6 more weeks

Cara famiglia,

Talked to President Wolfgramm on Monday. Transfers are this Thursday but he told us he couldn't break up the dream team (that is a direct quote), so I have 6 more weeks in Bergamo! But then I'm for sure being transfered because Sorella Simkins only has one more transfer and will need to get another sister trained up on the city.  But I am so happy. Mostly to have another six weeks with Sorella Simkins. We work so well together and we've been busy since she got here, but we also feel like we didn't push ourselves as much as we should have and we both feel like there's a fair amount of opposition to our work together, because we get along so well and everything; there must be a lot or miracles waiting for us that we need to reach. So we've stepped it up and we're already seeing tons of miracles.

We were low on lessons after two days in Verona last week (more pics to come probs next week) and Saturday we just went out and worked and worked and worked. It just felt so normal. I feel like I've finally reached this point where I don't want my mission to end. I loved it from the start, but now I've learned to love finding work too. I think that was missing for a while. I new finding was obviously necessary but I never liked it that much. Now it's becoming fun. And we've even been talking to tons of Italians! I am just full of hope for everyone we meet and for an amazing transfer. When I leave Bergamo on July 12th it will have been so long that I've been here, it almost doesn't seem possible, but I can feel my time here is coming to a close. Good news is, birthday party in Bergamo! My birthday is even on Pday, hip hip!

Like I said we went to Verona and it was great, such a beautiful city but I was so ready to come home to Bergamo. It was really great to work with Sorella Laratro, see what I liked about her work, what I didn't and to be reminded that we just have to be ourselves. She's kind of an intense bold missionary but if I was to be that over the top it would never come across as sincere and it would never work for me. But especially with the end of the transfer and lots of uncertainty about what was going to happen, I was worried I would get moved to another city and Sorella Simkins and I would never reach our peak as a companionship.

So I've been thinking a lot about making the best of each moment. I've already made the decision to be here, so I have nothing to lose and everything to gain from just working as hard as I can, from doing everything I can to align my will with the Lord's to find the people he's preparing for us to teach, which I think all comes back to humility again. And thinking about where does my confidence in teaching come from. Is it because I think I'm all that for being able to speak Italian as well as I do after only 4 months? Or is it because I know that my message is true and can change the lives of everyone we talk to? That I know the spirit will touch the heart of anyone who reads the Book of Mormon?  Punto.

Samuel is doing so well. He really is such a different person then when I got here. It's incredible how much he's changed. But that's what the gospel does to you. Silvia is doing better, we had a week were she didn't really want to see is because she was embarassed about some of her life decisions, but she wants to do what is right, is trying to figure out if Joseph Smith is a prophet and will get baptized, I'm sure of it. She finally could come to church this week and the members just took her right in. Juliet is coming along too. She talks so much it's kind of funny and she gets herelf excited and tells us all the time God is POWERFUL in her beautiful Nigerian accent. POWERFUL!

My favorite person right now is an inactive member named Patricia, who is a saint, I love her so bad. We met her Easter because she's friends with Rocio, a member we see a lot who had us for dinner and invited Patricia too. We finally were able to go and meet with her and we had such a beautiful lesson. She still knows it's all true and she doesn't even know what happened to leave her so lontana from the church and now she just feels imense guilt and this unworthiness. She served a mission in Bolivia and still says it was the best thing she's done in her life. So we're working with her now, pian piano. And I told her how much I had loved her from the instant I met her and how I have no doubt she will come back to church, because she is strong and with Christ it is more than possible, the atonement is real and the grace of Christ really does give us power to act and change. We told her about some conference talks to read and a verse in the Book of Mormon. I texted her that night and thanked her and she texted back "No, thank you guys, and you know what, I'm reading Elder Ballard's conference talk, ma che bello!"  She is so good and I will see her in church before I leave Bergamo.

Got a beautiful pack of pics from MK this week. OMG I wept I was so happy. TOO FUNNY! I love you all! Keeping you in my prayers, duh.

xoxo

sorella bush

un battesimo

Hello my dears,

So don't even worry your pretty little heads and Samuel. His baptism happened last Thursday and was BEAUTIFUL. Neither him nor his mom have ever been so happy. We told Elcia, his mom, that the baptism was at 6:00 and we all pretended like we were just going to the church to dance and that's why she needed to ask for work off. So she knew but she still couldn't really believe it just because of how off track he was for so long. But I walked outside to ask the Anziani something and she was walking into the parking lot. We were still joking about dancing and we walked into the church together and Samuel was waiting there in white and her face...I can't even describe it.

It's just been incredible to watch him change his life. It's all about reading the Book of Mormon and praying. He had so many beautiful answers to prayers and studies, like incredible. But just as equal were his temptaions, and he resisted them all. He called us last Wednesday and I talked to him for maybe and 30, 40 minutes because he was so anxious and he could feel Satan trying to fight against him. I read him some scriptures, promised some blessings, and he was on his way. He is a new person, everything about him is different. He even seems taller, ha. So yeah, Samuel is a rock star.

I guess there was an earthquake this week. Don't worry, I slept through the whole thing, as usual.

We had interviews with President Monday, which was really great. That combined with a dream I had Sunday made me realize I need to step it up. He was just telling me all these reasons why he's glad I'm here as one of his missionaries, and I had this glimple of the missionary I can become if I don't let myself get comfortable. I think I've been a little comfortable and I hate that idea. So last night after our appointment canceled, we went out and did some street contacting, and even though I hate it, I awkwardly started talking to peeps. I even power-walked to catch up with these two ladies maybe 40 meters ahead of us and walked up next to them and asked them how they were, and now we're teaching them Sunday. I don't know why I get so weird about finding because when we're done I feel great, like I've accomplished something and am doing what I should be. So I'm turning over a new leaf. Which will be reinforced with my scambio in Verona tomorrow when I'm with this awesome crazy Italian native who just talks to everyone and has no fear. NO fear! I want that to be me. I've been out for 6 months! I have no time to waste.

The bad news is my pidocchi have struck back and it is THE WORST. Sorella Simkins picked lice and eggs out of my hair for an hour saturday morning and I was sooo depressed after, like wanted to crawl into a hole. But instead we went and had lunch with Samuel and Elcia.

Since Bergamo is surrounded by beautiful hilly mountains, all green and heavenly, I've been thinking so much about England this week. I'm heading to the English Imports store next to see if they have Cadbury chocolate. The Italians do all food so well, I just haven't found chocolate that I love, it's all the same imports stuff we have in the states like ritter and lindt only it costs more.

I feel like Sorella Simkins and I have finally really gotten used to teaching together. I've gotten used to interuppting her so we teach more evenly, and it is so nice. Transfer calls are this Tuesday and I'm hoping we have another transfer together because I feel like we haven't reached our potential yet, but I've also been feeling like my time in Bergamo is coming to a close. We'll see what prez has in mind.

Still studying up on patience, I failed a few tests the Lord threw at me, so I'm back to trying to align my will with God and ignore my selfish tendencies. I just have to keep saying to myself, out loud, I am full of patience! Which Sorella Simkins always laughs at because it's usually clear I would rather punch someone in the face than be patient. Also been thinking about knowledge vs. wisdom a lot and how progression is related to our knowledge and the power to judge with wisdom.

We started teaching a great lady named Allison this week. Her husband is actually an inactive member of the church, I don't think he's even been to the church in Italy, and she was asking tons of great questions about the Book of Mormon. They have a cute little boy and she's 8 months pregnant. I am full of hope for them. Jessica is still coming along and believes everything we tell her but also has crazy ideas, like she's read some crazy books and believes all of them too. We're trying to straighten out some of her mix ups about Christ right now.

And Daniella, the rad Italian lady from a few months ago came to church! She's not really letting us teach her because of some health issues, a lot of it depression based, and it breaks my heart because she's so golden, so ready and so in need, but I'm happy she came to church, or as she called it, messa (mass), and that she loved it and even made the connection about how she felt better at church, like she does when we come visit her. SO LET US COME MORE! Bah. Pian piano.

Well, I think that's all for now.

Vi voglio tanto bene,

sorella bush

P.S.  Krave is basically nocciola and chocolate cold cereal.  So I krave it.

love skype!

It was so nice to see your beautiful faces on Sunday! even if I got the sucky computer, I loved it.

Glad you're all happy and well. Things are still great here, the last two days have actually been really busy. It is a DREAM to be on bikes, getting everywhere so much faster and plus I just love biking.

We had a beautiful lesson with Samuel yesterday afternoon, and he was telling us how he can't wait for Thursday. He's so ready. And he said this beautiful prayer at the end thanking God for this chance to change his life and all this great stuff and I was thinking, "What 24 year-old talks like that?" Certainly not Samuel three months ago when I got here. It's incredible how the gospel just changes people when they open their heart. At the end of the lesson he put one hand on each of our shoulders and was like, "Just pretend that I gave you a huge hug." Ha.

My favorite story from finding new peeps this week is from last Wedesday evening. The member that taught with us for our lesson at 7:00 dropped us off at home and it was only 8:20 or 30 so we still had a good half hour before we could retire for the evening (i.e., eat cheese and go to sleep). I really felt like we should go to the Number 9 bus stop by our house, and there we found this beautiful Bolivian family. Mom, three daughters, 27, 24 and 11, the oldest with a baby. Tthey were so awesome. I really can't stop thinking about the 24 year-old. When we were just getting to know them a bit at the beginning they wanted to know where we were from, and how old we are and I said I would be 24 next month. This girl was like "Hey, I just turned 24 last week!" Then we taught some of the restoration and the Book of Mormon and everytime I spoke I felt like she was just eating every word I said. When we were exchanging numbers at the end she even pulled out this little book to make sure she had our names and number written down.  I talked to the mom on Monday and she's trying to find a time when they'll all be home since they all have different work schedules and I am so hopeful for them.

Yesterday we taught a cool new family form Peru who we found at a park waiting for one of our appointments to show up.  It was so funny because he told us he lived near the anziani but didn't tell us that he lives literally across the hall from them. We got there and this nice man said "Oh, are you guys looking for your friends?" (meaning the Elders), and we said, "No thanks, get to their door and see across the hall, like 4 steps away the door to the elders apartment. So we'll have to pass our family off to them because it's technically Bergamo 2nd Ward area, but we're going to teach them a few more times first because they are so cool there was a really rad spirit there and especially Carlos the husband was pretty eager to learn.

One funny story for you. Sunday night we were doing a piccolo giro and this African man selling umbrellas and stuff on the street said, "Hey do you guys want anything?" I said, no, grazie. Then he was kind of rude and said "Niente? Dai, non volete qualcosa??" and I told him I didn't have any money.  He said "Come Mai?!"  So I told him sono una missionaria, non ho soldi, solo la parola di Dio, and he paused and said "Oh. Bravo" and walked away sort of smiling to himself.

All this week I've just been riding my bike looking up at the old city or at the windy roads we're on and thinking to myself, I am on a bike, living in Italy, as a missionary, and my brain explodes. 6 months already: how in the world?

We taught a beautiful Nigerian woman yesterday who randomly came to church because she saw the sign that said it was the Church of Jesus Christ, and wanted to come. We taught about the restoration with only a few distractions here and there because once she gets talking it's at least 8 minutes for her to finish her thought. At one point she was talking about God being apart of everything and looking around at the world or whatever other good thing and she through her arm in the air and was like God is Great! It was pretty awesome. We gave her a Book of Mormon and she was ecstatic. She said how in Sunday School we would always read form the Bible first and then the Book of Mormon and it was always more clear, why is that? So we explained and she's pumped to read it.

Still studying up on Patience in an effort to have more patience with myself and others and situations mostly out of my control, to cancel out unnecessary stress. I read Mosiah 3:19 again the other night in bed and just let it sink in a bit and patience is all about submitting to the will of Heavenly Father, even when it includes times of long suffering, recognizing what his will is and trying to follow it, and that is possible when we change our natural man, not just try and cover it up. Nothing super profound but something I'm trying to be better at. Also have I told you about Jacob 4:7? It's one of my favs these days.

Love you all! Praying for you and working for you. Happy paddle, Dad and Ian, and happy shuffling, Mamma.

xoxo

sorella bush

bianchi!

Happy Pday one and all!

So weird that it's going to be Mother's Day; wasn't it just Thanksgiving?

Things here are wonderful. Samuel is getting baptized next Thursday! He's so ready and having his interview with the District Leader on Saturday and no one in the ward will believe us. I guess he's studied a bit with the missionaries in the past and had a baptismal date and obviously it didn't work out, so the peeps in the ward just kind of smile and say "Oh, that's nice" and think it's quaint we think he'd going to follow through, but HE IS! He has a testimony of everything, even freaking decima which we taught yesterday, he's toats ready. He even told us how he hadn't read the Book of Mormon for a few days and then bore testimony on how much better his life is when he reads. This kid is golden.

And have I told you about Silvia? Our other Baptism date that we met last week? Super rad, from Moldavia, 28 and beautiful and wanting to change her life. We saw her a bunch last week and it's really cool to watch the Spirit work with her. The first time we talked about the Book of Mormon she was kind of confused and a little preoccupied and just wasn't really getting it. Then Monday night we were reading together in 2 Nephi 2 and she was explaining all the verses we were reading, totally getting it. And she had been really stressed and distracted when we started our litle lesson, but as we read and talked she got more and more peaceful and stronger, like she was ready to go fight against all the things in the world trying to keep her from being really happy.

Yesterday we had a bunch of cancelled appoitments, i.e.,God had better plans for us. We then needed to go find some people to teach. We found Jose, from Bolivia, sitting on a bench at the park. It was about noon and I was feeling super weird because we hadn't taught any lessons yet, and I just wanted to teach somebody. Jose was, as all people are, a little startled when we started just talking to him, but then he told us about how his Dad reads the Bible for peace and strength when he had free time, and we taught about the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith and he was really interested and there was a cool spirit there. And at the end we asked if we could pray with him and he said, "Yeah, sure."

We explained how we pray with out our words so that we can really have and strengthen a relationship with God, and then I prayed for all of us and for his Dad in Bolivia, just short and sweet. And we finished and he paused and quietly said mi e' piaciuto. We're meeting him tomorrow to give him a copy of the Book of Mormon and teach the whole restoration.

Also we've finally been able to see our Brazilian Jessica again, whom I love and is so ridiculous. I don't know why she just loves me and last night she had us come over and she ordered take out Chinese and we read Alma 32 together and I testified like crazy that the Book of Mormon can change her life because she can know that she is a daughter of God and that Christ is her savior. She's got some kind of funny ideas, like that Christ wasn't perfect, which would make the atonement impossible. But she had read the chapter we had left her, here's hoping she'll keep reading. If people will read the Book of Mormon, their lives will change, punto.

Two members gave us old Bianchi bikes this week that are super awesome, and we're getting them fixed up today and I can't even wait. Especially since it hasn't even been rainy this week.

Favorite language sbaglio this week was when I said mal in gonna instead of mal di golla (Evil in my dress, not sore throat). Oops, luckily I was talking to Jessica and she thought it was hilarious.

Been reading some really cool chapters in Romans this week. Paul is the man. Love you all! Can't wait to see your cute little faces Sunday. Also, if you haven't sent my running shoes, a request, that you send more of the vitamins I got from Whole Foods. Rainbow light women's one food-based vitamins, and maybe the calcium ones too.

Anyway. Love to you all. Praying for you all the time and I know that the best thing I could be doing to help all of you is to be here serving, so, you're welcome.

xoxoxo
sorella bush

ciao, carissimi!

Hello my dears!

Thanks for all the e-mails and love. Everyone sounds happy and well so I'm content. Baja sounds like a dream, pumped for Ian's job, Mom's finally learning to walk.

It's been a greak week. I love working with Sorella Simkins, we just have fun all the time and don't stop working. Samuel is getting baptized May 17th but we have to keep at a secret from his Mom, he wants to surprise her.

I've been thinking and studying a lot about humility these days and I'm convinced it is the answer to pretty much any problem I have or will have in my life. When you compare humility to pride, the things that we do that lead to pride really aren't that evil sounding, just thinking we can do things our way, but it leads to anger and hatred. Punto.

But humility leads to such power and understanding and is just awesome. I was reading in 2 Nephi 9 when it talks about how Satan's plan is all about us thinking we are wise, thinking we know better so we don't listen to God, his servants, or the people he sends to help us. I have a long way to go.

Man,  there's so much I feel I could tell you that I don't even know where to begin! We started teaching a few new peeps that are pretty rad. One is a 28 year old girl from Moldavia that we're seeing again this evening, Silvia. She came to Italy looking for a better life. Pretty sure we could help her out with that.

We also started teaching this rad lady named Beauty from Nigeria who lives in the beautiful house with every type of fruit plant in their little garden. She's interesting because she's really struggling, really depressed and wondering why God isn't answering her prayers, but also not really willing to change and try something new. Sorella Simkins said that maybe God did answer her prayer, and that's why we're here but if you don't try what we're asking you to do (read the Book of Mormon and pray), there's no way you can come to church. And I talked about how you can have all the faith you want but if you just stand still, if you don't act of move it wont do you any good. We'll see tomorrow morning if she's willing to commit and agire.

Random: I've been thinking when I get home I should look into working on a farm.

Other news, we had a great lesson turned therapy sesson with some of our less active Bolivian younger peeps. Life is so much easier when you just stick to what you've already decided to do. Like keep the commandments. Also, I tried cinnamon gelato last week, delish. And I cut off my companion's hair last night. We're finally seeing Marisol tomorrow, it's been too long. Mi manca, and I worry about her, she's so ready to be a member of the church.

As far as the package, I feel like the sooner it's sent the better because it will probs take forever long for it to get here.

The days here are either perfect or rainy, and the rainy is perfect in its own way. Hopefully we'll be getting our bikes this week.

Off to eat some pizza!

xoxo sorella bush