On Monday, September 30th I woke up at 3:30am and got ready, went to the airport, said goodbye to my family-which was really hard-and got on an airplane. I flew from Seattle to Atlanta, GA and then from Atlanta to Rome. I was on the plane for 13 hours. I arrived in Rome at 7:45 in the morning on October 1st. Once in Rome I went to pick up my luggage and then walked out to where there is usually someone to pick us up, either one of the senior couples or the Mission President, but no one was there. I walked around trying to see if someone was there to pick us up and I couldn't find anyone. Then another missionary came up to me and was like "Oh my gosh, another missionary! It's so good to see you! Do you know if there's someone here to pick us up?" He had been there since 6:30 in the morning, so by this time it had been an hour since he had arrived at the airport and he was by himself and no one was there to pick us up. Luckily, I had my mission phone this time and so I facebook messengered my Mission President's wife. She said that they were told the wrong time and that they thought we were arriving at 11:50. So we waited for an hour for them to get there.
Once they came and picked us up we went to the Mission Home, dropped off our luggage and had our interviews with our Mission President where he gets to know us so he can decide where to send us and what companions to give us. After that we ate lunch. We had pasta, chicken, and potatoes. Then the AP's and the Mission President and his wife took us on il giro, which is a tour, around Rome. We went and saw the Spanish Steps, the Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, the Colosseum, the Ruins, the Vatican, and then St. Peter. It was a very long walk around the city and my feet were killing me by the end of the day. When we got back we had dinner, which was pizza, and then we went and got Gelato. Then we went back to the mission home, showered, and went to sleep. That day I was overwhelmed with gratitude to be back in the Mission. I had worked super hard to be here and to actually be back here touring around Rome filled me with a lot of happiness. I was also able to make some new friends with the other Missionaries that came from the MTC.
The next morning was Wednesday, we woke up and had breakfast and then went over to the Visitor's Center to have training. Stepping back into the Visitor Center for the first time literally made me cry. We went in there and had training and then ate lunch and then had more training. We were done by 5:00. We were able to be introduced more to our Mission President and his wife and to learn more about their lives and their hobbies. We also were able to learn more about the Mission. Then we went back to the Mission Home, which we call the Villa, and we had lasagna for dinner. After dinner we had what everyone calls the "Golden Envelope Ceremony". This is where we find out where we are going to be sent and who our companions are going to be. For the ceremony, we stand up by a map by our President and he hands us our envelope and everyone starts clapping while we open our envelope (kind of like a drum roll). We open our envelope and find out where we go. I went up there, opened my envelope, looked at my card and it said you will be being sent to Palermo and your companion will be Sorella Johnson. I looked at my Mission President and I told him I was going to start crying, right after I said that the tears just started coming. I turned away from everyone and was trying to stop crying. Sorella Smith, the Mission President's wife, asked why I was crying and I told her that it was just very special that I was going to be sent to Palermo because that is a place where I have ancestors. And I had just taken one of my ancestor's from Palermo through the temple with my Mom and Dad right before I left. That moment was very special to me and so I was crying. After everyone had found out where they were going we went to sleep.
The next morning I got up and got on a train for 14 hours on my way down to Palermo. Our train had to go on a ferry across the water and then it reconnected and we went down to Palermo, which is kind of on the other side of Sicily. By then it was about 10:00 at night, so we just went to the Sorella's apartment that was there by the train station and went to sleep.
Friday we woke up and went to our apartment so I could put my stuff away. Then we had to go quickly meet up with a member who wanted to do some finding with us. She was super cute, she had written her testimony in a Book of Mormon and wanted to give it away. Her testimony was so sweet that even though I couldn't understand what she was saying; I teared up because it was just so tender. Unfortunately it rained super, super, super hard that morning and we weren't able to do much. So she left because she had to go home. Then we went and renewed our bus passes and then we got to go do service at a center for those with disabilities. It was so sweet, the spirit was strong in there. The people there were so welcoming and kind. We were able to help them learn how to do small motor movements by peeling sticky paper off of fabric. Then they told us they would feed us pronzo, which is the big meal at 1:00. They brought out three different things to eat. It was the first time I had eaten pronzo since being back in Italy and it was A LOT of food! It took all my effort to eat all that food without throwing up, but it was really yummy. And then after that we actually went and got gelato, but it was fine because gelato just fills in the cracks so I was okay, haha. After that we went back and did some studies, which I am so grateful for the time I have to study again. After studies we went and did casa a casa, which is a phrase that means door to door. We didn't really have any luck with ringing people at their houses. Here it's really cool, like in the movies, where they live in apartments which are stacked on top of each other, kind of like what a hotel looks like. So, you buzz the little box down on the gate and they talk and either say they aren't interested or let you in. And then you go through the gate and up the stairs to their apartment. We didn't really have much luck with that but when we rounded the corner we bumped into the sweetest lady who told us that she had a lot of hard things in her life and she had lost her faith. But now she was trying to find it again. She was so cute. I couldn't understand much about what she was saying but I just loved the spirit about her. Then we went to a lesson where the lady could speak English and I was able to share why I chose to go on a mission and how I gained my testimony. We also answered some of her questions. She is very amazing, she just has some doctrinal things she needs to figure out before she decides if she wants to get baptized. I realized that I am really going to LOVE doing missionary work!! Especially when I get to know the language.
Saturday, I was having a little bit of a hard day because I was really frustrated that I can't understand the language. But I'm trying to tell myself that I need to be patient because it's going to take some time. I'm not going to be fluent in a week or even in 2 or 3 or maybe even 4 months or even longer. So, I need to be patient. We woke up that morning and had a little work out and then study time and then my companion had MLC, which took four hours-it's Mission Leadership Conference. She is an STL, which means she is over the girls in our area to make sure they are doing well and that they are healthy and that their stress levels are all right. She had training so I just sat and studied for that time. After that we went and visited the sweetest soul, she has such an amazing spirit. Her name is Rita and she is from Nigeria and she loves God. She speaks English and she is taking the lessons from us. Because she speaks English my companion told me that she wanted me to try leading the lesson. I was really nervous, I didn't know how lessons went. It was a little bit choppy but it went pretty good. We were able to talk to her about some of the commandments and why it is important that we obey. It was amazing to see that even when we feel inadequate, the spirit can be there and carry us. After that we were walking over to conference and we met another really sweet lady, whose name was Marcella. She talked to us on the street. Everyone that stops and talks to us is so fun and so vibrant. They tell us that we are beautiful Americans. I just love the people here and I really wish that I could have a conversation with them. I hope that I can radiate my love for them through
my actions since I can't speak right now. After that we went to conference at the church and it was very good. It talked a lot about joy and putting Christ in the center of our lives; that joy really does come through Christ and having faith and trust in Him. I really believe in that, I have had to have a lot of faith and trust throughout coming home and returning back to the mission. I know that finding true joy really does come through Christ. On our way back home we were walking up the stairs and we saw a member who lives down at the bottom of the building where we live. We helped her with her groceries and then we went and talked with her for a while and she was very sweet. She talked with my companion for a while. I really wish that I could speak the language, I really feel like I am going to love missionary work once I am able to communicate. I love it already and its only been a week and I can't speak the language. So, I just know that it's going to be amazing once I can speak the language. My companion is very sweet and helpful and I just pray that we can both have patience while I learn how to be a missionary.
The next day was Sunday, it was another day of General Conference and it was amazing! We watched the Women's Session and I love hearing from the Prophets and the Apostles and to feel the love that they have for us and the love that Christ has for us through the words they share. I loved how they talked about the importance of the temple and that following our covenants is what draws us closer to the Lord. After that we had a little lesson with the lady that we had talked to Saturday night. We went and shared one of the Book of Mormon videos with her. I LOVE the Book of Mormon videos! They are so amazing and you can really feel the truth of the videos as you watch them. We watched one video with her and then I bore my testimony about the Book of Mormon in Italian; it was short and simple but I did the best I could and I feel that the spirit was there. The people here are literally so sweet and so fun. Of course you run into people that are not, but for the most part they are very, very loving. Then on our way back to our apartment we met the member who rents us the apartment. He lives right down the stairs from us. He was very kind and funny and gave us chocolate and honey. He was trying to make sure that we felt welcome; we had a good conversation with him. Then we came back and got ready for bed, so that finished up the week.
This morning, we had P-day. We got up and cleaned the house, we had breakfast and then went shopping and got our groceries. Then we went back to the apartment to wait for my visa mission card to show up in the mail. While we were waiting we had personal study. I was reading in the Book of Mormon and read in Helaman 5:6-7 which reads;
"Behold my sons, I desire that ye should remember to keep the commandments of God; and I would that ye should declare unto the people these words. Behold, I have given unto you the name of our first parents who came out of the land of Jerusalem; and this I have done that when you remember your names ye may remember them; and when ye remember them ye may remember their works; and when ye remember their works ye may know how that it is said, and also written, that they were good.
Therefore, my sons, I would that ye should do that which is good, that it may be said of you, and also written, even as it has been said and written of them."
This scripture really stood out to me because my Mom named all of us after people in the scriptures. And I thought about how I am named after Rebekah in the Bible and she was a very faithful woman and that just as this scripture says; when I remember my name and where it comes from I can remember her and try to be like her. I want to be a faithful woman as she was. I really liked that scripture. After that my mission card arrived and we went to the Palermo Catacombs with the other Sorelle around us here. Then we went to a pizzeria where I had my first pizza here and it was pretty delicious. Then we got caught in a very big rainstorm; we got really wet and soaked so we ran back to the apartment to get dry and finish up emails.
That pretty much sums up this week.
I am so grateful to have the opportunity to be back on a mission. I know the only reason why I am here is because of Jesus Christ and through His Atonement. I am so grateful for Him and for the power and healing that He has given me. I am very excited to be able to share that with the people here in Italy.
I love all of you and hope that you have a wonderful week!
Ciao, ciao, ciao
Sorella Acton
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