Hot, Sleep Talking, & Dancing in the Rain!

Letter Written July 31, 2013

My Lovely Family,

Well dad, just like you have been bringing rain with you wherever you have been going (Utah, Maine, Virginia, Germany), the rain hit here too in Italy, and I am soooooooooo grateful it did! Sunday, Forli had been the hottest place in all of Italy - 104 I think it was. I was praying for rain...haah - and Sister Bennett and I danced in it.  I was so happy that day!

It was a nice change to be wet from precipitation instead of perspiration. Come on over to Italy, and bring more rain if it really is following you! (Cliff is working in Europe - and this weekend <his birthday> he is in Bari, Italy with our friends the Valentini's. We'll see if he brings the rain!)

Bishop Whitehead filled me in on all the mission announcments...crazy. I had been wondering and am so glad so many from our ward are serving missions! I was almost in tears when I read that Kyle and Jacob (Boys in our ward she grew up with) were going :).  

What is with getting sick! BASTA, DICE LA MISSIONARIA! (Enough, says the missionary) Haha :) Mom and Grandpa, feel better! Thank you Aunt Julie for helping Grandpa while my family was gone! Heavenly Father, I know is watching out for everyone I love, because He knows how important you all are to me. Read D&C 100...He protects missionary families. This was an answer to one of my prayers in the MTC.  

I have just decided to be happy and enjoy this next transfer here. I think the last few weeks I have just been tired and no one has been wanting to do anything, and I just got frustrated. I am over it though, because it does nothing to sit and think about it....so we are getting really creative in our finding and teaching. Things shut down here in the heat, and no one wants to commit.  With it cooling down a little, people seem a little happier and more kind. 

Sister Bennett tossed me the keys to our appt. when I wasn't looking, and 

they landed on the other side of our gate - haha, yes, a problem!

So funny story....we all know I sleep talk. I started sleep planning in the MTC and began sleep talking in Italian then too. Now, I only sleep talk in Italian, and I teach lessons too. The last few nights - according to my companions I have been teaching how to pray. haha. My poor future husband is going to be so lost at what to do with me. My poor companions...Sister Bennett ignores it, and Sister Brown has ear plugs. :) 

PHOTO:  Wonderful dinner with Laura and crew before we got the transfer call last week to stay here or leave. Agnese went to camp on Monday, and it would have been the last time we saw her. It was super sweet, she told me how mad she would be at me if I were not here when she got back. So, we did a little surprise. We went over when she got home, and I hid behind the corner. After she had gone through everyone who she thought had stayed, I peaked around - and she jumped into my arms and almost started crying, she was so happy. I love her.

We have offically been put into a new zone - our old district, plus two more coppia are now a new zone cuz there are so many of us! FUN STUFF! Except we are in a different district, which I am sad about.  I love our new elders, but they are way too calm for me. Sister Jefferies came up to me and said, "You are just a bundle of fun, what are we going to do when you leave?" Haha! Sister Bennett will hopefully still be here and take my place. 

P-day visit to an old cemetery

So we had a really interesting week. Number one, I have offically taught a Catholic priest  - Father Luigi. It went absolutely nowhere, because he was telling US what WE believe. We basically just bore powerful testimony, left a Book of Mormon, and left ourselves. Haha it was quite an interesting experience. 

On the way, Sister Bennett fell off her bike while we were standing still....I couldn't help but laugh.  Another fun event, we are also teaching a Pentecostal preacher. He is a very gentle man. Yes, here in Forli we take on big projects! Haha! His lessons go much better, except he has bidoned us (stood us up) three times now, so that's not so happy. Wouldn't that be fun if he joined the church and brought his congregation! 

We had two major miracles I want to share with you all!

One was a beautiful meeting with Janeta. We shared the restoration and introduced her to the Jefferies. She expressed the good feelings she had with us, and that meeting with us, reading the Book of Mormon, and receiving our spiritual text messages makes her forget about all the bad she has had during the week. We told her that was the spirit and there are many ways we can always feel it. One of the things we explained was church. She expressed her concern about coming to church, because she is a badonte (nanny), but said she planned to ask her Signora to give her one hour on Sundays so she could come. 

Here is the first miracle with Janeta. She is going to Romania this next month for medical help, and said to us, "When I get home, I will just ask to have my Sunday off, instead of Wednesday, so I can attend church." WHAT?! I was so amazed. That came all by herself! We didn't say anything about changing days...she is amazing. She picked a date for baptism when she returned in September. Next miracle - we gave her a scripture reading chart to take with her to Romania before she left. Then she told us she would only be gone two weeks. She might be able to be baptized this transfer instead of next! AH! I am so thrilled. Please pray hard for her. She needs the blessings of the gospel and baptism in her life!

Our next miracle was Jon. We had a beautiful Book of Mormon lesson with him, and he said he had more questions and would come to church. From Friday on, I was praying so hard that he would really come. Sunday 10 am hit, and he wasn't there. Not one of our investigators came at first...I think I went outside five times to see if they were out front. Nope. Then at 10:30, in walked Jon and Angelo together (two investigators)! I was beaming! He stayed through sacrament metting and fixed another appt. with us. He said he loved the spirit and wanted to talk about it. He had lots of questions, but he needed to just get used to church and systemize his thoughts. That was a miracle. He is so elect! I was praying so, so, so hard for investigators to come to church, specifically Jon. We had 4 - two new and two progressing! Heavenly Father really answers our prayers! 

I love you all so much. I love the spirit that I feel when I read about the events going on at home - mission call openings, farewells, homecomings, the family reunion with such great devotionals.  Please everyone stay safe and healthy! Rich, I am praying for you. 

Happy birthday to dad this week! I have a letter for you in the mail...haha good luck reading it! 

Thank you for all the love and support you all show to me. I am so blessed to have a family as wonderful as you all! Good luck Nick, Taylor, and Harrison this week as you leave on your missions! YOU are so fantastic! I am so proud of you. Send me your emails. You are powerful young men with such an adventure ahead of you! 

All my love, 

Sorella Montagnoli