

Week 12

Ciao everybody! 

I hope y'all have had a fantastic week! This weeks been kinda crazy for us. We were in Crotone on Tuesday and Wednesday for a meeting and to do some work with the sisters there. It was a really good time and we got a lot done! 

Thursday we were back in Cosenza and had a great rest of the week. Between three days, we hadfour meal/pizza appointments, so that was rough, but we survived and had a pretty good time doing it :) 

My favorite was the Pranzo we had with Sorella Spadafora. She is a widow in our ward who LOVES to cook. We had planned to just go over and share a little message with her and see how she was doing, but when we showed up, she had already started to make food and told us we had to stay so she could teach us! It was really sweet. She dressed us up in cute aprons and made sure to walk us through each step and share her kitchen wisdom with us. 

Cooking with Sorella Spadafora

Thursday we also had corso d'inglese again, and it was nice to see all of the students we had missed on Tuesday! 

Saturday a Sister in the ward invited some members over for pizza and invited the missionaries as well. Our ward is tiny and a little bit crazy, but they are all really awesome. I had a really fun time just being with them! We played Jenga with the Anziani and Michele, ate way too much food, and continued to build some really awesome friendships. The apartment was pretty small and there were about 15 of us there...everybody was talking really loud (normal for Italians ;)) and with all the food on the table, it reminded me of one of our large family craw fish boils or something in Alabama with the Carver fam! Fun times... :) 

Best news of the week: Transfer Calls!!! (Every six weeks we get a call from the mission president telling us whether we will stay in our area for another transfer or if we are moving to a new location.) Both Sorella Pinnegar and I are staying!!! It was kinda a given for me, but seeing how Sorella P has been here for 7 months already we were skeptical she would stay! But we're both really happy to be finishing my training together in the beautiful city of Cosenza! 

(By the end of this transfer though...she will have spent half of her mission in Cosenza!!!! 😳) 

And right now we're on a train (...going right along the beautiful oceanside 😍😍❤️ Italy is so so beautiful...) to Crotone once again! One of the Sorelle's companions finished her mission this transfer, so she is comp-less right now and we will be spending the week with her there until transfer day on Thursday. Once again, it's going to be a crazy week!! 

On the train to Crotone

Funny for the week: If there are two things Italians have a hard time saying, it's "Carver" and "Florida". I might not even be able to say my name right by the end of my mission. ;) "CaaaaaaveRR" Hahaha. And when someone asks where I'm from, and I say Florida, they're reaction is ALWAYS, "Florida?!?...Miami!!!!!" I've learned not to explain that my hometown is actually as far away from Miami as you can get, but just to agree and say, "Yes, I live close to Miami...." ;) 

Spiritual thought for the week:

This week I was reading in Mosiah Chapter 2 of the Book of Mormon. In this chapter there is a king, King Benjamin, who is very old and about to pass away wants to leave his people with a final message. 

Verse 30 says:

"For even at this time, my whole frame doth tremble exceedingly while attempting to speak unto you; but the Lord God doth support me, and hath suffered me that I should speak unto you"

This reminded me of President Monson at the past couple of general conferences, who despite failing health and has still spoken and testified of the the Savior and the importance of His message. What's really cool, however, is the similarities in the messages of both King Benjamin and President Monson. Both speak of choices and keeping the commandments. 

In verse 22 of that chapter, King Benjamin says:

"And behold, all that he requires of you is to keep his commandments; and he has promised you that if ye would keep his commandments ye should prosper in the land; and he never doth vary from that which he hath said; therefore, if ye do keep his commandments he doth bless you and prosper you."

President Monson's past talk is titled "Choices." In it he says, "The choices we make determine our destiny." How simple yet profoundly true?! 

He goes on to say, 

"May we choose to build up within ourselves a great and powerful faith which will be our most effective defense against the designs of the adversary--a real faith, the kind of faith which will sustain us and will bolster our desire to choose the right. Without such faith, we go nowhere. With it, we can accomplish our goals."

"Although it is imperative that we choose wisely, there are times when we will make foolish choices. The gift of repentance, provided by our Savior, enables us to correct our course settings, that we might return to the path which will lead us to that celestial glory we seek.

May we maintain the courage to defy the consensus. May we ever choose the harder right instead of the easier wrong.

As we contemplate the decisions we make in our lives each day--whether to make this choice or that choice--if we choose Christ, we will have made the correct choice."

The chapter about King Benjamin ends with this:

"And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness. O remember, remember that these things are true; for the Lord God hath spoken it."

I am so grateful for the words of the prophets, modern and ancient. I know that these things are true. As we strive everyday to make correct choices, we will receive blessings, we will be happy, and we will have peace. It is not only avoiding the bad decisions, but making the good ones: to take time each day to study the scriptures and communicate with our Heavenly Father through pray, to serve one another, and to strengthen our families. It is the simple, seemingly small choices we make daily that determine our destiny. Like President Monson said, may we choose the (sometimes) harder right instead of the easier wrong. 

I know the Savior lives. He loves us, and has provided a path for us to follow in this life. By following his example and keeping his commandments, we can have peace during our life on earth and return to live with our Father in Heaven one day. 

Love and miss you all! Thank you for your love and support!

Love, 

Sorella Carver 

Cosenza

Week 11

Hello y'all! Again, I still can't believe it's already Monday. Time
needs to slow down.

This week has been super great! Spring has sprung here in Cosenza,
although it already feels more like summer haha. The flip was huge,
one day I was wearing tights and a winter jacket, and the next it felt
like 100 degrees. The nights and mornings are still nice and cool, but
during the day it gets very sunny and very very warm... And that
means... sunscreen!! Yayyyy. Sorella P and I are both on the fair
side... So we've had to add this step to our usual morning routine
before we leave the house most days haha.

This also means crazy beautiful wild flowers everywhere and the best
fruit I've ever eaten in my life. My favorite right now is the
pears.... We have a fruit stand underneath our apartment and I swear I
wish I could eat 10 of those things a day haha :/

Today for PDay we took a train to Paolo and had a picnic by the beach.
It's was BEAUTIFUL. Sorella Pinnegar was laughing at me, as we walked
closer to the waters edge I got all excited and yelled, "It's smells
like home!!!" Haha it's true. Nothing beats the smell of sand and salt
water. (And sunscreen because it was necessary today haha...)

This week we had a great Pranzo appointment with Sorella Spizzirri and
her daughter, Sorella Sicilia. Sorella Sicilia lives in a piazzino (a
small city that branches off of Cosenza) way up in the mountains. It
was a really beautiful view and we had a really good visit with them.

We also have started visiting with a sweet older lady who owns a
flower shop (smells like heaven!). She and her daughter in law are
interested in our message and see how it could potentially help their
son/husband who is facing some challenges right now. We haven't
started teaching them, but we plan to keep visiting and sharing
messages with them.

On Friday, we celebrated Sorella Pinnegar's one year mark as a
missionary! Our day was busy with a few less-active lessons and
appointments, but we managed to still celebrate with lots of delicious
food (of course!) I made breakfast for her, we got a gelato after
Pranzo, and then had a pizza from Mimmo's for dinner. It was
delicious, and Mimmo is doing well ;)  His little restaurant was empty
when we went in (around 8pm) because dinner here is so much later.
Haha but we had to go that early so we could be home by nine
(missionary curfew!) and so we had lots of fun talking with Mimmo and
the workers. Our kindness goal is working well! :)

Today I have been in Cosenza for officially a month!! Which is crazy
because the days have all blurred together and something we did four
weeks ago feels like yesterday. I have come to love this city and the
people here so much.

The biggest news for this week is: I gave my first Sacrament talk
yesterday IN ITALIAN.
In our church, our first meeting on Sunday is Sacrament Meeting, where
we take the sacrament and members are asked to give talks each week,
usually based on a topic, to the rest of the congregation. Our branch
here in Cosenza is REALLY REALLY small....like 15 people on a good
week. So we go through the members pretty fast haha.

On Monday of last week we were at the church and the leader who is
over assigning talks comes in, shakes my hand, and says, "Sorella
Carver, I have some news for you. I'm really happy!" *oh boy....*
"You're giving a talk on Sunday!!"
Me: "No.....Davvero??!"
Haha it was pretty funny and everyone was laughing, but the greeny
missionary inside of me was about to pass out.

Anyways.... All is well, I didn't pass out, and I managed to speak for
about 10 minutes yesterday in Italian and somehow relay a message
that was kind of understandable.

I was asked to speak on a talk from general conference a couple weeks
ago that inspired me, and I chose "I Am A Child Of God" by Elder
Donald L. Hallstrom.

This talk is so so simple, but the simplest of truths are sometimes
the most profound. In it he said,

"Our most fundamental doctrine includes the knowledge that we are
children of a living God....It is foundational to comprehending the
glorious plan of salvation and to nurturing faith in the Firstborn of
the Father, Jesus the Christ, and in His merciful Atonement.

Later he goes on...

"When difficult things occur in our lives, what is our immediate
response? Is it confusion or doubt or spiritual withdrawal? Is it a
blow to our faith? Do we blame God or others for our circumstances? Or
is our first response to remember who we are--that we are children of
a loving God? Is that coupled with an absolute trust that He allows
some earthly suffering because He knows it will bless us, like a
refiner’s fire, to become like Him and to gain our eternal
inheritance?

"We live in a world that can cause us to forget who we really are. The
more distractions that surround us, the easier it is to treat
casually, then ignore, and then forget our connection with God....In
today’s world, no matter where we live and no matter what our
circumstances are, it is essential that our preeminent identity is as
a child of God. Knowing that will allow our faith to flourish, will
motivate our continual repentance, and will provide the strength to
“be steadfast and immovable” throughout our mortal journey."

I'm grateful for the opportunity I had to prepare this talk. While it
was simple and somewhat repetitive, the things I studied and prepared
helped me remember who I am. I am a daughter of a loving Heavenly
Father. I know that this is true. I know he listens to our prayers,
wants to help and bless us, and desires for us to seek and become like
His Son, Jesus Christ, so we can return to live which Him again
someday. This knowledge has helped me make it through hard days and
easy days, time and time again, and I'm grateful for the chance that I
have to be a missionary and share this with others. It is truly such a
blessing.

I love you all! Thank you for your prayers.

Love,
Sorella Carver