Buon Giorno!!
The work here in Rimini is going so wonderfully,(even though both of our bikes broke today and it has been thunderstorming for about a week...haha) The life of a missionary is just the best though! :) Despite all the things that go wrong, it is just such a happy life! We just laugh about everything and know that we are in the right place. It reminds me of a quote that I heard in the MTC "The mission is just 2 years of awkward situations....but so rewarding!" haha...so true. That's exactly what we were thinking as we were riding our broken bikes to the repair shop today through the central mall place...my companions bike was squeaking like a banshee, my week was rumbling in and out of place and we both had helmets on in suits going about 1 mile per hour. We turned some heads...but I'm sure it is just because we are such handsome young men....right? :) haha
We have been meeting with Morris and Christian and Davide still, and are preparing for Davide's baptism a week after next Friday! Davide's mother bore her testimony last Sunday in sacrament meeting (Which, by the way, was such a great meeting! All the teenage kids in the branch bore their testimonies about how they are like the only people in their friend groups who are mormon, or even believe in God, and about how they have been sharing the gospel with their friends!) about how she has been having some really hard times in the home (the father isn't a member) recently, but about how we brought the spirit into her home the past few times, and she has felt the Lord's arms around her helping her through her trials. We brought a puzzle for Davide, and hid the 9 pieces around the kitchen for him to find. But we gave the last piece to his mom to hold, and told him that if he needed help finding them, to first ask her, and then us. He went around the room looking for the pieces, and finally gave up. He then turned to his mom for help and advice (something that we have been working with him to do!) and he completed the puzzle. We then read with him from Alma 56:48, that says, talking about the Stripling Warriors "...for they did not doubt that their mothers knew it." It was a wonderful experience. How blessed I am to have a righteous mother to raise me who "knew it", who I could always ask for advice and help. I love you mom :)
Another highlight of the week! I was blessed with the opportunity to call up the Anziani in Lecco to ask about where my bag with all my scriptures is and how I can get it (Don't worry, it is still in Lecco...hasn't moved a bit...ha ), but I was able to talk to Anziano Lopez and ask him about how the work was going with all of our old investigators!...It turns out that 4 of them have been baptized in the past 6 weeks I have been gone!! Two young boys about 20 or so named Marvin and Osvaldo, who we met and started teaching about 2 months ago and a mother and a son from the Huamacto family who had been investigators for about a year- Nelly and Giorgio! I can't believe it! They were such great people, it warms my heart to hear about their baptisms and their continued progression in the gospel! The gospel truly changes lives...I have seen that so much here in Italy.
Let's see...more good news is that we get to go back to Bergamo and back (A 12 hour train ride) for a 10 hour culture class/video that sometimes the missionaries have to take (It's about like how to register kids for school, and how to do doctor visits, and all that...stuff that missionaries don't need necessarily, haha)...But it's required! So that will be a good time! It is insane how much traveling missionaries do here in Italy. But it's a good time!
It is such a blessing to be a missionary. Time is flying by so quickly..It is a reminder to me that I need to take advantage of every moment.
Miracle: This week we finally were able to contact a Kenyan man named Peter-a referral from the Anziani in Pesaro-after two weeks of trying to call and almost giving up. He answered and said that he could meet us the next day in centro, and so we went. It was down-pouring rain, and as we waited there we were pretty sure he wouldnit show up. Just as we were about to leave, he tapped the back of my shoulder and introduced himself. We were ecstatic to meet him, and we went right into the Restoration. We learned of his great faith, and invited him to be baptized on April 4th at the end of the lesson. He readily accepted, saying "If God needs me to do it I know I must." The spirit had touched his heart. What a blessing it is to be a missionary!
Well, I love you all tons, and thank you for your prayers and support! Remember those in Ukraine in your prayers, I was told by a member here that they are in a really difficult situation with wars and things. Thanks for all you do, I remember you in my prayers!
Love,
Anziano Wilson
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