What to say what to say... It's time for transfers, so things have been getting busy in the office. Transfer week is my favorite part of being in the office. New missionaries, departing missionaries, lost luggage... I live for that thrill! Haha. Anz. Stewart found out today that he's going to Imperia. Lucky duck. It's a beautiful city on the western shore near France. He's definitely not upset. We've been in three for the past two weeks. It'll be weird to be in two again! This has been a fun trio though. Sometimes they're really stressful, but we've had a lot of fun together.
President told us that our proselyting area will be changing with the transfer. We won't be working in Milano anymore. Instead we'll be working in a city called Lodi, which is about 30 miles southeast of Milano. We're still in the office like normal and we stay in the same apartment, we'll just be working in a different city. I'm excited for the change, but I'm sad to leave the Milano Navigli ward. Every ward/branch I've served in has had something different that made it special for me. My favorite part about this ward has been the youth. It's hard to be a Mormon youth in general, but in Italy it's especially difficult because the Church is not nearly as recognized as it is in other places. It was only granted full legal recognition a few years ago. Here the expectation is that if you're Italian, you're Catholic, and if you're not, it's very strange for people. So I have a lot of respect for these youth who live their faith even though it may even have a big effect on their social life. They're not afraid to share the Gospel. They will be very blessed by this new Single's Ward that will be formed soon. So anyway, Lodi will be my sixth (and most likely final) city.
Dolores's situation doesn't seem to be getting much better. We've been visiting her as often as possible and trying to bring some cheer and some Spirit. I wish there was more that we could do. It's hard on her family because most of her children are still in the Philippines. They've been trying to come over here, but because of document issues, they haven't been able to get visas. It's really frustrating that stupid bureaucracy is stopping this family from being together. I hope that some solution is found soon. It's really hard on Ronaldo too. He's been putting in countless hours staying with her and taking care of her in the hospice center. But, if he doesn't work, he doesn't get paid and neither do the bills. So he's stuck between a rock and a hard place. I love this family so much and it's hard for me to watch them struggle like this.
Last night in our chapel there was a baptism. He actually belongs to the Cimiano ward, but he wanted to be baptized in our chapel. He went through the hands of many people before ending up at Cimiano. First he met some missionaries on the subway. Then, while he was in the States, he toured temple square and talked with some missionaries there. Then he came back and found the chapel in Navigli. He came once or twice, and we talked to him for a little bit. It turned out he lived in Cimiano's area, so he started going over there and the missionaries there taught him. This man's life story is crazy. Started at age 13, he lived in a monastery, studying to be a priest. In the monastery, he did two years of silence, in which he didn't speak for two years. He's originally from Croatia. He was transferred to Rome and lived in the Vatican for a while. A few years ago, he left the Church and started searching other religions. Last night after his baptism, he gave a testimony at the pulpit. He said "I sat down with the Elders and had a discussion with them. In my life, I've had many similar discussions with many different types of people. I was skeptical that this was going to be any different. As a former priest, I was looking to prove things theologically. As I listened and learned, I discovered that the theology of it all had no significance because I felt the Holy Ghost tell me in my heart that the things I was learning were true." This man was prepared to receive the Gospel and he will be a strong member of the Church.
This reminded me of something Brigham Young once said. "If all the talent, tact, wisdom, and refinement of the world had been sent to me with the Book of Mormon, and had declared, in the most exalted of earthly eloquence, the truth of it, undertaking to prove it by learning and worldly wisdom, they would have been to me like smoke which arises only to vanish away. But when I saw a man without eloquence or talents for public speaking, who could only say, ‘I know by the power of the Holy Ghost that the Book of Mormon is true, that Joseph Smith is a Prophet of the Lord,’ the Holy Ghost proceeding from that individual illuminated my understanding, and a light, glory, and immortality were before me. I was encircled by them, filled with them, and I knew for myself that the testimony of the man was true."
I'm grateful to be a missionary and see this conversion happen in peoples' lives. For everyone it's different, but the principles are always the same: "Ask and ye shall receive. Knock and it shall be opened unto you."
Vi voglio bene, come sempre. Buona settimana! --Anziano Simcox
No comments:
Post a Comment