Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Snow in Italy


A surprising six inches and still snowing according to Kayla. I guess it is a little unusual and her companions first experience of so much snow, so they are building a snowman on p-day! She is from California. It made the holidays seem like home for Kayla. She had a great Christmas and even had the chance to go see the Forgotten Carols performed in Italian. She loved it! The holidays aren't quite over yet she tells a little about them:

There is a couple of huge celebrations at the new year. First, the day before new years, then new years, the day after (3 days to get over the hangover;) and the the 6th is what is called Befana. Its a tradition that no one really knows where it originates but the jist is this...an old woman who looks like a witch helped the wise men find baby Jesus and somehow the tradition of stockings full of candy for the good kids and coal for the bad is incorporated. Its crazy, but Barbara our investigater gave us one after dinner last night!

Did I tell you that Lorenzo Snow served here in Torino too? Yep! He didicated the work for Italy on Mount Brigham which is in my area and if i'm here in the spring (hope so!) we can go see it! Read his story if you get a chance because the people and the area haven't changed a bit.

I love the Be Bold pins!
(our Bishop Ashton handed these out last year to the members in our ward and issued us a challenge to be bold and share the gospel) If you read about Amulek and Alma in the Book of Mormon, they were the BOLDEST missionaries I have ever heard. Sometimes the people only get a split second chance to hear the gospel, thats why we talk to as many people as possible. But, if you think about it too much as a missionary it starts to weigh on you and you start to get a little discoraged. So, the trick is to use it as an inspiration to talk to everyone you can and if you can't talk to some people, thats when you little brother gets sent on his mission to catch the ones you missed!;) But seriously, even at home, use it as inspiration. The end is near, but that doesn't mean we have to run around all crazy like, just be steady and constant at working toward good. Thats what I do! Yesterday we (companion) and I were talking about stuff like this. The mission is like a mirror. We see everything we like and don't like about ourself from our eyes and from our companions and we get the chance to repent and change the things we don't like and improve what we do. I have learned alot about me and frankly, I drive me nuts sometimes! But I've learned more of my talents and the things Heavenly Father has given me to work on and improve and become happier.

So this is just a little of her last email, and I think she sounds great! She is just too slow to send pictures to me! Hope you enjoy reading about Sorella Wilcox!!

3 comments:

ginger said...

I love Kayla. Her letters are so inspirational. How wonderful to mindfully spend your time constantly improving yourself and your relationship with our Savior. I'm proud of her....she makes me want to be a better person.

Annette said...

Love hearing about what Kayla is doing. There are still two pictures on there!!

Dolly said...

Hello to the Wilcox family! I'm friends with Ginger and Weston :) My son is serving in the Zurich, Switzerland Mission right now-very close by. (He's been out a whole year now). Thanks for show us her pictures! -Miss Dolly

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