Buon estate a tutti!
Man, it is getting hot, hot, hot in these days. The other day it was 95 degrees with 80% humidity.....that means HOT! At least we live out in the middle of the hills and trees though; I don't know how the Italians do it in the big cities!
This week has just been wonderful! Every week is such a blessing!
--We had a Zone Training last Thursday (mamma mia that seems like so long ago!), and it was really good. I had the opportunity to give my "finishing testimony" in front of the Zone...even though it was a month early :P But I cherish those kinds of privileges. I talked about the importance of the Atonement of our Savior Jesus Christ in my life; how it has changed me and those closest to me--be they investigators or family members. The mission has been an incredible blessing in my life. I have gained knowledge and understanding, understood more fully the importance of diligence and obedience, and have felt the love of the Lord for each and every person that I have spoken with. The mission is special. I am thankful for all the times that I have been able to testify to and help the missionaries in the three zones I have been in as a zone leader. It is such a privilege to associate with such wise and good people.
--To be honest this week has been pretty normal. We saw most of our investigators, but there was a wedding in Prato this past weekend, and since most of our investigators knew the couple, most everyone was out of town. But we had some great experiences with people on the street, including the fact that we found a family!! We were walking down the street when we saw this young couple walking a stroller with a little baby, and so we went up to them and started talking about the importance of the family, and how it can be eternal. They were touched, and agreed to meet with us during the week! We are going to go over there tonight, so we hope for the best! They are great people.
--It was American week at the supermarket this week....so guess who has two thumbs and got a great deal on a waffle iron (which I have never seen before in Italy)....this guy! All I can think about is waffles... ;)
--We had a great experience this week going to visit one of the families that is struggling in our branch. We felt like we should go over on Tuesday morning, and so we arrived and shared a spiritual thought together about how our Heavenly Father loves us and desires that we are happy. They really enjoyed the thought, and expressed to us that they felt especially important that day because both the Relief Society President and the Branch President had come to visit them that day! All three of us ended up visiting this family, without any of us knowing that the others would be coming! And we all showed up right after another, within 10 minute intervals! The Lord works in wonderful and mysterious ways!
--One of our investigators, Emanuele had a birthday dinner at his house the other day. He invited us to come and it was an...interesting...but good experience! His uncle woke up at 4am to start cooking this seafood pasta thing...which was...different. I unthinkingly told the mom, when she said that she didn't like seafood, that I didn't like it either, and he overheard it, so the Italian in the uncle made it so that he dropped everything and made it so his one goal in life at that point was to get me to like that food. He asked me probably 10 times if I liked the risoto, and explained to me how he was an expert fish-chooser and cook and the process of making the food, and how he is so good at it, and everything. I ended up just telling him that it was delicious, "the best seafood I have ever had!" ..which is true...it is definitely the best seafood I have ever had...but it was still pretty gross. Bless his heart, he is a really good cook and I feel for him that he cooked it for over 12 hours...but it was still octupus and squid and tentacles and all kinds of sea-nasty! Well, it wasn't the worst thing in the world...but the fish in Italy is a little different, and boy did it not sit well in my stomach! (Luckily I was praying thoughout the meal that I wouldn't get sick), so the Lord blessed me to not blow chunks. I even took a second helping....you should have seen the look on this man's face. He LOVED it! "EVERYONE! LOOK AT THIS GUY!! HE DIDN'T THINK HE WOULD LIKE IT! NOW LOOK AT THE SECOND HELPING!!!" He was so happy. The upset stomach was worth it.
--Miracle: This week we had a wonderful miracle. We went to visit a less active member with the Branch President, to encourage her to receive her Patriarchal Blessing and remind her of the importance of the sacrament. It was a tender experience as we spoke together of the blessings of the Gospel and the Savior's Atonement. At the end of the lesson the Branch President asked me to give her a blessing of healing for her back and of counsel. During and after the blessing, a great feeling of peace and love filled the room. I know that the Spirit was present, and that all there were touched. I cherish those special opportunities to use the Holy Priesthood to serve my brothers and sisters here on earth. It is a miracle to me each and every time I am blessed to take part in such an experience!
--Everything here in Montevarchi is doing well. The ride issue is still a little difficult, but we are all working through it and our investigators are doing their best to maintain their commitments. This is a special place in the Lord's vineyard. Thank you all for your support and prayers. I love you all and hope you have a wonderful week!
Love,
Anziano Wilson
Monday, June 22, 2015
Tuesday, June 16, 2015
June 10, 2015
Buongiono buongiorno, sweet mercy it is BOILING hot outside!!
So, basically this past week we have been cooking in the hot humid, 95 degree plus weather of Tuscany. But it has been a great week! (and let's look at the bright side, we have saved on gas for the stove, since I have been cooking eggs for breakfast on a rock outside instead this past week). ;)
--This past Thursday we went with our Branch President to go visit a family that is struggling in our ward. They have been having a lot of family issues, and a lot of arguments about doctrine in the church, but more than anything, I think, they just felt a little bit excluded and alone (they live about an hour up in the mountains in the middle of nowhere, and they don't come to church...so I can see why). But we had a really wonderful experience with them, talking about repentance, and the fact that the Lord "numbers His people". It reminded me of something that Bishop Saeli always said in Alessandria. He would always quote Moroni 6: 4-5,"And after they had been received unto baptism, and were wrought upon and cleansed by the power of the Holy Ghost, they were numbered among the people of the church of Christ; and their names were taken, that they might be remembered and nourished by the good word of God, to keep them in the right way, to keep them continually watchful unto prayer, relying alone upon the merits of Christ, who was the author and the finisher of their faith. And the church did meet together oft, to fast and to pray, and to speak one with another concerning the welfare of their souls." And then he would talk about the individual worth of each and every person. I know I have seen that in my mission. The Lord makes it possible for us to find and talk with these people, and last Thursday in particular, I felt the love that He had for them. All I could express to them was that they are important, and that the Lord has never forgotten about them. How true that is, for each and every one of us. The Good Shepherd knows His sheep, and those that hear His voice will be led back to him--every time.
--Timothy is doing amazing! I will talk more about him later, but he is just progressing so well. Everything that we teach him...it's like he already knew it (and, of course, he did...all of us did), and he accepts it so willingly. We talked this week about the organization of the church, and the importance and significance of having living prophets and apostles today. He was touched, and so was I, that the Lord loves us so much to organize the church in a way to make sure that each individual person receives instruction and attention, and is encouraged to participate. You know, now that I think about that...I had never really realized the importance of that, and how the Church was organized with that in mind. But as we talked with Timothy about these things, the Spirit taught me as well that this is why the Lord established it this way. To help indiviual families come unto Him. What a blessing it is to be taught when teaching!
--This past weekend was busy busy busy! We ran from place to place trying to meet with all the people we had scheduled to meet with, and it was amazing to see the miracles as the Lord's hand was in our lives, placing people in our path.
--We also had the privilege of attending Stake Conference in Firenze this past weekend. It was inspiring. Elder De Feo, the Area Seventy assigned to this part of the world, gave two very touching talks. One was about the wayward son, the lost sheep, and how they are never lost to the Lord. He quoted the story of the daughter of Jairus, when the Savior said, "she is not dead, but sleepeth". We are never lost, never "dead" to Him who sees all things. He also talked about how Heavenly Father is a God of miracles, but one who blesses us in the "fourth watch of the night". Because he waits to bless us until we will grow the most. That is true. I have been humbled as I learn that it is in the process of trials, not simply the overcoming of them, when we learn the most.
--We had Mission Leadership Council this past Monday. I'm not going to lie, it's a great experience, but for the little old Monevarchi Zone Leaders, it is quite the exausting journey trying to get to Milan. We are "blessed" to be able to pick up the Zone Leaders in Pisa in our car and drive them their as well...which, long story short, amounted to 9 hours of me driving (since my companion hasn't gotten the training yet) in the car and waking up at 4:45 to get to the meeting on time. But I saw the Lord's hand in that as well. Even though I was completely exhausted, I found it interesting that during the meeting I still felt completely alert, and even when we came back to teach one of our investigators, I was strengthened to be able to do it all. The blessings of the Lord in that regard have been amazing. Plus, it was a pretty fun car ride, because I had been companions in the past with all of the 3 other missionaries in the car: Anziano Johnson, Strang, and Mati.
--Scambio: I had a great scambio with Anziano Greene this past week. We worked hard, and saw some amazing miracles out on the street. He is a hard worker, and has had some great life experiences that he can share with investigators. He is a really funny guy from Florida. I heard so many "Gator stories" I couldn't believe it. That place in dangerous!
--Miracle: This week we had a wonderful miracle with Timothy, our progressing investigator with a baptismal date for June 27th. We had a couple of really powerful lessons with him this past week, and he has expressed to us multiple times his desire to share the gospel with his friends. We talked about the importance and effectiveness of using technology in doing that, with him, and the very next time we met together, he shared with us that he had gone on Facebook and "liked" the Mormon Channel, and shared it with all of his friends! One of his friends now wants to hear our message! What a blessing it is to be a missionary in the Digital Age!
--Everything else is going really well here in Montevarchi. The members are all really excited for the chapel that will be coming next month, and they are already planning multiple activities that we will hold so they can invite their friends. We are also working with the members to get all our investigators to church. I thank you all for your love and support and prayers, I pray for you always! Have a great week!
Love,
Anziano Wilson
So, basically this past week we have been cooking in the hot humid, 95 degree plus weather of Tuscany. But it has been a great week! (and let's look at the bright side, we have saved on gas for the stove, since I have been cooking eggs for breakfast on a rock outside instead this past week). ;)
--This past Thursday we went with our Branch President to go visit a family that is struggling in our ward. They have been having a lot of family issues, and a lot of arguments about doctrine in the church, but more than anything, I think, they just felt a little bit excluded and alone (they live about an hour up in the mountains in the middle of nowhere, and they don't come to church...so I can see why). But we had a really wonderful experience with them, talking about repentance, and the fact that the Lord "numbers His people". It reminded me of something that Bishop Saeli always said in Alessandria. He would always quote Moroni 6: 4-5,"And after they had been received unto baptism, and were wrought upon and cleansed by the power of the Holy Ghost, they were numbered among the people of the church of Christ; and their names were taken, that they might be remembered and nourished by the good word of God, to keep them in the right way, to keep them continually watchful unto prayer, relying alone upon the merits of Christ, who was the author and the finisher of their faith. And the church did meet together oft, to fast and to pray, and to speak one with another concerning the welfare of their souls." And then he would talk about the individual worth of each and every person. I know I have seen that in my mission. The Lord makes it possible for us to find and talk with these people, and last Thursday in particular, I felt the love that He had for them. All I could express to them was that they are important, and that the Lord has never forgotten about them. How true that is, for each and every one of us. The Good Shepherd knows His sheep, and those that hear His voice will be led back to him--every time.
--Timothy is doing amazing! I will talk more about him later, but he is just progressing so well. Everything that we teach him...it's like he already knew it (and, of course, he did...all of us did), and he accepts it so willingly. We talked this week about the organization of the church, and the importance and significance of having living prophets and apostles today. He was touched, and so was I, that the Lord loves us so much to organize the church in a way to make sure that each individual person receives instruction and attention, and is encouraged to participate. You know, now that I think about that...I had never really realized the importance of that, and how the Church was organized with that in mind. But as we talked with Timothy about these things, the Spirit taught me as well that this is why the Lord established it this way. To help indiviual families come unto Him. What a blessing it is to be taught when teaching!
--This past weekend was busy busy busy! We ran from place to place trying to meet with all the people we had scheduled to meet with, and it was amazing to see the miracles as the Lord's hand was in our lives, placing people in our path.
--We also had the privilege of attending Stake Conference in Firenze this past weekend. It was inspiring. Elder De Feo, the Area Seventy assigned to this part of the world, gave two very touching talks. One was about the wayward son, the lost sheep, and how they are never lost to the Lord. He quoted the story of the daughter of Jairus, when the Savior said, "she is not dead, but sleepeth". We are never lost, never "dead" to Him who sees all things. He also talked about how Heavenly Father is a God of miracles, but one who blesses us in the "fourth watch of the night". Because he waits to bless us until we will grow the most. That is true. I have been humbled as I learn that it is in the process of trials, not simply the overcoming of them, when we learn the most.
--We had Mission Leadership Council this past Monday. I'm not going to lie, it's a great experience, but for the little old Monevarchi Zone Leaders, it is quite the exausting journey trying to get to Milan. We are "blessed" to be able to pick up the Zone Leaders in Pisa in our car and drive them their as well...which, long story short, amounted to 9 hours of me driving (since my companion hasn't gotten the training yet) in the car and waking up at 4:45 to get to the meeting on time. But I saw the Lord's hand in that as well. Even though I was completely exhausted, I found it interesting that during the meeting I still felt completely alert, and even when we came back to teach one of our investigators, I was strengthened to be able to do it all. The blessings of the Lord in that regard have been amazing. Plus, it was a pretty fun car ride, because I had been companions in the past with all of the 3 other missionaries in the car: Anziano Johnson, Strang, and Mati.
--Scambio: I had a great scambio with Anziano Greene this past week. We worked hard, and saw some amazing miracles out on the street. He is a hard worker, and has had some great life experiences that he can share with investigators. He is a really funny guy from Florida. I heard so many "Gator stories" I couldn't believe it. That place in dangerous!
--Miracle: This week we had a wonderful miracle with Timothy, our progressing investigator with a baptismal date for June 27th. We had a couple of really powerful lessons with him this past week, and he has expressed to us multiple times his desire to share the gospel with his friends. We talked about the importance and effectiveness of using technology in doing that, with him, and the very next time we met together, he shared with us that he had gone on Facebook and "liked" the Mormon Channel, and shared it with all of his friends! One of his friends now wants to hear our message! What a blessing it is to be a missionary in the Digital Age!
--Everything else is going really well here in Montevarchi. The members are all really excited for the chapel that will be coming next month, and they are already planning multiple activities that we will hold so they can invite their friends. We are also working with the members to get all our investigators to church. I thank you all for your love and support and prayers, I pray for you always! Have a great week!
Love,
Anziano Wilson
Tuesday, June 9, 2015
JUNE 3, 2015
This week has been a busy one!! But great! So is the life of a missionary in the Latter-Days!
--Transfer week was a little bit more exciting than normal this week, because we were put in charge of all of the missionaries that came in and out of Firenze....which was about 30 or so. I'm telling you, rounding up missionaries is like herding cats! ;P
--It didn't help that last week was the expo at Milano, which is one of the biggest events of the year, and so all the trains were off schedule, and most were cancelled coming in and out of Milan to Firenze. Long story short, we were in the train station from 7am to 8 pm keeping track of missionaries, sending them off, and carrying luggage. Not to mention that there were 3 sisters that got lost on their way to Pisa, with no phone! But everything worked out in the end, and everyone got where they needed to be, safe and sound.
--We went over to the Zuppardo's again this week to do service in the yard. Not to toot our own horn here, but that lawn is looking gooood! We showed up and sister Zuppardo says "hello, elders! I just got back from work...i saved 3 lives last night! Not a big deal though, I guess I am used to it by now." What a saint! Plus, they had another one of their cat's had kittens. While we were eating lunch the mom started carrying all of the kittens from the mat downstaris up the stairs onto Sorella Zuppardo's bed. She didn't realize it until half of them were up there. She was so funny: "Gosh dang it! First she gives birth on my bed, and then as soon as I wash the sheets she puts all the kittens right back on the bed! If I weren't a doctor and didn't have so much respect for mothers I would kill her!!" ha!
--Timothy is still doing really well! He has been so prepared I can't even handle it! Every single thing that we teach him, he remembers perfectly and makes the changes in his life that are necessary to live it! This past week we talked about the Priesthood, and he was touched. He wants to serve his fellow man so much, it made him so happy! It touched me as well. To think that our Heavenly Father trusts us enough to give him part of His power, and to think that we can then, if we are worthy, use that power to serve others...I can hardly take it all in. I marvel at the wonderful gift and privilege it is to hold such a power, and hope and pray that the Lord will bless me and all of us to hear the cries of those that are in need, that we may freely give and serve, just as we have freely received.
--Poor Paul needs our prayers! He has been having some serious trials in his life recently, and we haven't been able to meet with him because of it. He is so ready to be baptized though, and wants it.
--Marcello (the mountain man that I wrote about a few we2eks ago) finally was able to come to church this week! He rode his bike for like 5 hours to get there; what a champion! The Branch President was like, " Marcello, you know that I could give you a ride!? I live like 20 minutes from your house!" And he replied "Oh, I know. I just wanted to prove to myself that I could do it on my own, so just in case you don't come, I can still make it!" And then he gave us 2 referrals...his friends that he has talked with about the gospel!
--So in case any of you were wondering, I will be flying home on the 9th of July. Still not sure when I will arrive home precisely, but I know that much! The office called me today and said that our group of missionaries is so big that they have to split it in half to send us home--we wouldn't all fit in the mission home! There are something like 30 missionaries going home with us. Whew! Can you imagine at the airport?? I'm glad they split us up :P
--It is getting SO hot and humid these days. I am dying!! But I have been prepared...we bought individual fans and everything! Bring it on summer ;)
--I have been reading in Alma recently, and really love chapter 26. There are so many verses that touch me in a special way. My attention was called this week to the last two verses again, which state, "Now if this is boasting, even so will I boast; for this is my life and my light, my joy and my salvation, and my redemption from everlasting wo. Yea, blessed is the name of my God, who has been mindful of this people, who are a branch of the tree of Israel, and has been lost from its body in a strange land; yea, I say, blessed be the name of my God, who has been mindful of us, wanderers in a strange land. 37 Now my brethren, we see that God is mindful of everypeople, whatsoever land they may be in; yea, he numbereth his people, and his bowels of mercy are over all the earth. Now this is my joy, and my great thanksgiving; yea, and I will give thanks unto my God forever. Amen."
What a special praise to our Heavenly Father, who is mindful of all of His children!
--I heard the news about Elder L. Tom Perry. He was in the same ward as one of the missionaries serving here. He lived a good life! And his last generl conference talk was powerful!! It is such a blessing to have an entire quorum of 12 apostles, and to have the knowledge that everything that happens within the Quorum in the will of the Almighty God. It is a great blessing to have living prophets today. They lead us and guide us and show us the way. And when it is time for one (or many) to leave this life, it is always in the plan of God. We'll see if my prediction is correct on who the new apostle will be..
--I just heard that one of the investigators that I found on the metro in Brescia is getting baptized soon! Jackson! What a blessing!
--Miracle: This week has been another busy, but wonderful week of miracles! The other day we were out in Montevarchi meeting with two of our investigators with a baptismal date, when we saw a man, Sylvester, that we had seen on the street a few weeks ago, but hadn't been able to contact. He motioned for us to come and sit down next to him and we had a wonderful discussion together about the Restoration. At the end he accepted the soft baptismal invite, and when we offered him his copy of the Book of Mormon, he paused. He seemed deep in thought for a few seconds, and said, "you know, I must tell you. I have been here in Italy for about 7 1/2 years, and this is the greatest gift I have ever received in 7 1/2 to 8 years." He is very educated, and told us that he would read it in less than a week for sure! We expect great things from him, and it is humbling to have been blessed by the Lord to meet him again.
--Things here are going really well. The biggest struggle continues to be the distance away of the members, coupled with the lack of rides to church. We are working as best we can with each one of our investigators with a baptismal date--they are all really dedicated and willing, but the hardest thing is that most all of them live in Arezzo and don't have the means to get to church on their own. We are doing our best to organize rides and create friendships with the members. There is a lot of work to do! Thank you all for your support and prayers. I love you all and remember you in many prayers! Have a wonderful week!
Love,
Anziano Wilson
--Transfer week was a little bit more exciting than normal this week, because we were put in charge of all of the missionaries that came in and out of Firenze....which was about 30 or so. I'm telling you, rounding up missionaries is like herding cats! ;P
--It didn't help that last week was the expo at Milano, which is one of the biggest events of the year, and so all the trains were off schedule, and most were cancelled coming in and out of Milan to Firenze. Long story short, we were in the train station from 7am to 8 pm keeping track of missionaries, sending them off, and carrying luggage. Not to mention that there were 3 sisters that got lost on their way to Pisa, with no phone! But everything worked out in the end, and everyone got where they needed to be, safe and sound.
--We went over to the Zuppardo's again this week to do service in the yard. Not to toot our own horn here, but that lawn is looking gooood! We showed up and sister Zuppardo says "hello, elders! I just got back from work...i saved 3 lives last night! Not a big deal though, I guess I am used to it by now." What a saint! Plus, they had another one of their cat's had kittens. While we were eating lunch the mom started carrying all of the kittens from the mat downstaris up the stairs onto Sorella Zuppardo's bed. She didn't realize it until half of them were up there. She was so funny: "Gosh dang it! First she gives birth on my bed, and then as soon as I wash the sheets she puts all the kittens right back on the bed! If I weren't a doctor and didn't have so much respect for mothers I would kill her!!" ha!
--Timothy is still doing really well! He has been so prepared I can't even handle it! Every single thing that we teach him, he remembers perfectly and makes the changes in his life that are necessary to live it! This past week we talked about the Priesthood, and he was touched. He wants to serve his fellow man so much, it made him so happy! It touched me as well. To think that our Heavenly Father trusts us enough to give him part of His power, and to think that we can then, if we are worthy, use that power to serve others...I can hardly take it all in. I marvel at the wonderful gift and privilege it is to hold such a power, and hope and pray that the Lord will bless me and all of us to hear the cries of those that are in need, that we may freely give and serve, just as we have freely received.
--Poor Paul needs our prayers! He has been having some serious trials in his life recently, and we haven't been able to meet with him because of it. He is so ready to be baptized though, and wants it.
--Marcello (the mountain man that I wrote about a few we2eks ago) finally was able to come to church this week! He rode his bike for like 5 hours to get there; what a champion! The Branch President was like, " Marcello, you know that I could give you a ride!? I live like 20 minutes from your house!" And he replied "Oh, I know. I just wanted to prove to myself that I could do it on my own, so just in case you don't come, I can still make it!" And then he gave us 2 referrals...his friends that he has talked with about the gospel!
--So in case any of you were wondering, I will be flying home on the 9th of July. Still not sure when I will arrive home precisely, but I know that much! The office called me today and said that our group of missionaries is so big that they have to split it in half to send us home--we wouldn't all fit in the mission home! There are something like 30 missionaries going home with us. Whew! Can you imagine at the airport?? I'm glad they split us up :P
--It is getting SO hot and humid these days. I am dying!! But I have been prepared...we bought individual fans and everything! Bring it on summer ;)
--I have been reading in Alma recently, and really love chapter 26. There are so many verses that touch me in a special way. My attention was called this week to the last two verses again, which state, "Now if this is boasting, even so will I boast; for this is my life and my light, my joy and my salvation, and my redemption from everlasting wo. Yea, blessed is the name of my God, who has been mindful of this people, who are a branch of the tree of Israel, and has been lost from its body in a strange land; yea, I say, blessed be the name of my God, who has been mindful of us, wanderers in a strange land. 37 Now my brethren, we see that God is mindful of everypeople, whatsoever land they may be in; yea, he numbereth his people, and his bowels of mercy are over all the earth. Now this is my joy, and my great thanksgiving; yea, and I will give thanks unto my God forever. Amen."
What a special praise to our Heavenly Father, who is mindful of all of His children!
--I heard the news about Elder L. Tom Perry. He was in the same ward as one of the missionaries serving here. He lived a good life! And his last generl conference talk was powerful!! It is such a blessing to have an entire quorum of 12 apostles, and to have the knowledge that everything that happens within the Quorum in the will of the Almighty God. It is a great blessing to have living prophets today. They lead us and guide us and show us the way. And when it is time for one (or many) to leave this life, it is always in the plan of God. We'll see if my prediction is correct on who the new apostle will be..
--I just heard that one of the investigators that I found on the metro in Brescia is getting baptized soon! Jackson! What a blessing!
--Miracle: This week has been another busy, but wonderful week of miracles! The other day we were out in Montevarchi meeting with two of our investigators with a baptismal date, when we saw a man, Sylvester, that we had seen on the street a few weeks ago, but hadn't been able to contact. He motioned for us to come and sit down next to him and we had a wonderful discussion together about the Restoration. At the end he accepted the soft baptismal invite, and when we offered him his copy of the Book of Mormon, he paused. He seemed deep in thought for a few seconds, and said, "you know, I must tell you. I have been here in Italy for about 7 1/2 years, and this is the greatest gift I have ever received in 7 1/2 to 8 years." He is very educated, and told us that he would read it in less than a week for sure! We expect great things from him, and it is humbling to have been blessed by the Lord to meet him again.
--Things here are going really well. The biggest struggle continues to be the distance away of the members, coupled with the lack of rides to church. We are working as best we can with each one of our investigators with a baptismal date--they are all really dedicated and willing, but the hardest thing is that most all of them live in Arezzo and don't have the means to get to church on their own. We are doing our best to organize rides and create friendships with the members. There is a lot of work to do! Thank you all for your support and prayers. I love you all and remember you in many prayers! Have a wonderful week!
Love,
Anziano Wilson
Tuesday, June 2, 2015
MAY 27, 2015
Buongiorno a tutti!
This week has been amazing! I am so thankful for the
opportunity and blessing it is to be a servant of the Lord in this wonderful
time when He is hastening His work! --First item of business...we are now
cleared to be using the Ipads! Missionary work with and iPad is pretty
awesome. We can watch a Mormon Message with anyone, whenever we want! It makes
it so much more focused on the needs of the investigator; I am thankful for
this inspired instrument!
--This week is transfers week!! dun dun dun... It is a
big deal for the missionaries! So my companion, who is finishing his
mission, is being transferred (surprise there!)...all the way to America!
So I will be staying here in Montevarchi to finish out my mission. This will be
my 6th transfer as a Zone Leader, and I am so thankful for the Lord's goodness
in allowing me to continue to teach, testify to, and help inspire the other
missionaries. I hope to be worthy to the call and responsibility to do so. I
will be getting a man named Anziano Johnson as my new companion. I am
excited about that. I have only met the man once, but he seems like a really
cool guy, and I am excited to work him hard before they send me home, too ;)
Montevarchi is a really special place, and we are expecting great things
in this next month!
--We have been so blessed recently! It just seems like
we always run into everyone at exactly the right times! More that 5 times
this week, we have run into a "random" person on the street that
Anziano Quinton wanted to say goodbye too and introduce me to before he
leaves. We have now met everyone that I need to have met before he
leaves. It is amazing how the Lord works...everything just falls into place.
--So many people have been placed into our path recently
that are ready for the gospel. Just a few days ago we were literally
standing in one spot in the middle of the park waiting for one of our
investigators to show up, when 3 people, one after another, walked up to us and
recognized us missionaries for the Church. We exchanged phone numbers in each
case, and have already met with one of them! It is incredible the kind of
miracles that happen when you are on the Lord's errand.
--Timothy is doing really well, still. We haven't been
able to meet with him recently because he is sick, but he continues to be an
inspiration to me of humility and great desire to follow Christ. This week he
invited another one of his friends to meet with us, and now he, Elliot, has a
baptismal date for the end of June as well! Timothy even lives close to
him, and offered to pick him up and show him how to get to church! What a stud!
--The Rossi family is doing really well. We went over
recently for dinner and they asked us all sorts of questions about what we do
as missionaries and why we obey certain commandments. Whenever we go over there
one of them yells "The mormons are here!!" They always hammer us with
questions, but we welcome it! That is why we are here! Last time it was
"Why do you dress so funny?" I replied it was because if we are
trying to represent the Lord, it is important that we maintain a clean, modest
appearance. They loved it and have never given us a hard time since!
--We are meeting with another man named Festus. He is a
Nigerian man who has been in Italy for 8 years. Never in 8 years has he been
able to see his family, and recently he lost a sibling in an accident. He
was overjoyed as we taught him that families can be together forever. He was
touched by the Spirit and accepted to be baptized on the end of June! What a
miracle!--One of our Italian investigators, Stefano, is about our age and has
been having a lot of questions about the importance and power of prayer.
We are working with him on that...but the real highlight is that this week we
discovered that he is one of the best guitarists in the world...seriously. He
is insanely good. Don't worry, I got a video ;)
--We read about the story of the 2000 stripling warriors
recently with Paul. He loved it so much. But it was also a great reminder
for me of that wonderful chapter. The words that I remember reading so
many times were just as inspiring as ever.
"Now they never had fought, yet they did not fear
death; and they did think more upon the liberty of their fathers than they did
upon their lives; yea, they had been taught by their mothers, that if they did
not doubt, God would deliver them.And they rehearsed unto me the words of their
mothers, saying: We do not doubt our mothers knew it...And now it came to pass
that when they had surrendered themselves up unto us, behold, I numbered those
young men who had fought with me, fearing lest there were many of them
slain. But behold, to my great joy, there had not one soul of them fallen
to the earth; yea, and they had fought as if with the strength of God; yea,
never were men known to have fought with such miraculous strength; and with
such mighty power did they fall upon the Lamanites, that they did frighten
them; and for this cause did the Lamanites deliver themselves up as prisoners
of war."
What an inspiration! They had been taught by
their mothers that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them. I know
that that is true.
--Miracle: This week has
been full of miracles. We are being so blessed in this special land; the Lord
has been placing people in our path left and right. One of the miracles that
happened recently I would like to share. We had just finished church and
decided to go to Arezzo to meet with the three investigators with a baptismal
date that were unable to attend church because there was a strike with all the
buses nearby the city. We tried to call all three of them, to no avail. None of
them answered the phone! So we sat on this bench, wondering what was the best
thing to do, when we saw a man turn the corner and walk towards us. I stood up
and stopped him, asking him about his beliefs in Jesus Christ. He answered that
it was one of the most important things to him, and that he would love for us
to come to his home and teach him and his wife and four kids. He is free
every Sunday afternoon, and so we expect some wonderful things! What a
miracle it is to see the hand of the Lord in guiding his children to us, His
servants!
--Everything in Montevarchi is really
going well. We are so blessed. I am excited for Anziano Johnson to come
down, we are going to do some good work and work hard. I really want to make
good use of the limited time I have left, and finish out my mission strong. I
thank you all for your love and support and prayers. I pray for you all many
times each day.Love Anziano Wilson
MAY 20, 2015
Buongiornoissimo!
What a wonderful week! We have seen so many miracles in this area! Especially as we prepare to see my companion off to the good old U.S of A, and welcome in my new companion, we have been seeing the area and the people prepared to receive this glorious message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
This week we had a zone training...ABOUT IPADS!! We have finally received them to use for proselyting purposes. It is going to be such a blessing in so many peoples' lives. But with the implementation of these new tools come a lot of changes and more than anything, a need for a renewed sense of diligence and commitment. (not to mention trying to figure out how to set them up made me feel like an old geezer who had never touched technology in his life...that was difficult!) I welcome this new and exciting prospect, and can already see that this has been part of the Lord's plan from the very beginnning. It will help so many of our precious brothers and sisters to come unto Christ.
Timothy is doing really well...more about him later.
Paul is making some serious progress as well! He was preparing to be baptized on the 6th of June, but wasn't able to come to church this past week, so we had a meeting with him to talk about the importance of coming to church and partaking of the sacrament. He was really touched by it, and we are expecting to see some really great things happening in his life. It is such a blessing to be part of this whole process...to be able to see the changes that take place in peoples' hearts!
We also recently had a wonderful miracle, resulting from a miracle of the sisters! (Chain reaction!) They met a man from Brasil recently in a little town about 45 minutes away, who is a member of the church, but who had lost track of the church for over 10 years! He was so excited to see them, and to finally have the address of the church building that is closest to him. We recently met with him, and he is such a great man. He is the total definition of a mountain man. He lives up in the mountains in a little town where he is the only inhabitant left (there used to be 5 people, but one by one they all moved away). He has been faithful and diligent in living the gospel, despite not knowing anyone from the church, or knowing how to contact anyone. He expressed to us that he is in need of a ride to church, because he lives far away (about an hour)...but it turns out that he lives just a few miles from our Branch President! It is such a wonderful miracle! The branch has such a need of priesthood holders, and this truly is a heaven sent blessing.
On saturday we went up to Milan for Mission Leadership Council.. It was an amazing experience. We had a two hour discussion about the ways we can implement the iPads effectively, and it is amazing to me to see the wisdom that comes from a group of 20 year olds coupled with the Spirit of the Lord. Plus, on the way back, since we have a car, we were assigned to bring about 20 iPads back from Milan to Pisa (I hesitantly agreed to take that one for the team.....AND GO SEE THE TOWER OF PISA!!!) That was such an unexpected blessing! It is a really cool place.
Miracle This week we have had some really wonderful experiences, and have seen some great miracles! The one I would like to share is about one of our investigators, Timothy. He came to church again this past week and loved it! And to make the situation even better, we recently found out that despite the fact that he has been here in Italy for only a little over a year, he speaks and understands Italian really well! We asked a member to translate for him in sacrament meeting, and the member came up to us afterwards just glowing and happy, and told us that he is a special man. We met with him just last night, and he has been diligently reading in the Book of Mormon, and has arrived to the end of 2nd Nephi! He reccounted to us the story of Nephi building the boat, and how it was an inspiration to him of faith and diligence. He is really making some progress! What a miracle!
Everything is going well here in Montevarchi. We are seeing so many people placed into our path. I love you all and hope that you have a wonderful week! I remember you in my prayers always!
Love,
Anziano Wilson
What a wonderful week! We have seen so many miracles in this area! Especially as we prepare to see my companion off to the good old U.S of A, and welcome in my new companion, we have been seeing the area and the people prepared to receive this glorious message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
This week we had a zone training...ABOUT IPADS!! We have finally received them to use for proselyting purposes. It is going to be such a blessing in so many peoples' lives. But with the implementation of these new tools come a lot of changes and more than anything, a need for a renewed sense of diligence and commitment. (not to mention trying to figure out how to set them up made me feel like an old geezer who had never touched technology in his life...that was difficult!) I welcome this new and exciting prospect, and can already see that this has been part of the Lord's plan from the very beginnning. It will help so many of our precious brothers and sisters to come unto Christ.
Timothy is doing really well...more about him later.
Paul is making some serious progress as well! He was preparing to be baptized on the 6th of June, but wasn't able to come to church this past week, so we had a meeting with him to talk about the importance of coming to church and partaking of the sacrament. He was really touched by it, and we are expecting to see some really great things happening in his life. It is such a blessing to be part of this whole process...to be able to see the changes that take place in peoples' hearts!
We also recently had a wonderful miracle, resulting from a miracle of the sisters! (Chain reaction!) They met a man from Brasil recently in a little town about 45 minutes away, who is a member of the church, but who had lost track of the church for over 10 years! He was so excited to see them, and to finally have the address of the church building that is closest to him. We recently met with him, and he is such a great man. He is the total definition of a mountain man. He lives up in the mountains in a little town where he is the only inhabitant left (there used to be 5 people, but one by one they all moved away). He has been faithful and diligent in living the gospel, despite not knowing anyone from the church, or knowing how to contact anyone. He expressed to us that he is in need of a ride to church, because he lives far away (about an hour)...but it turns out that he lives just a few miles from our Branch President! It is such a wonderful miracle! The branch has such a need of priesthood holders, and this truly is a heaven sent blessing.
On saturday we went up to Milan for Mission Leadership Council.. It was an amazing experience. We had a two hour discussion about the ways we can implement the iPads effectively, and it is amazing to me to see the wisdom that comes from a group of 20 year olds coupled with the Spirit of the Lord. Plus, on the way back, since we have a car, we were assigned to bring about 20 iPads back from Milan to Pisa (I hesitantly agreed to take that one for the team.....AND GO SEE THE TOWER OF PISA!!!) That was such an unexpected blessing! It is a really cool place.
Miracle This week we have had some really wonderful experiences, and have seen some great miracles! The one I would like to share is about one of our investigators, Timothy. He came to church again this past week and loved it! And to make the situation even better, we recently found out that despite the fact that he has been here in Italy for only a little over a year, he speaks and understands Italian really well! We asked a member to translate for him in sacrament meeting, and the member came up to us afterwards just glowing and happy, and told us that he is a special man. We met with him just last night, and he has been diligently reading in the Book of Mormon, and has arrived to the end of 2nd Nephi! He reccounted to us the story of Nephi building the boat, and how it was an inspiration to him of faith and diligence. He is really making some progress! What a miracle!
Everything is going well here in Montevarchi. We are seeing so many people placed into our path. I love you all and hope that you have a wonderful week! I remember you in my prayers always!
Love,
Anziano Wilson
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