Ciao Famiglia,
Well, another week gone. This week we had Zone Meetings up in Catania. I had my 2nd to last interview with President. SAD!! I have come to love him, and his wife, they are incredible people who I have so much respect for. I seem to always go into interviews feeling like I can do so much more, and then leave feeling like I'm doing an ok job at this! haha
I want to tell you all about another awesome experience with The Blanco family. They are the family who the father, Marcello, got baptised 7 years ago, and then has not been active, but we had an awesome experience the last time we went over. So we went to wish him a Happy Birthday this week, and we gave him a salute, and then stopped by Sunday night. This time, we were able to do a lesson with his ENTIRE family, exept their oldest son. There were his 4 daughters, two grandkids, and his wife. We gave a lesson to 8 people!!!! It was the sweetest experience ever. We talked about prayer, and then at the end of the lesson we asked if we could all kneel in prayer together. We did. What a sweet, humbling experience. I love that family. Then their littlest daughter Marika at the end of the lesson was like, when you come back next time we will have prayed together again as a family! She is 8, and was not born when her Dad was baptised. Each daughter is so amazing, and I can see all of them getting baptized. At the end of the lesson they were beggin us to come back next Sunday to let them cook for us, but only if we made them chocolate chip cookies haha very american, but Italians love them.. Anyways, what a tender mercy.
Sunday it was announced that we will finally be getting a Stake here in Sicily! This is huge news!! It will be the Palermo Stake. This will be a great transition and opportunity for the Wards to become more independant, and not be depending on a mission President.
I had a cool experience this week at Mostra. I felt really impresed to talk to a lady who was looking at a window display of shoes, right next to our Mostra display. here is a little something to laugh at.. So we set up our mostra in front of a Dolce and Gabanna Shoe store. I look down at my super stylish Mary Janes, and then go up to the D&G shoppers. Italians are obsessed with shoes, and it literally is the first thing they look at haha. Anyways, while I am there sporting my Mary Janes, we get to talk to the people looking at the 500£ shoes. ANYWAYS. I go up and start talking to this lady about families. then, along comes her friend, then along come their husbands. For 30 minutes, I stood there and told them the miracle of The Restoration. 4 people there in front of me, listening. I know that the Lord blesses me with the Gift of Tongues. Especially when he knows that people really WANT to hear his message. I actually think it would be harder to serve an English speaking mission, because I think i would rely more on my own abilities to talk to people. So many times I just dont know what to say, and I pray so hard for The Lord to give me the words.
I believe in personal revelation, and I treasure it. I love to read The Book of Mormon, and I know that even though i dont always know everything, that i am able to remember things I read in my studies, that help answer people's questions. It is all about following the spirit. A lot of times i get really strong impressions to talk to people, i do, and then they reject the message. Sometimes I think to myself, why did I feel impressed to talk to that person, I just sat there for ten minutes listening to THEM lecture ME about how all that matters is that we all believe. They are loud, intense, and using so much body language that I am trying to interpret all that they are saying in Sicilian, Italian, AND silent Body language, that I feel it was a waste of time to talk to that person. I always have to repent after i feel like that. It is not a waste talking to ANYONE. Even if they feel like you are an idiot. Heavenly Father wants all His children to return. He denies NO ONE, the opportunity to repent. If the spirit prompts us to do something, a lot of times we may not immediately know why we received that particular impression, but God does. There is a reason for everything.
"Oh it is wonderful to know that God loves us--even with all our flaws! His love is such that even should we give up on ourselves, He never will...The gospel of Jesus Christ is a gospel of transformation. it takes us as men and women of the earth and refines us into men and women for the eternities."
Sometimes I really feel so inadequate to be doing this work. But I know that there is a reason the church doesnt HIRE professional teachers, linguistics, and people who know the scriptures perfectly to be his missionaries. He sends out imperfect people, because we have potential. Sometimes I feel like i am inadequate because I feel I cant relate to people. I dont know what it is like to grow up with an abusive father, or I dont know what its like to be a 1st generation member, I dont know what its like to try to quit smoking. Then I realize I dont have to. I am here to invite others to come unto Christ--because HE understands them perfectly. If I can help them see how to gain this relationship with Christ, I have done a little good. None of us are perfect. Especially me. I NEVER thought I was the type of person who would come on a mission. I have come to learn that our imperfections are what truly help us come to know God. I found a story this week in our apartment. it was about 2 pots. One was perfect, and the other had a large crack in it. Each day for two years, the pots would port water from the river, to its master in the town. The one pot with the crack in it would always arrive back to his master with only half of the amount of water in it, while the other pot was completely full. One day the cracked pot went to apologize to his master for not having brought back all that he COULD have if he didnt have this crack. The Master then explained to him that he had planted flower seeds along the road, and that had he not had the crack in him, the seeds would have never had been watered. These flowers made the road beautiful, and he had been putting flowers on his table for the last 2 years, thanks to this "weakness" of the cracked pot.
I loved this story. And of course its a lot more beautiful in Italian, but it made me really reflect. The Atonement totally molds us ands heals us. We are NOTHINGGGG. I love my Savior, and know that he loves each of us despite our many many imperfections. The Atonement is daily, personal, and intimate.
Sono grata per il vangelo restaurato che tutti noi possiamo appartener di questa benedizione. Spero che un giorno sia il Salvatore davanti di me, e che possa conocerlo. Egli è il nostro redentore e tramite Lui, c'e lo facciamo. Soltanto con la sua misericordia è possiblile per noi a tornare un giorno alla sua presenza. Tutti noi siamo peccatori, ma, so che siamo le sue peccore, e Egli è il gran pastore. Siamo fortunatissimi ad avere questa conocenza. So che Joseph Smith è stato chiamato un profeta, e mediante questo incarico, ha restaurato la chiesa di Gesù Christo. noi abbiamo propria la stessa chiesa. So che c'e un profeta vivente e che riceve la rivelazione moderna, affinche noi possiamo fare tutto ciò per tornare a Dio. Ci ascolta, ci capisce perfettamente, ci conosce per nome, e soppra tutto, ci ama!!!
ps. i cant wait to talk to you on Mothers Day. I will be calling about 7:30 or 8 am your time on Sunday. I cant believe how fast the time is going. Cant believe its been almost 5 months since I talked to you last! I love YOU ALL!!!!
Vi voglio bene'assai!
-MONICA
...Sorella Miller
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