Double digits!

Ciao Famiglia!!
     Well, yesterday i started my 10th transfer!  Can you believe that?  Double digits... I dont really know what to think about it.  I feel like i should know a lot more than i do.  Its crazy.  Sorella Miles and Sorella Ivory started their 5th!  I feel like they just barely got here.  Its all going too fast.  I guess i pictured feeling like i had a lot under my belt at this point in my mission.  But heavenly father is keeping my humble and making sure that i know that no matter how far along i am, i have to rely on Him and there is still LOTS more for me to learn!  Its going to be a good transfer!  I just know it.  Our goal is to have a baptism in the sea before I come home.  ANd its going to happen!  I just know it!
     First good news is the hope of 2 more baptisms here in Ladispoli.  Nothing is set at all but im telling you because you need to pray for us here!  The first is a little girl named, Elisa.  She is 9 and her parents are divorced and both less active.  She comes to church though with a member that has a daughter her age.  I talked to her sunday and asked her if she wants to be baptized. She got the biggest smile on her face and said yes.  I told her that we needed to talk to her mom and then hopefully we could come over and visit her.  She was soooo cute about it immediately gave me her moms number so that i could call her and talk to her.  Then i called her mom later that day and Elisa had already gone home and told her mom she wants to be baptized.  We are going to go and see them on sunday and hopefully we can set a date with them!  Maybe it will give the mom some motivation to come back to church too!
     The next is Raffaella who has already told her boyfriend that she wants to break up with him and now we are really confused at the situation.  Pray for her to have the courage to do what she needs to do so that then she can get baptized.  She is clearly so unhappy with him and him with her.  Its just not a good situation.
     Other than that, not tons has happened with us.  Its getting a little bit warmer and they told us that it should start getting pretty hot now... and thats what im really scared about.  Maybe it will just stay mild for a couple months... that would be nice!  We are trying to do a lot of less active work and its been great.  We have seen 2 less active ladies that we havent been able to see since my first few weeks here.  Neither one would promise but both told us that this week they are going to try and get to church.  We will help them by giving nice phone call reminders and picking them up if we need to:)  we are talking about the temple with all our less actives and helping them really have a desire to prepare themselves to enter the temple when its finished here.  Thats going to be so sweet.  I miss the temple a lot.  You realize how important it is when its not right next to you.  That will be the first place i go!  I miss the peaceful feeling of being in the temple.  Im so happy that these italians are going to have a temple of their own.  its going to bring lots of new converts!  I just know it!
     Oh, before i forget.  We are going to be calling on the saturday before mothers day if its alright with you guys.  we are going to go to Giorgias but if it doesnt work we will have to go to internet point and we dont want to do that on sunday.  So President gave us all the option of doing it on saturday.  Our plan is to go Moss family at 5 our time, Ivory family at 6 our time and buma family at 7 our time.  If that doesnt work for you, make sure you let me know next week and we will try and work something out. Hopefully its perfect though.  Im so excited!  YOu can all say hi to Giorgia too.  haha i love her.  She is doing good and came to all 3 hours of church this sunday for the first time!  Go Giorgia!!!
    Oh man, i almost forgot to say that Umberto go the aaronic priesthood this week!!!  SOOO sweet.  That really was a sweet moment.  He invited us to be there in the room when they set him apart.  He is incredible.  He is going to be such a strong member.
     I think thats all for today.  Oh and i should tell you that today is il giorno di Liberazione.  Today is the day that the american came and saved Italy from Hilter!  There is also another holiday on tuesday.  Their labor day.  I love italy haha.  There is always an excuse to not go to work and eat lots of good food:)  Have a great week and dont forget to let me know about the saturday before mothers day!  I miss you all so much.  Thanks for all your support.  Missions are hard but like sorella ivory says, i wouldnt trade one day of it.  I love the people here.  I love this ward!  I love all the great responses, some not so nice, when we talk to random people on the street.  I know the true church is guided and directed on the earth by a living prophet and i love sharing that!  Thats what makes me happy every day!  vi voglio un sacco di bene!!!!
Love,
Sorella Chelsea

Baptismal Success!

Ciao!!
      Well, this week was great!  Saturday ended up being perfect!  Im going to make a recording that explains everything but it went so smoothly once we got to the church... THat was the hardest part because obviously there was an articoke (spelling?) festival in ladispoli and the buses werent coming in at all.  But we made it there and the font was filling up nicely and with warm water!  It was a miracle!  Not even one problem with the font this time!  I was so nervous to speak but everyone told me my italian was really good and that they could understand.  Thats mostly what i was going for.  I just get to nervous that nothing that comes out of my mouth will make sense.  Umberto was so happy and it was perfect!  He got confermed right after which usually doesnt happen but we got permission to do it that way.  So he is officially a member of the church and him and his girlfriend are planning on getting married in the temple in a year!!  and they told me and sorella ivory that we are invited!!!  So sweet huh!  That would be a pretty cool moment!
      Next piece of great news is that last night jessenia told Sorella Ivory after english course that she is praying to know if going on a mission is right for her!!!!  Wouldnt that be sooooooo sweet!  I was dying when i heard that!  She would be such a great missionary.  She has the strongest testimony and i love her!  I dont know if she will go but i really see it as a big possibility!
       I guess i should also tell you that Im staying in Ladispoli with sorella Ivory!  I might just finish my mission here.  2 cities... haha.  I love it here though and i couldnt be more grateful.  I seroiusly love the ward here.  I havent talked enough about them but one day ill get around to that.  We have the greatest members.  2 families on sunday told me that i have to finish my mission here and then i have 1 month to go home and be with my family and then they want me to come back and live with them.  I just love them.  Its so great staying in places for so long because i really have been able to build relationship that i know ill have forever.  Especially here in Ladispoli!  By the end of this transfer i will have been here for almost 8 months!  Crazy!
     Our Bishop gave the most amazing lesson in RS the other day.  He talked about charity and then we did the best activity.  He said, ok today there are 19 sisters here in this room.  Plus the sisters that are in primary and some other things so i think we counted like 30 present that day.  Then he said, on the roll there are 61 sisters.  Look around and tell me who is missing.  And then we all said names of people who werent there.  (It was like a dream for us because we just had a listed handed to us of people to search for!.  Anyway, it was awesome! I think it was really eye opening for the sisters to really think about who they know that wasnt there because we just get to used to the people that are there.  If that makes sense.  Anyway, it got me and sorella ivory so pumped up to do less active work!  and that is something i really want to help with when i get home.  There are just so many people that have gotten lost in the cracks!  And they need to be helped back.  I dont think we realize how hard it would be to come back espeically without a friend in the ward to help.  I just think about what Christ would do.  Leave the 99 to find the one!
     Sorella Ivory did a spiritual thought for our district meeting the other day that was awesome and has been on my mind so much.  She talked about how our families can be our best friends as well.  But making them our best friends is a choice.  Just like Christ is our brother and that wont change but we can choose to have him as our best friend.  But that really takes effort on our part!  I have been thinking about all the things that i can and need to do to keep building that relationship.  We know our best friends in and our and would do anything for them.  And thats how it should be with us and our Savior.  I loved the analogy she used to describe it.  It really hit me.  I am determined to keep developing that friendship and make sure im doing all i can to be worthy to be called one of Christs friends.
      Well, its about time to wrap this up.  We are going to the museum at Villa Burghese today!  There is sweet stuff there!  Its a zone activity and sorella Kelly reserved our times there a long time ago.  Ill be sure and take lots of pictures.  Thanks for everything!  You are the best family and friends i could have asked for.  I struggle sometimes at writing back but i hope you feel my love.  YOu will never know how much your emails and letters mean to me!  Thanks for being such a great support system for me!  Love you all and miss you but im really happy where I am.  we have lots of work to get done here in Ladispoli!  Hopefully more baptisms to see:)  Have a great week!!
Love,
Sorella Chelsea

Buona Pasqua!!!

Ciao!!!!
       Mamma Mia!  Conference was amazing huh.  There were so many times in the first session when they were talking about missionaries and i just felt soooooo humbled to be here.  I cant believe where i am and how far into i am.  It really is so crazy when people ask me how long i have been out.  But im so grateful to be here.  I love the response that a missionary gave elder Oaks about why we are willing to serve missions.  We are willing because we understand the sacrifice that Christ gave to us and giving a year and a half or 2 years is such a small sacrifice to make so that others can know of the sacrifice christ made for them.  I know that makes no sense but you can just read exactly what he said... haha.  I really felt the love of my Heavenly Father for me at the end of that session when the choir sang.  I love conference.  It was just like christmas and i couldnt have been happier.  We are watching the last session with Giorgia at her house cause its too late here for them to broadcast it.  So i still have some to look forward too.  And next conference im going to be right there in the conference center.  Its necessary!
     So whats new here?  Umberto is still good to go for his baptism.  He got in an accident and so hasnt had a car this week so we havent seen him.  But he came to conference and should have his interview for baptism this satruday.  Keep him in your prayers.  Satan works hard right before a baptism.  Giorgia is doing great and came to conference.  She goes slow but is progressing.  She is reading the BOM every day and still saying a prayer every night.  We are all on 1 ne 13.  Raffaella was supposed to come to conference but then was sick... It was the worst cause she really needed that.  I am hopeful that she will watch it online at least though.  Others... We still go and see andreina but not often. She is SOOOOOO interested in the church but is so scared to make that step to baptism.  She is 84 though...  She thinks she hasnt received an answer strong enough even though she had told us of at least 2 experiences of when she was reading the book of mormon and felt something in her heart that she cant explain.
    Yesterday we had a SWEET hour of finding.  Anziano Roe, in our district, told us yesterday to try and ask people about their dreams (Italians have crazy dreams.  lots of converts gained their testimony through dreams).  So we planned well, said a good, specific prayer before going out and expected miracles.  I love talking to the first person i see or i get nervous and its way harder.  So, the first person i saw, i asked him what he has been dreaming in these days.  Answered something, dont really remember what, and then i asked if he has ever had an ancestor come see him in his dreams.  He said yes, lots of times!  I explained and bore testimony of the plan of salvation and eternal families and asked if we could exchange numbers and come share with his family.  He said yes!!!  Seriously that never happens on the first person!  miracle!  We ended up getting 3 numbers in 1 hour!  It was insane.  I felt so guided by the spirit!  It was such a sweet day.  I also talked to this young mom.  Her and her husband are in medical school and have a little girl.  She was so interested in eternal families and I hope so badly we get to teach them!  Anyway, the best part is how happy we felt.  Sorella Ivory really loved missionary work in that moment and it made me soooooo happy!  This is what i want to help to feel.  A real love for doing this work.  Its great and miracles happen if we put our faith in the lord!
    I think thats about it for me this week.  We still dont know what we are doing for Easter but im sure that something great will come up.  Oh and about the christmas family.  We still havent gone to eat with them again because they were all sick that weekend.  So hopefully soon.  We also have zone conference this week!  Its going to be such a great week.  General conference, zone conference and easter all in the same week!  Thanks for everything!  YOu all are the best and i love you will all my heart!  Dont ever forget that!  I love my friends and family.  I hope you all have a great week!  HAPPY EASTER!!!
Love,
Sorella Chelsea