July 24, 2013

My beloved bros and sorelle [sisters],

I will take sections and thought out of my journal this week and see if it makes any sense.

July 17, 2013- (last Prepation day) Played basketball and soccer with the 4 missionaries in Lecco, super fun. We've played soccer up there in Lecco on a dirt field, but here we have a free artificial turf field that looks like it's sponsered with all the banners along the fence. And we had another 7 people join in, so a really good game of soccer. 1 was a little african kid, maybe 10 years old, who's deking me out and curving it into the net. It was 3:30 then, walk by later at 7:30 and he's still playing futsol with other people, which is soccer on the basketball court and you need to hit the post that holds the basket to score. Yeah, they're all really good. 1 person joined in in basketball, since everyone here sucks at basketball, and we called him Big Pain after Anziano [Elder] Murphy comes in for a layup and hes a large man and Anziano Murphy just runs into him and falls down. But didn't get his number and the next day, there's 14000 people in Merate, he's the first person we see and talk to and get his number. And I've never seen him beofre July 17 (sorry, I'm writing the 18th) 0% of that happening on it's own, definitely the Lord's hand in that miracle.

A corn field right by our house that we pass by everyday. 
The corn was just poking out of the ground when I got here.

I've really developed my testimony of prayer this week. A couple of experiences were I was just feeling like I couldn't get something right and just felt so much peace come as I finish praying. Prayer really is talking to our Father in Heaven, and he wants to hear from us, even when we necessarily don't want to talk to him. Another funny example, I was really hungry and prayed Anziano Locklear would make enough food, he takes a bite and hates it, so he wanted to eat junk food while I ate all the rice with this new kind of flavour, which I learned afterwards was cow intestine. It was alright, I'm not a picky eater.

Got sidebags today.  I still use my backpack for P-day and shopping and filling water bottles, but we buy the sidebags and the same day set 2 baptism dates. Obedience brings blessings, punto basta. (end of story, final)

I've met more interesting people already in 2 months than probably my whole life, just talking to everyone. For example, yesterday a really sweet older lady started talking about the weather with us as we were passing her, and at the end of the conversation she says "Give me a kiss" and she gives us both kisses on the cheek. More common to kiss people you know here, like at church, or I've done the cheek touch on both sides is pretty common, but never been kissed by someone we are passing on the street.

July 19-slightly sidetracked there, but during a lesson Anziano Locklear asks an inspired question from heaven, and she says, "I don't know". And we just wait in silence for literally a minute, but felt more like 10 minutes, in complete silence while the spirit was getting on her case. Cool example of the spirit manifesting in such an obvious way. TOAST it up! [Thrive On Awkward Situations Today]

Starting to love those akward situations where the person is sitting on a bench and can't keep on walking, and we just stand in silence after asking a question or sharing something and they just feel the spirit working. We are nothing in conversion, the Holy Ghost does everything. Cool experince with our golden investigator. We said we loved talking to him since he was so prepared, and he said " I don't see why you're so suprised. You have the authority to bring the Holy Ghost into peoples lives, and if they are prepared like I am, they will accept it."   He realizes it's hard to give some stuff up, but he says he's already received his answer and knows it's the true church, so he does it. I'm giving him 5 years before he becomes stake president.  He also daily contacted US on his vacation last week with a spiritual thought.

21- skipping around, sounds a lot like Isaiah with all the tenses mixed up, but wrote "Hard day, but feel happy-tired" That pretty much sums up a mission, happy-tired.

22- You knows it's hot when you are sitting doing nothing and still sweating. In a dark room. With the fan on. Heard from members it's supposed to be 40 here on Friday, so desperately trying to schedule appointements where we won't have to bike to them and book as many as possible so that we don't tract all day.  Need to hang up my shirt during pranzo [lunch] everyday to let it dry out, but not as bad now that i don't have a backpack on either. And yes, I mean dry out in the sense of sweating a bunch, but I'm starting to get used to it.

23- Anziano Locklear doesn't have white pants, and we were cleaning the house and I found a pair left from previous missionaries that fit him perfectly. Miracle right there, and then he makes ragu and pasta baked with mozerella melted on top. Another miracle, they're everywhere.

Best regards,

Anziano Berg