April 8, 2010

Subject: a crazy pday at Mt Etna..

Ciao Famiglia,

Yesterday was a PDay up at Mt Etna the volcanoe, it was actually a Zone Pday, so there were about 20 of us missionaries, it was fun to be with other missionaries, but a volcanoe isnt necessarily the most gorgeous scenery I have seen in Italy. I live day to day in a beautiful city with the view of the Mediterranean Sea, and Greek ruins that supercede a black dormant volcanoe. Anyways, you can probably tell that I was just a bit frustrated walking around all day and then not getting home on time to do any of our Pday activities...including appointments.

Speaking of change. My companion leaves on Monday. I have made goals for what I want the remainder of my mission to be and I value this precious time that I have left to devote my LIFE to serving the Lord.

We did splits last week and I had a really awesome time with Sorella Williams. We found a girl on the street who ended up being the daughter of one of our less actives who we are working with. She is 18 and was baptized 2 years ago, but doesnt live with her Mom, and so that is why we had no idea she even existed. It was completely the Lord's hand, that guided us to her. We could have stopped any of the people in this city, but we found her, a recently baptized member who feels God has abandoned her.

We had a really nice Easter/Conf weekend. We went to spend Easter Sunday with the Perricone family. They live in a teeny tiny little house on the Sea. They fixed a really nice big meal, and we did a nice EAster Lesson with them. We have started a new program with the members here that President instructed us to start doing. In case you havent noticed, we receive a lot of instruction to work with the members here. Probably a lot more than in other missions. This program is basically this...We set up a calendar with the member family, where we visit them each week, for one month. Each week we alternate teaching principles from the lessons in Preach My Gospel, then the following week they teach us the next few principles. We do this for a month, all the while they are praying for a family we can teach. Then at the end of the month they have practiced teaching, and they have hopefully come to a decision of someone they have for us (and them) to teach. Including the members in the work!!!!

We had a lesson with Concitta today. She is progressing. This morning we did a lesson on The Plan of Salvation, and invited her to be baptized. Unfortunately she declined, but she took the decision seriously and we challenged her to really pray about it with real intent to act, when she receives an answer. Unfortunately I think a lot of us struggle with this. We feel that something is the right thing, we feel peaceful about it, but we rely a little TOO much on The Lord to give us specifics. We have to be responsible for ourselves, and when we feel peace in our hearts, we have to act!!! A lot of times we cannot have the confirmation of something until we make the leap of faith. I have a strong testimony of that.

I have been really working a lot on something Dad counseled me on in a recent letter. I was touched by that experience he told me about with the woman in church in Bejiing. I know that when we strive to listen with love, The Lord really does put the words in our mouths. Its all about love, and not worrying about what WE are going to say, or how they will react to what we say. I am only here to communicate the Lords will to these people, and in some way possibly help them gain a relationship with Him. This is something that hit me at a Zone Meeting we had this week that was all on the Plan of Our HEavenly Father. He wants us to have ALL that he has. Some people see theùis as sacreligous--how could we poosibly become Gods, have the power that he has. We were created in His image, given a body because HE has one, and promised so much, if only we strive to do all we can. I learn more and more every day how completely helpless I am with out the help of My Savior. I am nothing. I can only wake up and testify to these people every day, getting my strength from Him. We all are indebted, and owe our lives to what He has done for us.

Concitta was able to come to conference, and also Giusy, her husband Antonio, and their two children who we have been teaching for about the last month. They are the result of another awesome member referral, The Conforto family. We always do lessons with them. Guisy is a Catholic Sunday school teacher, her husband is not as "practicing" we would say. It is important that we help them understand The Restoration of the PRiesthood Authority. We have another lesson with them at the Conforto's house on Sunday. Also we will follow up with Concitta, at our Bishop's home Sunday afternoon. We had spent several hours inviting everyone we knew to come to conference. in the end, we had Guisy and her family at the Sunday evening session, and Concitta at the sunday evening session. AMAZING!!! I look forward to getting them in English, we wer only able to watch one session, and of course, in Italian because we had investigators.

I am grateful for this opportunity to have change. We receive transfer calls tomorrow night. We go to CAtania on Monday to take sorella morgan to the mission home. I have no idea, there are rumors going around that they will be taking sisters out of siracusa, but we shall see. At this point I am impartial. I could go--but I could stay... Its whatever the Lord wants. I hope you all are well. Always remember that we are all Children of God. Godly attributes are in our nature. 2 Peter 1: 5-8. WE can all be "partakers of the divine nature" it is in us deep down, we just have to strive to become someone better each day. Im grateful for The Atonement, and the hope it truly gives me to change. Avette una bella settimana! Vi voglio un sacco di bene!

-Sorella Miller