10 February 2010
That missionary sounds like a really dumb kid. Punto [period]. Maybe he should look for investigators or use his list of real inactives that the bishop gives him, it might be slightly more effective.
So this week has been another adventure. Sant'Agata day is quite the adventure. We weren't able to make it down for any of the fireworks or to see the saint, purtroppo [unfortunately], but we did see the saint on tv at a member's house for a couple minutes. They don't want us to get away without seeing their city's biggest tradition. Wednesday Gabriella canceled her lesson so we were going to walk down to the Duomo to see the Sant'Agata fireworks and talk to people on the way, but we started talking to lots of people and realized when we got to the bus station that it was 8:25 and we needed to start walking home. It was a good night though. It was cloudy anyway so the fireworks weren't as clear, I'm sure. The anziani have videos. Kids here are so indoctrinated with religion when they're in school that they become atheist as teenagers. It's kind of sad. One girl told me that in her elementary school that was run by monks she learned to be super self-conscious and compare herself to everybody around her. A brother and sister told us they don't believe in anything maybe because in elementary school if they did any little thing bad they were locked in a little dark closet with a huge crucifix and it was kind of frightening. Weird stuff...
Thursday we went on a trek to look for shoes. We found none but we talked to a whole bunch of people so it was worth it. After lunch we visited with a member who we had asked to write her testimony in a Libro di Mormon. Well, she wrote a really interesting story. I've heard Italian kids saying how our schools are way easier than theirs as far as writing and things go but with the way these people make connections from one thing to another I think any school anywhere would be hard. It's kind of like somebody trying to imitate James Joyce.
Friday we got a text from Gabriella saying that two beautiful things had happened, could we come over and see her. So, of course we went, and she had found an answer to a prayer while she was reading the Book of Mormon, in one of the chapters where Alma is talking to Corianton. And she had also fixed some problems at home that had been weighing on her, and she said that she felt like she was ready to do anything that God wants her to do, and she decided she wants to be baptized on 27 February. We're way excited for her. Our Branch mission leader thinks we are thoroughly incompetent, or at least that's the message we get from him, and was freaking out and talked for about 15 minutes in correlation about how she needs to talk to her husband about getting baptized, we're like duh, and she's going to. He thought maybe we'd need a plan to go over with a member and talk to him, we went back on Monday and she says they've been talking about it and he's the little demon in her ear saying she's going too fast but she doesn't really care what he says. She's also told her kids.
Friday night we visited Sorella Catania and asked how we can help her children, because we've been teaching Anna Rita, her daughter-in-law, and she is interested but she's scared. Anyway, Sorella Catania had been watching the Sant'Agata festivities on tv and thinking it was really pretty, because she liked the huge party things when she was a girl, and then we called her and asked if we could talk to her, and she told us “every time there's even a little doubt, Heavenly Father comes in and pushes it out.” It's pretty cool when people tell us we were an answer to their prayers.
Saturday we went to see Giuseppina. She likes to talk. And we started our lesson and she told us some crazy stories and we were teaching about how God loves us and has sent us prophets to guide us and she asked a question that was really a statement and was about to start into a long story again and I said “ci ascolti un momento” (listen to us for one moment—imperative) and she listened, and she told us at the end to pray for her heart to be open. It's important to listen to questions or concerns, but it's also important to take control and teach when you know the question they asked will be answered if they'll only listen. And these people have no problem talking or stating concerns. We tried to get a bus to go to a Sorella's house, but the bus went somewhere else. We aren't sure what its route is, but it goes somewhere different every time, and this time we got dropped at a cemetery. Oh man these people love death. They build cathedrals to bury their families in. It's so crazy, and impressive but at the same time it leaves you unsure whether you should be in awe at the architecture, or disgusted at how much money they waste, or in pity that they think that's the end and they need those mansions. And then we found a simple little marker that was written in English. I don't know who he was, but it said his name and birth and death date, and then “I know that my Redeemer liveth”. That message really stands out in a place where they try and keep him dead, and have statues of him locked in glass coffins in the churches and everyone is just obsessed with death. That he LIVES. Because he does. That one simple little statement gives so much hope in a place where everything is darkness and despair. Christ lives, and because He lives, we will too.
We taught the members a lesson about how important they are to missionary work, using the example of Alma, who couldn't get into the city without Amulek; and Ammon, who built a relationship of friendship and trust and began talking about things they had in common and when the king expressed continued interest he kept adding to the knowledge he already had. It was a really good lesson. People are really scared though. Gabriella was only able to come to principi evangelici [gospel principles], but when she left she told us “I don't know what it is or what you do, but I always feel so amazing when I leave here!”
Correlazione [Correlation] was horrible, basically Fratello Battezzato telling us a bunch of things we need to do. Only the Sorelle though, no advice for the four Anziani. And they were already things that we had planned to do, and even when we said that he'd go on forever longer! I guess that's how the meetings usually are, my companion dreads them and I was just ticked.
Monday we had a lesson with Gabriella. She's incredible, that's pretty much all there is to say about her.
Yesterday was the wedding. Of the 18 year old daughter of the Branch president of Gela to a 31 year old who is not a member in the church and was very uninterested in the religious parts of the program. But there were some really great talks—President Nudo (district president) spoke about the importance of growing a spiritual attraction, and his counselor read from the proclamation to the world. I'm really grateful that when I get married it will be forever, and I am soooo grateful that I was not married at 18. The choir went well, Sorella Cascone from Ragusa was there and I invited her to sing with us, which was great because she has a great voice and the other member couldn't carry a tune. So she really saved the day.
My companion told a man on a citofono [intercom] yesterday that we were at his house to talk about Jesus Christ. He said, “I can't, I'm Christian”. Ha.
I'm glad you got to do some good things and some service to celebrate Robby's birthday. I'm really glad families are forever, we read some really sad notes in the cemetery from parents who had lost infants. Thankfully the Lord is merciful and there is a plan that is so simple and clear and right.
I love you all! Thanks for your examples and for all that you do!
Love,
Eliza
So this week has been another adventure. Sant'Agata day is quite the adventure. We weren't able to make it down for any of the fireworks or to see the saint, purtroppo [unfortunately], but we did see the saint on tv at a member's house for a couple minutes. They don't want us to get away without seeing their city's biggest tradition. Wednesday Gabriella canceled her lesson so we were going to walk down to the Duomo to see the Sant'Agata fireworks and talk to people on the way, but we started talking to lots of people and realized when we got to the bus station that it was 8:25 and we needed to start walking home. It was a good night though. It was cloudy anyway so the fireworks weren't as clear, I'm sure. The anziani have videos. Kids here are so indoctrinated with religion when they're in school that they become atheist as teenagers. It's kind of sad. One girl told me that in her elementary school that was run by monks she learned to be super self-conscious and compare herself to everybody around her. A brother and sister told us they don't believe in anything maybe because in elementary school if they did any little thing bad they were locked in a little dark closet with a huge crucifix and it was kind of frightening. Weird stuff...
Thursday we went on a trek to look for shoes. We found none but we talked to a whole bunch of people so it was worth it. After lunch we visited with a member who we had asked to write her testimony in a Libro di Mormon. Well, she wrote a really interesting story. I've heard Italian kids saying how our schools are way easier than theirs as far as writing and things go but with the way these people make connections from one thing to another I think any school anywhere would be hard. It's kind of like somebody trying to imitate James Joyce.
Friday we got a text from Gabriella saying that two beautiful things had happened, could we come over and see her. So, of course we went, and she had found an answer to a prayer while she was reading the Book of Mormon, in one of the chapters where Alma is talking to Corianton. And she had also fixed some problems at home that had been weighing on her, and she said that she felt like she was ready to do anything that God wants her to do, and she decided she wants to be baptized on 27 February. We're way excited for her. Our Branch mission leader thinks we are thoroughly incompetent, or at least that's the message we get from him, and was freaking out and talked for about 15 minutes in correlation about how she needs to talk to her husband about getting baptized, we're like duh, and she's going to. He thought maybe we'd need a plan to go over with a member and talk to him, we went back on Monday and she says they've been talking about it and he's the little demon in her ear saying she's going too fast but she doesn't really care what he says. She's also told her kids.
Friday night we visited Sorella Catania and asked how we can help her children, because we've been teaching Anna Rita, her daughter-in-law, and she is interested but she's scared. Anyway, Sorella Catania had been watching the Sant'Agata festivities on tv and thinking it was really pretty, because she liked the huge party things when she was a girl, and then we called her and asked if we could talk to her, and she told us “every time there's even a little doubt, Heavenly Father comes in and pushes it out.” It's pretty cool when people tell us we were an answer to their prayers.
Saturday we went to see Giuseppina. She likes to talk. And we started our lesson and she told us some crazy stories and we were teaching about how God loves us and has sent us prophets to guide us and she asked a question that was really a statement and was about to start into a long story again and I said “ci ascolti un momento” (listen to us for one moment—imperative) and she listened, and she told us at the end to pray for her heart to be open. It's important to listen to questions or concerns, but it's also important to take control and teach when you know the question they asked will be answered if they'll only listen. And these people have no problem talking or stating concerns. We tried to get a bus to go to a Sorella's house, but the bus went somewhere else. We aren't sure what its route is, but it goes somewhere different every time, and this time we got dropped at a cemetery. Oh man these people love death. They build cathedrals to bury their families in. It's so crazy, and impressive but at the same time it leaves you unsure whether you should be in awe at the architecture, or disgusted at how much money they waste, or in pity that they think that's the end and they need those mansions. And then we found a simple little marker that was written in English. I don't know who he was, but it said his name and birth and death date, and then “I know that my Redeemer liveth”. That message really stands out in a place where they try and keep him dead, and have statues of him locked in glass coffins in the churches and everyone is just obsessed with death. That he LIVES. Because he does. That one simple little statement gives so much hope in a place where everything is darkness and despair. Christ lives, and because He lives, we will too.
We taught the members a lesson about how important they are to missionary work, using the example of Alma, who couldn't get into the city without Amulek; and Ammon, who built a relationship of friendship and trust and began talking about things they had in common and when the king expressed continued interest he kept adding to the knowledge he already had. It was a really good lesson. People are really scared though. Gabriella was only able to come to principi evangelici [gospel principles], but when she left she told us “I don't know what it is or what you do, but I always feel so amazing when I leave here!”
Correlazione [Correlation] was horrible, basically Fratello Battezzato telling us a bunch of things we need to do. Only the Sorelle though, no advice for the four Anziani. And they were already things that we had planned to do, and even when we said that he'd go on forever longer! I guess that's how the meetings usually are, my companion dreads them and I was just ticked.
Monday we had a lesson with Gabriella. She's incredible, that's pretty much all there is to say about her.
Yesterday was the wedding. Of the 18 year old daughter of the Branch president of Gela to a 31 year old who is not a member in the church and was very uninterested in the religious parts of the program. But there were some really great talks—President Nudo (district president) spoke about the importance of growing a spiritual attraction, and his counselor read from the proclamation to the world. I'm really grateful that when I get married it will be forever, and I am soooo grateful that I was not married at 18. The choir went well, Sorella Cascone from Ragusa was there and I invited her to sing with us, which was great because she has a great voice and the other member couldn't carry a tune. So she really saved the day.
My companion told a man on a citofono [intercom] yesterday that we were at his house to talk about Jesus Christ. He said, “I can't, I'm Christian”. Ha.
I'm glad you got to do some good things and some service to celebrate Robby's birthday. I'm really glad families are forever, we read some really sad notes in the cemetery from parents who had lost infants. Thankfully the Lord is merciful and there is a plan that is so simple and clear and right.
I love you all! Thanks for your examples and for all that you do!
Love,
Eliza
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