Ciao!
This week has been fantastic! We had 3 zone conferences, a little scambio, and, of course, time to get out and serve the people of Milano! So far this week we haven't been able to see Pilar or Gianni, but they seems to be doing well. My toe is doing pretty good - I saw the doctor and I can wear shoes now (he said I can do pretty much anything but ballet), but if it ever starts to hurt, to take it easy. It should be fully healed in a couple weeks.
I want to start out my letter this week with a cool miracle story...
On Thursday, after the conference, I did a scambio with one of the elders from Torino here at Milano. We had about 2 hours of time before we had to be back at the apartment and we had a couple goals - to find a south american lady and a couple with the husband and wife from different countries (we were thinking that one would be Italian and the other south american). We wanted to teach a lesson to one of them and to set up a return appointment with the other to give them the BOM. The night before, as we were planning, an area came clearly to my mind - it was a metro stop called San Donato. So, we went out to this place, ready for miracles. As we were approaching, we saw a little park and we felt like we should stop there. So, we went and we saw a guy from the phillipines playing basketball. We went over and spoke with him, and he was interested in getting the BOM - we're going back on sunday to give one to him! Then, we walked across the park and saw a young lady on a bench (we weren't sure if she was Italian or a foreigner). Her name was Natalie. She's from Ecuador - our south american young lady! She was interested as well and we set up a return appointment to go back and teach her and her whole family also on Sunday! Right as we were finishing up with her, we saw a couple walk by. One looked south american and the other looked Italian! We hurried off and began to speak with them! They also seemed interested. Although they seemed to have felt something, they chose to, in the end, not set up a return appointment, but they were interested in a pamphlet and in knowing when and where we have church. After that, there was nobody left in the park, so we headed off to do some casa. We went one direction and tried to get in to a palazzo, but it was the back and we couldn't get in. We walked around a little bit more and we found ourselves in front of another palazzo. We walked up right as someone else was walking to the door. They started to yell at us asking us if we had rung their doorbell. We said no, but we had seen a man right before us ringing a bunch. Anyway, we were standing in the bottom floor inside the building, and these guys were then waiting at the elevator, and we didn't know whether we should just walk up a floor (it seemed to be mostly muslim people in the building), or walk out (but then they'd think it was us that rang their door). So, we went and looked at one of the walls (there are all of the mail box things and it shows who lives in the palazzo and where). And, a name just jumped out at us - a south american name! And, it was on the first floor (so, basically, we pretended to be looking for someone specific, and in the end we did)! So, we went and knocked on this door! An old lady opened the door and jumped back in fright, we laughed and she calmed down a bit and went to get someone else. It turns out they really were from Ecuador. The older lady that answered the door doesn't speak Italian, but her daughter did. They are searching for truth, but, unfortunately, right now they are studying with the Jehovah's witnesses. We taught a bit, and after a while they told us that they didn't want to study with us, because they already study with others. We told them that we were not just there to study, our purpose and our desire was to help them come unto Christ. We explained that we help people have faith, repent, get baptized, and receive God's Spirit, and then continue to follow Christ for their whole lives. Then, something changed in them. The daughter turned to her mom and excitedly explained how we wanted to help them. This led us and set us up to talk more about the restored gospel and get them interested in the BOM! They explained to us how they were feeling, and we helped them see that it was the spirit! We're going to go back and see them as well to give them a BOM in Spanish! It was super cool because all of this happened because we had set some specific goals (we exercised faith!) and we went out talking to everyone!
The zone conferences that we've been having have been the best that I've ever been to. We've talked about prayer, and it's role in our lives as missionaries and also how to help investigators have a more full experience with it. We talked about "deviations," or things that we do that are out of line with the missionary rules or Preach My Gospel. We talked more about planning and the importance of being specific in the goals that we set. Everyone seemed to love it all! We've never got such good remarks about a training before! There was a great spirit of unity and it seemed like everyone went out with a greater desire to serve God and others with all of their heart, mind, and strength!
Going to all of these conferences has been especially cool for me. I'm learning so much! Again, my love for the missionaries is growing a lot (probably thanks to my prayers as I try to discuss each one and figure out what I can do to help them). And, it has become so much more easy to give my all to them and not get distracted by anything. I mentioned how my prayers are getting better, and I'm always feeling supercharged every time I pray! I've been seeing more and more my weaknesses, and I've been able to experience the divine help that comes when I'm humble. This lesson on the atonement has been powerful for me - if I have prepared beforehand and if I have my mind and heart in the right place (I'm desiring to help the people around me come to Christ) and doing all I can to make it happen and not doubting, God will strengthen me in my weakness. And, I've realized as well that even if I don't feel like I did super amazing, the atonement of Christ can make up for it, and the people around me will still hear, feel, learn, and experience what God wants them to (I learned this after our last conference when I felt like I was weaker in the way that I taught, because tons of people came up to me after and shared what they had learn and how they'd been touched - talk about a nice tender mercy!). I've been seeing a more eternal picture as well. For some reason, somebody opened up to Matthew 25 and read the scripture that "thou has been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things." I realized how my mission is doing just that for my life - I have to be faithful over a few people and serve them - so that I can be prepared to be a father - be faithful over my children and family, which is my greatest earthly responsibility - and how that will prepare me for my role in the eternities! That helped me want to give even more so that I can be ready for my future responsibilities! Basically, all in all I feel really good. There are still several things that I need to correct and change, but, with time, I'm seeing what they are and I'm receiving help to change them!
Vi voglio tanto bene!
-Anziano Barnes
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