Transferred to Africa? New Adventures!

Ciao tutti -

Well, my first transfer (leaving Forli...where I served six months) pretty much ripped my heart out - not my favorite thing in the world. I could probably take a decent shower with all the tears. I thought I would share an excerpt from my journal of my last week in Forli.

"Well, it's official...my heart is broken into a million pieces. Saying goodbye to Forli was terrible. The one who really killed me to say goodbye to was Laura. We taught our last lesson with them and spent the evening there. We played a vocabulary game with the kids, which comforted me and counted as our language study, then had dinner as a family. At the end of our lesson, Anziano Jefferies said the closing prayer and thanked Heavenly Father for me, for everything I'd taught. He opened the tear faucet. Sister Bennett had been crying almost all day...me periodically, but he opened the flood gate. I think reality truly set in, and I lost it. Sister Bennett and I just held each other and cried. I was able to pull it together for family dinner. After the emotions started again. Smiles couldn't stop the tears. Laura told me she'd always be my mom here, always love me and always be in my life. Sweet Agnese says we're sisters forever. Laura and I held each other and cried. I promised to come back for their baptism and sealing in the temple. No question there. I wouldn't have been able to leave my city if I didn't have that reassurance. 

We got home and Sister Bennett and Brown helped me get my final stuff together, and then we cried some more; eternal friends.  Haha - I had to go on a mission to Italy to find my best friend that lives the next city over at home. There are not words to describe my gratitude to Heavenly Father for sending her to me. Yesterday morning I left at 8, the Jefferies took us to the station. Saying goodbye to the Jefferies was hard too. I guess nothing was easy; nothing ever is. 

Sister Brown and Bennett accompanied me to Bologna, where I met up with the elders to go to Reggio. Saying goodbye to Sorella Bennett felt like saying goodbye to my sisters at home.  (We served together for so long!) That same pain in my heart came back. As my train doors shut, she chased the train as far as she could, and I just started crying. Anziano Hess and Simcox were with me and tried to distract me - very sweet elders they are. 

We are told to leave our cities better than we found them. Well, I hope I did; I believe I did. One thing I do know is I left my heart in Forli, my city. I know it left me better than when I found myself in it. I grew up in Forli, that is home." 

I am now in my new city - REGGIO EMILIA.

It is beautiful, and I love it, but it really is so incredibly different.

Italian is not the dominating culture, language, and people here...Africans are - mostly Ghanians  and Moroccans.

I honestly did not think that I would get culture shock as a missionary, because I already know the culture of Italy so well - it is half of who I am...minus Italians not using AC and thinking wet hair is very unacceptable. Yup, guess who is experiencing some serious culture shock here...me!!! 

My companion is Sister Russell. She is super cute. I will admit I feel like we're just on a long scambio (exchange) and I will be going home to Forli fra poco (soon)...ma (but) nope. Sorella Russell is from Layton, Utah. This is her third transfer, and she has a really hard time with Italian because most of the time we teach in English. The anziani (elders) joke that the sisters speak more Twi (African language spoken in Ghana) than Italian, which is partially true! haha. I am learning Twi now.

       It is really weird for our members who do speak Italian. With the Italian investigators, there has been usually some sort of a block - because the sisters didn't understand Italian. Sister Stephens (her trainer and my friend; she came in with me) was born here, so she hardly spoke Italian either. Now we are figuring out the blocks with all these people, so we can help them. Oh, and I have some really bad news...I CANT TEACH IN ENGLISH! Haha - I feel like a greenie all over again, doing role plays, trying to not stumble over my words to teach. It is quite hilarious. I had to relearn the first vision in English and the 10 points of how to begin teaching, and all our lessons. Sister Russell was like, "Wow, you really can't teach in English." I just cannot help but laugh at the situation. She is a great missionary though. She is very focused and knows what she is doing in English.

Funny story... she has to do all the English calls, because I cannot understand all of our Africans on the phone. They practically yell, and I cannot understand them. I do all the Italian calls :) haha my comfort zone. Church was very weird...number one we are a ward, not a branch, and more than half of the ward is African. There are even English classrooms. We took our investigator committed to baptism  into the class, and we were the only white people in there. It was surprising and not what I expected - kind of threw me for a major loop!

Another cool fact, we have Anziani (elders) here - two coppia (companionships)! We work really close with them. They are both training right now. These Anziani are hilarious too. They're great. We have our city split into three. It is really weird to interact with elders, getting a lot of referrals from them, etc. I like it though, because we are actually teaching women! (Typically, the Elders teach the men and the Sisters teach the women - but there were no Elders in Forli.) That is a new experience for me too! haha Heavenly father is really putting me into new situations. I thought I was going to be able to skip over all the uncomfortable stuff of learning and living in a new culture, like most missionaries...yeah Heavenly Father didn't think that'd be fair, so he put me here.

Most of our Africans are from Ghana and such wonderful people. I love their hearts. They truly are so faithful and so kind. They want to feeds us a lot too. I am a bit nervous, because they're feeding us Fu Fu...wahtever that is. I guess it is just a big dough ball...in soup. You eat it with your hands. Yeah....um....I'll try to get pictures. We'll se. Haha - yeah and get this...Sorella Russell still hasn't had a legit Italian lunch! Does that tell you more about where I am?! She's been here three months! Crazy stuff I tell you. Crazy stuff!

Quick miracle...I will give more details next week, but this is major! So, before I left, Erica (a member from Forli) told me to come find her friend here...her friend's husband isn't a member, but the friend served her mission with Erica. I got here and totally forgot her name. Sister Russell was then going over all our contacts, and low and behold - they had visited with Erica's friend Blerina and her husband Simone! They'd only taught him once, and Sister Stephens and Russell weren't sure how things had gone.  We decided to do a follow up, so I could get a feel for the situation. We watched the restoration and then talked about it. He came to church for the first time Sunday and loved it. HE believed it. He felt something inside of him. The same thing had happened during the movie and when we were teaching. I invited him to baptism, and he immediately accepted. Blerina...sweet, hopeful, faithful Blerina just started crying. I felt chills over my whole body. I haven't felt the spirt that strongly before - ever. It felt like a gust of wind over my body. It was so beautiful. He will be baptized in October, and we will be prepping them for an eternal marriage.

Dad you are totally right. I love the story of Abinadi. Sister Russell just read that this morning, and we discussed it. I love his strength and courage and boldness. He even was killed for his efforts, but they were not in vain. Alma, his sons, his son's sons and more were all powerful missionaries. Cities were baptized and hearts of the most wicked people were changed all because of one man. Success isn't numbers. Numbers make you feel better, because you can see the success and growth, but they aren't everything. I have had to learn that. I am okay with it too. I feel thus far my mission has been successful. I have done my part in Forli, and now Reggio Emilia gets my attention :) I am excited.

So mommy, I hope your knee heals quickly...I will keep you in my prayers. I am glad Lucia is kicking in though, helping, and doing so much :) Good girl! It's weird that she is a senior. I literally feel like senior year was yesterday. 

Yes dad, I think you and Gary are great! I totally plan on coming hunting with you all when I get home...I guess Kaden can come too :) It sounds like you had a blast. That picture of Rex made me bust up laughing. So funny - work with what ya got, right?

And you're right again dad...next hot, stifling August in Italy, I will be here for like one week - when all Italians are on vacation, want to rest, go to the beach, and not make commitments, but I can handle that. Then I come home to air conditioning! :) 

Well, I gotta go, but I love you all so much. You are wonderful! Ci sentiamo!

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Sister Francesca Montagnoli

You can write her at:  alicia.montagnoli@myldsmail.net
Mission blog address:  sorellamontagnoli.blogspot.com