I feel like there isn't much to update on this week... but I feel that way every week and then it takes me forever to write it all down, so we'll see about that, ha.
We've been doing a TON of less active work. Any free time we have, we are going to find less actives and try to meet with them. It 's been really cool because as we've set this goal as a whole district, we've seen a ton of miracles happening with the less actives. It's really comforting to know that Heavenly Father is working with us to help us achieve our goals.
Welcome Back
One less active that we have been visiting is named Regiane.. she is from Brazil and moved to Sardegna about 4 years ago, but in a town about an hour away so she couldn't come to church. She just moved to Cagliari, so now she can come back to church!
We went and visited her this week and she told us all about her conversion story. It was really fun for me to hear because I have tons of friends who served in Brazil, so it reminded me of how our missions are all just a part of a bigger mission.
She was baptised when she was 15 and is the only member of her family. She told us that she would love to serve a mission too! We are working on getting her to come to church consistantly again first, hah, but it's a great goal to have.
Productive
Saturday was probably our most productive missionary day. We gave away 4 copies of the Book of Mormon! IN ONE DAY! It was really cool.
We had a lesson doing casa in casa in the morning (we had to explain the Restoration to her about 4 times until she figured out we were LDS missionaries... Sometimes people forget that there are any other religions than their own), but she said we could come back so that's cool.
Then we went to Capoterra to find some less-actives and we met this guy named Giuseppe and had a great conversation with him. He said he is going to come to church this Sunday! He had a ton of questions and is really interested in the message, so speriamo-- bene per lui. Anche abbiamo incontrato una donna... oops, English sorry.
We met a woman from Algeria who speaks French, Arabic, a little Italian and a little English, so we brought her Books of Mormon in French and Arabic! She was SO excited.
Cool "Peace Sign" Flower in Capoterra
Capoterra
We loved visiting Capoterra... I'm hoping we go back to visit some more. It's hard to get there, so we can only really go when it's our week to have the car. (We share with the elders in Oristano.) We had a lot of sucess there and the people are really nice (probably because they aren't sick of us yet like they are in Cagliari).
THEN we got to finish the night with a Kebab at Fratello Vicedomani's restaurant, which is always my favorite. He makes the best bread in the world. Slla Nef and I are looking for apartments in Capoterra to move into because we love it so much.
Sunday one of the less actives we had been trying SEVERAL times to meet with came to church!!! So we were really excited about that! He said he felt bad for ditching us so many times, so he came to church--hah, whatever works right?
Then we decided to try to see this other less-active family that we have really been wanting to see & they were HOME and they let us IN! Another miracle. Seriously though, because after 3 hours walking down the street and feeling like you are in "I Am Legend"-- aka, the last people alive in all of the city-- it's nice to have someone to let you in. So another miracle getting to have a lesson with them.
What "casa in casa" looks like Monday nights in Italy - Deserted
Helping Hands
Also we have been trying REALLY hard to find service opportunities. The Italian culture doesn't make it easy for people to accept service, so we really have to be forceful if we want to help anyone
(like grabbing-grocery-bags-out-of-old-ladies-hands-forceful.. Okay, so I haven't tried that yet, but we were getting desperate).
Then on Sunday Sorella Pistida (hands down my favorite member--everyone knows it) asked us to come over and help her clean her house!!! YAY! They are having a party at her house on Sunday for her granddaughter who is getting baptized (the Catholic way).
She is a tiny, old Italian lady who can't reach anything, so we got to go help clean. She kept calling Sorella Nef "Ladder" because she is so tall and can reach everything.
While we were there four of her friends stopped by, so we were able to do some missionary work WHILE doing sevice. Thank you Heavenly Father for answering prayers. We talked about temple work with one of her friends for a while and then we left a Book of Mormon with Slla. Pistida to give to her friend, so that was cool.
How to Work
What I've been most grateful for this week is how Heavenly Father answers our prayers: when our desires are aligned with his desires, the answer to those prayers fills us with joy.
As we ask Heavenly Father to help us in specific ways with the work, that's when the work moves forward. And as we study to know what we need to do and what we need to ask for, the work moves even faster and more effectively.
Nothing makes a missionary happier than more work to do. Seems weird, but it's true. There is always work to do, but the hard part is knowing "how" we are supposed to do it, so I'm grateful that Heavenly Father has been opening little doors for us.
Alohomora
Speaking of opening doors...I seem to have some magical power of making it happen.
On more than one occasion have we found ourselves at a locked door that somehow opens at my command... whether its someone who happens to be driving out of the gate at that exact moment, or someone who walks up with keys and lets us in, or even a neighbor who walks on the balcony and asks if we want her to open it. It's become my specialty somehow.
Communque... hope all is well on your side of the world. Cagliari is beautiful. Really hard some days, but always beautiful. I don't know why you'd want to serve anywhere else.
(Actually I just thought of why: We were watching The District movies for training and the sister missionaries serving in Texas have goals for like 20 refferals in a week and 6 new investigators. I think I've had 10 referals and 6 new investigators my whole first two transfers.
And now I am remembering that the sister missionary in The District reminds me of Jamie from "A Walk to Remember" and that didn't work out so well for her, so I realize that I'd still rather be me in Italy.. sorry Jamie)
With Love from Italy
Sorella O'Connor
Baptismal Font in a Cathedral in Cagliari -
We also got to go into the crypt where they had a huge grim reaper painted on the ceiling... cool.
P-days in Italy.
(Email Sent - May 29, 2013)
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