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