Italian Mafia and Ultimate Frisbee

Ciao tutti! Well another week has come and gone by really fast. Today is p day and also my sweet companion's 20th birthday! So we are headed on up to Lecco for p day today. Something notable is that the weather has really cooled down this week and you don't feel like melting every time you walk outside! It actually gets pretty cold here at night now. So that's been a relief. And people are back from vacation! We went and did finding in centro yesterday and there were actually people out there! So it's been a solid week. Other than the fact that Sorella Button and I both got sick but we are on the way up from that. 

We had so many meal appointments this week! We made enchiladas with Fanny on Monday, a little less active lady from Argentina that doesn't speak much Italian haha it was soooo yummy. We also ate some fake waffles and tiramisù. And we got a referral from the Brazilians last Wednesday!!! They are my favorites. We taught Italian to them and their friends on Sunday, and we had an appointment scheduled for a family home evening on Monday with their friends but their friends had to work so we just did it with the Oliveiras instead. I love them so much!

So last Friday, at our youth activity, we played ultimate Frisbee, which was dope. Until Sorella Button's phone got stolen!! We searched forever for it. But then things brightened up when 1. At the McDonald's drive thru they gave us 2 extra gelati for free! And 2. We hopped on over to the police station the next morning to file a report and her phone was there! We don't know exactly what happened, just that it was a miracle.

I just wanted to share with y'all a scripture I found in my personal study the other day. 3 Nefi 5:13 "Behold, I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I have been called of him to declare his word among his people, that they might have everlasting life." 

I am so proud to be a missionary! Sometimes it feels like a really big job because people's eternal lives are on the line. But I have seen so many blessings from my missionary work, and I love having this calling. I just love Lodi so much. Every area I get transferred to, I love it more and it takes less time to love it. Time is flying by too fast! Thanks for reading and hit me up with emails. (: vi voglio bene! Ciao!

Sorella Henderson

Driving

Lecco View

10 MONTHS flew by like....

Ciao tutti! So my second week in Lodi was awesome! I am really getting to love it here and getting adjusted to a new city has been pretty easy. It is still August, so there are not many people in church, all the people we are teaching basically are out of town, and there is practically no one outside but we are almost to September! Which is crazy because I hit my 10 month mission mark last week! Time really is flying by and every transfer just goes faster and faster.

This week we played 4 square for the youth activity and that was dope!!!! It took Sorella Button and I back to our MTC glory days haha. The youth in this ward are super cool. I also got to know more of the members this week at various appointments and at church, and I love them all! A little Brazilian girl got baptized in our ward, and she is so cute! Everything in the program was done in Portugese because they don't speak Italian, and it made me wanna learn it so bad!

We also got to meet with a guy named Johnson on Sunday. I found him doing finding my first day in Lodi. He was super cool and super interested in finding out the truth. But he lives in my old area! So we are gonna have to pass him off to the Anziani in Navigli. We also had a really awkward pass lesson with the Anziani this Saturday that was just cringeable and not at all well-planned. But that's our bad. But at least Danilo is still interested even if after the awkward lesson.

I love being a missionary! Time is going too fast! I love being able to devote all my time to the Lord and be bold with people. Because this really is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I'm so grateful that I've done it! This week I want to challenge you all to give up one extra thing to the Lord this week. Just one thing. And I know that you will see the blessings from it. Vi voglio bene! 

Sorella Henderson 

Ferragosto

Ciao tutti! Well, I forgot to send you all my group email from last week, so I have sent you all that one as well. I was just so busy being TRANSFERRED that I forgot! Yes, I have now been in Lodi for a week, and I absolutely LOVE IT. It was really hard for me at first to leave Navigli because I loved it so much and all the people there, especiallly our investigators, but the members in Lodi are so amazing. I haven't met most of them because literally everyone goes on vacation in August, which means we are doing a lot of finding and other things and no one comes to English class, but the people that I have met are so cool! And half of the ward is from South America too yay.

Best things about Lodi so far:
1. No sounds of sirens and car horns all day and night.
2. We have a car!!!!!!!!!!
3. My comp! Sorella Button is a beast. We were in the MTC together, and I just love her.
4. The city is really, small but the center is SO cute! It looks just like the Italy that I imagined before my mission.
5. Somehow I end up having gelato given to me every day since I've been here which can be a pro or a con depending on how you look at it.

Con:
1. It smells like cow manure sometimes. ):

As you can see, from my list, Lodi really is awesome! I got to do new driver training on Monday, and the office anziani (which are the Anziani in my district and ward that we serve with) wanted to see how we drove, so I got to drive a car for the first time in almost 10 months! I was a little nervous, especially because we were in Milano, but it all came back to me. I missed driving so much! Right now Sorella Button is the designated driver because she has been here for a while, but if she leaves next transfer, I'll drive. Woooo.

I have met one of our investigators so far (the rest are on vacation), and she's named Monica. She's blind and speaks perfect English and Spanish, but she's Italian. And she loves the Book of Mormon! But she also loves the Catholic church. So it's a little hard. But we are working on her, and now that she finally has a copy of the Book of Mormon that she can read with her braille reader, she loves to read it! She's pretty cool.

Yesterday we had our semi-annual mission cleaning day because today is Ferragosto, aka one of the days a year that ALL OF ITALY IS CLOSED. So we cleaned for 5 straight hours and by the end Sorella Button and I wanted to die but our apartment is so clean! 

Okay there is definitey so much more to say but I won't say it because this email is getting long. But I love you all and hope you have a great week!

Sorella Henderson

New companion in Lodi, Sorella Button

Sorella Button knocking doors

Lodi Centro

First gelato in Lodi

Best Granita ever!

From Milan to....

Ciao tutti! Well remember how in my last email I told you all that transfer calls were last Friday and Saturday? Well I am being transferred again ): It was really sad to hear at first but I know that the Lord has a special purpose for me in LODI. And I bet none of you know where that is because it's a little town! Which kind of gives me anxiety because I've been living in a big city for my whole mission, but that's okay. It's about 30 minutes south of Milano. I can get there with my bus pass. Lol. And the ward that I'm going to serve in used to be a part of the Navigli ward before they split, so I'm basically not even leaving Navigli hahaha. And I will be in the ward with the Office Elders instead of the APs. So that'll be cool. My companion will be Sorella Button from my MTC group! Which will be lit! And we'll have our very own car!! 1 of only 2 cities in the mission where the Sorelle get a car! I'm so excited to drive again! I've missed it so much! 

Well our 2 most solid people we are teaching, Karem and Nancy, are still doing really good! Nancy is getting prepared to be baptized on the 25th of August and Karem is striving to live the Word of Wisdom, even though we haven't even taught her that yet! She just heard about it and wants to try to live it! Which is so cool! I had to say goodbye to them, as well as my new converts and the members yesterday, and it was really sad. But I love these people and I know that I will come back to visit them! I really have had a special opportunity to be able to serve here.

Last p day we went to the top of the Duomo, which was SO HOT! NEVER AGAIN. Holy Milano is sort of miserable right now so everyone is fleeing for vacation. We have almost no people in the English conversation class and about half of the members in church each week. This is Italian culture. But I can't wait for September when everyone gets back haha. 

In a couple hours, I will head down to Lodi (in a car!). And that will be a new adventure for me. And next week I will let you all know how that goes! I love to hear from you all! Shoot me a quick email if you have time. (: Vi voglio bene!

Sorella Henderson

Anna Maria

Investigator Nancy

Last meal with Cristian, Paola, and Cindy

Cook-key

John

Saying goodbyes to members and investigators 

new member Rosa

Rosa's daughter

Sorella Henson, Sorella Henderson, Sorella Tafur, Sorella Stolk

Navigli District

Jada, the bishop's daughter

Investigator Karem

Octavia

Tired and waiting in the metro