Pescara, Italy Week 3 - Mission Week 37 in Italy

This week has been amazing! I have enjoyed every single second of it with my new companion Sorella Cluff!!!

Our first day doing finding, on Tuesday, we went into the city. I then noticed a lady with super long, black hair. I turned to my companion and commented on how beautiful it was and my companion asked, "Why don't you go tell her that?" I did not want to, so my companion walked up to her and commented on her hair.  She told the lady that I had been admiring it. The lady then smiled and invited us to go get breakfast with her. We went and she drank a coffee while we drank a hot chocolate, haha. We explained to her that we are missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and that we are all over the world, called to serve, and speak to the people in the language of the country we are in. She then informed us that she has a daughter who has depression but is very "into God". She said that she would like us to meet her and talk to her about Jesus Christ.  She told us to finish our breakfast and then come to her business which was right around the corner.
We finished our breakfast and while we were trying to find a scripture to share with the lady, we were, of course, speaking in English. A young man heard us and asked us if we were speaking English and we said, "yes" and then he just sat by us. We had asked him how he learned English and he said because he lived in England for 3 months. Then we asked him why he was in England and his response was, "to learn the English language and to smoke weed". My companion and I just laughed so hard because we are missionaries and we were not expecting an answer like that. He then told us that he has visions and crazy things and that is why he likes to smoke weed. We then decided to talk about the Plan of Salvation and explain who we as humans are. Where did we come from? Why are we here? And where do we go after this life?
He was interested but he did not seem all there so after speaking with him we invited him to English class because he wanted to improve in the English language. He was super happy and said he would.
After that we visited the first lady at her business and dropped off a scripture.  We were then back on the road again. 

My companion just of no where stops 2 young men that were at a bar from that morning. We asked them why they were in Pescara and they said for vacation. We asked them what they did for a living and they said they had been studying to join the military but they both failed, they passed the physical fitness testing but not the mental testing. Sorella Cluff and I both burst out laughing and they did too. I thought to myself, "how could you fail out of the military" 

After that, my companion talked to one of them and I spoke with the other one. The guy I spoke with was atheist but he was interested in our religion because he had never heard of it before and why would there be two young girls in his country speaking his language. He was very impressed with our language skills. We then walked with them by the beach explaining what we do as missionaries. After we found a bench where my companion and I sat on the bench and these young men sat on the ground cris-crossed looking up at us. They wanted to hear a story from us. My companion and I looked at each other with a smile and we told them we would tell them a story about a young man who saw God and Jesus Christ. The story was about the Restoration of the Gospel. They were so interested in it. We came to the part about Joseph Smith and his vision; they were in awe. The man who was atheist thought it was interesting but didn't want to know anything else. The other guy wanted a Book of Mormon and to learn more, so we gave him one and exchanged numbers.  We realized he lived in our area so we could totally teach him some more. 

All 3 of these stories happened in one day.  On the same day, as we were going home for lunch, we reached our apartment door and the neighbor who lives across from us asked if we could come inside her house and help her with some English. She had heard us speaking English, she is taking a difficult course and needs help, so we spent about 30 mins with her helping her comprehend English.  Today, after P-day ends, we will help her again and we will eat dinner with her.


Also this week we went to a house of one of the ladies we are teaching with a member. When we arrived her table was so cute and had a huge cake and mugs on it. She had made us herbal tea and it was all girls at the table.  It seemed like a tea party!  It was very good. 

We taught her and her family that the important thing in this life is having a testimony in Jesus Christ because without having a testimony the church, sacrament, temples, and the priesthood does not matter. In our church our foundation is built upon our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We need to know for ourselves that Jesus Christ lived and that He is our Redeemer and that only through Him can we return to live with our Father in Heaven. 

In the Book of Mormon: Helaman 5:12  "And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall."

Saturday night we were able to go to Rome and go to the temple.  It was so amazing. 

This week was full of miracles. I know that when we put our trust in the Lord he can help us with anything!


Sorella Hyatt🇮🇹

Pescara, Italy Week 3 - Mission Week 36

This week has been a hastle! We had zone conference!!! It was amazing. We to Rome on Friday to the mission home. Everyone in my zone stayed at the mission home. We ate very good food together and president was the one who served us. He is such a great guy. 

We then watched the Book of Mormon movie series all together which was so fun. The next day we got FLU SHOT! Everyone was nervous, including me (I hate shots) but I'm proud to say, "I did it!!!"


Zone conference was so great. We talked about how we receive personal revelation from the Lord. Personal revelation is the key to personal conversion to the Lord. It is the key to missionary work and the key to life!
We also talked about doing service to everyone. Meeting the needs of the people you are teaching and showing them that you love them. It was such a great zone conference.


Last night my new companion arrived and her name is Sorella Cluff!!! I have known her in the mission and I have always wanted to be her companion, now I get that chance!! She is so sweet and she is so happy all the time. She is from Nauvoo, IL. She is a great missionary.


We had a great P-day today. We went to the beach and walked on it and we toured around our town. We then ate really good American burgers and we took a little nap. It was such a relaxing P-day and I am really glad. Ohh, we also bought awesome, funny slippers. I got unicorns and my companion got sharks, hahaha.


This week has been very good. I encourage everyone to continue to read the Book of Mormon and to pray about the truths that are being taught. I know that when you do that you will gain your own personal revelation. I can promise that as you do these things you will see so many blessings in your life.


Sorella Hyatt🇮🇹

Pescara, Italy Week 2 - Mission Week 35

This week went by  so fast! I officially hit my 10 month mark on my mission and in 2 months it will be a year. Time flies by fast.

This week we did a lot of things. We went to Chieti, a city in my area, about an hour away. We went there because I have been teaching English to two 8 year old girls. At the end of the lesson we always share a spiritual thought. Recently, one of the mothers became very interested in what we do as missionaries and wanted to learn more!  That is why we went out to Chieti.

In the same area we met with a young medical student.  He took us on a walk in the city as we talked about God. It was a very nice conversation and we also talked about what we do as missionaries. At the end we gave him a Book of Mormon and told him what it meant to us. He was emotional that we had given him something but happy. 

One day, as we were walking to the church building, my companion was holding her English copy of the Book of Mormon (because I have been teaching her how to read it in English). While we were walking a man randomly stopped us and asked us what book we were reading. My companion and I were both shocked and we explained what the Book was about. He seemed interested and asked us for our number so that when he wasn't as busy we could talk more about it. 

On Fridays we do Family Home Evening at church where we watch the Book of Mormon series videos together and we share a spiritual message. The Anziani (Elders) had found a popcorn maker in their apartment so they brought it to the activity to make popcorn while we watch the videos. My companion and I went into the kitchen to see if they needed help. When we got to the kitchen the popcorn kernels were splattering everywhere. The Anziani were trying to catch all of them it was so funny. We then grabbed two bowls and placed them right on the opening of popcorn maker. One kernels shot out and one of the Anziani caught it but it was so hot that he threw up in the air and then it landed in my shoe and it was super hot. My foot now has a kernel mark it burned a little bit of skin but it is okay.


It has been a busy week but full of miracles.


Sorella Hyatt🇮🇹

Pescara, Italy Week 1 - Mission week 34

This week was a busy week with transfers. I packed in advanced so I would not be stressed with packing. 

Finally, Thursday came around and it was time for me to leave. My companion had dropped me off at the metro station Termini and I waited for 3 hours there with some other missionaries until my new companion came in to pick me up. When she arrived we immediately grabbed my heavy bags and started to the metro. After the metro we stopped to grab some lunch and then our adventure continued as we pushed my heavy things. 

We then arrived to a bus station where there were charter buses. We waited for an hour for the bus to Pescara! We finally got on and it took about 2 hours to get to Pescara. I slept the whole way there. When we got there it was raining and it was very cold and I was not prepared. I just had a summer dress on and all my things were packed away in the luggage. Nevertheless we made it through. 

We live about 5 minutes away from the station so we pushed all my bags in the rain to our apartment. 

Our apartment is very cute and nice. We have wooden floors and we have a cute room where each one of us has our own closet and the fridge is big. We have nice comfortable chairs and the bathroom is very clean. It's the first time that I will be living with just my companion. In the past, I have only lived with either 4 or 6 sisters in an apartment. Now it is different but I really like it. I feel more at home and more comfortable. There isn't a lot of noise and the apartment stays clean. 

The next day we went out into Pescara and it is sooooo beautiful! The roads are so clean, unlike Rome where there is trash overflowing the bins and just trash everywhere. Here it is well taken care of and I can actually breathe fresh air! 

We went downtown in the center of Pescara and it has everything you need. All the shopping malls that you find in Rome are here too in this cute city. There are so many people and they are more open and nice. I have talked to so many people in just these past couple of days who are actually willing to listen to us. We also did some finding right by the beach!! It was so cool to smell the sea while I was doing the Lord's work. Now that conference is over on P-days we are allowed to go to the beach on the sand. I'm very excited. 

It is also a lot cooler here. The weather in Rome is always sooooo hot and you just sweat when you step outside. Here it feels like spring. All the Italians are wearing coats but it is really just jacket weather and so nice because we actually have a breeze. 

My companion is very sweet. She is from Milan and doesn't speak English. I never knew how much Italian I could actually speak in a day. I speak it everyday from the moment I wake up until I sleep. Just in these past couple of days I can see myself improving. When I spoke with my bishop here the first thing he said was, "Wow, you speak very good Italian". I was overly happy because it is hard to speak Italian in the Visitor's Center especially when most of the people that come in speak English. I still have a lot to learn but I am feeling more confident in the language. 

On Fridays the Pescara Ward does family home evening at the church. The missionaries (us) we get the new episode of the Book of Mormon series going and we all watch it together, in Italian, of course. Then at the end we share what we learned from it and how we can apply it in our lives. It is one of my favorite things. 

The ward is very open and very welcoming. I am enjoying where I am so far.


Sorella Hyatt🇮🇹

Eating grapes

My new companion

The beach in Pescara

Pescara, Italy

We found Guarana!

"Style Wars" Italian style

Rome Week 33

Today we received transfer calls and I have been transferred out of Rome and out of the Visitor Center. I am going to Pescara and my new companion is Sorella Varano-Chu, she is Italian.

Pescara is on the other side of Italy, on the Adriatic Sea.  It is known for beautiful beaches.
I am leaving Rome on Thursday. I have mixed emotions about it all. I have never left the visitor center, I have been here in Rome and the Visitor Center my entire mission.

When I was in the visitor center an American gentleman started to ask about some of the things there.  He was a member of the church and I was pointing things from the visitor center out to him.  He asked me where I was from and I responded, "I'm from Missouri."  He said that he loved Missouri and wanted to know where I was from in Missouri.  I answered, "I'm from the St. Louis area."  He said, "That sounds like you are not really from St. Louis."  I said, "I am actually from Cape Girardeau but know one ever knows where that is so I say I'm from St. Louis area."  He said, "I know where Cape Girardeau is!  I was there for stake conference last October.  I think I saw you there because you look familiar."  We chatted for a little bit about Cape and the stake, he showed me a photo of him with President Dickson and President Baird.  After he left I was thinking about it and realized that he was a General Authority of the church.  He was a Seventy!  Pretty cool.

This week has flown by super fast. We had so many visitors this week in the visitor center.
We had an appointment with one of the people we are teaching. She cancelled on us due to work. While we were waiting for our bus we heard a lady yell "SORELLE!"  My companion and I both turned around quickly and it was the lady we were supposed to have had an appointment with. She came and gave us a hug and introduced us to her son. It was a miracle. 

Downer story: one of the guys we were teaching decided he did not like our church when we taught him some of the commandments and the Restoration. He was really cool and we respect his wishes. It was just kind of sad when he told us he thinks his church is for him and ours is for us. Well, what can we do? We all have free agency.

We had a very good district council. We also had our district lunch and we went to a restaurant called The Break. We had really yummy like burgers just like America


This P-day is my last P-day in Rome. So we played zone calcio which is a zone soccer. Man it was fun, I missed soccer it was pretty fun!

Sorella Hyatt🇮🇹