October 2, 2013

Ciaowdy!

Lots of fun this week, working hard, being obedient, that about covers this week.

In detail, last P-day [preparation day] went to the Milano Duomo again and walked around Milan with another coppia [companionship] in our district.  Also went to a church relatively close to the duomo that has an entire room that the walls are created out of skulls and bones, that was cool and creepy. Not really sure the back story, just some cemetery had to be dug up or moved or something, didn't have the words free agency or atonement in the explanation so I couldn't understand it completely.

Then that night super miracle, we are on the street at 8:30 and there is nobody out and it's dark and and my legs hurt. So we decided to say a prayer to know if we should continue this way, said a prayer, felt impressed to continue, and taught a lesson on a bench. Only 2 people we saw that hour, but one of them (technically mother and son) we taught them when they had turned us down in the past, once at least I remember. Then we start to walk home, and one of our potentials walks past and invites us to walk with him, so we walk to his house and got his address so we can now drop by when he's free, needed to get back to our house at that time.

Next day we're teaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ, Anziano Green suddenly bears a super strong testimony of the Book of Mormon. After the lesson, he tells me he didn't plan to say anything at all, and wasn't even quite sure what he was saying when he opened his mouth. We don't usually focus on Book of Mormon in the Gospel of Jesus Christ (faith in Jesus Christ and His atonement, repentance, baptism, gift of Holy Ghost and persevere to the end) but just reinforced that we are representatives of Jesus Christ and we just need to do all we can do and open our mouths and the words will come.

Then we finish that lesson with them definitely feeling the spirit, and we're in the same apartment as a dropped investigator, we drop by and he's not there but some of his relatives are, they invite us in and we teach a lesson. Anziano Green thought it was the dropped investigator, and I tell him afterwards that I didn't know them either, just walked in and taught a lesson and walked out, pretty funny, going to bring them a French Book of Mormon this week.

Other highlights this week, taught 2 member present lessons on back to back days that had some nice space doctrine thrown in brought up by the members (multiple spouses in heaven, how resurrection works, the millenium, who is a son of perdition-that was actually our recent convert reading D&C) and so those were fun to teach in a different sort of way. ("Different sort of way" you need to read in between the lines to translate to annoying) No, but really it wasn't that bad, mostly funny because the investigator and the new convert could take it and it wasn't hindering their eternal progress. I enjoyed it

Sunday taught a huge Gospel Principles class. Huge by my definition is 5 compared to 0-2, but that was great to see.

Went on a scambio [companion exchange] to Muggiò, that was really fun. Miracles always happen on scambios. Got a bunch of potential numbers, lots of people stopped and talked even if they weren't really interested. Funny stories while there: met a middle-aged woman who wanted to show off her English, pointed at her mom and said "I am... your son" (I'm her daughter) Also met a man who fights destiny and won't ride in cars, but buses are okay because his son is a bus driver. I was pretty clueless on what he was saying until Anziano McKinnon told me as we were walking away. Had pizza kebab for the first time ever, kebab on pizza, SUPER good, but took 2 years off my life.

Next day we have it timed perfectly where we ride up to Merate on the train to rescambio and we have a minute before the next train comes going the other way, our train is late and we jump off, run to the other platform where the other train is already there, Anziano McKinnon jumps on and Anziano Atwood, who is 3 weeks old [in Italy on his mission] so can't blame him, starts walking the 5 feet towards the train and the the doors close and the train leaves. First time that's happened on my mission, had to start calling President and zone leaders, but we ended up just waiting at the station for another half hour while Anziano McKinnon got off at the next stop and came back. But it all turned out good, not sure if I'm allowed to include that in weekly letters but it was definitely an exciting highlight and pretty funny watching Anziano McKinnon's face as he realized that the doors wouldn't open.

Have my official card that says I'm allowed to be in Italy now, don't have to carry a bunch of photocopies around with me wherever I go. Had to stand in a crowded room for 2 and a half hours to get it, but have my permission to sojourn. (Soujorno in italian, don't know if that's a word in English)

So yeah, like I already said, overall great week, singing primary rounds with Anziano Green in the evenings when there's not a lot of people on the streets, looking forward to conference, have permission from bishop and going to watch some of it at the Americans family's house in English, forgot to say went to Muggiò this morning and played basketball and soccer and handball (with the soccer ball) with 4 other coppie [companionships], that was really fun, but no pictures. Brian, never realized handball was so fun.

The end.

Anziano Berg