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
Sorella Elizabeth Willey
Missione Italiana di Milano
Via Gramsci, 13/4
20090 Opera MI
ITALIA
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