September 8, 2010

Subject: an angel named Angelo makes it to church! (cheesy)

Ciao Famiglia!
  I have forgotten to tell you in my last emails that for the last month, I have had laryngitis. I have been absolutely without a voice for about 4 weeks. Finally whenI was at Zone Conference Sorella Kelly called the mission Dr, and he had me take some Ibuprofen 3 times a day for about 5 days, and its starting to come back to me now...It was needless to say about the most frustrating thing I have ever had in my life. Mainly, it didn't go away because as a missionary I couldn't just "Not talk" for a week, ha ha So yea, its finally coming back to me slowly but surely. …
     To answer some questions. Rome is going crazy in the number of Baptisms they are having lately. Truly the Lord is blessing and preparing that city for a Temple. The latest we heard was Rome itself was averaging 50 Baptisms a month. But how incredibly blessed we have been here in Ragusa. Oh by the way, I am doing one more here in Ragusa president told me. He likes to keep greenies with their trainers for at least 2 transfers, then i will get to go up north he told me for my lest few. This transfer ends about the 12th of October, about 5 1/2weeks. We had the Baptism of Anna Frasca last month, and are about to have Rita and Isaac's baptism on the 25th of this month. I will have seen 3 Baptisms, when many missionaries went home from the Catania mission never seeing even one!!  I am so excited to be able to stay in Ragusa for a little while longer, the work is BOOMIN'!  
   In our mission now, there are about 120 missionaries I think. Sister Hostetter started up in the Puglia, she was in Bari, and then in Taranto (both in The Puglia) in the boot on the mainland) It was very strange most people in the Catania mission didn't stay in the Puglia without making it to Sicily for that long. She got transferred to Siracusa the same time that Sorella Smith went home (about 3 weeks ago). I have no idea where the Anziani from my MTC District are, there aren't any even in my Zone anymore, I think a lot are up in the Napoli Zone...I served in Anziano Garcia's Zone for about my first 4 Transfers, he said it was difficult even for him to talk to his family at Christmas in Spanish and Mothers Day so that made me feel a little better ha ha. AS far as i go, I feel like I will be basically starting my life from below ground zero when I come home because I officially don't speak Spanish anymore whatsoever. 
  On Sundays there are about 10 sisters on a good week in Relief Society. The biggest news on Sunday was that they finally called a Stake Patriarch for the Stake here in Sicily. Fratello Cascone. He has this dark gorgeous skin, and just WHITE hair. HE is in our ward here in Ragusa. Representing Ragusa as the new Patriarch! It was a really cool experience Sunday when they announced it. Everyone was crying, including his 29 year old son, who is now the Bishop of our ward, Emmanuele Cascone (our ex ward mission leader) That family is incredible! These people have been waiting 30 plus years to see a stake, then a ward, then a patriarch, the church is growing here, and it is incredible to BE here witnessing it, and being a part of it! 
  Tomorrow I will send home some pics.
   As far as the work goes...
       Isaac is really progressing towards Baptism. He is reading the Book of Mormon from the beginning, and reading and praying daily. Isaac just tells us how for years he has felt so sad. He risked his life coming to Sicily on that boat ride from Ghana, and now is here all alone, has not been able to get a good job, and unable to finish his schooling that he started in Ghana. HE cries almost every lesson we have with him, how grateful he is to us for giving him the truth. It is the most incredible experience every time. I learn more from him than I feel like we teach him. You just have no idea how much faith some people have.
     Rita is back, and we are again seeing her frequently. We were able to do several great lessons with her this week, one of them with another  member Joseph Appiah, from Ghana, who was baptised in 2006. He was really able to help us by bearing his testimony to her of how God loves us, even when things are incredibly difficult. I learned a lot in that lesson about how teaching from the Bible and the Book of Mormon, is truly the way to go. He related about 10 different stories to her life, whether it was a prophet in the Bible, a parable that Jesus told, or a story in the Book of Mormon, the way he taught with simplicity was incredible!  She has committed to live the Law of Chastity, and is putting forth an incredible amount of faith in these commitments that she is committing to live. We would like to get her to now get in the habit of attending church for all three hours, which she did last week, this will help her to get into the habit if Sunday observance. 
   We had one of the most incredible experiences with Rita the other night. Right now she has been in Italy for about 2 years with no real job, and a son to support (her husband is still in Liberia). We really felt prompted that we needed to teach her the law of Chastity  So we did. I have never been filled with the love for God more in my life, than in that moment. It was like this physical overwhelming of love filled my whole body, and for a moment, I truly felt that God loves that Woman, who has had a life full of shame and guilt as much, if not more, than any one of us. All we could keep saying, was how much God loves her. We kept promising her that God would provide a way for her to survive, and to feed her baby, if she lived this law, Tears streamed down her face, as we talked about forgiveness, and what a beautiful gift it is to all of us. It wasn't A quick response, but she told us that she had faith in God that he would bless her for living this law. I have never met someone with such faith in God as Rita. I know the Atonement is SO real, because I saw someone in the depths of humility, feeling his love for her as if it were a physical, tangible love. WE decided that we will do both Isaac and Rita's Baptism on the 25th of September. What a beautiful day that will be. 
   We have our new investigator Angelo, who is making a lot of progress! We were able to prepare him a Book of Mormon this week and give one to him, his wife, his sister in-law, his daughter, and two of their family friends! Through him, we have been able to be introduced to several amazing contacts, who ALL are willing to come to church, and listen to our lessons. Angelo also came to church this week with his wife Rita! They LOVED church, and had a wonderful first experience. I had to apologize to our ward mission leader who gave the lesson in Sunday school, and had a hard time even getting a word in because Angelo was asking so many questions hahaha  Crazy ones like "Who created God?" "Who is it that calls the Saints 'Saints?" "Why are there so many different churches when there is just one Bible, and ONE God?" Meanwhile the whole class got carried away in trying to answer all of his questions, he sat up there frustrated that he couldn't give his lesson! haha But it was awesome to have a Sacrament meeting where all the members were bearing their testimonies, he truly felt the spirit. I was translating in church (as I do every week for all of our African members and investigators) when there was a moment of silence, the spirit told me "GO UP THERE" so I did. haha I got up there and bore my testimony, As I looked out into the audience, my eyes kept going to Angelo, this little dirty man who is starving for truth, and has been his whole life. He was weeping like a little baby, it was one of the sweetest experiences of my life. We have since gone back to teach him 2 times, and he has told us that since he went to to church, he has never in his life felt so happy! He is doubtful that after 60 years of searching, that he could arrive to the point of "truth" but we keep reassuring him that as he read the book of Mormon and directly prays to God, that God will speak to him! It is the coolest thing ever!!!!
        We saw Anna this week and have been trying to get her again reading the Book of Mormon every day. She cannot remember the last time she was regularly reading it, so we know this will help her to regain some of her faith that she claims to have "lost." Her big concern this week was the fact that blacks couldn't have the Priesthood. To her, this contradicts against the nature of God, and therefore is also very skeptical of modern day prophets. She claimed that modern day prophets don't tell us anything "extraordinary" like the prophets of old did. Now days she claims that it seems to just be "common sense" that they tell us. I have never had such a loss for words! Because for me, I know those men are called and inspired of God, and to hear someone who was an active member for 30 years, say such things is almost dumbfounding! All I know is the Lord truly gives me the words to say in those moments, because I never know what to say, so I just let him tell me, and he does. On more than one occasion I have left her house, and realized I was pretty "bold" with her, but I know that the spirit told me the words to say, so I just keep my mouth shut and thank God for helping me out! 
  We took on the challenge we got a zone conference to invite all of our investigators to be baptized. None of them have yet accepted, but we have noticed a huge difference in just TALKING about Baptism with people from the very beginning, then they are exactly aware of our purpose as missionaries. It takes a lot of faith to talk about Baptism, because a lot of times we get "afraid" but it makes all the difference to those we are teaching!
     I love you all so much and hope you live every day with joy and energy! I love you all and hope all is well.
 
Vi voglio un mondo di bene,
Sorella Miller
...MONICA
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