September 11, 2013

Dear brothers and sisters,

Our threesome is amazing, we all get along super good, and I thought there might be contention with having to share more space and exluding someone, but it's been really fun so far. I'm loving it, as our recent convert said after hearing 3 was really rare "Well, you have more power!" All 3 of us aren't as good at the language as Anziano Locklear was, but we make gramatical errors sometimes but still communicate perfectly. At least the other 2.

Okay, time for the week

Sept. 4-last P-day [preparation day] I forgot to write we went to an investigator's garden, and rotatilled most of his garden, with a shovel. Got 2 blisters but loved it, it's been probably a year since I've done some gardening like that. Then went bowling with some other missionaries and some members and some investigators from Lecco, I get up the first time, Anziano [Elder] Locklear says "Let's see if Canadians can bowl" and I get a strike. And met a member fom Lecco, an 18 year old girl who is fluent in English and learned everything she knows on google translate and facebook. Cool and scary how much technology is changing people, will be interesting how the tablets will work, looking forward to it.

5-Went to transfers in MIlano Centrale, just feels weird speaking English to different people, didn't end up picking up Anziano Green with complications

6- Got out of an amazing lesson, get a phone call that says we need to catch the train to Milano, and we need to catch the next train if we don't want to wait an hour for the next one and hold everybody up. But we know we can't make it, just looking at the time we need at least 5 minutes even with running, start running anyways and as we're running say a prayer the train will be late, the train is 5 minutes late and we make it. Pretty direct answer to prayer, and you need to understand the train is actually really punctual. So picked up Anziano Green, the Lord definitely wanted us to have him here in Merate for some reason.

And I've just noticed a bunch of small miracles and answers to prayers this week, for example DVD player and newfamilysearch.org wasn't loading, said a silent prayer, they work. If it's the Lord's will, you need to have faith and pray to get those additional blessings.

7-Got the ward family history consultant, don't know if that's what the position is called, but got him to the lesson with our recent convert and he just showed us on the computer at the church how to prepare names for the temple, super cool lesson, I learned a lot

10-skip ahead, I'll come back. Our recent convert has now read 20 pages of the Book of Mormon in that time and submitted 24 names to the temple.

8-Gave an English Book of Mormon to a lady from the Phillipines, she took the lessons a long time ago and isn't really interested, just wants to keep her English up, but hey, if you're going to read a book in English, the Book of Mormon is the best book to do it with, actually best book ever in my opinion. And she takes care of an older lady, so she said she will read it everyday when they are sitting on a bench. If only we could get all our investigators to read the Book of Mormon daily, it would solve any concerns they have, but they have their free agency too.

And in church talked to the only American family, then Bishop Vescovo in English, then go over to our recent convert and start talking to him in English, silence for a second, "whoops, let's start that again" But he was nodding his head and looking like he understood for a while, so maybe it shows how much he understands me when I'm speaking Italian :)

9- 3 bidone (lessons fell through) but 2 unplanned lessons, so great day, and explored a bunch of places outside of our regular route, so great day.

10-Super cool English class today, we got 5 new people who don't speak English at all mixed in with a fluent speaker who regularly shows up, so I ended up going right outside the door with him and while they are learning "What is your name" I'm looking over his university thesis and he's explaining how he created an app, that was fun.

11- Bought a bike today for Anziano Green is the highlight, nice and used and ugly and beautiful at the same time. Was 60 Euro originally, met an investiagator at the used store and he noticed it was past time to lower the price (over time the price goes down and eventually goes to charity, but you only get paid if it sells in the first 3 months or something like that), so miracle to meet him there at that time and we got it for 40 Euro.

I think that's it for this week, stay tuned for next week's episode. Will Anziano Berg survive the perilous journey in an unknown land? How will he escape being boiled alive by the savage natives of the jungle? All this and more will be answered next week on "Little miracles; the Life and Times of Anziano Berg"

Ciao ciao

Anziano Berg