Sorella Forbes, Italy Milan Mission: July 18,2010

Milano is HUGE! Let's just get that established. It is so big. SO many people. Missionary work is definitely different. I am constantly surrounded by people. And we're already filling up pages with numbers and addresses of potentials. It was kind of hard at first, because we are basically starting from 0 as far as progressing investigators, but I have confidence that this will be yet another transfer of miracles. We've already seen so many. For example, after leaving the station on Thursday, saying goodbye to my dear Sorella Walton, toting my heavy bags into the metro, I was feeling a little bit flabbergasted, still not really sure why I'm here. There was a woman that was sitting next to wear I was standing, and she kept looking at me so I just asked her how she was. She looked at me and just said "I'm sad because my mother just died two weeks ago." It kicked me back into missionary gear and I bore testimony of the Plan of Salvation and told her she would see her mother again. She said she wasn't sure if that was true but that she hoped for it, she knew her mother was in paradise. I told her she could know with a surety for herself like I did. She lives in Varese, but I was able to take down the information so the sisters there can go find her. But after that I kind of felt like "okay, I guess I'm supposed to be here." This whole transfer experience has been really humbling. But I really know that I am supposed to be here.

Like I said, missionary work is definitely different here. We had a lunch appointment on Friday, my first day here, with a new convert who LOVES America and he wanted to eat at McDonald's. A first timer for me in 9 months. Ha. Anyway so we met him there by the Duomo. Afterwards, he wanted to come with us to find some people. So he came with us and bore his testimony to a few people. That was really great. But while we were talking to this one lady, a pigeon got me. Yup, you know what I mean... Pigeon bomb. Right on my hair\face\shirt. It was gross. But we kept teaching! The lady pulled a tissue out of her purse for me while I was telling her about the Book of Mormon. Ha! Good times. That will be something to remember.

So as far as investigators, we're working up a nice pool of potentials. We met Allen last night on the park bench. He looked sad so we went to talk to him. He said he was feeling homesick because he is from the Phillipines and his wife has been gone for two weeks. He's here all alone. We talked about Christ and how he understands how he is feeling and wants to help him. We left him with a Book of Mormon and set up another appointment for Sunday. His wife is coming back Saturday night and he said they would come to church! Then we met a group of Cameroonians on the metro. Nickel (nee-kell) said he likes to talk about God, so he brought two of his friends to the church and we taught them the Restoration. We have another appointment Friday and he said he's bringing more of his friends who are looking for a church too. They'll come on Sunday too. Exciting!

There is an investigator of 5 years here, and we haven't met her yet but I talked to her on the phone and I am SO excited to meet her. She is a sweetheart. MOTHER! She's from IRELAND! She's Irish. I'm Irish too. We're kindred spirits. For some reason (probably because we're both Irish...) I just have a really good feeling about her and I'm SO excited to teach her. Hopefully we can see her tomorrow. She was a Jehovah's Witness so Sorella Bishop said the lessons with her are tricky, but I can't wait. And then there is Eva. We got a call from Las Vegas from a woman who has a friend here in Milano. We wanted to go see her, but she called us. She said she has cancer and is doing chemo right now. Her friend had explained to her about Priesthood blessings, so she asked us for one. We called the Capi Zona and they came with us to our first appointment with her. She is the sweetest little thing! They gave her a blessing and afterward she was so happy. She said she felt a current go through her body during the blessing. It was so beautiful and the spirit was so strong. We went back and taught she and her husband the Restoration. They accepted soft baptismal invites, but they leave for Puglia this weekend. Sad. We're going to get the missionaries out to them there. My MTC companion is in Bari! Maybe she can find them. :)

My first Sunday here was a hoot. All of the members I met before Sunday just kept saying "First Sunday! Get ready!" So I was kind of nervous. But this ward LOVES missionaries. They have 4 coppia of missionaries in this ward: Us, the APs, the Senior office couple, and President and Sorella Wolfgramm. They made me stand up in Relief Society and introduce myself and then again in Sacrament meeting. Afterwards everyone kept telling me I looked like a doll. Some called me a Barbie doll... Ha! I guess they failed to notice the 80 pounds I've gained since coming to Italy... meno male. (ps. i haven't really gained 80 pounds...) But I'm so excited to work with this ward. It is HUGE! It's like a Utah ward. There are about 500 members in the ward, but only about 150 come every Sunday. So it's a lot of less-active work too. The church is in a palazzo, or an apartment building. It takes up a whole floor. But it is still beautiful. And I LOVE being in the same ward as the Wolfgramms. I just love them. In Principi Evangelici (Gospel Principles, the APs taught, but President piped in some very wise words and it was so great. I can't wait for all our investigators to meet them! And yet it's a little bit intimidating too, being in the same ward as the Assistants and the Mission President...

Sorella Bishop is a doll. She was a character at DisneyWorld! Family! We love DisneyWorld!!! She did all the autographs for me. So now I have Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, Lilo, and Stitch autographs. From Italy. Ha! Happy day.

So yes Milano is different, but oh so great. I know that I am going to learn so much here and we will see so many miracles. I feel really good about being here.

Buona settimana!!!

Sorella Forbes