Ummmmm
so this week was pretty much the greatest week we have had in my entire time
I've been in Trieste. SO MANY MIRACLES. So warning, this email is probably
going to be long and probably all over the place. Sorry! Anywho,
so Thursday we had some plans that inevitably fell through, so we
passed by a referral that we've been trying to meet for a while now, and of
course no one was home. We had about an hour and a half and we didn't know what
to do with it. So we said a little prayer and decided to go to a park that was
close by and then just walk around that part of the city for a bit and find
(people) that
way. This park pretty much never has anyone in it, but we figured we had time
so we might as well go. So we go and there was one woman. We started walking
toward her but then she suddenly walked down this hill somewhere and
disappeared. So we turned around and talked to a woman that had just walked
into the park and she was clearly disinterested, but after talking to us for a
bit about her beliefs she says "Excuse me, I have to follow the dog."
And walks away. Yes, there was a dog, she didn't just make things up. Just
using her resources as an excuse. Anywho,
so the first one reappeared and we jumped on that. And she was amazing! Long
story shorter, she said she's searching for the truth and asked why there are
so many churches out there. What a great question!! SO we taught her the
Restoration and set up a return appointment :) Woo! Friday was
MIRACLE DAY. We taught an AMAZING lesson with the sister of a member and her
husband and it was great! The member has been trying to work with her for like
30 years now, and she felt like she should give them a call and set up an
appointment with us and they were like "yeah!! Come on over!!" They
were soooo
sweet and cute and definitely ready. We're so excited to continue working with
them!
Then we
had some time before another appointment, so we hit the pavement “finding.”
And
we found the most amazing miracle!! We stopped this one woman who was very
preoccupied trying to find something in her purse. At first she seemed very
uninterested, but was willing to talk with us. After a bit of talking and
telling her that God is our loving Heavenly Father and he helps us with any
difficulties in life, she just opened up. She's from Brazil and she has a very
serious addiction that has become so bad that one time she stopped a stranger
on the street to help her for a moment. She recognizes how bad it is and once
so badly to be able to stop. We had the beautiful opportunity to tell her that
we could help her with the knowledge we have and that God will help her. It was
amazing seeing the change. At first she was very hard and kind of angry, but
then the light of hope made her so much happier. You could see the hope in her
eyes and it was soooo beautiful.
We've been
praying for so long to find the people who
are ready and who need help. Finally we're finding those people. It took some
time, but it's happening! Never doubt that God hears your prayers!! It may take
two months for you to find His answer, but He's always watching you and He's
always there to help. He loves you! He never ignores you. Just remember to keep
going forward, no matter how hard it is, and always look for the good and the
miracles. You'll see them everywhere :)Then we had a beautiful lesson that
night with a “less active” and
she had a friend over who's family had taken lessons a bit but were scared off
by baptism talk. This friend asked her about the church a bit and we were able
to teach them together that night. She said she hoped that we could see her
again and meet her brother! We sure hope so!! She's so cute!!
Saturday morning we had our
first lesson with a new investigator and it went well! We taught the
Restoration and invited her to baptism! She said not now because she's scared,
but she definitely wants to learn more because she sees a difference in us and
likes that we do what we say. She's so great!!! That night we met a woman who
the whole time we were talking was working really hard at rubbing my hand to
make it nice and warm. It was soooo hard
not to laugh.
So our
mission president gave us the goal to teach 15 lessons every week about a month
ago and we have been unsuccessful up until NOW!!!! Sunday we had four
lessons and about three hours to teach them. We were sooo
determined!! AND GOSH DANG EXHAUSTED! BUT WE DID IT!!!! We showed ourselves it
was possible, even here in Trieste! And that with God's help we could do it!!!
It was so great!!!
Monday we got to go to the
cutest city called Gorizia for
district meeting and it was so fun! We brought banana bread and after everyone
got a piece, there was just one slice left. And three Anziani
wanted it. So what did they do to compete for it? Long jump, obviously. It was
so entertaining. And somehow the smallest anziano
won... I think there was a breeze that pushed him forward a bit.
Tuesday was THE BEST BIRTHDAY
EVERRRRRRR. One, I have a greatest companion who made the cutest little Kinder
egg hunt ever. Then she gave me one of her dresses that she knew I loved so
much. And left cute little notes everywhere for me. Then we had a wonderful
lesson with the woman we met in the park on Thursday and invited her
to baptism. She said she wants to study more, but it's clear that she knows
that when she knows it's true, she'll be baptized. We had piadinas
for lunch and I opened my presents from my family. THANK YOU!!!! Then we got
gelato with a young girl that we're working with which was fun! Plus,
throughout the day I was getting phone calls from ward members either Auguri-ing
me or singing to me and it was sooo
cute. Then we had English class that night and our three students sang to me
and one gave me a Kinder egg and took a thousand pictures of me. Then a ward
member gave me SKIPPY PEANUT BUTTER!!!!!!!!!!!!! And everyone was giving me big
hugs and so many auguri's and
little presents. THE MEMBERS ARE SOOOO GREAT!! I don't even know how they
knew!!! We had told a few people and they must have just spread the word.
They're so great!! Then today we went to a castle which was built in the
1400's which was INCREDIBLE. SO COOL. And we went to a member's restaurant that
he works at (the one that gave me peanut butter) And he gave us nutella
crepes as a present. BEST BIRTHDAY EVER!!! Plus, birthday miracle, we got our
letters a day earlier than normal so I got my mom's letter on my birthday!!
GAH!!! I'm just sooo grateful for everyone. Then we ran
to get little pizzettas at
the end of the day and ate those after planning and chocolate cake. Gosh dang
it, it was just so great. I just love you all soooo
much!!! Thank you for everything!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Vi Voglio
un MONDO di bene!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Love,
Sorella
Hawks :)
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