LILLY GOT BAPTIZED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That makes me so excited and happy! She was going to get baptized in south america but then moved to Italy a few weeks before her baptism there, lost contact with the missionaries in Italy and then the missionaries found her, and she would make progress but when her date for baptism came, she got scared and wouldne follow through. THis happened a few times when I was teaching here in Vicenza (not Piacenza). She knew it was all true, but she was so frusturating! She gave a a headache all the time. But just goes to show you can never give up on some people! I wish I was there, but, Genova is where I need to be.
Speaking of Genova, It is begining to grow on me. The ward is super cool and there is a kid named Andrea who is just SO cute, he is one of the main reasons I go to church each sunday....just kidding, but really he is so cool, not to mention we have the same name! This past week, with Sunday being the rock bottom, was the hardest week of my mission. I hated it. It was so hard. I was stress more than I thought was possible! We had so many miracles, but yet I felt like I was unsuccesful. i was just not myself, and basically everyone knew it, even the members who dont really know me. Everyone asked if i was fine, and I told them all "Sì, ma sono stanco. Grazie." They all just were like oh ok, except for the sisters in my district, S.lla Jameson and S.lla Lamos didnt bebeilve that I was just "tired" so I told them, I was stressed too, this was all true but yet I was holding back on how I really felt. I still am not sure why I felt so bad and down, but I noticed I was thinking about my past cities, well mostly just Udine, and the members and investigators there. So that was a bad thing that didnt help. Also, many of my thoughts were about home. Basically, I just wasn't focused on my city and my work here in Genova 1. Good thing for amazing Zone leaders, companion and sister missionaries who are all super suportive and just all around amazing. Well, today I am doing great and I am out of the lows.
Mario isnt ready for baptism for the 20th of July, but we reset his date for the 1th of Aug. He was kinda upset and confused why he couldnt get baptized on the 20th, like we told him in the first lessons, but after explaining the importance of being 100% sure and the importance of the covenant he will make, he understands. Plus, we had a member in the lesson who bore testimony about baptism. Mario expressed his ture desire to follow Christ, (he always stops to look at the pictures in the church, he LOVES the paintings of christ.) so we just need to teach a few more commandments and he will be able to enter into the fold and make that first covenant. Being a missionary is so great!
Well each month, we recive 193 Euros. We have that money to pay for food, travel(but all travel expenses are riembursed), hair cuts (but I cut my own hair at home just like 95% of all missionaries) cleaning supplies, weekly internet, and postage for letters. And we also have to pay a fast offering every month with the mission funds. We are suposed to not spend all of it and at the end of the mission, give all left over money back to the mission. Each week I spend 25-30 on food, maybe 2 on cleaning stuff(it is all split between everyone in the appartment), and 4 on stanps maybe.
At our weekly service we get to do, there is a man from China who is teching me some chinese and then I help him with his Italian so its a great trade off! His name is Xue Honglin, but he tells everyone his name is Tom Sawyer because it is easier for people to say He is super funny.
We were waiting to cross the street on Monday and this man comes up and stares at my name tag and then says, "Oh! You are from the CIA of America" we told him no, we are missionaries, and he wouldnt beleive us, then he just walked away convinced we were spies. The same thing happened to the capi zona last week. Not sure why, people think we are part of the CIA, becuase how we dress makes us stick out a little bit and we are not very undercover....
Miracle! We made thank-you cards and went and passed by some members who help alot in our work. We Stopped by and gave one to Fratello Dominguez and it was just perfect thing for him at the time, but not the fact that we gave him a card that said thanks for helping us in lessons and being friends with investigators at church ect, but we read a book of mormon story and the card also said "you are not just a drop in the Lords work" This simple little mesage about being important and watched over, with the power of prayer made it one of the most spiritual moments of my mission. The lord really does put people in your path at the perfect times.
We went bowling with the two Anziani in Genova 2, other side of the city today and ate some gelato! It was super fun, For 6 bucks, we bowled three games and rented shoes, and it was a brand new bowling ally! GO ITALY!
Forgot my card reader and this internet point cant read SD cards so....pictures next week maybe? Lets hope!
MY thumb is nice, healing very well, I dont think it will leave a scar though, wich makes me sad as I wanted a little scar on the thumb to remind me how much I suck at cutting potatoes!
My backpack does not become a sholder bag. We have to get a sholderbag though, president hasnt told us if we can use mission funds or if it has to be personal funds. But now is a good time to buy because is it is "Saldi" so everything is super cheap, the one main sell in Italy, Middle of July to the middle of August. I can wear light colored pants, but I am not going to waste my money as my clothes are just perfect.
Ciao tutti! Vi voglio un sacco di bene!
Con l'amore, Anziano Edwards!
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