We did a lot of finding and had a lot of success! The biggest thing I learned was that it doesn't matter where you are, or what you're doing, as long as you talk to everyone possible and always follow the spirit, then Lord will take care of the rest.
Wednesday-Saturday:
A bunch of other really cool things happened this week (but I won't go into detail about all of them or we'd be here all day) including eating spicey pasta with Juliet, getting new investigators whom we're excited to teach (one was a potential in our phone who ended up being an ex-investigator found a year ago, and the other is that english course student that we went to visit with the ex-sister missionary who came back to Crotone like a month ago) and getting to finally go out to visit a family in our ward. I've been trying to visit them since I got here (in January) but they always cancel on us. We finally made it out there and it ended up to be a really helpful visit for both us and them. We also taught our english class the song Mary Had a Little Lamb and made them sing it to the other students at the end. We told them that we were teaching about the culture hahaha it was fun.
Two sad things: 1. We still don't have any hot water..it's been over 2 weeks now and we have no idea when they'll finally fix it.. It's hard to remember what a warm shower even is anymore (lol jk) we love the ghetto life! 2. I made some curry for lunch on Friday and it tasted great as always, but then the next day we woke up super sick. We didn't eat anything else that day so it must have been that.. I don't know what I did to cause that..whoops!
Sunday:
We did a gesso with the elders and invited some ward members to come and help us too! Precious (our new convert) and Vittoria (a 10 year old who wants to serve a mission) came! We promised Vittoria that we'd buy her a gelato next week if she passed out the entire stack of english course cards that we gave her. At the beginning she was really discouraged and nervous, but after having her do it with me a few times, she ended up giving them all out by the end of the night!
Today:
We've had a really chill day that was much needed. I even had time to try to take a nap this morning around 10...but of course the one time I try to take a nap they are doing constructon in our building..haha!
I took Sorella Zapata to a big fruit market that we have by our house and she was in heaven. We bought soo much fruit and vegetables and even some fresh fish! Then we went home and she taught me have to clean shrimp and fish and then we made a fried shrimp and peppers rice for lunch. It was restaurant worthy. Funny story: When you buy fish here they still have the head attached and all so before Sorella Zapata cleaned it she was messing around with the head she opened the mouth and it slapped shut and she essentially got bit by a dead fish! She started bleeding and everything, but don't worry, she's good, it was really funny.
Okay.. now, I saved the best miracle for last. Are you ready to be totally blown away like we were?
On Tuesday afternoon (during the exchange) we got a phone call from Graziella (the english course student that we just started teaching.) She wanted to see us 30 minutes before english course to read The Book of Mormon together because she struggles to understand it. We sent my companion and Sorella Rhodes to that lesson because they would be the ones to english course that night as well. That night our companions were bursting with joy as they told us of the most amazing miracle of my mission.
Midway through their lesson with Graziella someone rang the citofono. They were teh only ones in the church so Sorella Zapata went to answer the door. In walks a 16 year old kid that she had never seen before (named Antonio.) He proceeds to pull an old Book of Mormon from his backpack and the first words that he says to her are, "This book is amazing. It is the greatest book I have ever read." He handed the book to my companion and explained that he found it on his dad's bookshelf and remembers the missionaries teaching his dad more than 10 years ago. Sorella Zapata looked through the pages and found tons of markings and notes, she said, "Wow, your dad must have really loved this book." He told her, "No, that was me." She asked him why he started to read this book and he told her that he had alwasy been looking fro God and read the Bible to come to know Him, then he found this book and told her, "I found in this book what I have been searching for." Sorella Zapata asked if he would like to join the lesson that they were having with Graziella. During the lesson he asked, "How can people not believe that this book is true?"
They finisehd the lesson and asked if he'd like to stay for english course to which he did. Afterwards he stayed a little while talking to all of the missionaries just asking about hwere they were from and such. Then he looked at one of the Elders and asked, "How long have you been following Jesus Christ?" He told him, "for my entire life." Then Sorella Zapata asked Antonio, "How long have you been following Christ?" He said, "I've always wnated to follow Him and read everything in the Bible to know all that I could about Him and find the right path to follow. Then I found The Book of Mormon and have learned so much more." She asked, "Do you feel like you have found the right path?" He said, "I hope so, When I pray, if I get an answer that this book is true then yes."
Hearing this the anziani asked if he'd like to talk for a little bit to learn more. They went a did a long, very in depth, restoration lesson with him. He said that he wants to be baptized when he recieves his answer. After the lesson he told Sorella Zapata that he really loved Jospeh Smith's story and could totally relate to him because also he was searching to turly know Christ, and that through the Book of Mormon he had found the answers to all of his questions.
As my companion reccounted this story to me that night, tears of gratitude came streaming down my cheeks, knowing just how much this amazing miracle means to our small, struggling branch. (Right now the only fully active priesthood holder is the branch president.) I thought about how his conversion story will reignite the testimonies and conversions of our members. I thought about how he will be an exampole to his family (he is the oldest of 4) who will hopefully join the church shortly after he does. I thought of the blessing it willl be for this branch to have a missionary out in a few years, and of all the lives that he will touch in the service of God. We have been going through a little bit of a drought in Crotone but as the tears fell from my eyes I thought of the scripture that I actually sent in last week's email (D&C 58: 2-5), knowing that after a long and dark period of tribulation fro us and for the brnach, God was finally pouring down the blessings that he had been long before preparing for us.
I got to meet Antonio at english course on Thursday. He has been meeting with the missionaries every single day since that first encounter. You can just see that he is so hungry for truth. He has a baptismal date for the 1st of July, but he is so prepared that they'll probably going to finish the lessons with him this upcoming week.
We were in the Church on Saturday just about the leave when he showed up about 15 minutes early to the lesson so the elders weren't there yet. We talked for a little bit and then out of nowhere he just goes, "Che bello Il Libro di Mormon." (How wonderful is The Book of Mormon.) He pulls his out and asks, "Do you want to hear my favorite verse?" He turns the to front of the book where he had rewritten 3 Nephi 18:15. He started The Book of Mormon less than a month ago and is already through 3 Nephi!!! There were definitely so more tears that I couldn't hold back as we walked out of the church after that conversation.
He was so excited to come to church on Sunday asking what he should wear and where he should sit. He lives a little bit outside of Crotone and the buses don't work on Sundays so this kid walked for more than an hour that morning to get to church (keep in mind we're in the month June and Southern Italy is not the coolest of places.) Then after church he asked the elders, "so, are we going to see each other later today?" They told him that they didn't want to make him walk all the way back here and home again and he's like "it all depends on you guys, if you can do it, I'll be there." Not to mention the fact that after finding out the he studies music in school and has been playing the piano since he was like 12 our branch president basically extended the calling of branch pianst to him! (I finally won't have to do it anymore! woohoo!)
So, the work is moving forward here. Miracles upon miracles are happening here in Crotone, All I have to say is that God truly does prepare his children to receive the restored gospel. As we patiently go about doing all that is in our power to carry forward His work by planting the seeds, God does His part by getting them ready for the harvest.
With love,
Sorella Bonzo
Scambio!
This is Angela. She's only 24 years old and was just called to be the relief society president. She served her mission in temple square.
Vittoria at the gesso (don't mind my hair..it was windy)
Haha her cut from that nasty fish
The best book in the world
Inviato da iPad
