Carissimi,
We had the chance this week to support the sisters in L'Aquila, (traslated to, "the Eagle"), as they baptized for the first time in 10 years or so! Walter and Pedro were two absolute stud brothers I had the chance to interview, and clear for baptism, and I'm not sure there could be two people more ready for this covenant!
When Pedro first met the missionaries last December, they gave him a pass along card, and told them he should stop by the church, but they forgot to tell him where it was at. A few days later, the Anziani lost their phone, and their number was deactivated. Pedro now had no way to reach them. He waited, and prayed, hoping he would run into them again, and months later he did! This time he was sure to get both the address of the church, and the Anziani's number, and told them he would be in church on Sunday. He came, and came regularly for the next 7 months or so, despite difficulties with transportation, and learned from first the Anziani, then the Sorelle.
His brother was not as enthusiastic at first, and was even dropped a few months ago by Sorelle Taylor and Palacios, because he didn't seem to have any desire whatsoever. Despite the cessation of these weekly meetings, Walter continued to read, pray, and build his testimony, to the point where he asked the Sisters a week ago to be baptized. They quickly taught him the lessons, and had him ready by Friday, when I had the chance to interview him. At the conclusion of the interview I was certain this was a man who understood the lessons, but not only that, he was converted to the Lord! Two incredible converts were added to the L'Aquila Branch this week, and they will receive the priesthood shortly!
The L'Aquila sisters have been doing WORK out there, and as we got to the church before the baptism, I had another baptismal interview to take care of! Vittoria recently moved from Brazil to join a family in the L'Aquila Branch, and she decided a few weeks ago to be baptized. The sisters had been diligently teaching her for quite some time, and they were beyond overjoyed to see Vittoria reach this decision.The interview was scheduled, and then the Sisters told me that Vittoria doesn't speak Italian, only Portuguese! Let me tell you, the gift of Tounges is beyond real ladies and gentlemen. With what little Spanish background I have, together with 9 months of Italian, I was able to fairly clearly understand Vittoria, and could tell with a certainty that she was another convert to the Lord! #ThankGoodnessForLatinBasedLanguages @daddio
We also saw miracles in our own work, as Angelo decided to come back to church, and meet with us once again! His is an incredible story of multiple answered prayers, and a whole lot of real intent! Needless to say, we are beyond excited to see him take these steps in the right direction, heading towards eternal happiness!
If you made it this far in the email, you're a champ! As I close this week, I reiterate my love for General Conference! Each message seemed laced with a message, specifically tailored for me, personally, and each of our investigators! Take the time this week to study a talk a day, and devotedly apply the message taught! I'll be doing the same, and I start today with that of Anziano Cook!
"Humility isn’t some grand identifiable achievement or even overcoming some major challenge. It is a sign of spiritual strength. It is having the quiet confidence that day by day and hour by hour we can rely on the Lord, serve Him, and achieve His purposes. It is my prayer that in this contentious world we will continuously strive for true humility every day."
Vi voglio bene,
Anziano Toronto II 🇮🇹
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