7th Letter from Cuneo

Dear Family and Friends,

It is about time that I tell you about the best of the mission!!! I want to share a bit about three of our incredible investigators.

1. Osaggi-- we have postponed his baptismal date about three times due to not being able to meet with him, working with the Ward Council, and other complicated things...but for right now he feels good about the 26th. It is so neat to think about how we met him, and how far he has come. I do not even remember meeting him for the first time. Apparently we contacted him on the street a few months ago, gave him a BOM and got his phone number. For some reason I wrote his number on an index card instead of my planner. About a week later on Saturday night we were kind of discouraged because none of our many investigators were answering their phones or if they did, they said they could not come to church. Right before I went to bed I saw that index card on my desk and decided to try calling it in the morning. I am so glad that I did! We asked him to come to church with us that morning and were surprised that he said he would. We met him at the train station and walked with him to church. In time we have come to see how ready Osagie is to be baptized. He is very humble, has a deep understanding of the Bible and of Christ.

After meeting with him for a few times, he said that he had been going to several different churches for his whole life, and knew that none of them were completely true. Also, he has always known that he needs to be baptized by immersion, but has not been baptized yet because he has not found the right church. From that time until now we have had several lessons with him, encouraging him to continue to pray and read the BOM. Line upon line he has gained a testimony that it is a book of God and that he feels peace about everything. He is still expecting a bigger answer from Heavenly Father, but for now he is continuing forward in faith because of the Spirit that he feels when he reads the Book of Mormon. We are praying that the ward will feel more comfortable with him. He does not speak Italian very well, and is very shy. We have begun teaching an Italian course once a week, especially hoping that he will be there.

2. Dennis and Sandra--Miracle story! We met Sandra about a month ago on the street. She is a beautiful Ghanan, and after talking to her for a few minutes she seemed like the most golden investigator we had ever seen! We gave her a BOM and a Proclamation on the Family, and set up an appt. She cancelled a few times, and when we dropped by her house she told us that her husband said that we could not come visit her and that he had taken her BOM away. It was disappointing because we had felt prompted to talk with her on the street and had expected to teach her family.

Four evenings ago, we started our finding work off with a prayer of faith. After the prayer, Sorella Ryan looked at me and said, "Does anything or anyone come first to your mind?" "Sandra." She said, "Yeah, me too. Let's go." It was strange because she had told us not to come visit her again, but the Spirit had prompted both of us to try her again. It was a beautiful moment, because we felt peace, hope and direction from the Lord. When we knocked on their door, her husband answered the door. We talked for a good ten minutes, got him to open up, and were able to set up an appointment with them. We returned two nights ago, had a beautiful lesson about the Book of Mormon. Like most Africans here, they are very devoted Protestants, very practicing, good Christians. One of our new converts, Peter, is good friends with them so it is nice to have that connection.

It just goes to show that everyone has their own timing, and the Lord knows when that is! I am so grateful for the inspiration of the Spirit. What a gift, and privelege is it to witness the hand of the Lord, and the role of the Book of Mormon in peoples' lives.

3. My favorite investigator- David! He is a 20 year-old Italian. We met him on the train a month ago, and he asked to meet with us again. He has been an atheist for years. Very intellectual and turned off the Catholic church. At the beginning it was frustrating, because he would combat everything that we said. It has been hard for him to accept faith over science. We did not see a lot of potential in him at the start, but I am glad that we have continued to see him. We have had several intense lessons with him and the best ward members that we have.

It is amazing how much he has progressed in so short a time. It has not been easy for us trying to help him, or on his part. But we prepare our best for him, and he is very committed! That is a beautiful, rare quality for investigators to have. He has been reading the Bookof Mormon with real intent, and recognizes the Spirit that it brings. He asks great questions. We finally got him to say his first prayer two lessons ago. It was a beautiful, sincere prayer. I did a cartwheel in my apartment when we got home, I was so excited. Last night was our best lesson yet! He was very intense and said, "Now I know for certain that God and Jesus Christ are real. Now I just need to find out which church is right. I know that God will not tell me all at once, but I really want to know right now." I have not seen so much desire from anyone on my mission thus far. He prays on his own now, and it is beautiful to see the relationship that he is developing with Heavenly Father. I cannot believe how far he has come, and I am so grateful to be a missionary.

I love you all so much. All my prayers,

Sorella Oakes