Excitement and not excitement

Anziano Benjamin Jolley
Via XX Settembre, 37
16100 Vercelli (VC)
Italy

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Wed, Sep 8, 2010 at 4:03 AM
Subject: Excitement and not excitement

This week has been really exciting, because Candide is set for his baptism on Friday the 10th, at 8 PM, so around noon your time. Also, we got a referral this week from the assistents of a man who is just about ready to be baptized, named Jerimia, from Peru. (I love you Elijah!) In due povere parole, quello è la nostra settimana. oh... also, I didn't get transferred. Neither did Anziano Jones. In fact, this transfer didn't change much at all. Just the people going home changed in our zone.

In longer words, it went like this:

Giovedì, (thursday) we taught Roberto again, who is just swallowing the Book of Mormon, reading it once quickly and at the same time once slowly. He's at the beginning of Alma in his quick reading, and at the end of 2 Nephi in his slower reading. We then taught Candide about the baptismal interview, going over the questions with him. He's super ready, it's awesome. He's finally getting baptised, a month after we originally planned. It occurs to me that in this email, I've used two different spellings of baptised/baptized. That's funny. Anyways, we then found some members in Novara to teach and get to know.

Venerdì, we taught my friend Edwin, who is on house arrest. He's always home. He's got some cool dreams, and when we taught him about the tree of life, he said, "I wish I could be Nephi. He saw a cool vision." That was a fun lesson. I love teaching him. he wants his firstborn son to be a pastor, or maybe even a prophet. Later on that day, we taught Simonetta, a friend of a member, Sorella Martorana. Simonetta is a long talker, and interrupts, but in her head she's come up with mostly right ideas, she just needs to listen a little more, less than explain to us some of the false doctrine she believes. Time for the Tactfully Take control Triangle that Sister Dunaway taught us! I'll look over that before I teach her again. We then started a scambio, with me and Anziano Shill, my district leader working here in Vercelli. We did some casa together, and found a really good area. How do I know it's a good area? people listen and windows are broken and it's in the middle of nowhere. The only problem with such areas is that there are generally a lot of muslims, who we can't teach. but Christians who live with Muslims usually listen to us more readily. In that area, we found a man who smokes 5 packs of cigarettes a day, and tried to get him to respond. when he didn't, we left him with a prayer and our number. It was depressing, and he was hooked up to two 20 gallon things of oxygen. It was kind of depressing to see. We'll get back to why this matters later. Later that night, as we made phone calls for the next day, our peruvian friend Alessandro biked by, and told us to come over in an hour when they'd finish dinner. So we did. And we finally got a response. The one daughter told us she wasn't sure she believes in God, and the mom told us that she feels something different when we come over and teach. That was a special experience.

Sabato, we did Candide's baptismal interview, he's getting baptised. During his interview, I waited outside and had an interesting study of the Book of Mormon, reading Alma chapters 27-29. I especially liked Alma 27:17-18. I want to be Ammon. that is all. We then went back to Biella, and riscambioed, missing the first train back by 30 seconds. But that's ok, because it gave us some time to talk and think. Later that night, we taught our friend Sunday again, about faith, and what it can do for us. He told us once again that he still wonders about the existence of God.

Domenica, we had church, to which Candide, Maria, and Paolo showed up. It was a good sunday, we taught Gospel Principles with Anziano Shill and Brawdy, and Candide explained very clearly what baptism means to him, and he was dead on. He said something like "I'm not doing this for them or for anyone else. I understand the importance of my own baptism and I'm doing it for my own relationship with God." That was cool, because it helped our other investigator Maria a lot. She had a lot of questions, and she understands much better now. Later on that day, we first met Jerimia, who opened up to us, explaining to us his whole story, and praying at the end that he could be on the right path, with our help instead of Anziano Biddulph, the first missionary that taught him, saying that it would be the same because we're from the same source. It was way exciting.

Lunedì, we put up a bunch of ads for our english class, and then in the afternoon, we taught Jerimia again, reviewing with him the 1° lesson. He remembered everything. He expressed to us several concerns that he has about his girlfriend that he lives with and wants to marry. We explained to him that he will have to marry her or live apart if he wants to get baptised. We'll see how that turns out. We also invited him to Candide's baptism. Later, we finally contacted a referral from a member, Merlee, who is Peruvian, and very good. It was special for me, because as we taught she was pretty quiet, but when I asked her questions, she'd answer in a way that I know she understood. At the end, when I prayed, I prayed that the Holy Ghost would be with us, and she said after the prayer, "I feel something... different... in my heart." This was the first time that I have told an investigator what they were feeling was the Holy Ghost. It was really special.

Yesterday, we gave a blessing to a member's non-member sister, who is suffering with a severe disease. As I talked with her before, I told her, if you believe in Christ, this will work. Do you believe? her response was to break down in tears and say... I don't know. Anziano Jones anointed, and I sealed. It was really special. Later on that afternoon, we taught Edwin again, teaching him about the concept of faith, and I understood better, as I was teaching, the concept that moroni teaches in Ether 12. It was by faith that Nephi saw the vision of the tree of life. The angel asks, what do you desire, and then do you believe, and then says that he will get what he desires because he believes in Christ. (1 Nephi 11:1-6) That was cool, and Edwin is awesome. unfortunately, being under house arrest makes it very difficult to get baptised. We later on taught Candide the concept of missionary work, which he already understands, specifically inviting him to invite his friends to his baptism. So... his baptism will be awesome! on Friday! Then we had Ward council. We then got the phone call for transfers, and I found out that I've been called to serve as... Junior companion to Anziano Jones in Vercelli! Woot! I would have been rather upset to have been transferred. I would have missed Candide's baptism by a day. but I didn't. I'm pleased.

That's my week!
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Vi Amo!
Anziano Benjamin Jolley

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