BUON CAPO'DANNO ...ancora.
Well, this week has FLOWN by! Mostly because we were outside of Alessandria more than inside it....we had two companionship exchanges with district leaders in our zone, and because our zone is so big area wise, it took a long time and a lot of driving around!
--Friday we were down in Milano for the mission council meeting. That was such a fun meeting! The assistents and President prepared a hilarious video about traditions, using the song from Fiddler on the roof, combined with a video the office elders made. It was hilarious. I am getting a copy of it (since we have the hookups), and will show it to you all. :)
--On Friday we also got the announcement from President that next month WE GET TO WATCH MEET THE MORMONS at zone conference!!! Yessss! I have been wanting to see that for so long. President Dibb was funny: "I received last week 'For my personal library' a copy from the Area Presidency of Meet the Mormons....so, Elders and sisters...break out the popcorn, we're watching it in February!" haha! I love President Dibb.
--We went straight from that mission council (which ended at 5pm) to Imperia (3 hours in the car), to start our companion exchange! (more on that later!)
--Right after we got home from that scambio (I'm going to just use the Italian word...it is so much shorter), we headed straight to bed. We had a packed Sunday!
-Sunday- We went over to the brother of a member's house right after a speedy lunch, to give him a blessing of health (He has some kind of cancer that by now is incurable. He is like 75 or so. Not a member, or really religious at all, but when Sister Poncino (the member) asked him if "her priests could come over and give him a blessing", he said "why not!" So we did! And we had a wonderful experience. The Spirit was powerful, and he was in tears by the end of it thanking us. It was a privilege.
--Funny side story about when we went over there to give the blessing: So, as is common around any holiday season, most stores sell these little chocolates filled with nuts...and some are also filled with liquor. So we showed up to give the blessing to this man, and they offer us a bunch of little snacks (I bet you can't tell where this is going!), some juice, some cake, and then they offer us these chocolates. As soon as she offered them to us, Sister Poncino's husband (who is an investigator) was like "wait, aren't those the ones filled with liqour!? Because they don't eat those." to which the wife of the sick man responded "oh no,no, these are the hollow ones filled with nuts! I bought them myself, and I hate liquor" So we figured that they were fine, but avoided it completely the first time anyway by slipping them into our pockets while they weren't looking, instead of eating them. But right before the blessing, during the small talk, she insisted on us having another one. So we, figuring that she assured us they were the other kind, opened them and popped them into our mouths. It hit my companion first. I look over at him and his eyes are wide, and he is holding his mouth closed while trying with all his might not to let anything go down his throat. I quickly realize that I am in trouble...and an instant later, the chocolate in my mouth breaks open. My mouth starts BURNING and I am just thinking "oh great, we are going to be tipsy for the blessing we are trying to give!!" So my mind starts racing to come up with ways to get out of the situation without seeming completely rude (both these two people are potential investigators, whom sister Poncino has been working for a while. After the longest 15 seconds of our lives, I shove all the stuff to the side of my mouth, and mutter a quick "posso andare al bagno?". (It was such a good job, too, like it sounded almost like a normal voice), and then my companion starts making these weird hand symbols while humming "mmmhmmm!" and acting like he needed to wash his hands (It was so obvious...HAHA!). So we both walk down the hall and run into the bathroom, spitting it all out into the sink and washing out our mouths with water (I also added some soap in there...just for fun...anything to get the burning to go away!). Then we returned, acted like nothing happened, and continued. The best part is that they didn't even notice!! They were too busy arguing about reasons why the weather has been so warm lately. haha! Italians.
--Monday was Zone Training Meeting in Genova. We got to give the training about the same things we learned in mission council. It was a lot of fun! I love being up there teaching and testifying to the other missionaries. It is just such a privilege. Sometimes I throw in some ridiculous jokes just for fun, as well. "What do you call a crocodile in a vest?...and inVESTigator!...*ba dum ching* *My companion rolls his eyes*. It is so fun to be my companion :)
-Tuesday was a full day. We were running from appointment to appointment, and had some wonderful experiences and lessons!
--Scambio: I had a great scambio with Anziano Espinosa this week. He is a hard worker, and it was good to be able to help him realize that it is important to be bold but not overbearing when talking with those hesitant to make and keep commitments.
--I also had a wonderful scambio with Anziano Crowther down in Imperia. His Italian is exceptional for being a young missionary. It was a wonderful experience to be down working in that area again, and we had a very successful, 6 lesson day!
--Miracle: It was a wonderful miracle to me to be able to go down to work in Imperia again. While I was temporarily down there for about 10 days, we found a very promising investigator named Litizia, and taught her the Restoration the day after. Since then, the fantastic missionaries down there have met her many more times, she has come to church twice, and she has a baptismal date for this next month! While I was down there, I called her and set up another appointment to meet. We talked about obedience, and how everything that the Lord asks us to do is for our good. Letizia bore a powerful testimony of how, since meeting with the missionaries, everything in her life has been going so much better. She recited a few scriptures that she has read in the past (she has read many of the powerful chapters such as Alma 32, Moroni 7, 2 Nephi 31, etc.), and told of how the scriptures, since starting to read the Book of Mormon as well as the Bible, have become so much simpler, and she has loved reading them! I was touched to see how this woman has been, and continues to be, touched by the Spirit. I am excited to hear of her further progression in the gospel!
-Well, that's about all. My fingers hurt. Everything else is going well! We have been working hard and seeing miracles! More than anything we are trying to increase the faith of the missionaries in our zone; and we are seeing some great success. Thank you all for your support and prayers;I love you all and pray for you always!
Love,
Anziano Wilson
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