Cosenza

Transfer 3
Cosenza Week 1
Cosenza Week 2
Cosenza Week 3
Cosenza Week 4
Cosenza Week 5
Cosenza Week 6

Companions
Transfer 3: trio w/Sorella Pinkston

Scambios
Taranto with Sorella Pinkston and Sorella Cluff (Cosenza Week 3)
Crotone with Sorella Barazzotto and Sorella Tingy (Cosenza Week 4)

Cosenza Week 3

Stellar Six

This week has been fun and full of adventures! We went to città vecchia (old city) for P-day and wandered around. It is so beautiful here! Città vecchia is so charming and classic Italian looking. We did a scambio with the Taranto Sorelle. Because they are so far away from us we all went to Taranto and then we split up in the city. I was with Sorella Pinkston and Sorella Cluff. It was a lot of fun. We made brownies and then we went to a members house. We tried to visit another person, but we got lost trying to find her house. The next morning we had to get up early to catch our bus back to Cosenza. We got to watch the sun rise while waiting by the sea. It was a stunning sun rise.

Left: Classic Italia • Right: Stairs

Left: Graffiti

A gesso spot, and a gesso I drew.

Left: Cosenza! • Right: Stamping billitini

Six Month Mark: Gelato

One of our corso students invited us over for a "snack." She made three cakes for us and sent us home with half of each! They were delicious! We are going back next week, we are going to see if she would like to be taught the gospel.

We went out for gelato to celebrate my six month mark! As I have pondered the past six months, I can see and feel a change in me. I know that what I am doing is the most important thing for me to do right now. I know that the Lord is molding me and shaping me into the person I need to become. I know that the Lord helps us through our trials. He helps each of us to become better as we seek His guidance and direction. I know that He loves each of us, I feel it daily in my life, and I have seen His love in the lives of others. We are all His children and He wants us to return to Him. We do this through faith in His son Jesus Christ, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end. Looking back I see how the Lord has helped me to change for the better, and looking forward I see a bright future!

I love you all! Have a great week!

Cosenza!

Letter dated October 19, 2015.

You can currently send Victoria letters at:
Sorella Victoria Pinnegar
Missione Italiana de Roma
Piazza Carnaro 20
IT-00141 ROME RM
ITALY

Cosenza Week 2

My companions are sister training leaders and there was a big leadership conference up in Rome this week. I am not a leader so instead I got to go to Pozzuoli! On Monday we traveled to Napoli (Naples). We got there around one and got to spend the rest of our p-day there. It was so fun! I had my first Napolitano pizza! It was delicious! We also walked down Christmas Street and the straightest street in all of Italy! It was so much fun! We meet up with the Pozzuoli Sorelle at six and of I went! There is a military base in Pozzuoli and on Tuesday night we had dinner with Americans and did Family Home Evening with them. The husband has taken it upon himself to learn how to cook real Italian food. The food was great! It was pouring rain Wednesday morning. We had to walk to the station to catch a train to Napoli. While stuck in a tunnel waiting for cars to pass, one stopped and offered a family that was also in the tunnel a ride, they refused, they also offered us one and we accepted. It was a mini miracle! Once we got to Napoli we bought rain boots. I loved my time in Pozzuoli! It is such a great city. The Sorelle house there over looks the fourth largest amphitheater in all of Italy! It is beautiful!

We visited a lot of wonderful people this week! We went and visited Sam (one of our investigators), and afterwards we accidentally got on the wrong bus going back. Fortunately we asked the bus driver before it was to late. We also had a lesson with Abe and he accepted a baptismal invite. Yesterday I helped in Primary. That was a lot of fun. We had pranzo with Pepe after church. We also visited with a less active, she was so sweet!

On Saturday we watched the last session of General Conference. I loved the talk by Elder Keetch. He told a story about some surfers who were upset because there was a barrier blocking them from the big waves. It was not until they looked though binoculars that they could see the sharks swimming on the other side. He compared that to the commandments. God gives us commandments because he wants to keep us safe. Commandments are not a barrier to keep us out, but a barrier to keep danger out of our life. We cannot always see the danger, but God is all knowing and he knows where danger lurks. God loves us and He wants us to be safe and return to live with Him. As we keep His commandments we will gain a better understanding of His love. No one is perfect and we all have things to improve on, as long as we keep trying we will be blessed. This week try picking one commandment you might be struggling with, and strive to follow it the best you can. Also if you have not yet, try to watch, listen, or read the talks from General Conference.

Cosenza is beautiful and the people here are wonderful! My companions are great! I am so excited to be here!

Vi voglio bene!

Letter dated October 12, 2015.

You can currently send Victoria letters at:
Sorella Victoria Pinnegar
Missione Italiana de Roma
Piazza Carnaro 20
IT-00141 ROME RM
ITALY

Cosenza Week 1

The beginning of the week was full of packing and saying goodbyes.

We had a lesson  with Giuliana and Leonardo on Wednesday night. That is when it really settled in that I was actually leaving Ostia. It was really sad to say goodbye. On Thursday morning we had to wake up early to get to Rome on time so I could catch the train. I ended up falling a few steps down the escalator because my bag started to fall. Luckily someone caught me and helped me get my suit case under control. Once I got to Cosenza we had to wait a while for another train for the Sorella that was leaving. Once that came we took a bus to Cosenza, it was a beautiful ride up the mountain side.  After getting to my new home I unpacked a little before we went and picked up our other companion from the bus stop. We had corso in the evening. It was interesting to teach corso in three. On Friday we had an appointment for pranzo with the Bevilaqua family. We are teaching the father and the mother is a member. They are so nice. Cosenza is a charming little city. It is exactly what you imagine Italy to look like. It rolling hills with colorful buildings scattered across the hills. It is stunning. There is also old town Cosenza with a castle and beautiful old buildings. My new companions are great and I really like it here!

This weekend we had General Conference. It was a lot of fun. The talks were great!! They talked a lot about the Sabbath day and its importance, and about the importance of the Sacrament in particular. We can receive revelation and answers to our questions as we ponder and pray on the sabbath. We go to the church to strengthen one another and to worship the Lord, but above all we go to partake of the sacrament. The Sacrament is so important because we renew the covenants we made with the Lord at baptism. We promise to always remember Christ. We should think of ways we can better think of Christ throughout the week. It is a perfect time to think of where we are, where we want to be, and how we can get there. I know that as we keep the Sabbath day holy we will have a better week and our day to day lives will improve. The Lord will bless us tremendously as we remember Him and His holy day. What can you do to make the sabbath a holy and sacred day?

Have a great week! I love and miss you all!
Vi voglio bene!

Letter dated October 5, 2015

You can currently send Victoria letters at:
Sorella Victoria Pinnegar
Missione Italiana de Roma
Piazza Carnaro 20
IT-00141 ROME RM
ITALY

Ostia Week 12

Italian companion for a day

Tuesday we went to Rome for DDM, and afterwards we had a potluck with the office missionaries and most of our zone. We had another scambio, and it was my turn to stay in Ostia. Sorella Sanchez came with me, she does not speak a lot of English, so I was scared at first but it was actually really easy! We were going to go to visit Clara and Laura, but our phone died last week and we didn't have her number in our new phone, so we could not call to confirm. We had corso in the evening. Sorella Sanchez is learning English so I was in charge of teaching. The next day we went to visit a past investigator who had called us and wanted us to stop by. It took us an hour to find her house. After our lesson with her we went to the meeting spot to end our scambio. We desired to meet at easily for lunch. It was a lot of fun to sit and talk with them. That evening we had a "lesson" with a "referral," it was actually Sorella Bray's new convert from Sassari!  It was a surprise for Sorella Bray! She was so happy!

On Thursday Sorella Bray was starting to feel a little sick, so she rested as much as she could. By the next day she was feeling better except for her eye. We went and visited Humphrey and his family. We have set an official baptismal date with them. It is so exciting! When we got home Sorella Bray's eye was really starting to bug her. By the end of the night her eye was swollen and red. My companion has pink eye. We have been in the house all week end.

On Saturday we got transfer calls! I am going to Cosenza!!! I will be in a tripanionship (I will have two companions). The nice thing about Sorella Bray's pink eye is it has given me time to pack.

This week I have been thinking a lot about what the gospel is. Before my mission I didn't really understand what it was. I thought it was kind of this nebulous compilation of doctrines and what we believed. Since I have been on my mission I have learned that it is actually a very simple thing. The gospel is faith in Jesus Christ, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost and enduring to the end. The thing about the gospel is that it is not just a one time thing. Because we are supposed to endure to the end, the gospel is a continuous loop, for every person, no matter how long you have been in the church. As a missionary, it is my  responsibility to teach others about the gospel. No matter whether they are non-members, not attending church, or church going members. For people who are not members you could be at the point where you are working on having faith in Christ, but you are still in the loop. If you are a member, you might be working on strengthening your faith. The gospel of Christ is simple. This week, try to identify where you are in this loop and see what you can do to move forward.

Have a great week! Miss you all! Next week I will be emailing you from Cosenza!

Letter dated September 28, 2015

You can currently send Victoria letters at:
Sorella Victoria Pinnegar
Missione Italiana de Roma
Piazza Carnaro 20
IT-00141 ROME RM
ITALY

Ostia Week 11

Trials and trees

Good morning! I hope you all are doing well. I know life is busier now that school has started and summer is over. I have had a lot of fun adventures this week! Things are going great here!

We went to the Vatican museum for P-day this week. It was beautiful! They had a lot of neat things in it. The Sistine Chapel is amazing. It looks three dimensional! It was so packed with people. We waited in line outside for two hours! If any of you ever go, you should make a safety plan for in case you get separated. We accidentally got separated.

On Thursday it was Sorella Bray's one year mark! To celebrate we went to the church for pranzo. We bought arancini  and cannoli for lunch. At the church we watched all of the addiction recovery videos. Those are so intense! The church did a really good job on them. I really liked them because you get to see the strength of the repentance process in the lives of people who thought they were beyond saving. They are very powerful.

When we visited Humphrey and his family, this week, we asked them to pray and ask if what we were teaching them was true, and if baptism was the right thing for them to do. About an hour later we got a call from Divine (Humphrey's wife), she told us that she knew the church was true and that she wants to get baptized!!!

We had a lesson this week with a less active, we talked about courage with her. It is sad, because she is so focused on all of the trials that she has had throughout her life that she is unable to see the blessings in her life. I have been thinking about how everyone has trials in their lives. Trials come in all shapes and sizes, they are individual to each person. They can be hard and scary. What is the point of having trials? They help us to learn and grow. They push us forward and as we over come our trials we become stronger. There is a story about a man who Heavenly Father told, every day, to go and move this giant boulder. He tried, every day he went out and pushed and pushed with all of his might. One day he got frustrated, he cried out "Why? Why do I need to move this boulder! I cannot move it, it is to big! Why do you ask me to move this boulder when you know I can't?" Heavenly Father answered and said "look at your arms. Look at how much stronger you are know! Every day you went out and pushed against this boulder with all of your might, because you did this, now you are strong." We can come out of a trial so much stronger than we were before. Sometimes we become so obsessed with our trials that it becomes all that we can see. It is like a big tree in front of us blocking our view of the forest. Yet, if we just take a few steps back we can see a bigger picture. We still cannot see the whole forest, but we can trust that Heavenly Father can. We just need to put our faith in Him and trust that there is a greater purpose in our life. The forest can be beautiful if we just step back and see the blessings in our lives even while we are going through our difficult trials.

Have a great week!

Letter dated September 21, 2015.

You can currently send Victoria letters at:
Sorella Victoria Pinnegar
Missione Italiana de Roma
Piazza Carnaro 20
IT-00141 ROME RM
ITALY

Ostia Week 10

Missionary Moments

This has been a great week! I have had a lot of new experiences and a lot of fun!

On Monday we went to porta di Roma. It is the closest thing Italy has to a shopping mall. It is right across the street from the Rome Temple, so we got to see the temple! It is looking great! All of the scaffolding is down! They have made a lot of progress since I last saw it.

Rome Temple

Tuesday we had DDM! I had the spiritual thought, and I had to do it in Italian. I decided to talk about walking by faith and not by sight. The Lord blesses our lives daily, sometimes we do not have the faith to see them.

After DDM we had a scambio. I stayed in Rome with Sorella Roberts. We went to their apartment and had lunch and did our studies. We made brownies for a less active family and ended up talking with them for a while. We tried to go see another less active, but she was not home. We went to the apartment for the night. There are four missionaries living in the same apartment. It was fun to go back and tell the other missionaries about what we had done, and hear there stories from the day.

In the morning we got ready and tried to go and visit a less active. She was not home. I did casa to casa for the first time. That was different. We also went and put up some corso posters. One of the girls we talked to lives near Ostia, and we told her there was a corso in Ostia. She said that she would rather just take the metro and go to Rome.

We all met back up to end the scambio. We decided to have lunch together. We went to a Filipino restaurant it was really tasty. We decided to try a dessert that looked interesting. It was really weird. It had all sorts of things in it, corn, beans, sweet potatoes, to name a few.

Filipino dessert

After we split up, Sorella Bray and I went to visit one of the less actives we have been working with. We talked to her about how Heavenly Father can make weak things strong for us (Ether 12:27). Then we had a lesson with Giuliana.

Friday we saw Humfrey and his family. They had a ton of questions for us, so we spent the whole time answering them.

This weekend we had Stake Conference. The stake is so wide spread that they do it over video broadcast! I worked really hard to pay attention. During the Sunday session on of the speakers mentioned sacrifice. In life we have to make sacrifices to achieve the things we want. He was talking about sacrifice in regards to temples. It reminded me of a quote by President Monson which states,

"My brothers and sisters, temples are more than stones and mortar. They are filled with faith and fasting. They are built of trials and testimonies. They are sanctified by sacrifice and service." (From The Holy Temple -- a Beacon to the World, April 2011)

Sorella Pinnegar & Sorella Bray at the Rome Temple

 Sorella Bray once modified it to say "My brothers and sisters, we are more than flesh and bones. We are filled with faith and fasting. We are built of trials and testimonies. We are sanctified by sacrifice and service." Why is sacrifice so important? I believe sacrifice is important, because it helps us to show what we truly want in life and what we are willing to do to get there. For one example, we sacrifice time and money for a good education. It is the same thing in the gospel. We are asked to sacrifice things to show the Lord how much we truly love him. When we make sacrifices we often cannot see the end result from the beginning. We must have the faith that we are doing the right thing. It can be very difficult, but the Lord will help us. He will give us the strength we need to make the sacrifices he asks for. He will make our weak places strong. Because of the sacrifices we make we are sanctified.

I have had a great week! My week has been full of fun new adventures. I hope you all have a great week!

Letter dated September 14, 2015.

You can currently send Victoria letters at:
Sorella Victoria Pinnegar
Missione Italiana de Roma
Piazza Carnaro 20
IT-00141 ROME RM
ITALY