24th Letter from Varese

Dear ones,

I am getting transferred to Genova!!!!!!!!!!!!!! with Sorella Mcfadden. So excited.

Miracle for the week-

As we were returning home, the tune of a hymn graced my thoughts. The words perfectly summed up a principle that I had learned from our investigator, Luca. "Be thou humble in thy calling, and the Lord thy God shall teach thee to serve his children gladly with a pure and gentle love..."

  We had discussed Baptism and Confirmation with Luca. After months of covering all the lessons, answering his numerous doctrinal questions, Sorella McNamara and I have taught him about all that we know. So today we had full-intent to make this meeting especially spiritual. After having learned the basic doctrines, we want to help Luca to understand with his heart. As we began with a prayer, I pleaded with the Lord to help me be humble enough to rely on the Spirit to bear testimony beyond my own capacity.

  Sorella McNamara and I asked Luca about his reading in the Book of Mormon. He began to talk, and this time, I feel like I truly tried to LISTEN. I tried to seek to understand his point of view, his questions, his heart. Within a few minutes my eyes swelled with tears and I was overcome with the Spirit. Sorella McNamara interrupted him and asked me, "Sorella Oakes, what's wrong?" I expressed that I was filled with joy because I knew that Luca would receive a spiritual confirmation of the truth. I bore humble testimony to Luca that the Holy Ghost will bear testimony to his heart in a way that he won't be able to deny or forget.

Luca seemed very touched and responded, "I trust you both and I care about you as good friends. Thank you."  I felt pure Christlike love for him as well, like a brother. The entire lesson was very spiritual and uplifting,all thanks to the power of the Spirit. I am so grateful for the gift of the Holy Ghost. I know that it enriches our lives and reassures us of spiritual truths. I do not know the future, but I trust in the Spirit, that Luca will receive that confirmation to his prayers that the Book of Mormon is true, and that this is the restored and complete church of Jesus Christ.

I looked up the rest of the words to the hymn, "Be thou Humble" while getting ready for bed. They say, "   Be thou humble in thy weakness, and the Lord thy God shall lead thee, Shall lead thee by the hand and give thee answer to thy prayers. Be thou humble in thy pleading, and the Lord thy God shall bless thee...with a sweet and calm assurance that he cares."

Love,

Sorella Oakes