I Want To Believe

Ciao,

Okay this week was wilder than most! I forgot to mention last week that all but one of our investigators has plummeted off the face of the earth, so this week we have been trying to rebuild! We actually were able to plant a lot of seeds this week, and talk to a lot of wonderful people. We saw a lot of potentials we hadn't seen in a while, like we just randomly ran into them! So that was awesome. One miracle was, this woman who is pretty vecchio but still comprehensible who does indexing all the time wants to see us again! She called the member who referred her to us and told her she wanted to see us again so we are stoked!!! We haven't been able to see her in a while because she threw her back out and then her husband was in the hospital so she has been pretty crazy busy, but now wants to see us again! Woot woot.

Another miracle, that gAve me a lot more faith in humanity, was when we were on the good old l'autobus and right when we get on... We see a man who is always wildly intoxicated, and yet still conscious enough to always ALWAYS recognize Sorella Holiday. Anyways, he started singing to her and saying some inappropriate things and so the bus driver just stopped the bus in between stops, and told him that if he was going to say those kinds of things he should get off. So then the guy was quiet for a minute and then he started yelling and going off at the bus driver. But then the bus driver stopped the bus again, and we sat there for a minute, and then like four police officers showed up and escorted him off the bus. And we just happened to be on the bus at that time. I think it just goes to show God cares about us. Like, a lot. And also, bus drivers are awesome! (Most of the time.) 

One more thing that happened, was we went and sang to some elderly people yesterday with our ward choir. And gosh, old Italians are soooooo cute!!! I want one. One of them was like "ciao Bella" and pinched and kissed my cheeks, as per usual, but then she just started jabbering in Italian that I had no idea what it was supposed to mean, but it was cute. And we gave out book of Mormons to them, and one lady got one, looked at it, and was just like "oh yes, this is wonderful!" And then she was holding it in her arms really close to herself and it was so cute!! It just made me remember how precious this life is. How we are truly here to feel joy. And if we never felt tragedy, or pain, or had opposition, we could never know joy. Truly. We could never know what true happiness ever felt like. And it's because of Jesus Christ that we get to have this opportunity. Even when life feels lonely, or you feel like maybe your choices don't really matter, or you don't think you're good enough to change, keep going. Have hope. Things will turn around. He will never forsake you. Even if you have forsaken him. He gave everything he had so we could have everything he had. Come back to him. Ask him to help you, and he will. It's never too late. You don't have to carry all that pain and all those burdens, because he already has! So don't take his sacrifice for granted, let him heal you! 

This is something especially I am trying to do. It's difficult at times to ask for help, or to even admit we need help. But I couldn't do even an hour of this, serving a mission, if I did not have the Lord's help. I cannot tell you how many times I have prayed for him to just take things from me that I felt like were crushing me, and he has, every single time. He has not let me down, and I know he never will. We have to remember we can't do this without him. Every day we have to thank him for helping us get through yesterday and then we have to ask him to help us with today, and eventually tomorrow. But we can make it. With the Lord, we always will. 

Also, I have been in Italia for two months yesterday!!!! FOrZA ItALIA and we get a new mission president tomorrow!!! We get to meet him in Roma on Wednesday with Rome West and Napoli!!! It will be so legit. Anyways, keep being lovely people and have a great week! 

"There is no magic to belief. But wanting to believe is the necessary first step! God is no respecter of persons. He is your Father. He wants to speak to you. However, it requires a little scientific curiosity--it requires an experiment upon the word of God--and the exercise of a “particle of faith.” It also takes a little humility. And it requires an open heart and an open mind. It requires seeking, in the full meaning of the word. And, perhaps hardest of all, it requires being patient and waiting upon the Lord. If we make no effort to believe, we are like the man who unplugs a spotlight and then blames the spotlight for not giving any light."- President Dieter F. Uchtdorf 

Well, I hope all of you have a lovely week!!! Also, the humidity and heat here is INSANE. We are dying haha. Our fire alarm went off this morning when we were doing dishes! That is how hot it is. Hot enough for the heat our house and hot water to set the fire alarm off! Haha good times. 

Vi voglio bene!!! 

Sorella Jarnagin 

Ciao,

This week was crazy and actually included a lot of strange miracles.
We went to Roma for specialized training and we stayed with the Rome 1
Sorelle and we had.... Tacos! Complete with cheddar cheese and sour
cream, two very rare items here! And it was quite the adventure trying
t get to them, but we made it! And specialized training was great. I
will miss the Waddoups so much but they are being replaced by a great
couple! We are very excited to have the Pickerds next.

Today for PDAy we got to spend it with Alex, the daughter of our
lovely investigator Lavinia who had to move to England for a job
there. Alex is the kindest and sweetest human being of all time. I
love her with my soul and really hope she comes to desire to know the
gospel. Piano piano, as always.

Also, I am about 86 percent sure it was Father's Day yesterday... So
happy Father's Day to all the awesome dads out there. You're great,
keep it up. 🎉🎉🎉

Yesterday we got to meet with a member , Sorella Conforte. And she
served in the Rome mission back when there were four missions in
Italy. She told us some way crazy stories about her mission and
inspired the exhaustion right outta me and Sorella Holiday. We were
floored by how passionate she was as a missionary and just in general.
She has a daughter who is preparing for a mission and so it was fun to
hear all about it. She was one feisty Sorella.


Okay, well I had a really great rest of an email but my iPad is having
a midlife crisis. So just remember to be happy writing the story, and
don't just focus so much on that happy ending that you forget the
middle, okay?

9 And the world, because of their iniquity, shall judge him to be a
thing of naught; wherefore they scourge him, and he suffereth it; and
they smite him, and he suffereth it. Yea, they spit upon him, and he
suffereth it, because of his loving kindness and his long-suffering
towards the children of men. 1 Nephi 19:9

Love,

Sorella Jarnagin

What To Do When Miracles Are Walking Down Your Street

Ciao tutti, 

This week was quite something I'll tell you that! We had a lot of lows and downs and even lower lows but you know what? It's got to get worse before it can get better. And I always hated that saying, because it sounds as if no hope could possibly be found in it, but there is truth to it, I must admit. We have to pass through that refiner's fire before we can be made into who and what God wants us to be. 

I have been continually trying to keep that grateful heart that never falters, just as Nephi had. Although I am nowhere near as mighty or righteous or impactful as Nephi was and is, I am doing my best to be a little better each day. Because I can do hard things! We all can! And after we accomplish them, we must always remember to thank Heavenly Father for giving us that strength to do so. For telling us and showing us by providing a way for us to achieve those great heights we always wish to reach, but sometimes lack the effort necessary to get there. For example, Sorella Holiday and I were doing our morning run up this wildly gruesome hill to a cross on a hill near our house. And we had sweated and did our best to get to the top. Made it. Rested. Run the entire way back down, were only a block from home, when we realized we had left our keys on that cross. 

All. 

The. 

Way. 

Up. 

There. 

And so, somewhat mystified at what had just occurred, we quickly turned back around, sweated and pushed ourselves and made it back up that same hill again, reached the cross once again, and ran back down. And while on the way back down, Sorella Holiday said "remember how you wanted to run it twice this week?" And then we both just laughed. Because that was our goal. And we would not have reached that goal had we not ran it twice that morning. 

And this got me thinking... The Lord provides a way for you to meet goals. He does. He provides a way for you to reach the point you want to reach. To reach your divine potential. And maybe, that way, is a little (or a lot) uncomfortable. It's not what you planned for, and it seems tedious. But it is still a way. And that way makes us stronger. More humble. And it helps us look and realize all he does for us everyday for things to make us happy. For things to work out. He has the whole picture. We can only see a few feet ahead, so we must trust him, and not complain or stress or whine about why his way was so hard, when really, it is the most beneficial. He blesses us for following it. Sometimes we just have to open our eyes and see it. Even if it means your legs are twice as sore the next day.

Something else that happened only an hour ish ago. Was, we saw our simp Lavinia who is moving to England tomorrow!! We have been trying to see her to salute her for about four days, but she hasn't been responding, because her phone ran out of credit. So we were just walking after getting off the bus, heading to the church to email, when there she was with her daughter even, who we have been trying and trying to meet as well! And we got to say bye to her and meet her daughter. It was the most tender mercy in the history of ever maybe! We both prayed so hard to see her. But God had just been saving that lovely miracle for us just up ahead. 

I know that Heavenly Father hears our prayers. He is not just passively listening, from afar, picking and choosing which prayer to answer. He answers all of them. He is actively listening to every word we utter to him. He does not take our efforts to pray for granted, ever. We are important to him. And so are our pleas. So do not give up. Keep praying. Pour your heart out to him, and he will comfort you, and guide you. He will not make you do it on your own. You cannot do it on your own. You need him. So much. So don't push him away. Keep going. Keep fighting. Don't give up on the one who knows you best. I know there are days when I tell him I can't do it anymore. That if I have to take another step or speak another word of the language I am nowhere near good at, it will be the end. But then he takes my hand and then he picks me up and he carries me through those thorns and over those mountains that I am too weak to climb without him. As long as I am looking to him, he does not ever let me down. But he can't help us if we don't ask. He can't force us to see his hand in our lives. To feel his love. Or to feel his comfort. He can't give us strength without our permission. He cannot and will not violate our agency to choose. So choose Christ. Let him in and he will lift you. 

I love this work. And I love being able to help others see the Lord's hand in their life, and feel his love. I love being able to watch others grow, and from that, grow myself. 

Alma 26:16 reads: 

16 Therefore, let us glory, yea, we will glory in the Lord; yea, we will rejoice, for our joy is full; yea, we will praise our God forever. Behold, who can glory too much in the Lord? Yea, who can say too much of his great power, and of his mercy, and of his long-suffering towards the children of men? Behold, I say unto you, I cannot say the smallest part which I feel.

I don't think I can ever express how serving a mission has made me feel. I've felt these tiny little shards of God's love for his children, and I have never felt anything purer. I urge everyone to pray, on your knees tonight, and ask to feel of God's love. Not just for you, but for those around you, constantly. I know that if you do this, things will work out for you. You will notice a difference in your life. You will be able to be kinder to those around you and see conflicts dissolve. 

I love you all and I hope you all realize how important you are. To God and to me. Now go out there and help others come closer to Christ!! Never stop fighting! 

Love, 

Sorella Jarnagin 

European s'mores. Technically they would be "some mores" if we are being proper about it. This is significant because marshmallows are way super rare here. 

Lavinia and Alexandra, our two Romanian miracles! 

His "Grateful Heart Never Faltered"

Ciao Lovely People, 

This week was pretty crazy but also low key because I was unconscious for half of it as I caught the sickness of death about Thursday morning right before ward correlation, and threw up a few times and basically just had a bad case of the flu mixed with wild exhaustion. So I spent a lot of time sleeping and eating soup and then dragging myself out to appointments we had. But I'm better now so no worries!!! 

We went to Rome on PDAy last week and it's so beautiful there. I'd love to serve there someday. We weren't able to get to any of the places we planned to go, because the family reunion took a little longer than expected but such is life. 

This week we met with a potential from a gesso named Giada and she was totally cool! She loves Paramore  and the Ramones and all the other cool bands I love. Who knew that someone all the way in Pescara Italy would love Paramore too? It was legit. And we met her and her friends and then we went to this super hipster bar that isn't like a drinking bar like in America but more just like a coffee shop snack bar thing. Any ways, it was where all the punk hipster kids go to chill out and basically I was feeling pretty cool. She doesn't believe in God, but we think she has potential. She is really nice and cool and just at the point where you need something more. So that's something to hope for! 

I've been studying a great talk this morning called "Grateful in Any Circumstances" by President Uchtdorf. And he talks about being not just grateful for things. But being grateful in our circumstances! Whatever they are. So that's something to ponder upon. I know I have been. He says: 

We can choose to limit our gratitude, based on the blessings we feel we lack. Or we can choose to be like Nephi, whose grateful heart never faltered.

I think that's so great and so true. Nephi is awesome, as most of us know, but one thing I never really picked up on until this talk reminded me, is how grateful he is, always. He doesn't complain even when his brothers do and they tie him up and make fun of him and say he is  the dumbest ever. He just is always looking to the Lord, always acknowledging the great blessings he receives. And he isn't just grateful for things, or noticing when they are lacking. But he is always happy with his circumstances. And he is always just grateful. And I love that. Because it's easy to be grateful for things when they are given to us,  but it's also really easy to notice when they aren't. But when we are grateful for our circumstances, we are grateful for everything encompassing that period of life. For the things, but also the place, the people, and where we stand with the Lord at that time. We are grateful even during the hard times. Just grateful that we were ever even able to have good times to remember. And the in betweens, we are grateful to have overcome the hard times. And the good times, we are grateful for how wonderful our circumstances have become. 

I love you all and I hope you have a great week. Remember to have fun! And also to be grateful. Try and be as Nephi is, with a grateful heart that never falters! That's my goal now, what I will be working on. To never falter in my gratitude to the Lord. 

Love, 

Sorella Jarnagin 

Our four generations made the forum! 

Love you all!!!!!