Hello everyone! Happy Thanksgiving! What are you thankful for? I'm thankful for tons of things, like the fact that I'm serving the Lord in Italy! I thank God also for my family and friends who are always behind me cheering me on. I also give thanks that I'll be spending the holidays in Milano! I found out yesterday that Anz. Parker and I will both be here in Milano until the middle of January. I can't think of a better place to spend the holidays as a missionary.
Our plans for Thanksgiving at the church backfired, so there will be no big dinner. I'm still planning on making a Thanksgiving "feast" though. I wasn't brave enough to try to bake a turkey, so I just bought some turkey breasts and I'm going to make some stuffing with a recipe from Grandma. We'll see how it all turns out! I'm excited though. I wanted to make pumpkin pie too, but I cannot find pumpkin ANYWHERE. Mamma mia... Ah well. Apple pie is good too.
Our friend from Nepal was baptized and confirmed this week! He was so happy. After the confirmation, he was so happy that he got up, hugged the two of us and the bishop, then went down the stand and shook hands with everyone, including the counselors, the deacons, the chorister, and the pianist. He couldn't stop smiling for the rest of the day. It was a good weekend. It was made even better when our mission presidents gave him the contact information for the branch in Kathmandu and the service missionaries there. He was ecstatic, and so were we.
Last Saturday we had a little conference where we met Pres. Osguthorpe (Sunday School Pres.), Pres. Ridd (Young Men's counselor), and Elder Kearon (Seventy). Although it was super short, we learned a lot of things about how to be better teachers. I really enjoyed it. I also got to see a few missionaries that I haven't seen in a long time! It's always really exciting when that happens.
Despite all this, we actually did do other things this week. We talked to people in the Metro. We talked to people on the street. We talked to people in the park. We talked to people outside of the castle. You get the picture. Talking with people is always an interesting experience. It's kind of like Forrest Gump's mom always said. "You never know what you're gonna get." Although I feel comfortable with the language, the prospect can still be a little daunting. I always try to remind myself that if I didn't have the joy of the Gospel in my life, I would want someone who did to give me the opportunity to listen! I try to keep that in the back of my head. As one man reminded us in the park yesterday, people can do whatever their mind tells them they can.
"For behold, are we not all beggars? Do we not all depend upon the same Being, even God, for all the substance which we have..." (Mosiah 4:19). I've had this scripture on my mind throughout the holiday season. It's important to remember where all of our blessings come from. They come from God. Of course, we also must do all we can to achieve these blessings. Good things cannot come to those who do nothing. In the end though, all things come from God. He will give us, not the things we need, but the strength to obtain the things we need. Put your faith in Him and you will have exactly what you need.
Happy Thanksgiving to all! Love, Anziano Simcox.
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