Nov. 27th: Conceptions of God

Buon giorno!!

Hey everyone! Tomorrow's Thanksgiving!! Last year I celebrated thanksgiving Italian style at Fratelli la Bufola with Sorella Forbes. It was soooo good. This year I actually got to have a full out American thanksgiving thanks to the awesome senior couples in Verona! We had turkey, stuffing, mashed potatos, green beans, fruit salad, cranberry sauce, and other delicious things that I can't remember. And then there was apple and pumpkin pie for desert and persimmon cheesecake! Has anyone ever heard of that? I never had until I got to Italy (it's called kaki here) but apparently it exists in America too. It was SO GOOD!!

Other things that happened this week... I don't know, I just think I've had some different realizations of how people actually conceive God. This past Monday we were having a lesson with a less active family in Bussolengo and a couple of their relatives were over. I was talking to one of them, testifying about how God knows and loves him personally. Right after I said that one of the ladies immediately disagreed with me saying that God doesn't love him personally because he hadn't done anything to show his love for Him. Well, that comment kind of shocked me. I couldn't really understand how someone could think that. I've grown up my whole life believing and knowing that God loves us personally, one, because there are plenty of scriptures to back it up (Alma 7:11-13), and two, because I've felt it for myself. So it kind of made me really sad to know that there are people who don't have that conception. It's now one of my goals to make sure I testify of that more often because that is the most fundamental principle of the Gospel of Jesus Christ! 

There's another less active that I really just love. Right now she is living in a special home and is having some health problems. Every time we go over to teach her I feel the spirit so strongly and the pure love of God. Part of it's because she has that love so strongly within herself. It's so special for me to be able to talk with people about the gospel and testify to them that God loves them! I left there on Sunday feeling pure joy because we were able to buoy her up through the gospel. It was a reminder to me that serving others will bring us more joy than anything else in this life! 

I hope you all have a deliciously wonderful thanksgiving and that you enjoy and share in all the love and goodness that's around you. :)

LOVE,

Sorella Lyman

My birthday with a sign that says 11-15!!!

Huge Christmas tree in Verona!

Fall greetings from Sorella Willis and Sorella Lyman! :)

Thanksgiving! I'm making a weird face. :P

Happy Birthday Sorella Lyman!!!!!

Buon Giorno a tutti!

Here we are again, another p-day, another email. They just keep coming and coming and I feel like I don't even know where all the days go. It's a good thing I got a journal because half the time I don't even remember what happened yesterday! But I'm happy to report that this last week has gone swimmingly (that's one of my favorite words, and I don't know why). 

First of all, Friday was my birthday! I woke up to Sorella Acerson making me banana pancakes with peanut butter, whipped cream, and Aunt Jemima syrupe. A little taste of home! Both Sorella Acerson and Sorella Gross made me a beautiful birthday crown out of a cereal box and there were two huge balloons that made the number 23. I'm a little sad not to be 22 anymore since I was on the mission for the entire time being that age! Best year of my life! I'm sure this one will be good too. :)

Sorella Willis and I have been busy this week helping out with two zone trainings here in Verona and in Bergamo. We were asked to give a presentation for each of the zones on a new little "adjusting to missionary life" booklet that they recently came out with. It went pretty well, I think. It was my first time, really, speaking in front of a large group of people (besides talks in sacrament meeting) and it went better than I thought. I actually rather enjoyed it! I'd better get used to it since I'll probably be doing it for the rest of my life. 

Also on Friday I had a scambio with Sorella Hallum from Bergamo. On that scambio we decided to pass by a less active who we had been going to pass by for quite some time. This is actually another person that Mom told me to track down from the list of people she knew here in Verona. Well, every time we had gone to this particular palazzo we rang the citofono twice but no one would ever answer. This time with Sorella Hallum we went through the same routine, rang it twice, and nothing. I wasn't sure what to do , and eventually we decided to write her a note and leave it in her mailbox. Meanwhile a postman guy came up and rang a citofono to deliver a package. I didn't pay attention to which one it was. Still nothing, so he pulled away to leave. But right as he was driving away an elderly lady walked out. He got pretty annoyed with her, saying she needed to answer the door when people rang it, gave her the package, and left. We were still standing there so she asked who she was looking for. I said the name and she said "that's me!" I was shocked! We talked with her for a little bit, got her number, and will hopefully going to see her again. For me it was a testimony that God answers prayers because right before going there I had said a little prayer in my heart that this time she would answer the door. And she did after about 10 minutes! :)

I love you all sooooo much. I hope you have a fantastic week and always count your blessings. :)

con tanto amore,

Sorella Lyman

Editor's Note: Sorella Lyman hasn't sent us pictures in awhile, so let's flashback to this one from January!

30 Years Later

Ciaoabunga!

Well, I have another amazing miracle for you all this week. As you all know, Mom served 30 years ago here in Verona. Well, when I first arrived here she sent me a list of all the contacts she had in her mission address book with a description of what she remembered of all of them. One of them we found on our records who we are still trying to contact. Another we were able to locate her address on the map and yesterday decided to go and see if she was still around. We pulled up to her house which is up a HUGE hill on the outskirts of Verona. The doorway itself definitely looked 30 years old. We went up to the citofono (intercom) and pretty quickly I spotted the name that we were looking for. We rung her up and a few moments later a lady picked up and said "chi è?" We explained who we were, she told us her floor and let us right up! I was pretty ecstatic. We went up to her door and discovered that it is the same lady that Mom knew and taught 30 years ago, and she remembers her very well! Since that time there has been another companionship of missionaries who came to teach her around 1995. She loves the church and the Book of Mormon and we had a beautiful lesson with her talking about the Plan of Salvation. All the words rang so true to all of us and she really wants to believe that it's all true. Especially now, since her husband has since passed away from when Mom was here in Verona. I am just so amazed at how blessed I am to serve in this same city and meet some of the same people who are now hopefully more prepared to receive and accept the gospel! 

That experience is really the highlight of this week. We've managed to stay dry and are looking forward to some pretty amazing miracles coming up. I just want you all to know that I know without any shadow of changing in my heart or mind that this gospel is true. It's all really about the choice we make to choose the light through the great mediator (Christ), or to choose not to believe and follow the adversary. (2 Nephi 2:27) Once we choose to follow Christ in everything we do we will receive the knowledge, hope, and happiness that we all long for in this life. 

I love you all so much. Un baccione grande! 

con tanto tanto amore,

Sorella Lyman