Wow wow wow! Thanks for all the emails family! Sounds like the family is doing so great. I love hearing all the stories of the funny nieces and nephews. They're so hilarious! I love them. And I'm glad everyone is feeling better.
My week has been FANTASTIC! I can't even begin to tell you all the miracles we are seeing here in Cuneo. We were watching the Joseph Smith movie with a new convert sometime last week and there was a quote that really hit me. It goes something like "Sometimes God puts you down only so he can lift you higher." I feel like the two weeks of being sick and down and out of Cuneo and everything was our down period, the trial of our faith. Last Wednesday started it off, since it was our real first day back to work in Cuneo and we were ready to go and just received a whole lot of inspiration from our training at Alessandria and ready to see some miracles! Well, last week at our training, President talked about visualizing the people you are going to find before going out. And being specific. So Sorella Willey and I "spiritually created" a few people last week before we went out to do finding work. And it is like God was saying, "Hey, I'm still here. Keep going, I'm helping you out." Seriously...
First of all, at that training we both received a really strong impression to go to this one particular part of the city as soon as we could. The first person we visualized we named Patrizia. Before we left to do casa one night Sorella Willey said "Who is waiting for us in Cuneo 2, Sorella?" I said "A young woman! About twenty..." "Seven! What does she look like?" "Hmm... dark hair! She's wearing..." "Purple!" "A purple sweater!" Or something like that... anyway this was Patrizia. The FIRST door we knock on in Cuneo 2, young woman, about late twenties/early 30s, dark hair, wearing a purple zip up jacket. Her cat ran up the stairs so she had to hurry and run up and get it and while she was doing that Sorella Willey and I just looked at each other with wide eyes and laughed quietly. She came back down put the cat inside and said "mi dica." So we talked to her for a while and it was amazing! However, her name was Anna. But still! The same thing happened the next night with a young man wearing a dark jacket with a white zipper. Except it was a gray zipper. But still! God is a God of miracles! And this is his work! We've really been trying to utilize everything we're learning in these trainings and we are seeing definite results. Our leaders are inspired!
Ho trovato la mia nonna italiana! Let me tell you about Clara and Giuseppe. I love them. We met them while doing casa and Clara just kept saying "Siete bellissime! Bellissime!" It was so great. And she kissed us a lot. Ha ha. But we went back and taught them the restoration. The lesson started out with Giuseppe saying how he thought it was so strange when someone old like they were (Clara is 85 and he is 82) changed religions, for so many reasons. But we pulled out the Book of Mormon and he was immediately hooked. He just stared at it, opened it up, looked at the pictures, started reading the title page and the introduction, and just held it in his hands for the rest of the lesson. We read Moroni 10:3-5 and he just said "Beautiful! I could read this in two afternoons!" He LOVES it! He wanted to give us something in return but we wouldn't take coffee so he gave us each our own 80 piece pack of these little toasts that the italians eat. haha! They gave us a referral, we invited them to church, he rode his bike there (unfortunately he was scared off before sacrament so he didn't stay...nother story that's coming) but he came! And I think he'll come back! We ran into him on the street on Sunday while doing casa and he had read from the title page through all the witnesses. And he loves the Book of Mormon! But when we left that lesson of the restoration Clara just said "La vostra nonna posso essere!" Our grandmother she can be! I loved it! So happy. And then they stand out on their balcony and just wave at us until we turn the corner. They're napolitani also so they talk really loud and I just love them so much!
About him being scared off... we had to have a training in the branch on Sunday about how to handle new investigators in church. We had talked to the branch president about this problem because we have had 7 investigators scared off in the last 4 weeks and they haven't come back. Ah! Anyway, We were able to share a really great spiritual thought in relief society and the spirit was really strong. We basically just said, with the use of scriptures, testimonies, explanation of our calling as missionaries, to not try to teach our investigators when they come to church and to let them gain their testimony in their own way. And then the EQP did the same in Priesthood. But I think all will be well now. Hopefully there won't be any more problems with that.
Yesterday we had a specialized training in Milano with ALL the sisters! It was amazing! We have some super awesome amazing sisters in this mission. I love them! All 29 of them! Again we received some inspiration from our amazing inspired President and Sorella Wolfgramm and the Assistenti, and we are starting to put them into practice today. We planned a really powerful lesson with Rosy for tonight using the things we learned yesterday and I'm excited to see how it goes.
Conference weekend!!! Do you realize how lucky we are to get to hear from the prophet of God and the twelve apostles and other leaders of Christ's church here on the earth?!?! We are SO lucky!!! We'll be watching it in our little chapel. We get all the sessions but the last one. And I think it will all be in italian. We're trying to decide if we'll go watch it on the computer in english, but if we have investigators come we'll need to stay with them. But I'm excited! I LOVE conference weekend! Two days of spiritual feasting and enlightenment!!!
Well, life is good here in Italia. I love being a missionary. I love it love it love it. Thank you for all your prayers and support. I truly can feel them and your love. I send mine your way too!
Happy Conference weekend! Take notes! Pray! Be ready to get inspired! Be open! Love your fellow man! Do some good! Read your scriptures! Pray some more! And then do it all over again!!!!
Happy Conference weekend! Take notes! Pray! Be ready to get inspired! Be open! Love your fellow man! Do some good! Read your scriptures! Pray some more! And then do it all over again!!!!
Sorella Forbes
Us in Verona
The Torino Zone Sorelle and Sorella Wolfgramm
Me in Genova!!!
A picture I got as we were riding our bikes the other night. Cuneo mountains and sunset!
All of the Sorelle of the Milano mission!
Wow! I love this letter and the pictures. The kids are looking at it with me and Bennett said, "but Kelly is at the airport." (I think he thinks that because that's where we saw her last) He then said, "We need her back. She will miss us!" they love hearing her stories and seeing her in the pictures. All three of the masked if that was her motorcycle. :)
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