Milano

Hanging on the Metro

 

Visiting Torino

Shakin' Things up in Milan!

You might have heard about the earthquakes in Northern Italy over the past few weeks.  Thus, our emails from Sarah have been short, but thankfully, she is fine and actually hasn't felt many of them.  Here is her latest email:

Thankfully we were able to find other new investigators this week.  We met up with Benedicta and her two sons, John and Marvin, and we have a return appt with them tomorrow.  We found them in the old area book, and they have a deep desire to come closer to Christ, especially Marvin who is 20.  I had to laugh, though, because on the phone she kept calling me ''nun.''  When we got there, my comp played Marvin's guitar and sung a hymn, so they either understand that we're sister missionaries, or have met the first guitar-playing nuns they know.  

We also had lessons with Olga - a referral from the elders - and Mary, whom we talked with on the bus.  Mary had the craziest story about a girl in a park who gave her a baby because she didn't want it and how she had to lie to the agency in order to adopt her.  Maybe it wasn't the most honest thing in the world, but a woman who adopts a fourth child when she already has her hands full, is a single mom, and has no money is a pretty Christian thing to do.  The baby is now 12 years old, and part of the family.  Olga is awesome and told us about how she had frequented the church in the past, and always felt good while she was there.  She just has such an innocence and honesty about her.  So we'll see where things go with them.

I don't know if I've told you all much about Giovanna.  She works with an elderly lady full time, so she cannot leave to go to church on sunday.  She's in Mormon, thus almost finished with the Book of Mormon.  It just breaks my heart every time we go over there, because she talks as if she is already a member.  She says things like, ''I cannot wait until I am baptized because then I can put in my papers to serve a mission and knock the doors, sharing the restored gospel.''  She's been taught all of the lessons, except tithing, which we taught on Monday.  She not only accepted it, but asked me to leave the tithing slip so she could pay her tithing.  When we explained to her that she had to be a member in order to pay tithing, her eyes filled with tears.  ''I just have to go to church two more times...'' she always says, ''...then I can be baptized.''  She asked her boss, the daughter of the Senora, if she could go to church and she responded, ''Sure, and I'll look for someone to take your place.''  This is very common all over Italy, and it makes me so sad, because it's almost like indentured servitude.  But when I talked with President about it, he said that if she remains as faithful as she can, something will happen so that she can be baptized in the Lord's time.   

Speaking of Miracles, The other day on the bus, I initiated my first contact---in Spanish.  My companion is helping me get a little bit better every day.  The Lord truly blesses us with the gift of tongues when we are going about His business.  

I was talking with some tourists from Michigan, living in Germany, and they made an interesting comment about how Milan is like New York.  That's one of the best descriptions...Milan is like the New York of Europe, and I love it!  There are so many people from so many different places, and you have differences as bit as Brooklyn Brothers and the Bronx, but notwithstanding the differences, EVERYONE benefits from the gospel.  Rich or poor, bound (like Giovanna) or free, the Lord's invitation is to ALL men.  He heals hearts, unites families, and strengthens feeble knees.  What a privilege and blessing it is to be serving here at this time!

Love you all!

Sarah   

Miracles in Milan

The miracle of the week, well there are two.  First was Johnny and Karen accepting the 10 of June as a baptismal date!  We are so excited.  We practiced the invite in the morning during companionship study.  They still have their reservations, but because of our practice we had already anticipated what they might say and were ready to help them see it as a goal...something to push them and catalyze an answer.  They were mainly worried about how close it is, they wanted to wait a couple years.  :)  It's actually good when the investigators realize the importance and magnitude of baptism, and that it's not a thing to take lightly.  Today we are having a southern american birthday party with them and the Astudillo family...my companion is making empanadas, yum!

 

Beny is our second miracle.  Last week when my companion was running to the bathroom every half hour and I finally forced her to stay inside, I was looking through our old area book and found a record of an 18 year old girl.  It seemed like everything was going well; she was reading, came to church, etc, but then there was no explanation for why the missionaries stopped.  I called her two different times but she didn't answer.  Then on saturday my companion felt like we needed to look at the area book from 3 to 3:30 and I ran across her teaching record again.  There were tons of potentials, but for some reason hers wouldn't leave me.  I tried again but still no answer, so I jotted down her address in the off-chance that we had some time free on sunday between appointments.  Sunday rolls around, and we have about 1 hour.  We find the address and there are about 50 doorbells...we had no idea which one was hers.  Luckily someone let us in so we decide to knock ALL the doors.  After 20 minutes there was no luck, and then we knock on this door and a young woman answers.  My companion has already started to explain who we are, ''Salve, siamo sorelle missionarie della chiesa di Gesù Cristo...'' when I interrupt and ask ''Comè si chiama?''  (What's your name?)  She says, ''Beny.''  I respond animately ''Beny!  Just the person we were looking for!''  She replies, ''I know.  Come on in!''  Turns out she had lost her phone and then went to San Salvador for a few months, and had lost contact with the missionaries.  She had tons of questions like ''I made a promise to God that I wouldn't drink anymore.  But how can you make promises to God and still keep your friends?''  It was AWESOME!  She wants to see us, and read and pray about the Book of Mormon.  MIRACLE!

 

~Sorella Jacobson

More from Milan...

The work in Milan is just crazy!  There are so many people...every time we go to a park or knock on doors, we seem to have a lesson.  The only problem is that no one here really wants to commit because the gospel and its blessings means making changes.  We are constantly talking to people because you have to jump from bus to train to subway to get anywhere.  Hardly anyone is acutally Milanese, but from other cities or other countries.  But it gives the city a pretty cool metropolitan feel.  It's actually almost fun to talk to people, so that makes it easier to get a lot of contacts. 

 

For example this week:

1- Someone told me that my face was similar to the face of Jesus on the pass-along card I gave her...and that my companion's was more like Maria's.

2- We prayed with a Buddhist in her house, and she wants us to talk with her Buddhist group about our religion.

3- One man told us we were going to hell because we completely missed the message in the Bible, and that Christ's church has been in function for thousands of years.

4- We met a man who is starting his own religion, and as we prayed his wife saw a white light over my companion's head, which signifies purity and that she brings a message from God.

5- Last night we were ringing doorbells outside of a building, and when we said we had a message about Jesus Christ that we know is true and can bless her, she said, ''I believe you.  I don't think that you would lie.''  So she let us in and we taught the Restoration.

 

As you can see, every day is an adventure.  Thank heavens I have my companion, Sorella Padula.  She is indefatiguable.  But we also laugh a lot, too.  We already have a reputation for music because her voice is AMAZING.  President came to our sacrament meeting sunday to bring the new senior couple, and Sorella Wolfgramm said, ''Don't have too much fun.''  I told her we already broke that rule, so President said he would have to transfer us.  We turned to each other and said, ''Oh no, we absolutely despise each other, we cannot get along at all.'' He laughed and said he would have to keep us together until we get along.

 

There is an awesome family in the ward, the Astudillos.  They are from Ecquador.  The kids are so cute, always running to give us hugs and drawing pictures for us.  We had a lesson with their friends, Johnny and Karen and their six year old Gerald.  We taught the Restoration.  The next week, we met with them for another FHE and they had a million questions about the Book of Mormon.  We spent over an hour just answering questions like, ''Why do they call you mormons if you're Christian?'' and other really good questions.  At the end, they said, ''Now we are that much more interested to read and find out more.''  We were bummed because they said they couldn't come to church, but on sunday during sunday school, the door opens and they walk in with Fratello Astudillo!  They liked church and seem to be coming along really well.  It was a really neat blessing.

 

Yesterday was yet another holiday, and we went up to the Boy Scout camp to meet with the members and have a barbeque lunch.  It seems like the missionaries haven't worked much with members in the past, because everyone was so excited to have us there.  We were swamped the whole time talking to everyone, including some non-member friends.  We sang and shared a message along with the two elders in our ward.  We really feel that working with the members is key.  There is already a new excitement about missionary work in the air, and as we go and meet a few members every week, they tell us things like ''The missionaries haven't been here in over a year!'' and many and trying to invite friends over for an FHE.  It truly is the better way.  In fact, of every 1000 investigators, only 1 person will be baptized that is found by the missionaries.  But over 650 are baptized if they are friends and are taught in a members home. 

 

The other day I was reading in 3 Nefi 11 for the first time in a long time.  I read about becoming the sons and daughters of God, which has been on my mind a lot lately.  If we are already all children of our Heavenly Father, what does it mean to become sons and daughters of God?  As I kept looking, I found a cross-reference I had written in my English scriptures, in Moroni 10:33.  Because in order to become sons and daughters, we need to become more like Him.  Or as he commands, Be ye therefore perfect, even as I, or my Father in Heaven, is perfect.  This is what Moroni says,

 

And again, if ye by the grace of God are perfect in Christ, and deny not his power, then are ye ^asanctified in Christ by the grace of God, through the shedding of the ^bblood of Christ, which is in the covenant of the Father unto the remission of your ^csins, that ye become ^dholy, without spot. 

 

It is only through the Atonement that we truly become sons and daughters of God.  We can apply the redeeming power, cancelling our sins and errors.  But the sactifying power of the Atonement applies His grace and allows us to overcome our faults and character flaws, becoming a bit more Christlike each and every day.  I know that this is not only true, but I have experienced it daily out here in the mission field.  We are the only ones that can deny us access to the sanctification and purification of the Atonement of our Lord and Savior.  It is difficult and often painful to look at our weaknesses, but if we will but humble ourselves enough, they can become strengths as we prayerfully make the necessary changes to come closer to our Redeemer.  

I love you all!

 

Love,

Sarah

Life in Milan

Well, mom was right.  I already love Milano, almost against my will!  :-)  The Milanese are surprisingly open and it's relatively easy to start up a conversation in the bus, tram, metro, or trolley.  The city is just so huge, though.  It's faster to go to Bergamo than travel from one end of our zone to the other!  Plus, instead of a grid-like system, all of the streets are circular, which makes for a big headache transferring different modes of transportation all the time.  My companion comes from a very small city in Argentina, so I've kind of had to take over the directions, having more experience in Firenze, etc.  To our credit, we've only managed to get lost once!

 

My companion, Sorella Padula, is AWESOME!  She is funny but works so hard, constantly talking to people with such an energy and enthusiasm.  This area is ready for many miracles, and we know we just have to put in the effort in order to receive them.  She's had a pretty rough childhood, from the bits and pieces I've heard.  Coming from such a small town, she was called to be YW president at 18, and served in the RS presidency at 20.  However, she has such a rock solid testimony of the gospel.  Her Italian is excellent, and during language study she practices her English (which is already coming along really well) and teaches me some spanish.  I can understand a lot of Spanish, I just can't speak it yet.  And Milano is so metropolitan that we end up speaking Spanish quite a bit.  I've gotten as far as ''Yo soy Hermana Jacobson de la inglesia di JesùCristo de los santos de los ultimos dias.''  As you can see, I've still got a long ways to go!

 

We have a super sweet progressing investigator named Ruth who came to church for the first time on sunday.  I went with her while she changed her baby, and when I asked how she was doing she said, ''Great!  I read about 5 pages of the book you gave me, and I really like it.''  She then asked if the young men with the name tags could give her baby a blessing, because he's been sick.  One of the councilors in the bishopbric was able to do it.  We plan on inviting her with a date this week, so pray for her!

 

The ward is wonderful.  They were so open and inviting, that I already felt almost at home.  They had me play the piano and bear my testimony, and Sorella Modugno is currently here staying with a family due to health issues.  Thus, tons of people came up to me afterwards and said, ''So we hear you're the daughter of Slla Modugno.''  So she's already covered half the work for me.  :-)  One of our members picked up Ruth, and we've been setting up some FHEs with others so they can invite their friends over.  There's so much work to do!

 

~Sorella Jacobson

Hello Milano!

We've been waiting to hear where Sarah would be transferred.  Here's her new address:

Sorella Sarah Jacobson

c/o Scolletta

Via L. Bartolini 25

20155 Milano

Italy