This week was awesome. Slla. Hoffman and I are on fire. The work is so great right now. I am so exhausted; that's when you know it's good. We set a baptismal date for one of our investigators who has been investigating the church for almost a year. All of our other investigators are progressing super well and really feeling the joy of the Gospel in their lives, even though they're at different stages.
The members here are great. The church is not nearly as established here-- for example, I have to start playing piano in sacrament meeting this Sunday, and if I have to play piano, you know they're desperate. But the people here are so loving. They always ask me how the language is going, how I am doing, and if I need to be fed haha.
We ate a lot of good food this week. We got some of our own food and had a couple meal appointments, too. Last Thursday we had zone conference in Brescia, and our first train back to Bergamo was late, so we missed our connecting train and had to wait an hour until we could take the second train all the way to Bergamo. Because we were so late getting back, we had to cancel English Class. So instead of Il Corso d'Inglese, Slla. Hoffman and I got some pizza and gelato at a cheap sit-down restaurant in Bergamo Centro (the picture of pizza I am attaching is from that). It took a little longer than we expected so by the time 9:55pm rolled around we were sprinting from the tram stop to our apartment. Usually it's a 10 minute walk but we got to our apartment by 9:59pm 😎 (If we get to our apartment at 10pm or later, we have to call the mission president.) Also a couple other times we raced the bus to the bus stop and we have yet to lose. 👍 I think I will probably do some of my fastest running in these 18 months haha...
We also had a dinner appointment on Sunday for the birthday of a man named Samuele Ghilardi in Bergamo 1. Their whole family was there-- so like 25 people. There was so much food. But somehow I ate it all again. I'm starting to think being full is just a state of mind that I have been able to overcome. But Sorella Hoffman and I still had food babies (bambini del cibo, hahaha). I will attach pictures of that because I didn't take many pictures this week so we will have to settle for those 😂 Also! Do not be fooled! I still have to eat food that is not necessarily great while I am in Italy haha! Everyone thinks it is all pizza and spaghetti and garlic bread, but I have yet to eat pizza or spaghetti at a meal appointment, and garlic bread doesn't exist here (the horror 😭). However, the gelato is delizioso sempre.
Yesterday we had New Missionary Training in Milano, which is why my P-Day is Thursday this week instead of Wednesday. It was good! I got to see all the missionaries that I came to Italy with and catch up with them. Some of them are as far south as Tuscany and others are as far north as Lecco, so we don't see each other. It's amazing to see how the mission has changed most of us a ton already.
Today was P-Day but there's not much to report: Slla. Hoffman and I had a lazy day and took naps and then went to Centro, got gelato, and walked around. It was great.
Something I have felt lately is a great sense of purpose. I just want everyone to know how happy the gospel can make them. It's hard when they have had bad experiences or heard weird things about the church in the past. But I know with a surety that the gospel of Jesus Christ is perfect. God works through imperfect humans to spread the gospel... obviously, because young adults are being sent out to represent Christ around the world and invite people to come unto Him. I know, though, that even though we are imperfect, His gospel is still perfect. I know that whatever pains we have felt in the past or are feeling right now, everything-- literally everything-- will be made right through the Atonement.
"The fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ brings great comfort in stressing times of mortality. It brings light where there is darkness and a calming influence where there is turmoil. It gives eternal hope where there is mortal despair. It is more than just beautiful doctrine. It is a reality in our lives that if we can be obedient and obtain the eternal rewards that God grants us, if we will draw nigh unto Him and embrace the eternal doctrine, we will be blessed." -Robert D. Hales
I'm attaching a pic of pizza, Slla. H. and I with our food babies (hers is way better than mine), the new missionaries and our trainers yesterday, some creepy children mannequins I saw in Centro today, and a pic of a cool old building at our tram stop.
Thank you everyone for your encouragement and support. It means so much to me.
Con amore,
Sorella Johnson
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