Week 72 Time is Flying!

 Wednesday February 17, 2021

Another week has passed! I can't believe the weeks are going by so quickly! I feel like I just sent out my last weekly, yesterday! This was another wonderful week! We are continuing to see blessings and miracles every single day. 

This week the tours picked up again at the Visitor Center and we remained pretty busy doing those. We have also been able to do a couple in person tours!! Little by little things are getting better over here! Hopefully they continue to improve for the people and the Mission here in Italy! 

I found out this week that I will be able to go through the temple, Friday the 26th!! I am so excited to be able to go through the temple one time before I go home! 

As far as lessons went this week we were able to have a couple with our investigators and a couple with the members as well. We went to lunch with Miky, our investigator, and it went really, really well. It was so fun to get to know her better and we hope to have another lesson with her soon involving some of the members as well. We also found a new person to teach this week and she came to church on Sunday! She is so kind and very interested in learning more about the Gospel. We were so excited to see her in church and she is planning on coming to church again this Sunday!! 

We had some wonderful tours this week, one including a virtual tour with my Stake at home! It was so fun for me to see so many familiar faces and share all that I've learned here at the Visitor Center. I felt the spirit so strongly and really, really enjoyed doing that. We were also able to have our first in person tour again since October! It was so wonderful to have people in the Visitor Center again! The spirit that is felt here is indescribable and truly every person who enters can feel it!! I love the Mission and I am making sure to I make every day worth while!

See you all in 2 weeks!!

Ciao, Ciao

Sorella Acton

Week 71 Another Week of Miracles

 Wednesday February 10, 2021

Wow! This week was full of miracles!! I can't even describe how grateful I am for my Heavenly Father and for everything that he blesses me with! 

This week we didn't have quite as many tours as usual so we worked really hard on contacting and trying to meet with the people we have been teaching. We had a video call with a man from our English course that we've done a couple tours with, and he introduced us to his daughter. She was so awesome and said that she was interested in meeting with us after she has her big test this weekend. She was very impressed that girls her same age were so courageous to leave their homes and share what they believed in and she wants to know more about why we are so willing to do that; what makes our church different. We are really excited to begin meeting with her! We also were able to visit a girl named Miky that we found through Facebook around Christmas time. We met up with her at a cafe and just talked for an hour or so. It was so much fun and I just love realizing that my Italian is good enough now to carry a conversation with someone for an hour without difficulty. She also thanked me for being a wholesome, kind person but also for being genuine. I have such a testimony of the importance of being real and using our personality in the work; that's how you will truly connect with people. As we were leaving she asked when we did church, and so we invited her to come to church with us the following day. Sunday morning she showed up to church with her husband! It was so wonderful! After church we showed them the temple grounds and then she invited us to go get pranzo with her and her husband the following Saturday! We are so excited and see a lot of potential in them!

On Tuesday, we had Zone Conference and it was my last Zone Conference! It was soo amazing and so sad at the same time. We were able to have an in-person Zone Conference for the first time since August; it was wonderful to see everyone together. I did a musical number in the Christus room of the Visitor Center singing "Savior, Redeemer of My Soul" with another Sorella while my companion played the violin and an Elder played the piano, and it was so beautiful. The spirit was so strong. The presentations that were given were so good, especially President and Sorella Smith's. They talked a lot about the importance to still do the things we learned as missionaries when we go home and how we need to be the member missionaries we wish we had on the mission. It was really, really good for me to hear, especially because I'll be going home soon.

The best news of the week though was when I found out that I will be able to go through the Rome Temple one time before I leave!! It has been closed and I didn't think that I would have the opportunity to go through before I left. However, the temple went into phase two on Monday and President is making arrangements for us to be able to go through before we go home if we have not been yet. I have been praying so hard for this and am so beyond excited that I will have the opportunity to go through before I go home. I know the Lord hears and answers our prayers. He truly has answered so many of mine this last transfer.

Love you all so much!!

Ciao!

Sorella Acton

My companion and I with Miky

Driving with my Comp

Zone Conference Lunch

P-day Fun

Week 70 All Day Every Day

 Wednesday February 3, 2021

Wow, I can't believe another week has gone by! We are now in February and I only have 30 days left of my mission! I am trying to soak in every single day because I know I am going to miss it so much when I am home. 

This week was a really good week! We stayed really, really busy at the Visitor Center doing tours all day every day! We had 5 tours in a row almost everyday with only a 10 or 15 minute break between to get water or sit down for a second. It is pretty exhausting physically, also on the brain as we are switching from English to Italian. However, I wouldn't have it any other way. I love being busy and I love giving tours so I have been more than content. The diversity of people that we get to meet doing these tours is so interesting and fun.  And I feel so grateful during every single tour to be here at this time. 

We got really good news this week that the Visitor Center will be opening back up to the public by appointment in the next week or two! Little by little things are getting better over here! We also heard Sunday that the Rome Zone would be changing from orange to yellow. This means that we will be able to travel outside our commune, which is a huge blessing because all our friends and members live outside the commune that we live in. Now we are free to go and visit members and our friends. Also, many more shops, stores, and restaurants are open again! We had a pretty big celebration when we received this news. My "daughter" (the new missionary I'm training) and I are doing great together. Every week we come up with new ideas and goals and are constantly laughing. 

We have been seeing so many miracles this transfer. One of our potential investigators, Miky, is now willing to meet with us and learn more since we are now in the yellow and are more free to move around. We will be seeing her on Saturday. Another one of our investigators, Roberto, wants to meet with us and introduce us to his daughter as we teach them about Family History. And we will be meeting with him again soon, as well.

I am grateful for the Lord and His hand in our lives every single day! 

For p-day this week, Sorella Lavanda and I wanted to take our "babies" (new missionaries that we are training) to see all the beautiful sites of Rome. It was so much fun! However, every p-day starting today until the end I'm going to have "sad girl" moments because I realize I only have a handful of days left to enjoy my beloved Italy and the friends that I have made here. I love Italy with my whole heart and I am going to make sure that I make every single day worth while for the next 30 days! 

Remember to find joy in the little things every day and realize that the Lord is always with you!!

Ciao ciao!

Sorella Acton

At the Rome Temple

Taking in the "sights" on P-day

My Comp

Italian Food!!

Week 69 The Lord Loves Effort

 Wednesday January 27, 2021

This week was a really, really great week!! We stayed really busy at the Visitor Center. 

At the beginning of the week, my companion and I decided to set another goal for scheduling tours at the Visitor Center. We made the goal for 21 tours, and we worked really hard all week to meet that goal. Unfortunately, by Sunday afternoon we had only done 18 tours for the week. We did lots of contacting Sunday afternoon and by Sunday night we had 2 more scheduled for a total of 20. We only needed one more tour. We decided we would go give the last tour and then hope that someone would respond to us so we could meet our goal of 21 tours. Right before walking down for that last tour one of our new investigators called us and we scheduled a tour with them. We met our goal at the very last second!!! I have a strong testimony that the Lord loves effort and he will help us as we put in that effort. We had some really awesome tours this week and I'm truly so grateful for the opportunity I have to work in the Visitor Center every day. My testimony grows stronger with every tour I give. We are working hard and having so much fun at the same time, and I have really seen an improvement in my Italian during the last few transfers. 

I have also been studying a lot about spiritual gifts and how important it is for us to earnestly seek these gifts. We are commanded to obtain spiritual gifts because through them we can overcome our weaknesses and be perfected. Whenever I heard the phrase "our weaknesses can become our strengths" I was always so confused how that could be possible. . .it didn't make sense to me. However, I read in the book "The Infinite Atonement" this week that when we have a weakness it is our duty to pray to obtain the gift that will help us overcome that weakness. Right then the light bulb turned on and I realized that that is how we can make our weaknesses strengths. Spiritual gifts are so important for us to obtain and work for every single day. We are all blessed with different talents and gifts but we must put in the effort to develop them!

Love you all so much!!

Ci sentiamo presto!

Sorella Acton

Some of my favorite things:

My comp, the VC, the Rome Temple

P-day fun at the beach

Week 68 Sweet Success!!

 Wednesday January 20, 2021

This week was so awesome!! At the beginning of the week we set goals and made plans to be able to find two new people to teach and to schedule 15 tours at the Visitor Center, making sure that at least 5 of them were from Italy. We worked really hard and we not only reached our goals, we exceeded them with 20 tours at the Visitor Center. I went through my friends list on Facebook and messaged all my friends who are Italian asking them if they would be interested in a tour. I was able to set up 14 tours by doing that! Not only were we able to stay really busy at the Visitor Center but I was able to see a lot of members, friends, and investigators from my past areas here in Italy! It was so much fun! I also had the pleasure of giving my trainer in the Mission, Olivia, and her new husband a tour and that was a lot of fun! It was so good to see and talk with her! Out of all the tours we did, one of them was with an English Course student and he has a desire to learn more so he became one of our new people to teach. The other new person was a referral from a member. We went to her house to have pranzo(dinner) and she told us that the start to her life was rough because she really didn't know who she was and always felt like the real her was being suffocated. Then she met a really good guy and got married and for 20 years it was wonderful. However, now he is handicapped and she's had 10 years of taking care of him and feeling very alone. She said because of this she feels like she has lost herself again. She shed some tears and as I bore my testimony of Heavenly Father's love for her and that we could help her find her purpose again, I shed some tears as well. It was a wonderful day with her and she became our second person to teach. My companion and I are working very well together and have been having so much fun. She really is an incredible blessing for the last transfer of my mission. I'm so happy to be with her and for all the wonderful blessings the Lord has been giving us. I am really doing all I can to enjoy every single moment for the next 6 weeks. I was also reading in the Infinite Atonement book and came across a quote that I really, really loved. It touched my heart and really made me ponder a lot. I want to share it with you as well;

". . .'Make no mistake,' He says, 'if you let Me, I will make you perfect. The moment you put yourself in My hands, that is what you are in for. Nothing less, or other, than that. You have free will, and if you choose, you can push Me away. But if you do not push Me away, understand that I am going to see this job through. Whatever suffering it may cost you in your earthly life, whatever inconceivable purification it may cost you after death, whatever it costs Me, I will never rest, nor let you rest, until you are literally perfect-until my Father can say without reservation that He is well pleased with you, as He said he was well pleased with Me. This I can do and will do. But I will not do anything less.'"

I know that our Savior loves us so very much and he is always there for us to help us along the way and lift us up. All we need to do is accept Him and allow Him to carry us. 

I'm so grateful for all the Savior has done for me and for the opportunity to bear testimony of Him every day!

Love you all!

Ciao, Ciao

Sorella Acton

Pizza!!!

Virtual Tour with My Trainer!!

Exploring Rome on 

p-day with my comp

Week 67 The Beginning of the End

 Wednesday January 13, 2021

First week of my last transfer!! I can't believe that time has flown by so fast!! I will be staying here in the Rome 5 area, working at the Visitor Center, and training until my time is up.

This last week was my first full week with my greenie and it's been a lot of fun! All the lessons that I've learned through my time in the mission so far are really helping now as I train. 

This week we were able to be out of quarantine fully again, so we have been working hard at the Visitor Center and seeing lots of miracles. We found a lady through facebook and scheduled a tour with her and she was able to come with her friend and they both really enjoyed it and want to do another one!

It has been a real joy for me teaching my new companion all the amazing things about the Visitor Center; in English and Italian. We had a tender moment with an older lady from Northern Italy during a tour with her. She had been having a rough time and really needed to feel the spirit. She told us after the tour that it was an incredible experience. She felt the spirit so strongly and loved that the tour was interactive. She said that day we were her angels. I love doing these virtual tours because the spirit in the Visitor Center is truly so strong and it can even be felt through zoom. We frequently have the opportunity to meet people from all around the world and bear testimony of the Savior.

I am so excited to make my last transfer the best one yet! We are determined to find and schedule as many tours as we can and remain very busy! We were able to have two appointments with members this week also which was so nice. I really have such a deep love for the Italian people.

My greenie and I are doing great and have many plans and goals for this transfer. I'm very excited and so grateful for this time I have left. I'm beginning to realize how much growth I've experienced over the past 17 months and I feel like I'm flying!!

Here's to 7 more weeks!!

Ciao, Ciao

Sorella Acton

One of my favorite views

from the Visitor Center

VC Crew

My new companion

aka my "greenie"

Group Pics at the VC

Flying High!!

Week 66 Happy New Year

 Wednesday January 6, 2020

This week was pretty good. 

A lot has happened in the past week and a half. It started with the new year! New Year's Eve we made a yummy dinner, the girls in the house made empanadas and we ate all together. Then we talked and laughed until 12 when the people around us started letting off tons of fireworks. We ended the night with a little dance party together and then went to bed.

Friday, the 1st of January, we had a deep cleaning session. My companion and I deep cleaned two apartments. We were cleaning from 9am to 20,00 (8 o' clock pm). It felt really nice to get everything cleaned and ready for the new year. Then we were in full lockdown from Friday to Monday.

Luckily, Monday we were able to go to the visitor center and do some tours. I did 4 tours that day and they were all wonderful! The first two I did with my companion I've been with the past two weeks while my greenie (new missionary) was in quarantine. And then the other two I did with my greenie. She finally got out of quarantine and finished her premesso so we were able to switch comps on Monday evening. One of the tours Monday was with two non-members and we were able to teach them throughout the whole tour and they enjoyed learning about our church. It went really well and was super fun. It was quite the blessing because it was in Italian and the companion I was with is still learning the language. I was able to lead the tour and realized that even though my Italian still needs a lot of work, I've really improved over the last 2 transfers. 

It's been fun to get to know my greenie and we are both very excited about me teaching her all I can about the Visitor Center. I really can't believe I only have 7 weeks left! I'm so grateful for the mission and how much I've learned here. I read a talk this week that was perfect for me. It's called "Finishers Wanted" by Thomas S. Monson. In this talk he taught a lot about the importance of being finishers and what we need to do do to become finishers. He gave six points; the mark of vision, the mark of effort, the mark of faith, the mark of virtue, the mark of courage, the mark of prayer. And he shared this quote that I love so much that my mom has had up in our kitchen for several years. 

Stick to your task 'til it sticks to you;

Beginners are many, but enders are few.

Honor, power, place, and praise

will always come to the one who stays.

Stick to your task 'til it sticks to you;

bend at it, sweat at it, smile at it, too;

For out of the bend and the sweat and the smile

will come life's victories after a while.

-Author Unknown

I know the spirit definitely guided me to this talk because I really needed this reminder. I am so excited to enjoy and go hard for this last transfer of my mission!

Ciao, Ciao

Sorella Acton

Silly Times

It's the Little Things

Saying Goodbye to my temporary companion