Dear Family and Friends,
There is so much to say! First, I'll tell you about a couple of miracles.
At 8:30 on Sunday night, we were a little discouraged after doing 3
hours of knocking on doors and getting upset or strange looks.... and
being totally rejected by everyone. We were about 20 minutes from
home. We got our bikes, rode to a T in the road, and prayed. We knew
that someone was waiting for us, but didn't know where. We knew it
wasn't going to be someone we met at their home either, so we promised
God that we would talk to whoever it was that He put into our path.
When we said amen, Sorella Forbes said, "Let's go to Piazza Europa."
I've always been blessed with companions who recognize personal
revelation. :) We headed in that direction, and ended up taking a
different route so we could try and talk to someone who ended up being
drunk. We moved on. Then, as we neared the Piazza, we saw Desmond.
As usual I said, "There he is! Let's talk to him!" And then Sorella
GEMed us and him by asking if he'd ever seen the Book of Mormon. For
nearly 15 minutes we told him about the Restoration, the Book of
Mormon, and he expressed his desire to come closer to Christ. He also
said he had been searching for years because of something his dying
100 year old father had said to him a few years before. We promised
him a Book of Mormon, and the next day, he accepted a baptismal invite
at a lesson in his home with one of our new converts, Daniel (who
speaks French and Italian, but bore his testimony in English!!!).
Desmond is SO prepared! I love my Africans!
On Monday night, we were again discouraged a little. I don't know why
I keep letting Satan in to discourage! We had gotten 3 cancellations
in a row, and it was just starting to rain. I decided to try
something I had never tried before. We said a prayer and thanked God
for the cancellations because we knew that it meant someone else was
in great need of us tonight. Three palazzi later, we knocked on a
door that said, "The blood of Jesus covers this house." We were a
little worried about who might answer, but knocked anyway. In very
broken Italian, Alex said, "Non capisco Italiano." We asked him what
he spoke, and he said, "Only English!" We said, "You are so lucky
because we are here to teach you about Jesus Christ, and we speak
English! Can we share this message with you for 10 minutes?" He let
us right in, and his wife, Rebecca (Vicky), a little wary at first,
welcomed us in. After we prayed, we began talking about how God loves
us, how He is our Father, and then as we talked about prophets, Alex
said, "I was reading the Bible when you rang the doorbell." He
expressed that he was ashamed for the life he lived in the Philipines
before, but that when he arrived here in Italy 3 months ago, he was
determined to start a new life. We shared the story of Joseph Smith,
and they read the 1st vision in Tagalog from the pamphlets that we
just happened to have. We asked them how they felt, and they said,
"Happy! This is the happiest we have ever felt. We have so much hope
that we can know Jesus Christ better!" At the end, we invited them to
kneel and pray. After the prayer, Vicky, in tears, said, "That is the
first time I've ever heard my husband pray." They accepted a
baptismal invite, and tonight we're giving them a Book of Mormon in
Tagalog.
There is so much more to share, but we're again running out of time on
the computers. I am so grateful for the chance I have to be here now.
I am learning so much, changing so much, and God is blessing me with
all kinds of tender mercies. Every day, I get a little anxious or
upset, nervous, afraid. Then when I pray, God sends me a sign,
something to encourage me, and lets me know that He loves me and that
He'll take care of me.
Yesterday morning, we had a cancellation. We felt we should make
phonecalls instead of going out because it was raining. But we both
were getting emotional, and . . . we needed chocolate. Most of you
women reading this understand. :)
We prayed that we could be time efficient, went to the grocery store
accross the street, and picked out some Easter chocolate that was on
sale. As we were looking at it, a song came on the radio. It wasn't
a church song, but it was a song that for Sorella Forbes meant SO
much! She gasped and said, "I needed to hear that!" I smiled,
silently wishing that one of "my" songs would come on the radio too.
As I put back some of the chocolate, knowing I didn't need QUITE that
much, I started to hear the saxaphones and trumpets play the intro of
Frank Sinatra's "The Way You Look Tonight." I looked at Slla Forbes,
and then had to turn away as my eyes exploded in tears. I hadn't
heard that in over 1 1\2 years. It's probably my all-time favorite.
I used to listen to it when I needed a boost. And to me, that was God
saying, "I love you just how you are, and everything will be ok. I
know you're worried about finishing your mission next week, but I have
things for you to do at home too. Don't worry, I'm taking care of
you. I know you. I know how to make you happy, and I will make all
your dreams come true as you finish your mission with all your heart."
As we left the grocery store, chocolate in hand, we were even more
anxious to do everything possible to make this week successful. Yes,
I'm pretty stressed out, but I have much less anxiety for the future.
I know that God really does know me personally, and He knows YOU
personally too! I'm so grateful that you are all in my life, and such
great examples to me!
I was reading in 1 Nephi 22 today, and verses 9-12 really stuck out to
me. God really is making His gospel known to all nations. I am
learning so much about how I can be a part of that! Not just as a
missionary, though. I am realizing that missionaries have a very
important work, but it is also limited. Our job is to teach. But as
members, our job is to invite, befriend, support, encourage, love,
serve, and introduce the missionaries to teach our friends! Yes,
missionaries have a very important role. But members are really the
key! I'd like to invite each of you to think about one person who you
can introduce to the missionaries. If you can't think of anyone,
pray. Usually the first name that comes to mind is the one you should
invite. If nobody comes to mind, make a new friend! :) That's what
I'm going to do when I get home. This message makes me too happy to
keep it to myself.
Not all of you are members of the Church who read this email. I love
you so much, and I will love you no matter what you do. I'd like to
invite you to meet with the missionaries once to listen to what they
have to say. Pray to ask God if it is the right thing to do. Pay
attention to the feelings in your heart. If it is a good thing, and a
right thing, (and I know it is), then you'll feel it in your heart and
mind. If you feel that feeling after meeting with them the first
time, I'd like to invite you to continue to meet with them and hear
everything they have to say. But the most important thing you can do
is ask questions (Pray) and read the Book of Mormon. That is only the
way to really know.
I know that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the World, that He is
guiding this work, and that He loves us all! I know the Book of
Mormon is the word of God, and that God answers our prayers.
I love you all! Thank you so much for everything!
I'll see you soon!
Keep the faith,
-Sorella Willey
--
Sorella Willey
elizabeth.willey@myldsmail.net
Sorella Elizabeth Willey
Missione Italiana di Milano
Via Gramsci, 13/4
20090 Opera MI
ITALIA
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