Week 57 in Italy

Well we have pday today because tomorrow is new missionary training, and thursday is sister training leader training, and friday we have to go to the questura to get my companions permesso. SO. This week we're just flying by the seat of our skirts.

Lecco last week was gorgeous! We didn't actually end up finding the hike. But we walked around, ate a delicious carbonara pasta in the middle of a beautiful piazz

a, and just enjoyed some quality time with the sisters from Muggio.

We did a scambio with the sisters from Bergamo 1 this past week. Sorella Roper came here with me and we had SO MANY MIRACLES. We had a cancellation. So we went out to do some casa. We said a prayer to know where we needed to go. After saying the prayer we looked around and I felt immediately drawn to a specific green building. But my companion wanted to go in a different direction. So we followed her promptings! We met two lovely women and taught a lesson to one about the restoration. Then we wanted to get gelato. On our way back we started to randomly ring at diverse doors. We weren't having any luck. Finally we get to one and we get let in. We went up and started talking to this man. We couldn't go in because there wasn't a woman home. It turned out that he was a member who had

gone completely inactive. We got his information and we taught him a quick lesson at the doorstep. Then we went outside to write down the adress and.......IT WAS THE GREEN BUILDING. Ahh. We were so mindblown. It was such a cool miracle.

Anyway. We had lots of cancellations this week. But we are working with a few really really Amazing people. Giovanna is so excited for her baptism on April 4th. And we have a few others that we are planning on setting dates with this week. The work here never ends. It's such a blessing.

It's weird to be the oldest missionary in my district. I feel ancient and like I have to be everyone’s mom. It's strange. Anyway.

Do missionary work! I love you all!!!

Love,

Sorella Tokarski

Week 56 in Italy

Sorry guys! No time to email today. We're heading up to Lecco to go hiking. If we finish early, we will come back and actually email everyone. It was a WONDERFUL week. Our investigator Giovanna that just miraculously showed up in church two sundays ago is soooooo ready for her baptism on april 4th! She is so amazing.

We spent some time with a wonderful family in our ward from El Salvador and they taught us how to make the most yummy food ever. I have no idea what the proper spelling of the name of the food is. So for fear of embarrassing myself, I will just leave it out. We'll just call it yummy El Salvador food.

We worked a ton this week. We had a scambio. We are having way too much fun together. I love Sorella Osborn. She is the absolute greatest.

Anyway. I love you all! Be good. Look for the small miracles every day. We are, and it helps us to recognize God's hand in our lives.

Love,

Sorella Tokarski

Week 55 in Italy

Well last week was crazy. But wonderful. I totally went crazy last last week, but I am 100% better this week. We have SO MUCH TO DO. It's wonderful.

First of all. I picked up my new greenie Sorella Osborn on thursday. She is my favorite person ever. She's from Utah and is the most fun person. We get along SO well and we're basically best friends already.

We've seen SO many miracles in the past week. We have set 4 baptismal dates. And they are all pretty solid. We also had a woman named Giovanna show up in church saying she had been trying to find it for so long and that her nephew just got back from his mission and she wants to be baptized. WHAT??? I love cimiano. SO. We are seeing her tonight.

We've basically just worked worked all week. We have about 18 investigators and it's so awesome to have so much to do. I get stressed out about their salvation and stuff (nacchhhhooooooooo) (oops apostate movie quote) But it's true. Allora. We frequently have to do splits in order to teach all of the appoinments we set during the week. It's scary for my new companion, but she will just keep doing great!

We had consiglio this past week for all mission leadership. We talked about how David A. Bednar will be coming to see us in April on the 27th and how he will be teaching us about ipads and all that stuff because we will be getting them! Weird... Not sure if I'll be around to actually use one (weirder.) Anyway. We are so excited and the whole mission is just going to squeeze into the Cimiano chapel. We're stoked.

Good times happening here in Italy. I am in love with these people and I feel so blessed to teach the gospel every single day.

(by the way mom i got the peanut butter) (thanks a thousand)

Be good and do what's right!

I know that each of us has our moments of inadequacy and feeling like we aren't capable of doing what the Lord asks of us. Although that may be true, God will change us and mold us into better and more capable human beings when we turn to Him for His help.

I know that The Book of Mormon is true and that God still speaks to his children today.

I love you all!

Week 54 in Italy

Well, to be honest, it's been a rather overwhelming week and I didn't really even want to email! But I have seen too many miracles and have been too blessed to not share it with anyone else. It would be selfish.

I am grateful for the opportunity I will have to train another new sister here in Cimiano again! I will be spending 8 months of my mission here. I am so grateful for the members here and for all of the work that there is to do. We are never not busy. It's great.

Okay so first of all. One of the women that I have been working with since I first got here is moving away. She will be baptized on April 7th in another ward. I would love to be able to continue to teach her and work with her, but I know that the missionaries in the other area will continue to help her reach that step of baptism. (Can't say I didn't cry when she told me though.)

Then, Mercedes told us that she also moved out of the ward boundaries. So she will also be leaving me! (more tears) Also our amazing Nepalese friend Mahesh is going back to Nepal for like 2 months... Nooooo!

On a positive note, We had a great ward activity on saturday night. It was a cultural fest and everyone brought food and dances from their country. It was awesome! We ate SO much and we had so many investigators and less actives there. It was such a miracle.

One of our new investigators, Anna, who I met on the metro came to the activity and we have an appointment with her tonight to teach her about the restoration! I am so excited.

Another woman named Anna, that we have never met, called us the other day and asked us when we were coming over. Surprised as I was, I said, UM WHENEVER YOU WANT! So we went to go and see her yesterday and she was great! We will continue to work with her. She had studied with sisters in the past and had stopped for a while because of her health. So she felt the need to restart meeting with us and gave us a call!

We also held a "funeral" district meeting for our beloved Anziano Ostergar who leaves to go home this week! He served so well and it was such a pleasure to serve with him these past several months.

It was such a brutal but necessary reminder that there is an end, and that end comes much faster that you can prepare for. I feel so grateful and blessed for the many experiences that I have been able to have on my mission and for the many ways that I have grown and improved. I see God's hand daily in this work and I know that He loves His children so much.

Have a wonderful week!

Love,

Sorella Tokarski