4th Letter from Varese

Dear Loved Ones,

Could someone forward me Weylin's emails and his mission address so I can write him a letter? I do not know what/ or how he is doing. But, I did meet a man from Belo Horizonte this week! I gasped and almost started to cry with joy and I immediately told him, "My little brother serving a mission like me in Belo Horizonte!!!!" This man travels a lot so we were not able to set up an appointment but he was surely elect! He's a beautiful family man. Anyways, I am so proud of my lil brother and my parents and grandparents that it gives me the chills sometimes. I am trying not to get trunky!

So many marvelous things have occured this week. One of my favorite lessons was with an less-active named Alexandra. She is taking care of an elderly woman here in Varese to save money for her precious daughters back in Equador. She reads her Book of Mormon often and is a very faithful woman, but it is hard for her to attend church because she wants to save every penny so that she can return to her girls as soon as possible. Even though Alexandra always has a warm smile on her face, it is apparent that she is really suffering and missing her daughters. As she opened her soul to us, and Sorella Walton and I just listened, I put myself in her shoes and really felt how she felt. The Spirit was very strong. I loved her so much and felt a bit of her sorrow. We had prepared a completely different lesson, but after a half hour of listening to her worries, I felt a clear and distinct prompting to ask her a question. I said, "Alexandra, can I ask you something personal? Are you paying tithing?" She felt our love, and openly said, "...No, not yet". Usually, I get nervous committing people to pay tithing, or to keep other commandments, but I felt so much peace. I felt the Spirit working through me as I bore testimony of the blessings and miracles that she would receive financially by paying her tithing. I was prompted to share the story of Elijah, who asked the single mother to give her the last portion of food to him. She faithfully gave the last handful of meal to the prophet, and expected that she and her son would die. Yet when she looked at her bowl again, there was a small portion left, just enough to feed her and her son again. The next day there was more. (I am sorry, I have not read this passage in a long time, so I might be confusing the details).

When we asked her, "Alexandra, will you pay your tithing?", she could not look at us. It seemed as if a million thoughts were racing through her head. This was a difficult decision to make. The spirit was working on her hard. She did not respond. We knelt in prayer. As we stood up, Alexandra asked us "How can I pay my tithing? Do I call the Branch president?" We were exhilirated and laughed and gave her our Branch President's number. The sooner that she calls to set up an appointment with him the easier it will be to pay her tithing before she starts to doubt and lose faith. I am amazed by her trust and love in the Lord! I feel so blessed that I am only apart from my family for a year and a half.

As Sorella Walton and I bore testimony that if she had the faith to pay her tithing, she really responded. Because the Spirit was present, and working on her hard. We knew that the Lord would provide a way for her to save enough money to live with her girls again. In that moment, I realized how incredibly hard, what a sacrifice that would be to Alexandra. At the same time, the Lord let me know and feel how much He loved her, and how much she needs to prove Him. Through this experience, she will witness a miracle, and know that the Lord has a hand in her life! My testimony was strengthened concerning the real purpose of tithing.

Updates about Marta, Marcello and Alexandra! Wow. Marcello has been extremely closed since we met him. A few nights ago, he told us that he could not get baptized because...he is already a member! What a stinker. I have no idea why he did not want to tell us before, but now that he has told us his secret he is excited to go to church. Apparently he was really strong in the church in Equador and became inactive when he moved to Italy because he could not find the church. Haha, all of our lessons have actually been in the presence of a member. Marta and Alexander both admitted that they know that the Book of Mormon is true and that they need to be baptized, but they do not want to come to church every week because they like hanging out with their friends Sunday morning. It is nice to get to the point where they now have a testimony. At the same time, they now have a responsibility. They know what they need to do, and we cannot make that decision for them. We will continue to work with them for a bit and pray that they will continue to progress.

We have a new incredible investigator named Patrick. He is Italian, 27 years old, a best friend of a member in our ward. When we set up an appointment with him we asked him to read 2 Ne 31 before our lesson. Turns out he read ten chapters before our first lesson! Wew. It was awesome. After we said the opening prayer, we asked about his reading. He opened up the Book of Mormon and related to us verse after verse and how much they had touched his heart. He said, "I feel these strong impressions and I know these words are true. But i have a question about this..." He has as much real intent as David in Cuneo. It was so refreshing to teach him about the Book of Mormon. He believed, he asked amazing questions, he soaked everything up like a sponge. The Spirit was incredible. We invited him to baptism. He looked deeply into our eyes, with a smirk as if he was going to jump up and scream ,"Yes I will!!!!!" After a minute, he looked down and said, "I am thinking about it. I am thinking." He is one of those introspective types. Very contemplative, solid, extremely sensitive to the Spirit...and at the same time, so logical and intelligent that he has to know everything from the inside out before he will make a decision. He said, "I want to take this slow. But from what I have learned so far, I know that it is true. I can feel that it is true very strongly." He'll definately get baptized. It is just a matter of time. He is very teachable but at the same time, will not be pushed. He has continued to read chapter after chapter in the Book of Mormon. This morning he called us to ask us what he should read next. We challenged him to read the entire book from the beginning. To our delight he responded in a very serious manner "I can do that". He's great!

I love reading your letters. Your own miracle stories and the blessings that you are grateful for in your life. Thank you for your faithfulness to the Lord, and your love for Him. He is blessing us so much!

All my love,

Sorella Oakes