Women of Action!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Here's a part of a hand-written letter that Sorella Maero sent last week. Enjoy!

My mission is just as hard as everyone said it would be. Some days or moments can be really tough. Some investigators drop us. Sometimes we have to drop investigators. Sometimes we get doors slammed in our faces or people say, “No. I’m not interested” in response to us merely saying, “Hello.” But thanks to an inspiring district meeting and many long talks with my companion about the work and who we want to be, we have decided to be bold and to be women of action!

One night my companion and I went out looking for an inactive family. All we had was an old address and a desire to invite them back, to come unto Christ. When we came to the street, the address didn’t exist. We looked all around for it but it was just not there. This address was very detailed saying a specific staircase letter and everything. We asked around but no one could tell us anything. The street, for the most part, contained a giant wall without apartments. So, in our confusion, we decided to just leave. We walked past the end of the street after circling the block and, as we looked down the street for the last time, my companion and I both suddenly stopped and stood there in silence. The spirit was prompting me to go back and I knew it was the same for my companion because at the same time we said, “Let’s go back one more time.” We walked up to another door on the same street but with a totally different number. As we looked at the giant index of people that lived there we saw her last name. We didn’t know if it was them, though, because this last name is like a Smith or Jones in America. We didn’t want to just buzz them, so when a man opened the building, we let ourselves in. As we went up the floors, we joked that it would be nice if there were a Greg Olson painting on the door or something so we would know for sure.

The buildings here are very old and confusing. Numbers and names don’t always happen on the doors here, so sometimes we just wander around trying to guess whose door is whose. Anyway, as we were getting closer, I was thinking to myself, “I am a woman of action!” “I am getting in that door!” We got to the door that we thought could be the right one and then said a prayer. We rang the doorbell and a woman opened the door. She started speaking really fast, which was by cue that she knew us. I walked right past her and started commenting on her home and asking her how she was doing. We talked with her for awhile, inviting her and her family to come back, getting her number for future appointments and leaving her with Elder Holland’s most recent conference talk that we had printed off for her in Italian. As we left my companion and I were so happy. We got to see the Lord’s hand in the work leading us to her home, and we got to be WOMEN of ACTION!
Another time we got to be women of action was last Sunday. During the first hour of church, we noticed that our new members were there but none of our investigators were. So, as Gospel principles class was starting, my companion and I and two other elders grabbed our coats and scarves and headed out the door. The other elders stayed for Gospel Principles class with our new members, while the rest of us four decided to take action. As we were walking out the door of the church, a member called out to us (in Italian, of course) “Where are you going?” So I yelled out, “TO FIND THE ELECT!” for the next hour we did “house to house” and several streets where, thanks to a sudden rain storm, we met Antonio. We were able to teach and testify to him.

We are WOMEN of ACTION! So now I challenge you, all of you. Our purpose as missionaries is to invite people to come unto Christ. And, as we all know in this church, EVERY MEMBER A MISSIONARY! I challenge you to be a person of action! Invite non members to come unto Christ. If you are worried about offending them or coming off too strong or annoying, just remember that it is better to offend man than to offend God. Share the gospel!
In other news, Barbara Thompson will be here this evening to talk to the women of Italy and I am very excited for that. Also, stake conference is this Saturday and Sunday, and transfers are coming up Tuesday! (Just FYI note – Sorella Maero was not transferred!). We don’t know what we are doing for Thanksgiving yet…besides playing football and eating American food. We’ve been playing football a lot and I love it! I even have a bruise the size of a Clementine on my shin to show my battle wounds! I’m pretty proud of this bruise!
I should probably close this letter but, firsts, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Mom! Know that I love you all so much and that I would not be here where I am without you. Please take care of each other!

Love,
Sorella Maero

My Apartment in Roma

My most recent District.This apartment belonged to a lady who left it to the Church and they use it for missionaries assigned to our area.

Third Time Around in Roma 3

Ciao,

We got transfer calls last night. I will be staying here with Sorella Hughes for
our third transfer together! I'm super happy about this!

You should be getting that letter today or tomorrow with lots more news for my
blog.

I got your two envelopes with pictures in them, Mom. The cider came just in time
because my comp was feeling sick.

The work is going really good. We are trying to fill everyday with teaching
appointments and if we can't or they fall through, we do "finding" mostly
"house" and "bus" lately. We have seen some truly amazing miracles and we have
learned so many valuable lessons. I'll be sharing more in my letter.

Happy Birthday, Mom! I better run. Please know how much I love you and am
grateful for you. Take care! Oh, and I sent Dad something a couple of weeks ago.
Can you check and see if he got it? I'm a little worried about it!

Love you,
Sorella Maero

Keep Smiling!

Hey all! Just thought we'd share a hand-written letter from Amanda that my mom was kind enough to transcribe for us (sometimes Amanda's letters and tapes have A LOT more detail than her emailed letters). We really loved getting this one. Enjoy!

October 14, 2009

Ciao Mom,


I only have so much time to write, so I will write really fast and, hopefully, you will be able to read it! It is getting cooler here. We are already using scarves and feeling very European.

We have a new Italian family that we are teaching and are so very excited about! We taught just the mother, Monica, the first lesson and then her husband came in and asked us to come back and teach them more. While teaching the first lesson my companion likes to have me teach the first vision part. She knows that I struggle to say the memorized part. We memorize the actual vision so that we can use Joseph Smith’s words and so the spirit can be there. Anyway I have always struggled to recite that part without pausing or messing up. By now I should have it and my comp knows that so she has me do it to make sure I get better. Plus, we recite it to each other every morning.

So during the appointment, we got to that part and I looked Monica in the eyes and I started sharing the first vision with her in Joseph’s words (in Italian, or course). I was caught up in the spirit and I started to get tears in my eyes. I spoke from the heart because I know that it happened and that he was a prophet. She watched my face and smiled. Later in the lesson she commented that she loved how happy we were and that we had a light in our eyes. She turned to me and said, “Especially you. When you told me about the vision I could see it in your eyes and I felt something." We left that appointment so happy!

I’m grateful for my companion for helping me conquer my weaknesses.
This story leads me to the next subject I want to mention. Monica had not been the first person to say that there is something that could be seen in our eyes. People comment to us about it on the streets even. And when we say something we try to explain that it’s the light of Christ. The knowledge that we have that we would like to share with them. There is so much power in taking to heart and living what you believe. I’m so happy and apparently it shows. There is also a lot of power in a smile. We always try to smile at people, and they always react to it. Sometimes people look surprised or put off that we dare smile at them but, for the most part, they smile back. It’s beautiful to see their faces change from curiosity as to who we are to smiling in response. I love it. We all need to smile more and share the happiness that we have.

The other day while we were doing “Magic Bus,” we got off just as it started pouring! We were without umbrellas or jackets. We ran to a little pavilion for cover while waiting for our bus. The winds started to pick up and it got so cold. We huddled together and laughed about our situation. I started thinking about other storms in life and how the cold was going to change the missionary work. Then my companion yelled, “Here comes the sun!” We then sang together a verse from that song. While singing I yelled, “There’s a rainbow!” We stood there and watched the most beautiful rainbow that I have ever seen unfold before our eyes. It kept getting brighter and brighter and then, all of a sudden, there were two! A double rainbow! We then started talking about the power of God and the beauty in all that He has created. I felt uplifted, just like I always do when I turn to my Heavenly Father during the storms of life. We got on our next bus singing the baptismal song, “I like to look for rainbows whenever there is rain, and ponder on the earth made clean and pure again…”

Mom and whomever may read this, know that I love the Lord and (as President Monson once said,) I hope to always be found in His service. I am so grateful for this mission. I love you, Mom, and consider you to be an angel to me in my life and to others who know you. Keep smiling!

Love,
Sorella Maero

Update time...

Ciao Family,

I'm good. The baptism went really well. HURRAH FOR ISRAEL! Now we need to teach
him the follow up lessons and find a baptismal candidate for November. I think it was Elder Packer that said ideally members would find and missionaries would teach. The members are
doing great but we still need to do a lot of "finding" work. Everyday I leave
the house with a copy of The Book of Mormon in my hand. That way I will be
reminded to get straight to the point in a conversation and that I will remember
to give it out. We have had a few updates on the Temple but there is not a
ground breaking date yet that I know of. So, we need to find families. Families
will sustain the Church and the Temple here, so please pray that we will find,
teach and baptize families.

As for Halloween. I found and old jack-o-lantern basket thing in a cupboard and
so I put it out as our only decoration. We will be working all day with a
potential BBQ that night being thrown by the anziani and, of course, we'll invite
investigators. As for costumes, my companion and I found hideous old, worn out
missionary clothes in a closet that we are considering wearing. Really, these
things are bad. We might just wear them at our house so that we can be more
professional when we leave. I'm thinking of making some cookies, and that's
really it.

Last P-day we played football with the anziani and now we are starting to play
soccer with our investigators. During the football game I caught an interception
and the anziani would not and still haven't stopped teasing the one who was the
QB. I also was told to say that 'I took it for 6,' also known as a TD. Although
this might make it sounds like I can play football, don't be deceived.

I need to go but I have some other things that I really wanted to share with you
so I might have to send off a little letter.

I love you so very much! We are working hard everyday and doing our best. Take
care, and tell everyone HI for me and that I love them.

Sorella Maero

A week of "Firsts"...

Our church - we have a full ward. Our building is next to a doughnut/pastry shop and pizzeria.

Street Art
My first frog leg (and my last!)
Rome in the fall (it's getting cold!)

Out to dinner with the district and ready to "eat off of the table."

Wow, Mom, you got that letter fast! I got the first box that you sent me and I
just got some CDs in the mail today from you. I haven't opened it yet but it
say's CDs on the package. Thank you for your email with all of the details!

As for my week. It has been a week of firsts for me...

I gave my first talk in Church; it was on my conversion. I have shared my
testimony in the past but this was my first talk talk in Italian. I was so
nervous, but to help me out I asked one of the members to look over it and help
me with the grammar. Even though it was only five minutes and I had practiced it
and prepared it for days, I still couldn't help but get emotional as I told the
story. I am so grateful to be a member of the Church. It has made all of the
difference in my life, and I cannot nor will not deny the testimony that I have.
After I gave the talk I sat down and started shaking, either from the cold, the
nerves, or the emotion I'm not sure, but it was kind of funny.

I donated blood for the first time. If you remember, I have tried to donate in
the past but was turned away because of anemia. Well, this time I was given the
go ahead. We donated as a Zone and it was kind of funny to see how nervous some
of the Elders were. Bless their hearts. Only one Elder, a friend from the MTC,
turned green. As for me, another one of the elders talked to me the whole time
to keep me distracted. Just after getting hooked up the man walked away and my
arm started to hurt. I tried not to be a baby and was just going to deal with
it, but the pain was spreading. The elder noticed the funny face I was making
and asked if I was alright. I admitted that it was hurting really bad. He
whispered something to another elder who then took on the job of distracting me
with a very sad story of a little boy who had the bones of an 80 year old
because he drank too much caffeinated soda. Then the guy came back and he made
some adjustments to the tubes and the pain went away. When I asked what happened
they said that the machine and the numbers weren't doing what they were suppose
to and that they were going to negative numbers and such. In the end, all is
well and I am now not aloud to donate in America for 8 years.

On Monday I ate frog legs for the first time. I don't think that I will do it
again; they had no taste and the thought alone makes it not worth it.

I also ate polenta for the first time off the table. They make it and then
spread it on the table and add sauce and meat on top and then you eat it right
off the table. It was pretty good! I'll have to make it for you all when I get
home.

After learning about the boy and the caffeine, I decided to swear off soda.
Which led to the Elders challenging us Sisters to down these giant energy drinks
called Monsters. Unfortunately, I don't back down from challenges. So we did it.
It was disgusting and I got no energy whatsoever. In fact, I just got really
sleepy. I feel no need to ever drink an energy drink ever again.

As for other news, apparently Italy doesn't really have fall. It just gets
really cold. So now we are bundling up a ton. I bought a few sweaters, and I
have a scarfs and mittens and all that, so I am sure that I will survive this
winter.

I need to go. All is well with the work. My companion and I have turned our
focuses a little bit and are now really trying to discuss the Book Of Mormon
with everyone. I love this mission! Oh, and our investigator passed the
interview and will be baptized this Sunday!!!

Will you keep it in your prayers that we (and all missionaries) will be able to
find families?

I need to go. I love you so much and I am so grateful for all that you do. Take
care and give all of the fam my love.

Sorella Maero

Staying in Roma 3

Ciao Family,

We got transfer calls. I will be staying here in Roma 3 with Sorella Hughes, Anziano Helding with Anziano Smith (I served with him in my first location), and Anziano Coombs with Anziano Ehorn (I don't know him yet).


We have a baptism this transfer and some other great things happening with investigators. We are really excited for this baptism because we will have seen the whole process.

I love all of the photos of the kiddos! They are so darn cute!!! I miss them so much! I can see both Maika and Noa in Kai. Malia is gorgeous and has trouble written all over her face! Anziani Helding thinks that Linds is hot! Haha!! What's new? Even as a mother of 4 she is still hot!

I'm healthy and happy! Conference was amazing. I hope that I can always watch conference with missionary eyes. It was so good; the spirit was so strong. I had written down a few questions that I need answered beforehand and I received the answers to all of my questions plus many other things that I needed to hear. Two of our investigators came to conference, and so me and Sorella Hughes were beaming with joy. I felt that the overall messages where about service and love. My message to whomever might be reading this blog is to GO Out and Serve Someone.

Thanks, Mom, for the brownie mixes. Do you know that I can't find hardly any American type food items here and brownies don't even exist to Italians.

MOM, be sure to email your new email addresses to the mission home!!! Can you send me a copy of the Conference talks when the Ensign comes out? I'm way sad that I didn't get to see Sunday afternoon session (it was too late for us to be out in Italy).

I have to go. I love you all so much!

Tell Metta HAPPY BIRTHDAY from me and that I love her! Do you have her home address???

Love,

Sorella Maero

Little Update...

Me and Metts!!

Baptism

Can you find the missionaries?

Trevi Fountain

Anziani

This one is for Anziano Helding's family!

Our District

View from the top.

Me at the Vatican

Close-ups!

Because of the time crunch I will read your emails later and just write to you
now.

All is well. We are healthy and happy and working really hard. (Oh, and the
space bar on this computer doesn't really work today.)

The biggest news is that we have a baptism coming up of a young man that Sorella
Hughes and I found and have been teaching. HURRAH FOR ISRAEL! Also, we have a
bunch of other contacts and investigators that we are loving working with. In
other news transfers are coming up and I am hoping to stay here with Sorella
Hughes for another one.

I got all of your boxes and love notes. I love you so much, Mom and Linds...and
family. Thank you for all that you do! Thank you for sending me my cardis, I've
already worn them a ton.

Fun fact: It is almost impossible to find real baking brown sugar here...fyi

I'm so excited for Conference. We get to watch the Relief Society session and
the first 3 sessions of Conference. The last session will be on too late. If you
could send me a Conference Ensign when it comes out, that would be great. Oh,
and Mom and Linds I am nearly done with a tape for you. I will send it off
tomorrow, probably. Then I will next make one for Dad.

Anziano Romero was transferred out to the island last week. Anziano Coombs
replaced him here. They overlapped here for 3 days. I will miss Anziano Romero.
We called him 'our Mexican' and he loved it because he was all about Mexico
pride. We are all feeling the loss but we know that he is doing amazing things
as 'the Branch President's (a missionary) wife.' As we call it. Both him and
Anziani Coombs are friends of mine from the MTC.

I'm going to hit "send now" so at least this all goes off to you!

I love you!

Sorella Maero

Letter From Metts

Buon giorno! Yesterday we had a chance to meet up with Sorella Maero and her companion Sorella Hughes in Rome. It was an early start to the day for us, but it was well worth getting up early to make it from Florence to Rome by mid day. We met at the main train station in Rome, and it felt like it hadn't been much time at all since we saw Sorella Maero into the MTC in January. Everything is still the same about her, but she is definitely more radiant, confident, and independent, and it was so great to see her boldly approach people on the streets in Italian and help us navigate around the town.

Because it was their Preparation day, we had the blessing of taking a few hours out for site seeing and lunch together. We went to the colosseum, and the Sisters told us as much as they remembered about ancient history from their earlier visits to Rome. Both had visited the city prior to their missions. Then we found a great restaurant in a side street, and ordered the yummiest pizzas and pasta. Being with Sorella Maero and Sorella Hughes was honestly one of our best days yet of our trip, and that is saying a lot. They seemed to make a great companionship, and we immediately took to Sorella Hughes even though we had just met her.

After winding our way past the Trevi Fountain where we threw coins over our shoulder, we had gelato that melted quicker than we could eat it, and made a video of Sorella Maero sharing her testimony in Italian, and a message of her for the family. We will try to get those out within the week. Hearing her share her testimony in Italian was a spiritual experience for us, and we just felt that even though she says she still struggles with the language, if she can just share that testimony simply and with confidence and sincerity, she is just going to be the best missionary out there! She is happy, motivated, having fun, and we felt it was a small privilege to catch a glimpse of one of the best experiences of her life.

Keep it up Sorella Maero! We love you and are rooting for you every day!

A Surprise Visit

Hey there! Just want to give you the scoop. Our dearest friend, Metta (actually she's more like a calabash sister - we all grew up together since we were about four - she even lived in our home with us and her mother for a few years) and her husband, Marcos are traveling through Europe right now and made a stop in Rome, Italy. They got permission from the Mission Pres. to visit Amanda on her P-day! We are so beyond happy for them and just a bit jealous!!

Hi Mom!

I just got back to my little nook of Roma after hanging out with Metta and
Marcos. I love them! It was such a surprise to hear that they were going to be
in town and that I was going to get to see them! I guess in the past other
people were not allowed to visit or see missionaries so I am very fortunate that
I got the ok! We saw a few sights that they will tell you about and then we had
a yummy lunch followed by gelato, sempre, and then they took some video of me
talking to you all. I can’t wait for you all to see it in a few weeks! They were
so sweet to us and they just looked so happy, and well, I LOVED SEEING THEM! It
didn’t make me trunkie though. It actually made it feel like ‘oh, the next 9
months will fly by.’ Yep, that’s right, I am coming up on my half point since I
will be coming home in June.

Anywho, this week has been jam packed. I saw a very interesting Orthodox
Romanian Catholic baptism, which actually frightened me a little because they
dunked the baby all the way into the water and then the baby started crying, for
lack of a better phrase, ‘bloody murder.’ After that we went to a dinner with
traditional Romanian food, it was good! Especially this mushroom thing that we
had. The next day was our baptism. That’s right, our investigator was
baptized!!! HURRAH FOR ISRAEL! It was beautiful and sweet, and I know that I
will never forget that special day. The next day, Monday, we went to a Catholic
funeral. The mother of our Bishop passed away, so all of us missionaries went to
support the family. It too was very different. Also, this last week we had Zone
Conference, which I always love because of the spiritual enlightenment that I
receive. I got to see some friends and I finally got my mail! It had been nearly
a month and a half since I last got my mail.

Dad – I loved your tapes and your little note. I will try to get a tape off to
you soon!
Brooke- I love you and will write back in the next few weeks… still, can’t
believe that you are in Boston. You are so brave!
Austin W. – Thank you for your letter and your stubs! I would love to write back
to you, but you did not leave a return address for me to do so… plus, I don’t
even know if you read this blog so to those that do, please pass this message
along!
Chris- I finally got your birthday package… in September! Haha. Anyway I loved
the pandas, pictures and everything. Thank you.

Oh, and I cut my hair… only the dead ends though! No crazy sister missionary
chop. I have seen a lot of sights since I have been here and we have done a lot
of work. I’m loving being a missionary.

I love you!

Sorella Maero