I LOVE these People!

Letter Written Oct 9th
Hello my family who I absolutely adore! 

I am so glad you got the letters. Haha - I am not sure if my Italian is improving at all anymore, but I am glad you like the letters mom :) Hope you can understand them! (She writes letters home in Italian for her language study.  It is so fun to receive them, and her Italian is very good!)

My city is most definitely interesting mom. There aren't words. Thank you for the confidence boost. I hope you are right.  You are also right; I am exhausted. We work so hard as missionaries and are cheerfully weary!  It is sad though - I showed someone our family photo and they asked where I was! They couldn't recognize me. Sometimes I hear - "sei distrutta" (the Italian version of "you look exhausted")! I am always tired, but hey I am working very hard. I can sleep when I am dead, right dad! haha.

So yes, conference was amazing! First let me say that those sister missionaries looked way too good to be sister missionaries (the ones who sang in the relief society conference). Sister Russell and I both were like, yeah....that won't last long! Haha. It is so easy to tell who is seasoned and not. 

We watched Conference in the cold church (which was our choice, so we could watch it with the members & bond with them) while the elders (yes all 4) went to our ward mission leader's warm, dry house - all day all sessions, eating fu fu. We kinda baby our elders, cuz they have had a rough time with numbers...I thought giving them members, conference in English AND food was a little much.  

It has been super cold and wet here this week! It came out of no where. But speaking of conference, ya'll got an assignment from the apostles (Elder Ballard I think) to help the missionaries: Here are your names to pray for... Anziani Bartolio, Stevings, Locovelli, e Samuelson e Sorella Russell. Our Investigators: Joyce, Giovanna, Grazia e Paula (tutti hanno dati <they all have baptismal dates>) poi, Francesca (ha una famiglia!) <a contact with a family>. Nuovi Convertiti (new converts): Simone, Paul; Meno attivi (less actives): Rafaela who is practically reactiated! Thank you. These people are my life; I love them so much!

SARAH YOU LEAVE IN SEVEN DAYS! AHHHH!!!! I AM SO EXCITED! I NEED PICTURES I AND NEW EMAIL ADDRESS! AHHH! How do you feel! TELL ME! AHHH! :) 

This has been a VERY intersting week. I witnessed cops searching for drugs from this group in the park.  They originally were searching our new convert Paul, then went to the others. The cops left, then these men pulled out their drugs and dealt right in front of the mormon missionaries. Then, I almost got hit by a car today. And, I witnessed kids rolling tobacco on the bus. But, I got to dance in the rain :). 

Heads up, my shoes are shot...my clarks (not the sandals, those are great).  I have been gluing them together every other night for the past three months. They are dead now. In district meeting an Elder leaned over to my comp saying, "Does she know that her shoes are ruined?" haha. Yup, sign of a missionary...dead shoes. Oh, and my umbrella is broken too. Wind. 

Miracle for this week is.... Rafaela again. Saturday we woke up to a text at one in the morning saying, "I need help, call me or come find me". We were freaking out, cuz she is having a lot of problems with her compagno and they are splitting up. Friday we went over and they had a fight.  She fell after they were fighting with the phone and got a fat lip. So we went over immediately when we woke up. She didn't answer the door; we were worried, so our next thought was the hospital. Then she called us and let us in. He abandoned her, with the baby, called all her friends and told them to stay away. She was scared. After holding her, drying tears and some uplifting, she was smiling and happy when we left.

We ate breakfast together and then made plans to watch conference together. She is so cute; she went and bought long skirts to start wearing. We went over later, and she was so happy.  She bore testimony about the healing of the atonement, how she is not angry anymore. She feels peace. happiness and is so excited for her new life. She is going back to Brazil. I am thrilled for her. That is my favorite part of being a missionary - finding people in depressions, alone, scared and in tears and leaving them happy with a new sense of hope. Nothing better! She is so amazing. 

I gotta go, I love you all so much! You are amazing examples to me! I couldn't do this without you! 

--

Sister Francesca Montagnoli

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