Buongiorno!!!!
Well, it has been another wonderful week in the neighborhood! Today has been a little hectic because we were supposed to go visit one of our new converts, that is currently in prison, on charges for something that he did back in 2011 (apparently that is normal for the Italian justice system--they punish people years after they actually committed the crime. There is one person in there with him that did something in 2009, and now has a wife and a kid, has changed his life around, and now he is in prison for 6 months....We are so lucky to live in America.
But anyways, he cancelled, because they aren't allowing visitors on different days than Saturday now. So we are going on Saturday!
--We had a wonderful little miracle a few days ago. We were out doing door-to-door contacting, which in Italy consists of ringing the doorbell, getting answers through the...citofono (don't know the word in English), and saying one sentence before getting cut off by them hanging up. I have been let in to a house five times my entire time here. But we felt like doing it, so we were there, across from the hospital where we had just visited a friend. I had rung about 15, and so it was my companion's turn. The FIRST one he rings, the lady is just like "Who is it?" "We are missionaries, from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and we bring a message about him". "Come in! Second floor!" And so we got in! We went upstairs and it was this sweet old, 80-year-old widow, Luisa, who let us in and we talked for about 20 minutes about her family (she has 4 sons...2 engineers, a lawyer, and a doctor), and about her husband who she lost 7 years ago. He had been the mayor of the city for 25 years (there house was pretty fancy...), and sounded like a great man. She misses him a lot. I shared with her my testimony that families are forever--that we will see our loved ones again, and live with them forever if we follow the Plan that our Heavenly Father has prepared for us. She agreed whole-heartedly with all that we said, and said that even though her priests had never agreed with her when she said that (she is Catholic), she has always believed it in her heart. She said she still feels that he is there, in her heart. As we shared with her the glorious truths that have been made known to us through the Plan of Salvation, she was in tears. She accepted a pamphlet we left with her, and we set up an appointment to return this Friday to talk some more! She said that all of her family is really religious, and that her son (lawyer) eats lunch with her every day! So we will try to set something up with both of them together! She is such a sweet old woman, and you can tell that she really raised her children right. They all sound so kind and sincere. We are expecting great things from that! :)
--Our English class in Sondrio is hilarious! There are like 10 other kids, all our age, who are all just hilarious! We just talk in English and make jokes all the time. It is the best! AND...Gabriele, one of the kids in the class--who is an investigator--raised his hand and was just like "I have a question. Why are you guys here? Like, why are you missionaries?" And we had a wonderful opportunity to bear our testimonies of the difference that the gospel has made in our lives, and how we want to share the happiness and joy we have found, with everyone! It was a great experience. Quote of the day from English class came from a guy named Vasco. "So vasco..what are your favorite kinds of movies?" "Nature. I love to watch the trees!" haha!
--Today we met with Giuliano again! The man that we met on the street about a month ago--that was crying and distraught because he hasn't seen his children in a year because his ex-wife won't let him. He didn't have a house or a job, or anything really. All he had was a backpack full of clothes. But since then, he has moved to Allessandria to live with his nephew,. who owns a business and gave him some work to do. And he has been meeting with the missionaries in Allessandria! He went to General Conference and has been to church several times. He called us today to say that he was in Morbegno because he was able to schedule an appointment for this afternoon to see his children!!! He was so happy he was in tears. He called us to ask if we were in town, and so we took a break from baking cookies and lunch, and went to talk with him for a few minutes! He is such a wonderful man. As we ended with a prayer, he was in tears and thanked us again for everything. "Ever since we met on that cold, dark night, things have been getting better; little by little",he said. What a blessing! He is special!
--I went on a companionship exchange this week with the zone leaders...and they have a car!! Man, I am glad we don't have a car. I would get FAT! We drove everywhere! It was really convenient, especially since it was pouring outside, all day long. It was a really great experience, though! Italians are scary drivers! And the roads make no sense whatsoever! Thank goodness every mission vehicle has a GPS!
--My companion's mom sent him a step counter about a week ago. So that has been fun! We have been averaging about 15,000 steps each day, which is something like 2 hours of walking, and 7 miles. We hit the streets around here in Italy!
--Fast sunday was so wonderful! I loved being able to go back to Lecco. 4 of our African investigators (named, Prince, Odion, Andy, and Innocent) came with us, and we introduced them to Samuel and Martha. Martha was the one that was baptized while I was here serving in Lecco! Her husband, who was baptized a few months earlier, baptized her! They both come from Nigeria, and have amazing faith. What a blessing it was to see them again! I just feel so much love for them; what great people!
Miracle: This week we had many wonderful miracles! But the miracle that I would especially like to share happened while I was on scambio with Anziano Horrocks! We went to a Brasilian member's house for a lesson with one of their investigators, Eugenia. She is a 23 year-old newly-wed from Napoli (Italians from the south are always awesome!), and has such a sincere desire to learn and find answers to her questions. Questions that she couldn't find answers to in the Catholic church. The Brasilian sister shared a powerful testimony about how she was Catholic before as well, and had a lot of the same questions--where did we come from? Why are we here? Where do we go after death?. She shared how she found the answers in the Book of Mormon, and that it changed her life. The Spirit was so strong, and both the sister and Eugenia started to cry. I was blessed to be able to bear my testimony to her that it was the same thing with me. That I had questions and I wanted answers. I testified with all my heart that our Heavenly Father hears and answers our prayers, and that He loves his children. That the Book of Mormon has changed my life. And then Anziano Horrocks boldly testified of the same thing, and told her that if she wants answers, she has to work for it. She has to ask. She was in tears, and told us that each time we spoke, she felt a "force" in her heart. That she knew it was true. We invited her to bring her husband, who works in Milan, to the next lesson, so that they can joy in the blessings of the gospel together. She agreed to do so! I feel very blessed to have been a part of that wonderful lesson! There are people that are so prepared!
Everything else is going well in Morbegno. We have been seeing so many littles miracles everywhere, that has confirmed to me that the Lord is mindful of us, and as we try our best, even when we don't see a lot of direct success, He will lead us to those that are searching. He certainly has done that this past week! I love you all very much, and pray for you always! Thank you so much for your support and prayers! Buenos dias!
--Anziano Wilson
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