Saturday was just a sweet day. We were going out to proselyte, and I felt like we should switch the zones we had planned on. We're walking towards taking the tram when we see a lady in the park, so we deviate to stop and talk with her. We ended up teaching her all about the Book of Mormon and praying together. She's actually not from Bergamo, but we're going to follow up on her. About ten minutes later, the elders call with an urgent request for us to go and finish filling up the font for a baptism of an 8 year old. We were somewhat bummed, but went back and got our area book to look through while we were waiting. The day before, our washing machine broke, and two days before our phone broke...so these three things gave us the chance to do area book work for the first time in my mission. We ended up calling tons of people, some of whom said some not-so-nice words, but it all was worth it in the end because we found Daniela and Irma.
Irma we set up to meet sunday night. At first we started to get frustrated, because she kept giving us confusing directions. First she wasn't at the address she said, then she sent us further down the street, then said, ''Hey, you're at the pharmacy now, right? Okay, now turn back and come towards the bridge...'' (grumble, grumble) But we finally got to see her at this doener kebab place with her two friends. It was one of the coolest lessons! Her friends kept asking us all these questions about why we were different, what the book of mormon was, why joseph smith is important and why they hadn't heard of him before. The best part was Irma stepping in, and bearing testimony to her friends, and we had just met her! She kept saying things like, ''Yeah, I went to their church once, and it's the best church I've ever been to. They're really united, but from all over...Italians, Ecuadorians, Bolivians, Americans...but they don't let you fall down. If you fall, they pick you right back up.'' She even talked about why it just made sense that Joseph Smith was a prophet who restored Christ's church. It was AMAZING! We then saw her on the bus two days later (coincidence, I think not!) and she said she was talking to her daughter and her daughter said, ''Come on, mom! Can we please go to church with them on Sunday?" Her daughter's 17. So we're meeting up with them before english class sunday to teach them, then we're all going to english class together.
Daniela is 32 ish, Italian, and lives by the old part of town. It had been about 2 years since she had met with the missionaries last. When we walked in, she had her Book of Mormon and Restoration pamphlet already out on the table. I asked her why she accepted to see us again when we called, and she said she always felt good and liked it when the missionaries came, and didn't understand why they stopped after just 2 or 3 times. She's super cool, works for the government, and has some interesting ideas about faith. She accepted to read the book of mormon and pray about it. She can't come to church this week, but wants to come the following.
And if that isn't enough, there was English class Sunday where the Italian family that we accidently found when we were knocking doors came up to us and asked if we could come see them again. We have an appointment with them in about an hour. And then if that isn't enough, Rocco, the dad of our other Italian family, came to church on Sunday! It was his first time in church. We couldn't sit by him but our member who's been coming to the lessons jumped right on it, answering his questions afterwards, and the bishop went right up to him, too. It was a sacrament meeting dedicated to seminary, so all of our teenagers were up there talking about it, bearing testimony, etc. He said that he liked it a lot, and needed to bring his wife and daughter the next time. Maybe it isn't the three weeks and then baptism, but they're making progress!
There are so many other stories to tell, but I'll have to cut it short. Needless to say, sometimes the Lord just tests our patience before we can receive the blessings He's prepared for us. There's also something else I wanted to be sure to include that I wrote after reading Elisa's talk as I was writing to Stephanie (so I apologize in advance to Steph when she rereads this):
I have realized just how aware the Lord is of us and our individual needs. He is constantly sending us opportunities for growth...usually disguised as trials...to help us become His sons and daughters. It's just up to us to use our agency and choose to take it in stride, or instead to lament and complain and let those opportunities slide by. I have seen that so clearly here on the mission. There are so many people prepared and ready for the blessings of the restored gospel - but it is and never has been easy. And so you're saddened and may even cry a bit when they choose to settle for less, but there is no greater reason to rejoice when they choose to accept it.
And then the great and wonderful journey begins. A journey full of potholes, delays, mists of darkness, and jeering mobs. Membership in the church is not a guarantee...a pass to happiness or your money back. Just after Moses saw one of the grandest visions of all time, the adversary immediately came to try and take away from that divine experience. Or think of all the trials and tribulations Joseph had to wade through after seeing God the Father and His beloved Son. There were times when even he cried out, "Oh God, where art thou?" Even Moses, one of the greatest prophets of all, "began to fear exceedingly." All of us will have our dark moments, our moments of Gethsemane. At certain times in our lives, we will all cry out "Where is the pavilion that covereth thy hiding place?" But it is what happens next that will distinguish us as true disciples of Christ. Will we allow the mists to overtake us or give in to the jeering, feeling "ashamed" and "following into forbidden paths" after having already partaken of the fruit? Or will we "exert all our powers to call upon God," our loving Heavenly Father, relying upon the merits of His divinely given Son - He who has already descended below all things? I testify with all my being that as we do so, glorious light will fill our lives...Satan will depart...and we too shall hear "My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment; And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes."
I know this is true. The Savior lives. He will never abandon us, if we will just reach out and call upon him in our times of need, exerting all our efforts to place feelings of negativity, doubt, or despair behind us. I love you all so much!
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