SUUUUPER Fast!! I am so sorry but we have a train to catch so that I can go to GENOVA for PDAY!!! I get to see it again!! SO excited!!!
On Monday, we had about half of our appointments fall through, including a family home evening. Trying to re-schedule a family home evening last minute always seems to be a little difficult. We went forward with the Spirit however and tried to follow the guidance to where we need to go. After an activity with GANS (we sang at a rehabilitation center) we decided to pass by a part member family. As we were teaching a lesson on the My Family Booklets, we brought up the importance of the VISION behind the booklet. Eternity with our family. We asked the famiglia Z what their vision is and what they need to do to accomplish it. Sorella Z, who is not a member, explained that she wanted an eternal family but that she needed to be baptized first. We set a baptismal date with her for the 20th of July - her father's birthday. :)
Other miracles: Sorella Hoffman found a family in the rain while we were doing splits with the GANS. They are soooo elect and accepted baptism!!!!
OOOO and one more thought to add...
From Jesus the Christ
Prayer is made up of the heart throbs and the righteous yearnings of the soul, of supplication based on the realization of need, of contrition and pure desire. :)
I love you alll soooo much!!
Sorella Jameson :)
Wednesday, June 18, 2014
Wednesday, June 11, 2014
The BEST thing that you could do
WOW!!! It is hot and humid. And yet I seem to have more energy than I have had in a LONG time. Last summer just about killed me. Especially since we were in buses. All. Day. Long. It is so nice to be on bikes.
This past week was difficult. Not miracle wise or number wise. Spiritually and emotionally, yes. We were scheduled to have a baptism on Saturday but on Thursday morning, during scambio, we received a text message from J (the simp) that she would not be baptized until her boyfriend arrived in the next month. I was shocked and felt a little lost without the help of my companion. It was a sensitive situation that required a lot of faith, patience, and strength. We were really afraid that Joy would never get baptized because her boyfriend is VERY controlling. When we went over to teach her that morning, she called him and handed me the phone to talk to him. WHAT?! What in the world is a little, white, American girl going to do about it? He was very kind but also extremely dominating.The whole time I prayed to have the courage to say what the Lord needed me to say. I explained that this was J's choice and not his but he replied saying that he TOLD J that she needed to wait, so she was going to wait. Finally I said, "No... this is not her decision. YOU told her what to do. She needs to do what God wants her to do and we both have to respect that decision." In the end, J did not get baptized but I personally gained a deeper relationship with the Holy Ghost as I gave all to Him. We also believe that this is a better chance that we have to teach J so that her baptism will only solidify her conversion. :)
At the end of the week, we looked back and saw how much the Lord helped up. We climbed our mountain and feel so strong and triumphant. My companion and I are so much closer now too. We love being with each other.
On Sunday, I got to talk with a GANS si chiama Nephi. He is 21 years old and is working right now. During church he was ordained the Melchizedek priesthood. So I asked him what he was going to do with this priesthood.
Nephi - "I know what answer you are trying to get out of me..." he said, giving me the ' you are so sneaky' smile. I smiled back and waited. "Well I hope to serve God and bless my family. And... if chance permits, serve a mission."
Me - "Ahhh okay. What do you mean 'if chance permits'?" I asked. He then explained that he is currently working, to help support his family and to establish a better future for the family to come. I continued, "I can promise you, as a missionary, that the BEST thing that you could do for your future family, is to serve a mission." I felt the spirit so strongly inside of me as I promised him that. Then I explained the blessing of Aunt K and what she has done for us. :)
Nephi - "Thank you for your advice.I will think about it..." he told me as we left that evening.
The experience left an impression in my heart.
I just wanted to end sharing some verses of 3 Nephi 19. It really impacted me this morning as I read that Jesus prayed for us...
19 And it came to pass that Jesus departed out of the midst of them, and went a little way off from them and bowed himself to the earth, and he said:
20 Father, I thank thee that thou hast given the Holy Ghost unto these whom I have chosen; and it is because of their belief in me that I have chosen them out of the world.
21 Father, I pray thee that thou wilt give the Holy Ghost unto all them that shall believe in their words.
22 Father, thou hast given them the Holy Ghost because they believe in me; and thou seest that they believe in me because thou hearest them, and they pray unto me; and they pray unto me because I am with them.
23 And now Father, I pray unto thee for them, and also for all those who shall believe on their words, that they may believe in me, that I may be in them as thou, Father, art in me, that we may be one.
24 And it came to pass that when Jesus had thus prayed unto the Father, he came unto his disciples, and behold, they did still continue, without ceasing, to pray unto him; and they did not multiply many words, for it was given unto them what they should pray, and they were filled with desire.
25 And it came to pass that Jesus blessed them as they did pray unto him; and his countenance did smile upon them, and the light of his countenance did shine upon them, and behold they were as white as the countenance and also the garments of Jesus; and behold the whiteness thereof did exceed all the whiteness, yea, even there could be nothing upon earth so white as the whiteness thereof.
26 And Jesus said unto them: Pray on; nevertheless they did not cease to pray.
27 And he turned from them again, and went a little way off and bowed himself to the earth; and he prayed again unto the Father, saying:
28 Father, I thank thee that thou hast purified those whom I have chosen, because of their faith, and I pray for them, and also for them who shall believe on their words, that they may be purified in me, through faith on their words, even as they are purified in me.
29 Father, I pray not for the world, but for those whom thou hast given me out of the world, because of their faith, that they may be purified in me, that I may be in them as thou, Father, art in me, that we may be one, that I may be glorified in them.
30 And when Jesus had spoken these words he came again unto his disciples; and behold they did pray steadfastly, without ceasing, unto him; and he did smile upon them again; and behold they were white, even as Jesus.
I love you alll soooooooo much!!! Sorry for the lack of pictures....:)
Sorella Jameson
This past week was difficult. Not miracle wise or number wise. Spiritually and emotionally, yes. We were scheduled to have a baptism on Saturday but on Thursday morning, during scambio, we received a text message from J (the simp) that she would not be baptized until her boyfriend arrived in the next month. I was shocked and felt a little lost without the help of my companion. It was a sensitive situation that required a lot of faith, patience, and strength. We were really afraid that Joy would never get baptized because her boyfriend is VERY controlling. When we went over to teach her that morning, she called him and handed me the phone to talk to him. WHAT?! What in the world is a little, white, American girl going to do about it? He was very kind but also extremely dominating.The whole time I prayed to have the courage to say what the Lord needed me to say. I explained that this was J's choice and not his but he replied saying that he TOLD J that she needed to wait, so she was going to wait. Finally I said, "No... this is not her decision. YOU told her what to do. She needs to do what God wants her to do and we both have to respect that decision." In the end, J did not get baptized but I personally gained a deeper relationship with the Holy Ghost as I gave all to Him. We also believe that this is a better chance that we have to teach J so that her baptism will only solidify her conversion. :)
At the end of the week, we looked back and saw how much the Lord helped up. We climbed our mountain and feel so strong and triumphant. My companion and I are so much closer now too. We love being with each other.
On Sunday, I got to talk with a GANS si chiama Nephi. He is 21 years old and is working right now. During church he was ordained the Melchizedek priesthood. So I asked him what he was going to do with this priesthood.
Nephi - "I know what answer you are trying to get out of me..." he said, giving me the ' you are so sneaky' smile. I smiled back and waited. "Well I hope to serve God and bless my family. And... if chance permits, serve a mission."
Me - "Ahhh okay. What do you mean 'if chance permits'?" I asked. He then explained that he is currently working, to help support his family and to establish a better future for the family to come. I continued, "I can promise you, as a missionary, that the BEST thing that you could do for your future family, is to serve a mission." I felt the spirit so strongly inside of me as I promised him that. Then I explained the blessing of Aunt K and what she has done for us. :)
Nephi - "Thank you for your advice.I will think about it..." he told me as we left that evening.
The experience left an impression in my heart.
I just wanted to end sharing some verses of 3 Nephi 19. It really impacted me this morning as I read that Jesus prayed for us...
19 And it came to pass that Jesus departed out of the midst of them, and went a little way off from them and bowed himself to the earth, and he said:
20 Father, I thank thee that thou hast given the Holy Ghost unto these whom I have chosen; and it is because of their belief in me that I have chosen them out of the world.
21 Father, I pray thee that thou wilt give the Holy Ghost unto all them that shall believe in their words.
22 Father, thou hast given them the Holy Ghost because they believe in me; and thou seest that they believe in me because thou hearest them, and they pray unto me; and they pray unto me because I am with them.
23 And now Father, I pray unto thee for them, and also for all those who shall believe on their words, that they may believe in me, that I may be in them as thou, Father, art in me, that we may be one.
24 And it came to pass that when Jesus had thus prayed unto the Father, he came unto his disciples, and behold, they did still continue, without ceasing, to pray unto him; and they did not multiply many words, for it was given unto them what they should pray, and they were filled with desire.
25 And it came to pass that Jesus blessed them as they did pray unto him; and his countenance did smile upon them, and the light of his countenance did shine upon them, and behold they were as white as the countenance and also the garments of Jesus; and behold the whiteness thereof did exceed all the whiteness, yea, even there could be nothing upon earth so white as the whiteness thereof.
26 And Jesus said unto them: Pray on; nevertheless they did not cease to pray.
27 And he turned from them again, and went a little way off and bowed himself to the earth; and he prayed again unto the Father, saying:
28 Father, I thank thee that thou hast purified those whom I have chosen, because of their faith, and I pray for them, and also for them who shall believe on their words, that they may be purified in me, through faith on their words, even as they are purified in me.
29 Father, I pray not for the world, but for those whom thou hast given me out of the world, because of their faith, that they may be purified in me, that I may be in them as thou, Father, art in me, that we may be one, that I may be glorified in them.
30 And when Jesus had spoken these words he came again unto his disciples; and behold they did pray steadfastly, without ceasing, unto him; and he did smile upon them again; and behold they were white, even as Jesus.
I love you alll soooooooo much!!! Sorry for the lack of pictures....:)
Sorella Jameson
Wednesday, June 4, 2014
I am so glad to be wearing a name tag
Soooooooo I have been having really crazy dreams these past few nights. Last night I dreamed that I was home from my mission but I wasn't ready of course to be home. It is kind of like what happened at the beginning of my mission. Although it is something that I do not want to think about, I will be home in 2 months. Crazy huh? Sorella Hoffman is the PERFECT companion to be with right now because she is helping me in so many ways for the future. Especially because we are just working like crazy. Why? Because we have a vision to fulfill. :)
Last week we were supposed to have a scambio with Torino but we couldn't due to train strikes, we Sorella Hoffman and I were just together. Meno male... we had so many crazy things happen.
Wow... one of the biggest miracles that I found personally this week came from a referral si chiama A. One of the GANS brought to the Sunday Serata Familiare, his friend from England. There are people that we can meet every once in a while that you feel an immediate connection with - this is how it felt with A. I could feel the love of Christ through me as I talked to her. She is a very confused and lost soul searching for happiness in this life. I know how and from whom she can gain this happiness. Jesus Christ and His Gospel. We have another lesson with her tomorrow. :) A is a fashion stylist in London. She is working her way up to be a big shot in the media and model world. It is so interesting how we can see people like her and think that they have it all - money, fame, beauty. And yet we discover that they are simple people just like us. She is just a simple ragazza who is searching for happiness and just doesn't know where to find it.
This past weekend we also had several meal appointments with potential investigators. The people here in Alessadria are SO kind that they literally invite us to come over for dinner after the first meeting. Both appointments left us stupefied, if you will. I saw very clearly who I am as a missionary in this work. These people were sooooo kind and wonderful but only wanted friendship. Unfortunately, that is not what we are here to do - we are here to invite others to come unto Christ. They rejected this invitation and thanked us for the time we gave to get to know them. That was it. The doors closed. My heart broke a little bit because of how incredible these people are - they are kind loving, giving, children of God. If I was not wearing a name tag, it would have been different. In the end, I am so glad to be wearing a name tag. To bring such an important message to the world. It was also such an important lesson that I learned for my future as a member of the church. It is also up the "normal" members to help invite and prepare their friends to accept the Gospel.
To finish, here is an article in the Liahona about my nonna in Genova!!! Paola Fava. :)
Nonna Fava
Vi voglio tanto bene!!!!
Sorella Jameson
PS: Sorry for no pictures.... hopefully I will get some soon. :)
Last week we were supposed to have a scambio with Torino but we couldn't due to train strikes, we Sorella Hoffman and I were just together. Meno male... we had so many crazy things happen.
Wow... one of the biggest miracles that I found personally this week came from a referral si chiama A. One of the GANS brought to the Sunday Serata Familiare, his friend from England. There are people that we can meet every once in a while that you feel an immediate connection with - this is how it felt with A. I could feel the love of Christ through me as I talked to her. She is a very confused and lost soul searching for happiness in this life. I know how and from whom she can gain this happiness. Jesus Christ and His Gospel. We have another lesson with her tomorrow. :) A is a fashion stylist in London. She is working her way up to be a big shot in the media and model world. It is so interesting how we can see people like her and think that they have it all - money, fame, beauty. And yet we discover that they are simple people just like us. She is just a simple ragazza who is searching for happiness and just doesn't know where to find it.
This past weekend we also had several meal appointments with potential investigators. The people here in Alessadria are SO kind that they literally invite us to come over for dinner after the first meeting. Both appointments left us stupefied, if you will. I saw very clearly who I am as a missionary in this work. These people were sooooo kind and wonderful but only wanted friendship. Unfortunately, that is not what we are here to do - we are here to invite others to come unto Christ. They rejected this invitation and thanked us for the time we gave to get to know them. That was it. The doors closed. My heart broke a little bit because of how incredible these people are - they are kind loving, giving, children of God. If I was not wearing a name tag, it would have been different. In the end, I am so glad to be wearing a name tag. To bring such an important message to the world. It was also such an important lesson that I learned for my future as a member of the church. It is also up the "normal" members to help invite and prepare their friends to accept the Gospel.
To finish, here is an article in the Liahona about my nonna in Genova!!! Paola Fava. :)
Nonna Fava
Vi voglio tanto bene!!!!
Sorella Jameson
PS: Sorry for no pictures.... hopefully I will get some soon. :)
Wednesday, May 28, 2014
People are so ready to hear the gospel
I don't have much time because I got onto the computer late. But that is okay. :)
Sooooo we got 37 lessons this week, 22 were member present! Our district of 3 sets of missionaries taught 102 total. One of these sets is opening!!! It is sooooo amazing! People are so ready to hear the gospel here! Not just that, Sorella Hoffman and I are "believers." Cioè, we believe that ANYTHING is possible if we have faith, hope, and charity. Last week, Sorella Hoffman told me, "What was Presidente thinking putting the two of us together?" Hahahaha. Seriously though.... I love being with Sorella Hoffman. We feel like we are sisters together. There is honesty and communication between us and we teach so well together. I love it. But then again, I have loved ALL of my companions. :)
This week has been absolutely insane. Our entire district has been working so hard to go above and beyond in lessons and preparing people for baptism. We specifically focused this week on setting baptismal date (we set 3 and 1 more yesterday) People have been coming fully prepared for us to teach and prepare for baptism. :) Right now we have 6 baptimals dates, one for every week starting next week until the first week of July. Please pray that all of these will come through!!! :)
I just wanted to share a quick thought before I have to sign off. This morning I was reading the Ensign and came across an article about communication within marriage. If there is one thing that I have learned as a missionary being with someone else 24/7, I have learned the importance of open, loving communication. Please read this article below...
Speak, Listen, and Love
"As you incorporate these communication principles in your marriage, you may also want to apply them to your relationship with Heavenly Father. Many people communicate with God at a superficial level. If you pray out of duty or use habitual phrases, you may find it difficult to connect with Heavenly Father and He will feel distant. Communicating with God is different from just talking to Him. President Joseph F. Smith (1838–1918) taught: “We do not have to cry unto him with many words. We do not have to weary him with long prayers. … Let the prayer come from the heart, let it not be in words that are worn into ruts in the beaten tracks of common use, without thought or feeling in the use of those words.”
Do you share with your Heavenly Father your innermost beliefs, feelings, and desires? Have you shared with Him the secret ambitions that lie in your heart? Can you pour out your heart to Him? And do you practice listening for His responses?
Sincere words spoken in humble prayer will allow you to develop a deeper connection with Heavenly Father. Listening for and implementing His counsel will enrich and strengthen the relationship. As you express gratitude for specific blessings, live the gospel, and become more like Jesus Christ, you will demonstrate your love for Heavenly Father."
The church is so true. I feel it everyday as I speak of the Restoration. The Spirit bears testimony to my heart and mind every hour of each day and helps in His great work.
VI voglio TANTO bene!!!
Sorella Jameson
Sooooo we got 37 lessons this week, 22 were member present! Our district of 3 sets of missionaries taught 102 total. One of these sets is opening!!! It is sooooo amazing! People are so ready to hear the gospel here! Not just that, Sorella Hoffman and I are "believers." Cioè, we believe that ANYTHING is possible if we have faith, hope, and charity. Last week, Sorella Hoffman told me, "What was Presidente thinking putting the two of us together?" Hahahaha. Seriously though.... I love being with Sorella Hoffman. We feel like we are sisters together. There is honesty and communication between us and we teach so well together. I love it. But then again, I have loved ALL of my companions. :)
This week has been absolutely insane. Our entire district has been working so hard to go above and beyond in lessons and preparing people for baptism. We specifically focused this week on setting baptismal date (we set 3 and 1 more yesterday) People have been coming fully prepared for us to teach and prepare for baptism. :) Right now we have 6 baptimals dates, one for every week starting next week until the first week of July. Please pray that all of these will come through!!! :)
I just wanted to share a quick thought before I have to sign off. This morning I was reading the Ensign and came across an article about communication within marriage. If there is one thing that I have learned as a missionary being with someone else 24/7, I have learned the importance of open, loving communication. Please read this article below...
Speak, Listen, and Love
"As you incorporate these communication principles in your marriage, you may also want to apply them to your relationship with Heavenly Father. Many people communicate with God at a superficial level. If you pray out of duty or use habitual phrases, you may find it difficult to connect with Heavenly Father and He will feel distant. Communicating with God is different from just talking to Him. President Joseph F. Smith (1838–1918) taught: “We do not have to cry unto him with many words. We do not have to weary him with long prayers. … Let the prayer come from the heart, let it not be in words that are worn into ruts in the beaten tracks of common use, without thought or feeling in the use of those words.”
Do you share with your Heavenly Father your innermost beliefs, feelings, and desires? Have you shared with Him the secret ambitions that lie in your heart? Can you pour out your heart to Him? And do you practice listening for His responses?
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| Today!! Sicilian canoli :) |
The church is so true. I feel it everyday as I speak of the Restoration. The Spirit bears testimony to my heart and mind every hour of each day and helps in His great work.
VI voglio TANTO bene!!!
Sorella Jameson
Wednesday, May 21, 2014
It is the last little bit that I can do
It is an absolute DREAM to be here in Alessandria!!! Oh. My. Gosh!!! There is so much work here!!! Which is fantastic because all that I want to do is give my whole heart and soul into my last 2 transfers. Sophie wrote, telling me how the last 2 transfers are GREAT because you FINALLY know how to work as a missionary. It is soooo true. I have already hit the ground running here and am putting everything I got into this city. After all... it is the last little bit that I can do.
Sorella Hoffman is sooooo similar to me too. We both want to work!! And we have very similar personalities which is crazy. Imagine how Brenna is a firecracker and then add that to my personality. Ecco Sorella Hoffman. We have so much to do here together and have much FAITH for the things that will happen. This week we have planned for 31 lesson.... the most that I have every gotten was 22. We can do it!!!!
Oh my goodness.... Alessandria is so FULL of miracles, it is literally blowing my mind! I cannot believe how ready these people are for the gospel - both the members and those searching. On Sunday we had an amazing miracle with one of our progressing investigators. After watching the CES fireside, we taught her about Enduring to the End. She has a testimony of the church, is already integrated into the GANS (single adults), and has the biggest desire to go to the temple. We had with us a newly baptized young man who expressed all of his fears and concerns when he was about to be baptized. It was the perfect setting and the Spirit was so strong!!! After some concerns and resolving, she set her own baptismal date for the 15th of June!!! Right before leaving for home, we offered a prayer of gratitude. 5 minutes until 9 pm, we found, taught, and set a baptismal date with A. Ahhhhh the Lord is so great!!!
Saying goodbye to Pisa was hard. I didn't feel like I was ready to leave yet but it needed to happen. Now that I am here, I know this is what I am supposed to be doing. :)
Funny story. The other night, I was trying to call the Mestre Sister Training Leaders for something. I pulled out a card that had information of all the leaders in the mission and dialed their number. Who answered? Anziano Sloan in COMO. I was so confused and told him that I was Sorella Jameson. He repeated my name and someone screamed in the background. Anziano Ostergar. Oh how I love that Anziano!!!
He is so much like Jarom - it was literally like having a brother. Anziano Ostergar picked up the phone and I immediately told him that I am not apostate. Hahahah so funny. :)
Please pray for the Dibbs.
Sorella Jameson :)
Sorella Hoffman is sooooo similar to me too. We both want to work!! And we have very similar personalities which is crazy. Imagine how Brenna is a firecracker and then add that to my personality. Ecco Sorella Hoffman. We have so much to do here together and have much FAITH for the things that will happen. This week we have planned for 31 lesson.... the most that I have every gotten was 22. We can do it!!!!
Oh my goodness.... Alessandria is so FULL of miracles, it is literally blowing my mind! I cannot believe how ready these people are for the gospel - both the members and those searching. On Sunday we had an amazing miracle with one of our progressing investigators. After watching the CES fireside, we taught her about Enduring to the End. She has a testimony of the church, is already integrated into the GANS (single adults), and has the biggest desire to go to the temple. We had with us a newly baptized young man who expressed all of his fears and concerns when he was about to be baptized. It was the perfect setting and the Spirit was so strong!!! After some concerns and resolving, she set her own baptismal date for the 15th of June!!! Right before leaving for home, we offered a prayer of gratitude. 5 minutes until 9 pm, we found, taught, and set a baptismal date with A. Ahhhhh the Lord is so great!!!
Saying goodbye to Pisa was hard. I didn't feel like I was ready to leave yet but it needed to happen. Now that I am here, I know this is what I am supposed to be doing. :)
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| Codi and Jarom, right before she went into the MTC |
He is so much like Jarom - it was literally like having a brother. Anziano Ostergar picked up the phone and I immediately told him that I am not apostate. Hahahah so funny. :)
Please pray for the Dibbs.
Sorella Jameson :)
Wednesday, May 14, 2014
There must be something that I must do
Transfer News!!!!! I am going to be transferred to Alessandria to open an STL companionship. We will be over the sisters in the Torino and Alessandria Zones. This means that I will be able to do exchanges with GENOVA!!!! AHHH!!! It is exciting but also very sad. I was not prepared to go, in all honesty. Sorella Bennett and I are so sad to leave each other again. Things are just starting to pick up here!! Miracles are happening!! S is going to be baptized!!! But there must be something that I must do. I was also wanting be a normal missionary but I think I might end being an STL. Can't complain! I am doing the Lord's work!!!
WE ARE A STAKE!!!! I got to see all of my very favorite people too!!! It was amazing to see Sorella Lemos as well. :)
Seeing Ariele was probably the best moment of my life though. Pisa was made a ward too. :) Presidente Dibb explained that when a Stake is established, the Church is established in that area to STAY!! Florence has the Church of Jesus Christ to STAY!!! :)
After we skyped, Sorella Bennett got sick again (eating pesto lasagna was not the best idea) so we went straight home. This week has been a little rough for us due to a virus or food poisoning that hit all of the Pisa missionaries. We were "out of duty" if you will for the whole weekend. Yet the Lord has still blessed us so much in His work. Yesterday we had a chance to visit our baptismal date, S. She has been avoiding us this past week but we were finally able to find out why. She was not quite ready for her baptism (that was supposed to take place this weekend) and didn't want to tell us until she felt ready. We had a beautiful lesson, resetting the date and encouraging her to prepare. We promised that the Lord will help her arrive to this point if she puts her trust in him. :) Later in the evening we had a birthday party with Michael Israel.... oh how I will miss him soooo much!
There is not too much more to tell. I know that I don't have much time left but I am excited to come home to get a big hug from my family. :) Moments that matter most!
Vi voglio bene!!
Sorella Jameson
WE ARE A STAKE!!!! I got to see all of my very favorite people too!!! It was amazing to see Sorella Lemos as well. :)
Seeing Ariele was probably the best moment of my life though. Pisa was made a ward too. :) Presidente Dibb explained that when a Stake is established, the Church is established in that area to STAY!! Florence has the Church of Jesus Christ to STAY!!! :)
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| Sorella Bennett's favorite expression of mine. :) |
Vi voglio bene!!
Sorella Jameson
Wednesday, May 7, 2014
Change for the better
This past week was so beautiful!! :) I had a wonderful birthday with my companion and with many wonderful members. :) We went to lunch with the famiglia Perez (I am sure that she has posted pictures already.) Mamma mia... she makes some reeeeeeal good food! Then we went with S for a gelato. 
We finished with some dinner with the famiglia G (another Brazilian member) and headed to Firenze for the night. The next day we had consiglio where I got a bunch of birthday cards. Thank you sooooo much for all of the birthday cards. Especially the one that you made from all of my friends. :) I love hearing from all of these loved ones in my life. Sophie sent me a fantastic birthday card as well.The day before, we went to Volterra for Pday. Oh my heck... BEST PDAY EVER!!! We went with the sorelle of Montevarchi. Volterra is a beautiful medieval city that is in the middle of the hills of tuscana. :) Also, this is the famous city from Twilight when Edward goes to "kill himself". Hahaha but it really was such a beautiful city. Sorella Bennett bought me earrings made of Alabaster stone from Volterra. :)
This past week we saw MANY miracles!! One of the most tender miracles was when we were teaching the law of chastity to our simpatizzante, L. She has loved almost everything that we have taught her, especially this lesson. Before we taught it, she expressed how she really admires how we wait until after marriage to share intimate relationships. As we were teaching, we talked about how we are all children of God. He loves us so much and does not want us to be selling our beautiful bodies. L loved every second of the lesson and has asked us to come over so that we can try teaching her husband as well. :)
This weekend we had an amazing lesson with a family from Equador. Miriam is a member for many years but could not find the church here in Italia. She hasn't come for 10 years but still has a burning testimony. Her husband, C, is not a member of the church but has agreed for the first time to sit and listen to the missionaries. When Miriam found out that there was a church here in Pisa, she was beyond joyful!!! When her husband saw how incredibly happy she was, he decided to come as well and visit. :) We taught him on Sunday and he expressed his desire to hopefully be baptized. :)Funny Story: we had a lesson with B and Michael again. We almost had another African showdown but this time not between them and the gospel. After the lesson, they walked us to the train station. Michael began talking to his friend who was 100% drunk. When his friend saw us, he staggered towards us. We backed up and he took a swipe at Sorella Bennett. She stepped back again but he still tried coming towards her and even grabbed her name tag. Michael shoved him off and was trying to keep him back. (I will explain in more detail on Sunday) Bishop was SOOOO upset!!! He told the man to just try it again so that he could beat him up. Oh man...we are soooo happy to have our African friends. :)
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| Sorella Bennett and I re-enacting the scene from Twilight :) |
I wanted to share an important link with all...
Hastening the work. Members & Missionaries
I LOVE YOU!!!
Sorella Jameson
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