Cari Tutti!
I'm so sorry about last week's letter. Sometimes the internet
connection just doesn't work very well... but hopefully this letter is
a little better!
These past couple of days have been really warm. I love it! It's so
sunny and the skies are so clear! It doesn't feel like January at all!
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| "Oh ya know, just normal missionary work...in these gorgeous streets" |
So last Wednesday was the Befana. It's the day a witch flies around on
her broom and gives little kids candy in a stocking if they've been
good that year and coal if they haven't. Apparently it's supposed to
be a super old, ugly sock. So we spent the day with a family and they were
cute and gave us a sock full of candy! And it had a few holes
haha. ;) I love getting to know members here. Their conversion stories
are amazing and their continual faith is so inspiring. Since it was a
p-day we just spent the afternoon there. Normally we're allowed an hour
and a half for meals with people-that also includes the thought or
lesson. With Italians though lunch is usually a 2-3 hour ordeal. These
people just love to talk!
Corina and her family are great. We're having a hard time getting them
to come to church. But we're hoping that the members that we've
invited to lessons will help. They live a little ways from church and
they don't have a car so it's not the most convenient thing for them.
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| Samuel, Irena, Corina, and Ovido |
One evening we went over and it ended up just being Corina. But that
was great since some of the time she's just in the kitchen and
we just teach the others. So it was good to actually have a lesson
with her. She has shared such great experiences with us. When she had
Romina there ended up being health problems and about eight months
later Corina was in the hospital with a horrible infection. There was
one night in the hospital when she kneeled and prayed by her bed
asking God to help her with this situation, and promising Him that if
He did, she would follow his path. That was about 7 months ago. And
then we showed up. Amazing how God works. He didn't just send
missionaries right away, but he did eventually. She is so worried that
she's going to mess up though. That's her main concern. She doesn't
want to make promises to God and then go back to who she was. So we're
really trying to help her understand the Atonement. Because Christ is
always there and always accepts us back if we come with a broken heart
and a contrite spirit. I just love this quote that I found about the
Savior forgiving us:
"Our Heavenly Father knows what we are facing, that we all sin and
“come short of the glory of God” again and again. He sent His Son, who
“knoweth the weakness of man and how to succor them who are tempted.”
His Son teaches us to “pray always that [we] enter not into
temptation.” We are told to “cry unto [God] for mercy; for he is
mighty to save.” The Savior commands us to repent and to forgive. And
although repentance is not easy, as we strive with all our hearts to
obey His gospel, He gives this promise: “Verily I say unto you,
notwithstanding [your] sins, my bowels are filled with compassion
towards [you]. I will not utterly cast [you] off; and in the day of
wrath I will remember mercy.” The Savior wants to forgive"
Friday evening we were able to visit Sorella Volta. She is a sweet older
member who loves missionaries. She was having a really hard day and we
came over at the right moment to lift her day and help her feel
better. It was just really nice to be able to help someone without
really realizing that she needed us until we were there. We have
actually been trying to see her for awhile, but we weren't able to
until this week. And that's when she needed us!
Sunday was a great day of church, a ward lunch, Corina's family, Gilda
and lots of finding miracles. We actually have an old investigator
just show up in church, and she came and introduced herself to us! She
stopped meeting with the missionaries a couple of months ago because
she was busy, I think, but now she wants to start seeing us
again! Her name is Loredana and is from Italy, and we should be able to
see her this week!
Gilda is a lady who we found a couple of weeks ago. She is also from
Romania. We found her when we were trying to do a passby but the lady
wasn't home so we just did casa. A man opened the door and said to
come back the next day when his wife would be home. As we were leaving
we passed a lady and started talking to her. She had met the
missionaries in the past but her Book of Mormon was in Romania so we
got her number and said we'd bring her another one! So we go back to
the guy's house the next day and the lady we talked to ended up being
his wife! She really likes our message. And she has been losing her
eyesight so it's hard for her to read the Book of Mormon since she
doesn't have glasses, but with our iPads we can make the text bigger
so she can actually read it in her language and understand completely!
We are just hoping to find a way that she can read on her own. Or
maybe someone can at least read to her.
Another miracle-- Last week we were calling a bunch of less active
members who were in our phone and set up an appointment with a lady
named Gemma. So we met her on Monday and were asking her how she got
to know the church. She is from the Philippines and has been here
about 4 years. She told us that her sister and aunt or cousin are
members and that she wasn't a member yet she had just been to church a
few times with them in the Philippines and a couple times here. What?!
Apparently she saw the sister missionaries at the train station here
and talked to them and they misunderstood and thought she was a
member! She told us that she wants to be baptized and really hopes she
can come to church. She works, but it should be a pretty easy job to
get off Sunday morning. We are praying for her! So we are super
excited to start working with her!
Tuesday morning we met with a man named Carmine. He is Italian, and we
met him doing parco. He is super nice and is a Chinese
religion that I don't fully understand, but he's interested to know
about ours. I just love all the different types of people we meet here.
Everyone has such different backgrounds and beliefs and it's so neat
to see how God prepares people for His gospel....Piano piano and in his
time.
Back to the thought about the Atonement. I think this is a good reminder
for everyone. Investigator, less-active, member, missionary, etc. We
all make mistakes, yet Christ is there ready to forgive. He helps us
overcome our weaknesses and resist temptation. I know that he gives us
the strength and helps us continue towards God. Satan is the one that
points out the things we do wrong and the mistakes we make, yet if we
turn to Christ, He will show us what we are doing RIGHT and all the
good we do. He wants us to come to Him. And he wants US to want to
come to Him and then He just readily accepts us.
Spero che ognuno di voi veda i miracoli ogni giorno!
Buona Settimana!
Vi voglio un sacco di bene!
Translated.....I hope that each of you see miracles every day !
Have a good week!
I want a lot of good for you !
Sorella Dixon
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| "New Year's Eve pizza" |
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| "Missionary selfie" See why we miss her....:)!!! |
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| "The stairwell in the Towers" |
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| 'The Towers" |
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| "This is Bologna" |
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| Roasted chestnuts |
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| "This statue was burned on New Year's Eve" |
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| "Typical Bologna Italy" |
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| "Inside a beautiful church" |
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| "Pretty, old buildings" |
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