La Settimana di Anziano Barnes, Trainer and District Leader!

Anziano Barnes, LenLo, Anziano Koponen

Buon giorno tutti!

Wow!  This week has been incredible!  ...

The highlight of the week was the baptism of our chinese friend LenLo!  We held the baptismal service in Firenze (Florence) because the hot water heater at the church in Prato broke (the ironic thing is that the water wasn't very warm at Firenze's church either!).  However, that turned out to be a huge blessing.  On the morning of the baptism, we were worried because we had called a couple of the members and no one that we called knew that the service was in Firenze (our ward mission leader and the elders quorum president said they were going to take care of informing the members, and they probably tried to do it through the home teachers - apparently it didn't work so well...), but everything worked out in the end: the chapel in Firenze was completely full of people to support LenLo!!!  A lot of the GANS people came to support LenLo ((I don't know what the acronym means, but they're basically just single young adults that have activities every week, and LenLo has been going to Firenze for these activities and has made a ton of friends) and then they had a party for him afterward!  Then, there were investigators from Pistoia and from Firenze that came to see the baptism, some members from Prato (so some people learned about the change of location!), and then some other people that I didn't know who they were.  LenLo was the happiest that I've ever seen, and the service was absolutely wonderful.  Then on Sunday, LenLo was confirmed a member of the church and recieved the gift of the Holy Ghost.  Afterwards, he told us that he wanted to get up in Church to talk for a minute, so we worked something out with our branch president last minute, and he got up and talked, it was the highlight of the sunday services!  He even started out trying to say "Buon giorno cari fratelli e sorelle..." (Good morning dear brothers and sisters).  He talked about how, even though it is cold outside, he feels warm when he comes to church.  And, my personal favorite line that he said: "Secondo me, la chiesa è vera" (according to me, the church is true).  It was really funny, probably just because we know LenLo and how he talks, and how it's quite a bit different than how normal people would bear testimony, but the spirit was incredibly strong as LenLo bore his simple, yet very sincere, testimony.
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Okay, the craziest part of the week.  Some background info:  Transfers are tomorrow.  Usually we learn what's going to happen the tuesday before (yesterday for us) the thursday of transfers.  However, for "bigger" transfers, that is for companionships that are being closed, people that are going to be district or zone leaders or APs, people to be trainers, and other more interesting/extreme transfers, they get a call from the mission president sometime before tuesday.  Okay, anyway, on with the story.  On scambio, we got a phone call from Anziano Fulcher's companion, asking us if someone had called us (he said that they were expecting some investigator to call that night).  It turns out that someone had tried to call about 5 minutes prior, but we were at a door and Anziano Fulcher had rejected the call.  He asked us to check who it was for him and to call the investigator back. However, then we looked at who it was - President Wolfgramm (our mission president).  Then we started to get suspicious.  Anyway, we tried to call President back, but he didn't respond.  So, we had some time to speculate what it was all about.  At first we thought that he was calling to let Anziano Fulcher and Anziano Anderson (the Pistoia elders) know something (they'd been together for like 4 transfers or something - quite a long time), like maybe Anziano Anderson would be training again, or that he would be a district or zone leader, or maybe just a nice phone call from president to inform them that they wouldn't be together any more (but that reason would be pretty unlikely...).  However, then I had the thought that the call was for me.  I tried to dismiss the thought because I wanted to stay with Anziano Koponen at least another transfer - I've learned a ton from him (he's about as "perfect" as a missionary can get, according to me...) and I would love to continue learning at his side.  So, then the thoughts flying through my head were that he might be going somewhere to be a zone leader or AP or something like that, or then my thoughts went to maybe it was something for me, that there was something that I was going to be doing... But, I didn't know.  Finally, we got the call from President.  Anziano Fulcher answered, and President talked to him for a while, and from the sounds of it everything was about him and his companion, so I assumed that the call was for him and started to relax.  However, then Anziano Fulcher handed me the phone and said that President wanted to talk to me.  He said that Anziano Koponen would be going to Este near Venice to be a zone leader, joking that I'm making all of my companions too good of missionaries too fast, and that's why they get booted out after a transfer.  He then continued to tell me how great of work I was doing and all of that kind of stuff.  So then I asked who my new companion would be.  President said that he didn't know!  He proceeded to tell me that I was going to be a trainer.  I interupted him - "really? No, seriously?" - but he said that I really was going to be a trainer.  He then continued to tell me how great I had been doing and how much help I would be able to recieve from the Lord as the new challenge arose.  So, my thoughts at this point... What!?!  I was completely expecting to stay in Prato with Anziano Koponen, however, when president said this, it was like the "familiar ring," and it was if I knew that I was going to be training.  Anyway, I was very very humbled at hearing this, a little bit surprised and overcome at the thoughts of the responsibility that I would have over a new missionary and having to rise up (a ton) in order to lead out in the work at Prato.  But, apparently this wasn't enough.  President then told me that I was going to be the district leader as well!  Yikes!  I'm going to be the 6th oldest of 8 missionaries in the district (the 2 younger than me will be one sister who got here a transfer after me and my new companion), 2 of which are zone leaders, and I'm supposed to be their leader.  Well, the thing that came to my mind at this point was the scripture Ether 12:27 - out of weakness we'll be made strong through Christ.  I guess I'm going to be really strong this next transfer...  Anyway, so that was the crazy phone call.  I'm really excited for the chance I'll have to be a leader now instead of just a learner/follower, and especially for this chance that I'll have to grow, and grow, and grow!  I'm not super worried, probably because I've felt that this is exactly what the Lord wants, and therefore that He believes that I'm ready to take on this challenge, and, for all of my shortcomings, He'll make it all work out.  I wonder what my new, fresh out of the MTC, companion will think when he finds out that I just have a few more weeks experience than him...  Oh well, we're gonna learn a ton together!

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Anyway, so, now, probably more than ever, thanks for your continued prayers for me (and for my new companion and district too)!

-Anziano Barnes