Sorella Dixon: July 2016

Cari tutti,

The last email. Mamma Mia I still can't believe it. A year and six

months have now come and gone and I'm here writing my last weekly

email of amazing missionary miracles that have happened this past week

in little Rimini Italy. I feel so small amidst all the attractions,

music, lights, and people we have been around, yet I know that the

Lord is with us. This week Sorella Rosano and I were talking about the

people in the world and how everything is just covered with

worldliness, yet God still loves them because he has sent us. We are

there any time to offer them a way to change. To come unto Christ. Discover

the way to have true joy. And God truly sends us to those who have

their hearts prepared or who are being prepared to hear the truth.

It is incredible how every week there have been miracles, usually too

many to include in one email. And this week is just the same. Although

I feel like these miracles are more special. Not because they were

really big or unexpected, in fact most of them are just during finding

and someone is interested and listens to us for a bit. But I love

those because that is when I've truly felt the guidance of the spirit

and the love that God has for these people.

A few experiences from this week- we just got done teaching a lesson

to a less-active named Rigoberta and had a little bit of time before

we had to head home, so we decide to walk down this street where there

aren't a ton of people. We try to talk to a few people and no one is

interested, and then we see a mom and two daughters and talk to her

about faith in Christ and they were really open to our message. After

them we talk to a mom with a little boy who has the chicken pox and

she loved what we had to say and wanted to know more.

A different day we were just in central trying to talk to everyone who

passed and most people refused to talk to us. But we stop this girl

and she was super sweet and really open to hearing more. She was

Catholic and actually active and said that because of her faith in

Christ she hoped that people would see something different in her. And

you could. She had the desire to do the right thing and follow Christ.

We hope the next Sorelle will be able to see her again.

Another day, again at central, we stop two girls and after talking for

a bit we asked what they searched for in life and they said to feel

peace and happy inside. From the church they studied they have never

been able to get that. It was amazing to be able to promise them that

they would be able to have that through the restored gospel of Jesus

Christ. They were hesitant to see us again, but I know the things we

said made them think and they felt the spirit. I know God is preparing

them little by little.

We have been teaching an investigator who saw the missionaries two

years ago named Anna and one lesson the spirit was really strong when

she expressed her desire to know what was true in the world. Which

church was true. We were able to tell her that that was the same

question a boy had 200 hundred years ago and his prayer was answered.

She really said she would pray like Joseph smith. It's incredible to

see how much she wants to change her life and follow God.

There's another lady we're teaching, Giusi, who we saw so many times

this week just as we were going around the city on our bikes. Later

when we had a lesson with her she said that seeing us so many times

was like a sign from God that she needs to continue in this path. She

felt the spirit as we were with her and her desire to continue grew

even more.

There's a family from Peru in the ward where the dad is a member but

the wife isn't. In the past she has been very closed about knowing

about the church. She hasn't wanted to know anything and wouldn't even

let the missionaries come in the house. These past few weeks though we

have been able to go over to help their son with English. And she has

always been super sweet to us. Then we invited them to the FHE we had

last night and she came at the beginning! Then had to go because her

son had soccer, but piano piano she's opening her heart. Her husband

was able to stay for the FHE and just told us how grateful he is

because his wife is warming up to the church. It is such a miracle

that she has opened her home to us and has come to little things in

the church!

There's a woman who we see all the time in central named Rita. She

goes around the city and on the beaches with a picture of Christ

around her neck and talks to people about him. A lot of people ask her

questions and she sees it as an opportunity to bear her testimony

about him. As we've gotten to know her it turns out that she had

actually met with the missionaries in the past and loves our church,

but isn't really interested in continuing. But she really wants her

nephews to meet us. She is the sweetest lady and wants to help lots of

people. She just has a few different ideas than us.

We were finally able to see Rossella again! The woman we met on the

bench who got a job while we were with her. And the change in her just

keeps growing. She is thawed test thing and says that she now feels

the love of God in her life and that is what has helped her change and

stay strong. She is excited to meet the new Sorelle coming in.

Well I could keep going on and on, but I'll stop there. Being able to

preach the gospel and share my testimony with others has and is simply

amazing. I know that God leads this work and he is ever so present in

our lives. His plan is perfect and he loves each one of us so much.

I just want to thank each and every person who reads this. Thank you

for your love and support. For your prayers and thoughts. For your

goodness and desire to follow Christ. Serving this mission has been

the best experience of my life and it's because of people like you

that I have been able to do it.

I'll finish with a scripture that pretty much sums up my thoughts and

feelings right now:

"And again I say unto you as I have said before, that as ye have come

to the knowledge of the glory of God, or if ye have known of his

goodness and have tasted of his love, and have received a remission of

your sins, which causeth such exceedingly great joy in your souls,

even so I would that ye should remember, and always retain in

remembrance, the greatness of God, and your own nothingness, and his

goodness and long-suffering towards you, unworthy creatures, and

humble yourselves even in the depths of humility, calling on the name

of the Lord daily, and standing steadfastly in the faith of that which

is to come, which was spoken by the mouth of the angel.

And behold, I say unto you that if ye do this ye shall always rejoice,

and be filled with the love of God, and always retain a remission of

your sins; and ye shall grow in the knowledge of the glory of him that

created you, or in the knowledge of that which is just and true."

-Mosiah 4:11-12

If nothing else, in this mission I have seen the goodness of God.

Being able to serve in Italy has been amazing. It is a BEAUTIFUL

country and I am in awe at God's creations everyday, whether it be

nature or God's work through man. But more than that I have also been

able to see the goodness of God in his greatest creation- man. Being

able to serve his children has been such a humbling experience that I

will never forget. Being able to get to know them and their hearts has

been so special. And all through this God has blessed me even more by

giving me more knowledge, power, faith, love, and joy. Take a moment

to see the goodness of God in your life and then go out and share that

goodness with someone else. Let them feel a little of God's love today.

Love you all so much and I'm excited to be able to see everyone in

these next few days. (And for those missionaries I won't see yet, I

still love you and you just keep working as hard as you can til the

very end!) As much as my heart hurts thinking about leaving this

amazing land, it is also leaping with joy to be able to go back to the

land it already loves. A place called home.

Vi voglio bene. Ci vediamo fra poco :)

Con amore,

Sorella Dixon

From the setting apart...

to the last of her mission!!

Yes, God is good.

Carissimi Tutti!
Wow, time has flown. I can't believe that another week has already come and gone and I get to tell you about how great it is being a missionary, yet again. :D Really, it truly is amazing.
I'm blessed to be able to serve in Rimini these last few weeks in my mission because we have been able to do a lot of finding and talk to so many people! I love being able to talk to and get to know people of all sorts and bear my testimony to them. People believe so many different things and it's amazing we have the power and authority to bring them the TRUTH. So often this week people talked about the people of the world and how they are fake and you can't trust them. They talked about all these different ideas they had heard and different opinions they have read about. They don't know what to believe. But we know what to believe because we have the Holy Ghost who testifies to us the truth. I have loved serving with Sorella Rosano because she is so Bold and fears no man. Her testimony is so strong and and is full of POWER when she speaks. It's amazing to work right along side with her.

I also love getting to know and serve with the members here. Let me tell you about one member in specific. His name is Fratello Scarpulla and is about 90 years old. He used to be a priest for the Catholic church and actually worked in the Vatican. How in the world did he become a member? Actually I don't really know the full story, but I know that he was so high in the Catholic church that he had access to the archives in the vVtican. And so he saw EVERYTHING. He knew the scandals, the work, he read the letters between popes and priests, and saw everything that went on. And he knew it was wrong. So eventually he left, got married, and 20 years later became a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. He knows the apostasy is REAL. He saw it with his own two eyes, in the deepest parts of the catholic church. It's incredible to understand how much actually happened and how much people changed the church of Christ. He is such a wise, spiritual man. And it was so neat to get to know him.

This week we were able to see Giulia! Finally! She has a baptismal date for the end of this month. She is adorable and we love teaching her. She loves church and just soaks everything in. It's incredible to see the faith she has, even with the difficulties that she is facing.

Guila!

I've been thinking a lot this week about testimony. Joseph F. Smith said, "A testimony of the gospel is a convincing knowledge given by revelation to the individual who humbly seeks the truth." A testimony, a strong testimony, is SO important in a world like today. And we can't just rely on the testimony we received in the past. Food eaten 5 or 10 years ago does us no good today, we need and use the food we eat TODAY. A testimony received 5 or 10 years ago without being built upon doesn't really help us today. We need the testimony we receive TODAY. I invite everyone to pray again to gain a testimony of the Book of Mormon. Even if you know it is true. That added spiritual confirmation will build your testimony and make it even stronger. I know that building a testimony is so so important and will help us everyday, especially during the difficult times.

Well, I hope everyone has a great week. Search for miracles and search for ways to bear your testimony, even in the littlest of ways!!
I know that this is restored church of Jesus Christ, and it is the only true church on the earth. And we are so blessed to have that knowlege.
vi voglio un sacco di bene!
Love,
Sorella Dixon