I hope everyone had a great week! As you know last week was transfers and Sorella Albos came here to serve with me! Thursday was great because they changed how we do transfers so she was able to come that morning and we had a full day to work pretty much! I've only been with her for about a week but I can already tell this is going to be an AMAZING transfer! She is such a great missionary! I've already learned so much from her! She is such a great teacher and is so in tune with the spirit! She is a hard worker and we've been able to get so much done already! She is in her 11th transfer so she'll be going home in April. She is from Caizon City. It's neat because she worked for the church before the mission and wrote articles for the Liahona in the Philippines. She loves to interview people and write about their lives.
Anyway on Thursday we had a neat experience with a woman named Lilia. So a couple of weeks ago Sorella Russell and I talked to a woman on the bus who is from Moldova and had only been here for a few months. Once she figured out where we were from she said she has a sister in law who needs help learning English so we gave her our information and said we would love to help out! The NEXT day her sister in law, Lilia, called. We weren't able to see her until last Thursday, so when we saw her with Sorella Albos it was the first time we saw her. We just met her in the church and helped her with English and then at the end we asked if we could share a spiritual thought and then we had such an amazing little lesson about God and families! She shared such amazing personal experiences and LOVED the video we showed. The spirit was so strong. We were able to see her again yesterday and we talked about God's plan for us and how we would be able to live with our families again someday and she loved it since her grandma passed away a little while ago and she was super close to her. But she always felt like she was there. She is so sweet and I'm excited to keep seeing her!
Friday we saw a less-active named Luisa. She shared with us how she loves the church and the programs it has but she became less active when she had a really hard trial in her life. She told us that she never really gained a testimony of Joseph Smith or the Book of Mormon. The worldwide missionary broadcast a couple of weeks ago was about "Teach Repentance and Baptize Converts" and this just showed just HOW important it is to make sure people gain that testimony. So they can stay strong even during the hard times. Hopefully we'll be able to come to love the Book of Mormon and really gain a testimony of it's truthfulness and of Joseph Smith as a prophet.
Sorella Albos also met Helena for the first time! yay! And it was great! There was also an activity in church that we all went to and she had a great time :) Since she studies SO much she asked us for exercises and stuff to go along with the Book of Mormon, so we gave her a manual for the Sunday School class about the Book of Mormon and so far she really likes it. On Sunday there was a baptism after church so she got to stay for that and really liked it :) She's so excited for her baptism! It will be on the 27th of February! (HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOM)
(Mom's note: Seems like the perfect birthday present for sure!!:))
On Saturday when we saw Corina she said she WOULD come to church. She said even if Ovidio didn't come she would get up and bring Romina. So we were pretty excited. And then she slept in.... But since we had a baptism and a luncheon after church we still invited her to come for that! And she got there at the very end when only a few people remained.... haha but at least she got to see the church and meet a few members! And she loved it and everyone was so nice to her! So now she knows how to get there and everything so hopefully it will be easier for her to come.
At the luncheon Sunday there were actually quite a few nonmembers who came to the baptism, so that was so neat! I talked to a lady, Miriam, and her daughter, Asia. And they were so nice. They really liked the baptism and being there in the church. They even took a Book of Mormon. So that was a neat little miracle :)
Monday Sorella Albos and I went to Milano for a missionary counsel and it was at the Lampugnano church!! I got to go back!! It was so great!! And it seemed like I served there just last week. I loved riding the metros again and seeing the church :) I just love Milano!
This week since it's Valentine's day on Sunday, I've been thinking about love and what it really means. Being on a mission I've been able to see all types of acts of love and understand a little more of what love really is. I've been able to understand how it's such an unselfish thing. It requires time, sacrifice, thought, ad prayer. I've thought throughout my mission of acts of love I've seen or heard about. Here are a few little and major acts of love that have come throughout my mission. I hope by reading these you can think about the love that has been shown to you and how you can show love to others.
Love is:
-Adopting a teenager child so they can have a normal family who loves them
-Supporting your parents who adopted the teenager
-Praying for a wayward older sibling
-Coming home dead tired and helping the wife with dinner
-Making funny faces to your baby on the bus and not caring who sees you
-Helping the old lady you don't know off the bus
-Taking your grandchild to school because your child has to work
-Holding a child so she stays warm in the cold house
-Doing laundry week after week for the wife while she's at work
-Going out of your way to pick someone up for church
-Writing a little note of gratitude or encouragement and hiding it to be found later
-Calling someone unexpectedly who needs to hear from you
-Staying up til 3 am with your sister who just lost her child
-Visiting your mom everyday who is in the hospital
-Sacrificing your time to take care of your parents who aren't able to take care of themselves
-Staying with someone so they don't have nightmares
-Rubbing your sisters back at night to calm her down
-Going to the doctor with someone and waiting hours or possibly days with them
-Waiting years before being able to see a dear one
-Being the ear a friend can talk and complain to
-Helping a friends kids with homework without expecting anything in return
-Having the desire to forgive someone who hurt you
-Caring for a disabled sibling
-Singing for someone who loves the hymns
-Listening to someone's life story
-Leaving your kids little notes in the morning before going to work
-Tending a child when the mom unexpectedly has to go to work
-Showing appreciation for those who were there for you in a hard time
-Limping home with your sons hand in one hand and a bag of groceries in another all the while carrying your sleeping child on your back
-Being locked in your home with no job and a broken foot, being called crazy and discriminated because of your race all because you love your daughter and want her to be with you
-Waiting patiently for the one you love to come around
-Running and giving someone a huge hug like it's been years since you've seen them but really it's only been a week
-Changing a child's clothes five or six times a day because they are constantly making a mess
-Going to another country and not knowing anyone but your spouse and baby so he can get a good education
-giving a little kiss on the cheek
-and so much more!
As we show our love to others we are helping them feel the love of the savior. It is HE who performed the greatest act of Love. He is the example of true selflessness, sacrifice, service, and thought. As we do these little acts of love we will be able to understand Him more and feel His love more in our life.
Vi voglio bene! Happy Valentine's Day!
Con amore,
Sorella Dixon
What a happy companionship!!
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