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
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