{"id":377,"date":"2013-09-06T03:52:34","date_gmt":"2013-09-06T03:52:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/emmaletters.com\/?p=377"},"modified":"2013-09-06T03:52:34","modified_gmt":"2013-09-06T03:52:34","slug":"arrivederci-verona","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/emmaletters.com\/arrivederci-verona\/","title":{"rendered":"Arrivederci, Verona"},"content":{"rendered":"
Carissima famiglia,<\/div>\n
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Okay, yep I’m leaving. I’m leaving this beautiful city!\u00a0 Not gonna lie, I’m a little heartbroken and not really knowing what to feel.\u00a0 The predictions came true, our coppia that we opened will be given to elders, and Sorella Acerson and Sorella Gross are going to be companions.\u00a0 When the APs called, as soon as they told me where I’d be going (I was shocked, by the way), and after I hung up, I just started shaking and crying and I couldn’t help it.\u00a0 My first city, leaving my trainer, I don’t know, I just feel emotional about it.\u00a0 I love Verona so much.\u00a0 It’s such a beautiful city, the members are AMAZING and they have changed my life, and the memories of Verona will always be in my heart.\u00a0 But, as I have been praying and reflecting, I know that leaving is the right thing for me to do. My heart’s a little broken because I love them so much, and I don’t think they will ever know how much knowing them has changed me, but this is missionary work, right? We just fall in love over and over again, and get to see so many beautiful and heartbreaking things all at once.<\/div>\n
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And guess where I’m going? Rimini! (Right, you’ve never heard of it…) It’s in the southern part of Italy and it’s on the coast. Sorella Acerson just came from Rimini, and so I’ve been hearing all about this place for three months.\u00a0 She loved it.\u00a0 I’m excited.\u00a0 It will be completely different – it’s a small branch, not a ward, a lot more intense biking, and there are only\u00a0sisters in the city, so we’ll be teaching men again.\u00a0 Right now there is a trio, so I’m going to turn it into 2 companionships and we will be opening a new coppia there. Opening again! Adventures to come… I’m so so so excited!<\/div>\n
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We have found a lot of people with lots of potential, and I am so excited for Verona to take off! I know I won’t get to see what comes of any of it right now, but we all have an important role to play as missionaries in the Lord’s kingdom.<\/div>\n
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A new convert that we have been working with every\u00a0week for the past three months just told us last night that she is preparing to go to the temple soon.\u00a0 It was the perfect way to end my time here in Verona.\u00a0 It is such a beautiful miracle that has made me so happy.\u00a0 I can’t really go into all the details of it, but let me tell you, this is such a miracle.\u00a0 God is good.<\/div>\n
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As I think of all of the beautiful people I have met and the sacrifices that they make to be members of the church here in Italy, I am truly humbled.\u00a0 These members dedicate so much time to their callings, their responsbilities, and helping one another.\u00a0 There are so many people I have such deep respect for.\u00a0 There have been tears, endless laughter, sleepless nights, beautiful sunsets,\u00a0 and so many beautiful people.<\/div>\n
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I will miss sitting on my balcony at night looking over the quiet street and listening to harmonica man play random tunes all around our neighborhood.\u00a0 I will miss my African families, our American investigators, and my companion.\u00a0 I will miss the beautiful bridge over the river and my favorite gelato shop in centro.\u00a0 I will miss the people most of all.\u00a0 Their love for one another inspires me to serve others and look outside myself.\u00a0 They face life with such optimism and endurance.<\/div>\n
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As I leave, I try to think of what I’ve done for Verona and it’s just a ridiculous question. I haven’t done anything for Verona.\u00a0 But Verona has done so much for me.\u00a0 These people have taught me so much about life and about myself.<\/div>\n
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These things are so cliche and sentimental and I’m sorry!<\/div>\n
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I am so excited for the new adventure ahead. I get to have another family in a completely different part of Italy, Rimini! RIMINI. It’s a city of miracles for sister missionaries.<\/div>\n
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And just a shout out to my AMAZING companion\/trainer\/mother in the mission.\u00a0 She is an amazing missionary.\u00a0 She has taught me to trust myself more. She has taught me to just make a decision and stick with it.\u00a0 She has taught me never to fear, to be bold in everything that I say, and to give my entire heart and soul to everyone that I meet.\u00a0 She is fearless and strong and has a way of opening stubborn women’s hearts \ud83d\ude42 She listens to me talk for forever and she thinks I’m funny, haha. I will miss her!<\/div>\n
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I love you all! I know the Lord loves us each individually.\u00a0 I know that life filled with ups and downs every moment.\u00a0 But God is good.\u00a0 He is there.\u00a0 He is listening, and He is aware.<\/div>\n
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I haven’t slept for two nights straight and I’ve been quite anxious.\u00a0 But I know that He understands.\u00a0\u00a0 “Be still, and know that I am God.”\u00a0 This is all a part of His plan.\u00a0 I am still.\u00a0 I am happy.\u00a0 I just take a deep breath and face the next adventure that is coming along.\u00a0 I can’t wait to see what He has in store for me in Rimini!<\/div>\n
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Vi voglio bene,<\/div>\n
Sorella Strong<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Carissima famiglia, Okay, yep I’m leaving. I’m leaving this beautiful city!\u00a0 Not gonna lie, I’m a little heartbroken and not really knowing what to feel.\u00a0 The predictions came true, our coppia that we opened will be given to elders, and Sorella Acerson and Sorella Gross are going to be companions.\u00a0 When the APs called, as […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[12],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/emmaletters.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/377"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/emmaletters.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/emmaletters.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emmaletters.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emmaletters.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=377"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/emmaletters.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/377\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":378,"href":"https:\/\/emmaletters.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/377\/revisions\/378"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/emmaletters.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=377"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emmaletters.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=377"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emmaletters.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=377"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}