How beautiful is that?

Once again the week has just flown by and I really need to back track in order to tell you what has happened. :) Today is my 8 month mark here in Italy. Can you believe that? Sometimes when I think about the year 2013, it just doesn't seem to exist to me because basically all of it has been given to the Lord. This week is week #5 for the transfer which also means that it is Sr Companion week. Sorella Andromidas gets to take charge. :) It is both a relaxing but also stressful situation. Relaxing because I don't have the stress of planning but then soooooo stressful because I have all the stress of my companion planning. I just want my baby to do well!!! My sweet companion is so incredible and has just taken to missionary work so well. She is doing so well. :)

Well... we had a baptism this weekend. It was for a little boy who was basically a member in the ward but because his parents are not members, it counted as a convert baptism. The beautiful thing is that we HAD a baptism and the font has been used two weekends in a row for the first time in 2 years. Unfortunately the baptism that we had planned for the following was dropped and so was the simpatizzanti due to unkept commitments.

MIRACLE: This weekend we had such a beautiful and tender miracle. Our less active, R, has been absolutely wonderful with coming back to church and with sharing the gospel so willing and so openly. Her son arrived from Nigeria last week and came to the baptism that we had over the weekend and then to church the next day. We were able to come and meet him on Sunday evening with the Jefferies (who are very good friends with R). His name is J and he is absolutely wonderful and elect. As we taught him, he took time to think about the things we taught, asked many questions, and even shared his own testimony of the things that he had studied in the bible. He even asked how there could be a covenant people of God in the Americas when they were established in Jerusalem. He accepted our invitation to baptism and wants to love and work for God. :)

So I was studying this morning and read Mosiah 14 - when Abinadi shares the Isaiah chapter with the wicked king Noah (see Isaiah 53). This is my favorite chapter from the book of Isaiah. I recall reading this one night in Jerusalem in order to finish a homework assignment. All of my roommates were sleeping so I only had my bed side light on. Up to this point I had not really understood Isaiah but it finally clicked that night. One of the greatest things that I learned from Jerusalem are from studying the Old Testament was about the Love of God. This chapter explains the Atonement as Isaiah symbolically describes the Savior as the Servant in this chapter. After he explained the pain and afflictions that He would suffer, versae 10 says "yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him." My understanding of this verse is that the Lord was pleased with the suffering that took place in the Atonement. WHY? Because God loved the world sooooo much that He gave his only begotten Son. How beautiful is that? 

Love, 

Sorella Jameson :)