More Baptisms On the Way...

Anziano Barnes and Boscia, serving in Pavia

I'll start first with a cool miracle story...

There is a man named Dario.  We found him about 2 weeks ago.  A couple days after we found him he called us in the middle of the night (at about 2:00).  He said that my face had came into his head and he decided that he really wanted to learn more.  Anyway, we tried to get together with him but we never seemed to be able to find a time.  Then, thursday came.  We were supposed to have 7 lessons that day - there was going to be hardly any time to do anything else!  However, everything seemed to fall through.  We arrived at the last hour and a half of the night, and we were supposed to teach the recently baptized africans, but that fell through as well!  We didn't have a ton of time left in the night, but we figured that the Lord wanted us to do something else or either just wanted to try our faith all the way until the last minute of the night.  We went to centro to try to talk to the people there.  Nobody would talk, they wouldn't even slow down their pace to look at us.  But then, all of a sudden, probably more out of despair because nothing was working, I decided to call Dario (we met him in centro and he said that he's in centro pretty often...).  So, I called him.  The first thing he said after saying hi was that he saw us!  I asked if we could teach him.  He said that he was about to take the bus home (and in that moment the bus passed us).  We said that we'd join him for the bus ride and teach him in the bus.  We ran forward a couple hundred feet to barely catch the bus in time!  In the bus we were able to teach him and give him a book of mormon!  It was really cool because all of the events in the day and their timing led up to us being in centro at exactly that time.  Furthermore, the fact that I called him 20 seconds before he got on the bus, well...  It was a miracle!

Unfortunately, Dario is no longer super interested, but our other investigators are doing well!

First, the new converts are all doing really well.  It is so cool to see them - they really have changed!  On sunday they recieved the Aaronic priesthood!  I was able to perform this ordinance for all 5 of them.  It was cool because I've never ordained anyone else to the priesthood, not to mention that it was a surprise because I thought that it was going to be at least another week before they recieved the priesthood!  Let's just say I learned really fast what one must do!  This experience reinforced for me the principle that I must always be worthy and ready to exercise the Priesthood - you never know when you will be called upon or when someone will have need of it!

Next, Bismack, Kelly, and Frank all want to be baptized!  After church, in fact, on Sunday, Frank and Emmanuel were talking (at this point we had not yet fixed a baptismal date with him because he was still working on quiting smoking) and they decided together that Emmanuel would baptize Frank!  We taught them that evening and fixed a baptismal date with Frank (he hasn't smoked for about a week now!!!).  Kelly is doing well also.  Bismack is doing amazing - he is super ready!  His knowledge, understanding, and testimony is incredible.  The past couple weeks have been cool because his countenance has completely changed.  All three of these men will be baptized in a week and a half (not this sunday, but the next)!

Benedetta is doing pretty well.  We taught her last week with the Virzo family.  She finally has began reading the book of mormon and has began praying!  She said that she likes it!  This is a huge step for her because she has always been a bit timid and always tried to deny what she felt, but now she has no shame to say that she tries to read and pray and she really enjoys it!

Tiziano is super amazing!  He wants to be baptized!  He was driving us back to Pavia (they live a little ways away...) and we got talking about asking God.  He asked us how we got our answers.  We then asked/challenged him again to ask God, asking if he would do it that evening.  He, in response, said, "I don't know if I can wait that long, maybe before I go home I will find a nice grove and ask God then!"  We go back today to help him along the path!

There is only one other thing I want to talk about this week.  The last little while I have been too focused on "how" to do things and "how" I can improve.  I've been missing the point!  The MOST important thing in this work is the Spirit.  And there is no "How" for teaching by the spirit.  I am really trying to not worry about how I will teach, what I will say, and all of those things (don't think that you don't have to be prepared - that is a prerequisite to having the spirit), but I am searching to love the people I am teaching/talking with and trust that the Spirit will work through me to touch them.  When this has happened, everything has gone better!  I will never be a good instrument in the hands of the Lord - no matter how refined I am - if I never let Him touch and use me (which he does through His spirit)!

-Anziano Barnes