Buongiorno a tutti da Firenze!!
So, I'm in Florence!!! It is going to be a beautiful day!! I'm excited! :)
(side note--I have never been surrounded by so many tourists!! Everyone is speaking English...I feel like I'm in America! ...It is pretty amazing after being in Italy for so long, how obvious it is when you see a tourist. They stick out like a gorilla at a cat festival! ;)
--This week has been wonderful! Montevarchi really is a special place. There is a branch here of about 15 members, but they are all really strong in the gospel, and are all actively engaged in missionary work. To be honest, I much prefer small branches to big wards...the mindset of the Italian members in a branch is "we have work to do to grow our branch!" rather than "well, we made it! We are a ward!" kind of thing. It is a great blessing to be a part of a little branch like this, where it really is like one big family! There is some serious work to be done here, and I am excited to get it all rolling!
--The Branch President is an absolute champion! He is an inspired leader. Him and his wife speak almost every day with someone new to tell them about the gospel!
--So, we are back to holding church in a hotel!! Welcome back to Morbegno! haha, we are getting a church building soon, but for now we rented out two conference rooms in a four-star hotel. It is pretty nice....and there is even free bottled water and candies! I feel like a high-class business man standing at the pulpit. This is the life!
--Montevarchi is so beautiful! Imagine rolling hills and green all around....it's like I'm in the middle of Lord of the Rings mixed with Sound of Music!
--President Dibb called the other day to let us know that he has confidence in us and to tell us that "there are tens of thousands of future saints in that area"...what an inspiration! That is so true. There are so many people that are prepared. It has been amazing to me to see and realize the work of the Lord in this place. He truly truly does go before us to pave the way and to open hearts. President also added that this is one of the most beautiful areas of the world...I believe it! I am so blessed to serve in this wonderful part of Italy ;)
--So, I am in toscana, which is really distinguished in Italy for 1)the amazing food! and 2) having a thick accent. It is hilarious! The c is silent, and so it just sounds so....funny! (imagine Coca Cola being pronounced "ho ha ho la") I, personally, prefer the Sicilian accent, and thus have been working on it (I started it as a joke, but now I really prefer speaking that way!). I have gotten multiple comments asking if I was half Italian from the south ;) I am so thankful for the gift of tongues!
--This past Sunday I was asked to give a talk! My first sunday here, why not! It was a great experience. I talked about not waiting to share your testimony, and the importance of growing it right now, instead of "later on". There are a few investigators that have been coming to church for years, and so I figured it would be a nice little "push" to let them know that they are needed right now. It went really well with the lesson that we had in Gospel Principles: We watched a mormon message called "waiting on the road to Damascus". It was touching, I reccommend it!
--Speaking of Gospel Principles, our teacher is amazing! Apparently he is a recent (5 years ago) retuned missionary from the Milan mission, and was the Assistent to the President for 5 transfers (that is a lot). I can tell he is a man of deep faith. And he already is married with three kids...he wasted no time! ;P He will be a great strength to this branch.
--We have been running around from appointment to appointment these days, it really is wonderful. Yesterday we were blessed to be able to teach 9 people. There are a lot of people in this area that are searching for something, they just aren't sure what!
--In less than a week Elder Bednar is coming to visit our mission!! I am so excited I am jumping out of my shoes! It is going to be such a wonderful and unique experience to sit at the feet of a living Apostle of the Lord, and to hear what he has to tell us. I hope and pray that I may prepare myself spiritually to fully take-in all that he has to teach us.
--I have been having some really amazing insights lately about the power and value of humility. I know that the promise in Ether 12:27 is true, that if we will come unto Christ and acknowledge in humility our weaknesses before him, we will be made strong. I have seen that so much on my mission--both with investigators and with myself. What a profound blessing is the Atonement of our Savior!
--Miracle: Yesterday we had a wonderful miracle. As we were out and about finding and teaching, we decided to pass by a less active member, who has some serious struggles with a few commandments. We stopped by and he welcomed us in right away. He expressed to us right off the bat, that he knew he struggled with these things, and that he wants to change. but just doesn't feel like he can do it. I was humbled and deeply touched as the Spirit completely took over the lesson, and we were able to address each one of his concerns. Using scriptures such as Ether 12:27, comparing the church to a hospital, and bearing testimony of the infinite and everlasting Atonement, I could see in his eyes the change. He finally understood. And he expressed to us that he has known for a while that he needs to start reading the scriptures daily again, and praying for the strength to overcome these things. We expressed confidence in him, and are expecting some wonderful things. It is such a miracle to be an instrument in the hands of the Almighty God, in giving comfort and encouragement to one of his precious children.
--Everything here in Montevarchi is going really well. The members are so excited to do missionary work, and we are thrilled to be able to help them. This really is a special place. And I know that we are going to see people coming into the waters of baptism and following our Savior Jesus Christ. I can feel it. Thank you all so much for your support and prayers. They are needed and they are felt. I ask that this week you remember to pray specifically for Daniel, Wilman, and Paul--three of our investigators that are preparing for baptism in the near future. Have a wonderful week!
Love,
Anziano Wilson
Thursday, April 30, 2015
Wednesday, April 15, 2015
APRIL 15, 2015
Buon Aprile!!! Man, what a beautiful day it is today! I hope the weather in the states is as beautiful as here!
Well, this week, like always, has 1) flown by and 2) been amazing. We have been seeing so many miracles!
--This past Thursday my companion and I had the privilege of training the missionaries in our zone up in the city of Bergamo. We talked about how we can use scripture chains in our teaching and finding efforts, and about the power of memorized scriptures. I remember a phrase said by one of the Bretheren that I heard in my youth: "A memorized scripture is like a friend that you can call upon in times of need....the more scriptures you memorized, the more friends you have!" How true that is. I am so thankful for the scriptures that I learned in seminary and institute and primary and all throughout my life--they have helped me much in my life. It was a wonderful experience to teach and testify to our wonderful missionaries.
--In other news, It's transfers time! For a missionary it is an exciting and important time: we find out where we will live for the next 6 weeks! I was basically postive that I was going to be called to train a missionary since 1) I haven't trained anyone yet, 2) I have two transfers left, just the amount it takes to train, and 3) I have already served 6 months as a Zone Leader which is usually the maximum that President Dibb keeps someone in that position (and everyone trains before becoming a Zone Leader anyway). So we get our call on Friday night from President Dibb, and the first thing he says is "Elder Wilson, it's transfers time. I know you have only been in Brescia 6 weeks, but, I need you." And I'm thinking, "Alright, where am I training?" (Side note: I have been telling my companion for the past month (kind of as a joke) that I am going to be training in Firenze (Florence), because it is absolutely BEAUTIFUL, and there are so many cool things there (including really nice 100% silk ties for dirt cheap). Basically all of the missionaries dream of serving in or near Firenze so they can see it.) And then President Dibb explained to me that he needed me to keep being a Zone Leader to train the missionaries. "I'm sending you to your third zone as a zone leader, because I need you to bless as many missionaries in this mission as is possible..." I was totally shocked! Noone does that! But then he told me where I'm going....Montevarchi!! Which is 20 minutes away from where??? FIRENZE!!! Oh yeah! I am going to go there so many times. So my new calling is to be one of the Zone Leaders down there, and my companion, Anziano Quinton, is in his last transfer. So that will fun! I really am humbled and thankful for this continued opportunity to serve and help the missionaries to realize how important we all are to the Lord. I am excited for the new opportunity I will have, but realize that I am dependent on the Lord if I want to be able to make any kind of difference. Montevarchi is a group of little towns all far away from each other, so it is a little bit different in terms of finding people to teach. But I am excited and ready to work!
--This past Sunday was AMAZING! We had Stake Conference in Verona, and Elder Kearon of the Seventy came to visit and to teach. It was a powerful experience. I was especially touched by the fact that during his talks, he would often stop in the middle of a sentence, pause, and then say something extremely direct and completely different that applied directly to the Italian saints. He took pauses to seek inspiration, and then powerfully declared things that were exactly what the members needed to hear. He is a powerful teacher, and it was a privilege to be taught by him.
--Speaking of the privilege of being instructed by inspired leaders, the mission is still preparing for the visit of Elder David A. Bednar, for a 6 hour conference in less that two weeks! I am so excited, and hope to consecrate myself and my efforts between now and then, so that I may be prepared and ready to receive instruction from an Apostle of the Lord. What a great blessing this will be!
--Monday we had the "blesssing" of riding the train for 4 hours to Lecco, to pick up the Permesso di Sojourno (His permit to live in Italy) of Anziano Pinnock. It was fun to be able to return again to the city I lived in over a year and a half ago, and have the memories flood back of talking with all kinds of people on the street. It was a good experience!
--Last night we had an awesome missionary activity in the church. It was about how to share the gospel with our friends. It was especially cool because we brought Umberto, one of our investigators, and he loved it! He came up to me afterwards and was like "It is so easy to share the gospel with our friends! Can I do it too even though I'm not a member?" I told him that of course he could! And we are working with him now to share what he is learning with his whole family!
--As far as investigators go, Umberto, Innocent, and Jackson are really progressing. We have been meeting each of them a few times a week, and they will be baptized within the next month. What a blessing that is!
--We were meeting with Innocent the other day, and he is currently a preacher for the Evangelist religion, who has been touched and enlightened by the new things he is learning about the Love of God and especially his detailed plan for each of us, The Plan of Salvation. He shared with us a powerful testimony of how the Lord has led and guided him to Italy and to us, to find the truth. What a privilege it is to share the gospel!
--Miracle: This week has been wonderful. We have been preparing everything to be ready for the coming of new missionaries, and we have been seeing some serious miracles. I will share just one of many: A few days ago we were teaching one of our investigators, jackson, on a bench near the mall. We were having a wonderful experience with him talking about the Word of Wisdom, when out of the blue a young man of about 20 years walked up to us. We began talking, and I recognized him as someone I had talked to on the bus about a month ago. He is a boy of faith, but insisted on finding his own way. I remember bearing my testimony to him about the Book of Mormon, and he seemed very interested, but insisted on him calling us. So I left him with a pass-along card about the Book of Mormon. As we talked outside the mall, he said that he went to the website and researched it, and he wants us to give him a copy! We exchanged phone numbers and have an appointment set up with him Friday to deliver it and explain it. What a blessing!
--Everything is all set for the new Anziano Pinnock to come here to Brescia. We are excited for the work that there is to do here. I am excited as well to go down to Montevarchi and help in my small way to build the kingdom. I appreciate the trust and confidence that you all have expressed in me, and I hope to do all that the Lord expects me to do down there, and prepare myself well to sit at the feet of an Apostle of the Lord. Iove you all and remember you always in my prayers!
Love,
Anziano Wilson
Well, this week, like always, has 1) flown by and 2) been amazing. We have been seeing so many miracles!
--This past Thursday my companion and I had the privilege of training the missionaries in our zone up in the city of Bergamo. We talked about how we can use scripture chains in our teaching and finding efforts, and about the power of memorized scriptures. I remember a phrase said by one of the Bretheren that I heard in my youth: "A memorized scripture is like a friend that you can call upon in times of need....the more scriptures you memorized, the more friends you have!" How true that is. I am so thankful for the scriptures that I learned in seminary and institute and primary and all throughout my life--they have helped me much in my life. It was a wonderful experience to teach and testify to our wonderful missionaries.
--In other news, It's transfers time! For a missionary it is an exciting and important time: we find out where we will live for the next 6 weeks! I was basically postive that I was going to be called to train a missionary since 1) I haven't trained anyone yet, 2) I have two transfers left, just the amount it takes to train, and 3) I have already served 6 months as a Zone Leader which is usually the maximum that President Dibb keeps someone in that position (and everyone trains before becoming a Zone Leader anyway). So we get our call on Friday night from President Dibb, and the first thing he says is "Elder Wilson, it's transfers time. I know you have only been in Brescia 6 weeks, but, I need you." And I'm thinking, "Alright, where am I training?" (Side note: I have been telling my companion for the past month (kind of as a joke) that I am going to be training in Firenze (Florence), because it is absolutely BEAUTIFUL, and there are so many cool things there (including really nice 100% silk ties for dirt cheap). Basically all of the missionaries dream of serving in or near Firenze so they can see it.) And then President Dibb explained to me that he needed me to keep being a Zone Leader to train the missionaries. "I'm sending you to your third zone as a zone leader, because I need you to bless as many missionaries in this mission as is possible..." I was totally shocked! Noone does that! But then he told me where I'm going....Montevarchi!! Which is 20 minutes away from where??? FIRENZE!!! Oh yeah! I am going to go there so many times. So my new calling is to be one of the Zone Leaders down there, and my companion, Anziano Quinton, is in his last transfer. So that will fun! I really am humbled and thankful for this continued opportunity to serve and help the missionaries to realize how important we all are to the Lord. I am excited for the new opportunity I will have, but realize that I am dependent on the Lord if I want to be able to make any kind of difference. Montevarchi is a group of little towns all far away from each other, so it is a little bit different in terms of finding people to teach. But I am excited and ready to work!
--This past Sunday was AMAZING! We had Stake Conference in Verona, and Elder Kearon of the Seventy came to visit and to teach. It was a powerful experience. I was especially touched by the fact that during his talks, he would often stop in the middle of a sentence, pause, and then say something extremely direct and completely different that applied directly to the Italian saints. He took pauses to seek inspiration, and then powerfully declared things that were exactly what the members needed to hear. He is a powerful teacher, and it was a privilege to be taught by him.
--Speaking of the privilege of being instructed by inspired leaders, the mission is still preparing for the visit of Elder David A. Bednar, for a 6 hour conference in less that two weeks! I am so excited, and hope to consecrate myself and my efforts between now and then, so that I may be prepared and ready to receive instruction from an Apostle of the Lord. What a great blessing this will be!
--Monday we had the "blesssing" of riding the train for 4 hours to Lecco, to pick up the Permesso di Sojourno (His permit to live in Italy) of Anziano Pinnock. It was fun to be able to return again to the city I lived in over a year and a half ago, and have the memories flood back of talking with all kinds of people on the street. It was a good experience!
--Last night we had an awesome missionary activity in the church. It was about how to share the gospel with our friends. It was especially cool because we brought Umberto, one of our investigators, and he loved it! He came up to me afterwards and was like "It is so easy to share the gospel with our friends! Can I do it too even though I'm not a member?" I told him that of course he could! And we are working with him now to share what he is learning with his whole family!
--As far as investigators go, Umberto, Innocent, and Jackson are really progressing. We have been meeting each of them a few times a week, and they will be baptized within the next month. What a blessing that is!
--We were meeting with Innocent the other day, and he is currently a preacher for the Evangelist religion, who has been touched and enlightened by the new things he is learning about the Love of God and especially his detailed plan for each of us, The Plan of Salvation. He shared with us a powerful testimony of how the Lord has led and guided him to Italy and to us, to find the truth. What a privilege it is to share the gospel!
--Miracle: This week has been wonderful. We have been preparing everything to be ready for the coming of new missionaries, and we have been seeing some serious miracles. I will share just one of many: A few days ago we were teaching one of our investigators, jackson, on a bench near the mall. We were having a wonderful experience with him talking about the Word of Wisdom, when out of the blue a young man of about 20 years walked up to us. We began talking, and I recognized him as someone I had talked to on the bus about a month ago. He is a boy of faith, but insisted on finding his own way. I remember bearing my testimony to him about the Book of Mormon, and he seemed very interested, but insisted on him calling us. So I left him with a pass-along card about the Book of Mormon. As we talked outside the mall, he said that he went to the website and researched it, and he wants us to give him a copy! We exchanged phone numbers and have an appointment set up with him Friday to deliver it and explain it. What a blessing!
--Everything is all set for the new Anziano Pinnock to come here to Brescia. We are excited for the work that there is to do here. I am excited as well to go down to Montevarchi and help in my small way to build the kingdom. I appreciate the trust and confidence that you all have expressed in me, and I hope to do all that the Lord expects me to do down there, and prepare myself well to sit at the feet of an Apostle of the Lord. Iove you all and remember you always in my prayers!
Love,
Anziano Wilson
Monday, April 13, 2015
APRIL 8, 2015
Buongiorno a tutti quanti! What a beautiful day!
This week has been really amazing. General Conference was so inspired! I loved every minute of it! What a blessing it is to be led by living Prophets and Apostles of our Heavenly Father!
--This week we went over the visit the Simeone family. The father in the home is not yet a member, and the wife is semi-active in the church. They are really great people. While we were visiting, while the pasta was cooking, sister Simeone asked us "I just don't get it. How do you guys do it? At such a young age how are you so sure of what you teach!?" It was a piercing question, and it made me search my soul for the answer. But right away the words of the Savior came to mind, from the book of John, 7:17," If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself." I then bore testimony that the only real way to know if something is right, and to gain a testimony of it, is to put it into practice in your own life. To test it. To do as the Savior said, and follow the will of God. I realized that the moments when I began to really have a testimony came when I went out of my way to try. To see for myself if it would bring good fruits in my life. And little by little, I began to see the fruits in my life. They were always small; almost unnoticable at the time...but looking back the evidence is huge. The Lord's hand in my life has been always present. And that is now the testimony that I can lean on. The words of President Thomas S. Monson came to my mind "I maintain that a strong testimony of our Savior and of His gospel will … protect you from the sin and evil around you. … If you do not already have a testimony of these things, do that which is necessary to obtain one. It is essential for you to have your own testimony, for the testimonies of others will carry you only so far" What a truth that is! As thankful that I am for the testimonies of others that carried me through childhood, my life really started to change when I found out for myself. And that takes effort. They were touched, and we had a wonderful discussion afterwards; inviting them to write down specific questions for conference, and watch to see that they would be answered in conference.
--On the subject of questions and answers, I wrote down a few questions to be answered in Conference. I felt as though a few of the talks were specifically for me.
--We ate some delicious peanut butter and banana sandwiches for Easter. That may not sound like much to you all, but good peanut butter here is like liquid gold. It was AMAZING.
--I think we all noticed the emphasis that was put in almost every talk this conference--the importance of the family, and how to keep it strong. In this regard, I specifically appreciated the talk "The Music of the Gospel" by Elder Wilford W. Andersen of the Seventy. What an inspiring metaphor! Just keep practicing!
--Scambio: I had the opportunity to scambio with Anziano Bendezu this week in Bergamo. He is from Perù, but has lived in Rome for the past 21 years. We taught an amazing new investigator of theirs, and I learned a lot from his teaching style. It was a blessing to teach with a native-speaker and learn new terminology. For example "Prendere due pigione con una fava (take to pigeons with one bean) means kill two birds with one stone!
--I hope that everyone had a wonderful Easter! What a blessing it is to remember and celebrate the great victory over death. As Jeffery R. Holland put it, "So today we celebrate the gift of victory over every fall we have ever experienced, every sorrow we have ever known, every discouragement we have ever had, every fear we have ever faced—to say nothing of our resurrection from death and forgiveness for our sins. That victory is available to us because of events that transpired on a weekend precisely like this nearly two millennia ago in Jerusalem. Beginning in the spiritual anguish of the Garden of Gethsemane, moving to the Crucifixion on a cross at Calvary, and concluding on a beautiful Sunday morning inside a donated tomb, a sinless, pure, and holy man, the very Son of God Himself, did what no other deceased person had ever done nor ever could do. Under His own power, He rose from death, never to have His body separated from His spirit again. " What a message of hope! The grave has no victory; the tomb is empty! It has touched my heart in a very specific way recently, the greatness of it all. We cannot even fathom what our Savior had to go through; what He had to overcome. But he did it. For each of us. So I hope we all enjoyed celebrating the great gift of victory. I bear my testimony that He lives, and that He loves us. That He will never leave us. He cannot forget us. May we never forget Him.
--We had a really great Mission Leadership Council this past Monday in Milano. We are preparing for the visit of Elder Bednar at the end of April. He is going to do a 6-hour training with the entire mission! What a blessing!
--Miracle: We had some wonderful miracles this week with General Conference. The messages were inspired, and we were blessed to have two new investigators, Innocent and Jerry, attend for the first time; they both loved it! But the miracle that I would like to share is the miracle of personal revelation. I have been thinking a lot lately about the importance of leadership--in the church but also in all aspects of daily life-- and the blessing that it is for the leader as well as those he leads. The Lord has taught me some really tender principles that I hope to put better into practice as I strive to Lift, Encourage, Inspire, and Bless the missionaries around me, and long after my mission when I return home. The knowledge that we have, and the fact of continued personal revelation; communication directly from Father to son, is truly a miracle!
--Everything in Brescia is going really well. We have some wonderful progressing investigators that are really seeking to make changes in their lives. The Lord will continue to bless them to grow closer to Him as we as guides do our part. We are all excited to have an Apostle of the Lord with us in such a short time.
I hope you all are doing well; I thank you for your prayers in my behalf. I always pray for you all, even many times during the day with random people on the street! Have a wonderful week!
Love,
Anziano Wilson
This week has been really amazing. General Conference was so inspired! I loved every minute of it! What a blessing it is to be led by living Prophets and Apostles of our Heavenly Father!
--This week we went over the visit the Simeone family. The father in the home is not yet a member, and the wife is semi-active in the church. They are really great people. While we were visiting, while the pasta was cooking, sister Simeone asked us "I just don't get it. How do you guys do it? At such a young age how are you so sure of what you teach!?" It was a piercing question, and it made me search my soul for the answer. But right away the words of the Savior came to mind, from the book of John, 7:17," If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself." I then bore testimony that the only real way to know if something is right, and to gain a testimony of it, is to put it into practice in your own life. To test it. To do as the Savior said, and follow the will of God. I realized that the moments when I began to really have a testimony came when I went out of my way to try. To see for myself if it would bring good fruits in my life. And little by little, I began to see the fruits in my life. They were always small; almost unnoticable at the time...but looking back the evidence is huge. The Lord's hand in my life has been always present. And that is now the testimony that I can lean on. The words of President Thomas S. Monson came to my mind "I maintain that a strong testimony of our Savior and of His gospel will … protect you from the sin and evil around you. … If you do not already have a testimony of these things, do that which is necessary to obtain one. It is essential for you to have your own testimony, for the testimonies of others will carry you only so far" What a truth that is! As thankful that I am for the testimonies of others that carried me through childhood, my life really started to change when I found out for myself. And that takes effort. They were touched, and we had a wonderful discussion afterwards; inviting them to write down specific questions for conference, and watch to see that they would be answered in conference.
--On the subject of questions and answers, I wrote down a few questions to be answered in Conference. I felt as though a few of the talks were specifically for me.
--We ate some delicious peanut butter and banana sandwiches for Easter. That may not sound like much to you all, but good peanut butter here is like liquid gold. It was AMAZING.
--I think we all noticed the emphasis that was put in almost every talk this conference--the importance of the family, and how to keep it strong. In this regard, I specifically appreciated the talk "The Music of the Gospel" by Elder Wilford W. Andersen of the Seventy. What an inspiring metaphor! Just keep practicing!
--Scambio: I had the opportunity to scambio with Anziano Bendezu this week in Bergamo. He is from Perù, but has lived in Rome for the past 21 years. We taught an amazing new investigator of theirs, and I learned a lot from his teaching style. It was a blessing to teach with a native-speaker and learn new terminology. For example "Prendere due pigione con una fava (take to pigeons with one bean) means kill two birds with one stone!
--I hope that everyone had a wonderful Easter! What a blessing it is to remember and celebrate the great victory over death. As Jeffery R. Holland put it, "So today we celebrate the gift of victory over every fall we have ever experienced, every sorrow we have ever known, every discouragement we have ever had, every fear we have ever faced—to say nothing of our resurrection from death and forgiveness for our sins. That victory is available to us because of events that transpired on a weekend precisely like this nearly two millennia ago in Jerusalem. Beginning in the spiritual anguish of the Garden of Gethsemane, moving to the Crucifixion on a cross at Calvary, and concluding on a beautiful Sunday morning inside a donated tomb, a sinless, pure, and holy man, the very Son of God Himself, did what no other deceased person had ever done nor ever could do. Under His own power, He rose from death, never to have His body separated from His spirit again. " What a message of hope! The grave has no victory; the tomb is empty! It has touched my heart in a very specific way recently, the greatness of it all. We cannot even fathom what our Savior had to go through; what He had to overcome. But he did it. For each of us. So I hope we all enjoyed celebrating the great gift of victory. I bear my testimony that He lives, and that He loves us. That He will never leave us. He cannot forget us. May we never forget Him.
--We had a really great Mission Leadership Council this past Monday in Milano. We are preparing for the visit of Elder Bednar at the end of April. He is going to do a 6-hour training with the entire mission! What a blessing!
--Miracle: We had some wonderful miracles this week with General Conference. The messages were inspired, and we were blessed to have two new investigators, Innocent and Jerry, attend for the first time; they both loved it! But the miracle that I would like to share is the miracle of personal revelation. I have been thinking a lot lately about the importance of leadership--in the church but also in all aspects of daily life-- and the blessing that it is for the leader as well as those he leads. The Lord has taught me some really tender principles that I hope to put better into practice as I strive to Lift, Encourage, Inspire, and Bless the missionaries around me, and long after my mission when I return home. The knowledge that we have, and the fact of continued personal revelation; communication directly from Father to son, is truly a miracle!
--Everything in Brescia is going really well. We have some wonderful progressing investigators that are really seeking to make changes in their lives. The Lord will continue to bless them to grow closer to Him as we as guides do our part. We are all excited to have an Apostle of the Lord with us in such a short time.
I hope you all are doing well; I thank you for your prayers in my behalf. I always pray for you all, even many times during the day with random people on the street! Have a wonderful week!
Love,
Anziano Wilson
Thursday, April 2, 2015
APRIL 1, 2015
Whew! Another week flies by! It is getting really warm outside; I love it! But that also means...mosquitos...*dun dun duuunnn*. I hate mosquitos. There's really not a lot to write about, it was just a typical week. But here we go!
This week was really great! We saw another week of miracles, and have been seeing a lot of people progress on the path towards peace and happiness in this life through a relationship with our Savior.
--This past Thursday we went over to eat dinner with a family where the mother is a member but the father is not. They are southern italians, from Sicily. Enough said. I thought my tongue was going to burn off from the spiciness, and my belly was going to burst from the sheer quantity of food. Also they are pretty crazy. But we love them! Southern Italians are hilarious because they just don't care what people think...If I had a quarter for every time someone opera-yelled "paaaassss tthhheee lasagnaaaaa!", I would be rich! mmmmm, Lasagna.
--Jerry, one of our investigators from Ghana, is doing really well! We taught him the Word of Wisdom last week and he is doing really well! He is a special guy. This past time we met with him he said "I am really thankful for you guys, and what you are teaching me. Before I met you I was really sad a lot of the time. I still sometimes I feel like giving up, but I know now that there is always at least someone that is watching out for me. God." He comes from a really hard situation, but his faith and dedication to move forward is inspiring!
--Scambio: I had a great scambio with Anziano Olsen, down in Reggio Emilia. He is a funny man. It was a great opportunity to do some teaching with him in the parks there; we even taught a man that has been less active for eight years! He had lost contact with the missionaries, but now is starting to meet with them again! But the real highlight is this: So, background story: Anziano Olsen is your typical Idaho farm boy. Big and tough and hard to be contained. The whole day he was telling me about all the fun stuff they did on their farm. building things, hunting and eating anything that moved, and just enjoying life. So we were walking in the park at about 8:00 at night, when we see this rabbit. I say "Oh look at that rabbit! It is so cute! (to my defense, it really was!)," When he looks at me, smiles, and says "watch this." He sneaks up behind it, and I'm thinking "oh, he's going to try to pet the rabbit!" He gets closer. "ohhh, he's going to catch the rabbit" Closer. He signals me not to move. "wha..." Then all of a sudden he pulls out this huge hunting knife from his pocket and is about to spring when I was like "are you going to kill that thing!?" The rabbit heard me and ran off, and he said "dude! I was so close! Rabbit meat is so good!" ...... I almost witnessed a murder. Idaho kids...
--We had a great ward council meeting this past week. It was so Italian though. Italians seems to drag on the other side of the debate as long as they possibly can, even when it is clear what the answer is. Anziano Pinnock and I were trying not to laugh the whole time. "So, we should get refreshments for the Easter party!" "Alright," says the Bishop, "how about a salad?" *20 minute discussion about the types of salad suitable for an easter party* "Well, maybe just some cookies would be better." *Everyone agrees* ...and then the one lady pipes up "...well. I ALWAYS have salad
AND soup for Easter!" *10 more mintues of discussion about the types of soup that go with salad* ....gotta love the Italian people!
--General Conference is coming up!!! Man, it has been sneaking up on me (Not! I have been counting down since February!). What a wonderful privilege we have to listen to living prophets and apostles today!
--We have been sharing the "Because He Lives" video with everyone we meet here in Italy. The mission is making a big push for it. It is a pretty good video! (I still like "Because of Him" better though). :)
--Miracle: This week we had a wonderful miracle. We have been working with a southern Italian man, Umberto, for the past few weeks, but he has been a little hesitant in keeping some commitments, especially coming to church. This past Sunday, we met him at the station and brought him to church with us, and he stayed for all three hours! And he loved it! The first hour we watched the "Because He Lives" video in class, and he was touched. He commented to me after sacrament meeting that this is one of the most friendly churches he has ever seen; that it is like a big family! We met with him again last night and he brought up again how much he enjoyed going to church, and hearing prayers that come from the heart. He has now begun to pray using his own words!
--Everything here in Brescia is going really well. At this point we kind of have more potential investigators than we know what to do with (but hey, I'm not complaining!). There is work to do in this wonderful country!
--Quote of the week: "A good leader takes a little more than his share of the blame; a little less than his share of the credit." -Arnold H. Glasgow
Love you all, hope everyone has a fantastic Easter!
Anziano Wilson
This week was really great! We saw another week of miracles, and have been seeing a lot of people progress on the path towards peace and happiness in this life through a relationship with our Savior.
--This past Thursday we went over to eat dinner with a family where the mother is a member but the father is not. They are southern italians, from Sicily. Enough said. I thought my tongue was going to burn off from the spiciness, and my belly was going to burst from the sheer quantity of food. Also they are pretty crazy. But we love them! Southern Italians are hilarious because they just don't care what people think...If I had a quarter for every time someone opera-yelled "paaaassss tthhheee lasagnaaaaa!", I would be rich! mmmmm, Lasagna.
--Jerry, one of our investigators from Ghana, is doing really well! We taught him the Word of Wisdom last week and he is doing really well! He is a special guy. This past time we met with him he said "I am really thankful for you guys, and what you are teaching me. Before I met you I was really sad a lot of the time. I still sometimes I feel like giving up, but I know now that there is always at least someone that is watching out for me. God." He comes from a really hard situation, but his faith and dedication to move forward is inspiring!
--Scambio: I had a great scambio with Anziano Olsen, down in Reggio Emilia. He is a funny man. It was a great opportunity to do some teaching with him in the parks there; we even taught a man that has been less active for eight years! He had lost contact with the missionaries, but now is starting to meet with them again! But the real highlight is this: So, background story: Anziano Olsen is your typical Idaho farm boy. Big and tough and hard to be contained. The whole day he was telling me about all the fun stuff they did on their farm. building things, hunting and eating anything that moved, and just enjoying life. So we were walking in the park at about 8:00 at night, when we see this rabbit. I say "Oh look at that rabbit! It is so cute! (to my defense, it really was!)," When he looks at me, smiles, and says "watch this." He sneaks up behind it, and I'm thinking "oh, he's going to try to pet the rabbit!" He gets closer. "ohhh, he's going to catch the rabbit" Closer. He signals me not to move. "wha..." Then all of a sudden he pulls out this huge hunting knife from his pocket and is about to spring when I was like "are you going to kill that thing!?" The rabbit heard me and ran off, and he said "dude! I was so close! Rabbit meat is so good!" ...... I almost witnessed a murder. Idaho kids...
--We had a great ward council meeting this past week. It was so Italian though. Italians seems to drag on the other side of the debate as long as they possibly can, even when it is clear what the answer is. Anziano Pinnock and I were trying not to laugh the whole time. "So, we should get refreshments for the Easter party!" "Alright," says the Bishop, "how about a salad?" *20 minute discussion about the types of salad suitable for an easter party* "Well, maybe just some cookies would be better." *Everyone agrees* ...and then the one lady pipes up "...well. I ALWAYS have salad
AND soup for Easter!" *10 more mintues of discussion about the types of soup that go with salad* ....gotta love the Italian people!
--General Conference is coming up!!! Man, it has been sneaking up on me (Not! I have been counting down since February!). What a wonderful privilege we have to listen to living prophets and apostles today!
--We have been sharing the "Because He Lives" video with everyone we meet here in Italy. The mission is making a big push for it. It is a pretty good video! (I still like "Because of Him" better though). :)
--Miracle: This week we had a wonderful miracle. We have been working with a southern Italian man, Umberto, for the past few weeks, but he has been a little hesitant in keeping some commitments, especially coming to church. This past Sunday, we met him at the station and brought him to church with us, and he stayed for all three hours! And he loved it! The first hour we watched the "Because He Lives" video in class, and he was touched. He commented to me after sacrament meeting that this is one of the most friendly churches he has ever seen; that it is like a big family! We met with him again last night and he brought up again how much he enjoyed going to church, and hearing prayers that come from the heart. He has now begun to pray using his own words!
--Everything here in Brescia is going really well. At this point we kind of have more potential investigators than we know what to do with (but hey, I'm not complaining!). There is work to do in this wonderful country!
--Quote of the week: "A good leader takes a little more than his share of the blame; a little less than his share of the credit." -Arnold H. Glasgow
Love you all, hope everyone has a fantastic Easter!
Anziano Wilson
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