Week 78: Cara Italia

Well Italy, you never stop amazing me. 

This week has been absolutely amazing; we taught a Guatemalan woman and her two friends, we taught three women from Sicily, we sat through institute with Flavia, and she got her temple recommend. I could go on and on, but then again, how do sum up a missionary week in just a couple of paragraphs? How do you sum up a mission in just a couple paragraphs? I want to be able to bottle up my experiences and give them to each of you so that you could understand and feel what it's been like to be here for 18 months. But I think the best way to sum it up is in the blessings I've seen from my mission service:

1. I've learned to love Italian people and Italian culture: from being stuffed to the point of explosion because of pasta to having my ear talked off because they just can't help themselves, the Italian people have gained my heart. 

2. I've learned to accept and enjoy changes: in myself, in my situation, and in others around me. Moving to five different cities and having ten different companions, I've seen how change keeps us growing and changing.

3. I've learned how to both lead and follow. 

4. I have a greater testimony that the Lord will open our minds and give us clarity when we pray for it. We can better understand the scriptures, situations, and the decisions we need to make. 

5. I've learned to rely less on technology. I've learned to ride on a metro or a bus or in a car without my nose buried in my phone, trying to keep up with the latest Instagram update. 

6. I've found out how to habe greater patience with myself, with my circumstances, and with others. 

7. I have a greater appreciate for my family. For my hard-working and humorous father, my diligent and caring mother, my goofy brothers, and my cute sisters. I know that families are a divine pattern that exists here and in the life after this one. I know that they are eternal.

8. I've learned that the Book of Mormon is the word of God. It is a true account about real people who lived in the ancient Americas and their prophecies of Christ. It was translated by Joseph Smith through divine help and it stands as a witness that Jesus is the Christ.

9. I now know with a certainty that the Church of Jesus Christ has been restored to the earth. Just as He called apostles, teachers, evangelists, and ministers in His days, so are there now. Just as He called prophets like Adam, Abraham, Jacob, and Jonah, so has He called one now. And just as He taught that it is through faith, repentance, baptism, recieving the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end is the only way to make our way back to Him, so is it taught today. 

10. I now know, without any doubt that Jesus Christ is our Savior. I know that when I fall short, He will make up the difference. I know that when the load seems too heavy, He can and will take it all upon His shoulders. I know that He knows my struggles, my trials, my fears, my imperfections, my shortcomings, my difficulties. He knows them in the same way that I know them, with an added eternal perspective. I know that He loves me, and every individual who has ever lived and who ever will live, with a love that is beyond our comprehension. Only a love of an incomprehensible magnitude could move someone to pay freely for every mistake we could make in this life. 

I know He lives. I know that He loves us. 

And I know that it doesn't take going across the world for us to learn any of those things. 

But, I'm grateful for the time that Heavenly Father has given me to share those things with people across the world. Serving a mission has absolutely, undoubtedly changed me. 

So, Italy, mi mancherai. Grazie di tutto. 

Con amore,

Sorella Maxfield

Week 77: Festival of Religions

Every year my family participates in the Festival of Trees for Christmas. Whether Grammy Barb is working the information stand or we're the only 40 people keeping the cinnamon roll guy in business, it's always a fun way to get to know our community a little bit better. (and to eat some real good cinnamon roll with 0 guilt.) Heavenly Father probably knew that I was pretty bummed about missing it two years in a row, so He just sent a Festival of Religions to Rome! We had our own booth set up with a big model of the temple and a bunch of copies of the Book of Mormon. (no cinnamon rolls though...) It was a great way to make ourselves a bit more publically known in Rome and interact with some people from other faiths. We invited a bunch of people to the Visitors Center and got invited to participate in another religions festival at a local college! (Also just like the Festival of Trees there was some free entertainment including; a chinese christian group that worships through dance, the hindu man who led us all in meditation, and a woman who read from her book "The Myths and Magic of Plants")

Besides our participation in the Festival of Religions, things at the Visitors Center are going great and we're just starting to understand our role a little bit better. I never thought that I would be the witness to so many people being touched by the spirit in one confined space. But really, as people walk on to the temple grounds, they feel something different. There's a peace and a stillness that comes from being in such close vicinity to the Lord's house. We've met people from all over the world with all sorts of different religious backgrounds. This week we spoke with a couple from Georgia. He was Catholic, she was a member of the Church, but they both talked about how they found common ground in Christ. I know that that's what draws people to the temple. It's a place where people feel closer to Christ and where they can find a common ground. 

I hope you all had the chance to watch Conference this weekend. I absolutely loved that talks that were given! My personal favorite was the one given by Tad R. Callistar. I encourage you to go read it! As good as it is, that's not what I want to write my spiritual thought on. Instead, I wanted to talk about my testimony of the Doctrine of Jesus Christ. His Gospel. While we were building up for Conference, there were so many rumors going around the mission about what the next big policy change would be; Missions shortened to a year? Dress Standards changed to jeans and a T-shirt? One hour church?? It was all anyone could talk about. I thought a lot about how important it is that we have our testimonies rooted in what's most important: Jesus Christ. We can't have root in the social atmosphere of the church, though it is something that we can enjoy. We can't have root in a certain policy or tradition because ultimately, that's not what's important. 

What's important is Jesus Christ. Faith in Him is important. Repentence through Him is important. Baptism in His name is important. Receiving the Holy Ghost through His authority is important. Enduring to the end with Him is important. When we keep our focus on Him, we will be less worried about what minor policy change or disruption to our tradition may come. We can instead focus on our personal relationship with Him and on our personal journey to exhaltation. 

I know that our Savior lives. I love Him with all my heart. 

Buona Settimana a tutti!

Sorella Maxfield

Week 76: Ciao Aprile

The Easter season is officially upon us and let me just say that Italians have taken the whole ''Easter Egg'' thing to another level. Their idea of an Easter egg is the flimsy little plastic shell that you find some m&ms in. Their Easter eggs are made completely from chocolate and range in size from 6 inches tall to 3 feet. I might be leaving Italy in a chocolate coma by the end of this transfer, but I'm pretty sure it will all be worth it.

We had zone conference this past week which meant that 1) we planned and studied and planned and studied for the training the zone leadership would give, 2) we consumed many said Easter eggs in the process of planning, and 3) we got together with all the Zone for a big finding activity. Sorella Waddell and I were assigned to go referral finding (which is something I've only ever been able to do in Rome. Thank you, Open House). We went to stop by a referral that they had yet to find at home, and yet again, she wasn't at home. But, we wrote her a note and left it in her mailbox. As we were leaving the apartment complex, another woman was walking in. We told her the name of the person we were looking for and asked if she knew when she would be home, and to our surprise she said ''Well she just walked in, so I guess I'm home now.'' Heavenly Father ALWAYS provides a way. Every single time. We gave her a copy of the Book of Mormon and told her how much joy we had found in reading it. It was a huge testimony to me that Heavenly Father can truly guide us and put us in the places that we need to be in.

Zone Conference was very spiritually uplifting. There's something about being in a room with a whole bunch of 18-21 year-olds for six hours, where the primary focus is on helping others come unto Christ. It's such unique atmosphere. The training that we gave was primarily focused on aligning our will with the will of God. I learned so much in preparing for this training. My favorite quote that we shared comes from Lorenzo Snow “When things come up that require an exertion on our part, we should bring our wills into subjection to the will of the Father, and feel to say, what is the will of our Father, whom we are here in the world to serve? Then every act that we perform will be a success. We may not see its success today or tomorrow, nevertheless it will result in success” I know that this is true. When we align our wills, our desires, and our goals with those of our Father in Heaven we will be successful. Period. Punto. Basta. He knows what is best for us and we can access those blessings if we have the faith to follow His plan. I'm so grateful for the power of personal revelation, the commandments, and living prophets because through these sources I can better align my will with His. I can bring myself closer to Him. I hope you all take the opportunity to watch general conference this weekend, because I know that those men are called of God. I've listened to their teachings and prayed about them. I heard them and met them during the Temple Dedication and Open House. I have a firm testimony that they are the Apostles of Jesus Christ. I'm so grateful that we get the chance to hear from them this weekend.

I love you all!

Sorella Maxfield

Week 75: Sunny and 75*, except on P-day

Yep, we got rained out from our hike this pday, but luckily it's the only day in the past week and a half that it's been cold and rainy. Spring is finally here!

While working at the visitors center this week, I realized just how weird people think that our religion is. The following is a list of questions we've gotten asked and their respective responses:

"Are Mormons very serious?" (Please, you should come participate in one of our family home evenings. It's anything but serious.)

"Why do Mormons wear black?" (Well, it is the most slimming color...)

"What does a typical Mormon day look like?" (You know we're not aliens right?)

"Another name for your church is The Church of the House of the Lord, right?" (Wrong.)

It took me ten minutes to help a man understand that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is a religion, not a private community. 

Outside of trying to show to people that we're normal, we actually get to spend a lot of time teaching. Yesterday a middle aged couple walked into the visitors center and asked us to give them a little tour around and explain more about who we are. I think the best way to describe them is "artsy". They didn't fit what most people might think of as a typical Christian. But we took them to the model of the temple and talked to them about what we do inside temples. They loved hearing about eternal families! We continued walking through the center towards the rotonda with the statue of Christ and the 12 apostles. They stopped the second the crossed into the room and the woman started getting ready. "There's something very very special in this room." We bore testimony of the Savior and of His infinite love for us. We told them that they could got a closer to Him by reading the Book of Mormon and praying about its teachings. They gladly accepted and asked if the missionaries would stop by to tell them more about it. So we got their address and successfully sent off our first referral!

We also saw the first wedding at the Rome temple! It was so beautiful. We were all peering through the windows trying to get a better look. While Sorella Decker and I were trying to sneak around the door to poke our heads out for a second, we got stopped by a British man asking us for some information about the center. As we got talking he told us his conversion story; 

He was a 15 year old hooligan who was stealing cars, motorcycles, and money, and swearing so much that he didn't talk for his first three weeks in church because he was afraid he of offending people. He had absolutely 0 interest in religion. Meanwhile, two elders were having very little success, to the point where they went to a members house asking her for any advice she could offer about new places to go tracting.  She told them that the night before she had had a dream about an apartment complex near her neighborhood. The elders went over and faithfully knocked every door, but they only left a single Book of Mormom. It just so happened to be with this boys father. He took it and left it on the table in the front room. Everytime this boy walked by the table, he picked up the book, read a couple verses, decided it was garbage, and put it back down. One day he picked it up and couldn't stop reading. A few weeks later, the missionaries came back to do a follow up and he made the decision to be baptized.
He later went on the be bishop 3 times, and stake president. Each of his children went on missions and he sent huge groups of youth out on missions while he was a bishop and stake president. After years, he finally got in contact with the missionary who baptized him and found out that this missionary had only baptized one person during his whole two years. So this man sat down and counted all the people who had been brought to the church because of his own baptism: himself, his kids, the people they found on their missions, the people those converts found on their missions, the people that the missionaries he sent off on their missions had found, etc etc. The total as somewhere around 1200! So he made it into a family tree and sent it as a present to the missionary who changed his life. 

I understand this story might have a bit more meaning as a missionary than it might for those who haven't served a mission, but to me the message is this: by small and simple things are great things brought to pass. Our small daily acts that to us maybe seem insignificant can become great. Heavenly Father can magnify our simple efforts in whatever it is we may be doing. So when we feel as though we're never doing enough or that what we do will never be great in God's eyes or anyone's for that matter, remember that even our smallest efforts are recognized. Our small acts, or seemingly small acts, can bring to pass great things!!

I love you all so much!!

Sorella Maxfield

Week 74: Il Tempio

This week (and frankly, the past three transfers) can be described in one word: Temple. So if that theme sparks your interest, please keep reading. If not, please keep reading anyway.

Temple Referrals:
Since the temple open house, we've been spending a lot of our time tracking down referrals who asked to learn more about the church. This week, we actually had one track us down for an appointment! So we showed up to her house, and as we start to pray before going in, her neighbor comes out and says "No one's home" . . . Um sir. We literally have an appointment here right now. "Yeah, no one lives there" So in spite of him I ring the doorbell anyway. Sure enough, out comes the referral. I was already feeling pretty happy, so you can imagine that I almost jumped for joy when she called to this neighbor and said "Antonio, go grab your mother. Tell her that the mormons are here to teach her and I about their religion" His face turned about as red as Sorella Dwomoh's ragu. Turns out this woman had invited two of her other friends over to hear from us, and so we were able to teach them all about the restoration!

Temple Training
The other part of our time this week was dedicated to specialized temple training. To be totally honest, I was expecting things along the lines of "Ok sisters. This is how to properly apply blush". Instead, we were trained on how to use the center to meet the needs of people who come in and give them a spiritual experience. We did role plays in every part of the center to better learn how we could turn it into a missionary tool. So it's all the same concepts of finding, but with a lot more resources. Then on top of that, we learned how to online teach. What could that mean, you ask? Well it means that we, along with the other visitor center sisters, are in charge of anyone who comes on mormon.org to either 1) chat, 2) request a bible, or 3) request a book of mormon. They come in every 2-4 minutes, and our job is to answer their questions, teach them, and hopefully get a return appointment for the local missionaries. Or if they're not about that, we continue teaching them online via skype or facebook until they're ready. I felt like a grandma trying to learn how to use a computer again, but thankfully all the newer sisters are helping us out. More updates to come.

Temple Dedication
Finally, the dedication of the temple was the highlight of the week. Last sunday we watched all three sessions of the broadcast, and then President made a special announcement to the missionaries in and around Rome: There would be space in the Tuesday sessions for each of us to have a seat IN THE TEMPLE  to watch the dedication. So Tuesday evening at 7, we were able to participate in the final dedication session of the temple. It was unforgetable for so many reasons.
1. Because we were seated all together as missionaries in the sealing room in a dedicated temple. I don't think that will ever happen again. It was such a special feeling, sitting there with my companion and the other sisters who I've grown to love so much.
2. After waiting in the sealing room for 30 minutes, we were all asked to stand as President Oaks, President Eyring, Elder Gong, and Elder Andersen all walked in and waved to us! They didn't stay for long, but it was enough time for me to feel the spirit and authority that they had as apostles of the Lord. They each gave beautiful talks that made me so grateful that we have 12 apostles on the earth today.
3. At the end of the dedication as we were exiting out of the sealing room, I turned the corner and saw Flavia, the girl who was just baptized two weeks ago, standing in the temple. I completely lost it. I definitely understand missionary work better than I did 17 months ago, but in that moment I gained a better understanding that I had had before.
That's why we're doing what we're doing! So that people who have no faith and no idea what joys repentance and forgiveness can bring, are able to enter into the temple and make promises with Heavenly Father. So they can be with their families forever. Seeing Flavia in the temple, after all the work that we had done with her, filled my heart with more love and gratitude than I can express. So I want to invite everyone to make extra time this week to go to the temple. It's such a special place and I know that we can feel a familiar peace there. I'm so grateful for temples and all the blessings that they bring us!!

I love you all !

Sorella Maxfield 

Week 73: Rome Italy Temple Dedication

For those who don't live in Utah and who perhaps don't follow the church news on Instagram; The Rome Temple was dedicated yesterday! That's definitely the most important part of this email, but here are some of the events that led up to that moment this week.

Tuesday/Wednesday : Lot's of packing for Sorella Allen who left me to serve in the beautiful coastal city of Ladispoli. We ate our last gelato together and finished up the transfer strong.

Thursday : I got my new greenie! (After driving luggage to different apartments for 6 hours... S/O to Sorella Decker for trusting me enough to be in charge of the directions. I only took us through the restricted roads 4 times) Anyway, this greenie is the third in a row for me, and I really think President is trying to 1) make sure I keep the fire burning until the end and 2) ensure that I sleep for the entirety of my first month home. My new companion's name is Sorella Deschine, and surprise surprise, she's graduated from OLYMPUS HIGH SCHOOL. Yes, I'm training a fellow titan. In our first hour together, I was trying to figure out if I'd ever met her at anything before, so I asked her what she was involved in in high school. She said sports. And that's exactly why we never met. I'm excited for this next transfer with her though. She has been called as a visitor's center sister for the temple, and likewise, my call has also been switched. Therefore, I'm officially Visitor's Center Sorella Maxfield. This week I'll start a "Visitor's Center Sister 101" course for 6 hours every day and then we'll officially start... wish me luck. My make up/hair routine is about a fourth of the time of most of these sisters, and their "small toiletry bags" are the size of my third suitcase.

Friday : Mission Leadership Conference. Basically we just got to skype all the mission leaders and talk about how we can improve. They made me bear my final testimony as a leader and I almost threw up.

Saturday & Sunday : These were the best days of the week. By far. Perhaps some of the best days of my mission. We first were able to listen to a broadcast for the youth in Italy. We heard from Elder De Feo, Sister De Feo, Elder Ballard (Our current AP is his grandson and he was able to do the translation for the talk. It was the most adorable thing ever) Sorella Nelson, and President Nelson. Here are some of his teachings:
Things President Nelson wants us to know
1. Know the truth and stand for it, even if the truth is not politically popular
2. Know and see yourself as the creator sees you.
3. You will be accountable for your deeds and for your desires
4. Know your true identity. Even when your bodies change and age, KNOW YOUR SPIRIT.
5. Know your purpose. Educate your minds, never stop learning, and apply your knowledge to the blessing of other people.
Things President Nelson wants us to do
1. Prepare for marriage. Prepare to be a wife. Prepare to be a mother.
2. Prepare and pursue your education. Education is a religious responsibility. "The glory of God is intelligence"
3. Feast on the words of the Lord. Don't let a day go by without reading the word of the Lord. If your read the scriptures daily, you will have a spiritual life insurance. Pray over all our affairs. Pray even when it's not formal. "Counsel with the Lord in all they doings and He will direct thee for good"
4. Pay your tithing. It is a way of teaching you to be honest. Make sure your future husband knows how to pay tithing.
5. Honor your parents. Learn from them. Learn from our grandparents."As you treat your parents, you will be treated by your children in the future"

Then on Sunday we were able to attend all three sessions of the dedication of the Rome Temple. I don't want to make this into a novel with all the details, but I want to tell you this: I felt a difference when President Nelson said the words "We dedicate this building as a temple of the Lord". I felt a literal difference. I felt it in the chapel that I was in. I felt it in the streets. I felt it at home. There was something completely different. I know that the temple is truly the house of the Lord, and that now the Italians finally have one of their own. I know that we are here on this earth to participate in the ordinances of the Temple in order to become more like our Heavenly Father. I'm beyond grateful that we were able to watch those sessions of the dedication. I'm so grateful for the chance I've had to serve here at this time. I know that we have a Heavenly Father who loves us. Please pray to Him and express your gratitude for all that He's given you!

"We believe in the same organization that existed in the Primitive Church, namely, apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists, and so forth."
I truly believe in that same organization. I know that we have a prophet who is the Lord's mouthpiece, and I know that we have 12 apostles here to guide the church.

I love you all!!

Sorella Maxfield

Week 72: These were times never to be forgotten

Here's the story. So I've been working with this cute 18 year old girl since I've been here in Rome. She was introduced to the church by her boyfriend and has been taking the lessons for a little over a year now. When I got here, we talked about the idea of baptism, and she was a little hesitant. As we continued teaching her, she began expressing more interest until finally she accepted a baptismal date. However, because of crazy scehduling problems on our part and on hers, we weren't able to go through with the first date. This past sunday she came to church. We ran up to her and started talking and she said "So I'm here to talk to the bishop about getting baptized this Thursday." and just like that, five minutes later, she was doing her interview with our district leader and inviting people to come. I was already feeling pretty stressed about throwing everything together for thursday, so you can imagine how much stress we felt when she told us that she needed to move the baptism to Tuesday. We threw everything together and somehow everything went smoothly. 

The coolest part was hearing her testimony at the end. She is an incredibly shy person. It took several lessons before she would open up to me about her feelings and her beliefs. But after she was baptized, she got up to the pulpit and bore the most beautiful testimony. I was so happy to see how much progress she had made from the first time I met her. The Gospel of Jesus Christ truly changes people. It brings a light into people that changes their whole being!

The final miracle to conclude the week was that after her baptism, this cute, amazing, girl got a temporary recommend to the temple and she will be attending the temple dedication!! I was so full of gratitude and amazment when we found that out. This is the first time in my mission that I will be able to see someone I taught go from learning, to choosing to be baptized, to being in temple. 

I love this gospel so much, and I'm so grateful for the way that it can change us. I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior and that this is His gospel. 

I love you all!!

Sorella Maxfield