Preaching the word of God, Josef, General Conf‏

Buon Giorno from Roma!
It has been a crazy week. It is always an interesting process readjusting to a new city, new companion, new members, new investigators, etc....but it's good times as well. I'm excited to get to know this place and these members. There are about 3 times as many members here in Rome 3 then there were in La Spezia. There were like a good 10 women in Relief society. Big deal!! It was a good week in La Spezia when we had 4.
One day this week when we were out doing some finding work a man from Nigeria stopped us and said, "Hey, are you preaching the word of God?" I just looked at him and smiled. "Yeah actually." ha ha He went on to talk about how he's looking for a church and so we got his number and set up an appointment when we can see him. His name is Kevin. ha ha It was kind of crazy. I've never had anyone use that approach before but...it was okay with me!
We have a cool investigator here named Josef. He's rad. He's from Ethiopia but he's been here forevs. He's like 70 or something. He's really intelligent and it was really fun teaching him. He has a lot of questions and you can tell that he really thinks about this stuff and has sincere questions. We had a member there that was a huge help and just bore his testimony any time that he saw the opportunity. It was crazy cool. We're hoping that he'll come to General Conference. He sounded like he was interested.
I'm still trying to adjust to being here. It's been weird. I know that it's normal but...it's just awkward. Sorella Dalia wrote me from La Spezia and updated me on everyone there. She said that the Acevedo family is really progressing and that the members were sad that I left. It was really sad because the week that I left, that just happened to be the week that all of the members went to the temple in Switzerland. So I didn't get to see or talk to any of them. That was kind of hard. Anyway, I'm really learning a lot and am so excited for general conference. I hope you're all planning on going into General Conference with a question. I know I have like 80 questions but I truly know that the prophet and twelve apostles are inspired and as we take our concerns and questions to the Lord that He will use them to communicate to us the things that we need to know. I am ever so grateful for the gospel and my Savior that have helped me everyday throughout the mission. I hope you guys are all healthy and happy. I love you tons and tons. Italian kisses,
Sorella Hansen

Child birth, out with the coffee, Good-bye La Spezia‏

Hey guys!
What a week...as always. We had probably half of our lessons cancel on us--welcome to life as a missionary but the ones that we did have went really well. We went back to the members that we'd knocked into last week doing house. We had our first lesson with them where we taught the first lesson and her 11 year-old son Paolo was so excited and said, "Grazie mille" like 5 times when we gave him his own book of mormon. Yeah baby, that's how excited you're supposed to be when you learn this stuff! haha He's a great kid and it was really cool to see his reactions throughout the lesson. Afterward on the other hand...was the opposite of ideal. His mother, Sharon, who is 7 months pregnant with her second son randomly decided after the lesson to tell us all of the gorey details of our new investigator Paolo's birth. Not joking. She graphically took us through the two day journey of her labor and I don't think I have ever NOT wanted the gift of tongues more in my life. She talked to us for like 15 minutes and I felt like I was there. ha ha My companion and I looked at eachother after we left the appointment and I just apologized. "sorry, all I wanted to know is what she was going to name the baby." ha ha Miracles never cease, nor do the awkward moments of my mission.
We taught the Acevedo family last night and we were going to teach them the Word of Wisdom--straight forward, clear as can be. I was really surprised with the reaction quite honestly. There are some serious problems with the word of wisdom in that family and we invited them to set a date of when they would be completely done. Leo said from that moment, he would obey the word of wisdom 100 percent. We then said, "and we don't want any distractions from this goal so if you have anything against the word of wisdom in your house, let's throw it out now." ha ha I love moments like this is the mission because it can be thoroughly enjoyable being bold. So Judy goes, "Well I don't drink coffee but I have it here in the house for my friends that come over and like it." Well Leo says, "Nope Judy, we'd better throw it out." They DUMPED the coffee out into the garbage and then Leo goes, "And throw away the kettle that we make it in". ha ha So...they did. It felt so good to see them desiring to make changes because that is something that has not always been there.
Well we got transfer calls yesterday. President up and transfered me to Rome 3. I'm kind of relieved in the sense that I really feel that I have done everything that I could here in La Spezia. I've helped the people that need my help. So I'm glad that I have that closure. As far as going back to Rome...eh...I didn't see that coming. It should be great. I only have 6 weeks left in the mission and why not finish them in the City that my mission is named after right? It'll be interesting to have been born there and die there. My companion's name is Sorella Miles. She is from Washington I believe. I've only seen here at Transfer circle a couple of times but she seems nice. We'll do a great work. Anyway I love you guys tons. Enjoy your beautiful lives. Go to church. Read your scriptures. Love your lives and know that you are very berry loved. Italian Kisses,
Sorella Hansen

Getting Robbed, Investigators Earning us Over, Found an Inactive!‏

Well the funny story of the week is only funny because ...I got robbed blind! ha ha Yes...THAT actually happened. I was just minding my own business returning from our slamming P-day in Pisa and WHAMY in the La Spezia train station some goon apparently thought it'd be a chipper to unzip my backpack and nab my wallet. It wasn't until we got to the bus stop that we noticed my backpack was unzipped. I panicked and felt completely violated but after filling out some papers with the police (all in Italian, which was fun) we just went to branch FHE and pretended it was all a bad dream. End of the day my companion and I are learning a lot about budgeting! We've been using her credit card and we make awkward comments to each other like we're a poor newly-wed couple when we buy things. "Babe I don't think we can afford the expensive tuna this week." Ah man. Despite the fact that it had my credit cards, bus pass, permesso, I was more upset about the fact that they stole my cute H&M wallet that I bought in Rome. Come on buddy. At least leave the wallet! ha ha I don't know if I told you last week but we received some sweet revelation for the Acevedo family that has been working like a charm! We have struggled with them to make progress and act. Also it doesn't always seem like they appreciate our time when we're there for appointments SO we came up with this brilliant plan! We made them a poster for their fridge that has three columns: Come to church at 9 as a family, read a chapter of the BOM as a family, and pray together as a family. They get a sticker on their poster every time they do one of these things. They get 3 stickers if they all come to church! (we really wanted to emphasize that one.) So basically we won't go to their house for appointments until they earn 5 stickers. Isn't this a fun game?! So this way THEY decide how often we see them. We could come twice a week or once every two weeks--just all depending on them and their commitment keeping. And...it must have done something because they were ALL in church on Sunday--the first time this whole transfer. So we're loving that. We just call them every night to see how they're doing and ask if they got any stickers.Our transfer of non-stop finding continues! This week the fun adventure is we were doing house and discovered an inactive member from Ecuador! She joined the church there, came here 13 years ago and only came once. She now has a son that's 11. She said, "Maybe God's telling me I should come back to church." We just smiled at her and nodded and said, "We agree." So we'll probably start teaching her son and we're hoping for good things there.Well I hope you all had a beautiful week. The sun has started to come out a little bit this week which I have hardly been complaining about. maybe I can get rid of this milky skin of mine. (Thanks Judy!!) Make good decisions, know that I love you like crazy, and...hold on to your wallets! Italian Kisses, Sorella Hansen

Fakin' it, answering the peoples prayers, Celebrating the existence of women‏

Oh my stars can we just talk about the awkwardness that made up my Sunday?! So our dear Acevedo family decided to invite the branch president and his wife over for lunch. Sparing you some of the painfully awkward details (because you're not missionaries so you shouldn't have to deal with it. ha ha) they put on QUITE a show. Oh mylanta it was brutality. I love this family. I've been working with them for 5 months but they are a quirky bunch and I am well aware. But they pulled out some stops for this meal with the branch president and his wife. First off, Judy (the mom/wife) told us that she couldn't come to church on Sunday because she would be preparing lunch for them. She was like, "Oh sisters, I think that Jesus will understand." I was like, "Err...Judy, I daresay that Jesus wants you in church." But alas, she didn't come and just Leo came to church. So we went with to their house after church and please picture this in your minds: where there used to be a pull-out bed, there are now two fancy sitting chairs. They have a fancy table cloth, AND on a shelf they have the Bible opened...like as a decoration or something. I was just dying inside about this big fancy show that they were putting on. In the end it was fine. They really like Presidente Margheriti and his wife. Obviously because they're marvelous. I was so glad for that meal to be over though. It was such an event and it was just SO not them. ha ha Oh dear. One for the books!We went and saw Giuseppina Maiello yesterday. We haven't seen her since week 2 of the transfer. We tried so hard to prepare ourselves for that first appointment. She told us that she was going to have her son do the communion in the catholic church even though she knows that it's wrong and I think we were depressed for like 2 days. It was all that we could think about. Well we've been praying about her and we called her last week to see her. When we first sat down she told us that she had read the book of Mormon last week. ---which is MASSIVE because she told us at our last appointment that she wouldn't read it because she didn't want to confuse her son. Then she said that after she was done reading the book of Mormon one night she said a prayer and asked God to have us come back and see her again. Well we called her that night! So when we were sitting at the table she was like, "How did you do it?" We were just like, "You came into our minds." And she was like, "At what time?" ha ha and we said, "in the evening". And she goes, "That's when I was reading the book of Mormon." It was really crazy. We answered her prayers!It was really cool. We're going to go back next week and listen to a talk with her and her kids called "Cast Not Away Therefore Your Confidence". It's an amazing talk by Elder Holland (who rocks my socks every time I listen to him). It should be good. In the meantime we bore our testimonies to her about the importance of being an example for her family. Praying, reading the scriptures...we told her that when her family--and especially her husband--see her doing these things, it will leave a very strong impression on them. She really liked that. So...from the last appointment it was definitely a step up! :)So...you know how Italians are always celebrating right? Well little did I know (Or...I forgot since last year) that March 8th is a holiday here!! It's called La Festa della donna. Or...Women's day. Yup, it's a day celebrating women...just the fact that we exist pretty much. Obviously we partook in the festivities. Why would we NOT?! ha ha They have these beautiful little yellow, puffy flowers that you give to women on that day. Some old lady gave some to my companion on the bus. It was a delightful little holiday. I just might try to make it big in the states. Good times...I should probably scadaddle. We're spending p-day at a little city that you might have heard of...Pisa!! There's really nothing in this city but the leaning tower but somehow I still find myself 124% amused and entertained every time I come. No complaints!! Well it's been another week of hard work but there's more that we want to do. Hope you're all having the time of your lives! Loving ya lots from all the way over here in La Spezia, Sorella Hansen

Run-in with pin lady, France in Florence, New investigator!!‏

BUON to the GIORNO guys! I hope you all had a marvelous week in the homeland. I'll just take a couple of minutes to tell you about this last week here in the mish.So...as I mentioned my companion and I have been doing oodles of finding. It's pretty crazy, we see a lot of crazy stuff, but we always come home nice and tired and have the marvelous good feeling of knowing that you worked really hard that day to share the gospel. Also, I don't complain about the fact that all of this hard works makes me sleep like an infant. Oh man missionary work is the best sleeping pill in the world. Love it! ha ha So with all of this finding that we're doing we get all kinds of funny situations. One day this last week we were doing some house and ringing some citof's. A woman left the building as we were ringing the citofs. My companion started talking to her and the woman waiting until I finished talking on a citof so that she could talk to both of us. She was an older woman with a bright pink hat that had like 7 different pins in it. We told her who we were and what we were doing there. Half-way through she gave a grin like, "that's cute and all, but I've got news for you"...you know what one I'm talking about or have I just seen it a time or two? She then proceeds to give us this big marvelous speech that went a little something like this, "There's really nothing for you to do here. No one wants to hear what you have to say. We're ALL catholic. Or...there are some people who are Buddhist. OR....there are also some who are Jehovah's witness. And then there are some who are atheist. Therefore, you should just stop what you're doing because nobody cares." ha ha Good thing we know what we're doing here and we don't rely on the people on the streets to tell us if we're doing something worthwhile. Excuse me ma'am, we work for God. We're just trying to give you the opportunity to be happy out of your mind. If you don't want to take it, well I can't stop you, but nor will you stop us from giving the same opportunity to your friends. Ah, yes...gotta love house. :)We had Zone Conference in Florence yesterday and it was marvelous! Elder Paya came and spoke to us. He's a member of the seventy and...I didn't hate the fact that he's French. :) He was delightful and I learned so much. I love zone conferences because they're always such an amazing opportunity to see ways that I can improve and be more effective. I enjoyed this one especially because I didn't feel like I got bashed in the face with all of the things that I need to change, but Elder Paya taught and told missionary stories, and the spirit was able to tell us what we needed to change and apply. It was nice.We got a new investigator this week! His name's Daniele. He's so cool. I've seen him on the bus a couple of times since I've been in La Spezia and I got his number a couple of weeks ago and we finally were able to set an appointment and we taught him about the restoration. It was so rad. He has so many questions! I love questions! It means that he's thinking and pondering and searching. Those people are nothing but a joy to teach because they'll do the work to find their answers. Yeah, It was such a blessing to meet and teach him after all of the hard work that we've been doing. God is really blessing us. it is ever so clear and we are just so thankful for His help.Welp, that's all for this week. I hope you're all doing well. Go do some fun things with your beautiful families. Love your lives k? Everything is more beautiful and happy that way. You are very loved and blessed and don't ever forget it. All my love, Sorella Hansen