3-13-13
CIAO FAMIGLIA E AMICI!!
We have a new mission rule where we can email everyone and
anyone! Yippee!
This week is the VERY special 3-week anniversary of . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . TAKING COLD SHOWERS! We are still working out some
kinks in the new apartment. This may have been part of the cause for us having
the FLU this past week. No fun. At least spring is in the air!!!
In other news, beautiful, beautiful things are happening in
Bergamo town. The anziani are baptizing a Bolivian family into our branch on
Thursday!!! On Monday we were in Verona and tomorrow we will be going to Milan
for a sorella conference. YES! That means I get to see my Sorelle Bush and
Durfee!!!!!! And we get to eat Sorella Wolffgramms homemade cooking!! On Friday
we are having a huge 3-ward activity in the church. The theme is "Far
West" and people are required to come in cowboy clothes. Annnnnnd there
will be a mechanical bull! This thing is going to be great.
Honestly I feel like this week wasn’t even real. Between
being sick, sleeping, running for busses, teaching lessons, sleep, church,
sleep, and lessons, (breathe) we still had a successful week. How do you
spell succcesfull? I am offically unsuccesfull; Italian has butchered my
spelling capabilities. Mom, I dare you NOT to correct any of my mistakes in
this letter. To me every word is underlined in red because the Italian computer
doesn’t recognize my English. Anyways, we win some, we lose some.
My favorite moment of the week was when my super
Italian-fluent Albanian companion was praying in Italian for our lunch and she
asked Heavenly Father to bless the "food-o". The correct word in
Italian is "cibo" (pronounced cheeboh). Again, we can’t win them all!
I am out of time. But I love you all to pieces.
I hope you are all still alive??
Send me pictures of Cancun please!!!!!!! Have Ryan do it -
as an overdue Christmas present or something. I love, love, love pictures of
anything and everything. Actually don’t even bother writing letters, pictures
will do!
LOVE
Bunny
3/6/13
Buona primavera!
It snowed for like 4 days straight and now the spring has
arrived! It’s sunny one day and then rainy the next.But what an amazing week we had!!!! Yerko was baptized!!!! He had so much support from the ward, it was beautiful. A new convert, the one from Pakistan that plays the piano played a musical number at the baptisms--How Great Thou Art--AMAZING! It was all eastern style.
Random points of the week:
Everyone has been celebrating Carnival. There was a huge
parade in the middle of the city. There have been some pretty crazy costumes.
Sorella and I have the flu or strep or something :(
The other night we got on the normal bus to go home. The bus
driver must have been having a bus race, or he was trying to make the ride like
a rollercoaster, or he wanted to get home, or he was late on schedule. Wow, it
was the craziest public transit bus ride I have ever been on. I am positive he
was breaking the speed limit and we were flying over curbs left and right.
Image this on the narrow wind-y roads of Italy—crazy! We made it home alive.
Did I tell you that Anthony from Pakistan has met Mother
Teresa and Pope John Paul II? Did you also know that Mother Teresa is from
Albania? I will never make that mistake again... :) I am learning a little bit
of Albanian. It is nothing like anything really. "Yes" is "po po
po", "snow" is "bore". I am also picking up a teeny
tiny bit of the Bergamasco dialect (a mix of French and German); "Adom
ischtete" means "Let’s go girls". In italian its "Andiamo
ragazze". They are not very similar.
These days it’s not very cold in the morning and there is
light outside! So we have begun running again, yippy!
I got my first haircut in a year! It feels so good! No
worries, just a trim. I still have plans on being a hippie when I get home.
I am happy that Elise is loving Young Women! That puts a
big, big smile on my face.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Angela!!!!!! You are my favorite
sister-in-law! No really, you are amazing. And I love seeing beautiful little
baby Colin. I can wait to meet him :)
We are teaching this beautiful woman from Nigera. Over the
past weeks, it has been so amazing to see her develop a love for our message
and the Book of Mormon. I feel the spirit every time we go to her home. She
says the most heartfelt prayers, you can tell she is really talking to Heavenly
Father. That is one of the many things I am learning from her; that prayer is
such a sacred experience and it NEEDS to be from the heart. Also, that the more
specific our prayers are, the better. I just want to let you guys know that I
can feel your prayers for me! I don’t know how to describe it, only that I can
feel it.
Alma 33:12--And now
Alma said unto them: Do ye believe those scriptures which have been written by
them of old?
20 But few understood the meaning of those things, and this because of the hardness of their hearts. But there were many who were so hardened that they would not look, therefore they perished. Now the reason they would not look is because they did not believe that it would heal them.
23 And now, my brethren, I desire that ye shall plant this word in your hearts, and as it beginneth to swell even so nourish it by your faith. And behold, it will become a tree, springing up in you unto everlasting life. And then may God grant unto you that your burdens may be light, through the joy of his Son. And even all this can ye do if ye will. Amen.
I know that we can know any truth through prayer. It is SO
real20 But few understood the meaning of those things, and this because of the hardness of their hearts. But there were many who were so hardened that they would not look, therefore they perished. Now the reason they would not look is because they did not believe that it would heal them.
23 And now, my brethren, I desire that ye shall plant this word in your hearts, and as it beginneth to swell even so nourish it by your faith. And behold, it will become a tree, springing up in you unto everlasting life. And then may God grant unto you that your burdens may be light, through the joy of his Son. And even all this can ye do if ye will. Amen.
Love you allsies,
Have an amazing week :)
Sorella McNamara
2/27/13
Ciao Mamma,
I’m out of time so I can’t write anything this week. I am soooo happy that Elise loved YW.
Please know that I love you soooooooo SO much!
President turned our world upside down again and sent
Sorella Harward to Reggio Emiglio. So now it’s just me and my cute little
Albanian companion in a huge apartment that has no hot water. We are working
out the kinks. We still go to the same ward.
My credit card still is not working. Someone must have put a
hold on it. Will you take care of it please?
Today I’ll get my first hair trim in over a year. Crazy!
The baptisms this weekend were BEAUTIFUL, one of the most
beautiful moments I have seen in my life.
Say hello to the kitties for me and the bros and the sistas.
LOVE,
Bunny
I want to start this
email off with a story. Ready? Here goes:
Setting:
Sunday night after church before planning around 9 pm
Us
(Sorella Harward and Me): "Oh look we received a call from
President. Let’s call him back!"
President:
"Pronto Presidente Wolfgramm."
Us:
"Ciao president, it’s the Bergamo Sorelle! We missed a call from
you."
President:
" Yep, how is everything, how is the work going?"
Us:
"Really well, we have two baptisms this week. Anahi and Milenca. We are so
excited!"
President:
" That’s just great, how would you like to share those baptisms, with
another companion?"
Us:
" Um, that would be great...."
President:
" Well great because sometimes they send missionaries out early before
transfers you know with this hastening of the work and all, and we have a
sister from Albania arriving on Wednesday, so we want you to come pick her up
in Milan on Wednesday, we will eat some pizza get her orientated and then you
can take her back to Bergamo and you will both be training her."
Us:
"Wow. Okay. Yeah! Um, where is she going to sleep?"
President:
" Oh in the new apartment in Alzano (approx 20 min from Bergamo). And you
will both move there too, tomorrow. The assistants will be in touch later to
give you all the details. I know you can do it! Have a good night, bye."
Us:
" Uh, oh, okay, thanks! We are excited too, See you on Wednesday".
Hang up phone. WHAT?!
Uhhhhhhhhhh! Ok, I cannot explain
the many, many adventures we have had the past 2 days but by some miracle, we
are moved into our lovely (really really nice) apartment in Alzano Lombardo.
Maybe I will tell you a couple of the adventures; taking an ice cold shower at
6:30 am, walking to the grocery store 2 miles away, getting groceries and then
realizing that the store does not take our credit cards. Walking 2 miles back
to town, stopping at 3 ATMs that won’t accept our cards. Leaving the groceries
there and vowing to never go back to that store. We finally arrive at our
house, only to have our new set of keys not work. We arrive at the train
station to check train times only to find out there is a train strike (again),
um how are we going to get to Milan? We go to an appointment, and she is
working and cant see us. We stop by our old apartment to get hangers, which we
put in a yellow pillowcase because we have no bags. We take the yellow
pillowcase and hangers around the city with us to 3 more appointments. It’s not
awkward. We find 30 minutes to do grocery shopping. Now we are walking around Bergamo
with 3 grocery bags and a yellow pillowcase. We finish our last appointment too
late and our appointment drives us home. We come home, make 5 million calls and
then we pass out on our beds.
It has REALLY been an adventure, but I can honestly say, I
laughed a lot a lot yesterday. Because sometimes I just have these moments
where I think, "My life is crazy!!!" and I love it. We still managed
to teach 3 lessons and get a new investigator and do shopping, and clean the apartment.
All I can say is that things are a little busy. We moved
this week, are getting a new companion today and we are having 2 BAPTISMS on Saturday!
(the amazing twin girls from Bolivia). I am super excited to train again, I
love it. President said, after this transfer I will continue to train the new
sorella and Sorella Harward will go somewhere else.
Side note, on the 15th, I celebrated my one year missionary
mark. Weird!!! I haven’t seen you people for a year!
Anyways, things are going wonderfully, amazingly,
splendidly! I am having so much fun here. Bergamo is exploding with
miracles.
YES I do want to go to Boston in November! And if I say you
can’t go to Cancun without me will you really wait? I doubt it :) So no
worries, go and have fun. I’ll take that as a rain check :) The more I think
about it, the more I think we should come to Italy next year instead, when the
temple is finished and I don’t have 3 huge suitcases.
As for school, I have permission to register myself. The
only thing you need to take care of are the holds. On my account, it says I
have holds and I don’t know why. I can register March 26th, but I will do it on
the 27th because it is p-day. So no worries.
I have to go now, but just know that I love you all.
Tell Sean BUON COMPLEANNO HAPPY BIRTHDAY from me!!
I am off to my next big adventure,
Love bunny :)
2-6-13
Ciaoooooooo!
It’s a beautiful day here in Bergamo.
And actually, in a half hour we are headed to Lago di Garda, to go see the
castle and the ancient roman ruins. Search it on Google, and be jealous :)
Did I tell you I recieved the
earrings you sent me for Christmas? But I did not get the scarf. And if you don’t
have the tracking number it is probably lost at the bottom of the sea. Don’t
worry about sending me packages. Except, you have to send me homemade caramels!
With nuts pretty please! You might as well send them to my mission address
because we will have conferences in a couple weeks. Send them ASAP so I get
them in time!!
I am staying here in
Bergamo!!!!!!! I am very happy about that. Sorella Harward and I will also stay
together!!! I am also very happy about that as well. They are bringing in 2 new
sets of sister missionaries here next transfer. So I won’t be surprised if I
stay in Bergamo for the rest of my mission. Just fine by me :) This place is
BEAUTIFUL.
This past week, we basically
redid our whole apartment. We got new desks and chairs and a panini oven, new
shower head, and a towel rack...all of this really fun stuff! We love it. It
took a lot of work but it officially feels like my home now. We also had to go
to a nearby city and get some paperwork done for the new sisters’ apartment.
And then we also went to the Questura to pick up Sorella Harward’s permesso. We
did a lot of "not" missionary work this week, getting things fixed
and systemized and working. We were in the Questura (government place) and this
woman wanted to show us the upstairs where people get married. We went up and
all of a sudden the Questura turned into this beautiful ancient building/cathedral.
There were frescos on the wall and ancient things everywhere. Then we realized,
this police station thing is older than our country...weird right!?
Anyways, we have adventures
every day. In fact, that has become our mantra "ogni giorno è un'aventura."
The new convert, Anthony, is
doing very well. The wards here love him. First, because he is awesome, and
second because he can play and sing the piano really well. He is just the most
humble, faithful person ever. I can’t wait for his family to arrive here and be
baptized. Preghiamo.
As for shoes you should get, I
have no idea. We were actually talking about his yesterday. I have no idea what
is in style. Well I get what’s in style but not avant garde. So you should just
stick with classic heels.
I will need to register for classes sometime next month I
think. But it says I have holds. Will you call BYU and figure those out? Also
about my ecclesiastical endorsement? I will need to take statistics :(,
marketing management, Italian, and Senior thesis.
Grazie mille!
Sorella Harward and I have a
new tradition. During lunch, we pull out Jesus
the Christ, True to the Faith,
the scriptures, and the Old Testament manual and we go searching for answers to
our questions. It’s super duper fun. But something I am learning about a lot
these days is the gospel of Jesus Christ. Specifically the step where we are to
endure. Because, yes it takes time to grow our faith, repent, be baptized, and
receive the Holy Ghost, but I am learning that the most important step, and
certainly the hardest, is to endure to the end. Or to continue living the
gospel every day. I’m realizing that it really is through the tiniest things
that we grow closer to heavenly father and our savior. Like reading the
scriptures every day, praying and going to church. Mom, you think you would
have told me this. Just kidding :) you told me these things like 5 million
times. But I just didn’t get it. Well now I am starting to understand and see
the wisdom in this.
So I just wanted to tell you
and dad, thanks for being the BEST parents in the world, seriously, not joking
this time :) I write a lot of smiley faces in my letters because I am always
smiling these days, just like you Mom. It’s just because I am simply happy. I’ve
never been happier. Thanks for that.
Have fun in Florida, and tell
Ro to have fun in Cancun and tell robin to have fun on Mars.
Angela, thank you for the
pictures!!! As you read above, I don’t know what’s in style anymore!! Love the
pedicure and the quilt idea. And I am so happy that Colin will be a tall boy!
McNamara pride.
Love you all! And I pray for
you!
Sorella Bergabunsco
P.S. We read You are Special with people all the time, and
they love it!! Grazie!
1-30-13
Salve :)
Last week we went to MILANO! We went to La Scala and watched
their dress rehearsal of Verdi's Nabbuco. Ahhhhhhh, so beautiful. We went and
ate panzerotti with Sorella Soh and Lyman and then ate my favorite gellato.
Then on Friday Anthony from Pakistan was baptized! It was
such a beautiful evening. He sang a musical number for everyone, which was
amazing. I also had the chance to bear my testimony at his baptism. He is so,
so, so humble. It was so beautiful to watch him be converted through reading
the Book of Mormon. Questo lavoro è vero.
On Saturday, we went to the hospital with the anziani to
give a sick man a blessing. Sorella Harward met his wife on the bus the
previous day and they started talking about the priesthood power. Immediately
she asked us to go and give her husband a blessing. We are excited because we have
an appointment with her on Friday!
Are you still worried about which shoes to buy Ryan? I have the
solution for you. High top Nikes. EVERYONE is wearing them over here. Just like
the blue Nikes he has already, but as high tops. Get him light grey suede with
a white swoosh, those look classy. Are all the peeps, boys and girls, wearing
high top Nikes over there too? Please report back :)
The miracle of the week happened yesterday evening. Do you
remember a few weeks ago when I told you a girl randomly rang the door bell at
church and then asked our bishop permission to attend church? Well we had a lesson
with her and her husband yesterday. We showed up to their house with a member
and they surprised us with dinner!
It was really a 5-part miracle:
1. A surprise dinner. Sweet.
2. A surprise organic dinner. Everything super fresh.3. They are super spunky and fun.
4. The husband is a lot (a lot) like dad, if you know what i
mean.
5. They loved the message of the restoration
Words cannot express how happy I am to know them and share
the gospel with them.
Another miracle, we had apartment inspection this week
(everything ok there) and the new senior couple missionaries brought us peanut
butter and Master Crumble!!! Peanut butter is hard to find here, and Master Crumble
is a delicious oat and chocolate mùesli.
Oh yeah, this week we had the flu. Not fun. I think it’s
because the weather keeps changing on us. It snows, and then it’s sunny and
then it snows and then it’s sunny. Things are starting to look up though. I feel
pretty lucky to be here in Italy for the winter, because honestly, it’s not
that bad. Knock on wood.
How is Paul? I have been praying for him.
Thank you for giving Indie attention.
Don’t leave Gus-Gus out though :)
Mom, did I tell you you’er the best mom ever? Well it’s
true. I was thinking about how amazing you are this past week. And my companion
agrees.
I know this church is true with all of my heart and mind.
Wow, the Book of Mormon is amazing. Everything just makes sense. So happy.
LOVES AND BUNCHES,
Sorella Bun
Buon giorrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrno!
So once again, I am unable to send
pictures. That’s ok. I wanted to send you a video of our Pakistan investigator
who will be BAPTIZED on Friday! He is the most humble person I have ever met.
He fled his country because he is Christian and it was not safe. He is a
musician, and was a professor of music at university. So he plays the piano and
sings in Urdu. He performs a really beautiful type eastern religious music. I
will get it to you somehow, because Ryan has to see it!
Last week we went to Verona
again for a conference. Today we are doing a scambio (my first). When I will be
in Milan for 24 hours with Sorella Liman, and Sorella Soh will be in Bergamo
for 24 hours with Sorella Harward. The skies are bright and sunny and in a half
hour we are headed off to Milan for p-day, before our official scambio begins.
We are planning to see the famous opera house, La Scala, the cathedral, and to
eat some good pizza. Super duper excited.
In terms of missionary work,
last week was a little hard. We hit a lot of road blocks in the work. But it’s
crazy, I was still grateful and genuinely happy in every moment that was
difficult. I’m making it sound like I was in pain or something, but really it
was a beautiful week. We learned and grew a lot. I think that once we are ready
to change, and we tell Heavenly Father that we are ready, he tries us. And it’s
a wonderful thing.
A wonderful miracle happened
this week. One day a couple weeks ago, Sorella and I were waiting in the church
for an appointment. Out of the blue, this woman knocked on the door and asked
us for an appointment with the bishop. You can tell she is genuinely happy and
a sweet, sweet person. So this Sunday, she and her husband came to church! They
told us they had met 2 years ago in English class (that the missioaries teach),
and then they got married! They told us that they are tired of living in a
world that doesn’t have values, that is negative, and confusing. SO they asked
our bishop permission to attend church. Ah! How beautiful is that!!!! They are
probably like 28 or something and we are excited to begin teaching them.
Another miracle, we are helping this family grow closer to
Jesus Christ. On Monday we had family home evening with them. We talked about
the Word of Wisdom. For the activity, we blindfolded them and had them eat all
these random foods; m&ms, cheese, beet roots, etc.. So much fun! They
invited us over for lunch on Sunday. Let’s hope they don’t feed us crazy things
in return.
Another miracle, we are helping
an investigator quit smoking. Instead of smoking, he will pray, or read the
scriptures. When he came to the appointment yesterday, he seemed like a
completely new person! He is more happy than before as well. I LOVE THIS WORK.
Here in the mission, we are getting all prepared for new
missionaries. Right now there are 26 sorelle missionaries. In March there will
arrive 15 and in May another 15! Wow. We are stoked. They just purchased
another apartment here in Bergamo for sisters, which is great because Bergamo
has sooooooo much going on. Anyways, I have to run and catch a train to Milano.
I hope you have an amazing day at work :)
LOVE
Sor. Bun.
January 16,
2013
Grazie per le
foto e informazione su neil e judy! Anche, grazie Angela per l'informazione sul
fashion!! Ho letto ogni parola :)
Oh my
goodness I love the mission SO much. I wish I had hours to tell you allllll of
the miracles we see every day. I will just have to read you my journal when I
see you. Seriously, beautiful, beautiful days here. Even though it’s been
raining!Ok so yesterday by 10am, we had laughed a lot a lot. We were just heading out the door and i told Sorella Harward, "Today is going to be a funny day, i can just feel it"
So this is a
clip from the letter she just wrote her family, enjoy:
One of our most funny adventures happened yesterday with
this Egyptian boy named Mohamed, who is obviously Muslim. Anyway he came
to church on Sunday with his friend Pier (yes, really his name) who is
Christian. I guess I should say they waltzed right into church in the middle of
the meeting, they walked in front of everyone and sat down right next to me. Oh
goodness, anyway we scheduled a meeting with him and his friend for the
next day in the center of the city, the piazza, Porta Nuova. We go to meet them
there and it is pouring rain, and so we say, hey we have this church center not
too far from here why don’t we go there and have a lesson (it’s the young
single adult center for Bergamo), and he says "Okay. Pier has his car, let’s
go". Then we have to have this huge conversation about how we can’t ride
in the car unless there is another woman, and by now he just thinks we are
aliens or something. We say "Okay, we will take the bus and meet you
there". We take the bus and get there and they aren’t there, They are in
the huge Costco-like-grocery store across the highway. Why? I don’t
know. (We can’t blame them, the YSA center is hidden behind a bunch of
trees.) So we run across the highway and go get them. We see them in front of
the store and say "Let’s go over here now and have our lesson", and
they say no let’s just go find somewhere in here and sit down. So it’s already
been 50 minutes since we met at the piazza and went in the bus and ran across
the highway. Ugh okay... so we don’t really want to go in but we have to teach
them so we go in and we go find this little restaurant cafe place and sit down.
Then they say "lets get something to eat what do you want?",
and we say “No, no, no, let’s talk about the lesson.” Finally we have the
lesson and it goes pretty well besides the fact that the strange Italian woman
eating her pizza 1/2 foot away, at the table next to us was totally
eavesdropping. And besides the fact I had to come straight out and tell him
that Mohamed was not a real prophet and that he didn't have the priesthood.
Awkward. Okay but it went well and they said they wanted to read the Book of
Mormon and pray. Sincerely, it was a good lesson. Great. Lesson over. I am
starving and I want to eat, and so we are just going to buy something to eat
and then go, but guess what the boys want to stay and eat too,and Mohamed says “We
will pay.” I turn to my companion as they are walking away and say, “.... I
think we are on a date.” A date! Oh my goodness we rushed up and tried to get
our own food and pay but Mohammed already paid for us! So we have to sneak a 10
£ note into his pocket. Oh goodness and then we are all just there. Eating, and
it’s awkward because now we know we are on this weird double date thing. We have
nothing to talk about so we make all this awkward small talk about how
many siblings they have and what sports do they like to play, which makes it
feel even more like a bad first date. And then Mohamed comes right out and says
this is my first time I have gone out with a girl, and Sorella McNamara tries
not to smile and says "Well we like to help people and talk about Jesus"
HAHA, how else do you respond as a missionary?? It was so hard not to burst out
laughing. We were trying so hard to be professional and we kept saying: “Yes we
love being missionaries. We are missionaries. Isn’t great that we are
missionaries.” Do you think they would have gotten the hint? But no. Then they
walked us to the bus stop and waited with us in the rain until it came. so....
more awkward small talk. We ran on the bus and burst out laughing for this
wonderfully awkward date..l mean day. Needless to say we are giving them to the
Anziani. There ya go. The life of a missionary.
I love love
love this mission with all my heart. Oh my goodness it’s amazing. Bergamo is
really the city of miracles, really really. There is this one family that it so
dear to my heart. The parents are less active and the 14 year old daughters
will be baptized on the 2nd. I just love hiking (yes hiking) up to their house
and teaching them the gospel. It’s really beautiful to see them try to work out
their problems through family prayer and scripture study. I just love them so
much.
I have to go
now. But I love you guys!!! Some day I will tell you alllll about the
adventures I am having over here. It’s beautiful.
Have a great
week!!
LOVE YOU TO
PIECES!
Love,
Bunchkin
