Week 62: 'nother day another transfer (???)

I had a bit of a melt down this week when I realized I was coming into my 10th transfer. Sorella Brooks told me I was old and the new missionaries said they couldn't even wrap their brains around 14 months. I cried. BUT just like good wine, things get better with age. (Or so I'm told) and I can say that the mission just keeps getting better and better. I love every day out here and each moment I have to serve our Heavenly Father. 

This week was transfer week, which brought with it all the regular transfer stresses: new greenies, complex travel plans, and lost missionaries. At the beginning of the week, we got to take the new sisters around for a quick tour of Rome. It made me reflect on my first day in Italy, when I proudly gave away a single English course card and considered my work there to be done. I was thinking about how these poor new greenies were probably just as scared and ignorant as I was, and then they started literally stopping and holding conversations with EVERYONE. We were supposed to be there as language back up and encouragement, but we found out pretty quickly that they didn't need either of those things. I don't know what the MTC is doing differently, but the new missionaries were way more prepared than I ever was. After a good morning of finding, we ended by losing one sister on the metro and buying 5€ worth of cookies so a sister could use the bathroom. 

We've been doing a lot of finding in Rome lately, and after our mission conference with Elder De Feo, we were encouraged to be more natural about our finding. For example, be yourself instead of just asking every single person on the street if they want to learn more about the restoration. We've been putting it to the test, and we had a really cool experience with a guy on the metro. We were going back home after a lesson, and there was a university-aged guy looking at some super complicated sheet music. So we started a conversation about music, and then for the next 20 minutes as we walked from the metro to our house, we talked about the temple and the restoration. He said he wanted to bring his family and friends to the temple and learned more about the church. YSA in this country are amazing. 

Our last lesson of the week was actually a Skype lesson to America. Castlerock Colorado to be specific. Back in September, Sorella Brooks introduced one of her friends to the sister missionaries and this friend started taking the lessons. The sister messaged us last week and asked if we would participate in a Skype lesson, and Sorella Brooks was so excited. Being a part of that lesson was like watching an episode of the district. She asked all the right questions and gave all the perfect answers. My favorite part was that at the end of the lesson on the plan of salvation, she said "This has given me so much clarity." That's what the gospel of Jesus Christ does for us! That's what the scriptures do for us! That's what a living prophet does for us! It gives us clarity. Maybe not the whole eternal vision of the miniscule details of our lives, but it opens our minds to a perspectives that helps clear our vision in the dark times. 1 Corinthians 1:14 reads "For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints." Heavenly Father wants us to have peace and clarity of mind. That's what His plan provides us. I'm so grateful to Him and to His perfect plan that He prepared for us. 

I love you all!

Sorella Maxfield

Week 61: Doctor Kisses

This past week my companion has been dealing with some serious migraines, and so our mission nurse schedule us an appointment with Dr. Bacci. In English, his name translates roughly to "Dr. Kisses" so you can understand my concern thinking that I was taking my companion into a doctor who may have just stepped off a Disney channel set. Luckily, he ended up being a cute old man who, after asking my companion what was going on ("I've been dealing with some consistent and evere headaches and migraines"), gave us the perfect diagnosis ("It seems like you're dealing with migraines and severe headaches, consistently) and the perfect medication (side effects include nausea, stomach pain, drowsiness, severe headaches, and migraines). Thanks Dr. Bacci. He also recommended that we go in for an MRI, just in case. They didn't try to give us any whack medicine, but they did try to make me pay with cash right then and there instead of taking our insurance. Finally after all the mayhem and confusion of the MRI and doctors appointments, my companion confesses that before the headaches started she'd eaten a whole jar of nutella in just 2 days, and a slew of kinder buenos. The jury is still out as to whether or not the sugar over load caused the migraines, but at least now it's given her a reason to hold off on nutella consumption for a while.

    More than a year ago, Elder Ballard came to our mission and told us that if we each had 10 gospel conversations every day, our mission would see miracles. This week we pushed ourselves to open our mouths and hit our companionship goal of 20 a day. As promised, we saw miracles. While we were waiting to catch the metro on the way home from some rough finding, a woman carrying two huge bags and a suitcase comes up to us and starts asking for directions. Turns out she's from Lima Peru, and had met with the missionaries a couple times before moving to Italy. We helped her carry her bags to her apartment, and we're able to talk about the Book of Mormon and the restoration. She invited us to come over again and have some Peruvian food and talk more about our message! I was freaking out. It was like she fell from the sky right into our path.

     The second miracle we saw this week was getting a random call from someone saying, "Hi, I'm a less active member but today I felt like I need to start coming back to church. Will you come over today at 3 to share a message with me?" So we went over and talked with her about the Plan of Salvation. She's a 20 year old girl sho moved with her mom from Peru 10 years ago. She'd gone to church a couple times in those years, but her mom hadn't been back since they moved. We bore testimony of our purpose here on earth and what is going to come in the life after this one. We told her it was never too late for her or her mom to come back. She committed to come to church, but said her mom had no interest in coming back. Then on Sunday, we see BOTH of them walk through the doors! Again, I was freaking out. It made me think of something President Pickerd shared with us at MLC a few weeks ago; "Heavenly Father loves the discovery as much as he loves the recovery" 

    For a spiritual thought this week, I just want to invite you all to keep participating in Light the World and keep sharing your experiences. We can feel more fully Heavenly Father's love and share it through service. "When ye are in the service of your fellow being, ye are only in the service of your God"

I'm so grateful for this gospel and for this Christmas season we have to celebrate the birth of the Savior. 

I love you all!

Sorella Maxfield 

P.s  they lit up the rome temple this week 

Week 60: We Decorated for Christmas

I can't count how many times I've had Mariah Carey's "All I Want For Christmas Is You" stuck in my head this week, which means it must be the Christmas season! We pulled out our box of random missionary decorations, and proceeded to put up a tilting Christmas tree (supported by old language study books and dictionaries), two strings of Christmas lights (held up with scotch tape) and a small "Buon Natale" sign. But even though the decorations are sparse, the Christmas spirit is bringing bright. 

You've probably all heard of the Light The World campaign by now, and I don't want to beat the dead horse, but you should all participate. It's an event completely focused on giving as the Savior did. No boxes or bows or ribbons or wrappings (that sounds like a line from the Grinch). Giving to others by serving them! Not convinced? Well my companion and I put it to the test this week by keeping service as a central part of our week. Here's how it went:

What : Lesson on Service. We taught a lesson to the cutest girl ever, who's expressed to us the difficulty she has showing appreciation for her parents. We talked about the life of Christ and how He spent His life in the service of others. We invited her to find ways to serve her parents this week in an effort to not only show her love for them, but to also increase her love for them. 

Result : The spirit was so strong. We all left feeling incredible, uplifted, and full of charity. Win.

What : Temple Service. We spent the first half of our Saturday clearing the path to the temple. I finally fulfilled my dream of using a garbage picker upper and it was actually not as great as Arthur made it look. But anyway, we cleared a ridiculous amount of trash and pulled a lot of weeds and we got to look at the temple the whole time we were doing it. 

Result : clean path, high spirits, and dreams accomplished. Win.  

What : Choir Service. We all ended up getting called in last minute to sing in and, in my case, accompany a spontaneous choir for a fireside. Did I drop the hymn book on the keys during the prelude and make a huge disruption? Yes. But, the choir miraculously came together and everything went smoothly for the fireside. 

Result : We made some great ward relationships, and also were able to participate in a fireside that got me so pumped for the temple. Win.

What : Ward Mission Leader Service. We prepared a surprise dinner for our ward mission leader. We put up Christmas lights, bought pizzas, and made him a giant card. He cried, we cried, everyone was crying and eating pizza, and it was good time. 

Result : service and pizza. Double win. 

Basically, the extra opportunity we have to go out and serve is one we should all try to take! 

I'm so grateful for a Savior who served with a perfect and unimaginable love, to the extent that He paid the price for our sins. This gospel is amazing!!!

Love you all, 

Sorella Maxfield 

Week 59: Tanti Auguri per la mamma

Today I figured you deserved a nice, well thought out, written letter because its your birthday!! 49 years young, but who's counting? I wanted to take this letter to thank you for the lessons you taught me that have helped me on my mission. 

1. How to be diligent: You taught me the importance of being diligent. You pushed me to make sure that any work I did was my best work. That any project, any piano piece, any homework, yardwork, or life work got my full effort until it was complete. I learned the most from watching you put a diligent effort into everything you did.

2. How to be patient: you showed me through working in young women's, through raising 5 kids, and most importantly, through how patient you always have been with me. 

3. How to be forgiving: you forgave when I came home late, when we ate popcorn upstairs and didn't vacuum up after, when I didn't do all my chores, when I yelled at my sisters, and when I yelled at you. You showed me the importance of forgiving and forgetting and just moving on!

4. How to be faithful: You always got us to church, with church bags in hand, talks written, and smiles plastered on even when it was freezing cold. You served faithfully in all your callings and showed me the importance of studying and understanding doctrine.

5. How to have charity: Most importantly, you taught me how to love! You are so full of charity and love, and I appreciate that so much!

Sorry this letter is all over the place, but I love you so much and I hope you have an incredible birthday!!

Love, 

Figlia tua