9th Letter from Varese

Dear Loved Ones,

Just to let you know, from now on I will be printing off your weekly

emails to read later, and the next week I will respond a bit to the

messages...if that makes sense.

This has been a great week! I'll just share a few things with ya'll.

1. Our current investigators- We are teaching an inactive woman from

the Domincan Republic named Dominga. She wants to come back to church,

and now we are teaching her 11 year old son, Sander Gabriele, and her

mom. They're awesome! We have faith that we'll set a baptismal date

with them both tonight.

2. Miracle with a member.--we have been working a lot with a member

named Gabriele.  After many ups and downs, he's found a lot of strength from the

missionaries who have served in Varese. We have brought him to several

lessons with us it's been amazing to see how he has changed.  To paraphrase a
quote from Elder Packer, studying the principles of the gospel will change behavior
much more than the study of behavior itself.

I know this is a true principle. When we read the Book of Mormon and

seek to serve others and our Savior, we are happier. We become better

people naturally, and more capable of succeeding in whatever we

pursue. I have seen this in myself and I have seen it in Gabriele.

Gabriele thanked us the other day for letting him work with us. He

said, "You know, it's really nice to be needed... I've been so happy as I read the

Book of Mormon and serve your investigators.

3. Something I'm super excited about- an awesome ward mission plan

that Sorella Walton and I are creating. We have really prayed and

received inspiration concerning a doable, effective plan to work with

the members and to make this branch into a ward! I cannot stop

thinking about it. I can't wait to start putting our plan into

practice.

4. Something about I want you to know about Sorella Walton. I haven't told you very much about her and that's a shame. She is an amazing companion. She is really

easy to live and work with. She is patient, flexible, loving,

organized and focused on her calling. She writes me sweet love notes

and hides them in my scriptures. We are speaking only Italian, both at home and

when we're out, and our language skills are skyrocketing. I am so

grateful that she wants to push herself to be the best missionary she

can be.

Sorella Walton is from Idaho, has two brothers and three sisters.

She likes exercising, camping, high heels and collecting warm and

fuzzy quotes.

Well, I cannot think of too many interesting things that you would

like to hear. All is well! We do not have any progressing

investigators right now, so we are doing a lot of finding work. But I

am confident that as we continue to improve and give that last 10% of

the effort, the miracles and blessings will come.

5. Question, scripture and invite: How can members find someone who

the missionaries can teach? Alma 6:6 talks a bit about a response. I

know that as we pray sincerely and with real intent to our Heavenly

Father, He will bless us with an opportunity to find someone whom the

missionaries can teach, whether it be an acquaintance, friend or

family member.

I want to invite you to pray for such an opportunity, and to simply

ask that person if the missionaries can pass by their house and give

them a Book of Mormon. It seems as if many members feel they need to

have a gospel discussion, or invite their friend to read the Book of

Mormon before meeting missionaries. But in actuality, members do not

have time to do this. It is best if the missionaries take care of that

because we have been trained how to teach simply, and that's our

calling.

I know that after you do this, the Lord will strengthen your

personal testimony of the importance of the restored gospel, and your

desire to share the gospel will increase. The Spirit will help you to

say just what your friend needs to hear.

Sending my amore from Italia!

Sorella Oakes

8th Letter from Varese

Dear Family,

Thanks for sending me Weylin's letter. I am so proud of him! Sounds like he is working really hard and is focused on the work.

Much has happened this week. We had a multi-zone conference in Milano. President Wolfgramm is one of the best leaders. Sorella Walton told me that when he was serving in the Milan Mission back in the day, he never trained. Sorella Walton told me, "I guess President Wolfgramm is such a great leader because he is a humble and obedient follower." It reminds me of a little thought that I had this morning while reading 1 Nephi 2. After Lehi receives the revelation that their family needs to leave their home and travel in the wilderness, each son responds in a different way. Laman and Lemuel are angry in their hearts and murmur, Nephi prays and the Spirit softens his heart and increases his faith..and then there's simple Sam. After Nephi tells him about the confirmation he received, he tells Sam and Sam believes in his younger brother's words. There is not much written about Sam in the Book of Mormon, but from the little that we know, he was very faithful and obedient as well. It takes a lot of humility to follow the counsel of your younger brother.

Anyway, President Wolfgramm is a great teacher because he has studied and pondered Preach My Gospel and the Book of Mormon. It is a part of him. He is always striving to follow the counsel of the presiding authorities and the words of the Prophet, rather than come up with his own original missionary plan. He is in tune with the will of the Lord. Thus, our conferences are incredibly spiritual and we receive much revelation concerning our work. I am striving myself to put everything that he taught us into practice. Having been an accountant for many years, President Wolfgramm is all about being organized, measuring and evaluating so that we can increase our effectiveness and success as missionaries, and see more results in our work. Wow, it's been very challenging and rewarding to improve my personal organizational skills, and make measurable goals in budgeting, in planning lessons, and in my study programs. Sorella Walton and I have been doing lots of roleplaying so that we can teach with more fluidity and unity...through all of these things we are becoming so much effective.

The assistants used a quote in our meeting that hit me, "When the wind comes, the pessimist complains. The optimist hopes the wind will change, and the Milan Italy missionary (we can say proactive person) re-adjusts the sails." Honestly, for the past few weeks I have felt like there is a big brick wall here in Varese, blocking our investigators and us from progressing. For several reasons, it just seems as if no matter what we do, we are not seeing the results. Let me tell you, I am deeply grateful for the challenges we have faced. I have poured out all the love that I have to the people we teach, and we have contacted and talked to as many people as we can. At night, I have really communed with Heavenly Father and felt that He is listening and understanding every word. My faith has been growing so much more than I ever thought possible. From an eternal perspective, I know the Lord is giving us these experiences to push us, to help us reach our full potential.

I had a fever for a few days last week, and so I got a priesthood blessing in church. There were some really neat things that the Lord wanted to tell me concerning the work. One thing that the blessing said was that there are people that the Lord is preparing now to receive the gospel here in Varese. I know that is a blessing that can apply in any area, as we live worthy of our calling, but it was really powerful and nice to hear it. I cannot describe my feelings, but I have been so overwhelmed with gratitude this week. I can feel that we are about to find those prepared people, or maybe that we have already met them. I cannot describe what is driving us to work so hard, or why we are so excited about the work.

We do have one great investigator from Togo Africa, named John Edem. He is really solid and committed. I think he'll be the first to be baptized. He is very respectful, super humble and teachable, already reads the Bible every day. He is just...elect. I love teaching him. I feel so much peace when we teach him, because he has a pure and good spirit. He reads the Book of Mormon on his own, and vividly recalls all the little details about what he read during the lessons. He told us that he would decide next time if he will get baptized in April. We are seeing him tonight!!! Pray for him!

This week Sorella Walton and I hosted a branch party. We had called each member of the branch to participate in some way. Some brought food from different random countries all over the world, and other families dressed up in costumes and we had a little show. It was hilarious! Our branch members are so strange, comical, unique...they have a lot of character. I love them sooo much. The branch members make Varese special. To describe the activity in a few words, Sorella Walton fiddled, I pretended to ride a horse with an old mop, our branch President and Sorella Mariani danced like Russians, a Patriarch talked for twenty minutes about how he was not worthy to give patriarchal blessings...it was a blast. As much as we tried to plan and organize everything, it was a big smorgasbord of talents. Lots of laughs and our branch became a lot more united.

Well, thank you for your support and all the letters. Sorry that I do not write handwritten letters very much. Know that I love you a lot!

Sorella Oakes

7th Letter from Varese

Dear Family,

This morning Sorella Walton and I hiked Sacro Monte, a beautiful spot about a fifteen minute bus ride in Varese. Look it up! There are lots of really old little churches that you can see as you hike up the path. As you look through the windows of each capella there are gorgeous remaining frescos on the walls remaining from the 1400s, and these life size statues that have been made within the last few years. All of the art and statues depict the different phases (or I have heard "the sufferings") of the life of Christ. It is very interesting, with many of them Sorella Walton and I were wondering, "When did this happen in the scriptures?". While it was not very correct historically it was very awesome to see.

We studied our scriptures and wrote letters up there. It was spiritually nourishing to be up in the mountains and to read and ponder the revealed truths of Christ. I am so grateful for the light of the complete gospel in my life. As you go out into the world, you realize that the simple things you learned in primary really are powerful and significant. The people here in Varese really need the Gospel. Sorella Walton and I pray that we will be able to be led to find those who are seeking after truth and righteousness, and will be willing to accept our message in their lives. I know that the Lord will help us!

As we were hiking, we found a few tiny patches of my favorite-- purple violets! And there were also white ones, too. I have never seen them before, they were very pretty. I picked just a few. I was reminded of Elder Uchtdorf's address to the Relief Society sisters last conference about the small and delicate forget-me-nots. He made so many neat analogies of the small forget-me-nots to our life. I believe that Heavenly Father gives us precious and peaceful moments, blessings to us in little bundles each day, as long as we are willing to look for them and recognize them. If we are not looking for His peace, we could overlook the opportunities, or trample those moments of peace under our feet, as we might the delicate and small forget-me-nots. They may seem insignificant compared to the grandeur of the world, but when you look closer you see how unique and delicate this flower is, and you can smell a faint, sweet perfume. Okay, enough of the Thoreau talk. I just loved being in the mountains!

This week has had its challenges, but the Lord has surely placed little violets in each day. I pray that Sorella Walton and I will find those in Varese who are seeking after that truth and righteousness. I know that with the Lord's help we will find them. We are continuing to teach Patrick, but we have not seen him in two weeks due to family problems. As far as all of our other investigators- they have so much potential. They are wonderful people that I have grown to love soo much. But they are not willing to commit themselves and follow Christ. As we had our last lessons with them this week, Marta cried and Alexander was really sad. It was hard for us as well, but we feel peace and relief. We have found three new great potentials that we have taught the first lessons. I cannot see the future at all, but I feel really good. I know the Lord has plans in mind and He can see the end from the beginning, so we're trusting Him. As we will do His will, there will be progress and success.

Question of the week: In what way can we accept the Atonement of Christ in our every day life?

Also, could someone foward me Elder Oakes' emails every week? That would be great!

I love you all! Have a fantastic week. Laugh, smile, look for the violets!

Love,

Sorella Oakes

6th Letter from Varese

Cara Famiglia,

Mom sent me a few thoughts that I really liked and would like to respond to. Even though I have not have time to read all of the copies you sent, I liked one phrase from one of the 7 Habits: Habit 1- to Be Proactive. It says, "Being proactive is more than taking initiative. It is accepting responsibility for our own behavior (past, present and future) and making choices based on PRINCIPLE AND VALUES rather than on MOODS or CIRCUMSTANCES...Proactive people...resolve to be the creative force in their own lives, which is the most fundamental decision anyone ever makes." Words of wisdom. This principle goes in line with something else she handwrote me. In relation to strong emotions/feelings of love, excitement or promptings from the Spirit she wrote, "Just remember, that in all relationships, there are times when those feelings are soo incredibly strong and then times when they're not felt as easily, in a way they feel dormant in our souls, but with time, that love deepens. I believe (may I substitute) we all experiences these phases. Sometimes we grow most when we're not feeling that love as much. It's good to ask ourselves, "What should I be doing to get more out of this experience...or better yet, to add to it?" Very true, very profound.

As I have reflected on my experiences and my missionary work in the last few weeks, I feel as if I've been in a sort of limbo...It's been hard for me to distinguish the promptings and influence of the Spirit. It's been hard for me to feel those "spiritual highs". While I do not need to feel really good all the time to do the right thing, I have been missing that closeness, that sweetness of the Spirit. My desire and love for the work has dropped. Last week, I felt a bit of frustration because it seemed to me as if we were teaching the exact same thing, the same lessons, the same phrases to people over and over again.

But as I have proactively tried to take more time in the mornings and in the night to read and ponder in the Book of Mormon, my testimony and knowledge of the gospel has grown. My desire is revived and it is a joy to share the gospel with others every minute. It is amazing how much there is to learn in the Book of Mormon. I am beginning to love the stories and the characters more than ever before. As my companion and I are becoming more familiar with its pages, we are clearly relating the principles and events to the people we meet in a more powerful and personal way. Sorella Walton and I are now writing down a list of well thought out, good questions that we can use for each principle we teach. This has made a huge difference in the lessons! We are able to teach more simply, briefly and also get our investigators to relate the gospel to them. As we are trying to improve our teaching skills, preparing lessons and teaching them has become more alive and exciting!

Even though I wasn't really sinning, per se, I am grateful for the loss of the Spirit, that prompted me to grow more...to seek out the Lord and to improve myself as a missionary so that I can be a more effective and in tune servant. For the past few days, we've been running into some people who have very complex questions, and very little faith. As we've talked to them, and they pose really difficult questions, our testimonies and knowledge has helped us to be prepared to respond simply and powerfully...and the Spirit has definately helped us to know what to say! It's incredible. Such a joy to see these atheists, really, really intelligent people listen, pause, ponder and...get it! Not that our desire is to Bible bash or to stump them by any means, but they feel the Spirit and they respond, "Wow. I have never thought about God like that before. You have really answered my question in an interesting way." It changes their ideas and they repent to a certain extent.

Anyway, I know that the main teacher is the Spirit, and we can do nothing without his presence. I am grateful for the simplicity of the gospel so that all people, of any age, race or level of education can understand it, and follow and live it. Read 1 Nephi 3:7, 2 Nephi 26:33. I know that we cannot convert others beyond our own personal conversion. I am grateful for the challenge that we have in life to continue to grow and learn and improve ourselves, until perfection. Hardships, our times of "limbo"/loss of desire prompt us to exercise our free agency and to grow all the more. I know that our faith grows when we do things with all our hearts for the right reasons, especially when we do not feel the desire or see the amazing results. Daily, continuous growth brings the most results in our personal conversion. The phases of pain and suffering are opportunities to accelerate this growth all the more!

Alright, just for a few updates. Alexander did not show up to church last week, so we are postponing his baptismal date for a few more weeks. He has is not completely committed yet, so we will work with him. The last thing we want to do is baptize a less active so it will be better to wait. None of our investigators are really progressing right now...it's been really sad and frustrating. But Sorella Walton and I feel peace that we are doing our part, and are continuing to strengthen our personal testimonies and missionary skills so that we can better encourage them to make changes and covenants in their lives. We are truly becoming more patient, grateful, faithful, especially because we've made a goal to not utter a word of complaint. It's amazing, I am finding that many things that were once annoyances do not affect me anymore. Wow, not murmuring really does increase our faith! That's like...one of the first principles we learn in the Book of Mormon. Imagine that.

I want to pose a free-response question to y'all: How can we teach our children to recognize the Spirit in their lives? How can parents help our children to recognize that they do have a personal testimony?

Wow, I am writing a long letter today...you do not have to read this all. I want to send what I have sent to my mission President this week.

1. My favorite thing about Sorella Walton is she lets me hold her hand in public! Well, actually we link arms. But it really is a boost to keep walking during the hard times. I do not feel like I am alone in this work.

2. On Sunday, none of our investigators, including the one who has a baptismal date, showed up in church. When we realized that no one was coming on Sunday morning, my companion and I felt kind of low and disappointed. But we talked about it, and consciously decided that we were going to accept the Lord's peace that we were doing our part, and that good results would come of our desires and hard work. The person who was going to give us a ride to church had a hard time waking up and came an hour late. While we were waiting outside, an inactive members happened to pass by us and we were able to have a good conversation with him. We bore powerful testimony that the Savior wants this man to turn back to Him, and that he needs the gospel in his life. This person became quiet, took out the cigarette from his mouth and looked like he had been hit by the Spirit. For a moment, you could see the sorrow in his face, as if he was considering repentance and coming back to the Savior. But after that brief moment, he brushed his feelings off and smiled and walked away. I was grateful for the opportunity to do the work of the Lord, to invite him to repent. I know that the Spirit touched his heart, and that he will not forget those two minutes in which we talked. If we had not been late to church, we would not have met him. The Lord always prepares opportunities for us to do His work, even if they are back up plans!

As we arrived at church, our ward members greeted us in love, which was a big relief. One of the hardest pressures as a missionary are the expectations and judgements of ward members and the leaders. We found four investigators in church! Two of them were in church for the first time. Even though these were different people than what we had expected or wanted, the Lord provided the exact same amount of investigators as we had planned to be present in church! The tender mercies of the Lord.

I have learned a lot about the definition of faith this week. I now believe that having faith means that after all that we can do, we have peace and patience in the timing of the Lord, and then choose to 1)recognize and 2)accept the blessings that HE GIVES. Meaning that we recognize the blessings that he gives us as result of our work, even if they are not the same ones that we had hoped for or expected. These indirect blessings help us to realize that the Lord is actually in the middle of it all! We do not earn anything ourselves. In the end, Heavenly Father is the one who gives us all that we have. He loves us so much. He loves us so much that He does not always allow us to earn things the easy way. He requires us to improve ourselves and to give all that we have. The numbers are not His work and His glory- we are. All of the numbers and our experiences, and our work are instruments to grow ourselves. To help us become like Him.

All my love,

Sorella Oakes