JANUARY 23. 2017 

THIS WEEK WAS SO GREAT!

First off, I love you guys. So much. You are all so great! 

2nd of all, this week was so great! Sister Healy is seriously the best person ever. I love her. She's from San Francisco, California and has been out on her mission for 6 months. She is so bold and such an awesome missionary. We are honestly the dream team. It’s so fun!! 

This week we saw a whole bunch of miracles. Some of which were pretty scary/intense but it’s all part of the experience. On Thursday, we had a meal appointment with one of our members who has a muscular degenerative condition. Anyways, we were a little early to her house so we decided to knock around it. As we were knocking we got a call from her and we couldn't understand a word that she was saying. We decided to just walk back to her house and as soon as we opened the door to come in we saw her standing in the kitchen crying and trying to hold herself up. We quickly went over to her and tried to understand what she was saying, but she was crying and talking so fast that we had no idea how to help her. She just kept saying the same thing over and over. Finally, it clicked in our heads that she needed to go to her seat that was across the room. When everything finally calmed down, she told us that she had fallen and tried to get back up but was about to fall again when she prayed and then right in the moment when she was going to fall for sure, we walked through the door to help her. This is such a simple miracle but a true testament that the lord puts us in places that HE needs us and in HIS time. 

Sister Healy and I worked so hard this week. It was so exhausting but so fun. We saw so many miracles and found a lot of people to teach. Right now, we have a lot of investigators that have a lot of very different needs. Sometimes it gets pretty crazy trying to balance them all. But we have just had to rely 100% on the spirit with every single person we come in contact with. Sister Healy and I work really well together and have really learned to just enjoy or "laugh-off" everything. 

I love you all so much! Thank you for your examples and all the support! I pray for you every single day! 

​Read Moroni 7:6, and stay real. ​

​Talk to you next week!​

JANUARY 17, 2017 

TRAINING: ACCOMPLISHED!

HOLA! LES QUIERO!

Este semana se fue muy RAPIDO! (and also super emotional/roller-coaster). I am done with my training though! Its crazy! I cant believe how fast time is going! These past three transfers feel like a dream!

This week I realized how much I have already changed. I had a day where it just kind of hit me hard. It was a pretty weird realization. But I'm so grateful for the opportunity to change and "become", I guess that's how we progress in life.

This week was such a great finding week. Right now we are teaching two Venezuelan families, a really sweet older lady from Colombia Nelly, and a man with a super cool mustache Terry (he is the most random, hilarious person I have ever met).
Marina and Marient are progressing SO well! They are the cutest mother-daughter duo and I love them so much. I love how the Latin culture is just so open. "Mi casa es su casa" is so real. Right now we have 3 people set to be baptized on the 28th of Enero. The work is going really well here and the ward is being so supportive with everyone.

Speaking of the ward, on Sunday we were driving home from church and saw one of our members hit a guy pretty hard on a moped. We were right behind him and good thing sister Leslie is a really good driver or it could have been a lot worse. It was crazy. Needless to say, none of my friends/family/children will EVER have a moped. Ever.

On another note, tomorrow I get a new companion. Her name is Hna. Heally. I know nothing about her but I am so excited!

My scripture for this week comes from Mormon 9:28 "Be wise in the days of your probation; strip yourselves of all uncleanness; ask not, that ye may consume it on your lusts, but ask with a firmness unshaken, that ye will yield to no temptation, but that ye will serve the true and living God." Its so important to realize how short this "day of probation" really is and equally important to remember that what we need to do here to return to live with our Heaven Father and Savior again.

I love you all, this week strip yourselves of all the things that are keeping you from serving the lord with all your heart. That is the purpose of our life here, to serve God and turn to live with him again.

Keep being awesome! I love you all and am so thankful for your love and support! I pray for you all all the time!

Pics: 

1. The sisters we live with put our beds in the shower and closet (ps look how tired my hair is) 

2.We got super ghetto shirts from a store 

3. 2017 is going to be awesome!

4.people here in south Florida are super open to the gospel.... 

JANUARY 09. 2017

FUN FACT: FloRida IS FROM CAROL CITY!

This week was so great!!! weeks are just FLYING by! 

This week I went on a full day exchange with Sister Erickson. She is probably one of my best friends that I've made on the mission thus far. She is so nice!!! We had the exchange in my area and Sister Erickson doesn't speaking any Spanish at all so it was quite the challenge. We probably spoke to 4 English people all day. But good news is that my Spanish has really gotten A LOT better. I pretty much did the whole day by myself and it went really well! WOO! It made me feel so much more confident, and considering that I finish my training next week, it made me really excited to be "a real missionary".

We worked SO hard this week. We knocked for the longest time. We have two new investigators this just randomly showed up to the Church on Tuesday night. They came to Church this Sunday and are so excited for our appointment tonight. 

Also, one time we were knocking and I’m pretty sure I made my best friend ever. She was this older woman from Jamaica. We shared a prayer with her and at the end she just kept talking about how God sent her angels. She then invited us to the back of her car and fed us Jerk Chicken. IT WAS SO GOOD! She’s so awesome. 

I love you guys so much! I have like no time at all because our whole zone is sitting in the same room as me yelling haha but i just want you to know that I love you and pray for you every single night! Thank you for being you! Stay true hahah

JANUARY 03, 2017 

NEW YEAR, NEW CORINNE!!!

(writing Corinne in the Title just felt weird, since I now refer to myself at Sister Staffieri...) ... Anyway, HAPPY NEW YEAR! 2017 is going to be the best year yet! It’s a little overwhelming thinking that I'll be spending all of 2017 serving the Lord but I couldn't imagine spending a year of my life any other way! 

For New Year’s Eve we had to be in by 6:00pm since Latinos LOVE to party and in the words of a member in our ward "stay away from the windows because people think it’s funny to shoot guns and I love you Sisters". But we had so much fun! We ate Chinese take-out, did face-masks, painted our nails, and drank mock-tails...it was great! I love the Sisters that we live with, they are so fun! 

This week I had one of the most humbling/annoying/hilarious experiences. On Friday, me and sister Leslie had to ride bikes because the Elders needed our car. I was so stoked! We had to bike from the Elders house which is about a mile and half out of the front of our area. We get going and not even a half-mile into it I was DYING. I felt so fat and lazy and out of shape. The gap between Sister Leslie and I just kept widening more and more. I was legit praying that I could at least make it to our knocking spot. At this point we had been biking for at least 2 and a half miles when FINALLY, I look down and my bike tire is seriously non-existent. I had pretty much been riding on the rim for  the past 2 and a half miles. My THIGHS STILL BURN. but hey, it was a good workout. The funny thing about all this is that while we were sitting waiting for the Sister to come pick us up, me and Sister Leslie were talking about how I have been studying humility and also praying for a way for me to recognize my "stubbornness" throughout the day. and then, that is when we both looked at each other, mouth open, and said "I PRAYED FOR THIS TO HAPPEN." and needless to say, my thighs reminded me of my stubbornness and "I can do this by myself" for the rest of the day. Also, for all you future missionaries out there, be careful when you pray for humility. God answers everyone single one of your prayers. But I’m sure that I will be able to use this "analogy" for the rest of my life in sacrament talks so all is well! 

But other than that, this week was so great! Me and Sister Leslie laugh all the time at pretty much everything and we are working our butts of so life out here is great! 

I love you all so very much! I pray for you every single day. I know that we have a Savior and redeemer Jesus Christ who felt ever emotion, happy or sad, that we will or have ever felt. Stay true to who you are! Talk to you next week! 

DECEMBER 27, 2016

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Feliz Navidad!

I don’t have a whole lot to say this week because we already Skyped but I just want to say how blessed I am to have you all! 

Christmas is for sure different on the mission but all it just "part of the experience". This week was full of long hours and hard work but I loved every minute! I have learned to just enjoy the ride of it all! I am so grateful for the MANY humbling moments that I have had because they have given me the opportunity to grow and become something better! I am so excited for change. 

On Christmas, we knocked for hours and tried to "spicy it up" with some caroling. It was probably the most hilarious experience ever haha. Me and Sister Leslie had no idea what was happening haha it was really fun though and something I’ll probably never forget haha. It was the most beautiful day though. It was 85 degrees with the most amazing ocean breeze. 

I’ll send pictures! 

I love you all and am thankful for all that you do for me! I pray for you all every day!  

​XOXO​

DECEMBER 19, 2016 

I LOVE CHRISTMAS!

AHH! I'm so EXCITED to Skype! This week was really long and random but still super awesome! I forgot to write a few things that happened last week that were really cool though! This email might be a little scattered so I'm just going to bullet point some cool stuff! 

-it DUMPED rain last week. The streets were so flooded! We knocked for a solid hour in knee deep water. It was insane but also so legit at the same time! It got old pretty fast though haha but it’s all part of the experience I guess. 

-We got a new rule that we aren't allowed to be out tracting past 7....Miami is SKETCH

-Our investigator, Victor, prayed for the first time out loud. It was so great! He is so shy and never talks. Last time we asked him to pray we sat in silence for the most awkward 3 minutes of my life. But last week he said the most simple and pure prayer that I have ever heard. It was awesome! 

-Our other investigator, Paula, is seriously my best friend. She is so sassy and hilarious but extremely stubborn. She has been investigating the Church since 2005. But MIRACLE...SHES GETTING BAPTIZED ON THE 31st!!! She came to the ward Christmas party and loved it so much. She brought her husband Rony, we bonded over California Burritos and he has now told me three times that he’s going to take me out to get good Mexican food. He has had a pretty hard heart but now he’s really open! WOO! 

-Best of all, we went with Gabby Jimmy and Manuel to the temple this past Saturday for a temple tour. It was the most beautiful day. I love the temple. It testifies of the power that has been Restored on this earth. Ah. I have no words for this experience. 

-we knocked so many doors this week...SO MANY. Not a lot of people opened which was a bit of a bummer. Missionary work is always a ride and I have never been so tired in my life haha but it’s so rewarding! Last night I realized that a lot of people just don't understand the role or the need of Christ in their life. Many people here have been through things in life that I can’t even imagine going through and have an attitude of hopelessness. I have never felt so sad talking to people before. I have never wanted to help someone more. Last night we ran into a lot of people like this. I just testified of the Light of Christ and the true power of the gospel. I shared the Light the World video with this guy who was sitting on his porch and it was so powerful. Sometimes I just want to shake people and make them realize how much Christ LOVES them!

Ahhh. I love these people so much. This experience is life changing and I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. I’m really looking forward to this upcoming week. We are going caroling and doing lots of service. (&hopefully a lot of bike riding)! Paula is also teaching me out to make Tamales. Anyway, I love you all so much and am thankful for everything you do for me! This is such a wonderful season and I'm forever grateful to spend it here in Miami. I pray for you all every day. Merry Christmas! 

DECEMBER 13, 2016 

WHO'S EXCITED FOR CHRISTMAS?

Hola! 

I love Christmas so much and so I just keep getting randomly SO excited. It’s going to be super different and I don’t know if it makes me super sad or really happy but either way, it’s all an experience. 

This week was really just packed full of so many things! We are balancing a lot of new investigators this week and it’s been kinda crazy but so awesome at the same time. I have really taken the lead on all of our first lessons and it’s been so great! My Spanish is really improving and its making me so much more confident to talk to everyone!

We also had interviews with President Richardson this week. He is so awesome!! He is such an inspired man. He is just one of those classic "characters". There really isn't a way to describe him unless you know him. I was really scared of him before the mission because of how strict everyone said this mission was. The mission is REALLY obedient but President Richardson just makes is so much "easier" to be exactly obedient to every rule. He is the culture of our mission. 

Another thing that I have really learned about this mission is how truly diverse it is! I honestly feel like I am in another country a lot of the time. One day we were knocking doors and on one street I knocked into so many completely different people. The first door was a crazy older Cuban woman who didn't speak any English at all and when we were saying the prayer, she screamed SO LOUD right in our faces because her cat came near here. The next door a really old Jamaican woman in a robe talking to her Jamaican friend on speaker phone opened up. We shared a prayer with her and she told us we were just the "nicest young woman" and her friend joined us for the whole discussion-- two for the price of one! The next was a middle aged Latin man who was blasting music. He denied the prayer but said "Your beautiful, COME BACK ANYTIME!" Needless to say, knocking door is always an experience. I've learned to really appreciate it.

I miss you all! And love you so much!! I pray for you every night! Talk to you next week!!!