Siracusa Week 4

This week like every other week in the mission has been very full of miracles. Earlier this week we had an appointment with a less active named Sorella D'luca. We got her address out of the ward directory and started to look for her house. After about an hour of searching we gave up, and our phone has been acting up so we couldn't call her and let her know what was going on. We were really frustrated as we were leaving her house. However, as we were heading to the church when a man at a plant stand saluted us and told us that our Italian was very good. I have always wanted to stop and look at this plant stand, and the man seemed very friendly so I stopped to thank him for the compliment. As we were talking he told us that he had known another missionary in the past who used to walk past his plant stand all the time, but that the missionary hadn't passed by in a long time. We asked him if he had ever spoken to this missionary, and he said yes. The other missionary had given him a vangello di Gesu Cristo Opuscolo {a brochure about Jesus Christ}and he had read it so many times he probably had it memorized. He told us he liked to read when it was slow at his stand and asked if we had any more opuscoli {brochures}. So we gave him a restoration, and plan of salvation pamphlet, and a Book of Mormon. Then we exchanged numbers and left. The next morning was church and we were having an appointment about meeting with members before general conference, and he walked in to the church. We had given him a genealogy pass a long card and he wanted to know more about it. Later we had an appointment with him where he told us that he had begun to read the Book of Mormon, he isn't a huge fan of Nephi killing Laban, but he is very curious and very receptive. He was also interested in how much the Book of Mormon stresses record keeping, and he wants to know more about genealogy. Later we found out that Sorella D'luca has never lived in the address that is listed in our 5 years old ward directory. So years ago someone made a very inspired mistake.
The English course is going great. I really desperately want my students to come to general conference, and so I have given two spiritual thoughts on conference, and will be giving a third on Thursday. This last Tuesday I brought a picture of Thomas S. Monson and bore a really strong testimony of how blessed we are to have this man acting as a prophet in these latter days. I wanted my testimony to be enough to get them to come, but I wasn't sure that it would be so I told them that it would be in English and Italian to give them a little more incentive to come, but I stressed what a wonderful opportunity it is to receive personal revelation. After class (I teach the advanced huddle) one of my students came up to me and told me he is coming to conference. He is one of my most dedicated English students and I thought it was for the opportunity to practice hearing English, which while not ideal is better than nothing but after he told me that he was coming because I wanted him to come. It was one of the most beautiful moments I have had on the mission so far. I am just saying really really sincere, maybe even desperate prayers that all of the speakers speak very slowly, and very clearly, and that my students can be touched by the spirit.
Another cool thing that we did this week was Jesso. Which is where we take a sheet to a busy piaza and two of us draw the plan of salvation, and two of us distribute pamphlets. I like talking to people a lot, and drawing not very much at all so I drew one cloud and then started passing out pamphlets. As I was grabbing pamphlets a woman stopped me and in English asked if I spoke English (This happens to me all the time because I look so very not Italian. A lot of times I will be speaking to someone in Italian and they will proceed to tell me all the words they know in Italian which for the most part consists of hello, how are you, I love you.) We talked to her for a good 45 minutes and she seemed very interested in Genealogy, and her boyfriend might come to English course!
We are meeting with a lot of ward members to help prepare them for general conference and inviting them to bring a friend (same goes for everyone reading this email :) ) which means that I have eaten a lot of cookies this week. I think we should start hiding them in our bags, but it hasn't happened yet.
I absolutely love Italy, Sicilia especially. The ward is great, and the Lord is preparing us to meet people. As much as everyone told me that Europe was a hard mission and that I wouldnt have a lot of success, the Lord has almost been throwing people at us.
Love and miss you all
Sorella Madyline Spencer