YAYYYYYYYYY EMAIL!!! I LOVE EMAILING SO MUCH hahaha

Sorry this email is holy late- we tried email at a differant time tonight.... never again.... now we have less time. stupid.

Ok so That makes me really sad that the boys are all leaving and mom and I don't get our usual Date time... whats up with that? I didn't realize how much I went to the movies and then I am here and I am like HOLY STINK I haven't seen a movie in a hundred years.. -___- and no I don't count Italian films/ clips I watch because I have to focus like no ones business to catch every third word. DUMB. And hello- eat twice as much popcorn cause I am on SERIOUS withdrawls. pity me.... I have no popcorn.... I to survive off of Italian goodness...poor me.. Lol

Hope the boys don't kill themselves together- its always a legit concern of mine. If everyone could just put off death for 16 more months that would be great. Also no more babies. AND NO MORE GETTING MARRIED. HOLY I AM SO EXCITED FOR BECCA!!!!!!! Congrats to her!! I need pictures IMMEDIATLY. I need to judge the adorablness of her babies. Holy stink if I miss Becca's baby too I am gunna be pretty mad. Becca: NO GETTING PREGO. WAIT 16 MORE MONTHS!!!!

I am healthy!! I haven't wanted to die quite yet Hahaha I have some things here that kinda make me wanna die but... overall I am healthy! Speaking of Food. Holy mama I eat good here- but surprisingly it's not the Italian food here that's good... in fact that's my least favorite! Today we got Turkish Kabop.. Drool- amazing. Although its pretty sketch cause you walk in and there is this... thing of meat. and then, come to find out it is a lamb.... awk. Ok imagine Costco- where they sell their chicken and you see them all twirling on the little pole thing- yeah like that. Except it's not covered by anything and its vertical and like 2 feet tall. A Lamb!!! I don't know how else to describe it!!! Hahaha Anyway so this lamb is just twirling there- I don't have any idea what it's for- so we order and the guy walks over to the lamb and takes a razor thing and just starts shaving of strips of meat...... WHA.... ok that's fine, a little weird but then he just starts stuffing it into my food. Bizzare. That cannot be santiary. But I am not kidding you it was one of the best things that I have ever eaten hahahaha Creepy morbid lamb story but sheeeeeshhhh it was amazing.

My other favorite food here is form this Philipeino Lady in out ward and its this grilled banana wrap thing. Incredible. I will make TANTO TANTO when I get home. Uhhhh Brazlian food. Amazeballs. Cake, chocolate whatever, it's awesome. I can't even tell you what it is cause they tell me in porteguese and then my brain explodes soooooo yeah. I am trying to learn Italian. Stop messing me up. Lol

I am SOOOOOOOOOOOO Glad Jessica knows Olivia- it's is the most random amazing thing that has happened in all of mission history. I am pretty sure. Haha But yeah that video was at  my first babtism qui in Italia and it was INCREDIBLE. When she (not jessica) got out of the water she was trying to explain to us how she felt but you could just see it in her face and her entire countenance had changed. Literally- it's a very spiritual thing but it changes you on the outside too, in a very visable way! So amazing. We have two more next month and then.... we are asking someone tomorrow if she will get babtised so hopefully 3 next month. EEEP.

A lot happened this week I feel like! I have been super blessed as a missionary because people come up to me ALL the time and ask me what my tag means hahaha They don't know what they just got themselves into muahaha. Just kidding but it is super helpful to me because I sometimes I will get focused on a map or talking to my companion that we stop talking to people for a minute and that's when they start talking to us. Its great. YES we will tell you more. Hahaha

This past Sunday we had Mostra with the ward which is way fun- basically some members come to a park with the missionaries and we go tracting with them! Way fun. They hand out flyers and pamphlets and it was a way cool experience. We talked to this man who had just lost his baby and MAN- he was so ready to hear the gosple it was incredible. I love our ward WAYYYYY too much- they all are super loving.

Ok On Lunedi my companion and I have like maybe 3 lessons so we had another 4 hours to do some strata errrr tracking I mean and so why not at the DUOMO hahaha So for 4 hours we did some tracting at the Duomo. My life is super cool. Haha And me being the awesome and super intelligent person that I am decided to wear these supeerrrr sturdy 5 dollar shoes from H&M... Ok well the ground at the Duomo is the world's stupidest and they put cement on the ground and then they stuck rocks in it... done. What is the point of that?? Any way my feet are destroyed and are the size of loafs of bread. Super cute. OW OW but yeah it was super effective and we taught a tonnnn that day. YAY.

 

Funny Story of the Week: That 14 year old from last week? Remember him? Yup. Saw him today. He tried hugging me as I ran away. So THAT was awkward.

But thats not the story- ok At the Mostra with the members- I was with my companion, and two other members from the ward, (one being Jessica who was in that video singing as Donald duck?? Recorde??) And I was standing between the two members talking to this man and my companion is on the other side of Jessica. Both of the members are around our same age and both of those members served missions so they decided to wear old their tags haha So we end the lesson, all four of us standing there, all four of us with tags, and here you don't really shake hands, you kiss each others cheeks. It's just what you do. So OBVIOUSLY girl missionaries do not Bocci men. but he goes in at the end of the lesson to bocci the member to my left and since she isn't a real missionary anymore she just acts all normal and does the normal two bocci and then he comes to me FULL FLEGED PANIC ATTACK no idea how to say STOP in Italian to this man who is not a member who just had a first lesson.. and what do I say? I can't? The other "missionary" just did. -___- So it happened and I tried to act all chill and then Jessica bocci him and then he gets to my companion hahahaha And she is all like " Oh Sister missionaries don't bocci males, I'm sorry" So then I look behind her and there are like 7 members all laughing cause they saw my panic attack and then looked like an IDIOTTTT hahahaha man. So awkward and he was SOOO confused why the first three missionaries didn't say anything. well.... TWO of them are fakes and then theres ME and I am just a idiot WHOO!!!! Hahaha Good times.

Love you all- Hope  you have an amazing week, I am sending love from Italy!!!

 

Ya know what I love? PDAYS. Emails are just the best. I mean I am happy most of the time anyway, but hearing from everyone just puts me in a I-cant-stop-singing mood.... but I guess thats pretty normal too. Haha

Mom- That is so fun you got to have lunch with Michelle and Tammy!! And I can't believe Sam and Jess are gone!!! MADNESS but I must say it is nice to feel like I am not the only one. Cody aka Elder Ridd is out on his mission too!! So I don't feel like the only one gone anymore!! I think I just got stuck in the position where I was the first one to get the boot... but now everyone!! hahaha I am also SUPER glad I am not there for that whole.... sewer issue. Nasty. Also pulling down trees and yelling doesn't seem like my scene either so I am quite happy I missed that little event. I would LOVE to see pictures of everyone else suffering though:) just kidding! haha Glad no one died. its actually quite a miricle everyone in our family is alive... and has both hands. I think Sorella Ervins mom put the pictures on her blog but I am not sure. I don't even know how to charge my camera let alone put pictures on the computer.... lol Sorry for lack of knowledge.Hand me an iPhone and I can figure it out but I cant figure out this Camera. -____- Stupid.

Alrighty so this week was awesome as usual- and its my 2 Month Mark? That seems a little weird but great! Why am I not fluent in Italian yet....... Haha Just kidding... kinda.... -___- Seriously what's my problem. Actually I finally stopped looking like a deer in the headlights when people say something to me. I usually just make up something or smile and nod... maybe throw in a few "si"s in there. Fake it till you make it right? Either that or I just start teaching about the Book of Mormon... or recite the first vision... Lol Anything to stop the awkward silence hahaha

This week we have a Babtism!! EEEPPPPP We have been teaching her about three times a week and she is just SOLID. Everything we ask her to do she does. She is 17 years old and is hilarious, super cute, super genuine, just all together awesome. She is Brazilian so she has this crazy gorgeous hair and AHH! I am just so excited for her. So yeah this Saturday that is what I will be doing! AND my companion and I get to sing with another member who is super awesome as well!!! Bytheway... I can't give out names so hopefully this doesn't seem super confusing due to the lack of names. But yeah- yay babtisms.

We also have another lady who is in her 40's who has accepted a babtisimal date for June 29! YAY!  It was super fun when she accepted- I almost burst out clapping or into the Halelujah Chorus hahaha I am so happy for her. She is so ready for it- she has accepted everything full-heartedly it's so awesome that she isn't letting anything get in her way. YAY HER!

It is amazing that people are so willing to change their lives for the truth. Because that's really what it is. I am not trying to get people to come to church, my goal is to help people figure out the truth of this life in general and once they figure it out- that we aren't a "church"- but we are a group of people living the way we should be, then it seems the commitments aren't hard anymore. There is a great quote in Preach my Gosple under the Apostasy section where it explains the lack of preisthood power and authority/ TRUTH on the earth as a condition. Like a sickness. So as members of the church we aren't different really... we are "normal" and those who have not found the truth or who don't accept/recognize the truth are in a condition. Ok so that was very poorly explained but hopefully you get the general idea Hahaha

 

Funny Story: I am trying to always throw in something humourous so I don't turn too dull. For example- my companion the other day said "Why did they missionary cross the road.............. to talk to the person on the other side" and I swear I almost died laughing. So I am worried for my well-being. Lol Also Last night Sorella Bunker and Sorella MacNamara (I have no idea how to spell her name) sang at the top of our lungs "The Prayer" by Celiene Dion because half of it is it Italian HOLLA  and we died laughing just doing interprative dance to Celiene Dion. Yikes what have I become hahahaha

Anyway tha'ts not my funny story- While on the bus this week, my companion and I sat in front of these two people and we start talking to them and a little about the Book of Mormon when this little boy who claims to be 14 (NO WAY could he be older then 12) come up to me and puts his arm around me and straight out kisses me on the cheek. So obviously I am like " Uhhhh Cio?" And I just start busting up laughing cause he said he was 14 and there was NO WAY he was so I start laughing and he gets all embarassed so he stands up a little taller and asks for a kiss... WHAT? What is  up with Italy???? So I told him I don't speak Italian.... NOT ENTIRELY a lie. So he keeps going and I said I was American and he thought my First name was Sorella (sister) and anyway it was crazy. He tryed talking to me in English and then his little friends came over and it was all downhill from there. Strangest Buss ride EVER. Moral of the Story- sit by the window so 14 year old boys don't try to kiss you OR the moral might be I look like a 14  year old myself..... yikes. Both very likely.

Well those are my stories this week! I love you all and I love hearing from you!!! Love from Italy! -Sorella Holloway

I CANT BELIEVE JENNA ALREADY HAS HER BELLE DRESS I NEED PICTURE IMMEDIANTLY!!!!!!!! Hahahahahaha That Totally just made my day ohhh mannnn if there a video of when  you told her??? Anything???? EEEPP

Jenna- I will DEFINATLY plan on coming to utah every Halloween from now on because I need more chances to wear the dress. MANNNNN You have to wear it at Kates first brithday and then I will be there for birthday number 2. BOOM. Poor Kate.... she has no choice but to love princesses... she aint got a chance.

 Its so fun to hear about Mothers day weekend- sooo wish I could be there those weekends where everyone was around are the best. Glad to hear that Sams farewell went good!! Ya he will be an awesome missionary- how weird that everyone is going on missions... I think its weird to hear about because usually I would be the one saying I wanna go to their farewell but now... I am serving a mission... SO WEIRD. Rewind 6 months ago and I was still set on Disney. Madness. whaaaa. Anyway I love hearing where/ when everyone is going- and I am super glad you got to see Olivia. She is the coolest person in the entire world Haha

Ok!!! A Brief review of kinda what I already told you guys over skype but just for records sake I will re-live some things hahaha Hopefully I appreciate them later. maybe... probably not... Ok so last friday was kind of a downer day because our investigators were dropping us like nobodies business... literally we went from 8 to 3...... -___- Dumb. But we were still really busy with rushing to appointments since we teach A LOT of meno-active and A TON of new converts.. so we were running around like crazy people and as we are heading to the subway I look up at a balcony on the socond floor and this man is leaning over the edge just glaring at us. He saw the tags we were wearing and was completely digusted by us. So obviously we just keep walking and right as we walk under him, he ever so nicely spits on me. And like a good-luck spit like in movies, but a nice from the throat-loogie spit. Joy. Landed right on my shirt slid all the way down until I preceeded to flick it off. Holy Nasty. I could'nt even do anything becasue we were late so I just kept walking with my companion and waited for her to get off the phone so I could be disgusted with her.. So she finally gets off the phone and I explain what happened and she saw NOTHING: GAAAA hahaha So we head down into the subway  and I am standing there still in awe at what just happened and suddenly my skirt get very loose. very very loose. So I grab it and I tell Sorella DUrfee on no! I this one of my saftey pins snapped! Now- this skirt was big to begin with so I had like 4 saftey pins to take it in an extra inch or two- so I start taking the saftery pins out and all 4 were there so I am super super confused and now the skirt is like SUPER big and I can't figure it out! So I reach back to the zipper and IT WAS COMPLETELY DOWN. Now this is not a zipper that can come undone by itself.... but in fact someone had come and unzipped all 8 inches of my zipper in the middle of the mezzi. So OF COURSE at this exact moment when I discover this the mezzi comes and I am forced to get on the train with a SWARM of people holding my skirt up with one hand. I finally zip it up in the back in a panic but the skirt is still too big cause I took the saftey pins out so I trying to NOT get my bag stolen and trying to NOT have my skirt fall off AHHHHHHH It was a disaster. hahaha.

So THAT was fun. Not really. Alma 26: 16ishhhh maybe..... There is a perfect scripture for that... talks about getting spit on. Havent found a realatable scripture for the skirt thing yet though.... Let me know if you find one.

On the bright side!!!! We were at a bus stop on Monday trying to talk to anyone who would listen and this lady came up to us and asked "Do you speak English?" EEEP!! Most beautiful thing someone has ever said to me. OH HECK YES I SPEAK ENGLISH. Haha I was a little excited. So She was talking to us about her life in general and then she ASKED US if she could meet  with us again... ummmmm YES. So she gave us her phone number and SHE called US today and asked us when church was and how she could get a Book of Mormon.... WHAT?? So cool and we have two lessons set up with her this week. SO COOL! We also have two babtisms coming up that we are really excited for :)))) One is this month and the second is next month and actually we are asking three other people this week if they are wanting to get babtised... and by that I mean we ask them if they will be babtized on a spacific date hahaha so hopefully those all follow through.

Yesterday we had a new misisonary training and I got to see four other people from my MTC District!!!! So I saw Haslem (my MTC Companion), Ervin, Winky/Bowlwinkle, and Lemmo!!!! WAY too much fun, I am not gunna lie I almost cried when I saw them Hahaha I miss them so much cause we really got super close in the MTC.. well duh cause we were with each other 24-7.... But anyway I REALLY am praying I get to see them all again really soon. EEP.

Uhhh this morning for breakfast I had pizza...... I dont know if thats ok hahaha but we are poor and were out of food so we had leftovers..... and by "out of food" I really mean we were out of Nutella.... Hahaha totally kidding. We don't eat with members hardly ever so we go through a lot of food.

Also this monday was my first time having Gelato. All the rumors are true. Its amazing.  Will DEFINATLY not be buying that for myself cause I would just eat the whole thing with a spoon in 5 seconds flat.

I hope everybody has a great week!!!  I miss America but being a missionary is pretty awesome everyday. ALSO can I get pictures of my Cinderella dress with Jenna pictures? Ok great. LOVE YOU ALL!!!!! Miss you way too much.

 

Alright- Buckle up cause here is that email that is just explodinnggggg with too much information. Hahaha And also I realize my spelling is horrible but keyboards here are different so just suck it up. I wasn't good at spelling to begin with!

 

Ok so I am in Italy.. Kinda a big deal. I have a killer apartment that looks like it was cut out of a iKea magazine including ever single appliance. I live there with 3 other Sorelle including my companion and two sister training leaders. CRAYCRAY. It's awesome. My companion is sent from heaven. Her name is Sorella Durfee and she is the most genuine, kind, patient person I have ever met haha I LOVE HER and we have a lot of fun attempting to understand Italian.. Luckily she is good at it!

Ok So the first day I got here... welll I guess first off, the flight was ridiculous. I mean I was awake for a solid 48 hours- and I know you are thinking I should have slept on the plane but ECCO I sat next to people who were not LDS and they asked about my tag and lo and behold I  talked about religion for  the next 8 hours.... and the next 2 flights as well. Out of the 24 missionaries going to Milan, Itlay- I was the one of the like... 4 missionaries that was sitting by non-missionaries haha

the first flight was cool, I sat next to this super nice lady who grew up in Utah and she was SUPER anti-lds. So a little awkward that she was sitting next to a representative of the church? Yes. But she started talking about why and I just apologized on behalf of the church and said the people are not the church and that it was the people that caused her frustration not the church. Then all of a sudden she did a total 180 degree turn and was like oh yeah its a great church, sure there are a ton of great things about it!!! -___- ok what? Haha So then I told her she should go to church sometime and gave her a pass along card and she was all sad cause she thought she could'nt go to church with tattoos and I said she could- man you should have seen her face hahah She was like I CAN???? Hahaha Sooooooooo which ever missionaries snatch her up will have fun explaining THAT one. Although I must say the full size tattoo of her children on her back was quite the sight, I just might have to do that for my future babies.... -___-

Then on the next flight I sat next to this German Man who wanted to talk literally for 8 hours about beliefs which was very cool. Much less success with him but he did agree with almost everything we believed in. He was way nice and said he was thankful for the "enlightenment"... yikes. If he was enlighttend by a 19 year old girl- shoot. somebudy gotta get dat man a Book er Mormon.

 

OK so when I finally got off the plane 100 year later we grabbed all of our stuff looking like idiots 1) we all look dead 2) we keep getting distracted by all the italian writing 3) we have three bags of luggage EACH- it was just s disaster in general. Hahaha But We walked out the glass doors and met our mission president and his wife and they are both SO AWESOME. Sorella Wolfgramm is A TON like Mom so I felt right at home, unfortuantly her hugs are no comparison, nor her laugh... and she doesnt make popcorn.... :) man I miss popcorn. ANYWAY then they took us to the mission home and we basically had class for a while and learned some rules that changed and suddenly we were on a bus again. Haha We got onto the... subway? idk whatever that is in english I am gunna call it a Subway and as soon as we got off we walked up the stairs and there was the DUOMO. HOLY COW ITS AMAZING. I had seen pictures but pictures don't even touch the size of that thing. INCREDIBLE. You would think we would go inside right? I mean we just flew for howevr long and had been up since 2am on tuesday and its wednesday now and still no sleep BUT NO!! They hand us a Book of Mormon and tell us to go talk to someone about  the church THAT'S FUNNY cause I DONT SPEAK ITALIAN. GA. Whatever- me and my collega did it and then we got to go to the Duomo. We literally just stopped someone and talked to them. I have the weirdest job in the world.

 

The rest of the week is pretty steriotypical missionary work except 100 times cooler cause I am in Italy... suuuuuuuuuuu no big deal. We wake up in the mornings and go running in Italy cause I live in Itlay and then we go talk to some Italians and eat Italian food and then come home to our Italian apartment acting all Italian--ish and eating a jar of nutella like nobodies business. Haha

 

Ya know what else is great? The ward. Its awesome. Ya know that sound the TV makes when you fast forward something?.... ya. Just imagine 3 hours of that... Haha  Kidding I actually understand way more then I thought I would. The members just LOVE talking to me so I can respond in my horribly broken Italian hahaha and then during sacrament meeting which is the last hour, the bishop was suddenly saying my name.... uh panic- its hard to recognize my name here cause the letter h doesn't have a sound and the w sounds like a v- so he calls for Sorella Ollovay and I look right at him and want to DIE hahaha so the two training sisters who are BOTH in their LAST transfer aka are bomb-diggity at Italian go up and give this beautifully elequent testimony and then I go up.... awkward. I basically said "I Sorella Ollovay. This day 4 day me in Italia and talk in Italian. Me love Italia. Me love being here. Me love this ward. I know God has a plan for us. I know Jesus Christ Lives. I am thankful to a missionary for him. in the name of Jesus Christ Amen". Hahaha AWESOME first impression....  But then after everyone was like- wow that was great and pretended like I was just so great and had been speaking for years so at least they were nice about it haha Then after church this family that owns a bakery gave us this HUGE bag of bread just cause. Ummmm HEACK YEAH I'll eat that!!! then they did it again Tuesday night!! WHAT IS THIS??? Its incredible.

We teach about 3 lessons a day but not really to investigators, a lot of our time is to inactives there are a ton here and a lot of problems with smoking and such. We plan on getting that number up as soon as possible haha we are trying to get 6 lessons a day and still have time for tracking and stuff. The hard part is that my first area is in Milano... I dont know if I mentioned that... I AM IN MILANO AND ITS INCREDIBLE. I am in the New York of Italy hahaha AWESOME.  But because we are in the city there is a lot of travel time. I ride the Bus and the Subway at least 4 times a day. And you know how much I looovvvveeee public transportation... joy. Totally worth it. 100 percent.

I actually haven't been able to talk to many true Italians here. The Italians we do talk to usually talk to us about politics especially those over the age of 50.. but we talk a lot with peolpe from the Phillipins, Egypt, and a lot of Nigirians. uhhh Yeah. oh and a lot from Brazil. In fact we have a Brazialian investigator from Brazil who is getting babtised in 3 weeks HOLLA! She is 17 and is awesome through and through!

Hey remember that one time I sent a million things home and then forgot to send my straightener...and how my adaptors dont work.... and then I now have to throw my straightener and my adaptors away -____- COOL.

Overall I love life and I love being a misionary. In fact today is Day 50! YAY!!! Happy 50 day aniversary to me. I have nothing to complain about cause all is well!!!! Hope everyone is doing good over there in the good ol USA- I miss errrybody! I also miss walking out in Public and people not running away... haha I swear when people see the tag- they want to die, it has some kind of replelling force. we have to like find ways to hide it and then slyly uncover it mid conversation so we are already talking and they realize we aren't bible-bashers like all of the Jahovah Witnesses here -___- OR we catch people staring at the tag and we awkwardly catch them and be like Oh! Have you seen this before??? Lets Talk. hahaha Also I can't write anymore so its back to email for everybody- sorry for all the whiplash.

LOELOVELOVELOVELOVE ALL YALL

 

Sorella Holloway

 

Mom: HEYOOO!!!!!!!  Haha- no packages :( they gave us a good lecture about how Amazon.com/uk is the only way to actually get something or money on a card so it is now OFFICIALLY impossible to send/ recieve stuff

Tim: I am so sorry for your mouth- I had to have the Darth Vader rubber bands too they are beyond stupid. ALMOST DONE!!!! Cant wait to see pictures!!!! Yo Tim go hunt Katelyn down and give her a hug for me. It was her birthday and I couldn't email her suuuu lykeeeee do that. Or facebook her for me. ok? Ok great. ALSO Michelle. Her birthday is the 21st, go say hapy birthday to her for me  :( Per Favore!!!! GRAZIE! How is IB treating you? 1 more month and then FREEEDOOMMMMM summer time HOLLAA

 

This is Sarah's mom posting..........

Sarah arrived in Milan, Italy this morning!!!!  She will be staying in Milan for her 1st area - Yeah!  You can send letters to the mission home address in Milan or for FREE you can go to DearElder.com and send a letter by pouch mail to the Milan, Italy mission and they will deliver it at no cost to you (pretty cool!) 

We got to talk to Sarah yesterday while she was waiting for her plane to take off in Chicago.  She sounds happy and energetic and so excited!!  It was AWESOME to hear her voice!!  We are excited for her and look forward on our end for the next year and 5 months to fly by! 

Thanks everyone for your support of Sarah through good thoughts, prayers, and letters!!  She said to send everyone her love and appreciation!