Who's excited? I am! Although you all know that by now. This past week just flew. Il tempo è volato, as the Italians say. Really though, I feel like I was just writing emails an hour ago. I can't even think of what to say right now. Ok... Update of the week: Caroling, no snow, long bus rides, getting lost, teaching Seminary, really cold, lots of service, Grandma's cookies, piano playing, preparations for Ward Christmas Party, speaking Italian, and occasionly sleeping.
Service. It turns out that Christmas time is a great time to do service! Whooda thunk? We spent Saturday painting, dusting, and deep-cleaning a house. One of our members knew a family who needed some help; an elderly woman that lives with her two children who have some medical problems. We were able to bring the Christmas spirit to them and give them a big hand with stuff that really needed done. I found a new proficiency in toilet-scrubbing that I didn't know I had. The job still isn't finished. We'd like to go back and finish before Christmas. The second big service we did was yesterday. It was definitely a memorable experience, that's for sure. We were helping one of our new converts move. He was baptized the week after I got to Cimiano. Anyway, he is moving to a different apartment in the city so we came over to help him and another member came with a big moving truck. He told originally that he just had some books and a few shelves. "Some" books was a bit of an understatement. We moved the contents of an entire library and we haven't even finished yet. We walked into his house and I was shocked. Every space of wall, quite litereally, is covered by books. The hallway, the living room, and the bedroom were full of books. There were even some in the bathroom. It was hard to walk down the hall because of all the books. We spent several hours moving stuff out of that apartment. We went up and down that elevator with so much stuff. The other tenants were getting mad at us... I wasn't about to carry a library down five flights of stairs though! Anyway, we're going back tomorrow to finish up the job. I respect him. Books are great, just not when the missionaries are moving you out of your apartment! Hah! That definitely made for some fun memories.
Tonight our new convert is taking us to a Nepali buffet. That should be exciting. Seeing his conversion in the past few months has been awesome. I'm sorry I talk about him so much, but he's just such a miracle. We were out caroling with him and we started talking with one man in the piazza. He bore his testimony to him in perfectly understandable Italian and then said "Lei è sempre benvenuto nella nostra chiesa (You are always welcome in our church)!" SO COOL! We were smiling the rest of the night.
"And I answered him, saying: Yea, it is the love of God, which sheddeth itself abroad in the hearts of the children of men; wherefore, it is the most desirable above all things. And he spake unto me, saying: Yea, and the most joyous to the soul" (1 Nephi 11:22-23). I love being a missionary. I love teaching people about the love of God. So many people don't feel the love of God in their lives, including those who profess belief in Him. He is literally our Father and He literally loves us. I'm so glad that everyday I have the opportunity to share this love with all of my brothers and sisters. Remember, especially this Christmas season, that you are loved. That's why God sent His Son Jesus Christ especially for you.
I love you! Merry Christmas. Love, Anziano Simcox.
No comments:
Post a Comment