Amazing and spectacular investigators!

What a week!

Most of our week has been centered on helping our recently baptized new converts and the 3 men that will be baptized this sunday.  They are all doing amazing!  You can see the light that is coming into their lives - it is an amazing thing to see how the gospel changes lives!  Other than that, we've been really busy doing other things!

First, update on Tiziano - wow!  He is golden!  He wants to be baptized and right now is doing all he can to try to get a response from God that the things we have been saying are all true.  There isn't a ton to say - he's is just spectacular!

Update on the Africans who will be baptized this next sunday - Bismack (his real name is actually Baranger...), Kelly, and Frank.  Bismack and Kelly are both doing really well.  Kelly, for a bit last week, was sick, and during those days we weren't sure how strong his testimony was.  However, after he was better, he seemed stronger than ever.  The thing I like most about kelly is that if you look at him and smile, he lights up and starts laughing - it's hard to not be happy when you are with him!  Frank's story is a miracle.  President Wolfgramm had to do the interview for him, so he came on Sunday during church to do it.  After the interview, Frank walked back into the room happier than I've ever seen before, with a light that never had existed before - he was able to feel the burden that he'd been carrying be lifted.  The atonement works wonders!  We are super excited to be able to work with these 3 men and to help them enter the gate that leads to eternal life - baptism!

Okay, the other things we did this week:

We've been able to strengthen our relationships with a ton of members.  We've worked a lot with the Virzo family, and our relationship with them is getting really strong.  We also met another member - Fratello Ciorrli.  He is amazing as well.  We had one of the best lessons that Anziano Boscia and I have ever had when we were with him.  We were more united than ever, it was one of the most spiritual lessons we've had, and we were able to help him a lot with his difficulties right now.  Also, we visited the family of the bishop that was just released a few weeks ago.  Their family is spectacular!  Here are a few of the cool things that they taught us:  First, they have a garden, and this garden is known in their town as the most productive - magical in fact.  Why?  They bless the garden and bless the seeds.  They pray for their garden.  Then, they let it grow naturally.  The food that it produces is wonderful - we got to eat a bunch of stuff from it!  They also do missionary work - as a family!  They have some projects planned to help a few different people begin learning about the church.  Also, we met another family, the Di Caro family.  First, when I walked into their house and took a breath in, it smelled just like the Morrison home in Fallbrook!  When we went, they had also invited 2 couples (each with one partner that is a member and one that is not).  The lesson that we had was incredible - the spirit was super strong.  As we concluded the lesson, everyone was left speechless - everyone was sitting back, thoughtful, peaceful, and happy.  It was an amazing contrast to what it was like earlier (it was loud, the conversations were unfocused, and people were chattering like crazy).

Also, we did a bit of service for some people - during one of our lunches we baked a bunch of cookies and I wrote a short poem to go along with the cookies.  We went around to the Virzo family (to thank them because they washed our clothes this week), Rhida and his family (some less actives we're working with), and the Natale family.  When we went to the Natale's home, we were able to meet with both the mom and the dad - something that hasn't happened for more than a month!  Everyone really enjoyed the cookies and the note!

Yesterday we had a training in Milan by President wolfgramm.  It was incredible.  We learned a lot of things that we need to apply in our work.  However, everything is centered in love.  If we would just love the people how we are supposed to, everything else follows naturally!  I realized something as we learned.  All of the things he had taught, we have done with the Africans.  The only way I've ever taught like how I do there is when I've been with them - I haven't been able to put it into practice anywhere else.  And, as President promised, it works (8 people have been baptized and confirmed members of the true church)!  I guess I just need to love everyone as much as I love these men, and then everything else will follow!

We're still without electricity, but the people from the electric company came yesterday and we sorted some things out.  WIthin a week or 2 (or maybe a couple more years...) we'll have electricity! ...

Anziano Boscia and I are doing great together.  We are more united than ever ... He is an amazing example to me, especially in his relationships with others.  The way he works with members and the investigators that we have is incredible.  It's something that I've never been able to do and something that may take a lifetime to put into practice.  I want to be able to open up and love fully like he can!  He has an amazing capacity to connect with anyone and everyone.  I hope I can follow his example!

-Anziano Barnes