Feliz Dia Papa!

Hola!

First and foremost a very "Feliz Dia Papa!" to Daddy. I love you with todo mi corazon! And I really miss you. Today we went to the Air Museum and I kept thinking about how much you would have loved it. I shall attach a photo even though they are ugly. But I hope you had an amazing Father's Day! And also, I want to wish Pop-pop a Happy Fathers Day (we'll skip the Spanish for him) and thank him for all he is doing to support me in my mission. 

I'm sorry if this email isn't going to be super great but I have about 20 minutes to write because of our activities today. Anyway, there are a whole bunch of missionaries here right now and I was looking at some photos from the tough mudder. I was stopped on one of Daddy and an Elder asked me "Who is that?!" and he didn't believe it was my Dad because he is "bien cholo" which I think i have explained means like muscular or stocky. Then he wanted to see Mom so I showed him the picture of the two of you...he couldn't believe how athletic you were! So congrats...you both look great!

The pictures with the girls are precious. I love the first one where you can see Bary looking on very cautiously...I know he was just freaking out. Haha. I miss Somerset Cremery...so delicious. I can't believe the Pats signed Tim Tebow...that's so weird. My little brother is growing up and I don't even know what is happening...I have to tell you I often think about Zach when I am with the Elders.I hope he has the desire to serve a mission one day. The Elders have such amazing faith. 

 

My big accomplishment this week...I finished the Book of Mormon in Spanish! It only took me 3 months! I also finished the New Testament inEnglish and started the Old Testament yesterday. I love the scriptures. We can learn so much from them. Sometimes I feel like the time I have in the day to study them just isn't enough. They really do have power. We have a new investigator (niece of Lisset) who is 15 years old and in 4 days read through 1 Nephi 8. She says she just feels so good reading it and doesn't want to stop. And she has already come to church twice. I love watching the Holy Spirit work in the lives of others. 

Thank you so much for all that you do for me. And to all my friends and ward family for the love I feel. I love you all. 

Hermana Victoria Giossi

I Love to see the Temple

Hola!

The pictures are amazing from your triathlon, who needs those pictures they charge an arm and a leg for...you've got Jen. Although I couldn't help but notice that you have BRIGHT GREEN finger nails! What is that?! Haha. One of the sisters in my zone saw me looking at the pictures and told me that her mom also does triathlons and did the tough mudder a couple weeks ago, I thought that was pretty cool. 

This week was another one full of small miracles. We had 7 investigators in church this week (that is the most I have ever had). It always amazes me when an investigator comes to church for the first time. Here, almost everyone is a member of some church or another and have been for a long time. When they come to church with us , it is a true act of faith. They leave what they are comfortable with to follow what they have felt the Spirit saying to them. I t amazes me. 

My investigator Lisset came and brought her niece and nephew and we are going to start teaching them now (we are already teaching their mom). Her family is absolutely amazing...The Giron Family. Her brother and his wife joined the church in October in a different ward but have since moved here. They are so powerful, I have never heard such a strong testimony develop so quickly, they have really allowed their faith the be tried and received the blessings of it. I have big dreams for this family.

Another family also came to church, the Garcia Family. We had a lesson with them Saturday night and the spirit was so strong. We taught about the Book of Mormon and then invited them to church. The wife just started to open up and talk about how she loves how she feels when we visit and wants to see what the church is like. The husband was a little bit more difficult and he had his reasons for not wanting to keep church hopping. While he was talking I got the strong impression to share my experience of going to church for the first time. I know that I was guided by the Spirit in that moment because even though I always bear the most sincere testimony I can I don't always share very personal experiences with whatever investigator we're teaching but I just felt like I had to do it. They agreed to come to church just to try it out. We promised them that they would be blessed and they would learn something that would help them to become stronger as a family...the sacrament meeting theme this week: Eternal Marriage :)

I also got to go to a different area for 24 hours on exchanges and my companion was Hermana Hale (Elder Millet's cousin who's blog I was reading). I had such an amazing time. She taught me so much in such a short amount of time, and it was all by her example. Plus I was reminded of how easy it is to love people in only moments. I had met all these investigators she had for the first time and within minutes I was completely focused in what we could say to help them understand how the gospel could bless their lives. 

And as if all this wasn't enough to have an amazing week, the icing on the cake was the chance to go to the temple (see photos). I had really been missing going to the temple these last couple weeks so the trip was much needed. I just love the peace you feel the second you walk in to that sacred building. And sitting in the celestial room I was filled with a feeling of love that I can't really describe. 

I have never felt closer to my Heavenly Father than I do right now. I am learning more about myself and my relationship with him than I ever thought I would. IKNOW that He loves us and that He always knows what is best for us. I just want to strive everyday to be worthy of this calling and to become an instrument in His hands. I know that this is His work. I know that this church is His kingdom on the earth and that there is now faster way to happiness than through the principles of the Gospel.

I love you and I pray for you always.

Hermana Victoria Giossi

photos:  

1-Me in front of the temple

2-My zone, Ilopango and the zone Los Heroes after our temple trip

3- My companions and I. Hermana Gonzalez in green and Hermana Sanchez in pink

NOTICE: This email message is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email and destroy all copies of the original message.

Small Miracles

Well Hi There!

I'm glad that you managed to get an email out, sounds like you almost died a couple times there. I'm very impressed, I think I want to do this Tough Mudder thing one day. I am very proud of you. The photos are great, quite funny. You look pretty happy considering the electroshock therapy. I'd like to hear Dad's point of view of all this. So, do you think you'll do it again? 

Hermana Bowers and I worked really hard this week and we saw ALOT of small miracles. We really focused on having a prayer in our heart all day so that we could be guided by the Spirit exactly where to go. We made quite a few decisions that we hadn't planned on that lead us to find new families to teach. One night we were coming to the end of our proselyting time and we hadn't accomplished our goal for finding new people, we stopped and said a quick prayer and within 10 minutes we had found 2 new families that said we could come by and visit them. Little things like that. 

Oh, and then there is last night. Our area is divided in two parts and our half is farther from the house where we live so we always have to leave kind early to get home on time. Well, last night we were with a member visiting some of our investigators, we left one of the houses late and missed the final bus to take us home. The member we were with started to get a little concerned because it was dark and she didn't want to walk really late. And we were concerned because the rule is we have to be in the house by 8:30, no later. There was no way we could drop her off at her house and then get back to ours on time, and we weren't going to let her walk home alone...but we also knew that we had to be obedient. We didn't know what else to do so we just started walking toward her house as fast as we could and I started praying that somehow we could get home on time. When suddenly a red car pulled up beside us and I heard a very happy "Hola Hermanas!" I looked over to see Celso and Irene!  I freaked out, I could not believe that they were there. I've been thinking and praying about Celso and Irene alot. They offered us a ride and we quickly got in the car. We made it home on time and I got to visit with them for a little while. Heavenly Father answered two of my prayers at once. Also, Irene is pregnant with their second baby! 

And you know the week is an interesting one when you receive a call from president during companionship study (or at any time really). Hermana Bowers got transferred back to the city this morning. She is going to stay there for the next 3 weeks to help work things out for the mission nurse of the new mission. I am going to  stay here in Monte Cristo with Hermana Sanchez (Mexico) and Hermana Gonzalez (Guatemala)...my first Latina companions, hopefully my Spanish will get better (and my English will probably get worse...sorry). Then in 3 weeks Hermana Bowers will come back and we'll be companions again. President said he is pretty sure and happy with that decision. So it looks like I will be staying in President Glazier's mission after all. Being in a tri should be interesting...fun I think. Hermana Sanchez and Hermana Gonzalez are both really good missionaries and I have alot to learn from them in this short amount of time. 

So it's June 3rd...I entered the MTC 8 months ago today, yet I still feel like I am brand new in the mission. Sometimes when I'm walking down the street looking at the abundance of fruit trees (Mango, avacado, olive, banana, cashew, almond) or sitting in a house with a family that I have come to love or laughing with the other missionaries on P-day, I get lost in my thoughts for a second because I realize that this can't last forever. Sometimes I wish it would never end. I do miss home of course, I'm not saying I don't, but sometimes a year and a half just doesn't seem long enough. My companion Hermana Sanchez only has 3 weeks left of her mission, when I got here she had less than a year. Time does go fast here. 

I love you. I miss you. I pray for you. 

Love, 

Hermana Giossi