I'm Excited For All These Miracles To Start Happening

Well....we weren't successful in getting 20 lessons this week. We were super confident that we would have reached it but we ended up at 15. haha I love how it gets brought up so much the whole 20 lessons thing but it means so much for our mission right now. It really helps us to exert all our energies and resources. We did beat our record since being here though which was 12. Considering the fact that we also had a Zone Conference and baptismal interview in Bergamo it was a pretty good week. There were so many lessons that got cancelled or people who gave us bidone's. Oh well...We are on track this week to hit twenty.

The only activity on our list that would take away from our weekly schedule is transfers at Milano Centrale.! Do you realize how many times I have been to Milano for Trasfers? haha. Let's just say every transfer except for once in Modena and Pisa and when I switched sides in Torino. haha. I just go out of habit now. Don't worry I'm not mad, annoyed or anything but I think it's a bit funny.

Anyways, Anz. Smith will be leaving me already to go and be Branch President in the Sienna Branch. It has had a member as the branch president for the last year or two but I guess Anz. Smith will now be it! He didn't even get to unpack his bags. Well actually he did but I was hoping to be able to really grow our relationship and teaching unity. He is a super great missionary, too, so for that I'm a bit sad.

I am going to be companion with Anziano Parker! This last transfer he was one of the traveling assistants of the mission. He did about 5 transfers as a ZL already and has about two transfers left. I am pretty excited for some experience to be coming my way because I need it. I need it and our work needs it just about now. We will also be getting one of the mission cars! ROME HERE WE COME. Just messing, but we will be getting a car to go to all the district meetings and scambios we will be having. It will really save us a lot of time and money, I think, in the long run. We will be able to focus more and have more time in our own city to find the elect.

The zone is going to be changing a lot. We have quite a few people leaving but it seems as if we are getting a lot of really good missionaries. We have had about 6 baptisms this transfer so far and will have another 2 or 3 before it's over! About half the zone is getting 20 lessons which is our biggest goal right now as a mission. Lately we've also been emphasizing prayer. We have been told that we should do "family prayer" every morning at 9:55 am and it's been really cool actually (every companionship in the mission prays at 9:55).

I have really seen my own personal prayers develop over the last week. I've been trying to have them be a lot more effective and it's been working. It really does just require effort. A diligent prayer definitely takes some dedication but we can, like you said Dad, have a prayer in our heart. Any prayer is better than no prayer. I think it will really give a boost to my faith which has lacked a bit these last two transfers and help me feel closer to our Savior.

There isn't much news about the teaching pool. We are still finding and sifting out those that want to learn about the gospel. We are working our butts off, but I know we will be blessed. We had a really awesome appointment with a less-active family last Saturday! We found their names in our area book, we couldn't find them on the ward list. They are from Napoli, and like most Napolitanos they are super nice. Apparently from various life problems they've distanced themselves from the church. At the end of the lesson though, Antonieta told us that she would like to start coming back to church. She said she wants to start having family nights and she wants to stop smoking! She's been smoking for 40 years but she wants to stop. We came out just stunned regarding her desires.

It was simply amazing that we got all that from just passing by. When we asked how long it'd been since someone from the church had passed by she said it'd been years. It was a great experience and we are excited to see them more often, hopefully in church.

I am not sure how Davide (from Pisa) is doing but hopefully at transfers I will find out more. I'm sending a letter to Chen this week so hopefully he will write back and tell me how he's doing. Everything is going great! I'm excited for these miracles to start happening....keep praying for us.

Thanks for all the pictures. I can't wait to see Legend when I get back! And George looks like a stud. Everyone is growing up it's crazy.

I STILL NEED FRANCO'S ADDRESS!!!!!

WHAT DAY IS MOTHER'S DAY?...I know it's like 3 weeks away but which day specifically....?....I'm going to send home a few presents for the family hopefully next week. It will be more of a PARENT'S DAY and not just mothers day. I will include Father's Day too...ecco perchè ho detto il giorno dei genitori.

LOVE YOU ALL A LOT...enjoy the pictures.....(I'm getting chubs huh?. It's ok because Anz. Parker wants to work out a lot).


Love Tuck