Look Up!

Cari Tutti!

This last week was a great week! It's getting closer to Christmas and

I love it! They are putting up Christmas decorations and lights

everywhere! They have yet to turn them on though... I'm just waiting!

It will be so magical and beautiful when they do :) Everyday there are

more!

This last week we had some great lessons with all the people we love!

Thursday we saw Cate and made crepes with her. And she loved them. She

has been craving them because she hasn't had them in awhile and we

were happy that she actually ate something since she doesn't eat a

whole lot. She told us all her usual Cate stories and occasionally we

hear a new one :) Then we saw Monica. She is Sorella Serra's daughter

and is so shy and sweet, but she is slowly opening up to us. And she

is progressing really well. She reads the Book of Mormon between every

visit and this week she actually came to church! Her mom was there

this last week and afterward we were walking her home because she

lives pretty close. We told her that Monica said she would come to

church and then she stopped and gave us huge hugs because she was sooo

happy! She has been praying for her kids so so much and finally her

daughter is learning with the missionaries again!

On Friday we saw Georgina! We are helping her quit smoking. We watched

a Mormon message with her called "he Hope of God's Light" (It's soo

good. Sorella Goethals showed it to me and I just love it!). She has

been smoking since she was 10. But she knows she'll be able to stop.

The only thing is really WANTING to stop. But lately she has been

thinking about if she really does like smoking or if she really can quit.

We have made a plan with her and really hope it will help.

Saturday night we saw Edith!! :D She is our miracle investigator we

started teaching last week. She got a new job where she works m

Mon-Fri, so we weren't able to see her during the week. But she has Saturdays

and Sundays off! So that's good! I was so happy when she said she

didn't have to work Sunday. Way too many times it has happened that we

get someone great to teach and then they get a new job and have to

work Sundays. And work is sooo hard to get here that they can't just

quit the job and get another one. Anyway we had dinner with her where

she made us rice and chicken and then had a great lesson with her and

her son. They are so great! They just love what we are teaching them

and are so excited to learn more! On Sunday they ended up talking

about the Plan of Salvation in Gospel Principles and she loved that!

She is so funny. During dinner she was telling us stories about Africa

and how much she is afraid of snakes!! She made us laugh so much!

Especially when she told us about the cobra that was in her house and

when she saw it she just started climbing whatever was there to

climb. She is just so cute and bubbly!

Sunday was a lovely morning in church! And then later that day things

just didn't go quite as planned, but we were still able to see people!

We had made an appointment with a lady who was an investigator a

couple of years ago so we went to the church. She didn't show up so we

tried calling her and she said she was on her way. So we waited and

waited.... and tried calling her again but this time it wasn't

available.... so that was lovely... We decided to head to the other

church for another appointment and got stuck in the bus because there

was an accident that happened in the road! Eventually cars could pass,

but the buses weren't let through. They eventually opened the doors to

the bus and we decided to get off and take a train. On the way back we

couldn't take the bus because 11 buses were backed up because of the accident... 

... just lovely.

But then we were able to see Ester and then Catherina that night!

Monday night we saw Talia and she is doing great! This weekend she

went to Rome for some document thing and said she was with her friend

and he started to smoke but she didn't! She said it was hard, but she

did it! This week we'll be helping her with her house a bit. She is

moving to Sampierdarena, so she'll actually live closer to us now!

Yesterday we had a great lesson with Chiara and Elisabetha! Elisabetha

had a rough day and almost called us to tell us not to come because

she was just so upset, but we were able to help them and bring a

little love :) They made us delicious Peruvian food and then we read

the Book of Mormon together. Chiara is so cute! She always wants to

keep reading more! She loves it! And this Sunday neither Elisabetha

nor her husband could got to church because of work, but Chiara still

wanted to, so she was able to go with a member. She is such a strong 9

year old! Children are amazing examples. We had a great conversation

about baptism too and Elisabetha actually accepted the invitation. It

was a straight YES! Since we have started teaching her there has been

so much growth in her. She is still scared to pray about the Book of

Mormon... but we're slowly helping her along! She is like another mom

to me. I love her sooo much. Yesterday we were in the kitchen and she

was showing me how to make the special sauce they use and we were

talking about how I'll probably be transferred in December and she

started tearing up! That wasn't good because then that almost made me

cry! I'm not even sure if I'm leaving yet and it's still 3 weeks away,

but when I do leave it will be pretty tough. I love the people here so

much!

This week in District Meeting we talked about setting personal goals

and I just want to leave this one thought that Elder Kearon said to us

when he was here: "However good you were yesterday is not good enough

for tomorrow". I know this is a gospel of change of progression. I

have seen it in other people and I have been able to see the growth in

myself. If we really utilize the Atonement we can become better

everyday and grow to be more like our Savior. We just need to remember

to always look UP!Llook up at our potential and UP to our Father in

Heaven who is always there to help us. Italy is definitely the place I

have learned to look up. Because that is truly where all the beauty is

physically--all the beautiful buildings, structures, and colors. And I

have learned to look up and rely and the one who is above in Everything.

Vi voglio un sacco di bene!

Sorella Dixon