When You Cannot Go On, Take His Hand

Hello beauties, 

What a wonderful job I have being a missionary for the one true church on the earth today! What a calling I am so fortunate to have as being a representative of Jesus Christ! I get to see miracles, big, small, both easily recognized and very very easily overlooked, every day for only 18 months. Now I only have 12 months left and I can't believe it. I wish I could extend until the end of forever, but we all want what we can't have, don't we. 

This week was really wonderful. Caserta is still Thriving! We had so many wonderful things happen here this week, I literally can't wipe the tour guide Barbie smile off my face as I am writing this. So many precious, wonderful miracles each and every day! 

Biggest miracle of the week--- ESTER CAME to CHURCH. For all THREE hours. I've never been so happy on my mission until looking over at her being super surprised at how we take the sacrament, then giggling at the old ladies belting their guts out during the hymns and just generally being a bit stuck in culture shock. But what happened before that, was quite crazy. As we all know, happy endings take some work to accomplish. 

We had to walk to pick her up to go with her to church because all the members who have cars couldn't give her a ride because of ward council. So we walked. And walked. And walked. Finally got to her street. She said she lived in 81. We saw 6. So we finally finally got to 81, and ester comes out on her balcony in her pajamas still and tells us we are crazy that we walked so far to get her. And then after waiting a solid fifteen minutes for her to put her clothes on, and Sorella Hess almost having a panic attack because we were going to be late, and I was doing my best to keep my cool because I was just grateful she even woke up on time, we began walking back. But then Ester was horrified that we might have to walk the 3 MILES we had walked that morning to get to her. But luckily a saintly member came speeding to save the day and we arrived just in the nick of time to take the sacrament. It was truly a miracle. And the story ended happily so that's good ;) now she just has to stop smoking, and then she can be baptized. But she is so cute and fun and we love her to bits. 

All that happened with that morning got me thinking. Maybe Christ is just like that. He is just waiting there in his Humble Honda Civic idling just down the block, waiting to pick us up and get us to where we need to go on time. And maybe sometimes we are too scared to too prideful or too obsessed and enthralled with our own world and our own problems that we forget that all we need to do is ask him to take us where we need to go, and he will. That is what the atonement, all the pain and terrible things he suffered for us, are for. He suffered our sins. Our flaws. Our fears and our weaknesses. He already walked all the miles for us. We don't need to re walk them again, that's pointless. We just have to ask him to come get us. To bring us back to where we need to be. His way is the short cut. Our way is the long way. And we don't need to go the Long way around for everything. He created a shortcut, an easier way, for a reason. It's because we aren't strong enough to walk everywhere he did, or to do everything he has done. He was the only one strong enough, that's why he was chosen to do it. And he isn't asking us to be him, or to have some kind of impossible strength to bear these incredible burdens and still be standing. No. His purpose is to make them lighter, to help carry the weight we cannot bear. Because we are not perfect, yet, and so we need someone who is to guide us to where we need to be. He's already walked the path and arrived at the correct destination. He comes back for each of us when we ask him to. When we are ready to acknowledge that we need his help. His guidance. His hand. 

So take his hand. He wants you to make it home safe. And he is going to always be there, with an easier way, whether you choose to take it or not. 

Today for PDAY we went to the Amalfi coast. I can't even being to describe how absolutely beautiful it was!! 

27 Verily I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness;

28 For the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves. And inasmuch as men do good they shall in nowise lose their reward.-D&C 58:27-28.

God has made us a really beautiful earth!!

Vi voglio un mondo di b

Take Heart

Ciao tutti, 

This week has been crazy. We had to go to Taranto for the Permesso of Sorella Hess. And then we went to Rome from there on Wednesday! And because we didn't have PDAy we got to take a sort of quick PDAy in Rome! We saw the Trevi fountain and walked around the Vatican. No big deal ;) 

It was quite a magical day actually. So awesome. And then we had an amazing mission conference and it was so awesome. It answered all my questions as promised! Elder Kearon spoke, and also Elder and Sister Sabin. And President and Sorella Pickerd and it was wonderful. 

What has been on my mind this week is choices. The choices we make impact everything. Even small ones. And we shouldn't worry about the wrong choices we have made, or dwell on our faults and mistakes. But we should try every day to choose the best possible choice. There is always a good, better, and a best choice. And sometimes we think it will be okay if we just choose the good decision right now, because it is easier than waiting and letting the best choice win out. But I know that we are supposed to have opposition in all things. Trials are life and they are what make us or break us. So we can choose to react well. We can choose to be agents and not objects. We can choose to react well to the things and trials in life that are thrown at us and we can choose the best. We can choose to wait for the best. And to be the best. And hope for the best. We don't have to settle for just the good or the better. We can have the best. The Lord has promised us that and he always keeps his promises to us! 

13 And if ye shall say there is no law, ye shall also say there is no sin. If ye shall say there is no sin, ye shall also say there is no righteousness. And if there be no righteousness there be no happiness. And if there be no righteousness nor happiness there be no punishment nor misery. And if these things are not there is no God. And if there is no God we are not, neither the earth; for there could have been no creation of things, neither to act nor to be acted upon; wherefore, all things must have vanished away.

14 And now, my sons, I speak unto you these things for your profit and learning; for there is a God, and he hath created all things, both the heavens and the earth, and all things that in them are, both things to act and things to be acted upon.

15 And to bring about his eternal purposes in the end of man, after he had created our first parents, and the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air, and in fine, all things which are created, it must needs be that there was an opposition; even the forbidden fruit in opposition to the tree of life; the one being sweet and the other bitter.

16 Wherefore, the Lord God gave unto man that he should act for himself. Wherefore, man could not act for himself save it should be that he was enticed by the one or the other.-2 Nephi 2:13-16

Vi voglio bene, 

Sorella Jarnagin 

Sorella Hannah Jarnagin 

Piazza Monte Gemma 9 

00141 Roma, Italia 

Italia Roma Missione 🇮🇹

Speranza è l'ancora nella nostra anima

Ciao cari miei, 

This week was awesome! We were able to see a ton of less actives and it was really cool! The work in Caserta is still growing and as we pray to see miracles and then expect them to happen, they do! 

I don't have much time to write because we have to go to Taranto today to get Sorella Hess's Permesso, and then we go straight to Rome for a mission conference on Thursday by Elder Kearon, the Europe Area President. So we don't get much of a PDAy but we get a make up PDAy in Rome Wednesday so everything will be fine :) 

But this week I just wanted to share a little bit of an experience Sorella Hess and I had with a member here in our ward. We taught the Young Women's theme in Italian to the American girls here, because of the navy base here there are a ton of American families here. And only one Italian young woman! So to help grow some Ward unity she helped us teach the Americans the theme in Italian. And it was really cool to hear it over and over and really think about what it means. 

It reminds me of the things we say often and maybe take for granted. The YW or YM theme. Even for relief society and priesthood, the articles of faith, the missionary purpose, the first vision. Words we have engrained into our brains... But do we have them engrained in our hearts and in our lives? They aren't just pretty bunches of words we spit out to spend time during church. But they are seemingly tiny little verses of words that could in the end save us. 

At the end of teaching the theme Sorella Hess and I each bore testimony on what the young women's theme meant to us, and as I was expressing my love for it, I realized I spent far too long reciting it but not remembering it. God doesn't give us things in our lives for no reason. Trials, cookies, miracles, friends, hard times, words to live by-- it's all for something. It has a divine purpose, just like we have a diving purpose. There are no coincidences or accidents. Every crumb of this life is for something greater and will become something greater. We are not just here to breathe air or learn to walk and basta. 

But the young women theme is an anchor to cling to. It's a standard to set just like any of the things we recite. They are all guides and reminders for us to live by. And in hard times, if we can cling to them, they can bring us hope and get us to the finish line. 

I know this life is not for nothing. Nor is it the only life. There is so much more to come!! So much light and so much life to look forward to. But it is true, as President Monson had said, 

That decisions determine our destiny. Our choices mean a lot. In fact they're everything. 

So we need to choose for what we want in eternity and forever and not just what we want in this moment! Sometimes we think we can make a choice now and it won't have any effect on our future. But it does and it can and it will. 

So choose Christ. He's calling your name. He knows it and he knows you. Come back to him. Come back to the best anchor there ever was. He loves you like you've never been loved. He understands like no one else does. No one else can top him or change how much he feels for you. 

15 Yea, they were encircled about with everlasting darkness and destruction; but behold, he has brought them into his everlasting light, yea, into everlasting salvation; and they are encircled about with the matchless bounty of his love; yea, and we have been instruments in his hands of doing this great and marvelous work.

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. - Alma 26:15-16 

Vi voglio un montagna di bene, 

Sorella Jarnagin 

Sorella Hannah Jarnagin 

Piazza Monte Gemma 9 

00141 Roma, Italia 

Italia Roma Missione 🇮🇹

Taco Bell!!! (America saves lives)

Florien our cute simp, her daughters and a member Denis

                      (Sorella Hess forgot her name tag. So she was Anziano Calio for a night)

You Can Be Bitter, or You Can Be Better

Ciao belli, 

This week was full of miracles. Everyday something big happened! But a few of my favorites. 

#1: Ester and Pia came on Wednesday!! We taught them the Plan of Salvation and it was amazing! They said they cried reading the BOM, where Sariah thinks that her sons are dead. It was so cute!! They didn't come to church... But we are still holding out hope for them!! 

#2: later that night we had a lesson with Ornella, who was really close to baptism but we hadn't seen for a while. She just called us and wanted to meet! She wanted to see us! #miraclesfallingdownfromthesky She cried and she is so so ready but she has begun to drink coffee again a little. But she is really ready. And her spirit is so strong. So we are working with her. And we are praying our eyes out she will have the desire to quit and come around!! 

#3: we saw the wonderful cute American family the Birds again. Literally they are the cutest family ever!! They have a boy and four girls, and the husband is in the navy and they live on the American base. So right now the husband is gone so we have been trying to see them frequently. And Sister Bird, the angel human she is, made us cafe rio burritos for dinner. Literally we both almost dropped dead in glorious gratitude for that wonderful food. Because fun fact cilantro does not exist in Italia!! Che strano. But it was so fun and I love them so much!! 

Something I've been studying this transfer a lot is faith. And how you can have a lot of faith, but if you don't do anything about it, it doesn't get you anywhere. Your dreams stay dreams instead of realities. And it goes the same for the opposite. You can be working oh so hard to get somewhere, but if you have no faith you can't get there. We have seen that here in Caserta, that the more we just don't second guess or doubts things will happen, the more success we have had. 

I have also been wondering sometimes why I am even here, really. Why would God send a bunch of under qualified young kids with barely any life experience to look after his flocks in all parts of the world? And to crazy different countries to teach people when they can barely speak the language? The only real answer I have is because God loves his children, equally. The ones who know and have accepted the gospel, and the ones who have yet to do so. I found this quote from Elder Holland which I love.

The first and great commandment on earth is for us to love God with all our heart, might, mind, and strength (see D&C 59:5; Matt. 22:37) because surely the first and great promise in heaven is that he will always love us that way.

      So much of what so many think about God (if they think about him at all) must make him weep. In fact, we know it makes him weep. Could there be a more tender scene than this exchange recorded by Moses?

      “And it came to pass that the God of heaven looked upon the residue of the people, and he wept; …

      “And Enoch said unto the Lord: How is it that thou canst weep, seeing thou art holy, and from all eternity to all eternity? … [How is it thou canst weep?]

      “The Lord said unto Enoch: Behold these thy brethren; they are the workmanship of mine own hands, and I gave unto them their knowledge, … and … gave I unto man his agency; …

      “And unto [them] have I … given commandment, that they should love one another, and that they should choose me, their Father; but behold, they are without affection, and they hate their own blood; …

      “The whole heavens … weep over them … ; wherefore should not the heavens weep, seeing these [who] suffer?” (Moses 7:28, 29, 32–33, 37). - "Look to God and Live" by Anziano Jeffrey R. Holland 

I have had moments on my mission like this, where I can feel God's love for his children, and his disappointment, aggravation, and sorrow when they choose not to accept his way. When they choose not to let him exercise his almighty power and save them, from whatever temptation or affliction they have been facing. 

I know there were a lot of times before my mission where I wanted to and felt like I needed to be saved. But I didn't think really, that God could save me. How incredulously ignorant I was, searching for a human, mundane savior, perhaps some person I could just forget all my worries in, when there was already someone there. Someone perfect and godly and someone who had already suffered for my sins, my flaws, but also the wrongs of others towards me, or just the plain pain I felt. The most glorious part of it, the part I never let sink in, is that he knows, in every moment, every drop of sorrow we have had, pain we have felt, every worry on our mind. Imagine how many times and ways his heart was broken for us, with us, whether we would do it to ourselves, to others, or it was from someone else's actions. He knows what it is like to receive the pains we feel due to others exercising their agency, often in a way we would not ourselves, or to them even. He knows what it is like to be crushed when life doesn't go the pretty way we had planned in our mind. And even he asked the father if there was another way. But he still accepted the will of God-- because he loves God. He loves his father. And we need to exercise that love more frequently, more deeply, more vibrantly. We need to pray and show him we want to see his hands in our lives. We want him to see that we love one other-- we love his other creations. I can't believe he actually constructed each one of us. He knows us. And not just shallowly or half heartedly. He knows what you worry about. He knows what scares you and what you love and he knows your limits. He knows when to let the rain up. He knows when to turn the storm to sunshine. But you can also ask for it to be easier. And if you truly need it to be, he will provide a way, give you a miracle, and give you support. 

People think miracles don't still happen. That people don't change and endings are final. Well miracles do happen, people do change, and the end is never final. You have the choice to change your ending. You have the choice to choose to not be defeated. Your cause isn't lost. There is always hope for you. 

And come back, because God is crying over you. He is waiting for you to run back into his arms and let him care for you. We are his pride and joy. We matter. This isn't just some fairytale. This is reality. We need to cling as closely to the Lord as we possibly can in these days. And we will be safe if we do. He will never let us down. Not if we believe in Him. 

Vi voglio bene, 

Sorella Jarnagin 

Sorella Hannah Jarnagin 

Piazza Monte Gemma 9 

00141 Roma, Italia 

Italia Roma Missione 🇮🇹

You Can Be Bitter, or You Can Be Better

Ciao belli, 

This week was full of miracles. Everyday something big happened! But a few of my favorites. 

#1: Ester and Pia came on Wednesday!! We taught them the Plan of Salvation and it was amazing! They said they cried reading the BOM, where Sariah thinks that her sons are dead. It was so cute!! They didn't come to church... But we are still holding out hope for them!! 

#2: later that night we had a lesson with Ornella, who was really close to baptism but we hadn't seen for a while. She just called us and wanted to meet! She wanted to see us! #miraclesfallingdownfromthesky She cried and she is so so ready but she has begun to drink coffee again a little. But she is really ready. And her spirit is so strong. So we are working with her. And we are praying our eyes out she will have the desire to quit and come around!! 

#3: we saw the wonderful cute American family the Birds again. Literally they are the cutest family ever!! They have a boy and four girls, and the husband is in the navy and they live on the American base. So right now the husband is gone so we have been trying to see them frequently. And Sister Bird, the angel human she is, made us cafe rio burritos for dinner. Literally we both almost dropped dead in glorious gratitude for that wonderful food. Because fun fact cilantro does not exist in Italia!! Che strano. But it was so fun and I love them so much!! 

Something I've been studying this transfer a lot is faith. And how you can have a lot of faith, but if you don't do anything about it, it doesn't get you anywhere. Your dreams stay dreams instead of realities. And it goes the same for the opposite. You can be working oh so hard to get somewhere, but if you have no faith you can't get there. We have seen that here in Caserta, that the more we just don't second guess or doubts things will happen, the more success we have had. 

I have also been wondering sometimes why I am even here, really. Why would God send a bunch of under qualified young kids with barely any life experience to look after his flocks in all parts of the world? And to crazy different countries to teach people when they can barely speak the language? The only real answer I have is because God loves his children, equally. The ones who know and have accepted the gospel, and the ones who have yet to do so. I found this quote from Elder Holland which I love.

The first and great commandment on earth is for us to love God with all our heart, might, mind, and strength (see D&C 59:5; Matt. 22:37) because surely the first and great promise in heaven is that he will always love us that way.

      So much of what so many think about God (if they think about him at all) must make him weep. In fact, we know it makes him weep. Could there be a more tender scene than this exchange recorded by Moses?

      “And it came to pass that the God of heaven looked upon the residue of the people, and he wept; …

      “And Enoch said unto the Lord: How is it that thou canst weep, seeing thou art holy, and from all eternity to all eternity? … [How is it thou canst weep?]

      “The Lord said unto Enoch: Behold these thy brethren; they are the workmanship of mine own hands, and I gave unto them their knowledge, … and … gave I unto man his agency; …

      “And unto [them] have I … given commandment, that they should love one another, and that they should choose me, their Father; but behold, they are without affection, and they hate their own blood; …

      “The whole heavens … weep over them … ; wherefore should not the heavens weep, seeing these [who] suffer?” (Moses 7:28, 29, 32–33, 37). - "Look to God and Live" by Anziano Jeffrey R. Holland 

I have had moments on my mission like this, where I can feel God's love for his children, and his disappointment, aggravation, and sorrow when they choose not to accept his way. When they choose not to let him exercise his almighty power and save them, from whatever temptation or affliction they have been facing. 

I know there were a lot of times before my mission where I wanted to and felt like I needed to be saved. But I didn't think really, that God could save me. How incredulously ignorant I was, searching for a human, mundane savior, perhaps some person I could just forget all my worries in, when there was already someone there. Someone perfect and godly and someone who had already suffered for my sins, my flaws, but also the wrongs of others towards me, or just the plain pain I felt. The most glorious part of it, the part I never let sink in, is that he knows, in every moment, every drop of sorrow we have had, pain we have felt, every worry on our mind. Imagine how many times and ways his heart was broken for us, with us, whether we would do it to ourselves, to others, or it was from someone else's actions. He knows what it is like to receive the pains we feel due to others exercising their agency, often in a way we would not ourselves, or to them even. He knows what it is like to be crushed when life doesn't go the pretty way we had planned in our mind. And even he asked the father if there was another way. But he still accepted the will of God-- because he loves God. He loves his father. And we need to exercise that love more frequently, more deeply, more vibrantly. We need to pray and show him we want to see his hands in our lives. We want him to see that we love one other-- we love his other creations. I can't believe he actually constructed each one of us. He knows us. And not just shallowly or half heartedly. He knows what you worry about. He knows what scares you and what you love and he knows your limits. He knows when to let the rain up. He knows when to turn the storm to sunshine. But you can also ask for it to be easier. And if you truly need it to be, he will provide a way, give you a miracle, and give you support. 

People think miracles don't still happen. That people don't change and endings are final. Well miracles do happen, people do change, and the end is never final. You have the choice to change your ending. You have the choice to choose to not be defeated. Your cause isn't lost. There is always hope for you. 

And come back, because God is crying over you. He is waiting for you to run back into his arms and let him care for you. We are his pride and joy. We matter. This isn't just some fairytale. This is reality. We need to cling as closely to the Lord as we possibly can in these days. And we will be safe if we do. He will never let us down. Not if we believe in Him. 

Vi voglio bene, 

Sorella Jarnagin 

Sorella Hannah Jarnagin 

Piazza Monte Gemma 9 

00141 Roma, Italia 

Italia Roma Missione 🇮🇹