Tender, Sweet Miracles of Faith!

Hello my wonderful people! 

THANK YOU FOR THE PACKAGE!!!! Peanut butter, amazing; fajita seasoning, mom you are a genius! Lucia I LOVE the pillow case! THANK YOU!  Heads up -  in the package from me is the Ravenna book, a snow globe, a shirt for Lu, and the outfit for Oaklee is for three months old. I didn't know when I could get it to her, so I bought it big.  Dad, the hugs and kisses were long past due!!! Haha! Oh it was so good to get a big daddy hug. I forgot how wonderful that feels. It is a weird thing here. You know your family exists; you love them, you pray for them, but your mind is so wrapped up in the work, and we are so busy that you forget a little bit. Haha it's good to know you all exist still outside of pictures and words on a screen! 

Actually for Halloween we were allowed to stay out until 9:30. We actually got home just before 10. We had permission to go to Modena with one of our investigators to the ward party they did. It was pretty fun. I was dead by the time we got home. When our schedule is off my whole body and mentality is confused. Haha I feel like a little baby who's schedule gets thrown off because of a vacation, and it doesn't really know how to function. Haha that's me :)

Yeah, I AM AN AUNT!!! Oaklee is darling! Send me pictures! I only got two!!! Haha let me in! Give her tons of hugs and loves from Zia Checa!!! She is darling. How is Michelle? Joe? They good? BAH! SO lame I am missing this.

It sounds like your week was pretty fantastic. I am printing mom and dad's emails off so I can really read them. Thank you for sending me all this. I love it. It is my favorite thing to go home after email and read the things I printed. I always feel the spirit and my heart is touched.  

Dad, I thought I'd include a photo of our river and river critters we pass going to church.

 We also finally got our new stash of Books of Mormon in all languages, and I finally bought a pair of terrible Grandma missionary shoes.  Oh well, they are comfortable and stay on my feet!

 This week I was reminded that I am still very much a girl with tender emotions. I was crying like I was in the MTC! I am not a huge crier anymore, because if I cried every time I felt the spirit I would always be a blubbering mess. For some reason this week was full of tears of the spirit and happiness. This Sunday was fast Sunday and so I had a little extra time in the morning to burn. I got out my journal from my pre-mission experiences, MTC and part of Forli. I was reading it, and I got to my entry of when I went through the temple. All of those feelings came flooding  back; I remembered it like it was yesterday instead of almost a year ago. I remember how at home I felt in the temple walls, the safety I felt, and when I felt the power of my identity as a daughter of God. 

We then went to church and in relief society we had a beautiful lesson about reverence in the temples and how to take that reverent spirit with us. Again, tears because of the testimonies of our wonderful sisters here. Then Sacrament meeting came, and I felt such an overwhelming, powerful spirit. All of our youth took a spontaneous temple trip this weekend. The Bishop had been praying for guidance on how to help our youth, because he saw they were strugging. He then had a vision of all of them in the temple and knew that he had to take them asap. Miracle after miracle came to pass. They got enough men and cars to take all of youth. They had no space in the hotel they usually stay at, nor at the hostel next to the Zollikofen, Swiss Temple, but the bishop said "va bene, dormiamo nelle macchine." "alright, we'll sleep in the cars."  He told them all to bring sleeping bags and pillows, cuz he didn't know where they'd be sleeping. So they went, going on faith that the lord would provide a way. Andro e Faro (I will go and do) was his motto. 

They arrived and they had enough space in the hotel for the girls, which was most important for him. He then went to the hostel and again...no room in the inn. As he was walking away the receptionist said, wait we have found 1 room with two beds. He said, okay! Perfect, bring us some mattresses and we will make it work. All nine maschi (males) were squished in there. Those were all beautiful miracles, but the biggest was what happened to those youth. Their experiences in the temple changed them. They all bore testimony, and I was in tears. They are different youth. Every last one of them was touched, received answers and was brought a little closer to our Savior. Our meno attiva (less active) sister we have been working with also went to the temple.  She stood up in Sacrament Meeting announcing that she was back and that she had full intentions of being an active member.  She was even wearing a "future missionary" tag. By the end I was really in tears and sweetly overwhelmed with love and appreciation to my Savior. The ward is jumping into action; they are taking under their wing Rafaela, who needs a family, they're prepping these youth for missions, and their testimonies are firm. 

On Tuesday we had a zone conference with Anziano Texiera, our Area President. He gave a great kick in the pants motivation message, the tools to succeed, and the spiritual fuel to keep going. President Dibb said something that really hit me hard. He said he wanted to talk about tithing. Okay, I saw where he was going, that we are paying 10% of our lives in tithing to the Lord. This wasn't new. The new part was, being a full tithe payer. He spoke of the billions of temple reccomend interviews he has done and how the easiest question to answer to is "Are you a full tithe payer?" That is an easy question. Yes no. Numbers. Simple. Now move that to mission world. Are you a full tithe payer, do you give your all every day. Wake up on time, work until you can't move another muscle, talk to everyone in reach and teach with the spirit? 

This got me thinking. Am I a full tithe payer at home? Well, yes, of course. Am I a full tithe missionary? We can come out here, pay the 2 years, wear the tag and bare testimony without being a full tithe payer. The key is making that sacrifice, being a little awkward and talking to people when normally you wouldn't. Take that extra step. Walk the extra mile, and be a little better each day. Sister Texiera told us, "We cannot be perfect, but we can be clean." I would like to add that, we can be obedient. When we do that we can call ourselves full tithe payers. Clean, obedient and serving with all our heart. My goal is to report back to the Lord and say I am a full tithe missionary. 

At the end of our conference we sang our mission hymn and said the prayer. After, I just began to cry. All day I had people coming up to me saying, "You're half way done sister!" "Woah you're old." "Hey your mission is half way gone." It is crazy how that just happened. I was sitting, thinking and after the song, which I was hardly able to sing, I said a prayer of thanks to my Heavenly Father for giving me this opportunity. I feel so blessed, honored even to have been chosen for this. That same feeling of when President Monson made the annoucement came over me. You are called. Go now. I need you. It hit me again. I feel like I was almost re-called to the work. I cannot really explain it, but it was so powerful. I looked over at Sister Russell - she in tears too, and told her I need her help. We are going to be working like never before, and I cannot do it alone. I call her my first up and functioning companion, cuz with Sister Bush I was still learning, Sister Bennett I was training, then Sister Brown and now Sister Russell. There is a new fire under each of us and I am so excited to get to finish this transfer strong with her.

I love you all. We are so blessed. I am so blessed. Thank you for the support and prayers you send me. I couldn't do this with out all of you! I am proud of my missionary family! All 8 of us :) Love you! 

Sorella Montagnoli

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Sister Francesca Montagnoli