Thank you so much for joining in the fast for our mission. Maybe you read on Sorella Waddoups blog, but our whole mission is kinda down right now. This fast really was a beautiful experience, I really did feel the power of the Lord this weekend, and we saw so many amazing things this week! We received 6 referrals this week! Referrals that we didn't even ask for. (I think I have probably received 6 referrals my whole mission....probably because it is hard for me to ask for them....) But I will tell you a quick story about one of them. Last Pday we got a call from a phone number we didn't have saved and she said that she was a member (I assume less active, because I have never seen her before.) But she said that she had a friend that she wanted us to teach! (say what?!) And so we scheduled an appointment for Thursday. Thursday comes and we do this lesson and it is absolutely beautiful. She almost started crying when we told her the first vision and she loved the idea of prophets. She said that she had been looking for guidance in her life and that the things that we were telling her just made so much sense. We asked her to do the 3 main invites, read the Book of Mormon (started right when she got home), Pray, and come to church. She said "CERTO!" And then....we asked her where she lived! And she said Battestini.....Rome 1. (A little sad...but hey, we all play for the same team!). So we set up an appointment for Saturday in Rome 1 to do a pass off lesson with the sisters over there. 10 minutes before the lesson she asks if she can bring a friend. (CERTO!) And she told us that she had this friend that "is always worried about things, and what you taught me is EXACTLY what she needs to hear". (Every investigator a missionary?) So we teach them the restoration again and we are asking S. (the investigator) how she felt when we taught her this lesson. She went on to tell how she felt the spirit sooo strong and she went home right away and started reading the Book of Mormon. She said she prayed, just like we asked, to know if Joesph Smith was a prophet and if these things are true, and she said she felt the spirit so strong again. Then she said that that night she had a dream that she was in a grove of trees, just like Joseph Smith, and that God and Jesus Christ came to her and told her that she is on the right path and that this is what she needs to be doing. (Ahhhhh!). We invited her and her friend to be baptized on June 7th and they said "CERTO!". Wow.
And there are so many other beautiful things that we saw this week, and I wish I had time to write about all of them. (But I am a little sad, because all of the people that we found are for other areas :( but again, we all play for the same team, and I am so grateful that I was able to see the start of all of these people's journeys. It really was what I needed to give me a boost. I am so grateful for the power of fasting. I know that if we fast and sacrifice a little bit, that Heavenly Father will bless us more than we can imagine!
FHE at Luca's house.
Also this week Sorella O'Connor came up to Rome to finish her permesso things. It was so fun to see her again! I missed her!
On Wednesday we had a specialized training zone conference. Fun!
Thursday was....my year mark? Say what?! Where in the world did time go! I decided that I need to get in shape before I go home, we were talking to this Italian Elder and he said "Why don't you just eat everything now? You only have 6 more months in Italy" What? I only have 6 more months in Italy. Wait....I won't be able to just go down the road and get amazing pizza. Or take a five minute gelato break. Or get my P-day chocolate bar?.....It was just too much to handle for one day. So we ate both Gelato and Pizza in one day! Oh yes we did. And I do not regret it!
Year mark pizza and gelato.
And speaking of regrets. Man I don't want to go home with any. And I was afraid of this little rut that I was in. That I would just die out these last few months. But this weekend, I just had a new kick put in me! I am going to make these last 6 months count! NO REGRETS!
Saturday there was a general authority that came, he is a Seventy. Anziano Snow. And he talked about church history and how we have to write in our journal. FUN!..... right??
Sunday was just pure amazing. We had this meal appointment with a member named C., and she was baptized 3 years ago. And she is on FIRE! After lunch she took us to this birthday party. Yes we were at a stranger's birthday party. And she had us teach all of her friends the restoration. And it was insane! Then as we were leaving, she said "Oh and I also have this other friend that I want you guys to meet, let's go and see him". Seriously....she's an amazing missionary!
Then afterwards there was a fireside for the members with Anziano Snow. President Waddoups said that we could only go if we had an investigator. But C. brought us there and was expecting us to stay. And it would have been really easy to just....stay. But we decided not to. So we walked to the metro ready to head home and do some finding. And we are in the metro (of course in the area of Rome 1) And we started talking with this dad that had 2 little kids. He ended up asking, "how do you know which church is right? There are so many churches to choose from?" (Oh yes....I have this friend Joseph Smith who had the same question.) We ended up getting a table at the train station at McDonalds and we taught him the restoration. When we started, he kept saying "I've heard of this Jim Smith! Where did I hear of this Jim Smith?" And we kept correcting him, but he just wanted to call him Jim Smith. And then he got this look in his eye "Oh!! Remember when Obama was a presidential candidate? He was running against Jim Smith's friend!" We had to explain...yes Mitt Romney is LDS. Not really personal friends with this "Jim Smith" but yes, that's him! So we taught him the restoration...and this man thought we were crazy! He just couldn't wrap his head around these angels that brought these golden plates to this young man and then the plates just disappeared and nobody knows where they are.....But we gave him the Book of Mormon and he said that he is really curious and that he will read it. He asked us to write him something in the front pages and then after reading it said "You guys have sincere hearts. I can tell in your eyes that you really believe this. So I will read this book." ........ moral of the story..... obedience brings blessings.....exact obedience brings miracles.
Last but not least! I really loved your story about your blistered feet! (maybe I cried a little bit?) But funny story. So right now is tourist season in Rome. And there are lots of tourists in church. And so in Relief Society the last row is saved for people who need translation. (Which is usually the senior sister missionaries and the ladies who are here with their husbands for the temple.) Well the back row was full and two Canadian girls walked in late, so I decided to translate for them right in front of the row of Americans. And after the meeting Sorella Steurer walks up to me and said "I was looking at your heels in Relief Society. Oh my goodness what happened?!" And I explained that....we walk a alot! haha Then the mission nurse walked up to me and said "Sorella Wiltbank! Your heels look terrible! Do you need some moleskin?" I again explained that...we walk a lot! And that the blisters have calloused. Then to make things even worse...Sorella Waddoups walks up to me "I was looking at your heels in Relief Society...what happened?" I AM A MISSIONARY PER LA CHIESA DI GESù CRISTO DEI SANTI DEGLI ULTIMI GIORNI! And I am proud of my calloused heels!
Vi voglio bene!
Sorella Wiltbank
ps. about skype, I will talk with the rest of my district and see what I can do. But I will email you later in the week to tell you for sure. TTYL!
Also.... shout out to my best girl sister missionary Kendall Hope Park! You're going to rock that country side! :)
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