Milano 1 - Transfer 2 -Week 5

March 30, 2011

Dear Friends and Family,

 

My email will have to be a little shorter this week, but I have a little less to share anyway.  We had a lot of 'finding work' because most of our investigators are now new converts (or dropped...) :(

 

But I am in Bergamo today!  It's my first time out of Milano 1 in 2 months for more than a couple of hours.  I am on 'scambio' with Sorella Baranova.  She and I have EVERYTHING in common!  We have similar spiritual gifts, the same favorite scriptures, we have VERY similar views on life, the Gospel, and practically everything, and she has taught me so much!  She is from Russia, and she's 26.  Our birthdays are 5 days apart though, so we've decided that we will serve together that transfer so we can celebrate them together.  I hope that the mission president agrees...

 

One of the really cool things that happened this week is Rita set a baptismal date!!!!! April 16th!!!!!  I hope that I can still be in Milano 1 for that!  Transfers are next week, so everything could change again.  Plus we have something like 9 new Sorelle coming in, so it's likely that S.lla Noteware will be training.  So who knows!?!  But I'm so proud of Rita!  She has had SO much opposition, but she has really begun praying and reading, and we can just tell that her relationship with God is so much tighter now!  It has been hard for her because her parents are very strictly of another faith, but in the words of her mother (Antoinette), 'Better Mormon than nothing!!'  Speriamo that she really means that.  Antoinette has been at some of the lessons, and she really likes the Book of Mormon.  I wonder if maybe one day she will also decide to convert.  'Piano piano,' as all the Italians say.  Sometimes we have to let people take the time they need to let the Spirit effect them.

 

I am so grateful every day for this mission!  I'm learning SOOO much, and I can't believe that every day my testimony grows MORE!  I have seen miracles in my life and the lives of SO many people every day!  If there are any of you reading this email that are considering a mission, I say YES!!!  There are blessings that I would never have known if I had not gone.  I wouldn't have known that I didn't know either.  But the blessings are incredible!  I'm so excited to hear news from you that there are more Sorelle being called to Italy, that you are reading my emails or blog, that you are seeing miracles in your life, or that you have been blessed by your mission.  

 

Thank you all for your kindness and support!  I wouldn't be here without YOU!  Sometimes you don't know how much you affect others, but everyone in my life has built me into who I am and who I am becoming.  Thank you!

 

I'd like to end with a scripture that really touched me this week.  I have been really thinking about the influence of the Holy Ghost that we can feel in our lives.  It is the simple things that we do every day to be worthy to feel that Spirit.  And one of the main purposes of feeling the Spirit is so that we can feel the love of God for us which 'is the most desirable above all things' (1 Nephi 11:22).  And the scripture that touched me is in 2 Nephi 28:32.  It says, 'I will be merciful unto them, saith the Lord God, if they will repent and come unto me; for mine arm is lengthened out all the day long, saith the Lord God of Hosts.'  He is just waiting for us to turn to him.  He will bless us with this love through the Spirit.

 

I know this is true, and I pray that you can all feel His love this week as you turn to Him in prayer.

 

With love always,

-Sorella Willey

 

--
Sorella Willey

elizabeth.willey@myldsmail.net

Sorella Elizabeth Willey

Missione Italiana di Milano

Via Gramsci, 13/4

20090 Opera MI

ITALIA

Milano 1 - Transfer 2 -Week 4

March 21, 2011

Dear Family and Friends,

What a beautiful day!  The sun started shining this week, and we've got our fingers crossed for Spring!  It's been raining a TON this week!  I've been hearing about all of these world disasters lately, and I'm kind of grateful that I don't have the news.  I feel bad that I can't do much about it, but we pray for people in the world.  That's about all we can do.  That and preach the gospel! :)

Paolo got baptized last night!  It was SO beautiful!  His dad and older brother both came (!!!) which is a miracle in itself!  Paula gave a talk on the Holy Ghost (her first one ever), and it was SO beautiful!  Sorella Noteware and I have started reading the Book of Mormon in Italian (Il Libro di Mormon) for language study each day.  It's amazing to see how much you can learn from one book!  Every time I read it in English I learn something new.  But now reading it in a different language (that I can mostly understand), I feel like I'm reading it again for the 1st time!  I'm almost done with 1 Nefi, but I'm also reading in 3 Nephi in English.  So I'm technically reading in two places at the same time.  Y'all should try it sometime!  Very cool.

Rita said she really wants to get baptized, and we're working on setting a date with her.  She wants to talk to her family about it first, but we're likely going to set it for April 9th.  She came to the baptism last night, and it was pretty powerful.  She's really been making a lot of progress.  Last week we had a really great FHE with the Marinello family that she came to.  The Marinellos have 5 kids (which is a ton for Northern Italy, and probably Southern too), and Fratello Marinello is the former bishop of Milano 1.  It was fun to be in a FHE with a big family again!

A couple of weeks ago we had to drop Cristina and Gasman (the family with an interesting living situation and the 2 kids, Noemi and Giada, who want to get baptized).  It was SO hard, but we told them that if they could read, pray, and come to church, we could start coming again).  Yesterday they were all in church!  Cristina has an appointment with the bishop, and we might be able to go see them this week.  I HOPE!!!  They have lots of obstacles to overcome, but I know Cristina really wants to start over and come to church again!  They also came to the baptism, and though Gasman is still a little hesitant, I think she might have the faith to get on the path!

In all of the stuff that's going on in the world, I've thought about how grateful I am for my wonderful family and friends who are all so dear to me!  Thank you for all your kindness and friendship!  I love you all!

Hebrews 13:1-2, 24-25

Love always,

-Sorella Willey

--
Sorella Willey

elizabeth.willey@myldsmail.net

Sorella Elizabeth Willey

Missione Italiana di Milano

Via Gramsci, 13/4

20090 Opera MI

ITALIA

Milano 1 - Transfer 2 -Week 3

March 16, 2011

Dear Family and Friends,

This has been a bittersweet week.  Geovanni got a job dogsitting, and now he says he doesn't have time to see us anymore.  When S.lla Noteware said he couldn't get baptized if he didn't see us, he said, "Well, work is really important, and I guess I just won't get baptized."  It was pretty heartbreaking.  We had to drop Gasman and Cristina too.  It stinks.  But they weren't progressing, didn't keep commitments and wouldn't go to church.  I feel like I'm letting go of family members!  I've put so much heart and soul into their lessons, prayed for them like crazy, and now we can't help them.  We're only allowed to visit people who are progressing.  If they don't progress (come to church, read the scriptures, pray), then we are not fulfilling our purpose, and they are not really going to benefit from our visits.  But boy does it hurt!  

The morning that Geovanni dropped us, I read a chapter in Helaman 7 about Nephi being rejected by the wicked Nephites.  Verse 2 and 3 stuck out to me while I read.  I don't have my English scriptures here right now, but a rough translation from Italian says, 'And he (Nephi) was among the people in the land westward(?) had preached to them the word of God and had prophesied many things unto them.  And they had rejected all of his words, so much that he could not remain among them, but had to return unto the land of his birth.'  You get the idea.  Anyway, so that was about an hour before we talked to Geovanni.  And about an hour after that phonecall, when I was feeling upset and a little discouraged, that verse came to my mind.  It brought a little comfort because obviously the Lord knew I would need that verse that day and that I might need a confirmation that we couldn't keep visiting them when they didn't make progress.  Thank goodness EVERYONE isn't rejecting me and I don't have to go back to USA yet!  I still have investigators, I still have a baptism this Sunday, I still have a family and friends who love me, I still have a rockin companion who takes care of me.  I have SO many blessings, and if Geovanni, Cristina, or Gasman ever really need some direction in their life, maybe they'll remember that time that they prayed, read from the Book of Mormon, went to church, and felt that peace that they described.  Maybe they won't get baptized in this transfer, but maybe the next time they meet the missionaries they'll recognize the Spirit they felt and want to come back.

Anyway, I guess the takeaway from that is that God knows everything that's going on.  Sometimes he sends us comfort before the fact, and brings things to our minds after the fact.  If we keep trying our best, even if we have falls, fails, or seem to get stuck somewhere, He is always preparing us and watching.  We don't see the big picture, but He does.  I care so much about these people.  I'm SO bad with goodbyes!!!  Lots of you know that already, but I'm just glad we have so many other people to visit and so much else to do.  It keeps me busy, and makes it easier to quit thinking about myself. 

Last but not least, PAOLO IS GETTING BAPTIZED!!!!  He's SO wonderful, and he's learned so much!  He seemed so scared and confused before, but he's really getting a testimony, and he's all set for this Sunday!  What a great kid.  Pictures... well, coming eventually.  Probably next week if I can get this CD thing to work.  I might actually be able to send a package this week.  If we can get all the errands done today.  I can only write letters on Pday, so we'll see.  I haven't had a Pday this transfer yet where I could be at home for longer than 5 minutes (to put groceries away).  Then we have to run run run to the evening appointments!  And because we live out of our proselyting area, we have to cut our P-days short to get to appointments.  Good news is that the President is looking into getting us an apartment in the area.  Bad news is, who knows how long it will take?  And maybe by then I'll be transfered elsewhere.  EEeek!  I never want to leave this place!  Never want to leave these people!  Hmm....  I'm going to stop thinking about that now.

Speaking of time, I've got to go now!  I have 5 minutes to send my letter to the president, and then it's off to the next errand!

Take some time this week to write down what you've learned, some of the adventures you've had, and how you feel the Spirit of the Lord influence your lives.  We had a really neat "Fruits of the Spirit" lesson this week, and it was really neat to see how the Lord influences people's lives in so many ways!

I love you all so much!  Thank you again and again for all your letters, support, and friendship!

Love always,
-Sorella Willey

-- 
Sorella Willey

elizabeth.willey@myldsmail.net

Sorella Elizabeth Willey

Missione Italiana di Milano

Via Gramsci, 13/4

20090 Opera MI

ITALIA

Milano 1 - Transfer 2 - Week 2

March 9, 2011

Dear Family and Friends,

Happy Festa delle donne yesterday! (or Women's Day in English, probably) Google it, or wikipedia or whatever search site is out there now...  I don't know if I spelt it right, but it's this cool holiday that we celebrated yesterday (sort of) by having a lesson with Paula and Sofia about personal progress, eating chocolate, and giving little yellow flowers to all the women we taught (called mimosas).

Thank you for your letters, words of encouragement, and spiritual experiences!  I really enjoy hearing the great experiences that you all have with sharing Books of Mormon, doing home teaching, reading the scriptures, praying with your family, etc.  It's uplifting to hear how the gospel blesses your lives and families.  Every week as I'm reading your letters, writing these emails, and thinking about the week, I realize just how much the Lord really loves all of His children.  

This week, I learned so much from my dear companion, Sorella Noteware.  When we are teaching together, she just gets on fire.  I hope that I can one day be able to have such a grasp of the concepts and the language that I can teach like her!  This week I told her that I was learning even more than the people we were teaching.  It kind of came out the wrong way, but what I really meant was that when the Spirit is so powerfully present, He teaches everyone what they need to learn.  I felt that Spirit as she taught, I tried to teach, and we both bore testimony of the truth of it all.

I gained a personal testimony of something that I'd never even thought to doubt before.  We were reading the Introduction of the Doctrine and Covenants with a new member, Patricia Sanchez-Garcia, from Ecuador.  She's fantastic!  She's the one who basically cries if we don't STUFF ourselves with food before leaving.  But while we were reading (in Italian and Spanish), I gained an incredibly strong testimony of the fact that Peter, James, John, and John the Baptist DID restore the priesthood by the laying on of hands to Joseph Smith and the early leaders of the Church.  It used to seem to me like such an insignificant detail, but I am only now beginning to realize just how important it is!  We really DO have the restored power of God here on the earth!  In the moment that we were reading it, such a simple thing- just reading, I knew it.  And I can't deny it.  And that means SO much! 

Watching these people grow their faith, make changes in their lives, and feel the Spirit is really growing my faith, changing my life, and helping me realize that the Spirit teaches everything!  I knew that before, but I know it even more now.  Yesterday in a lesson with a woman named MariaElisa, I felt the Spirit present, teaching what I couldn't say in Italian and neither of us knew she needed to hear.  At the end of the lesson, she said the prayer.  The second she started to pray, I knew that she needed to feel the Spirit.  I prayed with all my heart that the Spirit would bear testimony to her that her prayer was being heard and that everything we were saying was true.  All of a sudden she stopped.  I didn't dare look up, but we all felt the same peace and powerful presence of the Spirit.  After the prayer, she said, "I can't really explain what that was.  It was kind of strange, but there was something, and I really felt something." -rough translation from Italian

I don't know what MariaElisa will do or say, whether she will accept the gospel in it's fullness or not, or if we'll be able to lead her to the waters of baptism.  But I do know that God loved her enough to allow that Spirit to touch her heart.  She has gone from someone who was curious about us and not really recognizing God's hand in her life to knowing that He loves her.  She can never again deny that God absolutely loves her.

Well, I'm getting a little carried away, but I hope you all know how much I love you all! I'm sorry I can't write you all individually, but please take this next bit personally: I LOVE YOU!!!  I pray for all my friends and family every night, and I know that as you all continue to be the best you can be, you will be blessed for your efforts.

I'm so grateful for this experience here in Italy.  It has changed everything in my life.  We're setting a baptismal date (hopefully tomorrow) with Rita, so please pray that she can receive the responses she is seeking!  And if you can mention Paulo and Geovanni in your prayers as well, that would be fantastic!  We're nearly done getting them ready for their baptisms, and they have grown so much!

Keep the faith and have a great week!

Love always,

-Sorella Willey

--
Sorella Willey

elizabeth.willey@myldsmail.net

Sorella Elizabeth Willey

Missione Italiana di Milano

Via Gramsci, 13/4

20090 Opera MI

ITALIA

Milano 1 - Transfer 2 - Week 1

March 3, 2011

Dearest Friends and Family,

What a wonderful week!  Paulo decided again that he wants to get baptized!  We set a date for him (20 Marzo), and he is truly excited to follow in the steps of his mother and sister (Paula and Sofia).  For an 11 year old, he has some great insights, but we can still tell that he is afraid of being teased.  His uncle is relentless and keeps telling him that people will never treat with respect if he gets baptized.  But he wants to go forward with it anyway!  We have to squeeze a lot of lessons into just 2 weeks now, but it's worth the train ride up there, and it's great to be able to see Paula and Sofia so often too!

Rita, our 19-year-old investigator, accepted a soft baptismal invite, and we went to her house to teach her.  Her parents are both very catholic and before were opposed to her going to any other church.  BUT her mother came to the last lesson AND let her go to church this past Sunday!   We're going to her house again this afternoon, so please pray for us to continue to make a good impression on her mother and have the Spirit with us!  Apparently her mother said, "Better Mormon than nothing!"  And she really enjoyed the words of the Book of Mormon too!  So while we're not trying to convert her mother right now, at least she is open to Rita choosing where she wants to go to church!

Geovanni finally set his OWN baptismal date!  He said that he has "made a pact with God," and he wants to get baptized by the end of the month because all of his prayers have been answered.  He also is reading A LOT from the Book of Mormon, and everything seems to really be clicking for him.  Then, instead of us choosing a date and him saying he might be ready, HE said, "I want to get baptized on March 31!"  This is such great progress for him.  He no longer calls himself cattivo (evil), but he says he still makes mistakes sometimes.  We remind him that EVERYONE makes mistakes, and he just shakes his head and says that he knows sister missionaries are perfect.  Ha!  If only that were true!  

I learn so much from my investigators, less actives, and new converts!  I am absolutely convinced now that though I wear the nametag, they are helping me just as much as I could ever help them!  As I share my testimony of the scriptures, the prophets, the temples, and particularly the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith, I have felt SO powerfully the Spirit promising that all of it is true.  I have been brought to tears in lessons by the powerful feelings of joy and comfort in knowing that what I am teaching (what the Spirit is teaching through me and my beautiful companion), ARE TRUE!  I know it!  I just know it!  

Thank you all for your support, your letters, your kindness, and your friendship!  I wish I could just hug all of you right now, but here I am. Many miles away.  But consider yourself hugged, and have a WONDERFUL week!  I love you all!

Keep the faith!
-Sorella Willey

P.S.  About personal emails, we can only send personal emails to immediate family members.  The mission president originally told us we could respond to friends if we had time in our 2 hours, but yesterday he changed the time limit to 1 hour.  It makes me sad because I won't be able to email personally anymore, but I also understand that it is easy to get distracted, and the president only has the best in mind for the mission and for us.  And I have a testimony of being obedient, so I will not be able to respond to personal emails til Spring 2012.  But time flies, so that's not very long.  Like it was at the MTC, you can keep me updated on you and your families still.  I can read emails from 'non family members'  but I'm just not allowed to respond. Thank you all for understanding!  I know that I'll be blessed for my obedience as well as those that I am here to serve!  Hopefully I'll get some time to write letters... =)

-- 
Sorella Willey

elizabeth.willey@myldsmail.net

Sorella Elizabeth Willey

Missione Italiana di Milano

Via Gramsci, 13/4

20090 Opera MI

ITALIA