I'm Super Blessed to Have Been in the Verona Zone

Hey sounds like you all had a great week! We're having a relatively great week too. We hit twenty lessons for the second week in a row and we're seeing the blessings. It seems that every time we step outside, to spread the gospel, there is always someone that's ready to accept it.

We've only been able to see the Brazilians, Ezechiele, Moses and Morganna, once since last week but they're great. The spirit comes so strongly when we meet and they are always just listening intently. They told us they would be coming to church this week and so it'll be great to see how that goes. I know if they come that they will love it. They live relatively close to our house but Morgana's mom lives across the street in a small little villa/small 2 story palazzo. Whenever we leave the house or come home we see them there and we get to talk a bit. They all accepted soft baptismal invites (When Heavenly Father answers your prayers and you know these things are true, will you be baptized.....) and tonight we are going to set them up with some dates.

We also have found a few others this week that have some really great potential. We've been having a lot of success lately with young adults from 20 to 25 years of age. They are just really open and see the corruption very clearly in the world. They understand that things are going badly and are in need already of more hope. We met Martino yesterday while doing casa in casa in this area of very small apartment buildings. We rang and this 18 year old came out. We introduced ourselves and threw out a few inspired questions to open him up. After answering we asked if we could come in and he quickly said "sure" so we entered.

We quickly discovered that he had recently started trying to come closer to God in his life. We told him that as missionaries that is one of our primary purposes and that he could through prayer. We talked a little bit more about that then we knelt down together and started with a prayer. It was really awesome to see his countenance change afterward. He was even more open with us and sincere. We just let him know we were there to help him to continue coming closer to Heavenly Father and that as he listened to our message he'd learn more things and feel more peace in his life. We ended by kneeling again and having him say the prayer. It was a great prayer and there was a great spirit as we left.

We've been focusing a lot lately on prayer and, in fact, doing kneeling prayer to start and finish lessons. It's made a huge difference in our lessons and in the spirit that is felt.

Apparently the young adults in the ward are going to have an activity out by Lago di Garda this weekend. They will also be doing sacrament meeting out there too and Lilia is going to be going! Hopefully she doesn't get the idea that it's always like that haha. We are excited that she's going none the less.

The work is going so much better. We still have to get those baptismal dates but it's going better. The mission actually just broke the all-time baptisms in a week and month records! Pretty cool huh? Anyways the zone here is doing great. We had interviews here in Verona this past week and the whole zone was all together. President Wolfgramm told us there was a great unity there and great spirit. For us it was a huge compliment because it's what we've been going for this entire transfer. I'm super blessed to have been here in the Verona Zone....

Tucker with some of the members in Verona

... and just like that I'm leaving. I'm going to San Remo tomorrow! I knew that one of us would be leaving this transfer and I knew it was a fifty fifty thing. haha But, I was really caught off-guard this time. I'm gonna go be DL down in a district of 4 with my boy Anz. Frustacci as my ZL. I'm really excited about that because he's one of my best friends in the mission. Apparently San Remo has been really kicking butt though and had 7 baptisms this last transfer (5 last week)! I'm gonna get to melt off this fat I've compiled over the last two years in the hot sun. My 13th companion is going to be Anz. Free, from Arizona. He's a super good missionary so I'm really excited to go and see more success. I think he's in his 10th transfer or so and was actually in Livorno when I was in Pisa. We were in the same district for two transfers. It's gonna be super fun.

Well...we had even more earthquakes yesterday. Apparently in Modena there is going to be a huge one. They are having members and missionaries in Modena sleep at the church! Crazy huh? I didn't feel the quakes from last week...I slept right through it but we awoke when the Verona sisters called us crying on the phone..

Well have a great reception! I love you all....have a great week.