JULY 1, 2015

Buongiorno carissimi. Questa è la
mia ultima email!! This is my last
email! I can't believe how the time
passes. I am so thankful for all that
I have learned on my mission; it
has changed me and refined me
into being closer to the man I know
the Lord expects me to be. But I
recognize that there is much more
in store; a new mission, if you will,
ahead of me.
This week has been wonderful, as
always. We are seeing doors open
and miracles every single day.
What a blessing it is to be a servant
in the Lord's vineyard in these last
days.
--We have been working a lot
recently with the Rossi family.
They are really great people, but are
stuggling with a lot of economic
and other difficulites. They
expressed to us recently, though,
that each time we come, they feel a
sense of peace and hope, and the
whole atmosphere changes. So
now they are sure to always ask us
to say a prayer for them together
before we leave their home. I am
glad that in our own little way, we
can help to bring peace to their
home.
--This week (I may have written a
little bit about them last week? I
don't remember) we met a Brasilian
family that owns a gelateria (ice
cream shop) in our town of San
Giovanni. They had heard about
Mormons, obviously, because in
Brasil, as they say, "there are 5
church buildings in our town". So
we started talking to them about
what we do as missionaries, and
why it is important to us. They are
such great people, and we are
excited to begin to meet with them
and share the blessings of the
gospel with them.
--We went again this week to visit
Alessio and his family. They are
such a great example of a solid
family in the gospel. Whenever we
go over there, it feels like they are
teaching us, not us teaching them.
Marcello was also there, which is
always a joy. He can talk and talk
for hours, so there is never a quiet
moment with him around...(that's a
good thing!) :)
--We went over to the Zuppardo's
house again this week to do
service. We are now certified,
expert, mold cleaners. They have
this staircase outside that, we
thought, was just covered in
sploches of dirt. It turns out, that
they are deep black splotches of
MOLD. Gross. So we got out two
scrubbing brooms, some gloves,
steel wool, and about a liter of
bleach. Long story short, 2 hours
later and after about 5 passes over
the staircase...it looks like new! It
was so worth it though, because as
Sister Zuppardo got out of the car
after a 12 hour night shift, she
walked over to the staircase and
screamed "Elders! These stairs look
better than they have in years!!
Thank you so much!" Bless her
heart, she has so much to do. It's
not easy being a widowed mother
of 7 and a doctor!
--Paul and Timothy are still doing
really well, despite a few obstacles
that have presented themselves,
resulting in the postponing of thier
baptisms. But I know the Lord will
help us all, and they will be
baptized in July. They are so ready,
and I rejoice with them in the
changes that have taken place in
their lives!
--Miracle: This week we have been
seeing many mighty miracles. One
of the miracles I would like to share
happened as we went to visit a less
active man in Arezzo this past
week. I was impressed and amazed
at how the Spirit taught us the
things that we needed to share to
help him in his struggles. We began
the lesson with a rough idea of
what we wanted to share, but we
were unsure about what he needed
to hear specifically. As we began
the lesson, a scripture in Moroni 7
about the light of Christ came to
mind, and we began a lenghty
discussion about the power and
influence of the light of Christ.
Then a Mormon Message came to
mind about the power of the
Atonement of Jesus Christ, which
turned out to be perfect to help this
man to feel that he is not alone in
this, and that he can be
strengthened in this time of trouble.
I am so thankful for the blessing
and promise that as we open our
mouths to share the hope of the
Gospel, they will be filled. What a
miracle it is to be a missionary!
Everything here is going well. We
have been working hard and
finishing strong, and I know that the
Lord has been with us. I am
infinitely grateful for the
opportunity and blessing I have had
to live in Italy for two years and to
help these precious sons and
daughters of Heavenly Father to
come unto Him. I will never forget
the people that I have met, the
experiences I have had, and the
things that I have felt. The
Atonement of Jesus Christ is real. I
have seen it work in my life as well
as the lives of countless people in
this special land. It amazes me
every day just how involved the
Lord and our Heavenly Father are in
our lives. They are so wonderful,
and they never leave us. I could go
on for hours about the things that I
have seen, and the lessons I have
learned. It truly is a miracle to be a
missionary.
--I love you all and hope you have a
wonderful week! Now is the
Lord's time, and I hope to use it the
best I can. I love you all :)
Love,
Anziano Wilson