I again
am overwhelmed by how time flies and how much can happen in just one
week. I have very little time to write today but would like to touch on
all of the high points. I hope you are ready for some miracles. One.
Lunch can be made out of anything you have around and be delicious and
healthy. I made coconut milk chicken and a low fat yogurt dip for
veggies. The chicken was extraordinary. I do not mean to brag, but it
was something I had never thought of before and worked out deliciously. I
will definitely make it again. Yeah for experiments. Today we cracked a
coconut. Fresh coconut is delicious. Worth the work of getting it open
and edible? Debatable. Still yummy. We taught a lesson to a moderately
drunk man in the park who read us the entire introduction to the Book of
Mormon as we got tipsy off of the potent odor of cheaply packaged white
wine on his breath, realizing only afterward he had purchased three
boxes of it. We had a fascinating conversation until it started to rain.
He told us his name was Paolo or Walter, it depends on who you ask and
then, because it was pouring, he asked us to walk him to the bus stop
with our umbrella. It took half a century but we made it unscathed, just
rather soaked because I was never under our very small umbrella. For
those of you who are not aware, I love the rain. SO much. I was laughing
and delighting in ogni momento. We headed to the family Barbieri/Xhunga
and played dress up with the girls as they and their mom tried to find
us some dry "mission appropriate" clothes. We left looking like gypsies.
I will never forget how wonderfully fun it was. I love it when
missionary work delights and makes me laugh. Such a good time. To prove
we work and don't just teach the slightly off their rockers, I will tell
you all of the wonderful spiritual miracles and powerful lessons we
have seen this week. Olga finally told us she is ready to set a date for
baptism and when we see her this week we will make that goal together.
That is a huge step for her because she has really wanted to take things
slow and I am so proud of her. Giovanna, our investigator who is
waiting to get baptized until she can come to church gave us a beautiful
referral of a beautiful young Peruvian girl, Denisse, who is so open to
the gospel and so smart and sweet. Jenny is progressing little by
little, and we are trying to help her understand who she is and God's
plan for her. Alma, the girl we met in the park last week, read the
first four chapters of the book of Mormon and has already accepted a
baptismal date. She is incredible! How I wish I could describe how all
of this feels.What it means to participate in this work and see these
changes in people. It is indescribable and special. Sacred even. We had a
lesson with a member from another ward in Milan, Elvira, who wanted to
know about the acting and music programs at BYU and even that was a
personal help to me, so I hope I was able to help her as well. WE really
understood each other and our individual experiences and want to do
great things with art. It was neat to talk to her. She is so special and
would do great things there. The crazy thing is I taught her and her
family my one week in Milano 3. Crazy. WE taught 6 lessons on Sunday,
which is hard, had an awesome district meeting about faith and power and
how it can give us confidence. Yesterday we met a woman in a piazza
whose entire family is LDS. She is not. She had a million questions and a
million ideas, all of which highlighted special gospel truths. It was
the most incredible conversation I have had with a nonmember. She talked
of dispensations and the need for a restoration and how she knows God
has a plan for her but has yet to discover what it is. We talked of how
we can answer all of her questions and she is open and willing to meet
with us again. We told her we have a living prophet and she said, "My
cousin never told me THAT." Crazy. She said she was going to go home and
take down her book of Mormon they gave her. I thought for a moment
someone was trying to prank us it was that miraculous. I have never met
anyone like that. I honestly have no idea why she is not a member.
Miracle? I think yes! We also had an incredible lesson with Gaia and her
mom Giovanna. I just kept bearing testimony about the worth of souls
and I hope she got it. I want her to see so badly that she is worth so
much more than she believes. It has taken me my whole life to see that
God loves me even though I am imperfect, and has taken me a while to
accept it. I am still working on it. Maybe that is why I understand so
much. I just hope with all my heart I can help these women see how
special they are and realize they have the strength to beat anything if
they will only trust in Him. Be stripped of pride. Stop comparing
yourselves to others. It does no good. Just remember how much God loves
you. Everything he does is for you. YOU. personally. He loves you.
Believe it and find value in who you are. Forgive yourself for being
imperfect. He made you that way, gave you weaknesses, to strengthen you,
to make you who you really are, who you were always intended to be.
Accept his grace and believe Him when He says He loves you. I love you
all too. Have a miraculous week!
Sorella Chandra Lloyd
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