Buon Natale!

Buon Giorno a tutti! 

Well, I just talked to you all yesterday for Christmas and I'm trying to think of exciting things that have happened since then. After we talked Sorella Forbes and I went back home and made a delicious hot drink of Chioghi di Garofono, which are basically cloves, cinnamon, chocolate, and milk all boiled together. Buono! It was something we learned how to make from Sorella Cano in our ward who is from Colombia. We had the rest of the evening to ourselves and it was nice to relax a little bit. We listened to Christmas music, wrote in our journals, and ate delicious pandoro from Verona. It was a wonderful Christmas evening! 

Like I told you yesterday, we have transfers this week!! Sorella Forbes will be leaving me to go to Savona and I'll be getting a new companion, Sorella Soh! I will sure miss Sorella Forbes a lot. She has been such a great trainer! I was expecting we'd be together at least one more transfer, especially since there aren't any new sorelle coming in, but I guess there's really no way to know for sure! Tomorrow is our last day together, and then transfers will be on Friday.

I just love Christmas in Italy! It was so fun to sing at the Duomo on Christmas Eve with all the other missionaries in Milano. There were about fifteen of us and a lot of people gathered around to watch and take pictures. Along with Christmas songs, we sang Called to Serve, Joseph Smith's First Prayer, and our special mission hymn! It was great to be able to bear testimony through song. This week has been full of wonderful experiences and new people to teach! I can't believe how many golden investigators and potentials we have right now. On Christmas Eve we taught a beautiful lesson to one of our current investigators, Gianni, along with his family. They are all so ready for the gospel! I have a feeling that this next transfer is going to be packed full of miracles and beautiful experiences right and left. 

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas yesterday and remembered the reason why we celebrate! I really liked something President Monson said in the Christmas devotional: "He who gives money gives much, he who gives time gives more, but he who gives of himself gives all." That is really what Christmas is all about! I love you all so much and hope you have a wonderful rest of the week! 

Love,

Sorella Lyman

Mamma mia!

Ciao, cara famiglia e amici!!

Thanks so much for your emails!! I love hearing about what you all are up to. And I'm so excited to actually talk to everyone next week for Natale!!! Sounds like Ceci is doing great on the debate team- I'm not surprised! She is so eloquent in both speaking and writing. This week has been so great! A little crazy too. Last week we had another scambio from Wednesday to Thursday (I was with Sorella Beutler) and then on Friday we went to Bergamo for a concert with Sorella Padula and Sorella Harward. I got to play violin, which was really fun to be able to share my talents, and then there were also some voice numbers by Sorella Padula, Harward, and Lloyd, who are all amazing singers! 

Before anything else, I must tell you that today I got to see La Scala and it was absolutely amazing!!! We were so lucky because the orchestra was actually rehearsing while we were there and we got to watch them from one of the boxes! Ah, it was so cool. I felt like I was in a movie, or had gone back in time. They were playing Symphony Fantasique by Berlioz. It is now one of my new dreams to see an opera at La Scala. It is so beautiful! And then we got to look at the museum where they have the piano of Franz Liszt (how do you spell that again?) along with many other cool musical artifacts and props, like some of Mozart's hair and a mold of Chopin's hand! It was definitely a highlight of all the P-days I've had so far.  

Mamma mia, this week has just been full of wonderful things I want to talk about! We started teaching a part-member family last Wednesday who are so great, and so ready for the gospel. Sorella Forbes had actually been talking with the husband on the phone before we went to see them that night, who isn't a member and hadn't been able to really set up a time to see him. When I went with Sorella Beutler, it was to go with Sorella Cano to see Norelys who is in the Relief Society. We ended up teaching a great restoration lesson to both her and her husband who was there for the whole lesson! We went back to teach the Plan of Salvation on Monday to them and also their daughter, and they loved it! I am so excited to keep teaching them and help to bless their lives through the gospel! 

Man, I wish I had more time to talk about all the great things that have happened, and also to talk about all the delicious food I've eaten! I ate SO MUCH yesterday, including an ENTIRE margherita pizza, pandoro, butter cake, spaghetti, and some other delicious things. I'm still feeling pretty full from it. I was going to send you pictures, but I forgot my camera cord! :( I guess it'll have to wait until next week. Well, I love you all so much, and can't wait to talk to you on Christmas!!! 

Love,

Sorella Lyman

Mountain Villages and Italian Violins

Ciao tutti!!

Wow, this week has been packed with so many awesome things!! I love hearing about everything you all are doing. It sounds like you have some fun plans for Christmas and are all keeping very busy! 

Wow, well where do I start? I have seen so many wonderful things this week, eaten delicious food, and had some great experiences with people! On Monday I got to go to Como for zone training, and it was absolutely beautiful. It's nestled up in the mountains and there's a beautiful lake in the center (Lake Como). It sort of reminded me of Crestline, except that it was an Italian wonderland everywhere I looked! The church was so cute, too. It's in a little yellow two-story building, with a pretty little balcony on the top center window. I wish I had a picture! Last P-day was pretty amazing because we got to go to an international fair in Ro (right oustide Milan) where they had tons of stuff from all regions of Italy, and also other buildings devoted to Europe, China, India, and America! It was so cool! Mom, you would've loved it. I kept thinking of you when I was walking through all the stands in Italy... they had so many beautiful hand-made things and amazing food samples everywhere! It was like heaven! We didn't have time to go everywhere because it was HUGE, but we did go to Europe where we heard some Irish people playing awesome bagpipe music and ate churros from Spain! It was basically like Epcot World Showcase times infinity. 

Another exciting thing this week was that I had my first scambio! (is it called exchange in English? I can't remember...) I went with Sorella Lloyd who is serving in the northern part of Milan with Sorella Brown. It was a really beautiful part of the city! We had two appointments, one with an investigator they're teaching right now with a baptismal date, and another with a new convert family. They served us a delicious meal of rice, chicken, and lentils. (I'm making sure to be more detailed on the food this week... I know Mom wants to know all about it!) We taught them about prayer afterwards, and talked a lot about how to be more sincere while praying. Sorella Lloyd used the example of when Jesus is praying for the Nephites, and the words couldn't even be written because they were so powerful and sincere. It was a beautiful example! One of my favorite scripture about prayer is in Alma chapter 37 (I can't remember the verses right now) where it talks about raising your heart to God before you go to bed, and then when you arise in the morning, giving a prayer of thanks! I don't remember it exactly, but it's a beautiful scripture! 

This week is going to be very exciting. This Friday, Sorella Forbes and I are going to Bergamo where I'm going to play violin for a benefit concert along with a few other missionaries who will be performing. I'm so excited! I mangaged to find a violin from someone in the ward and have a few pieces I will be playing. I'm so happy to be able to share my talents! I didn't think I would be able to do it very much on my mission, but it looks like there will be lots of opportunities! I also get to see Sorella Harward again who is serving there with Sorella Padula! Both of them will be singing, along with Sorella Lloyd. Lots of fun things for today: we're going to the Last supper (!!!) and going to see the big, beautiful Christmas tree at the Duomo! Well, time is running short. Love you so much! Vi voglio tanto bene!!! Have a great week and go share the gospel! :) 

Love,

Sorella Lyman :)

Finding New Investigators

Ciao tutti!! Come state?

It was so great to hear from all of you! It sounds like you're all keeping very busy with music, school, work, writing, and everything else! It's so great to hear you have a christmas tree up! It sounds so pretty! Can you send me a picture? :) As far as eating at members' homes goes Mom, I actually haven't yet because we're not supposed to unless there's a nonmember present. I'm sure I will get plenty of opportunities though. That's where I hear the best food is! That's so cool that Katherine's thinking about doing an internship in Berlin! What kind of internship? Wow, that would be so cool! Berlin would be such an amazing place to visit. 

I have had a great week! The last couple of weeks we've had a lot of potential investigators fall through, so we've been doing a lot of finding work. Monday was such a great day because we got three new investigators! It was the first day in a while where all of our lessons went through and we were able to teach great lessons to all the people we were planning to see. The first woman we taught, named Anita, is a practicing Catholic who we found last week doing casa. We taught her the restoration and it went so well! It was cool to see how accepting she was of everything even though she is very devout in her own faith. Our next lesson with Sandra was also on the restoration. I felt the spirit so strongly while Sorella Forbes was telling the first vision. Afterwards we asked her how she felt, and she said "Meravigliosa!" (wonderful) She said she felt very peaceful and I know it was because she felt that what we were saying was true! I'm so excited to teach her again. 

I can't believe I have almost been here a month now! Christmas time in Milano is going to be so fun! All the Christmas decorations are going up, and I'm beginnng to see delicious panetones and other Christmas treats in the windows. Milano is a beautiful city. Do you remember the river Navigli, Mom? Sorella Forbes and I walk over it every day. :) It's getting pretty chilly too! Last night was particularly cold, especially standing outside ringing citofonos all evening. But don't worry, I have nice warm boots, tights, and plenty to bundle up in! I really love being here in the same ward as President and Sister Wolfgram! We get to see them almost every week. Yesterday Sister Forbes and I got to go to consiglio at the mission home with all the zone leaders in the mission and the mission president. It was so cool to be part of the planning for the mission, and also to eat Sorella Wolfgram's delicious food! 

Well, it's about time for me to sign off. I hope I'm not forgetting anything important. I'm so happy to be a missionary and see how this gospel really changes people's lives and their families! It's such a special experience to be a part of the converting process and see how the Holy Ghost testifies of the truth as we teach about the restoration of Christ's church today. I know that it's true!! I love you all and hope you have a great start to the Christmas season! Vi voglio bene!

Love,

Sorella Lyman