Buongiorno!!!
Well, what a wonderful week! It has been full of miracles! There is some serious work to be done in this area, and we are excited at the prospect of many people entering the waters of baptism in the upcoming weeks.
To be honest the week has just melted by; I can't ever remember what happened on the specific days. But we have been working a lot with our members, the Zuppardo family, the Rossi family, and Timothy and Paul. They are all making great progress. Paul is preparing for his baptism on the 6th of June; he is so prepared! The other day we were teaching another Nigerian man on a bench and Paul walked up and said "Listen well to their words my brother, they are angels from God!" It was touching. He has great faith, and I am so happy for his progress. He came to church this past Sunday and loved it!
--Timothy also came to church this past Sunday; and loved it! He is a Ghanaian man that has been in Italy for 8 years. More about him later.
--The Rossi family is an Italian family originally from down south, and they are so awesome! They have invited us over for dinner twice a week for a number of weeks now. One of their sons, about our age is recovering from some serious drug addictions, but we have been seeing some real progress. They are always sure to ask us to say a special prayer for them when we come so that they can have peace in their home. They are good people.
--As far as cool things that have happened this week, it has pretty much been the same old routine. Not that that is a bad thing at all, though! We have been working hard and seeing some great things. Plus, not a lot of people are blessed with the privbilege of preaching the gospel in Italy. I turned to my companion the other day and said "ya know Elder, we are pretty blessed. We get to drive a car regularly through the rolling hills of Tuscany. What more can you ask for!?" It is so beautiful here!
--We had a pretty interesting conversation with a man the other day. He was convinced that you cannot know truth because we are commanded not to judge. I took out a piece of paper and wrote "2+2=4", and asked him if it was true. He agreed it was. I then went on to explain to him that it is not "judging" to say that 2 plus 2 is four, but, rather, a recognition of truth. It was a wonderful experience, and I was taught as well. I thought of an inspiring quote by a past president of the Church: "I know that I am speaking by the power of the Holy Ghost when I learn something from what I say."
--We have been seeing so many examples of great faith from people around us. I would like to underline the faith and goodness of our Branch President. President Sottili is fearless in defending the sacredness of the temple, and in maintaining the truthfullness and accuracy of the teaching in the church. He never seeks praise for what he does. In fact, much like Christ, he deflects the compliments to our Father in Heaven. what an inspiration.
--Miracle: This week has been a wonderful week! One of our investigators with a baptismal date, Timothy, is a miracle. He walked 25 minutes to the train station in Arezzo, where he was taken by a member another 30 minutes to the church in Montevarchi. He absolutely loved the entire experience, and shared with us that he has read over 80 pages in the Book of Mormon. As we asked him about how he enjoyed church he said "It was very good. you will see me every week!" This past week we met him and he brought one of his friends to meet with us as well, with whom we were blessed to set a baptismal date! They are now working together to be prepared to be baptized on the 27th of June. What a miracle!
--Everything here in Italy is going really well. I am so blessed and thankful for this opportunity and blessing that I have to be here. I have learned and continue to learn so many precious lessons that will stay with me forever. I hope you all have a wonderful week; you are always in my prayers!
Love,
Anziano Wilson
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