December 16, 2009

Ciao a tutti!
Thanks for everyone who sent questions- it makes my letter-writing life much easier! If you think of anything else you want to know, just let me know. I’ll start off with answers this week.
The most surprising discovery I’ve made on my mission is what I can do with the Lord’s help. With Him, truly nothing is impossible. And without Him, everything is more difficult. The mission is definitely a humbling experience full of learning opportunities.
My favorite new story from the Book of Mormon? I’ve actually learned a lot from the war chapters in Alma. There are so many parallels between the physical war that the people fight, and the spiritual wars we have in our lives. When we follow the prophet, rely on our spiritual armor and trust in the Lord, we will always ultimately prevail.
Christmas décor in Italy... Everyone here has a Nativity set! But it’s not quite like the Nativity sets in the states. They go all out here and include villages of people and everything. It’s fun. Lots of people also have these really ugly Santas that hang from their balcony like they’re hanging on a rope. They’re not my favorite. As for Christmas treats- everyone eats either Panetone or Pandora. They’re the traditional Christmas cakes here. Pandora is pretty good. Yes, the kids visit Santa. He was in town the other day taking pictures with the kids by some horses and Santa’s sleigh. It was cute.

Who has had the biggest impact on me on my mission here? I have learned so much from so many wonderful people, so that’s a tough one. I would probably have to say Nertil, though. He is so amazing! Before he even knew about the Gospel, he lived all of the commandments and he has such a sincere, pure faith. He is one of the most amazing examples of living in the world but not of the world. He cares way more about spiritual things than temporal things. He’s so amazing!
So, as for news here in Cagliari, Susan’s getting married!!!! She officially has all the documents she needs and is getting married January 1! We’re SO excited! Because then she’s getting baptized the 3rd! She’s really excited, too. She can’t wait to get baptized. She’s finished all of the lessons and her testimony just keeps growing every day. She is going to be such a great member. We’re going to have a wedding party for her.
We started meeting with Odion last week. She got baptized two weeks ago. She was taught by the elders and now we’re teaching her the new member lessons. She’s incredible! She is only 24, and she really wants to go on a mission! Her blessing when she got confirmed was all about missionary work and getting married in the temple. It was so beautiful! She is wonderful. She only has one day off a week, and she wants to spend it helping us do missionary work!
Ilaria and Alfredo are doing fantastic! They want to stop smoking! We’re going to start the stop smoking program with them next time we see them. And they even mentioned that they want to get married. They love the Gospel. Alfredo even prayed last week during our lesson! He normally refuses to pray out loud in front of people, but this time he did it. It was a huge step for him. It was so cute, because Ilaria helped him. At the end, he just said Amen when he was done, and she whispered in his ear "You have to say, In the name of Jesus Christ, and THEN amen." It was super cute! We talked about baptism yesterday with them. They are working towards it and we hope to set a firm date with them soon. We are all going to fast together this week to help them find work. They are so great how seriously they are taking their fast. Afterwards, we’re going to bake a cake together to celebrate their first time fasting. We love them!
Less-active Susan is doing very well. She comes to church every week now and loves the lessons. Unfortunately, Caterina hasn’t been able to come with her. They both live at a place run by nuns, and when the nuns found out that Caterina was meeting with us, they said she either had to stop or they would kick her out, leaving her homeless. It breaks my heart. She needs a lot of prayers right now that we can find a solution. She is making so much progress!
We met Roberta again this week. She’s so cute! I don’t know if I mentioned her last week or not. She’s 14. She’s the daughter of an ex-communicated member, and the two of them come to church every week, but Roberta’s never been baptized. She took the lessons awhile ago, then lost interest, but has been meeting with us again recently. She’s so adorable! Her mom’s not in the picture, and she adores Sister Nelson and I and soaks up any ounce of affection we give her. Every time she’s near us, she won’t let us go. She is praying to know if she should get baptized. She has a lot of doubts, which we don’t blame her because of her family life situation. But she’s a great girl!
The work is going well here in Cagliari. I can’t believe Christmas is almost here! I am so grateful to spend another Christmas season as a missionary. I know my mom doesn’t like it, but it’s the best way to celebrate Christmas! I love my Savior Jesus Christ so much! One of the best parts of being a missionary during the holidays is how much we get to focus on the Savior. I love the little film on the lds.org page. I encourage you all to watch it and think of how you can better remember the true meaning of this season.
Vi voglio tanto bene!
Sorella Hawkey