It's been a good week. Our ''numbers'' were probably the lowest of my mission...yeah. They were. But after everything that's been said in zone conferences and district meetings, we were thinking about baptisms and what we're doing/what we need to do to meet these goals. During our planning this week Sorella Ghio and I went through each of the names on our list of investigators and talked about our past lessons with them (or lack of them). There were a few that seemed to be interested before who we haven't been able to fix an appointment with this month. We've tried just stopping by, leaving things...in the end, and after praying about it, we decided to try to focus our efforts on a few investigators with more potential and also in finding. This week we did more finding than I've done in all my time in Battipaglia combined. House and street...no real new investigators from that. But we did have success with the friend of an English Course student.
We started teaching Danilo once a week at the pizzeria where he works. We went for an hour in the morning, did two of the poster lessons, left a spiritual thought, and that was the last we saw or heard from him during the week. Then,this Tuesday, he showed up with a friend, Marco, who already spoke English pretty well. (He lived in Dublin for a while to practice and wants to move there...and Cami he's the spitting image of the guy from leap year. Just a few years younger.) At first I was kind of annoyed, and thinking ''oh, just another ragazzo who wants to meet Americans.'' He was quiet throughout most of the lesson and once we got to the end, Danilo kind of nodded to him, and told us, ''he has some questions about your church.'' ''Alright.'' So he asked us a few things, we ended up teaching him about the plan of salvation, and after almost everything we told him he'd say, ''that's what I believe.'' His sister went to Rome six years ago to become a nun, and he is religious but doesn't agree with a lot of the things his family believes. So he was just eating up everything we said. Sorella Ghio was answering Danilo's questions, I was talking to Marco, and he stopped for a minute, and kind of muttered something like, ''I believe we are gods. Or have the potential to be.'' Ahh the spirit was just so strong! He said it so hesitantly, and when we reaffirmed that, and shared Moses 1:39, he was shocked. Others had told him he was crazy, and he was just confused. One of the first people I've met here who isn't just hardened or indifferent. He's looking. We gave him the pamphlet, he said he'd read it, and we hoped he'd come next week or agree to meet with us again. You never know with these young ones. But Elder Ballard told us at stake conference to look for that age range...eight to thirty. So we were hopefull.
Yes, we could fill our week visiting old ladies who will listen and enjoy our company, but will it lead to a baptism? Not likely. We could get lots of lessons if we wanted, numbers...but we're trying to shift our focus a bit, and find those that the Lord has prepared, those who are ready and willing to accept the message of the restoration of the gospel. We need youth! We need future leaders, and fellowshippers and member missionaries. Even though it is more intimidating to speak to someone around our same age...that's what we've been asked to do. So, yes. I was just praying so hard that we would be able to see and teach Marco again, our one (real!) new potential.
Sunday morning was a little different. We had sacrament meeting the first hour instead of at 11:30. Alfredo plays the organ for our branch, isn't a member, but is a friend of the church and all of the members here know and love him. There was a funeral in Salerno at 12:00 for a thirteen year old girl that his family was close to, so our branch members squeezed into the four cars available and we went to show our support. I could write pages about what I'm learning for serving in this small branch, but I want to mention just the little miracle that happened shortly after the funeral ended. It was a big Catholic church and there were so many people...Alfredo had let us out one of the back doors so we could avoid the throngs of people trying to leave. Sorella Ghio and were saying goodbye to one of the member families and someone called out, in English, ''sisters.'' I looked up, and to my surprise it was Marco. The girl who passed away was the niece of one of his teachers, and he had come kind of as a spur of the moment thing. ''Come mai? What are the chances?'' He was with a friend, and excitedly told us ''I showed my friend this pamphlet the day I met you guys. We agree with everything, (everything!) except we don't believe there's a prophet on the earth today.''
In my head I was thinking ''Perfect! All we have to do is ask them ''secondo voi, che cos'รจ un profeta?'' and establish that definition (it all makes logical sense), teach the restoration, they'll feel the spirit, then these few things, they'll get baptized...'' I haven't been this excited in months. We gave his friend a restoration pamphlet. They didn't want to set up an appointment right there because one lives in Belizzi and the other in Montecagnano...but they said for sure they want to talk more about this.
Anyway...we're praying for them. One thing I've learned so well on my mission is that I can't do anything of myself, that at best, I can be an instrument in the Lord's hands. I hope they read! I hope they pray! As a missionary, I feel this for everyone we teach and contact, and sometimes it gets hard after all the rejection...not because I take it personally, but because I see people suffering, or indifferent (maybe the worse of the two) and I know that the gospel can change everything. It's changed me. And ahead of me I still have lifetime of changing and more after that.
When I think of the few missionaries serving here and the thousands of people in our areas, it is a bit overwhelming. But what an opportunity we have! And what a privilege! Every day I am overwhelmed with a feeling of gratitude for all of the blessings, seen and unseen that Heavenly Father is pouring out on us and on this work. It's been fun to hear stories from Anziano Scherbel about the first missionaries in Italy. The church really has grown. And it will grow even more. ''Piano, piano,'' just like everything here in Italy, right?
I love this area and know there is a lot of potential. We get transfer calls Saturday...I feel like I'm staying. I hope so. And love serving with Sorella Ghio. I don't know how I get so lucky. Every transfer I think, ''alright, eventually I'll have a tough companion.'' Non succede mai.
I'm the worst at writing, even to president some weeks. (but don't worry, I promise he knows. And I do write him.) When I feel like we don't have any real ''success stories''...not only that though. It's like when I sit down at the computer I have a thousand things running through my mind, a thousand things I want to say, but I know my words will never express what I'm learning, feeling...I don't know. So thanks for your patience, for all you do for me, for your example.
Vi voglio bene! Buona settimana!!
Sorella Buckley
p.s. Sorella D'Elia wants to cut my hair off. We had a close call last night.
