Roma

Another blog post, another city. And with that comes all the other crazy things of transfers and companions. Right now, I'm serving in the Roma 1 ward, which encompasses all of northwest Rome including the Vatican! I have yet to see the Vatican, but I have seen a bunch of other wonderful things. Before I get too far ahead of myself, I should pick up from where I left off.

Flashback to Pozzuoli

So before I came to Rome, I had one last transfer in Pozzuoli with none other than Sorella Lunt! It was a little bit of a shock because you don't generally spend that many transfers with a companion. I am so glad, though, because we needed that last transfer together to learn some important lessons. We taught a lot of wonderful people and saw some miracles. We really worked hard, and even though we didn't see much of an increase in our numbers, we did see improvements in ourselves, and that is the definition of success.

(Photos from my last month and a half in Pozzuoli)

Surprise!

So then transfers came around, and I got a huge shock. They split Sorella Lunt and me and sent me up to Rome 1. Normally only sisters who have a special assignment to the visitor's center get sent to Rome, but for some reason (that I quickly found out), the Lord saw fit to bless me with the chance to not just serve in Rome but at the visitor's center of the temple. On top of that, I came up there with Sorella Willis, who was also new to the area. Another twist because neither of us knew the people or the area coming in, and this area had been the Social Media Sorelle area for a long time.

Serving in Rome

Has been an incredible experience. I work at the visitor's center every other day, and on the days I'm not there, I work in my area. This means that one day I spend teaching lessons and testifying of Christ almost constantly, and the other day is filled with getting to know members and meeting new people. It is busy, but I love love love it. I was really worried about the lack of time we spend in our area and how that would affect the work, but I have just seen time and time again that the Lord consecrates our efforts and puts people in our path.

Another piece of serving in Rome is all of the ancient history stuff I finally get the chance to geek out and go see. From the Colosseum to the Appian Way to a million different churches, I never run out of something to see.

(Rome fotos)

Taking off the edges

The best part of the mission is that you never stop learning. From studies, yes, but also from the people around you. A big theme for me this last month was learning how to let go of things that aren't in my control and learning how to roll with unforeseen circumstances. One of the missionaries in my district described it as letting God smooth out our edges so that we can roll with life and letting him pilot our plane. It's been hard, but it's been good. And it will continue to get better.

I wish I had more time to write, but true to form, I'm out of time. Tune in next time to see whether I manage to stay in the same place or not.