WEEK 13
This week was a very fast week. We mainly stayed in the visitor center this week. Our schedule has been weird, still adjusting to transfers. But it was a very relaxing week. We talked to so many people about Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. Christ is literally my favorite topic especially during Easter.
Oh funny story
So, this week, since my companion and I have a car, we had to help the Rome 3 sorelle (sisters) get to their apartment. They live about 30 minutes away from the temple and usually have a car but someone crashed into them. Taking a bus takes more than an hour so we helped. So we never go out there so it was the first time. So getting there was very nice because we had the other girls to guide us. But then after we dropped them off, it was difficult. Google maps wasn't working well. And I was the one driving and my comp trying to get us back home. We accidentally take a wrong turn and went through the same round about 3 times, and it was dark and the roads are not like in the United states; there are barely any signs anywhere. So we soon get on the highway and realize we are on the road to Napoli, Italy which is like 2 hours away from Rome and we couldn't find a way to turn. We were also running out of gas and we had to get home by about 9:00 at night, well too late for that because it's like 10:00 pm. Then we finally found a gas station to get gas. The gas station was super sketchy and scary. And finally we went off and found a turn around. All the way back to the FIRST round about that we had gone over and over again. And we did it 2 more times until we finally found the small outing to the road back to Rome where our apartment is. It was so weird.
MIRACLES: My companion was sick one of the days this week so we were stuck in the apartment. And I've been lazy to cook anything to eat for breakfast or lunch. So I decided to make an early dinner and make some Brazilian rice for my companion and I. Well, the stove isn't as secure as it is in the U.S. like you can actually see the gas and fire under the pot. So I went to check the rice and I leaned over and then I felt this huge sensation of heat on my neck and when I jerked back my hair was caught on fire. Just the right side on some of my long bangs. I ran out of the kitchen and in to the bathroom and at this point the fire was out but there was ashes everywhere. And I knelt down in deep prayer and asked my father in heaven to please save my hair and help it so I wouldn't have to cut all of it off. And I know it sounds dumb but for me it was a big deal and I was about to cry for my hair. And I prayed and told Father in heaven. My companion wakes up to the smell of burnt hair and sees me just trimming off the tips that was black and she told me we should cut all my hair. But I had faith in the Lord so I was my hair with a regeneration conditioner and then I put a hair mask on it. After an hour I blow dried my hair straight and...
My hair became soft and good as new. I didn't even have to cut the length. You could never tell it was burnt.
I know even the small, or dumb little things, if you pray for them and they are important to you then God will answer you prayers. You just need to have faith. I know He answers all prayers.
I know he does because he has always answered my prayers. And he answered Joseph Smith's prayer. If it wasn't for Joseph's prayer we wouldn't have the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ or the priesthood.
Have a great week
Sorella Hyatt
WEEK 14
This week was zone conference week. What that means is that the missionaries that serve close to my area get together in a meeting with our mission president and his wife and we do a conference training on how to become more like Christ and how to bring people closer to Christ. It helps us reflect the service we are doing as missionaries and how we can be better servants of the Lord. Well, there are two zones of missionaries in Rome so while the one zone was having their conference my zone of sorelle (sisters) stayed in the visitor center almost everyday because we needed people to be in there to help the visitors.
It was very nice, a lot of people came in and wanted to know more about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Then at zone conference we discussed the topic of obedience. As a missionary we have guidelines and rules that we must follow in order to be a worthy, good, servant of the Lord. As missionaries we try to live as Christ lived in order to teach about Christ we need to live like him. We discussed about how we should be obedient to the commandments of God. And as missionaries our guidelines is either to keep us safe from harm and danger or to help us be like Christ. Being obedient is a very good Christ-like attribute that we must try to achieve.
Then after zone conference we went out finding in our area in a small town up a huge mountain called Scandriglia. It had a beautiful castle. It took us an hour and 30 mins to get there, we had never been there and our maps wasn't working.
Once we got there, there was a one way road in the city and we were trying to find a place to park so we could go ring some doors. The town looks like Lord of the Rings hobbit houses and everything is cute and old looking and clean. As we go up this one street we realize that it's a dead end and had to back out so Sorella Peter's had to back me out. It took us almost 20 minutes total to back me out so we were safe on the narrow road. But then when we found a place where I could back up and go forward to a different road. I didn't notice there was a fence on the side of the car when I was backing up and my companion had gotten to that side so I couldn't see her anymore and I couldn't hear her when she said stop. So she was slammed between the edge of the gate and the car and all I heard was "drive forward fast" so I did. My companion is okay but she got a huge bruise on her pelvis. I felt so bad, I prayed for her. But she was able to still walk and she feels fine. That same day we found a place to park and a girl our age let us in to talk about the message of Jesus Christ. Her dad and brother was there and they're from Romania but speak Italian; they heard the whole lesson and the wanted a Book of Mormon. They wanted us to come back. It was such a great experience.
Then this Sunday we had stake conference. This was my first stake conference in Italy. This is where a bunch of congregations of our church around the Rome area get together and do a conference. It was such a good one. The Italians had a choir and it was so beautiful.
After that we went home and ate lunch. We did our scripture studies and language studies. After that we did our shift at the Visitor center. I had a wonderful experience. There were 4 women from Utah on a study abroad trip for art. They came in to the visitor center and they wanted to know everything. I took them around and basically bore my testimony about each part. There was one girl in particular about my age and I had a huge feeling that she was feeling alone and she looked very sad. I took them into the theater room and showed them an 11 minute video called the Storms of Life, these videos are only showed in visitor centers. It's about the story of Christ on the boat with the 12 apostles and how He sleeps through the storm. And it shows a real person's "storm" in life and how they overcame them through the atonement of Jesus Christ in their lives.
I bore my testimony afterwards.
Life is very hard, nothing is easy and at times we all have storms but we can get through them with Christ. He is the only one who knows what we are going through because He went through the same thing .
This young girl then gave me a huge hug and told me she needed this as a reminder that Jesus loves her. I then recommended for her to read Ether 12:27 and the Book of Moroni all in the Book of Mormon. She left beaming of happiness.
I love being a missionary and bringing joy to all when I talk about Christ and how He is happiness in our lives.
Sorella Hyatt
