The new focus this transfer as a mission is finding new investigators! The mission standard is 1 every day. What constitutes a new investigator? Having taught one lesson and having a return appointment. What constitutes a lesson? Teaching a principle, bearing testimony, praying with them. As last week we had 0 investigators, we really needed to find lots of new investigators. And the counsel of our leaders on finding new investigators came just at the right time. We found lots last week. 14 to be exact. Our leaders are so inspired! We just put into practice everything they taught us to the best of our ability, and it worked! Now we're just trying to turn all of those new investigators into progressors. Nickel is doing awesome. He came to church on Sunday! He came late, but he sure did come. Same with Mirella and Omar, two members of a Romanian family we found last week. But that's a different story about that family... we think they just want money from us. So I think we're dropping them. Sad!
Anyway, living in this big city is... different. It's big. There are a lot of people, and not going to lie last week I felt super overwhelmed by it all. I think I'm now adjusting pretty well. I hope. ha! It was really weird going from two of the smallest cities in the mission to the big city of Milano. Not just as a person but as a missionary. In the smaller cities we could walk along the street for a really long time and not talk to anyone, but here you are constantly surrounded by people so if you're not constantly talking to people you feel super guilty and like a terrible missionary... But it's hard to talk ALL the time! Especially when you're on the metro and it is hot and crowded and you can't really hear anyway. Comunque, I'm adjusting. I'm figuring out the system.I'm working on it, anyway. :)
Our apartment is pretty great. Not as big as the other ones, but we're hardly there anyway. It's nice because we are up on the 6th floor, so we just leave all the windows open and we get a nice cool breeze coming through. It feels air-conditioned. It's magical. Although at night we have a problem. With mosquitos. We can't shut the doors because it gets too hot, but then the mosquitos get in. They like me. A lot. I wake up to the buzzing sound of a mosquito right in my ear quite often. We went to a pharmacy and bought this ultrasound mosquito repeller thing that you plug into the wall, but it doesn't seem to be working quite right... It's a bit frustrating, but that's fine. We can handle it. I hope... ha! We like to plan out on our balcony sometimes. It's so nice! I really do love big cities. We've got a pretty good view, but we're kind of on the outskirts of the city. On a clear day we can see the mountains off in the distance! It's great.
Another great thing about Milano, is that we magically run into less active members every now and then. I was standing next to this girl on the bus yesterday, and I felt like I needed to talk to her, so I turned and said "I know God loves you!" and she just looked at me and smiled and said "I'm a member. I was baptized in Peru, but I haven't been to church in a long time. But lately I've been thinking I need to come back. So this Sunday I will be there." Ha! Crazy miracle. Another miracle: We had an appointment with one of our new investigators tomorrow in the park, Ousseynou from Senegal. But yesterday we were doing finding in the park and we saw him sitting there in the park. He said he wasn't sure if he would be able to make it to the appointment tomorrow so he decided to come to the park to see if we were there, and we were! Right at the right moment. He was so excited to get his Book of Mormon and he's totally going to read it. He seems pretty golden. Have I told you I love africans? I do! They are so sweet and genuine. Even though sometimes they forget about appointments you set up with them... that's fine...
Oh! I met Breeda. The Irish investigator. That was a different experience. She studied with the Jehovah's Witnesses, so she has some out there ideas about the Bible, which could very possibly be a serious hindrance to her accepting the gospel. But we had a really good lesson with her and I hope that she will really make progress. She put on some irish music for me after I told her about how I'm irish and I love Ireland and how my mom is irish... etc. etc. it reminded me of my Irish mama! She has little leprechauns and four leafed clovers all over her house. She is so sweet.
So Milano is beginning to empty out, and by next week it will be even more dead. It's weird. EVERYONE goes on vacation during August. It's called ferie, and a lot of the stores and shops close too. It's weird. We got on a bus yesterday and there were like 2 other people on it with us. I'm scared for August when no one is around!
I forgot to tell you last week, we are not on bikes here. I miss the bikes. We do metro bus trams feet. It's kind of frustrating because especially with the summer schedule we're usually late for appointments. It takes so long to get from one place to the next! But that's okay! I'm figuring it out!
I love you so much family! And friends if you actually read these emails...
Hope all is well at home and know I pray for you all a lot! And I appreciate all your prayers for me! They are needed.
Vi voglio un sacco di bene!
Sorella Forbes
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