March 10, 2014

CIAO TUTTI!!

This week has been SO LONG and SO AWESOME. Seriously. We saw so many miracles and did so much work and we got three new investigators who are all incredible. I will tell you about Francesca and Simone. So one day, actually my first day in Sassari, Sorella Knudsen and I were looking for a place to make copies of the house keys for the other two Sorelle. We asked everyone we saw because no one seemed to know, until we met Francesca. (Okay, she was actually no help, but totally inspired anyways!) After we talked about how far away the key making place was, she pointed to my Book of Mormon and said she used to have one! (Okay, as I write this, I feel like I have written it before...) Long story short, she told us to come back tomorrow, and then we did and she wasn't there and then we came back a couple times and she was never there. BUT. Friday, we were walking this old man to his car and we passed her house and she was on her balcony and waved to us and said ciao, so afterwards we went back and she let us in and we had a great first lesson on the Book of Mormon! Simone is her boyfriend who she lives with. He didn't like us at first because he thought we were this other religion that does the same thing we do, but they aren't always super nice (...), so he didn't want to talk at first, but then she told him we were different and he sat down and listened for a bit and then they both agreed to take the lessons! Yesterday, we went back and taught them about the Restoration and Simone only came in at the end, so we had to review it again for him, but it was awesome becasue then Francesca taught him some of it that she had just learned a little before! It was so cute!!! They are so awesome and just the cutest and at the end they made a bet with each other to read the Book of Mormon, 2 pages a day, and she made Simone promise to even take notes on the things he read! She gave him her favorite notebook from London!! They are literally too cute!! They are really excited to pray and know if Joseph Smith and Thomas Monson were/are prophets of God. We asked Francesca what it would mean to her if President Monson really was called of God to be a prophet. She said it would mean "la salvezza dell'umanità" or the salvation of mankind. Yeah, she is pretty cool! They are reading and praying and waiting for an answer, and we will meet with them tonight. I am so excited for them!

 Please pray extra hard for Lucia Solinas and Antonella to come to church! They haven't come for the past 2 Sundays and it is really making everything harder for them and for us! We don't really know what else to do if they don't come!

Also, pray for Andrea. He is an investigator that the Anziani are teaching and he is supposed to get baptized this Saturday. He really wants to, like really bad, but he is having trouble quitting smoking. That is sucha huge problem in Italia, EVERYone smokes! So just pray that he will have the strength to give it up for good!

Well this week we will hopefully set some more baptismal dates and see more miracles. We are on a language fast, so no English outside of Emails and English Course. We know that the more diligent we are in every aspect of the work, the more the Lord will bless us with His spirit and the more we will be able to help and find more of His children. So, we are starting with the small and simple things, and making them are strengths. I'll let you know all the great things that are brought to pass!

I love you all so much!! I know that God has a perfect plan for all of us imperfect children!! I know He loves me and you!!!
Love,

Sorella Patterson

PS On sister Waddoups blog are tons of pictures taken by yours truly. She didn't come to our Zone conference, but sent her camera, so I took pics of everyone. Should be some nice selfies on there... ;)

And here they are:

Current Companion, Sorella Knudson

Original Companion and Trainer, Sorella Mistura