Buongiorno!!!! Oggi è una bellissima giornata!!
Wow. This week has been so wonderful, I can't even put it into words! We have seen so many miracles in this special little town, and my faith and love for my Savior and his glorious gospel, and particularly the peace and hope that it provides to the human heart, has grown so much. We are so very blessed to have this knowledge.
--Let's begin with the exchange I did, back in my old area of Lecco. The same companionship that I served in one year ago! We had the privilege of going to visit the Huamacto family (from Perù). Nelly, the wife, is a recent convert to the church, who I taught as an investigator while I was here! They are having a really difficult time right now, and I was so thankful for the opportunity to visit with them. We talked about patience and faith, and the true peace and blessings that come from trusting in the Lord and particularly His timing. He hears our prayers. He is not unaware of the trials we face, and of the tears we shed. We shared with them Alma 34:40-41, which says something to the effect of "...have patience, and bear with your afflictions with a firm hope that one day ye shall rest from all your afflictions." The Spirit was so strong as we testified to them that even though the days seem very dark..the Lord knows. He loves us. We were all in tears as we remembered the great blessings each of us has had, and how we have all been led through the dark tunnel of trials, only to immerge into the bright light of growth and peace. What a blessing it was!
--It is getting freezing cold these days! Good thing I have a nice, warm coat! (Thanks mom :) )
--We had the wonderful opportunity to visit our new convert, Ruggero, in prison last week. As we showed up and said that we were "priests from his church" (you basically get whatever you want in Italy if you can prove you are a priest from a church), I was praying so hard that the Lord would soften their hearts and that they would let us in, because Ruggero has been requesting it for about a month now. They looked down at the list of all the people that can get into the prison without authorization, for religious purposes, and President Dibb was the only one on there that wasn't Italian. After about 20 minutes of discussion amongst themselves, the head guard (who, you can tell from the accent, is from the south--I love southern Italians!) turned to us and was like, "look, I know you guys aren't technically on the list, but I can see your nametags, and it's pretty obvious that you guys are missionaries, and I just would feel too bad sending you home for nothing...we will make an exception this time!" What a miracle! We entered in, got searched and whatnot, and had a wonderful lesson with Ruggero. We talked with him about the importance of trials, and the peace and comfort that comes from remembering the life of the Savior. It was a wonderful experience for me, and the Spirit was there...even in a prison cell.
--I have been noticing recently the great and wonderful blessings that the Lord has been blessing with me. As I have learned to trust in the Lord and in His promise that if we are faithful and diligent, we "shall not be confounded before men" and that he will give us the words to say "in the very hour" that we need them, I have noticed that I just feel so confident in answering any question that is asked to us. I find that even if I don't know the answer, I open my mouth and begin to speak, and I somehow find the perfect answer. I have learned so much, from the answers to questions that have been given to me. I am now so excited when people say "I have a question for you." because I learn something each time. We were meeting this week with an investigator named Lucky, and after asking us some difficult questions, he paused and said, "I know that what you say is true, you know why? Because when you speak, I just know. Somehow I know that it is truth. The way you say the words...it is different than the other missionaries (he has met with many other missionaries from other churchs). I was touched and humbled by that realization this week.
--Our English class that we teach in Sondrio is so hilarious. We brought a bunch of random objects for the class to describe, to help them learn adjectives. The best word was "folkloreistic." ha! Italians. :D
--We had a wonderful experience with the Vasquez family--a less active family from Bolivia. They fed us dinner, and we had a wonderful discussion about the importance and role of the church in our earthly life, and our eternity. Brother Vasquez has served a mission as well, and he bore a powerful testimony about the importance of staying true and faithful to the knowledge that you have, and trust in the Lord. He talked about how life after the mission is different, but that we should never forget the wonderful experiences we have, and the spirit we feel while out on our mission. They are amazing! It was a great meeting!
--Miracle: This week has been full of miracles! The one I would like to share is about a man named Cletus. He is a Nigerian man, who has been in Italy for 6 months. We met him on the street in Sondrio walking with a few other people we had met before. As we introduced ourselves he asked what church we were from--missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. He responded with, "That is my church! The Latter-Day Saints! I have been searching for you for a long time!" At first we were kind of hesitant, thinking that he probably thought we were from a different church, but then we talked for a few more minutes about his story. All of his family are members of the church. His older brother is a second counselor in the bishopric in his hometown, and his little brother is currently serving a mission in Ghana!! He showed us all these pictures of him and his family. He left Nigeria 2 years ago and has been searching for the Church ever since! We exchanged information and contacted him the next day to help him come to church. Even though he lives 2 hours from the church in a small town by Tirano, he came to church! He was so excited, and it was such a miracle. As he partook of the sacrament, I was filled with the spirit so strongly, and I was so thankful that he was able to come to the church and renew his baptism covenant. What a miracle!
Things are going really well here. We are having some wonderful experiences, and working hard! I am doing really well, and have been so thankful as I take time each night to record and think about the miracles and the Lord's hand in our lives each day. This is a special place. I love you all very much, and thank you for the support and love that you all give me. I consider it one of the greatest blessings of my life to have a family that loves me and wants the best for me. You are all the best! I remember you all in my prayers each day! Have a great week!
Love,
Anziano Wilson
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