Sorella Forbes, Italy Milan Mission: May 30, 2012

I am SO pleased to announce that I will be staying in Pordenone for at least one more transfer! I was really worried there for a bit, but Sorella Walton and I will be staying together! So excited. I still have so much to learn from this amazing Sorella and I feel blessed that I get one more transfer with her. Red head power! Just sayin'... But I can't believe how fast this last transfer flew by! It's crazy. I think it's because this is the busiest I've been yet on my mission. And I love it. On Saturday we were riding our bikes to the church for Vicky's baptism and I just kept thinking "I am so happy!" I think this is the happiest I've been on my mission. We are working so hard, praying for humility and trying our best to be instruments in the Lord's hands, and he is blessing us with so much greatness! Plus, I think President's promise of 20 lessons a week = happier missionaries is true. We've been blessed with at least 20 lessons every week this transfer, and I am feeling the joy!!!

Vicky's baptism was such a joyful event! She has been waiting and SO excited for so long! We went to her house on Saturday afternoon for all the final preparations and to practice how the baptism will go, and she just kept saying "It's Saturday! I'm getting baptized today!" The whole family was feeling the joy too. Clarence, the husband, was really excited because the Bishop told him he should do the baptism. He hadn't thought that he could because he thought, even though we tried to explain several times, that you had to have the Melchisedec priesthood to baptize (sometimes the language barrier is difficult with him...haha). So he was overjoyed when the Bishop called him, went to the church to practice with him, wrote down the words to the prayer so he could practice, and he was just so happy! And then Joel, the 18 month old baby boy, was so happy too. Sorella Walton put her name tag on him and he just smiled so big and looked so proud and happy! And then he would come over and grab our hands and squat down like he was being baptized. He had been watching his mom and dad practice. It was the cutest! They are such a happy beautiful family!!! When Vicky came out of the font, we were waiting for her in the bathroom and we asked her how she felt. She was overjoyed and said "I feel so good!!!" Seeing her happiness brought so much joy to my heart. She has overcome a lot in her life, being from the Congo, and she was so ready to leave it all behind and start fresh. The Gospel is so amazing!!!

This week has been really great. We've really been blessed with so many miracles. Sorella Walton and I really want and need to find more investigators, and we've been doing SO much finding work. And we haven't really been able to get some real solid progressors yet, but I think we have some really great potentials that we were led to and were blessed by finding them. For example, Francesco. We wanted to do some finding in the park one afternoon, so we headed to Parco San Valentino. There we saw Francesco sitting on a bench studying. We approached and mentioned how we teach people about our church and about the Gospel of Christ. He picked up his stuff of the bench and said "Please! Sit down!" So we did. He told us he is practicing Catholic but open to hearing about other ideas. We started talking about the Book of Mormon and he was so excited. He just kept saying "I had no idea! This is a whole new world!" He said he's going to be gone and studying and all kinds of stuff until June 10, so we're just praying that when June 10 roles around he will be ready and willing to meet. But we have a really good feeling about him.

So I'm happy. Real happy here in Pordenone. I love the members. They were pleased to hear that we would all be staying another transfer. Sorella Gioia Durazzani called us yesterday sounding all nervous asking when transfers were. I told her we had just heard that we would all be staying and she yelled with joy. I mean yelled. I love her. She's one of my other italian nonne.

About the earthquakes... yeah, I didn't really know what was going on. I haven't felt any of them here. We've heard about them from members. And the Udine Anziani called us yesterday because they had felt one and wanted to make sure we were all okay. But yeah, I haven't felt any. We're all safe and good. We went to the stake president's house yesterday to visit and he said all the members are fine in our stake and in the Verona stake, but that he heard there could be problems down in Modena. So pray for the people of Italy! It's a bit scary. About the one I felt in Cuneo, I didn't realize what it was. I was sleeping, but it woke me up. It wasn't until the next day when a member told us what had happened and what time and I realized that was probably what woke me up. Ha. Super exciting. I know.

As for my bike, we took it to the shop and he's alive again! He's (almost) as good as new. Barney is a good one. He's an oldie but a goodie. He gets me from A to B. Basta.

Sounds like all is well at home. Miss you and love you family! Have fun getting ready for all your travels and big changes that are coming up! I love you all so much! Tanti bacioni!!!

Sorella Forbes