Miracle week!

Lots of great things happened this week but I have little time to tell about them!

We got a referral from the elders in our district, her name is Barbara and she is the ex-wife of one of their investigators and she lives in the far north boundary of our area in a little town in the countryside called Capranica. We set up an appointment for Saturday morning and took an hour bus and then a train and then she had to give us a ride from the station because it was still several kilometers away. The trip there was gorgeous, beautiful country! Her friends picked us up and were shocked at how young we were. They warned us that Barbara's dad had just died last night so they hoped that we had something good to offer her (ahhh! pressure! good thing we have the plan of salvation!). We arrived and her house was full of people who were waiting for us to come and talk to them (ahhhh!!!). They sat us down at the table and a bunch of adults and kids gathered around to listen. They were all open and sincere and we taught the plan of salvation. They drifted out one by one, having to leave for various reasons, but we were left 45 minutes later with Barbara and her friend Ilaria. They listened to the plan of salvation and a brief overview of the Restoration and asked questions. One of my favorites was "How did people react to Joseph Smith? Did they believe him?" and then they turned to one another and said "Well, the people rejected Jesus now, didnt they, so that doesnt mean too much". They agreed to learn more and to begin their search to know whether it was all true or not. They thanked us many times and asked when we could come back (tomorrow morning!) and told us it was a beautiful message. As Barbara dropped us off at the station, she asked "If I have friends who want to listen, would you like to teach them as well?" Um, yes, I think so. Wow, she was a little miracle that was dropped into our lap!

Miracle number 2: Raffaella from english class. 27 year old shy girl who comes to english class with her boyfriend, she told me a few weeks ago that she used to meet with missionaries in Rome and she feels good when she reads the Book of Mormon. I finally had a chance to talk to her after class again (I brought brownies to class on Saturday and made my students stick around and socialize, haha) and invited her to meet with us and she accepted! It was kind of funny because I kept waiting for the right moment, somehow to lead into it so it wasnt so awkward. But that moment never came so I just decided to ask straight out and I did so randomly and she immediately accepted and was excited!!! We met with her on Tuesday and it was fabulously. We will meet with her 3 times a week and she is coming to church with us. She is filled with so much faith and a sincere desire to learn more. How did someone like that end up in my english class? A blessing straight from heaven!

We are still working on Giovanni (he finally came to church again!) and helping him be baptized on April 2 now. He is progressing but moving very slowly, haha. That is good, he will be solid!

Lots of other good stories but I have to go. I helped one of my english students resolve his love life problems (I didnt know what he wanted when he asked for the favor, haha) by talking to his Turkish girlfriend on the phone in english (they dont speak the same language, hahaha).
We saw Sorella Ryan today, she had to come to Rome from the Milan mission because her comp needed to go to the embassy. What a wonderful riunion from the MTC! A blast!! We would have never ever thought we would see each other.

I am doing well! Trying to appreciate the miracles when they come and be more grateful and humble. I feel the responsibility I have and how precious these people are!

Sorella Askew