Buon Giorno!
This week went by so fast!!!! Okay, the first news is this - I get to stay at the MTC one extra week. The mission presidents in Europe have a training meeting with general authorities the day that we were supposed to arrive in Italy, so they moved our departure date back one week. My new departure date is the 26th of October. Anyway, I'd think I'd rather have an extra week than one less, more time to prepare and feel confident. I'm confident that the Lord has His hand in all of this, and I know everything will work out (eventually...).
...Yesterday we were able to practice contacting. It was the most real contacting experience we've had yet - because it was real! We went into the bookstore in the MTC, and our job was to go up to missionaries and talk about the gospel, share our testimony, and try to get them to share theirs. It was hard for me at first because I didn't want to interrupt them and get in the way of what they were doing, but I finally realized that I'm going to have to do the same kind of thing in Italy and I better get used to it. Besides, the gospel is more important than anything else these elders could possible be doing anyway (everyone has a need, and I could help to address that need). When I finally gathered the courage and faith to go up and start talking, all fear and restraint left - I was able to talk, be bold about the gospel, share my testimony, and it was cool because these first elders leave tomorrow, and they had some worries that I was able to address, and I hope I was able to help them (or that the spirit helped them) in some way. The thing I guess I've realized is that I will be an effective servant in the Lord's hands if my heart is in the right place; if I'm doing things because I love the people and want to help them, the Lord will make it happen. If I'm doing it for any other reason - a selfish one most likely - it probably won't go so well.
Thank you all so much for your love, support, and prayers!
-Anziano Barnes
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