Happy New Year!
I can't believe it's already almost 2010. It has been so wonderful to spend the whole year of 2009 serving a mission! We had a beautiful Christmas day here in Cagliari. We hung out at the church with the Elders and watched movies and called our families.
Christmas morning, Maurizio (one of our investigators) called us. He said that most years, Christmas is depressing and is a really hard day for him. But this year, because of the Gospel, he has peace and happiness in his life. It was such a beautiful thing to hear!
Also on Christmas morning, on our way to the church, we ran into a man named Jeff. Jeff and his family are from New Hampshire. He is here for a year as a visiting professor. We met Jeff and his son at the grocery store a few months ago. Then about a month later we saw him and his whole family at the bus stop. The wife knew who we were, so apparently he had been talking about us. Then a few weeks later, Christmas day, we ran into Jeff. He said that he and his wife want to have us over for dinner. Sunday we ran into Jeff and his daughter Isabelle, and she whispered into his year "Dad, did you invite them over?" Hopefully we'll be able to meet with them this week. They are a beautiful family, and we can't wait to share the Gospel with them!
We haven't been able to meet with too many people lately because of the holidays. Saturday all of us missionaries had lunch with a family in the branch, who is in the branch presidency. We ate all sorts of fun things, including cow feet and shark. After lunch we made a bunch of cakes to drop off to less-active families. It was a really good experience. We were able to visit a lot of people, and some of them even came to church the next day.
Life here is great! I love my mission! I've been studying about the Savior lately, since it is Christmas, and I recently re-read some of my favorite verses about Him. In Doctrine and Covenants 45:3-5, it says:
"Listen to him who is the advocate with the Father, who is pleading your cause before him—Saying: Father, behold the sufferings and death of him who did no sin, in whom thou wast well pleased, behold the blood of thy Son which was shed, the blood of him whom thou gavest that thyself might be glorified, Wherefore, Father, spare these my bretheren that believe on my name, that they may come unto me and have everlasting life."
Jesus Christ truly is our Mediator with the Father in the true sense of the word. He suffered for US so that He can plead our case before the Father, so that we might gain eternal life. He is our Savior and our Redeemer. I love Him so much.
I hope you all have a great week, and a happy new year! Vi voglio bene!
Sorella Hawkey
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
December 23, 2009
Buon Natale a tutti!
I'm sorry that I didn't have time to send everyone their own individual Christmas card. Turns out we don't have much free time on the mission. But know that I'm thinking of you and love you all and hope you have a great holiday season!
Another great week on the island. We had a lesson about the Plan of Salvation with Luisa and she loved it. She just kept smiling the whole time. As usual, she analyzed everything and understood it all. She's so great. We're focusing on helping her recognize the Spirit. She's friends with a member in the branch so hopefully he and his family can help us out.
We had a lesson with Marisa and Sara. They're so fun! We sang Christmas carols around the fire, and then Marisa recounted the Christmas story. Well...kind of. I don't know if she's actually ever read the Bible, so there were definitely some made-up characters in her version. And she even had names for all of the hotels that Joseph tried to find room in. (like The Grey Bear Hotel) It was great! But she got the main idea of the story, so it was okay.
About a week and a half ago we talked to a man on the bus about english class. We talked just for a few seconds about the Church, but mostly we just talked about random things. Two days later he showed up for church! He loved it and came again this last week, too. He started meeting with the Elders and is soaking up the Gospel. It really made me realize that you never know who is ready for the Gospel and how much of an impact you can have. This man didn't seem to have any interest at all about spiritual things, and now he's been to church 2 weeks in a row.
Another little experience...there is an inactive family in the branch who we had never met. One day, about 6 weeks ago, we decided to call them just to say hi. As soon as the husband answered the phone and we told him who we were, he started talking about how they haven't been to church in a long time and how he really needs to start coming back. I didn't even say a word, and he said "Thanks for the call. I really needed that. I'll see you at church on Sunday." He and his 2 kids have been to church every week since! It's so amazing how the smallest little things can have such a huge influence on someone else. Often times we don't even recognize the influence that we can have.
Monday night we had dinner with the District President and his family, who are amazing! They taught us some phrases in Sard (the dialect here on the island). Then one of the elders did impressions of all of us missionaries. Turns out I'm pretty bossy! Who knew? :)
Yesterday we had a little birthday party for less-active Susan. We asked her what she wanted to do to celebrate, and she wanted to watch Joy to the World. Caterina was able to come this time and they both loved it. They both really recognize the true meaning of Christmas.
We also had a great lesson with Isabella yesterday. We talked about the Plan of Salvation. She's so cute! She understands well. She has a hard time recognizing the Spirit, so we're going to help her more with that. We also need to help her wake up on time for church! She's a typical 21-year old so you can't blame her too much.
Life is great! Christmas is my favorite time of the year and I'm so grateful to be a missionary this holiday season. We watched the First Presideny Christmas Devotion a few weeks ago, and I loved with President Eyring said:
"We can choose this Christmas and every day to create a small part of the Christmas story in our own lives. We can accept the invitation of living prophets to help those who are lost along the pathway, and have wandered, to come back to it. We can offer the gospel, which is the only way home, to all we meet along the way. We can lift up those who are tired and hungry and lonely, as the Savior did and now invites us to do with Him. As we do, they can feel how much the Savior loves them and wants to lead them on the way to the God He loves.
In the stories of Christ’s birth, we can see and feel who He was and who He is. That lightens our load along the way. And it will lead us to forget ourselves and to lighten the load for others. That can make every day feel like the best of our Christmases past."
It is through service to others that we feel the Spirit of Christmas. And we can feel that same way every day of our lives, as we strive to serve each and every day. I know this Gospel is true. It is the only way. I love my Savior and my Redeemer.
Buon Natale! Vi voglio tanto bene!
Sorella Hawkey
I'm sorry that I didn't have time to send everyone their own individual Christmas card. Turns out we don't have much free time on the mission. But know that I'm thinking of you and love you all and hope you have a great holiday season!
Another great week on the island. We had a lesson about the Plan of Salvation with Luisa and she loved it. She just kept smiling the whole time. As usual, she analyzed everything and understood it all. She's so great. We're focusing on helping her recognize the Spirit. She's friends with a member in the branch so hopefully he and his family can help us out.
We had a lesson with Marisa and Sara. They're so fun! We sang Christmas carols around the fire, and then Marisa recounted the Christmas story. Well...kind of. I don't know if she's actually ever read the Bible, so there were definitely some made-up characters in her version. And she even had names for all of the hotels that Joseph tried to find room in. (like The Grey Bear Hotel) It was great! But she got the main idea of the story, so it was okay.
About a week and a half ago we talked to a man on the bus about english class. We talked just for a few seconds about the Church, but mostly we just talked about random things. Two days later he showed up for church! He loved it and came again this last week, too. He started meeting with the Elders and is soaking up the Gospel. It really made me realize that you never know who is ready for the Gospel and how much of an impact you can have. This man didn't seem to have any interest at all about spiritual things, and now he's been to church 2 weeks in a row.
Another little experience...there is an inactive family in the branch who we had never met. One day, about 6 weeks ago, we decided to call them just to say hi. As soon as the husband answered the phone and we told him who we were, he started talking about how they haven't been to church in a long time and how he really needs to start coming back. I didn't even say a word, and he said "Thanks for the call. I really needed that. I'll see you at church on Sunday." He and his 2 kids have been to church every week since! It's so amazing how the smallest little things can have such a huge influence on someone else. Often times we don't even recognize the influence that we can have.
Monday night we had dinner with the District President and his family, who are amazing! They taught us some phrases in Sard (the dialect here on the island). Then one of the elders did impressions of all of us missionaries. Turns out I'm pretty bossy! Who knew? :)
Yesterday we had a little birthday party for less-active Susan. We asked her what she wanted to do to celebrate, and she wanted to watch Joy to the World. Caterina was able to come this time and they both loved it. They both really recognize the true meaning of Christmas.
We also had a great lesson with Isabella yesterday. We talked about the Plan of Salvation. She's so cute! She understands well. She has a hard time recognizing the Spirit, so we're going to help her more with that. We also need to help her wake up on time for church! She's a typical 21-year old so you can't blame her too much.
Life is great! Christmas is my favorite time of the year and I'm so grateful to be a missionary this holiday season. We watched the First Presideny Christmas Devotion a few weeks ago, and I loved with President Eyring said:
"We can choose this Christmas and every day to create a small part of the Christmas story in our own lives. We can accept the invitation of living prophets to help those who are lost along the pathway, and have wandered, to come back to it. We can offer the gospel, which is the only way home, to all we meet along the way. We can lift up those who are tired and hungry and lonely, as the Savior did and now invites us to do with Him. As we do, they can feel how much the Savior loves them and wants to lead them on the way to the God He loves.
In the stories of Christ’s birth, we can see and feel who He was and who He is. That lightens our load along the way. And it will lead us to forget ourselves and to lighten the load for others. That can make every day feel like the best of our Christmases past."
It is through service to others that we feel the Spirit of Christmas. And we can feel that same way every day of our lives, as we strive to serve each and every day. I know this Gospel is true. It is the only way. I love my Savior and my Redeemer.
Buon Natale! Vi voglio tanto bene!
Sorella Hawkey
December 16, 2009
Ciao a tutti!
Thanks for everyone who sent questions- it makes my letter-writing life much easier! If you think of anything else you want to know, just let me know. I’ll start off with answers this week.
The most surprising discovery I’ve made on my mission is what I can do with the Lord’s help. With Him, truly nothing is impossible. And without Him, everything is more difficult. The mission is definitely a humbling experience full of learning opportunities.
My favorite new story from the Book of Mormon? I’ve actually learned a lot from the war chapters in Alma. There are so many parallels between the physical war that the people fight, and the spiritual wars we have in our lives. When we follow the prophet, rely on our spiritual armor and trust in the Lord, we will always ultimately prevail.
Christmas décor in Italy... Everyone here has a Nativity set! But it’s not quite like the Nativity sets in the states. They go all out here and include villages of people and everything. It’s fun. Lots of people also have these really ugly Santas that hang from their balcony like they’re hanging on a rope. They’re not my favorite. As for Christmas treats- everyone eats either Panetone or Pandora. They’re the traditional Christmas cakes here. Pandora is pretty good. Yes, the kids visit Santa. He was in town the other day taking pictures with the kids by some horses and Santa’s sleigh. It was cute.
Who has had the biggest impact on me on my mission here? I have learned so much from so many wonderful people, so that’s a tough one. I would probably have to say Nertil, though. He is so amazing! Before he even knew about the Gospel, he lived all of the commandments and he has such a sincere, pure faith. He is one of the most amazing examples of living in the world but not of the world. He cares way more about spiritual things than temporal things. He’s so amazing!
So, as for news here in Cagliari, Susan’s getting married!!!! She officially has all the documents she needs and is getting married January 1! We’re SO excited! Because then she’s getting baptized the 3rd! She’s really excited, too. She can’t wait to get baptized. She’s finished all of the lessons and her testimony just keeps growing every day. She is going to be such a great member. We’re going to have a wedding party for her.
We started meeting with Odion last week. She got baptized two weeks ago. She was taught by the elders and now we’re teaching her the new member lessons. She’s incredible! She is only 24, and she really wants to go on a mission! Her blessing when she got confirmed was all about missionary work and getting married in the temple. It was so beautiful! She is wonderful. She only has one day off a week, and she wants to spend it helping us do missionary work!
Ilaria and Alfredo are doing fantastic! They want to stop smoking! We’re going to start the stop smoking program with them next time we see them. And they even mentioned that they want to get married. They love the Gospel. Alfredo even prayed last week during our lesson! He normally refuses to pray out loud in front of people, but this time he did it. It was a huge step for him. It was so cute, because Ilaria helped him. At the end, he just said Amen when he was done, and she whispered in his ear "You have to say, In the name of Jesus Christ, and THEN amen." It was super cute! We talked about baptism yesterday with them. They are working towards it and we hope to set a firm date with them soon. We are all going to fast together this week to help them find work. They are so great how seriously they are taking their fast. Afterwards, we’re going to bake a cake together to celebrate their first time fasting. We love them!
Less-active Susan is doing very well. She comes to church every week now and loves the lessons. Unfortunately, Caterina hasn’t been able to come with her. They both live at a place run by nuns, and when the nuns found out that Caterina was meeting with us, they said she either had to stop or they would kick her out, leaving her homeless. It breaks my heart. She needs a lot of prayers right now that we can find a solution. She is making so much progress!
We met Roberta again this week. She’s so cute! I don’t know if I mentioned her last week or not. She’s 14. She’s the daughter of an ex-communicated member, and the two of them come to church every week, but Roberta’s never been baptized. She took the lessons awhile ago, then lost interest, but has been meeting with us again recently. She’s so adorable! Her mom’s not in the picture, and she adores Sister Nelson and I and soaks up any ounce of affection we give her. Every time she’s near us, she won’t let us go. She is praying to know if she should get baptized. She has a lot of doubts, which we don’t blame her because of her family life situation. But she’s a great girl!
The work is going well here in Cagliari. I can’t believe Christmas is almost here! I am so grateful to spend another Christmas season as a missionary. I know my mom doesn’t like it, but it’s the best way to celebrate Christmas! I love my Savior Jesus Christ so much! One of the best parts of being a missionary during the holidays is how much we get to focus on the Savior. I love the little film on the lds.org page. I encourage you all to watch it and think of how you can better remember the true meaning of this season.
Vi voglio tanto bene!
Sorella Hawkey
Thanks for everyone who sent questions- it makes my letter-writing life much easier! If you think of anything else you want to know, just let me know. I’ll start off with answers this week.
The most surprising discovery I’ve made on my mission is what I can do with the Lord’s help. With Him, truly nothing is impossible. And without Him, everything is more difficult. The mission is definitely a humbling experience full of learning opportunities.
My favorite new story from the Book of Mormon? I’ve actually learned a lot from the war chapters in Alma. There are so many parallels between the physical war that the people fight, and the spiritual wars we have in our lives. When we follow the prophet, rely on our spiritual armor and trust in the Lord, we will always ultimately prevail.
Christmas décor in Italy... Everyone here has a Nativity set! But it’s not quite like the Nativity sets in the states. They go all out here and include villages of people and everything. It’s fun. Lots of people also have these really ugly Santas that hang from their balcony like they’re hanging on a rope. They’re not my favorite. As for Christmas treats- everyone eats either Panetone or Pandora. They’re the traditional Christmas cakes here. Pandora is pretty good. Yes, the kids visit Santa. He was in town the other day taking pictures with the kids by some horses and Santa’s sleigh. It was cute.
Who has had the biggest impact on me on my mission here? I have learned so much from so many wonderful people, so that’s a tough one. I would probably have to say Nertil, though. He is so amazing! Before he even knew about the Gospel, he lived all of the commandments and he has such a sincere, pure faith. He is one of the most amazing examples of living in the world but not of the world. He cares way more about spiritual things than temporal things. He’s so amazing!
So, as for news here in Cagliari, Susan’s getting married!!!! She officially has all the documents she needs and is getting married January 1! We’re SO excited! Because then she’s getting baptized the 3rd! She’s really excited, too. She can’t wait to get baptized. She’s finished all of the lessons and her testimony just keeps growing every day. She is going to be such a great member. We’re going to have a wedding party for her.
We started meeting with Odion last week. She got baptized two weeks ago. She was taught by the elders and now we’re teaching her the new member lessons. She’s incredible! She is only 24, and she really wants to go on a mission! Her blessing when she got confirmed was all about missionary work and getting married in the temple. It was so beautiful! She is wonderful. She only has one day off a week, and she wants to spend it helping us do missionary work!
Ilaria and Alfredo are doing fantastic! They want to stop smoking! We’re going to start the stop smoking program with them next time we see them. And they even mentioned that they want to get married. They love the Gospel. Alfredo even prayed last week during our lesson! He normally refuses to pray out loud in front of people, but this time he did it. It was a huge step for him. It was so cute, because Ilaria helped him. At the end, he just said Amen when he was done, and she whispered in his ear "You have to say, In the name of Jesus Christ, and THEN amen." It was super cute! We talked about baptism yesterday with them. They are working towards it and we hope to set a firm date with them soon. We are all going to fast together this week to help them find work. They are so great how seriously they are taking their fast. Afterwards, we’re going to bake a cake together to celebrate their first time fasting. We love them!
Less-active Susan is doing very well. She comes to church every week now and loves the lessons. Unfortunately, Caterina hasn’t been able to come with her. They both live at a place run by nuns, and when the nuns found out that Caterina was meeting with us, they said she either had to stop or they would kick her out, leaving her homeless. It breaks my heart. She needs a lot of prayers right now that we can find a solution. She is making so much progress!
We met Roberta again this week. She’s so cute! I don’t know if I mentioned her last week or not. She’s 14. She’s the daughter of an ex-communicated member, and the two of them come to church every week, but Roberta’s never been baptized. She took the lessons awhile ago, then lost interest, but has been meeting with us again recently. She’s so adorable! Her mom’s not in the picture, and she adores Sister Nelson and I and soaks up any ounce of affection we give her. Every time she’s near us, she won’t let us go. She is praying to know if she should get baptized. She has a lot of doubts, which we don’t blame her because of her family life situation. But she’s a great girl!
The work is going well here in Cagliari. I can’t believe Christmas is almost here! I am so grateful to spend another Christmas season as a missionary. I know my mom doesn’t like it, but it’s the best way to celebrate Christmas! I love my Savior Jesus Christ so much! One of the best parts of being a missionary during the holidays is how much we get to focus on the Savior. I love the little film on the lds.org page. I encourage you all to watch it and think of how you can better remember the true meaning of this season.
Vi voglio tanto bene!
Sorella Hawkey
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
December 9, 2009
Ciao!
First of all, I’m running out of things to say in my letters. I feel like every week is the same. Sorry! Seriously, though, send me questions to answer, everybody!
Saturday night we had an appointment at a little tiny town about 45 minutes away. We got there, and the lady wasn’t even home. We were a little bit frustrated, especially because the bus only comes every 40 minutes or so. So we waited at the bus stop the 40 minutes, and as soon as we were getting on the bus, I realized that my companion’s name tag wasn’t on her jacket. We missed the bus looking for it. We retraced our steps and looked everywhere we could possibly think to look with no luck. We went back to the bus stop to wait again, and a man was there. He saw us and asked if we were the Mormons. We ended up having an amazing talk with him. He has amazing faith and wants to learn more about the Gospel! We exchanged phone numbers, and are meeting with him and the elders this week. Then we got on the bus, still tag-less, but we realized that meeting him was completely worth losing a nametag. Then my companion looked in her bag, and her nametag has somehow gotten into her pencil pouch in her bag! The Lord works so many little miracles every day.
We have a few new investigators this week. First we have Sara, a friend of another investigator, Marisa. We met with them on Saturday and had lunch together. They are so crazy and so fun! Marisa is in her 70s and is so funny. She loves to sing and dance and is absolutely hilarious! She loves to tell stories. Then Sara is 50 and a lot more reserved but still a lot of fun. They are quite the pair. We had a delicious lunch (of course- I’m in Italy!) and then we gathered basil leaves from her herb garden and made fresh pesto. It was so fun. They are so cute. Marisa is pretty Catholic, but Sara has a lot of interest.
Sunday the Susans both came to church and made up from their little cat fight they had a couple weeks ago. I’m glad the Susans are now friends. Investigator Susan has two little kids who are adorable. Rachel is 8 months and is one of the best babies ever, and then there’s Alessio. He brings a whole new meaning to the phrase "terrible two’s." I spent most of sacrament meeting chasing him around so that Susan could pay attention to the talks. The branch mission leader and I took turns guarding the doors of the chapel so he couldn’t escape. At one point he somehow escaped, though, and bolted out of the chapel. I went running after him, but then he ran into the men’s bathroom! He’s a smart little stinker. He finally came back to the chapel and found some toys to play with. Susan loved sacrament meeting, though, so it was all worth it.
Our other new investigator for the week is Luisa. She’s amazing! She is an ex-investigator from awhile back. She is a lawyer, and is incredibly intelligent. I’m completely intimidated by her, but love her all the same. She took notes on what we taught her, and then summed everything up that we taught. She has a lot of faith and can’t wait to meet with us again. We’re also very excited for her!
Yesterday we had lunch and a lesson with Carla. She was grumpy because she wanted to eat lunch first, but her mom said that we had to have the lesson first, so she hated our lesson. She kept giving us her cute little glares. She has a pretty good stink eye. We made an advent calendar with her to countdown to Christmas, and every day there’s something that they can do to do service or to think about Jesus. She didn’t like it at first, but once we ate lunch she loved it.
Everything is going well here. I can’t believe another Christmas is almost here! I’m so grateful to be serving the Lord full-time again this Christmas season.
I’ve been reading the conference talks from this past conference. I love them all! But one especially stuck out to me the other day as I read it. It is "Preserving the Heart’s Might Change," by Elder Renlund. He talked about a mighty change of heart and the conversion that we all experience. But it’s not enough to just have that change of heart once. We need to do things every day to keep up the state of our hearts. He talked about the people in the Book of Mormon taught by Ammon and how they were converted and then never turned away. Elder Renlund, talking about them, said, "They must have frequently assessed the condition of their spiritually changed hearts. They did not simply assume that all was well. By figuratively examining their changed hearts, they could identify any early hardening or rejection and treat it. Alma the Younger poses a series of questions to contemporaries of the people of Ammon that figuratively biopsy spiritually changed hearts. Alma asks, ‘If ye have experienced a change of heart, and if ye have felt to sing the song of redeeming love, I would ask, can ye feel so now?’ He further asks if they have been sufficiently humble, free of pride and envy, and kind toward their fellowman. By honestly answering questions like these, we can correct early deviations from the strait and narrow path and keep our covenants with exactness."
Vi voglio tanto bene!
Sorella Hawkey
First of all, I’m running out of things to say in my letters. I feel like every week is the same. Sorry! Seriously, though, send me questions to answer, everybody!
Saturday night we had an appointment at a little tiny town about 45 minutes away. We got there, and the lady wasn’t even home. We were a little bit frustrated, especially because the bus only comes every 40 minutes or so. So we waited at the bus stop the 40 minutes, and as soon as we were getting on the bus, I realized that my companion’s name tag wasn’t on her jacket. We missed the bus looking for it. We retraced our steps and looked everywhere we could possibly think to look with no luck. We went back to the bus stop to wait again, and a man was there. He saw us and asked if we were the Mormons. We ended up having an amazing talk with him. He has amazing faith and wants to learn more about the Gospel! We exchanged phone numbers, and are meeting with him and the elders this week. Then we got on the bus, still tag-less, but we realized that meeting him was completely worth losing a nametag. Then my companion looked in her bag, and her nametag has somehow gotten into her pencil pouch in her bag! The Lord works so many little miracles every day.
We have a few new investigators this week. First we have Sara, a friend of another investigator, Marisa. We met with them on Saturday and had lunch together. They are so crazy and so fun! Marisa is in her 70s and is so funny. She loves to sing and dance and is absolutely hilarious! She loves to tell stories. Then Sara is 50 and a lot more reserved but still a lot of fun. They are quite the pair. We had a delicious lunch (of course- I’m in Italy!) and then we gathered basil leaves from her herb garden and made fresh pesto. It was so fun. They are so cute. Marisa is pretty Catholic, but Sara has a lot of interest.
Sunday the Susans both came to church and made up from their little cat fight they had a couple weeks ago. I’m glad the Susans are now friends. Investigator Susan has two little kids who are adorable. Rachel is 8 months and is one of the best babies ever, and then there’s Alessio. He brings a whole new meaning to the phrase "terrible two’s." I spent most of sacrament meeting chasing him around so that Susan could pay attention to the talks. The branch mission leader and I took turns guarding the doors of the chapel so he couldn’t escape. At one point he somehow escaped, though, and bolted out of the chapel. I went running after him, but then he ran into the men’s bathroom! He’s a smart little stinker. He finally came back to the chapel and found some toys to play with. Susan loved sacrament meeting, though, so it was all worth it.
Our other new investigator for the week is Luisa. She’s amazing! She is an ex-investigator from awhile back. She is a lawyer, and is incredibly intelligent. I’m completely intimidated by her, but love her all the same. She took notes on what we taught her, and then summed everything up that we taught. She has a lot of faith and can’t wait to meet with us again. We’re also very excited for her!
Yesterday we had lunch and a lesson with Carla. She was grumpy because she wanted to eat lunch first, but her mom said that we had to have the lesson first, so she hated our lesson. She kept giving us her cute little glares. She has a pretty good stink eye. We made an advent calendar with her to countdown to Christmas, and every day there’s something that they can do to do service or to think about Jesus. She didn’t like it at first, but once we ate lunch she loved it.
Everything is going well here. I can’t believe another Christmas is almost here! I’m so grateful to be serving the Lord full-time again this Christmas season.
I’ve been reading the conference talks from this past conference. I love them all! But one especially stuck out to me the other day as I read it. It is "Preserving the Heart’s Might Change," by Elder Renlund. He talked about a mighty change of heart and the conversion that we all experience. But it’s not enough to just have that change of heart once. We need to do things every day to keep up the state of our hearts. He talked about the people in the Book of Mormon taught by Ammon and how they were converted and then never turned away. Elder Renlund, talking about them, said, "They must have frequently assessed the condition of their spiritually changed hearts. They did not simply assume that all was well. By figuratively examining their changed hearts, they could identify any early hardening or rejection and treat it. Alma the Younger poses a series of questions to contemporaries of the people of Ammon that figuratively biopsy spiritually changed hearts. Alma asks, ‘If ye have experienced a change of heart, and if ye have felt to sing the song of redeeming love, I would ask, can ye feel so now?’ He further asks if they have been sufficiently humble, free of pride and envy, and kind toward their fellowman. By honestly answering questions like these, we can correct early deviations from the strait and narrow path and keep our covenants with exactness."
Vi voglio tanto bene!
Sorella Hawkey
Thursday, December 3, 2009
December 3, 2009
Ciao!
We had a great Thanksgiving here on the island, with much to be thankful for. Our investigators are doing great and we had a baptism in the branch on Sunday!
This week we met with Caterina (well, both Caterinas. We have two of them, as well as two Susans. It gets highly confusing!) She is so sweet! She's an older lady who has had so many trials in her life. She wants to believe, but has a really hard time having faith. She is so sweet, though, and loves taking care of us. This week she did finally tell us that she has some sort of a desire to change for the better. We're excited to see how things work out with her.
The other Caterina came to church with less-active Susan on Sunday. She hated church. But then they came to the baptism, and I don't really know what happened, but she then met with us the next day and was really into the Gospel and the message we shared, and she wants to come to church again next week. She is great, as is Susan. They are such a funny pair of friends- complete opposites- but they're so good for each other. Neither of them have any family or friends here and now they're helping each other in the Gospel.
Ilaria, Alfredo and Maurizio are so amazing! They came to church again this week and as usual fully participated and asked great questions. They were a little late because of the bus, but they kept apologizing and promising that they'd be on time next week. They're so cute! We had a great lesson about the Plan of Salvation, which they loved. We're going to give them a baptismal invite this week. We're so excited!
We had another lesson with Isabella this week. She is amazing! She's only 21 (we thought she was way older) and is so prepared for the Gospel. We taught her the restoration. She also asks great questions and promised to come to church this next week. She has such a sincere desire to know the truthfulness of this message.
Yesterday we had a great zone conference that was mostly about the Savior. We watched a clip from the movie The Nativity where the wise men and the shepherds come to see the Christ child. They are all staring at Him in awe, and Mary says something to the effect of "He is for all mankind. He is a gift for us all." Jesus Christ truly did come to the world for US. He did it because of His immense love for us. His atoning sacrifice is a gift for each and every one of us. It is only through Him that we can have salvation. I love this holiday season so much! There's nothing else I'd rather be doing right now than testifying of Him every day. I am forever in debt to my Savior, but I am trying to do my little part each day to show my gratitude by bringing souls unto Him.
Have a great week! Vi voglio bene!
Sorella Hawkey
PS My companion started running out of things to say in her emails, so she asked everyone to send her questions to answer. She's received some really good ones, so I thought I'd send the same invite to you all- send me questions so I have more to say in my emails!
We had a great Thanksgiving here on the island, with much to be thankful for. Our investigators are doing great and we had a baptism in the branch on Sunday!
This week we met with Caterina (well, both Caterinas. We have two of them, as well as two Susans. It gets highly confusing!) She is so sweet! She's an older lady who has had so many trials in her life. She wants to believe, but has a really hard time having faith. She is so sweet, though, and loves taking care of us. This week she did finally tell us that she has some sort of a desire to change for the better. We're excited to see how things work out with her.
The other Caterina came to church with less-active Susan on Sunday. She hated church. But then they came to the baptism, and I don't really know what happened, but she then met with us the next day and was really into the Gospel and the message we shared, and she wants to come to church again next week. She is great, as is Susan. They are such a funny pair of friends- complete opposites- but they're so good for each other. Neither of them have any family or friends here and now they're helping each other in the Gospel.
Ilaria, Alfredo and Maurizio are so amazing! They came to church again this week and as usual fully participated and asked great questions. They were a little late because of the bus, but they kept apologizing and promising that they'd be on time next week. They're so cute! We had a great lesson about the Plan of Salvation, which they loved. We're going to give them a baptismal invite this week. We're so excited!
We had another lesson with Isabella this week. She is amazing! She's only 21 (we thought she was way older) and is so prepared for the Gospel. We taught her the restoration. She also asks great questions and promised to come to church this next week. She has such a sincere desire to know the truthfulness of this message.
Yesterday we had a great zone conference that was mostly about the Savior. We watched a clip from the movie The Nativity where the wise men and the shepherds come to see the Christ child. They are all staring at Him in awe, and Mary says something to the effect of "He is for all mankind. He is a gift for us all." Jesus Christ truly did come to the world for US. He did it because of His immense love for us. His atoning sacrifice is a gift for each and every one of us. It is only through Him that we can have salvation. I love this holiday season so much! There's nothing else I'd rather be doing right now than testifying of Him every day. I am forever in debt to my Savior, but I am trying to do my little part each day to show my gratitude by bringing souls unto Him.
Have a great week! Vi voglio bene!
Sorella Hawkey
PS My companion started running out of things to say in her emails, so she asked everyone to send her questions to answer. She's received some really good ones, so I thought I'd send the same invite to you all- send me questions so I have more to say in my emails!
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