Sorella Sobeck in Rome: I Love Gelato!!!

Last week when we did shopping, the gelato was on sale. That was bad, because then we bought a lot of gelato. 2.5 kg of gelato to be exact. It's just been chillin in the freezer as we've been eating it lately. I love gelato. :)

Pday last week hiking to the castle was fun, but it was really hot. We had fun with the Anziani since we sometimes feel a bit isolated in our area of Mistretta haha. It's great to really realize sometimes that missionaries are just young normal people, but doing the best they can to serve the Lord. People change so much on missions, if they let themselves. I've also really come to realize that there can be and there ARE different kinds of missionaries. I've been lucky to have been surrounded by great examples of missionaries who work hard and with the spirit, which helps me want to do better!

Well, I had another seafood lunch the other day. We have another old man investigator named Salvatore who is so sweet and loves us so much. He told us yesterday that since he's met us he feels so much more hope in his life. Talk about feeling good about the work you're doing...if you can help someone have more hope. I love being a missionary. Anyways, last week after several times of his asking us to take us to eat something, we finally relented and we ate at this restaurant by the sea. It was actually pretty good...spaghetti with a zillion clams in it, swordfish (not too bad with lots of lemon juice), and mega jumbo shrimp. This experience was tons better than my Christmas Eve dinner with 5 kinds of raw fish that I ate...hahaha...thank goodness this time all this stuff was cooked. Cooked is best! And of course you top it off with some fruit and gelato, since meals here are at least 4 courses...soooooooooo fulllllllllllll.

We've been trying to pick up the work in Capo D'orlando lately, because thats where Giuseppe lives. Unfortunately, it is far away. Far from the church and there aren't any members there (although we DID find an inactive member who lives really close just last week! and we want to get him coming to church). So we're starting ENGLISH COURSE in Capo D'orlando next week, and the past transfer we've been going to do finding there before our lessons with Giuseppe. But it was only once a week. But lately we've been going twice a week and we've been seeing some fruits and have gotten a couple new investigators, and yesterday we passed out some flyers to publicize English Course. It's so much fun! It's a new area to missionaries, and while everyone seems to always thing we are Testimoni di Geova, we've had some cool things happen. Last week we were going to pass by a house one last time to try and find a guy who we had a lesson with over a month ago...but everytime we tried going since then he wasn't home. So this was going to be the last time. So we went, he was there this time, we had another lesson, and he and his wife said we could come back anytime we want. Sweeeeet miracle. It was funny though, becuase we asked the wife to say the prayer before we left, and she went off on us saying that she was never going to change her religion and all that stuff...and then the husband was all like "Dude! They just want you to say a prayer!" Hahaha it was so funny. So we are really excited for the potential of this new city, especially when we start English course and continue going more. It really does take consistency to get the work moving.

We've had a hard time with Bea and Pasquale lately, unfortunately finding out even more problems and that they really don't have any desire to really stop smoking. That was a tough blow, because there has been a lot of investment in them, not only with us and the branch president but also our anziani have come to do 2 lessons with them which is a big deal. We haven't dropped them per se, but we don't really know whats going to happen. It's sad when people don't have desire. You have to have desire to change. The eternal principle that there are 2 kinds of people...those who act and those who are acted upon. We talked about this in companionship study this morning, and I want to always be a person who wants to DO SOMETHING. If we do something and always try to do better, instead of being a person who just lets whatever happen happen, life will be better. It takes initiative though, and effort, which is not always natural or easy. But CE LA FACCIAMO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (WE CAN DO IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

I gave my FIRST TALK in Italy in church on Sunday! I talked about missionary work, and it went well. It was cool to be able to give a 20 minute talk in Italian and not really be that nervous for it. Maybe it was becuase it was only in front of like 12 people, or maybe because I read lots of stuff too (hahaha), but it happened! So Sorella Comollo and I made a list of all of our callings that was did on Sunday in church: MIssionaries, choirister/hymn choosers, talk givers, Sunday school teacher (gospel principles with Giuseppe), Young Womans teacher, Primary teacher, fasters (because we were fasting for someone), English course preparers (we had to do some pubblicity on the computer). It was an intense Sunday haha! On Sunday night too we went to Santo Stefano with a member and did a bunch of street contacting. It was so fun because she had no fear and we talked to some cool people and invited lots of people to church.

Monday we went to Palermo for district meeting and it was an awesome day. Awesome training, and we all bought sunglasses together from the foreign street vendors, then Sorella Comollo and I ate McDonalds on the way out :) What a great morning :) :) I really love my district, and we feel like family. They always tell us now "You guys are like my real sisters!" and I consider them my brothers now! Yeah!

I gotta publicize this awesome video that we are in the process of watching very slowly with the Portera's (the branch president, who are also our neighbors), that an ex'missionary who served in Palermo made about the Plan of Salvation. We've only watched a little part together so far, but its so stinkin cute! And its available in English online (though I think you have to pay a couple bucks). It's called "The Book of Life" and its made by Marco Lui. I will be buying it when I get home!!!

Ok, enough for this week. It's hot. I'm so luck to live in Mistretta haha. When we drive down the mountain we get the humidity and thats the fun stuff. I can't believe its already almost July and that the year is half over. Crazy. Have a happy week!

Love, Sorella Sobeck

Foto -

When the anziani came to Mistretta to have a lesson with Bea and Pasquale...before we all had lunch with the Portera family!!! I LOVE THE PORTERA'S!!!! He's been branch president for like 12 years or more.