HEEEEELLO FAMILY!
I have a feeling this first six weeks in Bari is going to go by very fast. It's very, very different from Mistretta. For one thing... we get to eat lunch at HOME instead of in the car. Almost EVERY DAY. That makes a huge difference, I feel, in my general ability to function. Also, we live with an Italian, Sorella R., who makes us lunch almost every day. Sometimes I pretend to cook as well (i.e. I make mashed pototoes and various kinds of rice). I also make bread for them. We have a good time.
AND the work goes on! This week we met a Nigerian, named Michael, who met the missionaries several months ago and we're just finally getting ahold of him. Teaching Africans is completely different from Italians. For one, they always finish their discussions with the phrase, "Glory be to God!" Also, the teaching style is VERY different. With Italians, I feel you need to be very sensible and line things up: try this, if you do, I promise you will see blessings, will you do it? With Africans, you just have to say: "This is true, MY BROTHER! I know it's true and you must keep doing this until you see the same." And they love it. I'm not very good at teaching this way, but we do have an African member from Sierra Leone here who "translates" for us (meaning, we're all still speaking English, but we will say: "Will you pray to ask God if the Book of Mormon is true?" and Albert will translate, "What da sisters are sayin is that you must pray and read the Book of Mormon and God will give you the revelations. You get the revelations and then you can come and bear the testimonies of the truthfulness."). NICE.
Oh! It is very WEIRD to have other missionaries in the same city. Especially elders (the male missionaries). I'm so used to seeing the missionaries once every six weeks and that only for a day at a conference. Instead here we meet almost every day and are coordinating efforts for English course, church activites, and missionary work in general. You think it would be easier to have more missionaries, but there's the challenge of taking the time and making sure we're on the same page (even though we see each other almost every day, we each have different plans, investigators, etc.). But I think it's a good opportunity to learn about TEAM WORK, which, despite the best efforts of my university to have me do group projects, I still have learned very, very little about. So, thumbs up for learning experiences!
...015: I AM A FISHER OF MEN and/or SQUID! Us visiting a seaside village and talking to the locals. Also, them letting us fish. Is the verb still "fish" if it's for squid?
...023: The Sorelle of Bari
What else? I'm learning about the power of inividual decision. We as missionaries believe that we aren't really teachers, but just inviters. We invite people to learn more about our message. We invite people to pray to God. We invite people to read the Book of Mormon. And most importantly, we invite people to ask God if the things we are saying it's true. We believe that there's very little we can say to "convince" people, but if they pray to God and God responds (which, I have learned personally, He always does), then they can be converted from God. Not from us.So the converting power from Heavenly Father is much more powerful than us as little missionary guys. That said: the power of individual decision, of personal conviction, is actually MORE powerful. Think about it! Even though God wants will all of His heart that we walk in His paths, if we have it firmly fixed in our mind that we will not change, that we will not do not want to listen, that there's no way these things can be right so no point in even asking... well, if that's how we feel, than even the power of God can't change us. Cool, huh? Scary, huh?
So! Be open to change because cool things can happen!
I think that's all! I hope real life is moving on just as well without me. Know that there are many things that I miss, especially all of you, but this snapshot of my life in Italy is pretty great.
Keep on keepin' on!
Love
Sorella Fuller
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