Email from Sara 2/24/10

Buongiorno!!!!

It's a beautiful day here in Livorno. It's very spring-like and I love it! Everything is going well. I feel like there's so much to do and we are doing our best to fit it all in. I'm pretty sure I'm being stretched and hopefully with all this stretching and reaching the Lord is turning me into something better. Otherwise, I'm not sure if the discomfort of being streched would be worth it, but I know it is. Yesterday we had our interviews with President and he asked me how training was going, how the work was going, etc. And when I told him that I thought that I'd gotten out of training he said, that's just not what the Lord wanted. So, its a bit intimidating but comforting knowing that it's really what the Lord wants. I knew it before, but its always nice to hear.

Sunday I had a talk and my companion and I did a musical number. The talk was fine and the musical number was pretty good. She was really really nervous, and I was just nervous. But all in all it was fine. We sang a really pretty arrangement of "Did you think to pray?" I like it. I think it was the 4th or 5th time I've done it in the mission.

Our investigators are doing well. Fiorella is doing good. She says she's not sure about the 5th of march, but that she thinks still in March. She just wants to feel sure about her baptisimal date. I guess that's reasonable, I just wish I knew what date it would be so we could plan and prepare.

Josy and Veronica are wonderful. Veronica just takes every new principle we teach her and just has so much faith. We had a lesson yesterday where we were teaching her about following the prophet. At the end we invited her to pray about Thomas S. Monson to know if he was truly a prophet today. She said she would do it, but then when she was saying the closing prayer she said something like "we thank thee for a prophet today who guides us in these troubled times..." I really really hope that she won't have to wait too much longer for permission from her parents. We talked to her mom and asked her if they wanted to hear the things that we were teaching Veronica, and she jsut said, "oh, well she comes home and tells us everything anyway." We were like, "oh, okay. Well, if you have any questions let us know." I would really love to teach her whole family. They are just beautiful!

Today for Pday we're going to learn how to make Tiramisu. It's going to be so so so yummy. I'm having to limit myself to one treat a day because we were just going crazy there for a while with birthdays and holidays and parties, etc. For example, Saturday was an activity for the primary. It was a great activity and there were lots of kids and their friends and families. Some of the kids even came to church on Sunday because they like the activity so much. But there was a TON of sweets and candy and all sorts of evil things and it's just too yummy.... oh well. You just live once, right?

Okay, well, i'm gonna go so I can send you a picture of me and my new comp. I brought my camera today, but not the cord so I have to see if my companions will work. Keep your fingers crossed. If you don't get them today though, then you'll just have to wait until next week.

Remember how much I love you all and hope you have a fantastic week, full of serving and doing good things!!!!
Vi voglio un mondo di bene!!!!
Sorella Leckie

After FHE one night at Annalisa and Massimo Noè's house.

Email from Sara 2/17/10

Salve!

Well well well... My life has been topsy turvy for a few days and hopefully will be leveling out here pretty soon.
Obviously the biggest change is my new companion. She speaks english perfectly, thankfully, so we don't have to play charades or anything, which is good. She has a pretty good grasp on Italian, too, so I'm pretty excited about that. Obviously there are things to learn still, but she's anxious to learn. She has a lot of good ideas and is pushing me to be better. The toughest part right now is balancing good ideas and MTC mentality with real-life knowledge of these people and experience in the mission. But I think its a good thing, becuase for the last couple of transfers at least I was more just focused on keeping our investigators on the right track, and now the focus in on getting them to baptism. I really hope to be able to see several baptisms here in Livorno before I go home. Fiorella still is scheduled to be baptized 5 March, and that's still the plan, but she's been so busy with working that we've hardly been able to see her. She still comes to church, but we've just got to nail it down so we can finish teaching her the few things that are remaining and so she'll be prepared for her baptism. Veronica is also wanting to be baptized sooner than later and I think she'll push her parents a little more than Josy. Hopefully, though, she won't have to push too too much. Her mom is really nice and we also hope that she'll come to church with Veronica in the near future.

As far as my district goes, things are very different dynamically here in Livorno. My last district was very close and we worked well together, but now we hardly know each other so we're having to figure out how we're going to work together. Different strengths and personalities require different activities and planning. But we'll figure it all out here eventually.

The branch continues to be amazing and I absolutely love the people here.

Alrighty, I'm gonna sign off now so I can send a couple pictures. Remember how much I love you all and hope you have a fabulous week!!!

Vi voglio più bene!!!
Sorella Leckie

Email from Sara 2/10/2010

Mamma Mia!!!

I'm feeling a little relieved/overwhelmed with lots of changes that are happening in my life at this moment. My whole world for the last three months was revolving around a very needy companion and now she's gone home. It's just strange and I feel a little bit at loose ends. Then most of the Elders in my district got transfered (3 out of the 4) and I feel like my support system just left me, and I need it still as I will be training a new sister. Boy oh boy. Anywho.. I knows the Lord wouldn't ask me to do it if I couldn't, but he just wanted to make me work harder, right?

Anyhow, aside from that I will at least be staying in Livorno which makes me VERY VERY happy. At the moment, however I am in Ladispoli (Near Rome) on a scambi (exchange) with Sorella Stephenson. It's too much fun. I would have liked to have been able to get our apartment ready for this new sister who is coming in, but I didn't know 100% that I was training until after I was in Rome. We just knew that I had to come to Rome with Sorella Gambardella, but that I didnt' have to pack my bags. There really was only one obvious solution, but I was still holding out hope that I would get an experienced companion who could help me lots this transfer, but I guess that's not what would help me the most, so we'll just have to pray lots and go forward. I will go to the Villa tomorrow to "pick up" my new companion and we'll have a lunch there and then we'll head back to Livorno. I haven't met her yet, but I know that her name is Sorella Naslund and she is from Sweden. I've been told she speaks english... I sure hope so :) It will be a very interesting learning experience.

Aside from all of these changes going on, the work is still going well. Sorella Gambardella finished the mission. She says its the first time in her life that she actually finished something. I was really happy for her. I really hope she can remember the thigns she learned and not digress. She was able to form some good relationships here and she really needed to feel that she had made some kind of contribution, so it was really good. Veronica wrote her a sweet little note and had written that she hopes that Sorella Gambardella can come to her baptism and that she hopes it will be soon. She also wrote that if they don't see each other soon that she hopes someday that they will meet again in the Kingdom of God and that she will be worthy. It was beautiful! How I love seeing people grasping the gospel. Veronica also has been inviting her mom to church. We actually invited her mom to church, too, and she very very kindly told us that it was their one day not to work and that they slept in on Sundays. But I hope that someday soon she'll at least come to Sacrament meeting. Veronica is also very hopeful. It's good.

I'm really going to miss my last district. We did LOTS together, but it was good because we WORKED together. I feel as though some of my friends just had to leave and I didnt' even get to say bye because I was in Rome. :( But I guess there's always mission reunions, right?

I've been thinking lots lately about trusting in the Lord and how important it is that we trust Him. I stumbled upon this scripture the other day that just really hit home But behold, he did deliver them because they did humble themselves before him; and because they cried mightily unto him he did deliver them out of bondage; and thus doth the Lord work with his power in all cases among the children of men, extending the arm of mercy towards them that put their trust in him. (Mosiah 29:20) I know that when we truly put our trust in Him he will always deliver us. He won't necessarily take away our problems, but he will help us carry our burdens.

I love you all and hope you have a fantastic week. Pray for me lots!!!
Sorella Leckie

We burned a pair of nylons to celebrate finishing the mission. It smelled really bad.

Me and Sorella Stephenson in Rome.

Email from Sara 2/3/10

I'm Cold.

Okay, at the moment my fingers are freezing so I can't guarantee any type of accuracy in typing. But anyways... It's been a good week. I feel appreciated which is really really nice. Our investigators are all progressing well. Fiorella, Veronica, Josy, Leslie, Cecilia, Gil. They're all still hanging in there. We just have to keep them going in the right path.

Today is my companions last p-day so we're doing whatever she wants which means that we went Ice skating again. It was fun, but I'm kind of ice skated out.

She heads to Rome on Tuesday so I'm not exactly sure where i'll be next week before transfers. I really really hope that I will be staying here in Livorno, but only time will tell. I feel that there is enough work here for sisters that it would be somewhat counter productive to send in two new sisters, but the ways of the Lord don't always make sense to me. Either way, I hope to be here sino alla fine.

We heard some interesting news yesterday. In July the mission of Catiana will be closed and combined with the Rome mission. And the boundaries will be re-drawn. Which means that where I'm serving now will be part of the Milan mission. Weird. We were told that it will be announced in the church news Feb 10th? I think. Anyhow, I'm glad I'll be home because it will mean very big changes, but I'm sure it's inspired.

Okay, well I'm going to see if I can send a few pictures for real this week. Remember that I love you all and that you are in my prayers. You are all wonderful and I thank you for your prayers and supprot that you sempre send my way.

Love you so much!!!
Sorella Leckie

I love this picture. Even though it's a little blurry, It's not terrible inaccurate.

This was after Coco's baptism. Fiorella, Me, Coco, & Sorella Gambarella.

This was last night Sabrina was playing the piano for us. We're going to do a prelude number on Sunday. We'll see how it goes.