tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63891649441593407932024-03-21T09:26:02.447-07:00A Muggle In MilanTrading in my Wand for a Nametag || Milan Italy Mission 3/16-9/17ksmedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09698832103117770491noreply@blogger.comBlogger80125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6389164944159340793.post-76079266938795569822017-10-04T09:52:00.001-07:002017-10-04T09:52:28.266-07:00Chapter 78: Mission Accomplished pt.2<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Well friends, aren't you pleased that this is the last time you have to suffer through one of these crazy emails? It has been quite the week, er, two weeks? Last Thursday(Sept.7th), I spent the day in the mission office being interviewed by Presidente and totally roasting the APs in UNO and Briscola🃏Then we had a dinner all together followed by the neatest testimony meeting of my life. AND THEN my worlds collided as my parents showed up! Just picture the end scene in Tangled when Rapunzel reunites with her parents, and that's basically how it went down🔅🌌</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Then, the adventure of driving and touring and translating and eating occurred. We hit: Como/Bellagio 🏞(beautiful lakes where Star Wars scenes were filmed), Verona💌, Venice🛶🎭, Savona🏝, Firenze⚜️, Lucca/Pisa (insert leaning tower emoji here?¿), Siena🌻, Cinque Terre🌊, Rome🏟🏛, Torino🌆, Aosta 🏔where they filmed avengers 2), Collegno and Milano🏙 So we are beat but happy!</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Another thing that has happened during these last two weeks is a ton of reflection. Going back to my old cities + seeing all my people... this last year and a half of my life has been full of SO MUCH STUFF! So much crazy, beautiful, hilarious, miraculous, amazing stuff! And yet it seems like just yesterday that this indescribable adventure started.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">I remember the flight into Milano April 2016. We were pretty stressed due to late and missed flights, and the casual fact that we were about to enter a foreign country and be completely thrown out of our comfort zones. Needless to say, it was a pretty stressful day. However, I also remember the exact moment during that flight when we began to pass over Italy. The view took my breath away as we passed over the alps, the vineyards, the city clusters, the castles and duomos. I felt such a spiritual confirmation that this was where I needed to be, and that everything was going to be ok.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Well friends, I'm looking out at the exact same scene right now as I type this. This time, however, it's different. I've been up in those alps, and passed through the vineyards. I've lived and taught in those city clusters, and entered many of the castles and duomos. But my feelings this time around are even stronger, because I've met the people in each of these places, and they mean more to me than any of the amazing food and scenery this country has to offer.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">It's been amazing to see all of bella Italia with my parents, but the highlight by far has been seeing the people one last time. I'm blown away by the changes that have taken place in their lives. It also reaffirmed to me why we do this whole mission thing. My great grandfather always said that he didn't want to see any empty chairs in heaven- he wanted to see aaaaaallllll of his family there. I think I finally started to understand that this week, because lemme tell you something. I've served in 6 areas with a ton of different people, and believe me when I say that in every place I visited, I easily acknowledged which people were missing. When you love people, you can feel their "mancanza", the fact that they are missing from you. And I realized I don't want to have to do that same feeling in the afterlife. And that's why we do this mission thing- we've gotta look out for each other.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">It doesn't just help others though- if anything, serving a mission has blessed <i>me</i> more than anyone else. In Les Mis towards the end (after basically everyone has died🙄), we find the often-quoted line "To love another person is to see the face of God". I feel that that is the best way to sum up my mission. I'm beyond grateful that I was given the privilege to meet and serve the Italian people. I feel so blessed when I reflect on the missionaries I've served with, and the areas I've been in. Through the love I've felt for them, my understanding of the Gospel of Jesus Christ had doubled. Why? Because being given the opportunity to love more of God's children has strengthened my relationship with Him, and with His son Jesus Christ. </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is the one true church on the earth today. I know that it was restored through the prophet Joseph Smith, and that we continue to be led by living prophets today. I know that just as the prophets serve as guides for us today, that we also have a guide through the Book of Mormon and the Bible. I know with 100% certainty that these books of scripture are the word of God. I know that He loves us- that He's not just some mythical being or spirit, but truly a loving father. He's given us so much in this life, but His greatest gift is that of His son, Jesus Christ. Through Him, we can do anything. I've seen the power of His Atonement work in my life and in the lives of the people here.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">As heartbreaking as it is for me to leave this country and this people who I love so much, and as hard as it is to know I'm losing the name tag in a matter of hours, I can't be sad. I echo the words of Paul in 2 Timothy 4:7</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><i><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.</span></i></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">This mission had been the best experience of & for my life, but my time is up, and they don't need me in this capacity anymore. But that's ok. One of my mission buds said "It hurts to know it's over, but it's not fair for me to feel sad. God gave me this experience, and I'm so grateful for it. It was more than what I could've imagined- it's more than I deserve! But now it's time for it to end, and now I'm expected to use what I've learned and what I've gained for the next phase of life". So it's not "The End", and my story isn't finished. </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">It is changed though. Kinda like in the Hobbit when Gandalf tells Bilbo that if he does manage to come back alive, he'll never be the same. My life will never be the same thanks to this time serving the Lord. And that leaves me feeling pretty stoked on life.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">See you real soon😘</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">xo</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Sorella Kaylee Smedley</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">1&2 Mission home pickup 3-5 Lake Como 6-11 Verona & Venice 12- Savona 13&14- Lucca & Pisa 15&16 Dinner with Bishop Ferrini’s fam 17-Siena</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"> 18-Uffizi Museum in Firenze 19&20- Firenze ward 21-23 Cinque Terre 24-28 Rome/Vatican City 29-32 Firenze 33&34 Aosta 35-39 Collegno 40-42 Milan </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">43&44 Muggio 45- Goodbye Italy 46- Home!</span></span></div>
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ksmedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09698832103117770491noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6389164944159340793.post-72148981520150561732017-10-04T09:40:00.001-07:002017-10-04T09:40:06.768-07:00Chapter 77: Mission Accomplished pt 1<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Well friends, we're nearing the end and that is pretty freaky😳 Tonight, Sorella Hurst and I will head up to Milano. Tomorrow, she'll pick up her greenie, and I'll head to the mission home. And then see my parents. And it still kind of doesn't feel real yet😅 Eh, living in denial is fine, right? anyways, no sappy feelings lol we will save that for the actual last email, after visiting my past cities with my parents😛 </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Honestly, this week has been pretty crazy trying to meet with people for the last time + pack + a million and one other things, but it's been good. This whole transfer, we'd been planning a fireside for our branch all about member missionary work. We finally had that on Saturday, and it went really well! We were small in number, but those there seemed really touched. The Sunday after, they all bore testimony on some of the things discussed during the fireside, and it was seriously a super touching meeting. Easily one of the best testimony meetings I've had out here.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Sorry, but there's not a lot of other stuff to chat about this week, just because I really hate goodbyes and that has been the epitome of this week. I will say that it's been awesome this week to see a lot of the people + all the missionaries in our zone one last time. I happen to love them quite a lot and it has been pretty hard to say goodbye.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">I'm also really grateful for the last official lesson I was able to teach as a missionary. There was a member actually from the Rome mission who, we found out, was in the hospital in our area, so we went to visit her. It was one of the neatest experiences. Patrizia is seriously one of the most humble and amazing people I've ever met. It was so cool to talk with her and bear testimony, and she was so touched by our visit. I honestly can't adequately put the experience into words hahaha, but it was an amazing note to finish off the mission in this way. It was such a reminder of what I've loved most out here, and what I've worked hardest to do: to love the people, and bring them a little bit closer to Christ in each moment. </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">I'm not gonna put in any of the mushy stuff (at least, not yet), because I'll send my final email after my parents and I say goodbye to this country I've fallen in love with ❤️ However, being my last official missionary week, I feel the need to express a bit of gratitude I guess. Sorella Hurst and I were on our way to meet with an investigator the other day, and I had to just kind of mentally pause and take it all in. I mean, there we were hiking up this massive hill and I just had to stop and take a mental picture because it just looked so... Italy. And I was like "huh, this has been my life for the past year and a half"😳 and that's pretty crazy. And then came the realization of "oh wait, this isn't going to be my life anymore..." and that is pretty sad. People keep asking me how I'm feeling about finishing the mission, and it's hard to answer because I feel like I'm basically a giant milkshake or something made up of excited and sad and nervous and happy and tired, all these random emotions. Above all, however, is the feeling of blessed. Blessed to live in his beautiful country, work with these amazing missionaries, and serve these incredible people. Idk if I've shared this before on an email, but I really love in the scriptures when Ammon is talking about their work as missionaries- the successes, the failures, and everything in between. The part that stood out to me more recently, however, is in verse 33</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><i><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">33 And now behold I say unto you, has there been so great love in all the land? Behold, I say unto you, Nay, there has not</span></i></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">And basically I just really feel that right now. That is all. Im excited to see a lot of you real soon😉</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">xoxo</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Smeds</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">1-5 I love them! 6-8 And them:)</span></span></div>
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ksmedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09698832103117770491noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6389164944159340793.post-84323158694852901612017-09-01T23:18:00.001-07:002017-09-01T23:18:22.858-07:00Chapter 76: Borderline Border Crossing😉<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Except it wasn't borderline.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Because when one has only a week left in the mission, one leaves the mission and the country. Just for fun.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Lolol basically we had scambio this week in firenze, and the mission office bought us tickets that changed trains in the Rome mission🙃 so that was funny. And then today for Pday, we went to SAN MARINO 🇸🇲🏰🌊 a country within a country haha! Literally this adorable country up on this hill in the middle of Italy 🇮🇹 Not bad, not bad. Plus, we went with the other sorelle in our zone, which means we got to see my past comps Orr and Carter, and Anderson from my MTC group🎉</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Anyways, back to the Firenze stuff ⚜️ My last scambio was such a neat experience. Well tbh, it was weird in a lot of ways to be back in my old city and with my previous companion, Sorella Wilson. Back to the good ole days or something like that😂 It was crazy cool though because when we went to the church for English class, half of the ward was there! And it was so funny because they all reacted in the same way. They were first like "ciao sorelle" because it was pretty normal to see the two of us lol. Then about 5 seconds after, it would register that I wasn't serving there and that’s right about the point where the hugging and laughing and almost crying happened😂 Bishop Ferrini nearly fell out of his chair haha! And the following morning, we got to have a breakfast with the Larrain family❤️ Thankfully we didn't have squid or cow intestine this time- just cereal hahaha! It was so neat- I just felt like I was back home. There were some cool discussions had over that table, and I just left with my heart feeling full. I've never gotten to go back to a city before, and it was a really special experience for me. It had only been a month, but it was so nice to see them all again, and I felt so much love ❤️ </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">So due to scambio in Firenze plus a couple baptisms and meetings, we haven't had a ton of time in our own area. BUT we met a super cool lady on the bus named Lina. She was casually reading the Bible lol😂 we saw she was reading in Exodus about the 10 commandments and we were like "hey which commandment do you think is most important?" And she was like "obviously to love God, because if you love him, you naturally follow all of the commandments."😳😳 um, yeah. So we kept talking with her and then we had an appointment with her a couple days ago. She wants to meet again this weekend so we can teach her and her sister, so we're pretty excited! We've also been working with the members a lot, trying to get them excited about missionary work! We've been working on a specific fireside for it that will happen on saturday. Pretty exciting stuff!</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Honestly, the emotions have been pretty rough this week. It's weird being in this kind-of limbo. My place is still here in Italy, but soon it won't be, and that's hard. It's resulted in a rollercoaster of emotions. I woke up the other day feeling less than awesome and decided it was time for a 'coming to God' moment. So I went and had a good long chat with Him, and I kinda realized that although I do pray a pretty good amount, 1) I need to be more open and real with God, and 2) I mostly pray about other people and what to do for them, instead of chatting with Him about my own problems or questions or desires. Idk, I guess I sometimes feel like I ask too much of Him. Shortly after this, we were doing personal study. I was reading in the Book of Mormon, in Ether. I've read the Book of Ether a million and one times, but this time around it struck me more than it ever had. As a refresher, this is the awesome story of the Brother of Jared, and his interactions with the Lord. The first thing that stood out to me was at the beginning of one of these convos.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Ether 2:14 <i>And for the space of three hours did the Lord talk with the brother of Jared, and chastened him </i><b><i>because he remembered not to call upon the name of the Lord.</i></b></span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Oops. Like @me next time. Like I said, it wasn't an issue of not praying, or having crappy prayers or something like that. But was I actually conversing with the Lord, and calling on Him? Not very well. Yay for that call to repentance. Anyways, the story goes on and the Lord gives the brother of Jared instruction on the ships his people will need to cross the seas. The brother of Jared follows all of this, and comes back to the Lord for help with issues such as direction and airflow and whatnot. Then he asks for a solution to a third problem.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Ether 2:22-23 <i>Behold, O Lord, wilt thou suffer that we shall cross this great water in darkness? And the Lord said unto the brother of Jared: What will ye that I should do that ye may have light in your vessels?</i></span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Now this got me thinking in ways it never had before. I stopped reading for a sec and was like "Hold up brother of Jared... don't you think you're being a bit needy right now? Like, air and steering, yes those were needs. But you don't <i>need</i> light to survive. Hadn't the Lord already done enough for you?" But the Lord didn't seem to view it that way at all.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Ether 2:25 <i>And behold, I prepare you against these things; for ye cannot cross this great deep save I prepare you against the waves of the sea, and the winds which have gone forth, and the floods which shall come. Therefore what will ye that I should prepare for you that ye may have light when ye are swallowed up in the depths of the sea?</i></span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">The story continues and the brother of Jared brings stones for the Lord to light. Now let's think about this for a sec... Not only was the Lord totally ok with this additional demand, but He even agrees to do it according to what the brother of Jared wants. And the brother of Jared decided he wanted glowing rocks🤔 Let's be real- the Lord probably knew a lot of other ways to get light in these boats, and a lot of ideas were probably better than that of the brother of Jared. And I guess it really struck me that the Lord loved the brother of Jared enough that He 1) solved the necessary problems for the voyage 2) agreed to solve the light problem, even though it wasn't a requirement 3) did it the way the brother of Jared wanted. He didn't need to do any of this, but He did. He did it because the brother of Jared humbly asked, and it didn't interfere with His will. In the next chapter, the brother of Jared made a lil comment that hit me right in the jugular.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Ether 3:2 <i>O Lord, thou hast given us a commandment that we must call upon thee, that from thee we may receive according to our desires.</i></span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">There's really no such thing as asking too much from God, so long as we are working to be humble and worthy. He loves us- so much so, that He's commanding us to call on Him so that He can bless us. That's pretty cool stuff. And if God is ok with this whole glowing rocks thing, I have a pretty good feeling He's going to be pretty chill with most things we ask Him.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">xoxoxoxoxo</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Smeds🇸🇲🇮🇹⚜️</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">1-Back to Firenze & the Larrain’s:) 2&3 Rome mission😉 not as good as the Milano mission, but it’s aight 4&5 Teaching Primary…never a dull moment 6-14 San Marino! <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></div>
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ksmedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09698832103117770491noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6389164944159340793.post-84218540970446122532017-08-24T22:16:00.000-07:002017-08-24T22:16:19.412-07:00Chapter 75: "Oh... Am I interrupting something Catholic??"<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">You know that feeling on the first day of school when you walk into class, sit down, and then... the teacher starts talking... and you look around a bit... and slowly realize that you're meant to be in freshman English, but are actually in the AP biology room?? And then you start sweating because you realize in that moment that you've made a very big mistake. And now you're going to have to get up and leave in front of everyone, because the exit happens to be at the front of the class and at the opposite side of the room? Yeah, that was kind of like us during today's Pday...</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">You see, there's this famous place called Loreto. Why is it famous? There's this giant Catholic sanctuary that's famous because within the basilica, there is supposedly Jesus's childhood home. Well, why not check it out? We showed up, and it was waaaaaaaaaay crowded! It all was just normal Catholic stuff, and then we entered "Jesus's house"... first of all, let me just say that this was NOT Jesus's house. I highly doubt that the Savior of the World had portraits of himself hanging in his own home. He's much too humble for that lol. But wait, it gets worse. So we enter this little house thing and my first thought is "why is no one moving? Let's look, and then get out. Come on people!" We quickly figured out why. There were all these Catholic priests and nuns chanting and doing strange things with staffs and candles. It was honestly pretty terrifying. Then all of a sudden, all the people around us started chanting in unison with the priests. I'm being 100% serious when I say it was the creepiest thing I've seen in my life. Also, I felt like the main character in a cult movie, when he's like "aw frick, gotta pretend like I know what's going on here" and people kept trying to do peace handshakes with us and then they started doing a weird sacrament thing with chips and we booked it right out of there! Just us two Amish looking girls pushing through chanting Catholics trying to get to the exit, conveniently located at the opposite end of the "house". Keep in mind, all of this went down in a small bedroom-sized space claiming to be the childhood home of Jesus. The apostasy is real, folks, and it's pretty freaky up close and personal😂</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">It's been quite a week. Branch drama has been going down, which is always an adventure. What do you do when your branch mission leader doesn't like your investigators...? Or when some of the women in the ward verbally attack your less actives the minute they walk into church? Or when they expect you to escort youth to Rimini or do random chores all with like 20 minute's notice? Or when everyone is very much judgmental and socially awkward? Typically, you just do your best and then end up giving a talk, teaching Sunday school, and teaching Relief Society all in the same day. Awesome🙃 oh, how I love these crazies!</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Well, my happiness level is really high lately, although my appetite has been pretty low... it has been a rough week for my poor insides. Why, you may ask? Probably because although most Italian food is a m a z i n g, every once in a while people kind of make up their own things and it's bad. Or, it's fish, in which case it is just bad without any effort. </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><b>Attack 1:</b> A sweet lady made us lunch after church. There was rice (which is ok) and spinach (which is random but also ok). Then, a meat sauce over the top... containing turkey (semi sketchy but ok) and then a sauce of mayo and tuna (no no not ok double blink abort abort). Why do these people love mayo so much??? We were pretty sick that day, that's for sure. </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><b>Attack 2:</b> Hi, remember how I hate fish? 🐟🐡🦑🦐🐙🐠Ok there's this Peruvian guy William who is super cool. He and his son are fairly new converts but had kinda fallen away from the church for about a year, until like a month ago. So William invited us to Manuel's seventeenth birthday party... and we were assuming we'd get to talk to his friends but it turns out they'd only invited us and the Anziani? Nice. Well he starts us out with freaking fish pasta. We're talking clams, shrimp, squid, and unrecognizable things... and of course, my bowl had the least fish, but sweet William felt bad about that and scooped some more in my bowl. Nice. Hurst and I almost died, and the Anziani made fun of us the whole time. BUT WE DID IT! And we thought we'd made it through a bit nauseous but relatively unscathed. WRONG because then William hands us each a giant fish. And that's the story of how I had to eat an entire fish, literally off the bone, peeling off the skin and avoiding the eyes, brains, bones, and teeth. It was watching me eat it 🐟👀 Well, prayer works because I made it! Right in time for more vegetables and fruit and two cakes. I don't think my stomach has ever hated me so much, and we still smell fish everywhere😭</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">In better news, we had another great lesson with Salina. We were originally planning on teaching the restoration, but about an hour beforehand, we changed it up. Both Sorella Hurst and I felt very strongly like we needed to do a lesson on Jesus Christ and His Atonement. It ended up being exactly the lesson she needed! She ended up asking a lot of questions about the repentance process, and there was just such a special spirit in the room. She asked about when church was, and was like "I'll try to come as often as I can, because I want to feel these feelings as much as possible!" It was just super cool. We were really guided to share different scriptures and experiences, and she seemed really touched by it all. </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">We have have had two amazing lessons with Jelena this past week! During our first lesson, we kind of just talked about what her concerns were (aka why she broke up with us a couple weeks back). The spirit was so strong and she was so open with us. I felt really at one with my companion as we worked to ask inspired questions and determine what would be best for Jelena. The basic conclusion we all came to was that Jelena still likes her old church and views it as being very similar to our church, so she views both as being on same-ish ground. Because of that, she doesn't want to rush into baptism for either church because she wants to be 100% committed to whichever church she chooses. She really seems to get how important of a covenant baptism is! So for now, we are going to finish the lessons with her and just kind of help her with her questions and doubts. We got a little nervous last lesson because we asked if she had any questions, and she brought up the temple and tithing😬 however, she just wanted to know more about the Rome temple, and with tithing she was like "look, this isn't anything new... it's even in the Bible!” She's so cute lol. She came to church and actively participated in each hour, even taking notes of each scripture or talk cited so she can read them later. She's been really eating up conference talks and the Book of Mormon. She really loves Elder Holland (don't we all?), and is stoked for General Conference in a few weeks!</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">I think what will end up making the biggest difference for Jelena in the end is the Book of Mormon. She's already read a good portion of it, and absolutely loves it. We asked her at the end of the last lesson if she'd prayed about whether or not it was true. She said she had. And that she really felt that it was a true book of scripture. She kept cross referencing different stories and teachings with those found in the Bible. It's just been ringing even more true than ever to me just how amazing the Book of Mormon is. It accomplishes so many purposes. It testifies of Christ. It clarifies and supports the Bible. Above all, it's a way for us to receive answers and truth. It's something unique to the true church of Jesus Christ. Other Christian churches may have the Bible or some of the same teachings, but only the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints has the Book of Mormon.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">It's a really good book. 10/10 would recommend.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">xoxo</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Smeds🎈</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><i>"We're not normal missionaries. We were basically called to chaperone 13 year olds, fix marriages, and clean churches."</i> -Anziano Jacobsen</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">"<i>Sometimes we joke that every time you say a prayer, your husband gets hotter!" -</i>Sorella Hurst</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><i>"... Well in that case, can I say the closing prayer too?"</i> -Jelena</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">"<i>You Peruvians just need to stay in Peru! I'm sick of immigrants showing up in this country and stealing our jobs!" </i>-Elena, Russian immigrant</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">1- Power nap whenever & wherever we can! 2&3-After surviving the fish! 4&5-When you visit ‘Jesus’s house’ and walk in on cult life 6-15 More Pday fun in Loreto!</span></span></div>
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ksmedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09698832103117770491noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6389164944159340793.post-54567385068039296982017-08-18T15:03:00.001-07:002017-08-18T15:03:25.340-07:00Chapter 74: "Want You Back, Want Want You Back"<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">You know how in Harry Potter, they freak out when someone mentions Voldemort by name? Well, that’s kind of similar to the word "ferragosto" for Italian missionaries. Remember how all Italians just go on vacation for the whole month of August? Same. No wonder the economy here struggles🙄 Well, you can still usually find a person or two who doesn't do this whole month-long vacation thing. However, that is not the case for ferragosto, a holiday that falls on August 15th, and basically everything is closed and it's a bigger deal than Christmas... so it's been an adventurous week leading up to the 'day which shall not be named' full of slowness but also some crazy miracles🎉</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">I'm just gonna put it out there that if anyone needs good dating advice, I'm a good person to call. You're probs thinking "but Smeds... you've been basically a nun for the last year and a half!" Well here's my theory. The mission is kinda like one giant dating game. You've got your potentials, who sometimes show lots of promise, but more often than not stop answering your calls after the first date, er, appointment. Then you've got your investigators, who you meet with more regularly and either start progressing towards the big commitment, or they breakup with you. Occasionally if you get desperate enough, you call up some of those ex-investigators just to see if anything has changed. </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Well, Jelena (our bap date who dropped us out of nowhere a few weeks ago) has been a bit of a sly dog as of late😉 Background story- we'd tried calling and texting her since 'the breakup' to see what was up. She texted back once telling us it wasn't our fault ("it's not you- it's me" 🙄how typical) but we hadn't heard anything from her since. Well we miraculously ran into her at a bus stop a few days ago, and she was like "wow this is crazy, it must be God" and we were like "yep probably". Then she texted us this morning out of nowhere, and the 'flirting' began... </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Her: so... I don't work at all this week...</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Us: Nice! What are you gonna do?</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Her: Oh... nothing...</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Us: Well... you know... we happen to be free tomorrow... maybe we could meet up?</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Her: OK! ...I mean... I guess I'm free...</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">SHE WANTS US BACK🤗 no one can resist Hurst and Smeds I guess🤷🏼♀️💁🏼 soooo yeah, we have a date with our ex tomorrow. Wish is luck 🤞🏼</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Other than that, there's been the slowness that comes with ferragosto. That awesome moment when you only have like 6 total members/less actives to visit, and just a handful of investigators... and all of them but like one leave... but it's whatevs. We've done some service for our members and Anziani, went and helped at a baptism in Ravenna for my bud Anziani Gibb's investigator, and had interviews with Presidente!</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Another cool thing! Since we had no one to meet with, we've been trying to use some of this excess time to plan some firesides and programs that are coming up. We decided to take a break and call through some old potentials. Well, 3 hours later and not a single person wanted to meet with us EXCEPT for this lady named Salina. She met the missionaries at an activity 4 years ago but never met with them again. Well, she agreed to meet with us and that's how we ended up doing a lesson in a sketchy bar last Friday lol. It was neat though, she said she's been looking for spiritual direction her whole life, and that she'd decided finally to pray and ask God to guide her to the answer. Well, the minute she finished praying, she got the call from us aaaand the rest is history. She's seriously super cool- a total miracle! We're seeing her again tomorrow❤️</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">We also had zone conference! My last one, which was weird and meant I had to give my dying testimony. Vomit. Whatevs, it was awesome to see so many past comps and mission friends, and we got a ton of awesome trainings! One awesome thing was when President Allen shared a talk from a couple years ago by Elder Anderson of the seventy. </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><i><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">"Years ago I listened to a radio interview of a young doctor who worked in a hospital in the Navajo Nation. He told of an experience he had one night when an old Native American man with long braided hair came into the emergency room. The young doctor took his clipboard, approached the man, and said, 'How can I help you?' The old man looked straight ahead and said nothing. The doctor, feeling somewhat impatient, tried again. 'I cannot help you if you don’t speak to me,' he said. 'Tell me why you have come to the hospital.'</span></i></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><i><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">The old man then looked at him and said, 'Do you dance?' As the young doctor pondered the strange question, it occurred to him that perhaps his patient was a tribal medicine man who, according to ancient tribal customs, sought to heal the sick through song and dance rather than through prescribing medication.</span></i></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><i><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">'No,' said the doctor, 'I don’t dance. Do you dance?' The old man nodded yes. Then the doctor asked, 'Could you teach me to dance?'</span></i></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><i>The old man’s response has for many years caused me much reflection. '</i><b><i>I can teach you to dance,' he said, 'but you have to hear the music.'"</i></b></span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">It makes me think back to the dance days❤️ during those long, long practices, we'd often go through parts of a routine <i>without</i> music, for the sake of correcting errors or clarifying steps. Those moments were never as enjoyable (for the dancer or for the viewer) as it was with the music. I also remember moments where we did run the full routine with music, and afterwards our coach would say something like, "Look Kaylee, you're just going through the motions. You're not listening to the music, and your heart isn't in it." Those moments were never as fulfilling as the times when the I felt so connected to the music that the movements just sort of happened! It happened naturally. This is so much like how the gospel works in our lives. Sometimes we're just doing the dance steps- we're keeping the commandments and simply going through the motions. We go to church because we have to, or serve out of obligation. And, like, yay for doing awesome things, but we kind of end up cheating ourselves out of the joy that comes with doing those things. Elder Anderson goes on to say:</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><i><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">"We learn the dance steps with our minds, but we hear the music with our hearts."</span></i></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Just like in an actual dance, the dance steps in gospel living require discipline, and that is both important and admirable. However, the joy in the dance, or the joy in living the gospel, comes only when we learn to hear the music.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">xo</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">1- Ferragosto lunch! 2-6 Last Zone Conference 7- Past comps-Orr & Carter 8&9-More Zone Conf. 10-12 The ‘dying’ sorelle 13-Anderson & I are piecing out✌🏼</span></span></div>
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ksmedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09698832103117770491noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6389164944159340793.post-42600589245147104462017-08-10T23:30:00.002-07:002017-08-10T23:30:24.006-07:00Chapter 73: The New Disney Princesses<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">"Disney is going to make a movie based in Italy, and we are going to</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">be the princesses in it. We chase sunsets and eat pizza and have</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">magical flower crowns, and we tell the princes they have to wait</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">because you guys are busy being missionaries and don't have time for</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">them." -Francesca</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><span class="s1"></span><br /></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">"Well... I liked the torture chamber part!" -Anziano Whitlock</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">"Man, you are about to make someone reeeeeally happy" -Francesca to</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">the pizza delivery man</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">"Look, if you get sorted into Slytherin, you've basically just been</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">screwed over. It's like 'hey 11 year-old kid, you'll probs be a death</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">eater one day.' Nice." -Anziano Jacobsen</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><span class="s1"></span><br /></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">It has been a week. What do you do when all but one person you're</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">teaching go on vacation? And you have under 10 active members? And</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">only 3 of the less-actives are willing to even talk to you? And there</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">are like no new people to find because everyone is at the beach? Well,</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">you get creative and try not to blame yourself for the slowness of the</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">work😂😂 also, you play Josh Groban music a lot. Also you try to serve</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">the Anziani in your city. And you try to visit or talk to anyone you</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">can. You also bake a lot, because we are not above bribing people. You</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">go on lots of crazy adventures, all in a skirt and a nametag. And, if</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">you're lucky, you get to do it all in a country you love with</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">missionaries you adore.🤷🏼♀️🇮🇹</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Oh, funny story. So we went and visited this less active named</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Christina. She's super cool, and the only reason she doesn't come to</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">church is because she's a live-in nurse. Well, we'd just gotten kebab</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">and had started our fast immediate after. Well sure enough, we show up</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">at Christina's house and she gives us each a giant pizza and makes us</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">eat it in front of her. I wanted to hurl. She also showed me her</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">kidney stone she keeps in a jar. I wanted to hurl x2</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><span class="s1"></span><br /></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">We also got to hold a mini sacrament mtg with the Anziani and a</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">less-active on Sunday evening. She hadn't taken the sacrament in almost a</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">year because of her work, and it was such a neat experience. Then we</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">got a call from her this week saying she's quitting that job- she gets</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">to start coming to church again first week of September! Man, faithful</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">people are so cool to me! Especially after normal sacrament meeting,</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">where a crazy Albanian guy showed up and called out all the members,</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">er, I mean, bore his testimony🤦🏼♀️🙄</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">In other news, we got wrapped up into a 30 min conversation with a</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Muslim dude and it ended with him inviting me to convert to his</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">religion, then him accepting a Book of Mormon...? Whatevs. Good old</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Isaac lol. Also, this random old lady who has adopted us as her</span></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">grandkids told this pizza place to put any pizza we order on her tab.</span></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">She also calls me kiwi and I adore her. Also, yay for small towns</span></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">where you are friends with all the bus drivers and shop owners. Makes</span></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">me feel like Belle in the beginning of Beauty and the Beast, and</span></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">sometimes it's nice to be reminded that some people in the city like</span></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">you❤️</span></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><span class="s1"></span><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Pday was reeeeeeal good today. We took a train to this city called</span></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Gradara. It happens to be a full-on medieval city with a super dope</span></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">castle used in movies. Also, any of you literary people out there, a</span></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">lot of writers refer to the tragic love story of Francesca and Paolo.</span></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">I know it's for sure in Dante's Divine Comedy, but it's in other</span></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">stories too. Well anyways, their tragic love story happened in this</span></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">actual castle, so that's cool. Just imagine a medieval castle with</span></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">trap doors and torture chambers and a drawbridge and probably an</span></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">actual dragon stored somewhere, and that's the Castle of Gradara.</span></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Super cool. Funny story though, last night at English class we told</span></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">the Anziani about how we were going to this castle thing. Sure enough,</span></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">today as Sorella Hurst and I entered the city, we saw the Anziani</span></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">sitting on the steps looking rather put out.</span></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><span class="s1"></span><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Us: "Wow, way to copy our Pday!..... and why do you guys look upset?"</span></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Them: "We thought this was gonna be a super cool medieval thing!"</span></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Us: "...aaaaaaand?"</span></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Them: *points at the castle*</span></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Us: *sees castle and streets have been covered with butterflies,</span></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">streamers, and a big glowing sign saying "Magic Castle"*</span></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><span class="s1"></span><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Ok, so yeah, they're doing a princess festival this week... buuuut</span></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">serves the Anziani right for trying to copy our Pday 🙄😂</span></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><span class="s1"></span><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">We also got to do an awesome FHE with Francesca. She's so funny... we</span></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">went to the church to meet up with her, and instead of driving to her</span></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">house or someplace for the FHE, she headed to the beach...? And that's</span></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">the story of how we had a super spiritual convo on the beach whilst</span></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">watching the sunset. Also the story of how my childhood desire to be a</span></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">mermaid has totally returned. Maybe I'll look into it after this</span></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">mission thing😉🐬</span></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><span class="s1"></span><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">I know I always talk about how much I love these stubborn Italians, but</span></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">y'all can deal with it since you only have to listen to me for about a</span></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">month longer lol. This last week, I got some emails from my precious</span></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Firenze friends. It was really neat, because the bishop and his fam</span></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">sent me the talk "Cast Not Away Therefore Thy Confidence" by Elder</span></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Holland. I'd read it various times before, and always liked it. It</span></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">talks a lot about the spirit of revelation- how it works, the ways</span></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Satan tries to combat against it, and what we can do to remain</span></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">grounded. I love it because he utilizes Doctrine and Covenants 8 ("Now</span></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">behold, this is the spirit of revelation; behold, this is the spirit</span></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">by which Moses brought the children of Israel through the Red Sea on</span></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">dry ground.") to explain how revelation really works, and what we need</span></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">to do. His main points brought up were to come with a question, do not</span></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">fear, and remember that God will help us.</span></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><span class="s1"></span><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">I loved this. In the end, it is really simple and super beautiful. He</span></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">knows all the answers and wants to help us, but we gotta invite Him in</span></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">and stay strong against whatever Satan might throw our way. The</span></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">adversary tries to discredit our spiritual experiences and cause us to</span></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">doubt and fear. We just need to not, lol. I mean, I'm sure the people</span></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">were pretty freaked out at this whole "parting the Red Sea" thing and</span></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">probs thought it'd be impossible, but there's a first time for</span></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">everything lol. God gets pretty creative on our behalf, and we really</span></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">just need to trust Him.</span></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><span class="s1"></span><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">And that's all I've got today.</span></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><span class="s1"></span><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">xo</span></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Princess Smeds👸🏼</span></span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><span class="s1"></span><br /></span></div>
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<div class="p4">
<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">1-??? 2-The Magic Castle LOL 3-Our copycat Elders 4-9 Medieval/Princess Festival 10-20 Beach FHE with Francesca</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
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ksmedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09698832103117770491noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6389164944159340793.post-32060263862527917762017-08-10T23:22:00.003-07:002017-08-10T23:22:46.232-07:00Chapter 72: "The Sunset is My Boyfriend"🌅<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Well, it's officially August😳☀️Crazy stuff. Last Wednesday, I finished saying my goodbyes💔 aaaaaand got up at 5am so we could send off Sorella Arndt✈️🇺🇸🇦🇸 and also catch our 7am train🙃 but fiiiiinaaaaaly we made it to Ancona. And I absolutely love it here! Just think of a smaller city where all the buildings and apartments are up in the hills looking over the sea, and that's Ancona🏝 It's a smaller branch here, which means the missionaries hold half the callings and usually teach on the spot, and there are typically like 15ish people in church. Also, the branch president is in the Philippines right now and no one knows exactly when he's coming back...? Ah, it all reminds me of the good ole days of Savona💕 Anyways, the city is beautiful, the people are great, and my comp is the best. Here's some memorable quotes from this week!</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">"Sometimes girls really scare me..." -Anziano Whitlock </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">"Who needs boys? They're all stupid. The sunset is my boyfriend. Also, pizza." -Francesca</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">"The truth is, I'm not actually a missionary... I'm a tour guide. Welcome to the best-kept secret of the mission: transfer 12 doesn't really exist..." -Sorella Hurst, five minutes after arriving in Ancona</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">"You look tired... do you need cake or something?" -Francesca</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">*During Branch Council* "Ok Anziani, you should visit and teach this list of people. And sorelle... maybe you can bake something to send with them, and that'll count as your missionary work." -Paolo, who is only slightly sexist.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">"Give a man a fish, and you feed him for one day. Give a man toilet paper, and he'll never use a bidet!" -Anziano Jacobsen</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">As for work, it's been kind of a crazy week due to different meetings, and having to go up to Rimini twice. Buuut that's ok because I got to see Sorella Orr, Sorella Carter, Anziano Gibb, and Sorella Anderson so no complaints here!❤️❤️❤️ We got to meet twice with our investigator Jelena, and it went awesome both times! Francesca came and was the perfect member-present. WAIT I didn't explain Francesca. So she's absolutely one of my favorite people in this country. She's like 30 and actually lived in Firenze for a bit, where she was baptized! So she knows all my beloved Firenze people❤️ Also, she's just the coolest person ever. I really think she's a big reason for why God wanted sorelle in Ancona for the first time. It's so neat. Every moment we're with her, it just feels right. She's working on her mission papers right now, so we're waaaaay excited!</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">ALSO on Sunday, we found two super cool kids we've started teaching. So their mom is from Ghana, but they were born here in Ancona. In September, they're moving to London with their grandfather who is a member of the church! Anyways, we've met with them twice so far (Jason who is 15, and Suzanna who is 13), and they are super smart kids. Pretty shy, but you can tell they're really thinking about the stuff we teach, and their answers to our questions are always so profound! We are meeting with them again tomorrow so we're pretty stoked🤗</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Ok so that's all great. Most of this past week in Ancona has been absolutely awesome! However, we all have those harder days, and yesterday started out as one of them. There was a combined district meeting in Rimini at around 11. Well, what do you do when your bus doesn't come, and you live on top of the hill far far away from the train station? What do you do when eventually the bus shows up, but you miss your train? What do you do when you find a different train, but then miss the bus from the Rimini station to the church? What do you do when, during all this chaos, you get a text from your most promising investigator saying they won't meet again? Lol my list of potential included crying/saying "screw it" and going to the beach/eating my feelings🤷🏼♀️</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">...but here's the thing... Elder Richard G Scott once said, "<i>Sadness, disappointment, and severe challenge are </i><i>events </i><i>in life, </i><i>not life itself.</i><i> I do not minimize how hard some of these events are. They can extend over a long period of time, but they should not be allowed to become the confining center of everything you do. The Lord inspired Lehi to declare the fundamental truth, “Men are, that they might have joy.” That is a conditional statement: “they </i><i>might</i><i> have joy.” </i><i>It is not conditional for the Lord.</i><i> His intent is that each of us finds joy. It will not be conditional for you as you obey the commandments, have faith in the Master, and do the things that are necessary to have joy here on earth. </i><i>Your joy in life depends upon your trust in Heavenly Father and His holy Son, your conviction that their plan of happiness truly can bring you joy."</i></span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">And so, we chose faith and joy. First, faith. Sorella Hurst and I had a good long chat about the situations of the day lol. All the craziness with the transportation was 100% not our fault, and it was something very much out of our control. As for the situation with our investigator, we prayed for a good long while, and we know we handled everything the best we could, and we made some plans to potentially help her back on the path. In the end, we realized we can only trust in God, knowing that so long as we do our part, His will is gonna be fulfilled. </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Then came the joy. A cool concept I've been studying lately is how to consistently live in joy, despite the fact that most aspects of life are outside of our control. We can't stop disappointing things from happening, and we can't just wait for the good moments like vacations or whatever to come, saying "well, when ______ happens, <i>then</i> I will be happy." The idea rolling through my head lately is that we are more likely to be living a life of joy if we can add happy moments on our own. So we tried to do that yesterday. I've got a lil list now of things I can make happen, so I can be happy no matter the circumstance. Granted, my list is a bit different here on the mission than it will be at home, but it's the same concept. My list includes things like getting gelato, having a 5 minute dance party, serving my comp, watching the sunset, visiting a fav member or investigator, laughing with other missionaries, etc. So yesterday, we ate our feelings a bit with the rest of our zone lol. Then, we played card games on the train ride home with our Anziani. We had a quick dance party to the Princess and the Frog soundtrack before preparing a lesson. And we ended the day watching the sun set over the water with Francesca.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">And let me just tell you, trusting God and chasing sunsets is the best medicine for just about anything.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">XOxo</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Sorella Smeds🌅🏝</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1">1-3 Last goodbyes from Firenze 4&5 Carter & Orr 6-8 Ancona Adventures 9-12 SuNsEtS</span><span class="s2">🌅</span></div>
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ksmedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09698832103117770491noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6389164944159340793.post-13791497026511163692017-07-28T06:18:00.002-07:002017-07-28T06:18:16.442-07:00Chapter 71: The Smedley of The Opera🎭<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Guys! It's been a crazy awesome week full of literally all the emotions, mainly due to three things! 1) We done got cultured 🎭🎨🎼 2) We done got transfer calls ☎️🚊 3) I done ran into a wall and might have broken my toe. Idiot lol. Anyways, let's expound a bit on these three things! Well, at least the first two😅</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">1) CULTURE 🎭🎨🎼</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Alright so in our mission, Presidente Allen has allowed us the opportunity to do what's called a culture event. Basically, once during the mission, you can find an event, concert, play, show, etc. and go, no matter what day or time it is. Well, everyone and their dog was freaking out because the world famous opera The Barber of Savile was coming to Florence... sooooo last week, we were doing a scambio with the Ancona Sorelle, my ex-comp Sorella Arndt and her comp Sorella Hurst. We got permission from pres to go to this opera together during scambio, and it was absolutely a m a z i n g😍😍😍 it was so good and fun and guess where we watched it? Palazzo Pitti. Yep, we literally watched a world famous opera. In Italian. At a palace in Florence. It was a good night, although I've realized I've completely lost my ability to stay up late😅 The show ended close to 1am and I was fighting not to fall asleep lolololol. Seriously, an unforgettable night!</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">2) TRANSFERS ☎️🚊</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">This past weekend, we got transfer calls, and they were shocking like always. Let me first just say how glad I am that this is my last time getting transfer calls lol! The anxiety and stress and PACKING are my least favorite parts of the mission besides tourist filled buses in the summer. Anyways, we'd been assuming I'd stay and finish the mission here in Firenze, but it looks like God's plan is different! Ironically, I'm going to go take Sorella Arndt's spot in Ancona! Only fitting, given that I've followed her for literally my entire mission lolol! When we got the call, I was suuuuper heartbroken. Firenze is my absolute favorite place in the world, and it just about kills me imagining leaving these people. However, God's been helping me out a lot. I've never felt more at peace with a transfer call than I have for this one. I know without a doubt that my place for these next six weeks is in Ancona with Sorella Hurst❤️ ALSO I'm gonna be right next door to my past comps Orr and Carter, and my buds Sorella Anderson and Anziano Gibb! So yeah, Ancona it is! The sorelle just opened there last transfer, so it's still new. It's by the sea. It's a small branch. Aaaaand that's about all I know, but I'm excited!</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">So yeah, this week has been a week of goodbyes which are MY LEAST FAVORITE THING! But it's ok. There're been some cool things! For one, we spent Pday today with Carolina our investigator, just chilling around firenze. Also, bishop's family was out of town so he Skyped them during church so we could say goodbye. I just about died, especially since church had already been filled with so many goodbyes! The last night with the Larrain family nearly killed me. I love these people so much. Then tonight, we're saying goodbye to the Fallani and Rivera family, and to their precious kids!</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">I think the coolest thing for me, however, was our final lesson with Carolina Cabezas. I really tried to soak it all in, and was reminded of our first encounter with her. It was, like, my second week in Firenze when Sorella Arndt and I knocked on her door. It was beautiful at the end of yesterday's lesson to sit back and see how much progress and change Carolina has made. When we met her, she claimed to be a Christian but really didn't have much religious knowledge. She'd never prayed before, and was pretty content with her life. Her responses were always pleasant but short. Now, she prays daily and has been studying the Book of Mormon! She loves going through the children's edition with little Cristian because she likes the illustrations. She's receptive and open during lessons, and we have a super strong relationship. She's honest with us about her concerns and weaknesses, and is slowly but surely trying to live all of the commandments. At the end of the lesson, we all knelt down to pray, and I couldn't stop the tears from streaming down my face as she prayed for me by name. </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">This change I've been able to see in Carolina over these last four and a half months reminds me why I'm out here, and what the Lord's work really is. I think we sometimes picture missionary work as being just for nonmembers, or that there's some sort of time crunch for baptism and all of that. In reality, however, a missionary's purpose is to bring others to Christ. I don't think God cares who it is- if it's a member, less active, investigator, or just some rando you find on the street. I also don't think He cares how much time the process takes. In the end, the purpose is still the same: to bring souls unto the savior. </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">And it's just getting kind of real to me that I only have six more weeks where that is my <i>only</i> purpose.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">So I'm pretty stoked to go to Ancona and do just that👊🏼🏝</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">xoxoxoxoxoxo </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Smeds</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">1- 7 The Opera! 8-18 Goodbyes 😢</span></span></div>
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ksmedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09698832103117770491noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6389164944159340793.post-12477579063453893462017-07-20T06:55:00.003-07:002017-07-20T06:55:38.701-07:00Chapter 70: heyyy let's go camping⛺️<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Hey friends. It's hot☀️ but it's been a good week. Mainly because I kind of got to go camping. And this upcoming week is gonna be EVEN COOLER but you'll have to wait u till next Pday to see why🤷🏼♀️Also, the sooner I finish this email, the sooner I can take a much-needed nap so we're gonna be doing bullet points today🤷🏼♀️ sorry not sorry🙃</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">- We're still going strong doing volunteer work at the Caritas. I'm getting really good at chopping up vegetables 🥒🍆🍅</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">- We had an awesome scambio with the Pisa sorelle. I was with Sorella Tueller, which is cool because we are related apparently? Anyways, I learned a lot and it was just a really cool scambio overall!</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">- We went to visit our less active Mariana who'd been showing a ton of progress... except for the fact that we showed up and she was completely wasted🙃 that made for a suuuuuuper interesting/stressful lesson. She was rambling. Peppa Pig was on the tv. Her two year was feeding an entire bag of M&Ms to the dog. It was a weird hour of my life.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">- We met with Carolina Cabezas and she finally understands what commandments are👏🏼 go team! </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">- I biffed it hard core while crossing the street and now it looks like I was in a motorcycle accident or something. I legit tripped on air. Niiiiiice.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">- We went on a day-long camping trip with our ward and the branch in Montevarchi and it was the best thing ever. Well, it started with some stress and crazy driving but finally we made it to Vallambrosa. It looked so much like Utah mountains I wanted to cry. It was like 90 degrees instead of the 110 we've been suffering, so it was like heaven. Trees, campfires, everything! Much needed, much needed 🌲🏞🏕🚗</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">- Our investigator Maria and her family are headed to Sicily for the Summer, so we went to say goodbye to them. Super sad stuff, especially since she doesn't know if they'll be back before I finish the mission. Stupid Italy vacations that last two months. What even?? Anyways, the gem invited us on the spot to come with them to Sicily and I almost said yes. Oh how I love that fam.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">- We spent pday doing some shopping and eating subway for the first time in a year. And soon we will be napping🙏🏼</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">- I've been working a lot on the attribute of faith, and it's been pretty dang cool. There's this really cool quote I found from President Packer. I was gonna just choose my favorite part but then I realized the whole thing was my favorite part... so I'll just bold a few gems:</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><i>"Faith, to be faith, must center around something that is not known. Faith, to be faith, must go beyond that for which there is confirming evidence. Faith, to be faith, must go into the unknown. </i><b><i>Faith, to be faith, must walk to the edge of the light, and then a few steps into the darkness. If everything has to be known, if everything has to be explained, if everything has to be certified, then there is no need for faith.</i></b><i> Indeed, there is no room for it. …</i></span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><i>“There are two kinds of faith. One of them functions ordinarily in the life of every soul. It is the kind of faith born by experience; it gives us certainty that a new day will dawn, that spring will come, that growth will take place. It is the kind of faith that relates us with confidence to that which is </i><b><i>scheduled</i></b><i> to happen.</i></span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b><i><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">“There is another kind of faith, rare indeed. This is the kind of faith that causes things to happen. It is the kind of faith that is worthy and prepared and unyielding, and it calls forth things that otherwise would not be. It is the kind of faith that moves people. It is the kind of faith that sometimes moves things. … It comes by gradual growth. It is a marvelous, even a transcendent, power, a power as real and as invisible as electricity. Directed and channeled, it has great effect.</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><i><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">“In a world filled with skepticism and doubt, the expression ‘seeing is believing’ promotes the attitude, ‘You show me, and I will believe.’ We want all of the proof and all of the evidence first. It seems hard to take things on faith.</span></i></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><i>“When will we learn that in spiritual things it works the other way about—that believing is seeing? Spiritual belief precedes spiritual knowledge. </i><b><i>When we believe in things that are not seen but are nevertheless true, then we have faith”</i></b></span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">I like this a lot. I feel like it's been pretty easy for me during life to have faith in the big things, or to have faith in the gospel principles and teachings. However, at least for me, it's a lot harder to have faith in the more individual situations and decisions we may be dealing with. It's harder to have faith in people. And sometimes it's just a bit hard to have trust and faith in God in a more personal/real sense. So I've been trying to be better by just making little changes here and there. Trying to make my prayers more sincere, choosing to have faith instead of stress (that one is a work in progress lol), just little things like that. And I've got a loooong way to go, but it's been cool to see the difference it's made. I feel like God has been able to work through me more, to help the people in our city and the sorelle we are over. It's been super cool to see how working on trusting Him has allowed me to align my will more closely to His. And we're becoming closer buds in the process, which is always nice🤗</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">It's cool stuff. Now I'm gonna go nap. Buona notte cari miei😴</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Sorella Smedley</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">1- Scambio! 2-7 Camping! Kind of… 8- Saying goodbye to Maria & her fam💔 </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">9-10 PDAAAAAY</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">1- Scambio! 2-7 Camping! Kind of… 8- Saying goodbye to Maria & her fam💔 9-10 PDAAAAAY</span></span></div>
ksmedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09698832103117770491noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6389164944159340793.post-91383803414734126772017-07-20T06:50:00.005-07:002017-07-20T06:50:48.531-07:00Chapter 69: "This Badge of Shame You'll Show Until You Die!"<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">This week's title comes from "Look Down" from Les Mis. Ironically fits a moment I had this week... you see, I'm going through a weird phase. A Les Mis phase. Not that this is anything new- I've belted these toons out with a lot of comps. Les Mis is one of my shower playlists, as lame as that sounds. Lately I've been using songs from it as my alarm clock to ensure I actually wake up on time.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Man, that came back to bite me in the butt, that's for sure.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">So I set an alarm for something. I don't remember what it was for. Let's just say that, towards the end of sacrament meeting on Sunday, our ward was graced with the opening bars of "Look Down" on full-blast. I don't know if I've ever been scared that badly in my life, but just picture a serene sacrament meeting being rudely interrupted by singing salves and an awkward Smeds literally jumping out of fear. That sure woke everyone up. Go me for not peeing my skirt because it was a close call.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">In better, less embarrassing news, we had a great scambio with the Montevarchi sorelle! I had tons of fun with Sorella Roseno, especially when we went to visit our old lady friend Ida haha. Her visits are always so interesting. We left and poor Sorella Roseno was like "Um..l I only understood like 20% of that" and I was like "eh, I'm at maybe 25% so all is well"</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">We also met with both Carolinas, and they're doing well! Summer is messin stuff up for us because everyone and their dog keeps going to the beach. All things considered, however, they're both doing really well. We also got to spend some time with some members. My favorite was an afternoon with the Ferrinis, the family I feel most at home with. Literally we spent half of lunch discussing all the Marvel things and it was seriously too good.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">One super neat experience was coming across the Forni family. Sorella Forni is a member, but the rest of her family isn't. She has a husband, a 29 year-old son, and a 2 year-old daughter. They are all adorable. Well her family is basically Mormon but unbaptized. When you ask them about being members they say they "aren't believers" buuuut they are in church every Sunday, read the Book of Mormon as a family, do FHE and prayers, etc. Basically they are more active than a lot of our actual members. I had only maybe seen them twice before, because they spend a lot of time in Livorno visiting relatives. Even when in Livorno, however, they attend church. They are seriously too good. Well they invited us over for dinner after church on Sunday and it was one of the best experiences! Their fam is so cool, and I seriously had to keep reminding myself that they weren't actually members. During the lesson, they all participated, especially the son. It was all seriously so great, and they asked us to start doing family home evenings with them! </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">We spent the first half of Pday up in Fiesole, just eating gelato in the Tuscan hills... last part was spent in the apartment with kebab because IT IS HOT AS HADES. Constantly in the 100s with awful humidity. Like even nightime trying to get to sleep, it's at least in the 90s. Also mosquitos are killing me. The tiger mosquitos have returned. I've been fighting back with windex- spraying the little jerks so their wings get wet and they fall to the fund. Then they crawl and it's creepy. And that's the story of why my comp keeps walking in on me climbing on top of furniture spraying windex everywhere. Fun times. Other things happened this week... but I just don't have enough brain power to keep writing... so here's two cool things that were floating through my mind this week!</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><b>1) The Bridge Builder:</b> Completely by accident, I somehow found a random talk by President Monson from like 2003, and it was one of the most beautiful talks I'd read in a while. He starts by sharing this poem by Will Allen Dromgoole</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">An old man, going a lone highway,</span></i></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Came at the evening, cold and gray,</span></i></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">To a chasm, vast and deep and wide,</span></i></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Through which was flowing a sullen tide.</span></i></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">The old man crossed in the twilight dim;</span></i></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">The sullen stream had no fears for him;</span></i></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">But he turned when safe on the other side</span></i></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">And built a bridge to span the tide.</span></i></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">“Old man,” said a fellow pilgrim near,</span></i></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">“You are wasting strength with building here;</span></i></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Your journey will end with the ending day;</span></i></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">You never again must pass this way;</span></i></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">You have crossed the chasm, deep and wide--</span></i></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Why build you the bridge at the eventide?”</span></i></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">The builder lifted his old gray head:</span></i></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">“Good friend, in the path I have come,” he said,</span></i></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">“There followeth after me today</span></i></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">A throng whose feet must pass this way.</span></i></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">This chasm that has been naught to me</span></i></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">To that great throng may a pitfall be.</span></i></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">They, too, must cross in the twilight dim;</span></i></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Good friend, I am building the bridge for them.”</span></i></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">He then discusses different "bridges" that Jesus Christ has built for us. Isn't that good stuff? I liked it a lot. Sometimes those chasms seem pretty big, and my legs are far too short to get myself across. So yeah, it was a good read. 10/10 would recommend.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><b>2) Lessons from Les Mis: </b>Well, some good has come out of listening to Les Mis this week, besides the unforgettable mistake during sacrament meeting. It's one of those stories that has a lot of awesome themes and ideas. One of the most well-known is the line used at the end, "To love another person is to see the face of God". I think about that line a lot as a missionary, and I love it because it's two-fold. On the one hand, we can have opportunities to see others as God sees them, and we feel His love for them. On the other hand, we can get to know God through loving others. It's such a neat principle. During our lesson with Carolina this week, we mentioned something about how much God loves her and wants to bless her. She responded that she honestly didn't know if He loved her, specifically. As she said that, I felt moved by the spirit to tell her that He did love her, and that I knew it because I could feel it. I can't describe it in words very well, but it was one of the coolest experiences. It's happened various times with people, being able to feel just an overwhelming sense of how much God loves them.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">And I think it's safe to say it's a pretty huge amount of love ❤️ </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Even for those of us stupid enough to have "Look Down" play during church.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Sorella Smeds</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1">1- Ferrini Family 2-Florence😍 3-Scambio 4 & 5-Elettra Forni❤️ 6-10 Fiesole 11- I ❤️my city! 12- Windexing the mosquitos away:)</span></div>
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<span class="s1">1- Ferrini Family 2-Florence😍 3-Scambio 4 & 5-Elettra Forni❤️ 6-10 Fiesole 11- I ❤️my city! 12- Windexing the mosquitos away:)</span></div>
ksmedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09698832103117770491noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6389164944159340793.post-10836434187656900982017-07-07T16:52:00.001-07:002017-07-07T16:52:35.449-07:00 Chapter 68: I Missed the Fireworks Again 😕🇺<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Happy America day friends!🇺🇸💙❤️🎇 we got to celebrate by having zone conference followed by a Zone Pday! Yay for hot dogs and parties! Although I've definitely decided I will never spend another Fourth of July outside of America, because I miss our beautiful country! Oh well, if I can't spend it in the US, I may as well spend it in Bella Italia! Zone conf was a great way to spend the holiday though, hearing awesome trainings from President and Sorella Allen❤</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">We also had scambio his week with the Prato sorelle! I was with Sorella Harris and we hiked a hill together. Nice. Gaia had just bought a four-month-old puppy, so you could say it was worth it. Seriously though, I learned so so much from Sorella Harris, and it was so fun being her last scambio comp before she goes home!</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Another highlight was seeing Betty this week! We've been working in some temple prep stuff with her, and she is doing so great! She also told us this week that she wants to get stuff in order to serve a mission in about a year! So we were pretty dang happy about that!</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">We also had the best lesson ever with young Carolina!! Seriously it was so neat. She asked so many great questions and prayed for the first time at the end of the lesson! In her prayer, she asked for help in being more open and to be able to know for herself if our message was true. We have another appointment with her tomorrow, so keep her in your prayers!</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"> There was also an awesome appointment with my bffs the Larrains! No squid this time, just cow intestine in a bowl of corn. Shoot me. They think it's hilarious to bring a food I dislike </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"> to the table each week and make me try it. Such an odd relationship we have. Sorella Larrain still finds it so odd that I don't love random organs or fish, and yet she was disgusted when</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"> I mentioned that cookie dough tastes good right out of the bowl. Ridiculous. Seriously though, I just love them. I feel like I can just chill when I'm with them. Also, this convo happened:</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"> Sorella Larrain: Next time, we'll eat cow heart!</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"> Me: noooooooo</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"> Her: come on, it's great!</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"> Me: oh yeah, cookie dough is nasty, but cow heart is fine? Come on.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Something I love that was brought up multiple times this week is the concept of being "born again". Sorella Allen talked about it in her training on zone conference, as we discussed ways to make the sacrament a more personal experience. Our relief society president brought it up in her lesson on Sunday. One thing I love that she did is that she asked all those who had children to describe their emotional state right before and during childbirth.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">There were a lot of feelings listed, including weakness, pain, fear, etc. She then brought up how all of these feelings are pretty awful and crazy, and yet women who've been through childbirth willingly decide to have more children. Why? Because the minute you've got your adorable kid in your arms, all those less-than-awesome feelings melt away and you're left mainly feeling joy.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">She compared this process of childbirth to the act of being born again spiritually. This idea of being born again causes discomfort, pain, weakness, and fear at times. Repentance and change have never been easy. However, in the end, we feel so much joy that we don't really remember the hard parts of the process as visibly. I absolutely love the idea that thanks to Jesus Christ and His Atonement, we really can be spiritually reborn. If we are putting ourselves through the process of change and repentance each week, then us taking the sacrament on Sunday seals the deal. It's better than rewinding- it's literally like a restart button we can continually use to better ourselves, and to bless the lives of others.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Because as Ezra Taft Benson said, <i>"Yes, Christ changes men, and changed men change the world."</i></span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Smeds❤💙🇺🇸🎇</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">1- Random Humanitarians 2- Following Jesus 😉 3-Moroni??? 4-It was a good lesson. He was very receptive 5-7 Scambio w/ Sorella Harris to visit Gaia(& her puppy) 8-9 She drew me a picture 😍😭</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">10- My favs, the Larrains 11-14 Zone Conf. & 4th of July Pday 💙🇺🇸❤️ </span></span></div>
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ksmedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09698832103117770491noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6389164944159340793.post-83418878647472429062017-06-30T13:48:00.003-07:002017-06-30T13:48:55.211-07:00Chapter 67: "I Don't Want To Miss A Thing"-Aerosmith<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Whale, I'd say the typical "it's been a good/hard/crazy week full of miracles/awkwardness/love" but after 67 weeks, I think y'all get the point that every week of my life here in good ole Italia is a big mix of all the things🤷🏼♀️ Anyways, it's been one of the loooongest weeks of the mish lol. There's been some health stuff to deal with plus some plumbing/apartment issues which has made it so a lot of our time was spent inside. Instead of out with my favorite people. Worst. Thing. Ever. Whatevs. Here's a rundown on the gems <i>we</i> did get to see!</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Carolina Cabezas: Still on track for baptism sometime this transfer. We're currently working on commandments with her, and I'm just so impressed at how far she's come! She prays every day, and has finally starting reading the Book of Mormon! More than that, she is just eating it up! She is so changed! Now we just need to help her take the same actions on the rest of the commandments. We are currently praying with her so we can know which date is most realistic for her baptism, so keep her in your prayers!</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Other Carolina: We finally got her to come to the church, and we gave her a big ole tour! She loved it, and had so many questions about baptism and what she will eventually have to do to be a member. She is so freaking close! We're hoping to set a bap date with her soon!</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Members!! Got to chill with our favorite German sisters and they made us a stew thing that was kind of weird but also made me think of Sunday dinner. Bonus. Also got to see the Fallani family and the Rivera family. They make me so so so happy, with their cute kids and puppies and basically it was just what I needed.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">There was also an Aerosmith concert going down at this park next to our apartment. Which meant we got to see it and hear it. Didn't even have to break any rules. Another much needed surprise during the week. Idk friends, it wasn't even that bad of a week! I think just a combination of things plus being cooped inside half the time took its toll. Basically, I was just feeling a little down. I didn't feel effective, even though our reasons for being inside instead of out were outside of my control.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Ironically, I happened upon a lovely little scripture that changed my everything. I couldn't sleep the other night, and so I figured it'd be a good use of time to read the Book of Moses lol. And I realized that Enoch is my favorite. Literally everything he says has me like "yes. You get me Enoch. I'm so glad I'm not a crazy person!"</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">..even though I'm just sitting here bonding with biblical characters. It's fine. </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Anyways, Moses 7:44 says <i>"And as Enoch saw this, he had bitterness of soul, and wept over his brethren, and said unto the heavens:</i><b><i> I will refuse to be comforted</i></b><i>;" </i>At this point, I was just like "Preach Enoch!" This was at approximately 3:47 am.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">And then I read on. "<i>... but the Lord said unto Enoch: Lift up your heart, and be glad; and </i><b><i>look</i></b><i>." </i>Well, I'd spent his whole time feeling like I was Enoch, so I figured I ought to take what the Lord said to him as a message for me. And so, I decided to <i>look</i>.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">It ended up being the coolest thing ever. Because yeah, my greatest joy out here comes from serving these people who I love so dearly. However, it was so crazy for me to see how many little things God gave me here and there this week solely for the purpose of lifting my spirits a bit. Like eight-year-old Victoria bringing me a sticker to put on my name tag. Like having a perfectly dark, cloudy day, just because It's my favorite. Like having interviews with Presidente and hearing exactly what I needed to hear. Like Principessa Sara asking to take more bff pictures together after church. Like the really nice bus driver who saw us running to catch the bus and waited for us. Like one of my favorite member families telling me they planned a trip to West Jordan for after I'm home so we can get slurpees and cafe rio. Like Aerosmith deciding Novali was a good place to have a concert. </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">And I'm not stupid enough to believe that all of those sweet little things happened <i>just</i> for me. Cloudy days happen just for fun, and I don't even know Aerosmith songs that well. However, it's pretty dang neat to realize just how aware God is of us, that he's willing to throw in little things here and there for the sake of our happiness.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Man, what a nice guy.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Smeds☁️</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">1- Candid photo of how I felt about my week 2-6 Man I just love my children! 7-Pday 8&9 My God-given gray day 10- Aerosmith</span></span></div>
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ksmedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09698832103117770491noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6389164944159340793.post-55035054307311845832017-06-24T21:28:00.001-07:002017-06-24T21:28:19.473-07:00 Chapter 66: "Sorella Shakira"💃🏼<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Welcome back to the latest edition of "Smeds in Summer". It's still hot. It's still humid. And I'm still somehow the happiest human☀️</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Last Pday was a rough one, saying goodbye to Sorella Arndt. Got ourselves some lamprodotto (cow stomach) sandwich. Did some shopping. Saw some pals. It was a good time. Still weird saying goodbye to her, though. We've spent our whole missions together, and spent the last 3 months literally connected at the hip. Now she's chillin at the beach without me. Lame stuff, but I'm over it.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Thursday morning, I got my new comp Sorella Wilson. She's pretty great! She's the kind of person who is super hard working whilst also being trunky for tacos 🌮 It's a fun time. We realized the other day that our companionship is basically like that scene in The Princess Bride where the old couple is like</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">"Have fun storming the castle!"</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">"Think it'll work?"</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">"It'll take a miracle."</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Basically, I'm the "Have fun storming the castle!" one. She's the "It'll take a miracle." one. Not the clearest description, I know, but it's the best I can come up with haha.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Anyways, this week has been fun and crazy. Dealing with transfer stuff plus consiglio made for a week full of non-traditional things. Whelp, here we go.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">We had CONSIGLIO up in Milano, which was a blast as always. Got to chill with Sorella Anderson, Sorella Fife, and Sorella Perkins from the MTC. Also I GOT TO SEE MAH BABY!!! Hahaha my amazing greenie Sorella Richards is a new STL in Verona, and you could say I'm a pretty proud trainer/mama. She's become even more amazing, and nothing beat sitting with her for the whole meeting🎉 Pres had some awesome ideas and plans for the mission, so it was just great, then we got a nice four hour train ride home through the sunflowers. Not too bad.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Also, I just love our members lol. They make me so so so happy. I'm couldn't be more stoked to have at least another six weeks with these gems. We got to visit a few of them this week, including our beloved Sorella Larrain and her fam. Oh, they are the best. Also, crazy Cinzia brought us a bin of carrots? Also, my precious eight-year-old bffs wanted to do a photo shoot after church on Sunday, and you already know I was all about that😎💁🏼Even in spite of the awful heat, Firenze is still kind of the best place to be.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">We also got to meet with boh Carolinas this week. The whole "same-name" deal is really throwing me for a loop lol. Come on Italy/South America, get some creativity. Whatevs.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Lol, we spent today showing Sorella Wilson around Firenze (the leather market, Duomo, etc)⚜️ Lol, the leather market is the best pick-me-up😂 I mean, the leather smell is already fab, buuuut also because all the people selling stuff will do anything to get your attention. Including irrational compliments. I love it. Today's highlights included:</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">"Congratulations on your blue eyes. You can have things for free!"</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">"Miss America! Hiiiiiiiiiiiiii!"</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">And then this gem:</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">"Hello! Are you Shakira?"</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Go team. I'll pretend it wasn't just because they wanted my money. </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Also, we saw a field-trip group of nuns today. Sometimes I feel like I'm one of them⛪️</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Super cool thing this week. Well, it started super sad... but then it was super cool. So we were teaching English class and all of a sudden this South American couple showed up. I stepped outside to see what the deal was. </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Them: Hey can we see your president?</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Me Internally: Uhhhh wait, Trump? The prophet? Should I just pretend it's me?</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Me externally: Um, like our church leaders? What is it exactly that you need?</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Whelp, they were very much not in need of any of those people. Turns out they were actually super inactive members that showed up in Italy like 7 years ago. Their daughter and granddaughter just got to Italy a bit ago. That morning, however, the daughter passed away.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Didn't see that one coming, did ya?</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">So I sat in the hallway for a solid 15 minutes hearing about their daughter and hugging the lady while she cried. We got her on the phone with bishop and squared some stuff away. They want us to come over and start doing lessons with them and the granddaughter after the funeral is taken care of.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Idk, it was just super neat to me that after something as difficult as losing a child, the impulse reaction, despite not having entered a church in 7 years, was to come back. When we get blindsided by challenges or heartaches, where do we go for strength? I'm not a hymn person, but I'm gonna make the cheesy/cliche move and reference a hymn, because it just fits the situation oh so well.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><i><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Where can I turn for peace?</span></i></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><i><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Where is my solace</span></i></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><i><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">When other sources cease to make me whole?</span></i></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><i><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">When with a wounded heart, anger, or malice,</span></i></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><i><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">I draw myself apart,</span></i></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><i><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Searching my soul?</span></i></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><i><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Where, when my aching grows,</span></i></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><i><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Where, when I languish,</span></i></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><i><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Where, in my need to know, where can I run?</span></i></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><i><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Where is the quiet hand to calm my anguish?</span></i></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><i><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Who, who can understand?</span></i></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><i><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">He, only One.</span></i></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Sorry for being <i>that</i> person lol🤷🏼♀️😂 but it's true, isn't it? When problems happen, we naturally want to go to those we love most, or to those who understand and have experienced our pain. We are just the luckiest ducks out there to have Jesus Christ, who fits the bill on all accounts.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">And idk, that just makes my heart really happy,</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">xo</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Sorella Shakira💃🏼</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">1-Sorella Larrain 2-Carrots from Cinzia?? 3-5 Photo shoot with my BFF’s 6-Today I love it! 7-8 My baby, Sorella Richards </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">9-MTC group-Fife, Anderson & Perkins 10-11 Zone Conference 12-13 Train ride through the sunflowers 14-15 My District :) 16- Nuns on parade </span></span></div>
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ksmedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09698832103117770491noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6389164944159340793.post-5675573455540069552017-06-16T21:38:00.001-07:002017-06-16T21:38:14.526-07:00Chapter 65: The Last 12 Weeks<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Heyyy friends☀️ Hopefully you're not dying in the heat like I am. First of all, transfer news! Sorella Arndt is leaving to open sorelle in Ancona, and I'm staying and getting Sorella Wilson! Super stoked, especially that I get to stay in my beloved Firenze⚜️ It's hard saying goodbye to Sorella Arndt though. We've spent literally our whole missions together, and now we're gonna be seperated. And then she'll be home. And then I'll be home. It's all getting a bit weird and a bit real, folks😳 We redid a picture from my first transfer (see below) and it's just a little surreal to see that now we're the old ones in the mission...</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">We had our last scambio of the transfer with Sorella Ruby and Sorella Montgomery from Montevarchi, and it was a blast! I had soooo much fun with Sorella Ruby. The highlight was definitely our appointment with Carolina. She's so cute haha and kept asking questions about her baptism next month. Her boyfriend also apparently asked what he needs to do to become a member of the church lol, so we're going to try and meet with them both together this weekend. We're worried Carolina's baptismal date might have to get pushed back because her work schedule is getting crazy, so keep her in your prayers!</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Also we finally managed to see OTHER Carolina for the first time in a month! She was in school so it was crazy, but we had an awesome appointment with her and she wants to keep meeting with us! Also I low key wanna set her up with someone in our ward sooooo...😏</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Sunday was a day of tears as my comp said her goodbyes. We got to spend evening with my favorites, the Larrains. And she didn't feed me squid this time👊🏼 go team. Although they do all tease me about it still.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Monday and Tuesday was packed with saying goodbyes to people. We saw our awesome investigator Maria and our lesson with her was awesome. She always says she feels like we're her kids, and it legit melts my heart💕 We also had a lunch with our bishop with his family. They remind me so much of my family back home. We had the coolest discussion during it and literally it ended with all of us crying, ugh. Ugh, they are just too good for me. We said goodbye to the Evertsens, Norca, and a few others too. I feel so beyond blessed to be able to spend at least another six weeks here in the place that had literally become my home.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">In the mission, there's the program you do while being trained called "The First 12 Weeks". Well, someone kindly pointed that it's now time for me to embark on "The <i>Last</i> 12 Weeks". Vomit. But in all reality, it got me thinking. I'm happy with a lot of the changes that've happened in the last 15 months, but there are changes I want to have happen during these final 3 months. Do I want my last 12 weeks to be spent feeling burnt out, trunky, stressed, or lazy? That's the last thing I want😂 I want my last 12 weeks to also be the <i>best</i> 12 weeks- 12 weeks of consecrated work for the Lord.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">So I guess my question was, "what should I change?" Because the thing is, I'm a pretty imperfect person. There are a lot of options as far as what to change lol. Luckily I accidentally found the awesome talk "What Lack I Yet?" It was pretty dang good. Would recommend. Here's a little teaser for ya😉</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><i><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">"I would like to suggest that each of you participate in a spiritual exercise sometime soon, perhaps even tonight while saying your prayers. Humbly ask the Lord the following question: “What is keeping me from progressing?” In other words: “What lack I yet?” Then wait quietly for a response. If you are sincere, the answer will soon become clear. It will be revelation intended just for you."</span></i></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Love it. I'm trying it. There were so many moments this past week where I just felt really aware of God's love. I mean, it's a pretty common feeling during lessons for me to feel the love that God has for them. However, it's not necessarily the same as feeling the love He has for me specifically. This week was different, though. There were just so many instances where I could feel Him looking out for me, and blessing me in little ways. I'm just so grateful that He's not just some abstract God, but that He is, in fact, a father. I love my pops quite a lot, and so it's pretty dang cool to me that God is like him! But for all of us! Pretty dope, no? And so just like all fathers, He wants our happiness. He wants us to learn and grow. And just like any father, He provides loving correction when needed.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">So shout out to my pops. Shout out to my heavenly pops also. I'm super stoked to see what He's wanting from me these next 12 weeks!</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">xo</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Sorella Smedley </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">1-Scambio with Sorella Ruby 2-4 Larrain family 5&6- Bishop’s fam (feat. my lil princess who stole my glasses) 7-9 Craziest District ever!</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">10&11- A year later…the same picture…a lot less chairs :( 12&13- Carolina Cabezas & Evertsen girls 14-Gonna miss her :(</span></span></div>
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ksmedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09698832103117770491noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6389164944159340793.post-39991094052839877302017-06-10T13:24:00.003-07:002017-06-10T13:24:45.384-07:00Chapter 64: "Its Like Pirates of The Caribbean!"<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Hey friends👋🏼 it's been kind of a hard week, but most definitely a week full of innumerable miracles. Kind of like the past 63 weeks lol🤷🏼♀️😂 but really though. This week was an emotional rollercoaster hahaha. We didn't have time to see a ton of people, because we had zone conference x2. We gave our training at the Bologna/Rimini zone conference, and at our own conference, so that shot out two of our days. It was fun though, seeing all the mission buds! And the conference was good! The Allen's and the APs had some amazing stuff for us! I especially loved a special training Presidente gave just for us sorelle. They are seriously the best❤</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Of the people we got to see, here were the highlights!</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">- Less active Elena hadn't shown much interest in the past, but this week she called US wanting to meet. There's a lot about the gospel that she has forgotten or doesn't understand. However, she works with "troubled teens" and loves the heck out of them, so we've been relating principles of the gospel to her work and it's been so so so great!</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">- Saw our simp Maria and had a super eye-opening lesson with her. Now that it's Summer, she wants us over every week so we can start including her kids in on the lessons! We're so stoked and have been getting a lot of inspiration as to how to best help them progress! God is good❤</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">- We were preparing a lesson for less active Betty and felt super prompted to teach about the temple. Well, we show up and found out Bishop has been working on temple stuff with her, and so we helped explain some things. It looks like she'll be able to go through the temple this summer! God is just so real lol☀️ </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Stuff is starting to slow down in some ways. Summer is always rough here in good ole Italia. People go on vacation for, like, a month lol. Also, I'm very much sick of tourists🙄🤦🏼♀️ and heat. And mosquitos. And it's only June. But anyways, we've decided to try and schedule as many appointments as possible, and then be guided by the spirit as for what to do during the empty days. Well, we were guided into some awesome service. We found a soup kitchen run by the Catholic Church that we signed up to volunteer for each week. We just spend like five hours every Monday morning cutting up fruits and vegetables for the free meals given to the homeless and refugee community here in firenze. I love it❤ also our kitchen friends are the coolest! One has an eyepatch #piratesofthecaribbean You best believe I pretended I was chopping up food for Jack Sparrow instead for homeless people. Jk, both are good. Buuuuuut yeah.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">It's been a week full of challenges, but we've been noticing so many miracles- even with normal things. Like the fact that it rained yesterday so we got a break from the scorching heat. Or getting tackled by a super happy German shepherd puppy. Or like the new kebab place that opened up next to our apartment. And the fact that we went there. And the guy gave us free Pepsi. Miracles, friends. But our biggest miracle came just yesterday.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">I mentioned last week how we'd been working on following the Spirit more. Well, we had a lesson scheduled with our investigator Carolina, my fav person. We'd been feeling the need to set a baptismal date with her, but didn't really know how to go about it. We'd taught the first half of the gospel of Jesus Christ lesson (faith + repentance) so we figured the next step would be to finish that lesson (baptism + Holy Ghost) and then give her the date. Well during personal study, I kept feeling prompted that we needed to talk about repentance a bit more instead. When we got together for comp study, Arndt had felt the same thing! Yay spirit! Buuut then we realized our ideas for how to present the lesson were definitely not lining up. We couldn't reach a good compromise, which was so confusing since we both knew the spirit had confirmed that we needed to teach about repentance. It was so frustrating to me that God would help us with the first half, but not the last half, so to speak. Well, we ended up kind of getting rid of both of our ideas and just creating a really simple explanation of repentance and the blessings we receive. </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Well, we showed up for the lesson, and it was by far the best lesson we've ever had with her! The spirit was so strong, and we kept feeling prompted to share the bits and pieces of things we'd found during studies. lol I guess God wasn't holdin out on us- he just needed the lesson to be arranged in His way. And we were very much incapable of doing that on our own, so the Holy Ghost just kinda threw us into the situation. It was so cool though. She really seemed to understand the things we were saying! And then, out of nowhere, we felt prompted to pop the question😉</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">We asked her if she would be baptized the first week of July.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">And after a bit of thought, she said yes!</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">🎉🎊🎈🎉🎊🎈🎉🎊🎈🎉🎊🎈🎉🎊🎈</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">And as the icing on the cake, she wants us to start teaching her boyfriend and her sister too! Keep her in her prayers folks! We wanna make this goal a reality for her!! I know it was most definitely not by chance that knocked on her door Easter weekend❤</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">There's a quote I found by Joseph Smith during studies that I really loved. It says,</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><i><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">This is the principle on which the government of heaven is conducted—by revelation adapted to the circumstances in which the children of the kingdom are placed.</span></i></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">I just love it. Cuz here's the thing- I think it's important to look to examples in our lives. However, I think we sometimes get too focused on what others have done in the past that we close ourselves off to the revelation from the spirit. Maybe we're too set on following the advice from a leader or a missionary or a parenting blog or whatever, when in reality the answers are right there for us. God handles all things through revelation, because He knows that each of His children are different. Hence why each situation is different, and requires different solutions. If we'd done the normal missionary route with Carolina, the lesson would've been fine but I know she wouldn't have felt ready to commit to baptism if we hadn't done things God's way.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Just when you think 15 months has taught you all ya need to know, God is up there lovingly wagging his finger at you the way all the old Italians do🤷🏼♀️</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">XOXOXOXO</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">1-6 Zone Conf. part 1 & 2 7- Soup Kitchen shenanigans-it’s a nice look for us, yeah? 8-10 Pday fun 11-13 Pday fun ft. a rather large skeleton- Can u spot the Smeds? 14-Pday??</span></span></div>
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ksmedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09698832103117770491noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6389164944159340793.post-17766023111337298122017-05-31T22:43:00.001-07:002017-05-31T22:43:08.950-07:00Chapter 63: "Use the Force Lucca"<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Cheesy email title bc we spent today at b e a u t i f u l Lucca! Just picture a beautiful Toscana city with trees on top of towers and city walls. We hiked up said towers and walls, so it was kind of the best🌲🌿🌳🏰</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">This week definitely kicked me in the butt lol, and not just because I've been hard-core studying the Book of Revelation🙃 We had back to back scambi, which was really tiring but also a tooon of fun! We first had scambio with the Pisa Sorelle, Sorella Diciolla and Sorella Rindlisbacher. I don't think I've ever learned more from a scambio than I did during this one. Those two are soooo amazing☀️💕 Our other scambio was with the Prato Sorelle, Sorella Harris and Sorella Weaver. We were dying of heat, buuuut we also visited some amazing people☀️🌊</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">We got to meet with lots of members this week, which was super awesome! One experience was especially neat. There are 2 families that most missionaries have said were cold & unfriendly, sooo I made it my goal to get an appointment with them lol. I just kinda forced myself in, hugging & bacci-ing them each Sunday & talking to them, & we scored an appointment with one of them! It ended up being one of the best member appointments I've had. For starters, the Fallani fam is AMAZING & I just really enjoyed being with them! Then out of nowhere, their nonmember uncle showed up. One of the kiddos leaned over and whispered "it's the perfect missionary opportunity!" So we taught him, & the family bore amazing testimonies! It was legit the best❤</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Church was crazy this week! For starters, we've talked to a ton of cool people on the bus lately & exchanging numbers, & a few of them randomly showed up to church! Pretty cool since that NEVER happens. Although one came asking for money...? ALSO during scambio, there was a great lesson with Carolina, & her cousins who are members came. Well, they brought her & her boyfriend to church, & it was great! Well, except for gospel principles... our teacher is American, so we have to translate for the class (weird, I know). Well he decided to teach the most complex, deep lesson I've heard about the abrahamic covenant. Lol what a nightmare. We ended up making up our own stuff during the translation lol. Luckily it went over their heads haha. The rest of church was full of lessons directed specifically at Carolina! But for future reference, if you ever teach a class full of investigators/new converts, PLEASE don't just spout off deep doctrine😂</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Our ward also got to have a special fireside with the guy who makes the stained glass windows for the temples! 🎨We got to translate that one for the ward too, which is fun because we hadn't really studied words like "vetrata" lol, it was super cool though, and he gave us a sneak peek of the windows he's done so far for the Rome temple😍😍😍 guys, it's gonna be gorgeous.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">ALSO the investigators Claudio and Victoria from my fav fam in Muggiò got baptized on Saturday!! Shout out to my girl Sorella Orr for getting them there!❤❤❤</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">This week, we learned a ton about recognizing the Spirit. I mean, we're both pretty comfortable receiving & acting on promptings to talk to people or share certain things during lessons. This week, however, was different. We were slapped by the humble stick & taught that while the Holy Ghost comforts, guides, & teaches, that's not all it does. At times the Spirit simply guides our will to align with God's. We had a lot of experiences with this last week, but I'll just quickly share two.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">We had an appointment with an investigator, but we were pretty stressed because we couldn't decide what to teach her! We did everything. We prayed about it/studied a ton, but nothing felt right. Well, we finally settled on something & went to the appointment. We showed up and a new lesson just kind of happened. We ended up kind of dropping each other just because she's content with her current way of life and isn't quite ready to change. She also had some questions and problems she asked us for help on. It was one of the most Spirit filled lessons I'd ever had.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Flash forward a bit to scambio. It was super stressful leading up to it, because no one was available! Scambio always has a bit of pressure to schedule a lot of good appointments, so we can essentially have what Presidente calls the "ideal missionary day". We literally called everyone in our contacts, & only 1 person was free during that 24 hour space. We were pretty stressed, to say the least. Well, we showed up & quickly realized there was a reason God hadn't helped us get a full scambio. The sorelle had needs that needed to be met, & that was more important. We wouldn't have been able to do what we did if we'd had a normal appointment-filled scambio.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Now with both of these experiences, we noticed something interesting. Our desires were good. We wanted a good lesson for our investigator, & we wanted to teach & help a lot of people during scambio. However, God knew that in order for us to meet the needs of our investigator, there wasn't a lesson for us to prepare. He knew that in order to help these two sorelle He loves so much, we needed to not have many appointments. However, at the time, we weren't thinking very clearly. We tried to force a lesson for our investigator, & we tried to force appointments for that scambio. In reality, we should have been staying close to the spirit where we could've realized that although it wasn't clear at the time, God had something different in mind for us.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">There's a quote by Elder Rasband that I found the other day during studies that I reeeeally liked. </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><i><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">The Holy Ghost binds us to the Lord. By divine assignment, He inspires, testifies, teaches, and prompts us to walk in the light of the Lord. We have the sacred responsibility to learn to recognize His influence in our lives and respond.</span></i></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">I just love the way he phrases it, that the Holy Ghost <b>binds</b> us to the Lord. It's through the Holy Ghost that we learn the will of God. If you have a righteous desire that God isn't helping out with, there's a reason. It's because he has something better/more essential planned. The best things of my mission and my life have happened thanks to God's plan, not mine. This week taught us a lot about the importance of paying attention to the Spirit, so we can follow the will of God.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Because, ya know, He kinda knows what He's doing🤷🏼♀️</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">xoxo</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Sorella Smeds☀️</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">1-Fireside speakers! 2-Claudio’s & Victoria’s baptism! 3&4-Pisa Scambio </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">5&6-Prato Scambio 7-13 Pday in Lucca</span></span></div>
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ksmedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09698832103117770491noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6389164944159340793.post-53332485032366287682017-05-26T08:21:00.002-07:002017-05-26T08:21:54.108-07:00Chapter 62: But Does Your Bishop Rap????<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Happy Summer! ☀️ the heat and mosquitos are killing me, but it's been a fun week anyways so I can't complain🤷🏼♀️</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Jan, our awesome bff from the Philippines, took us to this park where all her buds get together and make Filipino food and play poker. It was a blast and a half and the food was amazing!! Found some awesome potential investigators too👏🏼 lol, and Arndt always jokes that I'm a kid magnet, so we did a little experiment that ended with me teaching the resto to a group of hecka adorable Filipino kids. Oh how I love my life❤ </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">We also did scambio with Rimini which meant I GOT TO SEE SORELLA CARTER!!!! Ugh seeing past comps is the beeeeest😭 I was on scambio with her comp, the amazing Sorella Roloff! We had an awesome lesson with Carolina about the Plan of Salvation! It was a super awesome lesson, despite that three year old Christian tossed the Plan of Salvation diagram off of the balcony at the end... eh, it happens, right? Arndt and I met with Carolina another time this week to talk about faith and repentance. I'm stoked cuz Carolina has a clear vision of what changes need to be made in her life! Now if we can just get her to act on it all😅💕</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Saturday, we got to do a super dope activity! Ok, so I've mentioned a few times that I looooove our bishop and his family. Well, we found out that in the past, he was part of a rap crew. Like they would travel and perform, or do underground rap battles (basically pitch perfect riff offs, but with more of a mafia flavor, ya feel?). They did graffiti and breakdancing and everything. Lol, none of us saw that coming. Well, he brought the gang back together for a little reunion on Saturday! So we invited everyone and got to watch them rap, learn how to do graffiti, and basically party to a ton of non-mission approved music without guilt😎 success, right?</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Eeeeexcept the demon four year old from the music concert activity (remember, the one who kept rolling around and dropping those stupid pencils and yelling and basically creating my own personal hell?). Yeah, she came. And rolled around again. And mooned everyone. And sprayed spray paint in her eye. Fun times, amiright🙄</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">We met with our investigator Cenaido this week. I adore her lol the lessons are always... an experience... yeah...😂 just imagine a short South American who looks and acts like professor Trelawny from Harry Potter, and that's her! Oh, and did I mention she's also a Jehovah's Witness? Yeah, sometimes we wonder if she's trying to convert us? Bless her heart, she brings up bible questions to throw us off sometimes, and so far we have yet to not have the correct answers for her😂❤ so grateful I've read and love the Bible lol. We're really working on helping her gain a testimony on the Book of Mormon, and she's actually been reading a lot, so yay!</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">We saw a lot of other various investigators, members, and less actives this week, so we've been pretty busy. We've found a lot of new potential investigators this transfer, just by talking to people on the bus on the way to and from appointments. Just this week, we've found and taught principles to Jews, Muslims, Atheists, Catholics, Pentecostals, Jehova's Witnesses, etc. Basically just a lot of people from different backgrounds. And I swear, after each encounter, we're always a tad surprised at how intrigued these people are about who we are and what our message is. There's a cool quote I found while studying the New Testament this week:</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">“<i>As children, we learned how to keep darkness away by turning on a light. Sometimes, when our parents went away for the evening, we would turn on every light in the house! We understood the physical law that is also a spiritual law: light and darkness cannot occupy the same space at the same time.</i></span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">“Light dispels darkness. When light is present, darkness is vanquished and must depart. More importantly, darkness cannot conquer light unless the light is diminished or departs. When the spiritual light of the Holy Ghost is present, the darkness of Satan departs.</span></i></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">“… We are engaged in a battle between the forces of light and darkness. If it were not for the Light of Jesus Christ and His gospel, we would be doomed to the destruction of darkness”</span></i></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">This idea of light can represent a lot of things. Knowledge, the Holy Ghost, love, Jesus Christ, etc. However, no matter what symbol we're talking about, there are some common principles. Like this quote explains, light and darkness cannot occupy the same space. It dispels darkness. Light is undeniable. It stands out- it draws us in. With each of these encounters we have with people day to day, someone always says something to the effect of "there's something different about you guys". Even those who choose not to accept our message or don't continue to meet with us can't deny that there's something different, some sort of light. That light found with the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Isn't that just the neatest?🕯🌞🌇⭐️🔦🌅🔥☀️🎇⚡️💡🌄✨</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">XOXO</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Smeds🌻</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">1-5 Yay for Filipino food & adorable children! 6&7- Scampi & Sorella Carter 8&9- Rap Activity!</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">10- Sorella Francom from the MTC! 11- These Pentecostal people loved us & asked for a selfie</span></span></div>
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ksmedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09698832103117770491noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6389164944159340793.post-69011412473620342422017-05-20T17:02:00.002-07:002017-05-20T17:02:25.878-07:00Chapter 61: "Your Mom Goes to College!"<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">If you don't know where this quote is from, you may as well stop reading this email.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Just kidding.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">But really, I hope all you mothers out there had the best day ever! I know I looooved chatting with the fam on Sunday❤ yay moms! Moms are the best!</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">We met with a ton of members this week, and set a soft bap date with Carolina! We still have to finish the lessons with her and get her in the habit of coming to church, but she's on the right path! We also spent today's Pday at this famous rose garden hidden at the base of piazzale Michelangelo. It was kinda the coolest.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">We also got to meet up a few times with Francesca, a less active a couple years older than us, who wants to start coming back. She's one of those people I just clicked with. Like it took no time at all for me to just love her.❤We've started working with her so that she and her husband can get sealed in the temple soon! Seriously, she is making so much progress and I'm just beyond stoked for her!</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">We had two baptisms this week!! Not for investigators lol, but for Sara and Katherina! Their families are members, but we'd been doing the lessons with both of them in prep for the baptisms, and it was so fun! Plus a lot of our investigators came to the baptisms which was the best!🤗</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">We also got a new investigator, Maryam, a friend of some of the college students in the ward! She's been to church the last two Sundays, and we've been meeting with her twice a week! She's originally Muslim, so it's been a challenge. Seriously her lessons have been the hardest I've had on my mission! We always leave them feeling totally drained haha, but she's making progress! It goes a lot slower, given that it took us an entire hour just to explain who God is (and she's still not quite getting it...), but she really is searching for the truth. She came to Sara's baptism, and felt the spirit so strongly she started crying. She kept asking what that feeling was, and how she could feel it again. *cue comp fist-bumping* She also asked for a blessing from the Anziani, and it was super neat!</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">In other news, we had deep fried Oreos for district meeting. Our district is the same as it was last transfer- us, plus Anz Young, Younce, Challis, and Tumblin. We have too much fun🤷🏼♀️ the Anziani bought deep fryers once they found out we were all staying... sooo we've been frying everything😂😅 in unrelated news, Arndt and I have started doing P90X every day...</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Aaaaaanyways I've been reading in James lately, where we find the all-famous scripture that led Joseph Smith to ask the question that instigated the restoration of the Christ's church: </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">James 1:5 <i>If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.</i></span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Something interesting though, is the scripture that follows it.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">James 1:6 <i>But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.</i></span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Joseph didn't merely ask God a simple question; he asked in faith. He asked not "Which church is true?" Instead, the question was "Which church should I join?" He wasn't just curiously seeking a response- he had faith that God would answer him, and he was already committed to act on whatever response he did receive.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">That's something we've been working on with our investigators and the others we've been working with. It's essentially just having them ask themselves if they are learning solely out of curiosity, or if there is an intention to act. I feel like that is key anytime we are seeking answers from God. Faith doesn't just signify 'belief'- it's an action word. So surely we are a million more times likely to receive answers and guidance once we've already decided to act on whatever answer God gives us, no matter how difficult it may be.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">xoxoxoxoxo</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Sorella Smedley </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">1-Mother’s Day! 2-4 Sara & Katherina’s baptisms 5- District Mtg. 6- Beautiful Florence 7-10 Pday in the gardens</span></span></div>
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ksmedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09698832103117770491noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6389164944159340793.post-7588847786991435852017-05-13T19:08:00.000-07:002017-05-13T19:08:01.725-07:00Chapter 60: Wizards Are Too Immature for Museums<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Friends... we have spent the entire day at this palace in Firenze. I have zero desire or energy to write emails. Thus, these three following lists will be comprising my sorry excuse for an email🤷🏼♀️ sorry not sorry, Italy problems and all that.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">What has even happened this week?</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">- We met with my fav Carolina again! We were trying to figure out a good realistic baptism date for her, but it was hard since she works Sundays. Well, she just called us and her schedule changed so she NEVER works sundays! So we're planning to set a date with her next time we see her!</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">- We got to do pre-baptism lessons with both Sara (bishop's daughter) and Katerina! They both get baptized this weekend, so we're stoked! They're sooooooooo cute!!</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">- We met with a heck ton of members this week, really trying to help strengthen them AND help them with missionary work! It's inspiring how willing they are to share the gospel!</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">- We're working with one of my favorite people in the world right now... I'll share more about her next week though because we are seeing her tomorrow!</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">- Norca, who has been an investigator for over a year, is finally making progress! It looks like her main roadblock for getting baptized will be out of the way within the next month or two, so we couldn't be more stoked!</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">- We had concilio (leadership council) on Monday! Which meant a) Sleep over in Reggio with my MTC comp Sorella Fife! b) amaaaaaazing trainings from Presidente and the assistants c) seeing some of my fav missionaries d) ROOOOOAD TRIIIIIIIP from Florence to Milano, and then back! Haha Arndt and I road tripped it with our zone leaders and had too much fun. You'd best believe I created a super dope playlist of Disney and Christian music and everything lol. Anz Young gave me the dj name 'DJ Asmedic' because smeds🙄🤷🏼♀️</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Pday today was a Palace woohooo. I loved it! Well the palace part at least. There was also a hecka long museum inside. </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Palaces = awesome </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Museums for 30 minutes = fab</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Museums four hours = you've lost me</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">My experience can be summed up in a couple of quotes:</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">- *sees completely red throne room* Omg its gryffindor!</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">- "Hey that sketchy guy in the painting looks like Snape!"</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">- *sees completely green sitting room* Ew slytherin!</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">- "Are these staircases gonna move or nah?"</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">- *sees completely gold room* Heyyyyy its hufflepuff!</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">- Me: "Omg its the golden snitch!"</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Arndt: "Yeah no... that's supposed to be the Holy Ghost descending like a dove..."</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">- *sees completely blue ballroom* Nicely done gryffindor</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Basically <i>do</i> take me to Harry Potter world. Also palaces. Probs not art museums though..."</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Concilio was the best and here's why!</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">- Presidente talked about the importance of being anxious without anxiety! I love this principle so so much because it's so pertinent not only to missions, but to life in general! We need to be anxious- we need to careful about things and constantly be working towards something good. However, it serves no one to get overly stressed about it. Maybe by the time I finish this dang mission, I'll finally have learned to apply this idea ;)</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">- "Christ says, “Give me All. I don’t want so much of your time and so much of your money and so much of your work: I want You. I have not come to torment your natural self, but to kill it. No half-measures are any good. I don’t want to cut off a branch here and a branch there, I want to have the whole tree down. … Hand over the whole natural self, all the desires which you think innocent as well as the ones you think wicked—the whole outfit. I will give you a new self instead. In fact, I will give you Myself: my own will shall become yours.”’ -cs Lewis</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">- I got to chat with some buds from the MTC during concilio, and it was just fun to realize how much we love the mission. Seriously stuff is still hard. People are frustrating, the language kills you sometimes, and honestly we are pretty inadequate most days. However, I'm just kind of at that point where I love what I'm doing more than anything else. I miss all my peeps and my movies and whatnot, but I'm not wishing I was home. Anz Wilkinson said that people often asked him if he was trunky or ready to be home, and he said "I would be embarrassed if I felt that way". I love that. I feel that. I know that day will come, but right now I'm just loving where I'm at❤</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Also, President Allen did a He-Man impression for us. Oh, how I love this mission!</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">xoxo</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Sorella Smeds</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">1-2 Rooaaddd Ttrrriipp! 3-5Concilio! Saying bye to Anz. Wilkinson & Sorella Williams and seeing my favs Gibbs & Jones</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">6-10 Combined District mtgs. lol 11-20 Palace Pday!!</span></span></div>
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ksmedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09698832103117770491noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6389164944159340793.post-4353763740391150012017-05-13T18:59:00.001-07:002017-05-13T18:59:33.339-07:00Chapter 59: Fish are Friends NOT Food! <div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Well friends, what a week it has been! This week marks one year in this beautiful country🇮🇹❤ It feels like it's been forever, but also like it's been only a week😂 Shockingly, I've grown accustomed to a lot. It's normal to see models on the metro... aaand also people willingly wearing adidas or crocs. I'm used to seeing cathedrals every 10 steps, and sitting next to nuns on the bus. I thought I was used to eating both amazing Italian food, aaaand super weird food... eh, I guess that one won't ever be completely normal, buuuut we'll save that story for a little later...🦑</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">We had our last scambio this week!! I got to be with Sorella Zombra, my comp from last August-September. It was crazy seeing how much we've both changed in the last 9 months! We met with a couple of less actives, which was super fun! A majority of our less actives here are only considered less active because their work schedule makes it impossible to come to church. Thus, our goal with them lately has been getting them to read from the Book of Mormon each day. We also had another appointment with Carolina Cabezas! Sorella Zombra and I taught her the restoration and it went so well! She doesn't have a ton of religious background, but she is learning and progressing so well!</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">While Sorella Arndt and Ruby were together on scambio, they found a new investigator named Pilar! We've met with her twice since, and she's awesome! It's been a challenge, because she's had a lot of really tough questions. However, the spirit has been soooo strong in these past two lessons! Sorella Arndt and I have really been trying to play off of each other well and be better at discerning the needs of our investigators. It's hard because with Pilar, the lessons are a bit of a roller coaster😂 but hey, nothing like telling the amazing account of Joseph Smith's first vision whilst sitting in a beautiful garden in Toscana🌻</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">We met with various members this week, including my favorite Sorella Larrain! What a gem, that one❤ I don't remember if I explained any background on her... basically, she's the most amazing member. She has two kids- one is active in the church, and the other is not. About three months ago, her husband passed away from cancer. And yet, Sorella Larrain is the most caring, positive, funny person I've met. Well, her son Peter came home from his mission yesterday! We helped her a lot with the preparations on Monday, so she invited us to stay for lunch... well, she thinks it's hilarious that I'm not much of a fan of fish, so she decided it'd be funny to have some after we'd finished lunch... literally she plops this big ole squid up on the table, chops it up into pieces, and hands me this bowl of tentacles. Lolol so naturally I decided to try it... and it was all nasty and rubbery and fishy... and it was taking me FOREVER to finish my tentacle... and then I did something I've NEVER done in my entire year here in Italy... I TOTALLY HURLED. I kid you not, I vomited that whole tentacle right into my empty bowl. Omg. I have eaten raw meat, scallops, cat, raw fish, and a million and one naaaaaasty things, but never ONCE have I thrown up in someone else's home😳😳😳 thank goodness we were with Larrain and not someone else😂😂 she literally laughed harder than I've ever seen someone laugh😂 we were all dying.🦑🦑🦑</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">We also had an amazing appointment with Maria (formerly known as "Car Maria"). We were a bit worried going in, given that the last lesson ended up being a catholic tea party, but it ended up being one of the best lessons we've had!! We taught her about the restoration, and the spirit was just so strong. She had a ton of questions too, and I just felt the spirit totally guiding us to know what to say and how to explain things. At the end, she hugged us and told us we were like daughters to her❤</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">There's been a pretty continuous trend I've noticed in our lessons this week. And I mean, technically it's always been there, but I guess I really saw it a lot this past week.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">The true, restored gospel of Jesus Christ changes lives.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">There hasn't really been a time in my life when I didn't know that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints was true. However, this week has strongly reconfirmed to me that's not only is it the true church, but that it is the only true church on the earth today.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">In preparing for these lessons this past week, my companion and I have been studying the talk "The Blueprint for Christ's Church" by Callister. <a href="https://www.lds.org/broadcasts/article/ces-devotionals/2014/01/what-is-the-blueprint-of-christs-church?lang=eng"><span class="s2">https://www.lds.org/broadcasts/article/ces-devotionals/2014/01/what-is-the-blueprint-of-christs-church?lang=eng</span></a> This talk breaks down the essential elements of the church Jesus Christ established during His life. It's super interesting, especially since I've been studying the New Testament lately. There are some essential parts of the church that Christ established, including but not limited to: the calling of 12 apostles, Priesthood authority, baptism by immersion, commandments, temples, the sacrament, miracles, an unpaid ministry, the Holy Ghost, the scriptures, missionary work, praying to God alone, the nature of the Godhead, ordinances for the dead, etc.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">These are the elements that made up Christ's church.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Interestingly enough, there is only one church on the earth today that contains every single one of these elements.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><i>In the first section of the </i><a href="https://www.lds.org/topics/doctrine-and-covenants?lang=eng"><span class="s3"><i>Doctrine and Covenants</i></span></a><i>, the Lord makes this bold and significant statement: “[This is] the only true and living church upon the face of the whole earth” (</i><a href="https://www.lds.org/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/1.30?lang=eng#29"><span class="s3"><i>D&C 1:30</i></span></a><i>). What does this mean? It does not mean that other churches do not have some truth, for certainly they do. It does not mean that other churches do not render good, for they render much good. What it does mean is that this is the only church that has all the truth that has been revealed thus far in this dispensation—the only church that has the ordinances necessary for exaltation and the only church that has the priesthood of God to perform those ordinances with divine validity. </i></span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">I mentioned the interesting trend of this week. With both Maria and Pilar, we asked them how there lives have changed in just the short time we've started meeting with them. Here are the already-translated responses</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Maria: My family is doing better. I am more at peace. I finally feel that I have a relationship with God.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Pilar: I feel peace and other feelings I've never felt before in my life. I have to continue meeting with you, because I have to have these feelings in my life. I can't go back to where I was before.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Why is there a change in their lives? Why were these feelings NOT in their lives before, with their current religious practices? Why are people like Sorella Larrain able to find peace and joy in life, so soon after having a loved one pass away? These are all just blessing that come with the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. I mentioned before that all of our investigators (But especially pilar and Maria) have a ton of questions. We know the answers to a lot of them, but some things are hard to move past. However, Callister brings up something that I believe to the core:</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><i>Suffice it to say, I can live with some human imperfections, even among prophets of God—that is to be expected in mortal beings. I can live with some alleged scientific findings contrary to the Book of Mormon; time will correct those. And I can live with some seeming historical anomalies; they are minor in the total landscape of truth. But I </i><b><i>cannot</i></b><i> live without the doctrinal truths and ordinances restored by Joseph Smith, I </i><b><i>cannot</i></b><i> live without the priesthood of God to bless my family, and I </i><b><i>cannot</i></b><i> live without knowing my wife and children are sealed to me for eternity. That is the choice we face—a few unanswered questions on one hand versus a host of doctrinal certainties and the power of God on the other. And for me, and I hope for you, the choice is an </i><b><i>easy</i></b><i> one and a rational one.</i></span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">I know this and believe this so deeply. Yes, we are faced with the mysteries of God and the imperfections of man. They can easily raise some doubts, but any number of questions or concerns is merely a drop in the bucket compared with the waves of blessings that come from this true church of Jesus Christ! It's not just something I want or believe- it's something I need. It's a need that Maria and Pilar have recognized. It's something we all need.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Ew, I was never going to be that overly preachy missionary that tries to extend invitations via email (yes, to all two of you who might have made it down this far lol) buuut I'm making an exception for this week. Study the "blueprint" of Christ's church, whether through this talk <a href="https://www.lds.org/broadcasts/article/ces-devotionals/2014/01/what-is-the-blueprint-of-christs-church?lang=eng"><span class="s2">https://www.lds.org/broadcasts/article/ces-devotionals/2014/01/what-is-the-blueprint-of-christs-church?lang=eng</span></a> or just straight through the Bible. Whether you're reading this as a missionary, an atheist, one of those weird Mormons, a catholic, or if you're of no religion at all, put it to the test. But I'm going to echo Callister and warn you...</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><i>If one were to match the blueprint of Christ’s original Church against every church in the world today, he would find that point for point, organization for organization, teaching for teaching, ordinance for ordinance, fruit for fruit, and revelation for revelation, it will only match one—The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. </i><b><i>If one rejects this Church after studying the blueprint, then it will likely ruin him for any other church because he knows too much.</i></b></span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Sorry not sorry.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">xoxo</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Sorella Smedley </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">1-Bringing out the Disney side of this missionary! 2-“I’m not Muslim”-Sorella Zombra 3-‘Spleen’ graffiti 4-My comp is a crazy cat lady!</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">5- Sunday❤︎ 6- ‘Babe’ 7-Food from the Philippines 8-I love visiting Sorella Larrain… 9-…but I hate when she feeds me squid🐙😷</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">10- time for our massages! 11- District Mtg. & burgers, so much better than squid!</span></span></div>
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ksmedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09698832103117770491noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6389164944159340793.post-30565915492232421672017-04-27T20:03:00.000-07:002017-04-27T20:03:00.559-07:00Chapter 58: Gelato is an Emotion, Yeah?<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Well folks, it's been a week. Like literally one of the funniest/weirdest weeks ever. Oh hahaha as I'm writing this on the train, this guy just came to check our tickets lol... and as we tried to grab them, all these Jesus pass along cards just leapt out of the bag... and the train guy was like "oh! Hallelujah!" Hahaha, oh how I love Italy.🇮🇹</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Also, idk if I've ever been more tired. Literally Arndt and I are up in the night like every hour thanks to the mosquitos buzzing in our ears. Also, we've been having issues with sleep talking with each other in Italian😑 this morning at 2:17am I apparently went off at Arndt for trying to teach the resto for a girl named Deborah...? Literally she was sitting up in bed sleep-teaching. Missions are weird, and I'm tired😂😴</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">We had scambio this week with Sorella Johnson and Sorella Roloff from Rimini! I was with Sorella Johnson, which was cool since it was her last scambio before going home! I seriously learned so much from her, and it really makes me sad knowing she goes home next week! I think the thing I loved the most is that she's let the mission change her and better her, but she's stayed true to herself! The highlight of that scambio was definitely visiting Ida again! She made us bread that tastes like animal crackers, and we talked about Jesus. It's the best. I feel like she's my crazy nonna or something❤❤❤</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">It's been an interesting week in regards to food... When you think of Italian food, you probably think of delicious lasagna and pizza and gelato and everything in between. It's all so good. You probably don't think of mayonnaise. I didn't either, back when I was innocent and naive. Well friends, there is far too much mayo running through my veins right now. Saturday, my bff Sorella Larrain invited us over for lunch. The meal was amazing, except for this random bowl of purple death that resembled jello... it was literally sliced beets and carrots... in like 7384927 pounds of mayonnaise. Kill me. Ugh, it's a good thing I love the heck out of this woman. Even though she died of laughter when she saw I didn't know how to make coffee😂 sorry that's not in my skills set🙃 we also had a sweet member who wanted to make lunch for us and the Anziani after church. Bless his heart, he brought out a couple of vending machine sandwiches that had nothing on it except a few little chunks of ham and tuna floating around in- you guessed it- an inch-thick slab of mayo. I think I felt my heart literally stop😵</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">On the better end of the food spectrum, we also went to Europe's annual gelato festival!! ASHFKDJWHAKDK!!! I heard about it so much in the MTC, and boy did it live up to expectations! We took some of the youth and it was seriously a blast. Just picture food trucks set up in this palazzo with every kind of gelato imaginable. We got through 16 cones of gelato... idk if I should feel proud or embarrassed about that🤷🏼♀️ they had normal flavors but then there were others made of flowers, curry, cheese, etc. It was delicious and crazy, and I think I need to go on a gelato fast for the rest of the summer. Walking back, I told Arndt that if I were to die suddenly and they did an autopsy, my blood stream would be filled with mayo and gelato.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">She laughed.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">But I wasn't joking.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Meno male we had so much gelato, because it was much needed after Sunday's fiasco... church was amazing as always, and Norca came to sacrament meeting!! Theeeeen it all went downhill... our ward was hosting a classical music concert for members and nonmembers. Most of the performers hadn't heard of our church before, so you'd think it'd be the perfect missionary activity. </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">One of our members, bless his heart, decided to bring some of his nieces and nephews- ages 6, 4, and 2... because we all know how much toddlers love classical music concerts🙄🤦🏼♀️ oh my heck, it was horrendous. I kid you not when I say it was probably the most stressful experience of my mission. And that is saying something because I am a pretty stressed person. Ok well the two older ones kept slapping each other and asking when it was gonna end, but the real kick in the face was the 2-year-old girl. Holy freak, she kept getting up and running around. During one piano performance, she started rolling all over the place. Literally Arndt and I just closed our eyes and tried to ignore the chaos. It worked up until I heard a little "ciao!" and opened my eyes to see that she'd rolled all the way over to our side. Ah man. Finally someone caught her and took her to the back to color. All seemed to be well... that is, until this crazy Russian lady in the ward asked for an encore. And then the two-year-old dropped the whole bin of colored pencils everywhere. Twice. Finally the concert from hell was nearing its end. My comp and I finally relaxed thinking the nightmare was over, but we were once again mistaken. A guy from the stake stood up to share what we thought would be a short spiritual thought. However, he awkwardly targeted the nonmember guests and performers... and then he took it one giant leap further and brought up baptisms for the dead...?? I think I gave myself an aneurism from all the stress. It was easily the longest day of my life🙃</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">In happier news, we started visiting bishop's fam to do lessons for their daughter Sara who is getting baptized this month. They are like my favorite family in firenze😂❤ we have all these deep gospel convos + watch vids of bishop and his wife's wedding + bishop wore a star wars shirt the whole time. All over an amazing Italian meal. I love my life💁🏼❤ Haha seriously I haven't laughed so much this whole transfer! And bishop promised to show me a movie trailer each time we come as an incentive for us to keep visiting😂😂😂😂</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">We also met with Carolina this week, and she is progressing so well! Seriously, she's just so ready! We had some appointments with a few other investigators and members and whatnot, so it was a pretty good week! And Pday today was spent touring cute little Arezzo, which is where they filmed the movie at the top of every Italian missionary's bucket list, "Life is Beautiful"/"La Vita è Bella"😍😍😍</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Aaaand I'm too sleep deprived to give any cool gospel stuff (which is quite a shame since I'm still studying stuff from Paul and he is the BEST!) soooo here are some fun quote things instead haha! Sorry not sorry...</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">"This is a simple story, but it's not an easy one to tell. Just like a fairytale, there is pain, wonder, and happiness..." -Life is Beautiful </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">1 Corinthians 2:9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">I'm so sorry for this sorry excuse for an email... but hey, at least you got to hear about my super crazy Sunday concert🙄 oh whale. God loves us all, even if we don't know how to behave in public.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">xoxoxoxoxoxo</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Sorella Smeds</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">1&2- Scambio with Sorella Johnson 3&4 Valentino & Sara 5-8 Gelato festival!</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">9–17 Pday in Arezzo 18&19 Currently dreaming of Netflix & Taco Bell 20-I’m a missionary, what’s your superpower?</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">21&22 Only God can judge :)</span></span></div>
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ksmedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09698832103117770491noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6389164944159340793.post-53233364916224390852017-04-20T20:44:00.000-07:002017-04-20T20:44:09.107-07:00 Chapter 57: "Happy Easter, Harry!"<div>
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<span class="" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><i class=""><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">That 👆🏼is how my comp greeted me Easter morning, since she knows how much I love Harry Potter. What a gem.</span></i></span></div>
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<span class="" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="" style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Hey friends! I hope you all had an INCREDIBLE Easter!! Alright I'm not gonna lie, it's been a really hard week. Buuuut luckily it's also been a week of awesome miracles and crazy good experiences, so I can't really complain🤷🏼♀️ gotta love the rollercoaster of life, yeah? And we woke up at 5am to spend today at *wait for it* CINQUE TERRE!! It was insanely beautiful!! Get excited for these pictures 😉</span></span></div>
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<span class="" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="" style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Ok so last Wednesday after Pday stuff, we went out with the youth to do some finding, specifically based on the Book of Mormon. We did splits with them, and had some super cool experiences. One was with a guy who claimed to be an atheist. Sorella Arndt and I love talking to Atheists because so far, we've been able to get 100% of them to admit by the end of the conversation that there IS, in fact, a God! This guy was super awesome, and he even admitted in the end that he thinks God migh have sent us to specifically find him that day. I think he is right😉 It was awesome overall- these youth are so amazing!</span></span></div>
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<span class="" style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Thursday was a day of member appointments, extending President Allen's invitation for members to invite their friends and family members to meet with the missionaries. It's been such a humbling experience. So far every single member we've extended this invite to have called or texted friends about meeting with us. They've all had various fears and excuses at the start, but in the end have all gotten up the courage and faith invite their friends and family to come uno Christ. It's super inspiring to me- I think of how often <i class="">I</i> was the member at home who was too scared or too busy or just too awkward to share the gospel with friends and whatnot. Gosh dang it, these Italians are just too good❤</span></div>
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<span class="" style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Friday, we got up dark and early to head over to Pisa for scambio. I was with Sorella Arkell, a young but awesome missionary! I've never met a missionary so good at being lovingly bold- I'm pretty sure I learned more from the scambio than she did! We biked from appointment to appointment, so that was new. I mean, awesome because who doesn't want to ride a bike through beautiful toscana? Buuuut also pretty rough when we rode for literally hours in the hot sun. And I haven't been in a biking city my whole mission. Oh mamma, my butt still hasn't recovered, lol.🚲 Make fun of me if you want😂but hey, you try riding a bike for two hours after a year of not doing it, and then lemme know how your booty feels. Gosh. It was fun though because we got to meet with some people who knew both my trainer Sorella Smith, and my bff Sorella Anderson! Super cool to spend a day serving in their birth city! We got home from Pisa Saturday morning (after doing morning workouts at theLeaning Tower, of course). Literally none of our investigators could meet last week, which was a bummer. Buuut we made good use of that time by meeting with some more members and less actives, so yay!</span></div>
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<span class="" style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Sunday was EASTER! So many awesome lessons during church! And then we went over to the Morelli family for Easter lunch! Haha, and so many members gave us food for Easter lol. Easter egg hunts may not be a thing here, buuuut Italy does have giant chocolate eggs with a surprise inside and who doesn't want that??</span></div>
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<span class="" style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Remember how Italy likes making up their own holidays? Same. So Monday was essentially Easter part 2 lol. So there was a super huge Easter lunch at the church, so that was fun! ALSO we were out doing passbys (since holidays in Easter typically mean no busses and no one wanting to meet, lol). We saw the name "Cabezas" on a citofono and were like "oh that's funny, there's a fam in our ward with that last name" and so we rang. And it wasn't them. But it was their niece Carolina and her family. And they are not members. And they let us in. And we had an amazing lesson with them. And we are coming back Friday. I. Love. Them. I can just see this adorable family getting baptized, and I'm sooooo stoked we were able to find them!!🤗❤ they have a 2 year old son named Christian who kept playing his accordion and pretending to be a dinosaur during the lesson. I want to adopt him.</span></div>
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<span class="" style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Yesterday was awesome! We had normal Tuesday stuff like English class and district meeting, but we got a new investigator and she is amazing! She is also named Carolina lol, but she's like 19 and is basically our new best friend. Like seriously it was one of the best lessons ever! She is sooooooo ready for the gospel! She talked to us about how she is missing peace in her life, and she wants what we have! She had so many awesome questions, and we are seeing her again on Friday as well! Seriously, a miracle week!!</span></div>
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<span class="" style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Well friends, this is the last week of video-themed spiritual thoughts (although if you STILL haven't seen the actual video, here ya go <a class="" href="https://www.mormon.org/?player=bc">https://www.mormon.org/?player=bc</a> lol)</span></div>
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<span class="" style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">3- Prince of Peace</span></div>
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<span class="" style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This week has been pretty hard. Just physically and emotionally and just all the ways. Obviously tons of miracles as you've seen, but a rough week nonetheless. Interestingly enough, I was rereading my journal from the MTC, and realized last year's Easter week was pretty hard too! I don't remember all that went into it, but it was apparently a difficult week. I remember last year on the Friday before Easter, our district was having a hard day. Our teachers came in and noticed that something was off, and decided to change our lesson to talk about Easter, and specifically the death, Atonement, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. And that changed everything for me.</span></div>
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<span class="" style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I remembered it then, and I remembered it this week- that Easter week was also hard for someone else. It was easily the hardest week for Christ. There's a quote by Joseph B Wirthlin that I love (shout out to mom for randomly sending it this week, you champ!)</span></div>
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<span class="" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><i class=""><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">"It was a Friday filled with devastating, consuming sorrow. Of all the days since the beginning of this world’s history, that Friday was the darkest.</span></i></span></div>
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<i class=""><span class="" style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Each of us will have our own Fridays-those days when the shards of our world lie littered about us in pieces. </span><span class="" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">But I testify to you, in the darkness of our sorrow, Sunday will come. </span></span></i></div>
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<i class=""><span class="" style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The Messiah overcame all, </span><span class="" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">that we could live forever.”</span></span></i></div>
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<span class="" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="" style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Meno male it's been Easter time, so that I could remember and reflect upon <i class="">His</i> hardest week. Sorella Arndt and I have been memorizing The Living Christ in Italian, and I'm so so so grateful for the knowledge and testimony we can attain of Him during this life. Plus, I'm studying Romans in the New Testament (Paul is just a boss. I'm loving it) and chapter 8 is literally the best. Just look at how it ends👇🏼</span></span></div>
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<i class=""><span class="" style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?</span></i></div>
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<i class=""><span class="" style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.</span></i></div>
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<i class=""><span class="" style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.</span></i></div>
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<i class=""><span class="" style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,</span></i></div>
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<i class=""><span class="" style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.</span></i></div>
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<span class="" style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So I guess those are my scrambled thoughts after this awful, no good, really bad week that also happened to be full of miracles. </span></div>
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<span class="" style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i class="">He lives</i>. </span></div>
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<span class="" style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i class="">Nothing</i> can separate us from His love. </span></div>
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<span class="" style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Through Him, we are <i class="">conquerors</i>. </span></div>
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<span class="" style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And Sunday <i class="">will</i> come.</span></div>
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<span class="" style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">xoxo</span></div>
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<span class="" style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Sorella Smedley 🌷🌿🌸🌻🌱💐</span></div>
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<span class=""><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1-4 Pisa scambio 5-8 Leaning Tower 9&10- Easter! 11-23- P-day in Cinque Terre</span></span></div>
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ksmedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09698832103117770491noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6389164944159340793.post-14614083407325067382017-04-15T12:45:00.000-07:002017-04-15T12:45:03.669-07:00Chapter 56: "Are You a Jew?"<div>
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<span class="" style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Once upon a time, it was Pday. This Pday was a tad different than your average Italian Pday, because there was a huge youth activity going on in the evening. Thus, the day was spent signing up Sorella Arndt for some classes, and chilling around centro. As the two lovely sorelle were walking around centro, a random man tried to do what most weird Italians do: determine who exactly these "Sorelle" are. Today was a new one though, he looked me straight in the eye and said "Are you a Jew?" Huh, I've gotten Amish, nun x200, and polygamist, but never "Jew"... </span></div>
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<i class=""><span class="" style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">*Disclaimer 1- My dear greenie Sorella Richards: Do you remember the one Jewish conversation we had one time?😏😏😂😂😂😂😂😂*</span></i></div>
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<i class=""><span class="" style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">*Disclaimer 2- Thanks to the youth activity, personal email responses will be sent either tonight, tomorrow morning, or not at all... we shall see...*</span></i></div>
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<span class="" style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Thursday and Friday were absolutely crazy! Ok so one of the companionships Sorella Arndt and I are over is Sorella Zombra (my companion during my fourth transfer) and her companion Sorella Ruby. Well, Sorella Zombra had to take a flight to Sicily to renew her permesso (we've all been there, amiright?) so we were in charge of getting them to and from the airport in Firenze. Then we had Sorella Ruby with us in a trio while Sorella Zombra was in Sicily. It was all rather exhausting, but also fun...?🤷🏼♀️ Well, when we weren't busy traveling and whatnot, we did some finding in centro and we saw our investigator Elizabeth, who had a ton of random & deep prophet questions. Gotta love it when lessons somehow make sense despite being 100% improvised, aaand in Italian. Go team. </span></div>
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<span class="" style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The weekend was literally full of back to back meetings with the stake leaders and then the zone leaders. Pretty boring stuff. But hey, we got pizza! And saw a movie poster for the second Guardians of the Galaxy movie. That's what missions are all about, right? Luckily church was great- full of translating for tourists and then doing a special missionary lesson for the youth. </span></div>
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<span class="" style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This week was also zone conference, which meant we got to spend the day with Presidente and Sorella Allen!! Tons of trainings and just awesome stuff. Our stake president spoke, which meant I got to translate for Sorella Allen😅 Sorella Arndt and I also were asked to give a training and a role play about the church's new push to share the gospel through social media. Lemme give you some backstory. It used to be that missionaries spent a good amount of time doing "casa" (aka good ole fashioned knocking on doors). Presidente talked about how when he was on his mission, they would go out doing casa for a couple hours and they knew they be let into at least a couple of homes. Now, it's not that way. I've been let in maybe 3 times in my entire mission. Presidente' current challenge for us missionaries is to meet with members, share a message, and then invite them to use technology to share the gospel. However, President Allen isn't just wanting us to send out a video link or something. He wants us to invite the members on the spot to text a couple of friends inviting them to meet with us missionaries the following week. Pretty nerve wracking for both the missionaries AND the member involved. So that was what our role play and training was supposed to be about. We started working on some stuff for it over the course of the weekend.</span></div>
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<span class="" style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">BUT THEN</span></div>
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<span class="" style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The day before zone conference, we met with Betty. She's seriously one of my favorite people! She's had the hardest life and had phases of time where she wasn't super active in the church. However, she's back now and is super strong. We watched the new Easter video with her (<a class="" href="https://www.mormon.org/?player=bc">https://www.mormon.org/?player=bc</a> in case you STILL haven't watched it🙄) and talked about the peace and happiness we can receive thanks to the gospel of Jesus Christ. The conversation continued forward, and we decided to extend the invite pres had talked about. Betty was so down hahahaha! She pulled out her phone and started calling people right then and there! She has so much faith, and such a willing heart!</span></div>
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<span class="" style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We got a new investigator this week named Pillar. We met her in the most pigeon filled park I've ever seen. I wanted to vomit. Oh well, she seems cool and we are seeing her again tomorrow!</span></div>
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<span class="" style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Lol so we had an appointment to see Maria (sorry there are multiple investigators named Maria, yay Italy. Buuut she's the one who we usually met in her car). Well this week "Car Maria" shook things up and invited us to her home! After an hour of riding the bus through beautiful Toscana, we got to her house. We were greeted by this giant puppy named Benji, so I was stoked🐶 theeeen it got weird... in fact, it's an appointment that I feel describes missionary life in Italy fairly well. First of all, we were not the only guests lol. There was a catholic tea party going on lol. I'm not joking, like a whole group of catholic women, holding their palms (because palms Sunday, duh) and sipping tea. Lol, so we joined. Yay for church conversations with a group of devout catholic women...? They watched the Easter video with us though and then left. It was fun but we were secretly glad to have just Maria there so we could teach her. Lol, jokes on us, because her atheist husband came out within 10 minutes. He proceeded to smoke and bash Christianity. </span></div>
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<span class="" style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Atheist: Tutte le chiese non sono vere. L'ho provate. (No churches are true. I've tried them)</span></div>
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<span class="" style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Smeds: hmmm, ma ha mai provato la nostra chiesa? (Hmmm but have you tried our church?)</span></div>
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<span class="" style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Atheist: No.</span></div>
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<span class="" style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Smeds: ah, ecco perché non l'ha trovata la verità! (Ah... that would be why you haven't found the truth!)</span></div>
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<span class="" style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Smeds: 1 </span></div>
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<span class="" style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Atheist: 0</span></div>
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<span class="" style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Anyways, it went well given all of the craziness haha, and we are seeing her again this week! </span></div>
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<span class="" style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Hopefully alone this time, lol.</span></div>
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<span class="" style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Anyways, EASTER IS THIS WEEK!! Gotta love talking to people about Christ, aaaaaand showing them the stellar video @ <span class="" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><a class="" href="https://www.mormon.org/?player=bc" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">https://www.mormon.org/?player=bc</a> ❤ In following last week, let's take a lil look at the second title assigned to the Savior in this stellar video!</span></span></div>
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<span class="" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2- Lord of Lords</span></div>
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<span class="" style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I am beyond grateful to have Jesus Christ as our Lord. There is no one else who has the perfect balance of justice and mercy. What is it that makes Him our perfect Lord? Well, there are lots of reasons, but I believe the ultimate is that He represents His father. He is exactly like our Heavenly Father, and we see that anytime we look back at the scriptural accounts of Christ's ministry and works.</span></div>
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<span class=""><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Elder Holland said: "Jesus did not come to improve God’s view of man nearly so much as He came to improve man’s view of God and to plead with them to love their Heavenly Father as He has always and will always love them. The plan of God, the power of God, the holiness of God, yes, even the anger and the judgment of God they had occasion to understand. But the love of God, the profound depth of His devotion to His children, they still did not fully know—until Christ came.</span></span></div>
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<span class=""><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So feeding the hungry, healing the sick, rebuking hypocrisy, pleading for faith—this was Christ showing us the way of the Father, He who is “merciful and gracious, slow to anger, long-suffering and full of goodness.” In His life and especially in His death, Christ was declaring, “This is God’s compassion I am showing you, as well as that of my own.” In the perfect Son’s manifestation of the perfect Father’s care, in Their mutual suffering and shared sorrow for the sins and heartaches of the rest of us, we see ultimate meaning in the declaration: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”</span></span></div>
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<span class="" style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I'm grateful for both a perfect Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ, and for the loving Father who sent Him here for us.</span></div>
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<span class="" style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Enjoy Pasqua 🐣 </span></div>
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<span class="" style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Xoxoxo</span></div>
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<span class="" style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Sorella Smeds</span></div>
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ksmedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09698832103117770491noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6389164944159340793.post-47686706270046206062017-04-07T16:59:00.002-07:002017-04-07T16:59:25.826-07:00Chapter 55: "I am your king!" "Well I didn't vote for you!"<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><i><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">*The full Monty Python movie quote from which this week's title un-apostately derives will be found at the bottom of this email. Thanks mom, for keeping me connected to the real world* </span></i></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Well folks it's been an amazing week. A week of being eaten alive by mosquitos. A week of amazing miracles. A week of being so exhausted by the end of the day that you literally flop onto the couch and listen to beauty and the beast, because you're too tired to get ready for bed. Just another week in the life of a missionary😂🤷🏼♀️ ALSO!! The church just put out an amazing new video for Easter!! Go look at it🤗---> <a href="https://www.mormon.org/?player=bc"><span class="s2">https://www.mormon.org/?player=bc</span></a></span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Ok, so last Thursday we had a combined District meeting, followed by a couple appointments with members and less-actives. Super cool though- on our bus ride back to the station, we were sitting across from this lady named Maria (classic), reading a play script. Arndt and I were instantly intrigued, and started asking this lady what was up lol. Maria told us about how she was the lead in this big play, and even said she could score us some tickets for it in May🎭 Then she started asking us questions about why we were living in Firenze, and the convo took off from there! It was pretty awesome, and we exchanged numbers and gave her a Book of Mormon. </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">THEN</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">We got off the bus for our appointment, and saw she got off in the same area. Well we finished up at our appointment and felt prompted to call Maria. Well, the spirit is real folks because 10 minutes later we were sitting by the Arno river teaching Maria about the restoration. It was by far one of the coolest lessons. I don't think I've ever met someone more ready for the gospel. The whole lesson just flowed so naturally, and the spirit was so strong. The mosquitos were also strong, but we won't get into that. Anyways, we have another appointment with her this weekend, so yay💕</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Thursday evening-Friday evening, we had scambio (exchanges) with the Sorelle from Prato! I was with the amazing Sorella Tullis! Seriously such a fun and hardworking missionary, it was such a blast🌈 We had an appointment with my favorite RM Jan whilst eating Chinese food. Just some advice: eels taste like they look🤢 haha it was awesome though! Jan constantly inspires me! We also had correlation and some other passbys, during which we showed the NEW EASTER VIDEO at <a href="https://www.mormon.org/?player=bc"><span class="s2">https://www.mormon.org/?player=bc</span></a> 😉 That night after the Prato Sorelle left, we had an appointment with the Larrain family. The father of that family passed away a little over a month ago, so we've been trying to help them out. We decided to make them an American dinner lol. Sorella Arndt and I realized we shared the childhood favorite of poppyseed chicken, so we scored some ingredients from th American base up north and made it for the family! Haha it was pretty much the best night ever! Sorella Larrain was in love😂😂😂 she's one of my favorite people I've met here in Italy!</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Saturday started off with interviews with Presidente Allen! It's always so amazing when we get to see him and Sorella Allen❤ then Saturday-Sunday was GENERAL CONFERENCE🌷☔️🌱 Even before the mission, general conference has always be right up there with movie marathons and midnight showings for me! I just love it, and this past weekend was no exception! These leaders are so inspired, and the messages shared were truly from God. If you didn't get the chance to view it this past weekend, I'd def suggest you head on over to <a href="http://lds.org/"><span class="s2">lds.org</span></a> and give it a gander. And hey! While you're there, you may as well check out <a href="https://www.mormon.org/?player=bc"><span class="s2">https://www.mormon.org/?player=bc</span></a> Best of all, some of our investigators came to general conference!!! It was so awesome! There's also a guy in the ward who is both blind and deaf, and he came to the conference. At first I was like "lol but why", but there's this pro lady in the ward who learned Italian sign language from him. So she signed the entire conference into the palm of his hand. I was so blown away by both of their dedication and genuine desire to be there for conference! And it was beautiful to look over at them from time to time and see the tears streaming down his face. It was evident that he miraculously understood the words of the prophets thanks to this member, but more than that, he felt the spirit that was there. So cool. Also, yay me for being able to understand all of conference in Italian #miracles</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Monday we started planning a special exhibition we will be doing Easter weekend! Buuut it's a secret, so stay tuned😏 (and in the meantime, feel free to check out the new Easter video <a href="https://www.mormon.org/?player=bc"><span class="s2">https://www.mormon.org/?player=bc</span></a> .) We met with a super old less active lady, and she made us random fried dessert things that were obviously unhealthy, and thus delicious. The diabetic nightmare was the closest thing I've had to a donut since America. Ahhh. We also visited these two German sisters who literally kill me😂😂 so basically just another awesome day!</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Yesterday was full of random appointments, meetings, and getting beard-baccied on the bus. Yes, I'm talking full-on kissed on the cheek by a bearded lady😂 ah well, she was super nice and loved the video on <a href="https://www.mormon.org/?player=bc"><span class="s2">https://www.mormon.org/?player=bc</span></a> 😉</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">TODAY we went to the fairytale city of Siena! It was absolutely beautiful! Plus we went down a random little street and found a studio where we found ANTONELLO! Coolest guy ever! Literally a piano master and photography master! We accidentally spend almost two hours just chilling with him and these two students from the university of Siena. Antonello told us all about his insane life! We talked about God, listened to him play the piano, and just had the coolest experience ever! Plus he took some professional photos of us and the university couple all together, so go scope that out on Facebook lol. If you'd told me a year ago that I'd casually go to Siena one Wednesday and casually spend a couple hours with complete strangers and just have cool lil experiences all day long, I probs would've laughed at you. And yet, here we are🙃</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">So cool thing. The awesome Easter video (yes yes, the one found here ---> <a href="https://www.mormon.org/?player=bc"><span class="s2">https://www.mormon.org/?player=bc</span></a> talks a lot about the various things the Savior did and was. At the end, there are three names used. There are conveniently 3 emails (including this one) leading up to Easter. I think you all see where I'm going with this.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">1- <i>King of Kings </i></span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Christ was and is the perfect King, and unlike the scenario in that classic Monty Python film, we DID vote for Him, lol. I finished John in the New Testament the other day, and basically my mind is constantly blown with all the amazing things Christ did. My dad mentioned something the other day about how all would be well if we just had Christ here as our leader, and it's true! Political leaders and other leaders are imperfect, and many are faaaaar from the mark. The Savior, however, was the perfect example of what a leader should be. He's the perfect balance of justice and mercy. He's knowledgeable but compassionate. He's selfless and serving, though He acknowledges His divine role as the literal Son of God. And I guess that's the good thing, is He is our King! Yeah, maybe he's not the physical leader of our country or state or school or whatever right now. He is still, however, our King. In the Bible, you can read about how He healed, performed miracles, forgave sins, and showed charity. Although He isn't physically here right now, He still fulfills these same roles in our lives. Through accepting Him as our King, we open up the ability to use His Atonement to heal us and comfort us, and lead us throughout life. Spiritually, He is our King. That much is certain. And one day, He will return to physically be our King. And that is worth celebrating.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">xoxo</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Sorella Smedley☔️</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">PS: I love the apostle John. He is my absolute favorite! Lol he just knows so much, and you know he was just chilling on the island in exile being super sassy as he wrote his books lol. Lil savage decided to end his gospel with this bad boy: <i>John 21:25 And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen.</i></span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">PPS: The Monty Python quote, as promised:</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Arthur: I am your king!</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Woman: Well I didn't vote for you!</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Arthur: You don't vote for kings.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Woman: Well how'd you become king then?</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Angelic music plays...</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Arthur: The Lady of the Lake, her arm clad in the purest shimmering silmite held aloft Excalibur from He bosom of the water, signifying by divine providence that I, Arthur, was to carry Excalibur. THAT is why I am your king!</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Dennis interrupting: Listen, strange women lyin' in ponds distributin' swords is no basis for a system of government! Supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony!</span></span></div>
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<span class="s3"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">PPPS: just in case you haven't already <a href="https://www.mormon.org/?player=bc"><span class="s2">https://www.mormon.org/?player=bc</span></a> <a href="https://www.mormon.org/?player=bc"><span class="s2">https://www.mormon.org/?player=bc</span></a> <a href="https://www.mormon.org/?player=bc"><span class="s2">https://www.mormon.org/?player=bc</span></a> <a href="https://www.mormon.org/?player=bc"><span class="s2">https://www.mormon.org/?player=bc</span></a> <a href="https://www.mormon.org/?player=bc"><span class="s2">https://www.mormon.org/?player=bc</span></a></span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">1- American meal with Sorella Lorraine 2-5 Pday in Siena! 6&7 Antonello!</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">8-18 More of beautiful Siena</span></span></div>
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ksmedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09698832103117770491noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6389164944159340793.post-20938220358330971252017-03-31T14:16:00.000-07:002017-03-31T14:16:53.053-07:00Chapter 54: Shut Up and Take My Money<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Hey friends👋🏼</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">So much has happened in the last week! It's been super awesome but also pretty tiring, so I naturally have -92574 desire to write emails at all today. Guess that means we're doing bullet points today, plus some pictures (they're each worth a thousand words, right?)</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">-Said goodbye to Muggiò💔💔💔</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">-Saw Anz Rogers and his greenie!!!!!</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">-Said goodbye to the fabulous Sorella Orr💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">-Met with our investigator Elizabeth and talked about how she doesn't have to decide if this church is true or not- in reality, the answer comes through the spirit. Very good news for us indecisive people lol.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">-I'm already covered in mosquito bites. And it's barely spring. Summer will probs kill me. #prayforsmeds2k17</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">-We got a new investigator Maria! Had an awesome lesson in her car explaining why we don't worship the madonna (classic). We're super stoked to have met her because she's someone really in need of the blessings of the gospel!</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">-Our ward is awesome!! And our investigator Norca came to church and even fasted! What a stud.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">-The daughter in an active family in the ward was baptized, and literally thirty family friends came over! So we got to explain the baptismal service to them, as well as other various gospel truths. Got some numbers and, as one lady put it, "You Mormons are good at praying and food!" Yes, yes we are.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">-Sleep over with the senior couple, since we had to leave for Milano the next day at like 6am. I'm still recovering from that one.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">-Had concilio in Milano with Presidente and the other zone leaders and STLs! Which meant I got to see Anz Wilkinson, Gibb, and Farneman from my past cities, my bottlebreaker Slla McHardy, and Slla Anderson, Lo Russo, and Perkins from my MTC group! And as a surprise, I saw Anz Jones and Slla Richards (the mission kids) since concilio was being held in their area! Plus, got to meet Anz Jones's greenie! Guess I'm a nonna now?👵🏼</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">-We've been working on sharing our ward mission plan with the members. It's been amazing to learn more about their conversion stories, and then to help them share this gospel with their loved ones.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">-We've also been taking time to plan scambi (exchanges) and figure out what we need to do to help the sorelle we are over❣️</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">-Pday today was spent going all around Firenze⚜️ have I mentioned I live in the most beautiful place in the world? Because I do. I absolutely love it here. And I wanna spend all my money.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Ok random awkward moment... not that this actually happened or anything, obviously😅 ok so picture this. You're sitting in the park, having a lesson with your investigator. All is going well, the spirit is strong and everything. The sun is shining, birds are singing, and it's basically perfect. </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">But...</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Then you notice a rather creepy spider chilling on the neighboring bench...</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">And then, the spider starts army crawling on its web over to <i>your</i> bench...</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">And slowly but surely makes its way into your investigator's hair...</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">What. Do. You. Do???🕷🕷🕷🕷🕷🕷</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Just asking for a friend, of course😅 </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Anyways.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">I wouldn't be a proper missionary if I didn't mention that GENERAL CONFERENCE IS THIS WEEKEND! I'm beyond stoked, and you all oughta be too! Seriously, we are beyond blessed to get this chance to hear from a living prophet and other various leaders called of God! If you haven't already, think of a few questions in preparation for conference. Maybe there's a decision you need to make. Maybe you're going through a rough patch. Maybe you've just got a gospel question. Idk, there are lots of possibilities. The beautiful thing is that we know God loves us, and so we naturally know He does answer our prayers. I'm just saying (not as a missionary, but as awkward lil old Kaylee) that so many of my prayers and life questions are answered through general conference. Literally, what an opportunity! Hearing God's words for you- specifically!-through His prophet. Wow, that even beats Netflix! So yeah, it's gonna be a weekend of stellar stories and experiences, pilot analogies, and crazy awesome instruction not just from random church leaders, but literally from God Himself❤</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Pop some popcorn and get comfy🍿</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">xoxoxo</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Smeds</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">1& 2- Saying goodbye to Rogers & Orr last week 3-6 Concilio ft. MTC group, McHardy & The Fam </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">7-16 Pday exploring beautiful Firenze(Florence)</span></span></div>
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