My Week this week 30/6/10

Date: Wed, Jun 30, 2010 at 5:12 AM
Subject: My Week this week 30/6/10

Dear family of mine,

Once again, more rapidly than the last time, it is P-day. which means that I'm writing an email home. This week seems to have flown by. I love the mission, let me tell you!

This past week has been quite an interesting one. We've gotten a ridiculous number of bidoni (literally something like trash can, but in mission slang it means an appointment that falls through), which has been really upsetting. However, we found some good people to teach, so I'm content, and this next week will be better.

On Thursday, we taught one of our African friends, named Evans Godswill. Is that not an awesome name? He's from Nigeria, so he speaks english. The first few times teaching him and other africans were really interesting, because I didn't know how to teach in English, and Anziano Zippro can't speak proper english anymore. His english has picked up Italianisms, like "One of the things God gives us to help us is the prayer." Normal people would omit the "the", but in Italian, it's la preghiera, so it makes me laugh. Anziano Zippro and I rarely speak English with each other, because he is, as I've said before, obsessive about the language. We also found a family of three, whose father is Giuseppe. They seem pretty good, and have a decently high chance of getting baptized, I hope.

On Friday, we taught Yanina, the less active we found last week, a first lesson. We also taught one of our african members, Uyi, after my first REAL african meal. African meals consist of rice, and a sauce of meat, vegetables and enough spice to kill a small child (good thing I'm fully grown). We also found a man named Roberto, who is the first Vercellese man my companion has ever taught. (Meaning that this guy has lived in Vercelli for like forever, also his family, and not a southern italian or a straniero). That was exciting. He's pretty open, and has a big family. I love people with big families. We're teaching him tonight.

On Saturday, we found a muslim guy from bangladesh, named Ahmed. That was cool.

On Sunday, we taught some Peruvian less-actives (where did Elijah serve? somewhere in Peru, right?) in Novara. We also taught a Non-denominational african Pastor named Charlie Andrei who told us to look him up on facebook. At one point, I told him we were here to share a very important message with him and he needed to listen, and he listened, then repeated that he'd learned he needed to listen more. I'm quite excited for him. We're teaching him next Sunday. Also, we taught a Moroccan Muslim named Sayid (which, as it turns out, means Happy). Church was also fun, because the Biella branch, including the elders out there are coming for church to Vercelli for the whole summer.

On Monday, we had district meeting, which took a long time because Alessandria was late showing up because the train times changed. I then went on Scambio (exchange) with Anziano Duque to Biella. On the train ride there, I met a man from Vercelli who has read the bible 4 times, and after talking to him for a while about the bible, got his number, address, and an appointment for tomorrow. I'm quite excited. Anziano Duque is a filipino elder who has lived in rome for the past 10 years, and is a convert of 2 years. He's really good, and has a strong testimony. I like him a lot.

Yesterday, we riscambioed, and then taught my friend Evans Godswill again, giving him a Book of Mormon, and a lesson about it. (He seems to have trouble reading, but I have faith in him). We then found an Albanian man named Gani. It's been a really good week.

This morning, workers from the landlord came to work on our sink, because apparently there was a plumbing problem that caused a leak down to the floor below us. Our kitchen is a mess.

I love you all, and hope you are not just praying for me, but for you to have missionary opportunities too! (I read a quote somewhere that said "It will be a great day when our members pray not only for the full time missionaries in the field to have success, but to have the opportunities and courage to do missionary work themselves." I have faith in you)

Vi Amo!
Anziano Benjamin Jolley

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