Crazy News! From 24 to 68 Sorelle by June!

Family, how did I get so lucky to be yours?

Oh, you are the BEST! Family, how did I get so lucky to be yours? I know I ask that every week, but I mean it! I have been so overwhelmed with love and gratitude this week and I have no idea why. I just am so grateful for the gospel, the scriptures, and the mission. My life is changing. My heart is changing. My mind is changing (hopefully for the better, haha). It just doesn't get better than this. I get so excited when I think about sharing all my experiences with you when I get home.

First things first.... DAD!!! I am SOOOOOOO thrilled for you!! I can't wait to hear about all the miracles you will see... I have been so emotionally touched by all the men who hold the priesthood in the church and who accept callings to serve. You have always been a great example to me in your desire to serve others. The Lord has so much faith and confidence in you! As do I. I have NO doubt that the Lord WILL prepare a way for you to do everything you have to do. He is guiding every step you take. Thank goodness, right? He is the best guide...EVER. I couldn't help but be overwhelmed with love, gratitude, and even more love. :) Dad, you and mom and our family are THE BEST THINGS that have ever happened to me. The mission has made me appreciate you all so much more. I am trying not to miss you all, but you make it hard, haha. You're all just too amazing!

The work is going so well! Two days ago, two investigators that we had let go CALLED US to set up an appointment. That never happens to us. So it was pretty cool. Heavenly Father loves us.

Other crazy news...so right now, there are about 24 sisters in the mission (more or less), but by June, there will be 68!!!!!!!!! This is HUGE!!! There will be sisters EVERYWHERE in the mission!! I feel sooooo lucky to be a part of the growth of the church in Italy. I feel so blessed that God wanted me here in this time and in this place to be a leader and an example to those sisters who will be coming in. I am learning so much, thanks to humbling experiences and miracles. I feel my Savior's love every day of my life here. It's the best.

I am so sorry I don't send very long emails. I feel like it is unfair of me to want emails from you when I just don't have time to write and respond...but please know that every email you send is so loved and appreciated! It makes me feel SO happy to know you thought of me!! So, yeah. Thanks again. :)

Anyway, I will be praying for you all! Love you!

Wonderful to Witness Rock Solid Friendships 1-23-13

http://www.blazetravelguides.org/destinations/florence/cascine-park

(Above Picture)  The Duomo is the cathedral on 

the left middle side of the picture. Katie and her companion would have been on the right side of the River Arno walking next to the grass parkway.

(Right picture)   Farther down the grass parkway

(Below picture) Tuesdays there is an outdoor market

Oh my goodness, I am in LOVE with Firenze. It is the best city in the mission and I am completely biased, haha. We were out doing finding work yesterday morming at this park called the Cascine. It is alongside a river and you can see the Duomo peeking out from the middle of the city. There are people walking "ther" dogs and markets all set up. It is gorgeous. The sky had just cleared up for a second before the rain hit again, and it just hit me how much I love this city. I love talking with the people here. Everyone has a story to share. I love Italians.

This morning, we were supposed to have an appointment, so we double-checked the address and were on our way. The appointment was with a really cute and sweet Peruvian girl who was so excited to talk with us! We get to the address, and no joke, we were in front of a building called "The Church of Christ." I immediately thought, oh well that's funny, I think she was totally pulling a prank on us! I laughed and thought it was no coincidence that in ALLLL of Firenze, and out of ALLL the apartments, we would just by chance get this address. I thought it was a good one! I mean if you're going to pull a prank on some missionaries, that would be it! My thoughtful and sweet companion, Sorella Eaton, decided to at least call her and check again. Turns out, we had the wrong address and she wasn't just pulling a prank on us after all. Oh well. It felt good to laugh and hey! We will see her again!

Firenze is such a neat little city. There are so many fun little finds. There are a lot of family-run restaurants. There are lots of little shops to explore. Like I said earlier, everyone has a story. For example, we met a guy yesterday that said he was in Firenze years before they began building houses. His house was surrounded by green fields and the river. When he talked about Firenze, he glowed! There is definitely a special light in the people of Italy. They have so much going for them! They love family. They love food. They love friends. And actually, they love their religion and culture. I love seeing how proud they are of their country. It is incredible being here.

As far as the work goes, we are still just moving along! We have been trying really hard as of late to strengthen the less active members, like I said last week. It seems to be working! I love hearing the conversion stories of the members over here! I realize that I am so lucky to have been raised in the gospel, but I really do admire those who chose this road without knowing how different it would be. We have every kind of member here. And they all work together in this unique way that is unlike anywhere else. For some, the branch is their family. There is a friendship among the members that is rock solid...and wonderful to witness.

I can't believe I've been in this beautiful country for over 5 months!! I couldn't be luckier. :) Thanks for loving me from afar. Sometimes, it feels like my life up to this point has just been a dream. I am obsessed with my family and how cool they are. My friends are the best friends that anyone could ever ask for. Seriously. I don't know where or who I'd be without them. Life is good. :)

Love,

Sorella Kate Beus

I love my LIFE! Everything is GOOD! 1-16-13

I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE FLORENCE!!!! BEST CITY EVER!!!! Can't wait to come here with you and DAD!!!!! :) :) :) I think this transfer is going to be a GOOD ONE! Knock on wood. These past few weeks, we are starting to slowly see miracles. We found a solid investigator who is SO excited about our message. She is a mother of two, and knows how important her role is in the family. She kept promising us she will read the Book of Mormon and we thought it was way cute.

We had zone training yesterday and talked about how special this time is to be serving in Italy. The work is about to get HUGE! There are A LOT of missionaries coming in within the next few transfers. It is so exciting for us! I can't believe I am part of this wonderful work. I just want to soak it all in. Geesh, we are blessed.

Sorella Eaton is the best. She is FULL of light. She smiles and waves at everyone. She always makes me want to be a better missionary. She is really uplifting. I love how positive she is! We are hoping to stay together for at least one more transfer. :)

I finally got the Christmas letters and loved it!! You are all the best support system!! Thanks for keeping me going!! I adore getting emails. They make me want to work harder!! I mean, how often do you get to do missionary work in FLORENCE ITALY!! This city is full of strong members and families. Once again, so blessed. The mission is hard, but I guess that's why you end up loving it.

Love you!

Gotta go! 

e basta. ;)

Sorella Katie Beus

THIS WILL GIVE YOU A MAXIMUM MISSIONARY  BOOST!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bg74zh6GhY8

"An Eye Of Faith" - Then and Now

Two years ago this very weekend, Katie chose this road to becoming a missionary, and wrote 

"I hope to be able to see everything with an eye of faith..." 

This is her testimony now............

"All we can do is work hard, ask for His will to be done,

and have enough trust and faith in Him to wait patiently for the results."

I think she achieved this goal....

Wow... this mother could not love her more!

Skype Report 1-1-13

She called earlier than planned but luckily Kim caught it!

The only moment she cried... seeing her nephews

         
Christmas was so great. I LOVED seeing you all. You are all the lights of my life. I just want to be with you guys forever...and I CAN. Yayyayayayayayayay! This gospel rocks.

Skyping with our beloved Katie... 47 minutes of FUN!

1-1-13

Buongiorno!!!

You are the cutest family. By FAR. You sure do make the mission easier, haha. I know that some missionaries say that to talk to their families makes it harder, but to be honest, you all make me want to work even harder! I love it! You make life on the mission wonderful. :) I definitely feel your prayers and love and support. Every day. Thank you sooooo very much. You all look SO good!! It was fun to see your faces and hear your voices!

Not much has changed since last week. My poor companion got a bad flu and we have been trying to help her feel better. Poor girl. She is feeling a whole lot healthier now, and we go out and work...but the people are still enjoying the holidays. So the streets are pretty bare. That's okay. Miracles are waiting for us..I can feel it, haha. ;)

Love you all! 

Kate

We are ONE! Christmas in the Italy Milan Mission

Zone Christmas Conference 2012 - Matching Scarves and Ties!

19 Dicembre 2012 (handwritten letter)

Mother and Father,

I know this won't get to you before Christmas, but I wanted to take this little moment to tell you how much I love you... especially this Christmas. I got the packages on the 17^th and I had THE best time opening them. You both spoiled me TOO much! I was on a “be grateful, not guilty” kick for a lil' bit as I was going through & marveling at how thoughtful you are! I shared the Twizzlers with my district as we were taking the train from the zone conference in Modena back to Firenze. (Side note: the train we took was SWEET. It was like the movies where you all have a seat, and there are 6 seats in a cabin with your own heat control AND curtain. The curtains came in handy when I got tired of waking up to 3 Indian men staring at me every time I opened my eyes from my “half” nap. You would think those people have never seen a blond American before! Haha, too funny! End side note) The brownie mixes & other goodies just hit the spot! My companion is SUPER grateful. We have some carrots we just haven't used, but now can't wait to eat them with RANCH DRESSING! YAY!!! You are the best. I can't explain how much you mean to me. Gosh, why are words so hard to put together... into pretty sentences. 

Anyway, so the other package was just as loved as the other! Maybe even a little more because of the pictures as ornaments, haha. The tree is BEAUTIFUL! I was putting out all the stuff for the decorations, & just couldn't help but cry. That is THE most thoughtful Christmas gift ever ever ever. I love every single picture. It is a missionary Christmas dream come true. I loved seeing your handwriting on the plastic. I loved seeing your names on the “from” part of the packages. I love each ornament shaped picture. I love the white and gold trimmings. The socks = Classic! You NAILED it. This is turning out to be such a great Christmas. I checked the DVD to see if it works, and you should be so proud I didn't give myself a little preview, haha. I only looked at the main menu, which is beautiful & works! (on our little DVD player). I love Christmas time. I find myself thinking of you all a lot. The holidays are so fun with the whole fam. 
We'll all be HOME... NEXT Christmas!!! Riiiight?!?! :) Hope so.

Anyway...

We had just a giant Christmas Zone Conference. The Wolfgramms asked me to be the director for the musical portion of the Christmas program, & I loved it. I led a bunch of missionaries in singing classic childhood Christmas songs.... actions and all. I wish you could have seen how involved all the missionaries got! They were singing & dancing, loved it. We did a live nativity & sang Silent Night. I really appreciate that the Wolfgramms try to make Christmas fun for us. For Christmas, they gave all the sis. Missionaries the same scarf, & all the Elders the same tie. Not only that... it is the same scarf & tie that the Rome Mission Presidents gave all their missionaries!! WE ARE ONE! How cool? Right?! They also got that tie for all Bishops & Branch Presidents in all of Italy. It was such a neat idea. I LOVE THIS MISSION!! Sometimes, it just hits me how cool and random that I got called HERE! Out of all the missions... :) small world. 

In the past I have worried that I'm not changing, but am starting to notice little things... It is definitely not easy and not always fun. But there is something super satisfying about looking back on the past months & realizing you worked HARD. You cried, you fell down, you got rained, actually poured on, you froze, you died of heat... and you saw countless miracles, nevertheless.

The Lord loves us so much. And I love Him. :) This Christmas, the best gift is knowing I am a part of your family FOREVER.

Merry Christmas! (beautifully written in cursive)

Love,

Sorella Katherine Beus

Midnight Mass at the Duomo in Florence!

                                                                     http://www.aviewoncities.com/florence/duomo.htm

Sorella Eaton and I have decided to celebrate Christmas through January...because we can. :) 

By the way, Christmas is LEGIT here!!! We get to go to midnight mass at the DUOMO!!!!!!! 

THIS IS SOOOO NOT REAL!! I LOVE MY LIFE!!!!!

Video of Florence

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUkLLab8J1w

THIS WILL GIVE YOU A  MAXIMUM MISSIONARY BOOST!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bg74zh6GhY8

I love Florence... I love it! 12-19-12

From her Dad:

Dear Miss Kate, 
Can't wait to see you next week!  You are on my mind daily.  I love you so much.  I am so glad you are finding the joy that comes through sharing your love for the Italian people and being the Lord's messenger to help them learn of His great plan of Salvation.  By understanding who is their Redeemer and how they can return to their Heavenly Father they too can have that inner peace that will carry them through this life even in the most perilous of times.   I love the scripture where the Savior says, "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you.  Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." John 14:27

As you experience Christmas in a foreign country, almost half way around the world from your home, remember what a blessing it is to be in the service of He who made it all possible for us all, that we might have the fullness of joy and peace of heart.  Again, I love you.  Dad

From Katie: 

Dad, I am in love with this experience. I have had some really hard days here but every day, there is some miracle that reminds me why I'm here. Time is flying by!! The branch here is soooo wonderful. They always greet us very happily. They are grateful for sister missionaries in their branch. I feel SO lucky to be here. And I feel luckier to be your daughter. :) :) LOVE YOU!!!!

Until next week. Ciao ciao!

Your Kate

        P.S. We get to see "THE DAVID" TODAY!!!!!!! AAAHHHH!!! Can't wait! 
        I love Florence... I love it!

http://www.bluffton.edu/~sullivanm/micheldavid/side.jpg

"I love my name tag!" 12-14-12

This is from a handwritten letter to Kim:

14 Dicembre 2012

So, for the month of December, we gave a “Gift to Christ” every day. We all picked a Christlike attribute from Preach My Gospel Chapter 6 then wrote it on a paper star to put up on the Wolfgramm's Christmas tree :) :) :) They are such great mission presidents. Love them... beyond words. I hope you can meet them sometime. Anyway... I chose Diligence & it's been fun to see the change in me. Diligence is a hard quality for me... I love a good nap :) BUT there is enough to do on the mission that I need to focus & use every minute to the max. There are some times when it hits me how weird it is that I am out here. Me! Katie Beus! Imperfect & young, yet, sharing the gospel! I knock on about 40 doors & introduce myself to loads of people every day. It is so strange but so wonderful. I LOVE my nametag. I love that people look at it & associate me with the LDS church (Mormons)... Now, if only people would LISTEN! Geesh.

I wish I would have done more missionary work before I went on my mission. I had no idea how simple it is! All you need to do is open your mouth! Yeah, it's different when the people walk up to you & are staring at your name tag b/c you just ask them if they've ever heard of this church before while pointing to your tag. But still, you would be amazed at all the different ways you can bring up the church in random conversation. I try & think of anything to ask people while on the bus so I can at least talk to them. Per esmpio... I was sitting across from a lady on the bus & I had NO idea how to start talking to her but knew I wanted to... so I asked her where we can buy Christmas lights. HAHA! Funny thing was... it was still November & she thought I was CRAZY. Oh well... I tried. :) …

I am content here on the mission. I thought serving in Bergamo was hard, but we had it good in Bergamo. Kimmy, we don't have anything. No lessons, no investigators, no BLANKETS... but we did go out & buy Christmas lights! Life is always cozier with Christmas lights. FACT.

She decorated our Christmas Letters :)

The Reality Of It All... Dec 2012

Excerpts of Katie's letter to her Grandma who just got back from serving a mission herself:

I loved getting your letter! I am always so impressed with your knowledge of the gospel... Thank you for thinking of me! I am the luckiest granddaughter in the world. :) 

The new area is proving to be a lot more difficult than I had expected. Grandma, when we got here we didn't have a-n-y-thing. We do finding work ALL DAY EVERY DAY. I was so blessed to serve in such a well established city before this. To go from not enough time in the day for all the lessons we had to teach to no lessons at all has been very humbling. Every little miracle is noticed, and we are beyond grateful for any success we have. I'm learning a whole lot. 

I think it's healthy to remember the reality of it all. This is the Lord's work, and His timing is key. We can't ask Him to do what He isn't ready to do. All we can do is work hard, ask for His will to be done and have enough trust and faith in Him to wait patiently for the results. 

We did companion exchanges last week with 2 sisters who are in their last 2 transfers. I hope I can be in their shoes one day and know that I've done my best. I want to look back on the mission and be happy and feel fulfilled. So far, so good :) but there is still quite a ways to go. I'm ready. I am so excited to keep growing and seeing miracles. Thank you for the prayers. They are felt. :) 

I love you oh so much!

Sorella Katie Beus

Sorella Eaton Shout Out... 12-12-12

Sorella Eaton and I get along SOOOO well. Sometimes we forget that we've only known each other for a few weeks. We have way too much fun talking at night and sharing family stories. We are at the point where she quotes my nephew, and I quote her siblings, haha. It is great. We don't have to talk very much to know what the other is thinking. Truly, she is one of the biggest breaths of fresh air! I LOVE HER! She is the epitomy of nice. She is brilliant. When she teaches, she teaches with so much patience and love. It is crazy how she does it. She helps people understand what we are teaching in a manner where they can't confuse it. She is straight up talented! Wow, did I get lucky or what?! I have had STELLAR companions.

Visiting Old Friends in Bergamo-- Dec 12, 2012

I am writing from BERGAMO!!!!

Yes, you heard right. I got a call last Thursday saying that my "permission card" to stay in the country has arrived and was waiting for me in Bergamo and needed to be picked up on Wednesday. Which means, I had to go back!!! YAY! Not only that. Sorella Eaton got her card too, but it came into Torino...so that meant we had to go there TOO! We went to Torino on Sunday night and got to do a little bit of the work with the sisters there. It was fun, and BEAUTIFUL! I would love to serve there one day. How cool to serve in the same place where your family lived for centuries?! Start praying now, haha. We got permission to go to Bergamo on Tuesday and do splits with the sisters here...which meant that Sorella Padula and I got to work together again!!!!! I cannot express in words how beautiful the splits were. I was SO excited to see the people here. Sorella Padula knew I was coming, so she set up appointments for us with Stephen and Patrisia, and some other great people. She also didn't tell any of them I was coming so I could surprise them. How sweet is that?! I wish I could express how cute they were!! There faces were SOOOOOO surprised and SOOOOOOO happy to see me! It felt like coming home after a long vacation. They all asked if I could stay longer. It felt good. We saw miracles like CRAZY! Seriously. One after another. Bergamo is doing SO well. Sorella Padula and I had some great conversations. She kept telling me that all the miracles that were happening now were due to the hard work that I did...and of course the timing of the Lord. She was so sweet. We were super content and happy to work together again. Pure love. I am beyond grateful for the things she taught me and continues to teach me. We taught some fabulous lessons. Overall, this was one of the best mission Christmas presents EVER. There are tons of baptisms scheduled for the people that we started teaching last transfer, and I am so grateful for the Lord for helping them all prepare. Sigh.... life is good.

Firenze. The best place in the WORLD! 12-5-2012

                                                   FLORENCE ZONE TRAINING MEETING

Firenze. The best place in the WORLD!! Mom, it is ridiculously beautiful! I can't WAIT to bring you and dad here!!! You are going to love it. It is like a magazine. The center is so perfect. The buildings just take my breath away.

Miracle story: we were ringing doorbells, and no one was letting us into the building...and after about an hour of this, someone let us in! Usually when they let us in, it is because they didn't understand what we said. AND, if they did understand, it is probable that they are letting us in to tear us apart, haha. So, as we are walking up the stairs, my heart is sinking because I knew they understood who we are. As we get to the door, I start searching for JW magazines laying around the house. I don't see any magazines, and it turns out, they are just SUPER nice people. We shared a message with them and they liked it, but said they couldn't change religions...BUT, it was still a miracle. There is nothing better than sharing a message with someone who doesn't know it yet. I know it is true, and one day they will too! How lucky are we that we got to share our testimonies with someone who will listen?!?!

At this point, everyone who lets us talk to them beyond the "buongiorno" is a miracle story. :) We are still searching working hard! Keep the prayers comin'! :)

Questions and Answers... Nov 28, 2012

Via Delle Panche 

When do you get a bike? This week!!

Are you going to move to a different apartment soon?

Probably next transfer... but I actually kind of like it here, haha.

How are your shoes holding up?

Shoes are GREAT! I haven't worn through a pair yet.

Are you warm enough?

The weather is pretty darn nice! It is raining right now, but it isn't cold. It gets hot with all the walking we do.

What is the food like? TOOOOO GOOOD! You are going to LOVE it.

Are there many tourists this time of year?

We stay away from the touristy areas, so we actually don't see too many! It's nice. There are a lot more Italians here than there were in Bergamo, which is cool.

How are people receiving you?

They aren't really receiving us, haha. We keep trying though. We actually found some really neat people the other night while knocking on doors, and we have appointments with them this weekend. YAY!! There is always something to do though, and I love it.

Firenze is beautiful. I'll get pics when it isn't raining. I am in love with the members. They are so funny and open. They will do anything to help us do our work. They are beyond grateful that they have sisters serving in their ward and show their gratitude every time we come into the church. We saw sooooo many miracles this past week! We were knocking on doors and were about to finish, but did one more building. We rang the bell, and the people answered and let us right on up. He said he didn't understand who we were at first, but listened to our message anyway. He said that just a few days ago, he had been questioning his faith. And look at that... we arrived to help him strengthen it. I love it when that happens.

Ti amo! Vi amo!

Katie

Starting with a Blank Slate... Nov 21, 2012

Dearest Family and Friends,

I have arrived in Firenze! We arrived Thursday and are already in love with it. We spent the first few days trying to figure out the city and find the church, etc. It is great. There are 4 elders and 2 sisters and we're serving in a branch. We cover about half of the city. There are 2 branches here. We are part of the Firenze district, not big enough yet for a stake. We are starting from ground zero and working our way up. It is crazy. I don't feel ready for this. We are pretty much opening an area! We tract ALLLLLLLL day!!!! Crazy. We live on Medaglie D'Oro, which is close to Via Delle Panche. We walk for now, but are getting bikes soon. Our apartment is old but I actually LOVE it. It has 2 rooms, a kitchen, bathroom and it has tons of personality. The branch is incredible here! They welcomed us right in! We spend the whole day walking around trying to talk to people and find investigators. It is ROUGH. But SO beautiful at the same time. We can only get better, right?! There is nothing like having a blank slate.

I miss Bergamo a ton, but know that Florence is where I am supposed to be. Maybe we don't know why we're here yet, but we know that there is a reason. Every day is like an adventure. We are growing and learning so much. By the way, my companion is Sorella Eaton from Rexburg, ID. She is GREAT! I love her to pieces. She is a political science major and really knows her stuff. She is small and talks like an Italian. It is fabulous. She is such a good example to me. She smiles at EVERYONE. Her confidence in the gospel is SO STRONG and nothing can stop her. She is legit! We have fun talking together. She knows the scriptures super well. Overall, I couldn't be happier! This is quite the experience. I feel like I don't know what to say about it yet. I'll let you know in a week how it is going. We're still figuring this whole city/mission out. We feel new again. Ah the joys of transfers. :) 

LOVE IT! I hope to have more to say next week.

LOVE YOU ALL!!

Sorella Beus

Forward to Florence! ... November 14, 2012

So, once upon a time, there was a really neat city where there were some great sister missionaries. Those sisters did SUCH a wondeful job, but sometimes in the mission, the work will stop improving for various reasons. Eventually, this beautiful city was "put on hold", and there have been no sisters working there for quite some time...until NOW!!

I received a call last night from President Wolfgramm telling me that I will be opening FIRENZE again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can't BELIVE it!! I will be with Sorella Eaton...who is probably the best Italian speaker I know. She is only 3 transfers ahead of me and people already think she is a native. What a blessing! I can't wait to learn from her! In fact, before I came on the mission, Beka Rayburn told me to look for her friend who was already serving in Milan...and small world, it's Sister Eaton! Beka said she hoped we could serve together, and here we are. It is going to be quite the experience...bring it on! Thankfully, the members in Firenze are incredible!

Bergamo Baptisms... Nov 14, 2012

The baptism went SO well! Patrisia is so very special to us. She came looking so beautiful! Her hair was perfect and she was wearing a new skirt. She looked fab. She admitted that she was nervous, but as soon as she put on the white dress, she felt calm...and truly, she looked like an angel. She didn't stop smiling all night. Sunday came, and all the Bergamo wards were combined. It was also the day when she was receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost. We had a lunch and lesson before chruch where we explained the Holy Ghost and how we communicates with us. She was so exicted and nervous, but so so sure that she was doing the right thing. She didn't stop smiling the rest of Sunday. She came to all of church and participated in everything. she is going to be such a valuable member to the church. She has been talkign with her sons about the church, and one of them is meeting with the missionaries and loves it. This work is TOO beautiful for words. I love Patrisia. I am going to miss her like crazy.

We have had some great lessons this past week. Stephen, our favorite African, brought a friend with him to a lesson. His name is Williams. He is SO excited to start meeting with us. He has a permanent smile on his face. We love it. My favorite thing he said was, "If you be hatin' Jesus, I don't like you..." He was so serious when he said it. I wish I could say it the way he does. Aw man, if only you could all hear our investigators! Sorella Padula and I are always quoting them. They each say certain phrases in particular ways, and I can't get enough of it. For example, Stephen always says, "Yes, I know, it is true. I know all." He says it with so much conviction, and we love it. We have a quote board full of our favorites. I am truly going to miss these people. But like I said forever ago, I guess this is how the mission is. You learn, you love...and then you learn and love something else. But your growth goes with you.

I love this church. I love the gospel. I love our Savior, Jesus Christ, and am so grateful for His sacrifice. I couldn't be more happy and content to be part of this great and marvelous work. Thanks for the support in this. :)

Sincerely,
Sorella Beus

Baptism, Bowling, and Blast in Verona... Nov 7, 2012

We have a baptism this week!!!!!! It is Patrisia!!! She has come such a long way! We hadn't seen her in a long time because she was working far away, and the next time back, she asked if she could get baptized the following week. How neat is that?! We are so excited for her. I think every time we leave a lesson, I feel like she has taught me more than we taught her. She has the best stories to share with us, and we find ourselves laughing a whole lot when we are together.

YUMMY lunch with the Elders

Apple Crisp courtesy of Anziano Treadway

We went to Verona for a day! How cool is that?! We had a blast. The girl to my right is Sorella Oakes, my companion for the day, and the other is Sorella Hanson, one of the sisters that came in the MTC right after me. SO FUN! And last week we went Halloween Bowling!! It was SUPER fun. I loved it. The missionaries in our district are all so fun to be with. Guess who OWNED IT?!?! This girl! Haha. Scored 154 and beat all the elders! 

(Too hard to edit red-eye, just made them b/w)

Thank you so much for being such a great support from home!

Love,

Kate

Seeing Miracles... Oct 31, 2012

There is snow on the mountains! Sorella Padula has never seen snow! I hope she likes it!

Ciao tutti! Come va?! This week has been full of miracles! I prayed that I could SEE the small miracles this week that are always happening. I had to redefine miracle. Miracle: an event or feeling that allows you to see that the Lord is in control of your life and the lives of those around you. I had been waiting to see miracles like you hear about in the missionary books...you know, the kind where people walk up to you and say that they need to talk to you? Well, the Lord doesn't always work that way, and sometimes you have to search for them. The other day, we were walking around to different apartment buildings and calling people. You have to wait outside at the little speaker thing until someone opens the door to the building. Then, you just knock on all the doors until you find someone. It was raining and dark, and we were about to move on, but decided to just try one more name. It was a name that was definitely not Italian, and when we went to talk to them, they mumbled something, and got out the words that they were coming. A young woman walks down the stairs to let us in, and we find out she speaks English! Yay. She is from Iran. She said she had been reading "Eat Pray Love" and was at the part about prayer when we rang. She said that she doesn't know what to believe, but does believe in good energy and bad energy...and we explained that was the Holy Spirit. She said she has been searching for answers to her questions, and that we could come back the next day! That is a miracle. When you find someone, and know that God put them in your path so you could remember that He is truly the master of this work. 

The mission is full of moments like this. I love it. At Stake Conference this past Sunday, there was a sister missionary that recently came home. She said sooooo many great things regarding the mission. Again, a miracle. She expressed that sometimes the Lord asks us to do something...not because we can do it, but because we need to do it. We need to preach the gospel and we need to have faith. We need to repent and be baptized. Luckily, our Heavenly Father never asks us to do something we can't do. Moroni 7:33. We can do anything with the Lord's help.

I got in my first bike accident. Another biker accidentally turned into me. I hit the ground SOOO hard! I just lay there for a few seconds and couldn't feel my left arm. Gosh, all the thoughts that rush into your mind when something like that happens are just crazy. In my head, I was trying to think of how to respond in Italian, and just couldn't. For 3 days, I couldn't grip with my left hand, so I had a hard time using the brakes on the left side of my bike. My elbow and forearm were super bruised and still are, but thankfully thankfully thankfully, I am slowly getting the strength back. I am amazed sometimes at the things that don't phase me anymore. I just don't react how I used to. I find myself not wanting to stop for anything. There just isn't time to waste! Haha. 

Happy Halloween!!! We get to have a Halloween Party with the elders and senior couple! AHODEEHO!!!

Love you love you! Thank you for the prayers! I can feel the strength and love from home, and couldn't be more grateful. You are the reason I am still going strong. 

Until next week!

Katie

"Desire" and Drumroll please..... Oct 17, 2012

                                     So grateful I got to stay in beautiful Bergamo for another transfer...

                                             ...where even the street signs are so classy!!

I made it to my first Zone Conference!!! I LOVED it!!! This whole mission thing sure is inspired. The president and assistants had prepared one of the most uplifting, inspiring conferences. It was perfect timing. I went to the conference with an open heart and mind, and I was not disappointed.

We spent about half of the conference talking about DESIRE. When you have the desire, you act, and then you see results. You can't act if you don't have the desire. Our desire as missionaries should be to constantly find, teach, baptize. As soon as you lose sight of this, you stop feeling the influence of the Holy Ghost guiding your path. The next thing we talked about to go along with this was real intent. When we are truly seeking to align our will with God's...with real intent...there really isn't a reason not to be successful. When we make God's will our own, we have the support of Him. There is no one else I would rather want on my team! Needless to say, I received the answers to all my questions in one way or another at the conference. Heavenly Father sure does know what he is doing!

http://www.bulkpartysupplies.com/store/i/is.aspx?path=/images/products/50188.jpg

Some exciting news!!! Drumroll please....we have our first baptism this Saturday!! YEAH! His name is Steven, he's from Ghana, and we love him. We met him my first week here and have been teaching him every Tuesday and Thursday since. We have truly enjoyed watching him as his testimony has grown, as he's changed his life, and has he has truly come to understand the value of the gospel in his life. We can't help but smile when we talk to him. It has been quite the experience, and we're getting super stoked for Saturday! Yay!!! He always tells anyone he is with that we are his sisters. Something I truly admire about him is that he is so very loyal. He is super respectful to us and takes care of us in the best way he can. When he says that we are his sisters, he means it. He thinks of us as sisters! We love it.

I love you all! The letters of encouragement were definitely needed this week. Thank you for sending them! Love you!

Sorella Beus

Sorella Padula Shout Out... Oct 2012

Sorella Padula is one of the best people I have ever met. I love and appreciate her for changing my life, and my mission. I couldn't be more grateful. She is a gift from Heavenly Father. She has so many gifts and talents like singing to everyone's heart, and playing the piano unbelievably well and the members just adore her. She does and says SOOOO many wonderful things and she is so patient and calm and such a hard worker! She is a great example to me and I love her.

To Whom It May Concern... Oct 2012

To all those 19-year-old young women who are coming out here, I am SO proud of you!!! This sister missionary loves you so much! You have no idea what is coming your way. Every mission experience is so unique to the individual. I would just say to learn to LOVE your experience right off the bat. This is the most wonderful thing I have ever done, but I had no idea that it would be as hard as it is at times. Don't have expectations. Go with the flow. Love your companion. Pray for them and pray that you can know what to do to serve them. Everyone has different needs, and most of the time, you don't really know what they are...but Heavenly Father does and He will help you offer the service you can to those who He puts in your path. He knows your plan better than you do. Frustrating, I know, but have faith and confidence that He is preparing you for something wonderful! If you do all that you are supposed to do, you are making yourself available to be an instrument in HIS hands. What an honor!!

It Doesn't Get Better Than This... Oct 2012

We see miracles alllll the time. About two weeks ago, I was looking through the book of ex-investigators. I found a record of one who had had a few lessons, but had stopped seeing the missionaries for one reason or another...nothing specific. I gave him a call and in my broken Italian, was able to express that we wanted to meet with him and he said yes! Yay! We set up an appointment and when it came time for the appointment, he couldn't make it, but called and said he was sorry. Two weeks later, I am sitting in conference, and the Anziani (Elders) come get me to say that there is an investigator here for us! IT'S HIM! He was super grateful for us. He told us that he had felt that the missionaries had forgotten about him, and he was so glad we had called. We have seen him since then and we also have another appointment with him. I love the mission for this. Seeing people desire to change, then learning how, and then doing it. It doesn't get better than this. I am so grateful that he has stayed in contact with us. It means SO MUCH when you can see that a person is trying. 

In His Hands ... Oct 10, 2012

Dear Family,

I'm a MISSIONARY! How cool is that?! It was so neat watching conference here. I loved hearing the missionary talks and finally being a part of it. It is so neat.

Conference was INCREDIBLE! I loved it all. Thankfully, our chapel showed conference in English and Italian. I CAN'T BELIEVE THE ANNOUNCEMENT ABOUT MISSIONARIES!!!!! My jaw dropped in SHOCK when I heard about the new ages and I couldn't pick it up for another 5 minutes. WHAT THE?!?!?!?!?! I am so thrilled to be a part of the mission crew at this time. I can't wait to see the influx of sister missionaries. What a blessing! I am so excited to see all the new sisters coming in. WOOHOO! I will pray pray pray that I can train Allison, haha. I have SO much trust in Heavenly Father that this is part of His plan. He's brilliant. This is a huge deal and a huge opportunity. There are few things in this world that are better than serving and giving up everything for the people whom you are called to serve. I love this gospel. I love our Savior and Redeemer.

I GOT MAIL! We had a zone meeting on Monday, and I got all the mail that has been waiting for me since like 4 weeks ago. WAHOOOOOOO!!!! I couldn't have felt more loved. It is amazing what letters do to a missionary! I am constantly feeling bad that I was such a horrible writer to missionaries...thank goodness for the Atonement and the opportunity to repent every day. http://gabbyromeo11.wikispaces.com/The+Notebook+Visuals

Mom, I made it! I am alive and doing well after completing my first transfer. Sometimes when I look back, I think, "What in the freak just happened?!" That was one of the slowest, fastest moving things I have ever done. A mission makes you tired...and it doesn't get any better. But, your love of the people and the work does get better and being tired doesn't even matter! Before the mission, sleep was definitely an addiction of mine. There is nothing I love more than a nice nap...as most of you know already. :) But I've found that even when we have 30 minutes that we could sleep, I don't even want to! I want to study or read or just think. The mission is working miracles on this very human body of mine. I never thought I could recover from the sleeping problem, but here I am. Awake, happy, and loving the mission. Granted, there are hard times. The hard times never last forever though.

                     https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7nxZz6AhyphenhyphenOkv3zLeuefBdotnr2NPs6YAgFXYJoMw8GDPNqg8919ah2YptFSTshs4O-Ye4F0KyJ5-C8GkTyXfQE1gVE7XLZkSAtClQgUhv3UUdz9xiH2-6owGhQnp5OIw2GGFyOW2yEwuP/s1600/katyperry.jpg

I love you. A lot. Can I see pics of your birthday?

Ciao, tutti! A dopo! (Translation: Goodbye all! Later!)

Sorella Beus