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
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