December 16, 2013 - Caroling in Rome

Bouna sera cari!!

Caroling at the Spanish Steps

Okay, this time I told you I would tell you about the people we are teaching, but first I want to tell you about yesterday, because last night was one of the best nights of the mission and I want to tell yall all about it! We went caroling!!!!!!!!! In ROME!!! At the Spanish Steps!!! It was incredible!!!!! We invited all the Missionaries in our zone, which is like 50 or something, and we invited members and non members, and just tons of people. And 6 missionaries showed up... and one member. Who brought two girls she had met that day in church who were just passing through for the day, but wanted to come watch. Anyway, not the best turnout, and we were nervous, like really nervous. We were a tiny little 6 man-band, versus a thousand tourists and Romans and vendors, but holy cow. What an experience. We started with a prayer amongst ourselves, to ask for courage and the Spirit, and then we began singing Gioisca il Mondo (Joy to the world). We were all scared and nervous throughout the whole first verse (for me the whole song!), but we kept going and got a little louder, and pretty soon, passersby were stopping to see what the heck was going on. When we finished that one, we started another right away since we had quite a few listeners. As time went on, we got more and more brave, and more and more loud, and many people would stop and watch our little 6-missionary group randomly singing at the bottom of the Steps. Also, before we had begun, we had asked the three girls to pass out pass-along cards. We gave them each a huge stack! So, as people stopped, they got a card, and then continued shopping or whatever they were doing. But pretty much no one passed by without getting a card and some Christmas Cheer! It was awesome!!! By the end of the night, we had given away all our cards and two Books Of Mormon. After only an hour of singing. And three members. We are small but we are strong!! God uses the weak, that's for sure!!!

Decorating Andrea's mom's mini tree

We have since spread the word about how successful it was and we plan to go again at least two more times this week. It is awesome. Seriously the best ever. So many people were touched! Also, lots of people took pictures and videos and just stood and smiled for a while and enjoyed it. None of us are like SUPER good singers, but it was enough that all together it sounded just right :) Best. Idea. EVER.

Okay, I have no more time, well just enough for some shout outs! Yay for Sharah and Micheal who just tied the knot!!! Tante buone cose a voi!!!!!

 

Happy Early birthday to my dear older brother MATTHEW SCOTT PATTERSON  who turns the big 23 on the 19th!! What an old man!! Love you!!

The Vatican

Okay, also, I saw the Vatican today... WHAT. Awesome. We didn't go in to the Sistine Chapel yet. That will be another Pday. We jus tdid the free stuff today. Super great. Next time, I will probably buy a fake Prada bag from the Africans and come home and tell you all it is real. HA! Pretend with me please :)

Kay, love you all very much. Hope everyone is already getting fat from the Christmas goodies!! I know I am!! One of my favorite Holiday traditions ;)

Also, I will not email next week, so don't be mad when there is nothing new to read :) 

Kay, love you all!!

 
Sorella Patterson

December 9, 2013 - Finally received her birthday package!

Ciao tutti!!!! 

 

Okay, so my mom sent me like a million questions, and the answers are basically everything I was going to tell you, plus she reminded me of some, so here goes:

1) First, flashback to Pescara: Gianni got baptized!!! I heard it was awesome and that the Spirit there was incredible. No, I didn't get to go, but we had a huge day that day anyway, so it was probably better that way. Yeah, I was a little bummed, but it taught me that it doesn't matter who does the work, just that these people get brought to Christ. But I called him and talked to him on the phone anyway :)  (being authorized... no worries) It was great! And then this Sunday, a member from Pescara who has a stake calling was visiting my ward and told me all about it. Mi manca Pescara, ma è così :)

2) I GOT MY BIRTHDAY PACKAGE!!! I cannot express enough thanks to all of you friends and family!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You really are WAY too good to me and I do not deserve all of this. The Scripture book..... WOW. That was way incredibly more than I expected. Thank you, all of you. That was the best birthday gift I have ever gotten. That was just incredible. Special shout out to my AWESOME MOTHER for totally making that happen and for all the hard work and just everything she does for me and for everyone else!!! LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

3) You don't want my address here. Mail is real sketchy where I am, along with everything else. Use the address of the mission office from now on, until I get transfered to Sicilia or something. It is:

Sorella Patterson
Missione Italiana Di Roma
Piazza Camaro, 20
00141 Roma, Italia

4) Heard Debb is going to Cali!! She always was a California girl :) Haha. I can't believe her and Hermana Barnes will be in the same state!!!! They are so awesome!!!!!!!!

5) So, last week we saw the Pantheon, Colosseum, Spanish Steps, every designer store you could ever dream of, Piazza Navona, and a couple other awesome sights. So today we might take it a little easy! (The pictures are of the Pantheon and Piazza Navona.) 

6) The food here is great, as always, but I miss the Pescaran specialty: arrosticini. MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

7) Pray for Andrea!! He is awesome and we are trying to have good lessons with him, but it is always a bit hard. We just need to figure out how to meet his needs, but we are getting there!

Okay, That's all I got for this week! Sorry it was all touristy stuff and not much about the awesome people I am meeting and teaching, but next week it will be all about them, deal? In the meantime, guess what?? There is a huge sciopero going on in Rome. It is like a strike, but all transportation shuts down. We have been told to buy enough food for about a week and a half. They don't know how long this will last. So yay for walking!! :) Also, EVERYthing is decorated for Christmas!! It is so beautiful!! I love Natale!!!

Love you all so much!!! Buona settimana!!

Sorella Patterson

December 2, 2013 - When in Rome

Ciao da ROMA!!!

Non ci credo che adesso abito a Roma!!! Ma è così. 

Saying goodbye to Lucia, Gioia and family, Pescara

So much to tell you all!!! So, The day before we left Pescara, it snowed!!! It was so beautiful!! We woke up to white all around!! It was not super heavy, and it went away fast because of the rain, but it was beautiful and a great surprise for my last day! Okay, leaving Pescara may have been harder than leaving for the mission!! But also easier... It is weird. I love those people so much. A piece of my heart will definitely always live in Pescara and Chieti. That will never change. But the funny thing about the mission is that the more that I give my love to these people, the more love I tend to get, or the greater capacity I have to love more. So I am not losing anything by saying goodbye to and leaving them; in fact, I now have more love to give to others! I haven't taken math in school for a couple of years, so someone else can figure out how that all works... I just know that it does :)

So, my new companion is Sorella Panchieri. She is from Idaho, despite her Italian name... And I LOVE HER. Seriously. She is so fun and so awesome and so dedicated to the Lord! She is incredible!! I have so much to learn from her. This is going to be the funnest and best transfer yet!!! Today, we are going to go see the Pantheon... !!!!! Oh yeah, so Rome is split into four or five different sections. Our section includes The Coloseum, The Pantheon, the Spanish Steps, The Trevi Fountain, and tons of other awesome stuff!! Pdays are going to be the best!!!!! And, once a transfer, we can go to the other sections of Rome and see other stuff. So we will definitely be seeing the Vatican soon..... :)

Okay, this is awesome. The Pacella Family
had us over to say goodbye and we went through
my family photo album and the twins Piero and Andrea
saw the one of me, Mykle and Kyle at our last Mormon Prom
and they wanted to re-enact it.
It's the one under the arch and I'm in the red dress.
I think we did pretty good!

 

 

 

 

 

The ward here is a little different than Pescara, but I already love these members. I can't wait to start serving them and loving them and helping them invite their friends to learn about the restored gospel. This transfer really will be awesome. One member already invited us over to paint her house!! We are planning on taking some youth with us so that they get the opportunity to serve and love like we get everyday. Also, we are planning lots of caroling trips this transfer that will allow us to talk with tons of people!! Christmas is the best!!!

Image they were trying to recreate!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Okay, well that's about it. Oh! So there are two other sisters that live with us, Sorelle Pace and Furlanich. They are awesome. And so fun. Seriously, I am so blessed to have been transfered here!! Missionary work should be fun! Even the hard stuff can be fun!! And it will be :) Also, remember Gianni? Hopefully he will still be baptized this saturday, and hopefully I can go back for it... Pray that it is a yes!!! 

 

Love you all with all of my extra self thanks to this awesome Italian food!!

 

Sorella Patterson

 

November 25, 2013 - Transfers!

Ciao tutti cari!!!

Thank you all so much for the birthday wishes and letters and emails! This has been the best and craziest birthday ever!!!!!!!! Best gift: Gianni says he is ready to baptized!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  We had a lesson with him on my birthday and he literally said he is ready. It is incredible. I love birthdays. And the Gospel.

Saying goodbye to 2 awesome young women, Gaia & Edith

So for my birthday, the sisters made me a cute little cake and then the Anziani made me a cake... with a broken candle. Haha, they are awesome. It makes this next news pretty hard... We got transfer calls.................... and...........I...........am........... GOING TO ROME!!! So crazy!! And so unexpected!!!!!!!!!!!!! I will be serving right in the Heart of the city. I leave for Rome on Thursday, and this time I won't be coming back to Pescara. That was pretty hard to hear, but I know it is right and I will go where the Lord wants me to go :) I have made some incredible friendships here in Pescara and met some of the most INCREDIBLE people in the world. And then there's Gianni!! It is defintiely hard to think of missing his baptism since I have been with him this whole time and helping him and teaching him and just loving him to death, but he will be in good hands. These next couple of days will consist of one more lesson with Gianni and then saying goodbye to the people I have given my whole heart to for 4 months. Man, this gospel is incredible and gives us such wonderful opportunities and I am just so thankful for every single day I got to spend among these special people here. And now it's off to Rome for some new crazy adventures!!!

I wish I had time to recount to you all the thousand miracles I saw this week, but basta dire che questo veramente è il lavoro del Signore.

I love you all so very much!! Hope you didn't send anything to my Pescara address recently!! Have a fabulous week!!

Love,

Sorella Patterson

November 18, 2013 - Birthday Week

Buon P-Day Tutti!!!

Exchanges for a day with Arrosticini!

What a WEEK!!!!! SO many miracles this week! It was scambi (exchanges for a day) week so our Sister Training Leader came to our city from Roma 5 and did a scambio (exchange) with each of us. It was awesome!! It is so good to mix things up every now and then and learn from others and just have fun!! While being awesome missionaries of course :) One of the pictures is of us on our scambi night with the famous dish of Pescara: Arrosticini!!! SO GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD!

Winter Flooding in Pescara

Another awesome thing happened this week. So fun fact about Pescara: It floods! Pretty much every winter! Haha, what an adventure that was. We were trying to get to the church for English course when all of a sudden we got off the train and into water up to our knees!! Hahaha, and it was cold! We pretty much swam to church that night, but of course, no one came. Well, Ercole came, but he left when no one else came :( But it was perfect becasue then I got a call from a Sorella whose house was flooded so our little army of 6 missionaries swam to her house and mopped and sang and just had a ball!! It was the first piece of service we have been able to find since I got here!! It was GREAT!!

And the best news of all: Gianni will be baptized on the 7th of December!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHAT!! So awesome!! He is so great and progressing so fast!! And he has the cutest little puppy EVER!! Everything about Gianni has been a miracle. Seriously. Some people are so ready for the Gospel they just needed to meet the missionaries to make it official! We really are just instruments in the hands of God. Now that he has a baptismal date, please pray for him and that he can stop smoking!! I know how much this Gospel can bless him and his daughters! PLEASE pray for him!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I love you all so very much! Thank you for all the birthday wishes! Tomorrow will definitely be the best birthday EVER!!! The big 21!! Haha, yeah, should be awesome. We are seeing Gianni tomorrow and we have District meeting, and English Course, so I'm pretty excited. It will be an awesome day!!! Sicuramente ci sarà gelato... :)

Love you all so very much. Thank you for your love and constant support of me and this work. Have a fabulous week and always bring that umbrella!!!

Sorella Patterson

November 11, 2013

Editor’s note here (aka Mom): Normally Megan sends me a separate email just to me, but I thought it important to share a part, so on behalf of a worried mom, here is her request for a prayer on her behalf:

Mom,

Tossing a coin into the Trevi Fountain
(ensures a return trip to Rome per Roman legend)

This week was rough with my companion being sick. I did everything. Definitely pushed me to my limits and maybe a bit Beyond. But I survived and learned a ton, so that means I probably did okay. But now I'm sick, and everything hurts, so pray that it goes away fast so I don't ever have to go to an Italian hospital, they scare me to Death. I have been to one a couple times now, for investigators, and it's not ever a place I want to go. I am nowhere near sick enough for that right now, like it's just my throat and body, but just to be safe, include that in your prayers. :)  No reason for alarm or anything at all! But I do need to be in perfect shape before Sunday, because we are doing a musical number! :)

 

 

Boungiorno tutti!!

So last pday, we went to Rome since Zone Conference was the next day and also in Rome. It was awesome to see the touristy stuff for the first time! Also, while we were there, I met this lady named Aimee from New Zealand and we got to talk with her for a bit and invite her to Church (in Rome). Hopefully she went! Also, this American couple came up to us (only in Rome!) and they were also Mormon and so I comitted them to give away a pass-along card and they accepted! They said they already had someone in mind. It was awesome! I love this work!

So, we had stake conference Yesterday, so that meant going back to Rome! Lots of long bus rides this week! But it was fun, and great to see lots of members from this new stake coming together. Also, since the stake is so new, lots of new callings happened, which meant lots of sustaining of our dear Pescara members. So many of them are making such huge sacrfices for the Church and for the Gospel. I am so astounded b the strength of their testimonies. What a blessing to serve amongst such angels!

So, this week is going to be crazy with tons of appointments and lots of people to see and invite to Christ. At district meeting, we have had a couple trainings on setting goals, and it is something  that my companion and I are trying to work on now. We have set some pretty good ones this week and are commited to them, and it is going to take all of our heart, mind, mind, and strength to accomplish them! Also, my companion was sick all last week, and now I am a little sick (nothing crazy, just a cold) so we are trying not to let anything slow us down :)   Gianni and Lucia and Ivana and Lia are counting on us!! :)

Love you all, so great to hear about all the awesome stuff happening in the ward. You are all such awesome examples for me!! Have a great week!!

Sorella Patterson

 Pictures from last week's zone conference:

 

 

 

 

 

November 4, 2013 - Wearing out the apostrophe key!

Buongiorno Tutti!!

What a week!

So, last week, before the talent night at church, we found some papers on our desk with the name of a man and his number and some things the missionaries had taught him ten years ago. We decided to call him up and invite him to the Serata di Talenti the next day! We called and he answered and naturally was a little shocked that the missionaries were calling him ten years later... but he said he would like to come. He then said something along the lines of, "It is really very strange that you called inthis monent. I have been going through a really hard time and been looking for peace and joy. Maybe this is a sign from God..." I said, "You know, it could be that indeed!" I told him to come to the talent night and we would talk. Sorella Worsham and I were really excited to meet him (Gianni) and we couldn't wait for the next day to come!!!

Our prize for winning the food war at the talent show!!
Our Brownies ROCKED!! (Me and Sorella Knudsen, love her!)

Then came the Talent Night. We show up. No Gianni. We wait. No Gianni. It ends.... No Gianni. WHAT?! We call him the next day and he says that he couldn't come becuase he had to see his daughter off to college, but we just assumed it was his way of saying he wasn't interested. However, he then said he was really sorry and could we come by to meet him at his home because he was indeed very interested in learning about our church/gospel!!

So Wednesday, we went over there with Sorella Marino and met Gianni, and it was one of the best lessons EVER!!! The Spirit was so strong and Sorella Marino, a VERY recent convert, bore awesome testimony the whole time and it was just incredible!! Such a tender mercy, when most of our other appointments have been falling through. Then we invited him to church, but he said no, he didn't really like crowds. That was a bummer, but we left happy anyway. Then, Saturday night, we decided to call him to see how he was doing and then we felt like inviting him again to church, and he said yes!!! And he came to church on Fast Sunday!!!!!!!! and Fast Sunday in Pescara is the most spiritual thing EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Our bishopric all bore their testimonies and every single thing was exactly what our three investigators at church needed to hear!!!!! They are such inspired men. They have no idea what our investigators need, but they have the Spirit and when they talk with the Spirit, the Spirit really does bring their words to our hearts, just like the scriptures say. It was seriously incredible. What a miracle, the whole time with Gianni. I'll keep you updated on him. Also, Ivana came to church, and even brought a friend!! WHAT! She is already doing missionary work, haha!!

I just love it all so much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Pumpkin carving with the Young Women!! Such a great activity!
This is Guia, after the activity, she came with us to deliver the pumpkin
to an older lady, Flora, who comes to our English Course,
and who will hopefully be coming to church for the first time this Sunday :)

Also, Zone conference tomorrow is in Rome, so we got special permission today to have pday in ROME!!!! Coloseum, here I come!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ciao from Italia!!

Sorella Patterson