June 9, 2010 - Verona, Italy

Buon giorno famiglia!

This week was much less crazy than the last, so I have quite a few less stories to tell. We have found several new investigators. It is amazing how people ever let in these random strangers at their door!

The most exciting thing this week was that we had scambi, or exchanges. Normally we have scambi once a transfer with the Sorelle in Modena, about an hour and a half or more south of us by train, where one of us goes there and one of them comes here (though we travel all together to never be alone). Obviously this was my first scambi, which means my first time doing missionary work with someone other than Sorella Harper. Ironically, our capi zona (zone leaders) hadn't been setting them up for us the past three transfers before me, which are all the transfers of my trainer, so it was her first scambi too! But we really pushed scambi this transfer and made it happen, and I am so grateful, we learned so much from it.

On Monday night, Sorella Harper and I rode the train down to Modena to make the switch, and Sorella Harper stayed there with Sorella Ranieri (an Italian sister from the south of Italy), and I came back to Verona with Sorella Rossi. This is Sorella Rossi's second to last transfer, and she actually started her mission here in Verona, so she knew the city and a lot of people, including a bunch of ex-simpattizzanti (investigators), some of which we stopped by. It was so much fun to see her in action, so relaxed, so good at Italian, and amazingly powerful and talking to and inviting people to hear the message of the restored gospel! I loved it. She has such a strong spirit about her as a missionary, and it was great to see that process of revelation and inspiration really in practice in missionary work. I realized she is the kind of missionary I want to be, and felt like I learned a lot of things I can work on to get there. Scambi are so important, and really help us learn.

In fact, that is what I have found this week that I like so much about a mission. It is hard, of course, but that is why I like it. Every day you learn. The mission is ridiculous, pointless, and boring if you are not constantly striving to be better, constantly setting and achieving goals for personal improvement. That is why a mission is so wonderful, because it is such a perfect opportunity to grow and come closer to the Savior every single day. In fact, all hard things in life are just like that. It is amazing how the Lord works through those things to help us, how all things really do work together for our good.

Our bikes broke down yesterday on the way to an appointment - my companion's tire popped, very loudly, to be specific. So we locked up our bikes and hopped on the next bus, knowing we were going to be late at this point no matter what we did. But then on the bus Sorella Rossi and I each met wonderful people who had really been prepared to hear the message of the gospel. I not only carried on a conversation with this woman, in Italian, but also bore testimony that God exists and of what a difference faith has made in my life, got her phone number, and set up an appointment to meet with her on Friday. Sorella Rossi also set up an appointment with the woman she met for next Thursday. Can you believe how God can work miracles through a broken bike tire? It was a good scambi. I learned a lot about talking to people and inviting them to hear the gospel, and have already seen some of the fruits of this labor.

Missionary work can be really fun, as long as you always keep trying, learning, changing, and improving. You have to try new stuff, always look for a better way, and then carry it out! And avoid gross food, which we have mainly successfully done this week. Hurrah.

Love,
Sorella Langham