We had a great week but I don't have much time to write so here are some highlights:
The weather has been absolutely unpredictable. It was hot on Monday and Tuesday, then we went outside with short-sleeved shirts and no tights and froze. It's been windy and cold the rest of the week but was super hot today.
We started teaching one of our English course students, Valentina, to help her with English. We had a conversation in English very slowly and just let her ask us questions. She immediately asked us all about who we were and why we're here. At the end we did a spiritual thought in Italian and explained the Book of Mormon to her and gave her a copy to read. She is now investigating the church so we're excited to keep teaching her because she's very curious and is looking for direction in her life.
Wednesday morning we went to teach the mother & daughter who own the jewelry shop (Francesca & Sonia.) we planned to finish teaching them the restoration but Francesca's sister recently died so when we got there and started the lesson Sonia immediately started asking us about what happens to us after this life. So instead we used the Book of Mormon to teach the plan of salvation which had a lot more meaning to them.
We got to visit my Italian grandma this week, a sister in our ward that is just the cutest little thing. She's so passionate about everything and loves and respects the missionaries so much. She very lonely since her husband died and all of her kids live outside of Crotone so she gets so excited to take to us. She gets teary-eyed every time we talk about the gospel with her (which is always the subject of the conversation with her) because she just loves it so much. I actually got a little emotional listening to her and decided in that moment that I wanted to be like her when I get older. She's 86 years old and still as active as ever. She has health problems but she doesn't let they stop her from speed walking every single morning at 5AM down the seashore then to the cemetery to visit her husband. She's wonderful.
This week I called a potential Elisa the I met probably 3 months ago. She wanted to meet with us but doesn't live in Crotone and could get here without getting a ride from her husband who was in Germany for a few months. I kind of forgot about her but then randomly I saw her name in the phone and decided to call. She answered and we set up an appointment! On Friday she came to our church with her son Massimo who had tons of questions. We taught the restoration and they were really impressed with the way we pray. They promised to come to church, but they didn't. We'll see them this week and hopefully get them there next week.
We had a great lesson with Rina. We went over the baptismal interview questions. She really is so ready to be baptized. We decided right then and there and that she would stop smoking and made a plan of action with her. She said that we'd pick a baptismal date next week because she needs to come to church first. But she didn't come either :(
Then we ran over to a new pizzeria close to our house called PizziAMO (which translates to "I love pizza" as well as "we pizza.") We talked to them and they asked if we could help their daughter with her English homework. Afterwards we did a spiritual thought and invited everyone in the restaurant to watch our video. They all huddled around my iPad and watch a video of Jesus Christ. It was pretty cool. Afterwards they sent us home with a bunch of free food.
Saturday we got to go to Cosenza for a stake relief society activity. They set it up all cute with little tables and fresh flowers and we had drank tizana and had a bunch of homemade cooking and cakes and treats. We chatted and listened to testimonies and did a service project then ate some more. It turned out really good and was nice to be gathered together with more sisters.
Saturday morning the branch president called and asked if I'd give a talk the next day so that was fun haha.. it went well though and was actually a really good meeting because our stake president, his wife, and their two young children came. We finally got to have a deacon (their son) pass the sacrament rather than an elder. Sister Zapata taught in relief society, she was really nervous to do the lesson but she did a great job. It was the best relief society class that I've been to here because she made sure that everyone took turns talking and sharing their feelings and kept it on topic.
After church the branch president and relief society president organized a lunch for the stake president's family and the missionaries. Their 9 year old daughter is so cute. She just kept talking and talking and asking us all about what we do as missionaries, she said that she'd love to serve one day. She also loved me because she's obsessed with Harry Potter and the moment she saw me she told me that I look exactly like Ginny Weasley.
Today we went shopping in Catanzaro at the mall and ate some good pizza.
I got to do the training for district meeting this week and was inspired to lead a discussion on the "eye of faith" it's a topic that I didn't know much about this subject until really studying it last week in preparation for this training. It helped me turn my whole attitude around and see Crotone with a new perspective. I found a talk that I absolutely loved called Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ given by elder Kevin Pearson in the April 2009 General Conference. I invite you to read it. I learned that faith is brought about by obedience. And there are a cycle of things that destruct our faith starting with doubt. Elder Pearson referred to these influences as the 6 destructive D's saying, "First is doubt. Doubt is not a principle of the gospel. It does not come from the Light of Christ or the influence of the Holy Ghost. Doubt is a negative emotion related to fear. It comes from a lack of confidence in one's self or abilities. It is inconsistent with our divine identity as children of God.
Doubt leads to discouragement. Discouragement comes from missed expectations. Chronic discouragement leads to lower expectations, decreased effort, weakened desire, and greater difficulty feeling and following the Spirit (see Preach My Gospel [2004], 10). Discouragement and despair are the very antithesis of faith.
Discouragement leads to distraction, a lack of focus. Distraction eliminates the very focus the eye of faith requires. Discouragement and distraction are two of Satan's most effective tools, but they are also bad habits.
Distraction leads to a lack of diligence, a reduced commitment to remain true and faithful and to carry on through despite hardship and disappointment. Disappointment is an inevitable part of life, but it need not lead to doubt, discouragement, distraction, or lack of diligence.
If not reversed, this path ultimately leads to disobedience, which undermines the very basis of faith. So often the result is disbelief, the conscious or unconscious refusal to believe.
The scriptures describe disbelief as the state of having chosen to harden one's heart. It is to be past feeling.
These Six Destructive Ds--doubt, discouragement, distraction, lack of diligence, disobedience, and disbelief--all erode and destroy our faith. We can choose to avoid and overcome them."
But as we grow our faith through constant obedience, we will be able to see things with a new perspective. We will believe so much that we will see through the eye of faith, and be able to see everything differently, the way God sees it.
Much love,
Sorella Bonzo
Inviato da iPad
She says we don't take enough pictures so we got a Pastry so that we could take a pic with it..lol
Our "blessings" (as sorella Zapata says) from doing service.
Driving up to Cosenza we took a pit stop to see this beautiful view of the lake.
Relief society activity (those cookies are all handmade by the counselor in the rs presidency)
My Italian always wears this blanket that she claims is a scarf when it's cold haha it's so cute
