Sorella Forbes, Italy Milan Mission: May 24, 2012

So we had quite the surprise on Thursday. We had had quite the day with a scambio with the Verona Sorelle, Sorelle Laratro and Nilson, and had been able to teach 12 lessons in one day and we found lots of great potentials and new investigators. Sorella Lloyd and I were with Sorella Nilson. It was so fun! I learned a lot from her. It's so fun to see every body else's teaching and finding styles. But then President called us Thursday night. We told him about our successful scambio and he sounded so pleased! Then he said "You know what sorelle? You're doing so great there in your threesome, I'm going to make you a foursome!" Silence... "What?! Who's coming?!" And he told us that Sorella Modugno would be returning to the mission on Monday and she would be coming to Pordenone to open up a companionship with Sorella Lloyd. She is from Rome and had had some health problems so had to go home four about 8 weeks to get everything better. So now we are in four here in Pordenone. Isn't it great! For me it is a big manifestation of the amazingness of the times here in Pordenone. The Lord has big plans for this city! We knew it from the beginning. Four Sorelle in this little place! Also there's a little bit of pressure... the Lord has high expectations of us here and we are trying to meet them. So now I am with Sorella Walton. I just love her. She reminds me a lot of Tam sometimes. We're both red heads. Power companionship. Just sayin'...

But I was so lucky to have the chance to work in a trio for those 4.5 weeks. I learned so much.

So we will have another baptism this Saturday! Crazy! Vicky from the Congo will be baptized. She is so ready for baptism! She just glows in church and she LOVES the story of the Restoration and Joseph Smith. Did I tell you about the time we watched the Restoration film with them? Afterwards we bore our testimonies of the Restoration and then Clarence, her member husband, went in the kitchen, brought out some snacks and water, and started the movie over! So we watched it again with them for a bit and then we left it with them to watch whenever they want. So hilarious. I love Vicky. She is the sweetest tender hearted woman. Their son Joel is adorable! He is so cute in church. He just sits there and looks around. He's the most well behaved child I've ever seen. Haha. I'm so excited about this baptism. Vicky has met with the missionaries before but never wanted to be baptized, but now she really has received the confirmation of the truth and this is her time, and she is so ready! Saturday will be a special day.

We had our conference yesterday at Mestre. It was interviews with President. It's so fun to just sit down and have a one on one with President. He is so incredibly awesome! He told me a bit about what's going on in Cuneo too. He said all of our baptism dates fell through! Which is so sad! They were all pretty solid investigators before we left. Don't know what happened there... but he said Cristina is meeting with the missionaries and wants to move out of Salvatore's house! Yayy! Such happy news. Anyway, that was good to hear. I think about her every now and then. Our conference was so amazing! The spirit was so strong and I learned so many incredible things. Our President is truly inspired. He talked about how in the preexistence he is confident we were all together with the desire to come to the Italy Milan Mission and were all preparing together. And I really feel like that is true! And it reminded me of a joke Sorella Walton said a while back. We were talking about the same thing, wondering if we knew each other in the preexistence, and she said something about "yeah we did! We were just doing our role plays!" Ha. I laughed. P.s. I've probably never mentioned role plays, but we do them often. They are so helpful. And she's probably right. We were all doing role plays in the vita preterrena. :) But also Sorella Wolfgramm talked to us about the Atonement. I learned so much. She used a talk that Elder Bednar gave at a conference they went to a while back and talked about how we can't do any of this alone and how we HAVE to rely on the Lord. We can "plug in to the power of the Atonement," like she said, to be adequate for the job that needs to be done. She is so right. That is a lesson I am learning over and over again as a missionary. I just love her. She, sorella Walton and I had a good laugh before the meeting when she came to greet us in the hallway and had a word slip. That happens sometimes with her. And I absolutely adore her. She is amazing.

One of the coolest most powerful things we get to experience is every transfer at our meetings with President, is hearing the testimonies of the missionaries that are going home. "Their last dying testimony" as someone called it. We were privileged to hear the testimonies of Anziani Armenise, Bartholomew, and Jensen. (Anz. Bartholomew was my zone leader and lives in Akagi farms... ps...). They are such amazing missionaries and you could just feel the power and conviction behind the words they were saying. You know that they have been forever changed by their missions, as I have. It was the same way at zone conference last transfer with hearing the testimony of Sorella Willey and the other two Sorelle going home. I love that.

Yes, it is true, transfers are next week. I have NO idea where that time flew by. This has been a crazy quick transfer. Probably because we've been so busy! I can't believe I'll be on #4! Crazy. And these transfers will be crazy because there are no Sorelle going home, but supposedly a good number coming in, so coppie will have to be opened. I could stay in Pordenone, I could be leaving. I am kind of hoping that I get at least one more in Pordenone with Sorella Walton. I love this place and I love my companion! There is still so much I need to learn from her! But, of course, I know that whatever President decides is the will of the Lord.

Miracle story of the week: (or 2) Tuesday nightly planning, we wanted to find someone on the train to Mestre and teach her and have her be a new investigator, so I described a young girl with dark curly hair in a black t shirt. We boarded the train with her. She was on her way to school in Venice where she studies art, so I talked to her a bit about it and then we talked about the Book of Mormon and we have an appointment with her on Friday because she wants one and wants to learn more! Excitement!!!

Miracle #2: We were at the Mestre train station waiting for our train to come back. Sorella Walton and i were standing with our box of orders of Book of Mormons and the other Sorelle's bag of mail and stuff while they went to get water for us all. there was a lady going down the stairs and having a hard time with her luggage. There are creepy guys that try to come carry your bags for you but then after demand money. She was trying to avoid one but he kept hounding her. Sorella Walton quickly said to watch the stuff and went to help. So she went and helped the woman carry her bags down the stairs. The woman was from Maryland and her friend was from upstate New York. Slla Walton helped them carry their bags up the other stairs to exit the station. Right before she said bye they said "We prayed on the train that someone would help us with our bags! Thank you so much!" I am so grateful to have a companion that acts on the promptings of the spirit! She was the answer to those ladies' prayers. How amazing!

Buona settimana tutti! Until next week!

Sorella Forbes