Taranto...but not Canadian, eh?

Dear Family,

I AM OFFICIALLY NOT A GREENIE ANYMORE!!! Even though I'm still with my trainer. :)

Well, actually at the moment I am in Taranto (Pronounced TAranto. Not the Canadian ToRONto. Sorella Preston had to go to a meeting in Rome, so I am on exchanges. It is so fun here. I am with three great sisters here. I actually get to come back to Taranto in a week for zone conference. Taranto is famous for a sandwich called buccia. I had my first buccia today, and it was pretty great.

(If you count all the places I have been to in my first three transfers it adds up to: Catania, Cosenza, Bari,  and Taranto.)

This last week was pretty eventful.

I completed one of the items on my Italian mission bucket list. I WENT TO AN ITALIAN WEDDING!!!

One of the inactive members of our branch had a son (also inactive) who got married on Saturday. Our ward mission leader got us the "in" and I was really excited because it was actually the first wedding ceremony that I have ever been to. It was in a Catholic Church, with all the different traditions that they do. Afterwards, we got to throw rice. It was pretty legit. The groom had a top hat, cane, and a moustache. Sorella Greco and I both think that he looked kind of like Mr. Peanut. We got to meet the mom, and she was really happy that we were there to support her. She wants to meet with us more, and she asked us where the church was, and said, "It's about time I start coming back to church." It was so cool. Being a missionary is just as much about rescuing those souls who have been lost as it is about finding new people. I love it. Maybe I will be able to see those two get married in the temple one day.That would be cool.

It has been really hot here in Italy. I don't think I have ever sweat more in my life. I love it (but also I am excited for Fall, and especially Fall clothes again). A few days ago it was sweltering heat. We were walking, and dying, and then a miracle occurred. The sprinklers came on. We got pretty wet, and it was the best thing ever. We dried off really fast though, and it was back to being dry.

One of our branch members gave us figs and yellow plums right off the tree. I was in heaven. I think figs are probably my new favorite fruit.

I love serving a mission, and I love being in Cosenza. The people in Cosenza have prayed for sisters for a long time, and I am honored that I get to be a direct answer to those prayers. It gives me an extra push to be the best I can be. The members and people here call us their angels. One of our investigators, Valeria said a beautiful prayer, and in it she thanked Heavenly Father for us, her "angels". It was really touching. We have high hopes for her, even though she is leaving during August. I have to keep reminding myself that "it is only four weeks".

I LOVE YOU ALL!!!!

Love,

Slla Worsham

Zone Conference Number Two!

This week was zone conference number two!

DUN DUN DUN!

Also...Homework for all of you. Letters to Italy get here just fine (packages get here, but they are a little iffier), so send me a letter so that next zone conference I get mail! :)

Sorella Hayley Worsham

Italy Rome Mission

Piazza Camaro, 20

00141 Roma (RM) Italia

Before I talk about Zone Conference, I will start with earlier in the week. Last Wednesday, for P-day, Sorella Greco and I went to a mall in Rende called Metropolis. I bought a hair straightener (finally), and we ate at McDonalds. Yes, the McDonalds in Italy is different.

We ended English Course this week. Some of our students decided to invite us out to go and get pizza on Saturday. We of course took the opportunity to teach a short lesson. Sorella Greco and I decided to split a pizza, but then when our student found out, they became upset. Haha. Picture a big long table of Italians all being appauled at the fact that we are not eating a whole pizza (These are the size of a whole pizza in America, just thinner). The typical Italian "WHY YOU NO EAT!?!" reaction. We eventually gave in and ordered another pizza. Then we wanted to pay at the end, and all of our students refused to let us pay, because we were their guests.

We went to Bari again! Zone Conference was yesterday, but we had to be in Bari on Monday because Sorella Greco had meetings because she is a Sister Training Leader. This meant we had to catch a bus that left at 5 am Monday morning. IT. WAS. AWFUL. The worst part is that we thought we were going to be able to take the 10 am bus, but then our zone leader told us at 10:45 Sunday night that we were going to need to take the 5 am bus. It was rough.

Actual zone conference was great. I have a cool story from it! Sorella Greco was asked to translate for Sorella Winston (mission president's wife), so we sat in the back with her and the Senior couples. Then, Sorella Greco had to give a training lesson because of her calling, which meant I was with Sorella Winston. They started, and then I turned to her and asked if she wanted me to translate, and she accepted the offer. So for about 20 minutes I was translating zone conference for Sorella Winston! It was so cool! How many people can say they did translating in their second transfer? It was a miracle.

Okay, well I think that is everything for now.

Love,

Sorella Worsham

Fourth of July (& Other Adventures)

Here in Italy, most of the people leave for vacation for a few months. I hear in August it is going to get worse, almost like a ghost town, but we will see.

This week was full of exciting adventures. For the fourth of July, I decided to make American food. I made burgers, fries, corn on the cob, and watermelon. It was not the same as home, but it was at least closer! :) We also made apple pie for our English class, and we had a fourth of July party. Everyone brought food, and it was an awesome activity.

Also, I got the best compliment this week. Some of my Italian friends here told me that after the mission, I should come back here and open a restaurant with my American food. Hahaha. (These were the ones I gave banana bread to, and other things). When an Italian compliments your food, you know it's good.

On Friday we went to Bari to pick up Sorella Greco's permesso (We are going back to Bari again this next week for ZONE CONFERENCE! Woot). I bought a little mini Italian bible while we were there. It's awesome. Then, we were on exchange, and I was with Sorella Branson. She arrived one transfer before me, and we had some really funny things happen while we were doing finding. We were also supposed to teach a Sikh man, but that appointment fell through. We found a woman who was sitting on a fountain, and we talked to her, and taught her a lesson. It was while in Bari that I realized that while I still have a lot to learn, I know a lot more than I thought I did. It was one of those cool realizations.

I used the fake boyfriend picture for the first time on my mission in Bari (Thanks mom!). Sorella Greco had to take her integration class, so I was sitting right outside. This Indian man kept talking to me, and asking questions about America, and if I was married, and so I showed him the picture. It worked pretty well. He stopped, and then it was super uncomfortable, so I just walked into the room that Sorella Greco was in. Hahaha...awkward moments.

On Monday, we ate lunch at the German lady's house in our ward. Every week she asks us to come for lunch on Mondays. She had told me to wear my hair up a few days before, but then I forgot. She saw Sorella Greco and I, and she said, "What did I tell you to do with your hair?" Then I hesitantly said, "...Put it up?" She then shooed us away to the bathroom to put our hair up. Then she showed us the reason she wanted them up. She was giving us these weird little hair net things that go over buns. This sister made us put them on. It was really funny, and I could hardly stop laughing. Then we had to wear them in public because she was coming on the same bus as us. As soon as she got off the bus, I took it off and put my hair back down. When we were wearing them, it literally looked like we had onions on our heads.

It was also Sorella Greco's birthday on Monday, so I made a gelato cake. It was two layers of cake, with gelato in the middle, and it was all covered in a whip cream stuff, then put in the freezer. I had gotten trick candles, and we took videos of when she tried to blow them out. Then both of us tried to get them out, and they wouldn't go out. It was really funny because both of us were trying to blow them out frantically, and they wouldn't go out. Finally we got some water, and Sorella Greco put them out with her fingers.

Then, the branch had a movie night activity. As missionaries, we were planning to be there for the spiritual thought, and then leave. Then, Fratello Lundi (one of the coolest people on this earth) called the mission president and asked for permission for us to watch a movie, and because there were some of our investigators there, we got permission. He had asked permission without us knowing. Haha he was sneaky, but we were able to watch Ratatouille (one of mom's favorites).

We are planning to end English course this week. One of our students is very dramatic, and kind of reminds us of Cruella de Ville, or like those women in the old movies with the really long cigarettes. She had written a card for us to thank us, and then read it to us last night. It was really funny, because I felt like I was at a poetry reading. There definitely should have been bongo drums, and we probably should have snapped at the end.

I love you all! You're the best, and I hope this week was awesome for all of you!

Love,

Sorella Worsham

Halfway Through Transfer Two

This week was pretty cool. We are going to be heading to Bari this weekend AGAIN for more things with Sorella Greco permesso. The transfer is already half over. They go by so fast!!! Even faster when you realize sisters only have around 11 transfers total.

We set up a 40 day fast in our branch. Basically for 40 days straight, there is a fast but it is one person each day. The fast is specifically for missionary work, and on the day that they are fasting, we ask them to think about people that they could introduce to us. It just started this last Sunday, and it is awesome.

At self defense class we learned about protecting ourselves against knives. The kind of stuff My Brother would like. Chris, the teacher and almost investigator read the chapters I gave him! We also gave him the talk by Jeffrey R. Holland, called "Io Credo" (in English...I think it's called "Lord I Believe").  It's a great talk about faith. At every class we start, and end with a prayer, and do a short lesson or spiritual thought. It's basically the coolest finding thing ever.

We also went to visit a sister in our ward, who was helping take care of her Father in law who fell. Also...we met this guy, and he is 100 years old. It was cool.

On Sunday, we had pranzo with another sister in our ward, and she invited some of the other sisters, and the Anziani. It was funny, because after a while they were talking about when each one of them has had us over for pranzo, and it started becoming like a competition. Hahaha. I think we are going to be invited over for pranzo even more (NO!!!!! sigh...).

I finally got to see the missionary broadcast! HOLY SMOKES! It was so cool! It had a lot of stuff we have been wanting to do, and now our branch is going to be on board. Woot.

On Monday we did finding by citofono. Basically they have a lot of apartment type housing here, so you ring the buzzer, they ask who you are, and then you go for it, introducing who you are and why you're there. Then someone hopefully lets you in. We were a little sneaky, because the door to this one apartment building was already open...so we just started from the top of one of the wings in the building, and worked our way down. One lady told us to come back the next day, because she didn't have time. We came back, and she had her daughter with her. They were actually really interested in what we were saying about The Book of Mormon. So cool! They said they would like to meet with us again, so as soon as we have a specific date set up, they are new investigators. Woot.

Last night before English class we were supposed to have a lesson with Chris (same Chris as above), but he came late. He had read the chapters we assigned him, and he told us his questions. It was so cool because almost every question he has been thinking about can be answered by the Plan of Salvation. We are excited to teach him this.   

I made THE BEST zucchini bread last week...so this week, we were stumped about one of our investigators, so I decided to make banana bread (IT IS SO GOOD). We are going to bring it to her tonight.

One of my other friends/students, Isabelle (Chris’ girlfriend), has been studying and stressing for her exams. She is at the point where she is taking her exit exams and her career basically depends on these. We are also going to bring her some banana bread and a spiritual thought to "help her study." :)

I LOVE YOU ALL! :)

EVERYONE: I hope this week is great for you! Make it count!

Love,

Sorella Worsham