Conferenza generale! - Vicenza, Italy

Ciao!

I don't have tons of time today but what a great week and what a great place! I love Italy more and more everyday. Most of the messages we shared with members and less actives and our one awesome investigator was this: GENERAL CONFERENCE IS AMAZING AND GET EXCITED TO WATCH IT! These are the talks that I read this week and that touched my heart the most:

"More diligent and concerned at home" by Elder Bednar

"An high priest of good things to come" by Elder Holland

"The women in our lives" by President Hinckley

"My peace I leave with you" by President Eyring

I love you all and I'm sorry I won't be able to write more to you lovely people! You all mean so much and I love you! Enjoy conference!! 

Love, 

Sorella McConkie  

p-day fun

p-day fun

The patriarch and his wife

The look on my face when my trainer told me that from now on,
I would be making all the phone calls in Italian

Pday views

Pday views

Pday views

Inviting to English class!

painting faces of the little kids at a ward activity

painting faces of the little kids at a ward activity

Ciao from Vicenza! - Vicenza, Italy

Ciao friends and fam!

It's been another great week here in Italia. Sorella Tullis continues to be an incredible trainer and we are having so many fun times and miracles! Here are some highlights from this week. 

First, we have started a project with ward members that we are so excited about. Every Saturday night, we are going to go to members houses and make rosemary bread from this easy recipe we have. Instead of then eating the bread with them, we share a small spiritual thought with them about the sacrament and its importance and then they bring the bread to be used for sacrament the next day! We have only done it once so far but it is so fun. When we introduce the idea to any family they get so excited! We have little kids running up to us in church now and saying "Sisters! When are you coming to make bread at our house!" It also makes Sundays way more special. I don't think I realized until my mission how important the sacrament is. God has given us the opportunity to hit restart each week as we think about Christ and what he has done for us. We hope that this will continue to be a fun tradition for both the American and Italian wards that we are working with! 

My second favorite part of this week was Scambio (exchanges) in Verona. At one point I was walking around with my Sister training leader Sorella Richards and realized, "Holy Canoli, I'm in VERONA. How did I get called to the most beautiful mission on the planet??" And it really is. Italy is gorgeous. We were handing out Book of Mormon flyers and happened to walk past Juliet's balcony! How cool! 

In Verona, my most memorable experience was with a member. What a sweetheart. She told us about how distraught she is that the world is in so much chaos. As I bore my testimony at the end in my still broken Italian, I started to tear up telling her that with time and faith, God will bless people with happiness. It is often hard to be happy. Many people feel so sad and scared about the misery in this world, but a scripture in Mosiah 2 has given me a lot of comfort since talking with her. It says:

41 And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness. O remember, remember that these things are true; for the Lord God hath spoken it.

I know this to be true. As we continue to be faithful, storms will pass and happiness will be ours. 

I LOVE YOU ALL!! Happy Wednesday!

Love, 

Sorella McConkie 

Here are some photos of my exchange to Verona. It was so much fun!

Juliet's balcony that we passed just by chance

finding buildings with no door 

with Sorella Richard's my STL

Verona

Verona

Helping a family in the ward make bread for sacrament meeting

Some bright happy moments with Sorella Tullis:)

Some bright happy moments with Sorella Tullis ,including tramp jumping

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

Some bright happy moments with Sorella Tullis:)

First Week in Italy - Vicenza, Italy

Lots of firsts...

First meeting

Sorella Johnson and Sorella McConkie

First meal in Vicenza

First mozzarella ball

Vicenza!

This picture is from our balcony. We have 3 balconies! 

Contacting spaces

Riding Bikes
Sorella Tullis and Sorella McConkie

spending time with a cute member named Lisa

muesli

finding a members house

Did I mention we're whitewashing into Vicenza?? 

And this is a picture in Venice. Yep.
We went to Venice on our way to district meeting. Holy canoli.

Traveling to Italy!

Some documentation of traveling for 33 hours! 

Sorella McConkie and Sorella Nelson

Last Pics of the MTC - Provo, Utah MTC

Sorella Russell my awesome MTC teacher

Last night with my MTC district

Flowers from mom

Girls in my group with Sorella Russell

Our last night in the MTC. we took a picture the first night that looks the same:) 

That first night for comparison's sake (notice the dork dots)

Packing Day - Provo, Utah MTC

Hello Everyone! 

Today is packing day because we leave for Italia on Tuesday (ah!) so this email is helping me break up the stressful bits of the day that include me stuffing things into a suitcase. This week was fun but very eye opening as we all realized that we are all leaving the MTC this week. 

All the Sisters in my zone celebrating one of our
Sister's temporary assignment to Washington while
she waits for her Visa for 6 weeks:) 

We had in field orientation yesterday, which was where we listened to 9 hours of lectures on how to contact, work with members, find people and basically how to be a missionary! We were all exhausted by the end but I'm grateful for the things that we learned during those meetings. 

In Field Orientation

Another fun moment of this week was when we got to Host the new missionaries! Sorella Johnson and I and the rest of the people from my district were asked to spend a few hours on Wednesday and welcome in all the people that were new to the MTC. My job was to stand in the new buildings and help people get to the right classrooms.

Hosting badges with Sorella Johnson

Even though I've been here for 5 and a half weeks, I still feel like a baby missionary (Probably because I am) but it was so odd to be the one helping these wide eyed elders and sisters. My running motto for the past week has been "fake it till you make it" and this felt like that. I did my best to smile and tell them that they were doing so great! One sister came down the hallway by herself with her room number in hand and her eyes filled with tears. When I asked her if she was feeling ok, she said she was but that the day had already shuffled out a lot of emotions. I gave her a big hug and she continued to be teary for a minute. I'm really grateful for the MTC, but I'm also really grateful that I don't have to do the first day here ever again. I don't have a prepared spiritual thought for you all today, but I do encourage you all to go and hug someone today who needs it. A lot of people have taken the time to help me here by just listening or letting me have a sad moment or giving me a big hug (Only sisters of course). Just letting someone know you're there for them makes their burden a little lighter:) 

I love all of you very much and hope you have a great weekend!

Love always, 

Sorella McConkie