22nd Letter from Varese

Many of the most powerful invites I have extended on my mission have
occurred while traveling home from zone conferences in Milano. After
having been instructed from President Wolfgramm and the assistents
about "Teach-to-Find", Sorella McNamara and I were pumped to contact
everyone.

While waiting for our train we decided to talk to 7 people. We
approached the first and gave the new technique a try. Without
introduction, we shook a young mother's hand and boldly said, "God is
our Heavenly Father and He loves us. How do you feel the love of God
in your life?..." To our surprise, it worked! Even though she seemed
confused and shocked for a moment, she answered our question and the
conversation began. She was not interested, but we gave her a pass
along card and moved on. We immediately began talking to someone else,
and then another, and then another...6, 7 or 8 people after that we
found one of 'em precious pearls!!! (That goes along with our Como
zone theme, "The Como Fleet and the Quest for the 20 pearls).
We talked to Henock a young man Ethiopian dressed in a suit. We
learned that he had just returned back from an interview at the Milano
University to apply for the Master's program. He bore testimony of how
Christ has been by his side all along his progression in school and
life. He had the light of Christ in his countenance and we could feel
he was one of the prepared and elect. Thanks to the small dialogue
we had prepared during Training Meeting, Sorella McNamara and I taught
with simplicity, and the Spirit was sooo strong. I could feel the
Spirit working and flooding through our mouths as we bore testimony of
eternal truths. After introducting the Book of Mormon I felt impressed
to briefly tell the first vision.

I was filled with the most incredible joy as I looked in his eyes
and spoke to him. I felt the Spirit so strongly that I could not help
from balling. I have not felt that way while telling the First Vision
in a really long time. Henock was really touched by the Spirit. He
pulled out a tissue from his pocket and said, "Don't cry", but he
could tell I wasn't crying because I was sad. We got his contact
information and he cannot wait for the missionaries to come teach him!
The last thing he said when we parted was, "Will you pray for
me?" We said, "Of course we will."

What a miracle! All thanks to Teach-to-Find.

Love,
Sorella Oakes

21st Letter from Varese

Dear Loved Ones,

It is so hot here! I don't know how Elder Oakes and Grandma and
Grandpa live in Brazil. It's hard to sleep at night. In the middle of
the night I get in the shower and drench my clothes and hair with cold
water so I can go back to sleep. Sometimes I do that twice or three
times! And it's going to get hotter in July and August.

I want to tell you about a new amazing investigator- Conie. We met her
on the bus with her adorable son Fabrizio. They are Peruvian, and she
is deaf. She doesn't read lips or understand italian. We bring a
Spanish speaking member with us with a computer and she translates
everything. Conie and Fabrizio came to church this last week. They are
so sweet. You feel the Spirit really strongly when you are around her.
Did I tell you this already? I hope not.

Richie is even more elect than we ever thought. Within one
transfer, he met us and progressed to baptism. Besides having studied,
"lived" and practically memorized half of the Book of Mormon, he has
an excellent grip on the basic doctrines of the church by studying the
Gospel Principles Book on his own. He loves the Lord and always tries
to build others up with his big smile and positive words.

This week, Sorella McNamara and I got to learn a little bit more
about his family background. When we were teaching a lesson, I
recounted an experience I had with my dad when I was younger. When I
looked at Richie, tears were slowly streaming down his face. I paused
and asked, "What's wrong?" He said, "You are so lucky to have a family
like that. My dad does not write or talk to me. He doesn't care what I
do with my life." We all sat there in silence for a minute. Sorella
McNamara and I felt sad for him.

 A few days later, his mom showed up in church for the first time! Well, in fact,
it wasn't really the first time. When I approached her, I realized that I had seen her
before. Months ago, Sorella Walton and I had visited an inactive man
in our branch. A few weeks after that, he showed up in church, with
his companion, Kate. When we had tried to fellowship her, she was very
aggressive and rude, to say the least. They never showed up again....until last
Sunday. That woman turns out to be Richie's mother! What a coincidence.

I do not want to dampen this miracle story with negative things. I
just want to say that I am amazed with how great Richie is! It seems
that although he has had a rough family situation, he has clung to
Jesus Christ his whole life and the Lord has led him to His true
church. I am so grateful for the hand of the Lord in Richie's life. We
love him like a brother. There is no doubt that Richie is an elect
spirit, faithful son of God who was reserved to live in these last
days. It is a priveledge to know him. I cannot wait to see what the
future holds for him in his spiritual progression and service in the
Lord's kingdom.

Well, I hope you have received my letters.
Lots of love,

Sorella Oakes

20th Letter from Varese

Cara famiglia,

I saw the pictures of Elder Oakes. He looks great. And very happy. I
am so proud of him. We are committing ourselves to serve our best out
here and secure blessings for all of you. I really appreciate all of
your love and support for us as missionaries.
We are so blessed to have such awesome family and friends.

Many of my favorite miracles occur while doing finding work. Go Book
of Mormon fishing. . . My explanation mark key does not work, sad.
Well, immagine it's there. Yesterday, as we were waiting at our famous
lucky bus stop to go to Mikele, our new baptismal date, we met another
golden potential. When we first sparked up a conversation with Anton,
he was pretty skeptical of our sincerity. He furrowed his brow and
leaned into me and asked.... insert quote mark...You both say that you
believe in Jesus Christ. You, tell me how you've seen a miracle of
Jesus in your personal life?....The Spirit told me in that exact
moment what to say. I responded, He has given me the power to forgive
someone who did me wrong. I know that I could not have done that on my
own, only through Christ. That is a miracle to me. Anton nodded
his head and his heart seemed to soften.

Sorella Mcnamara raised up her Book of Mormon that she had in her
hand and bore testimony of how her relationship with the Savior had
grown through reading and praying. As our bus pulled up we asked him
if we could meet again. He gave us his contact info but said that he
did not have time to meet us. He got on the bus with us. Sorella
Mcnamara and I decided to walk to another part of the bus, to leave
him with the Spirit and ponder what we had just said.
After a few minutes he approached us, tapped my shoulder and said,
How do I get your book? We told him that he could read a bit in the
bus until we got off. He returned to his seat, opened up the Book and
read the first two pages before we got off. I secretly hoped he would
run off the bus and steal our Book of Mormon. That would be awesome,
haha.

Turned out that we both got off at the same stop. As he handed us
back our Book he said, I am available in the mornings. Where and when
can we meet? We set up an appointment with him. I am very excited to
meet with him again.

We have 3 baptismal dates right now- Luca for the 1st of July, Mikele
on the 14th, and Wahabu on the 7th. Mikele and Luca and doing great
but it has been hard to meet Wahabu- teaching Africans is a completely
different than teaching Italians. He is really humble and sweet but I
do not how much he understands of what we teach him. It would be great
if you could keep him and Richie in your prayers.

Sending all my amore e affetto,
Sorella Oakes

19th Letter from Varese

Dear Loved Ones,

I had an awesome birthday! Richie was confirmed that day. It was the best gift ever.

Sorella Mcnamara supports me in meeting my personal goals. She is diligent in doing the basic things- popp charts, getting up and going to bed on time, etc.  This week I told her that I would like to increase the spirituality of our evenings while preparing for bed. She suggested that we read Jesus the Christ together and discuss it together. Last night after programming we went on the roof and read together. I can feel that thirty minutes affecting the rest of my work. We are more united as a companionship and edified in the rest of our daily activities.

This miracle illustrates the power of inspired nightly planning! A few weeks ago, while planning for the next days activities, we followed President Wolfgramm's advice to visualize the people in whom we would contact the next day. We imagined meeting a young university man who was half Italiano and half South American. The next day while waiting at a bus stop we talked to a few people who weren't interested, and then we began talking with this guy. Turns out he met with the anziani a few times in the past. He has had testimoni di Geova missionaries and evangelists visit him before so he was welcome to having us pass by. After exchanging his contact information and setting up an appointment it hit us, "Wait, Mikele is half Italian half South American. He is the man we planned to meet last evening." Even if we remembered that we had planned to contact someone like him after the fact, it helped us realize that the Lord placed him in our path. Our meeting was not by chance.

 Since then we have had two awesome lessons with him. In our second lesson he opened up his heart to us and layed out all of the problems that he is facing in his life. He asked lots of questions about the atonement and expressed his desire to be relieved of his burdens from sin. As tough as this guy seems his eyes welled up with tears several times and the spirit touched his heart. I remember him pausing at one point in the lesson and asking us, "Out of all the people you could have talked to, why did you decide to talk to me that day on the street?"  We could honestly say, "We know it was not by chance. We had prayerfully imagined meeting someone like you, and after having talked with you, we knew the Lord placed you in our path Mikele. He has been preparing you to receive the gospel at this time in your life." He paused and said, "I just want peace. I feel really good when I meet with you, but everytime I pray I feel so guilty. Can you guys tell me what will help me? What should I do?"

The Spirit was at its peak, we saw the target and boom we gave him the baptismal invite for 30 of June. He accepted it wholeheartedly and dedicated himself to prepare for that date. It is so amazing how the Lord's will can come in line with our when we seek revelation in nightly planning.

Hey Richie just walked into the internet point, he wants to say something to y'all. He says, "Hi, it's Richie!" He doesn't know what else to say haha. " I am happy I met your daughter. And she's really awesome and her colleague. Ya!"

Love ya all!

 Sorella Oakes

18th Letter from Varese

Cara famiglia,

Question- was there an earthquake there in the US this week?  We have had quite a few ones this past week. We live on the 10th floor so we can feel and see everything swaying a lot. It's really fun!

So something I learned this morning. Do not try to show your companion caprera cartwheels in your apartment, especially in a tiny apartment. I kicked my ankle against the shelf and got a biggg blue bruise. Miracle- after putting it up and wiggling my ankle it is gone. There is a tiny bit of purple left and I am walking as if nothing happened. Stupid mistake, lesson learned, I won't do that again. :)
 
So many things have happened this week. We began teaching an x investigator of the anziani, named Giorgio. We found him doing area book, gave him a call and he was very willing to meet us. As we talked with him we found him to be a very respectful, intelligent, honest man who has been prepared by the Lord. Let me tell you, he idolizes one of the missionaries who served here in Varese, Anziano Dean. I know him a little bit as well and he is an excellent missionary. Almost every other sentence Giorgio would make a comment about how Anziano Dean taught him how to pray and brought him to the light of his faith now. In the end, his wife was not too happy about him being associated with the LDS church, for some reason and they began to attend the evangelist church. He is very content with his pastor and the congregation where they meet and loves reading the bible. Giorgio told us that the past six months he really developed a relationship with Christ and he feels like his life has become more beautiful than ever before. There is not time to relate more about him, but after a few lessons with him, he still would not keep his commitment to read the Book of Mormon. My heart was broken. We had told him so many times, "just read for 10 minutes a day. This is the only way you will know for yourself of the validity of what we are telling you." He told us that he wants to read the entire Bible first to see where all the gaps are, and then read the Book of Mormon. Even though we only met with him three times I came to care about him so much. It makes me feel sorrowful to leave him be for the future missionaries, but it is the right thing. Patience, patience, patience. Trust in the Lord. He takes care of His children.

I am grateful for all that I am learning about relaxing, letting go of things that are out of my control and being cheerful in the Lord. I felt the grace of the Lord enter into my heart, give me peace and liberate me from spiritual and emotional burdens. I grew my testimony of the reality of the atonement and how it applies to my daily life.

 Carina moved to Peru Monday without letting us get a chance to say goodbye and get her contact information. I pray that she will get in touch with the missionaries there. She probably will, seeing that many of her family are members in the church. Once again, I am learning a lot about trusting in the Lord to take care of her, and do all the things that are not in my power. I love Carina so much!

   I do not know if I told you..Dominga is finalizing her divorce so that she can marry Massimo!!!!!!!! We had a very spiritual lesson with her and another awesome member (Sorella Omer) yesterday about the temple. Dominga wants to be worthy to enter there and do baptisms with Sander next year. It's wonderful to imagine what will happen in their family five years, ten years from now. I have faith that they will oneday be sealed in the temple for time and all eternity. An eternal family. I will let you know how our first lesson goes with Massimo on Friday.

  Well, Richie is right on track for his baptism this Saturday! A funny thing that we discovered yesterday- he really is an African prince. Sorella Mcnamara has been joking with me for the last few weeks about her suspicions of him being an African prince. He won't tell us where he lives, or let us meet his mom, he dresses in really nice clothes, he has this big dream about playing professional soccer rather than following his mom's counsel to get an education. We have made up this whole story about him, how he is secretly really rich and lives in a mansion in Varese and does not tell anyone because he wants to live a normal life. Yesterday he was feeling kind of down and at the end of the lesson we jokingly asked him if he was a prince. He laughed a little bit and said, "well actually, I am a prince. My father was a king of our tribe...." Haha. he went on to explain more about his life in Africa.

   I am so happy to serve with Sorella Mcnamara. She makes me laugh and the love the work. We(I) are getting better at teaching together. Her Italian is getting so well and our English is going down the drain! Mom I might need to attend English lessons with your first graders when I get home, okay?

  Well, if I go home at 11 transfers school would have already started for two weeks, so I will be staying for 12 transfers, returning around the beginning of March. That will allow time to spend time with Mom, visit California and dad and prepare for spring semester. Other than that I do not know what my plans are, but I just wanted to give you a heads up. I am grateful I still have quite a bit of time left here in Italy! I will be staying here in Varese with Sorella Mcnamara for one more transfer. It will be the best one yet!



   I love you so much!
    Sorella Oakes
 

17th Letter from Varese

Carissima Famiglia,
 
I wish I could write you in Italian...Let me tell you about some of the amazing events of this week!

Sander was baptized last Saturday! His mother's companion Massimo agreed to let him be baptized. He remained outside in the car during the baptism and the first two hours of church the next morning, but he joined us for the second part of the third hour- Sacrament Meeting. We have been praying so hard for him each day, to have his heart softened, and to accept the gospel. It was a big miracle that he came into the church, even if it was for a half hour. Sorella Mcnamara and I also set up an appointment with him yesterday when we went to teach Sander at their house!

   The baptism was so peaceful. There were only a few people in attendance, but the Spirit was abundant. Everyone expressed their love for and support of Sander. It is beautiful to witness the beginnings of little Sander's conversion. He has read 1 and 2 Nephi in the Book of Mormon on his own. He reads for a half hour each day and soaks in everything that he reads. His testimony is so strong and independent right now, being only 11 years old. It is exciting to think about the good things that are in store for his future. We are already seeing the blessings that his faith is bringing to his family now- his mom being reactivated, his two little sisters making a primary class, and his "step dad" beginning to show interest in the gospel. What an incredible missionary Sander will be! He will have a burning testimony and knowledge of the Book of Mormon, and will convert so many others. How great is one soul in the sight [work] of God.

  Pass-along-card miracle... I imagine that there are so many more experiences like this, but you rarely find out about them. Remember Carina? The sweet Peruvian woman who will have a baby and wants to be baptized? We have continued to teach her the lessons and have been preparing her for the 2nd of June. When we entered her house for the first time last week, we noticed a pass-along-card (the one with Christ's face) on top of her shelf in her living room, crumpled, and sitting next to pictures of Jesus and her family. We asked her about it. She said that Sorella Walton gave it to her months ago in the bus. There was one evening when Carina was feeling really depressed and helpless. She came so close to calling our number and asking us to come teach her. But then she thought, "Maybe God will help us to meet again."   When she told us that I thought, "Why didn't you call us!!!!" She needs to be baptized so badly, and to receive the aid and comfort of the Holy Ghost. But everything happens in the right timing of the Lord, right?

Sorella Mcnamara and I met and talked with her again, thanks to Heavenly Father. I had forgotten all about her, I do not remember her face or ever meeting her in the past... anyway, I know the Lord guides our work. Her words were a real testimony builder to me of the importance of talking and giving pass along cards to everyone that we can. I wonder how many others are in her same situation.

Well, there is not time to relate her situation right now. In a few words she is going to move back to Peru this week, she told us she wanted to get baptized this Thursday and one hour before her interview she called us and told us she feels nervous and she wants to wait to get baptized. I have no idea what to do, but we are taking it one day at a time. We feel this incredible peace with the work and in the power of the Lord. Will you keep her in your prayers? The adversary surely tries his hardest to tempt investigators right before baptism.

Update- Richie is the most awesome investigator! He is getting baptized on the 2nd of June, and we love him to death. He is our Nigerian brother! He is going to be a fantastic missionary.

Vi voglio tantissimo bene!

Con tanto affetto dal mio cuore,
   
Sorella Oakes

16th Letter from Varese

Dear Family,

Let me just tell you that Sorella Mcnamara is awesome! She is speaking the language with me all throughout the day, even when we are inside the house. I remember SYLing being mentally and emotionally exhausting for me during my first transfer in the mission. But Sorella Mcnamara is determined to improve and be her best, and has a deep desire to support me as her companion.  We are working side by side. I do not feel like she is dragging the work down in the least bit. It is very apparent that the work has skyrocketed ever since she came into town. Her enthusiasm to improve herself and to become selfless inspires me. She "GEMS" me every day!

We did splits yesteday with Sorella Padulla and Sorella Jacobsen. And afterwards we did cartwheels. Funny. Talk about a powerhouse companionship!!! I have never had such an instructive, uplifting, effective, spiritual scambio (Blitz). As a result of their constant SYLing,(Speak your language)  laughing, desire to serve and love us, Sorella Mcnamara and I became better missionaries. We taught many lessons, gave two solid baptismal invites, and even set another baptismal date with one of our new investigators! Miracles were exploding all over Varese yesterday. I am confident that over a hundred people were affected by the Spirit.

For the last half hour of our time together, we sat in our living room and discussed what we had learned together and offered suggestions to the other companionship about how they could improve. It was very helpful and uplifting. It is incredible to witness the power that two 21 year old women who love the Lord and devote all of themselves to His service can do together.

Sorella Jacobsen is from Salt Lake, she has a rather quiet personality, but has no problem approaching and talking to people she does not know. She is very obedient to the teaching the simple doctrines of Preach My Gospel, but also follows the Spirit in using her own words and normal language to relate to people, as they are. I learned a lot from her in that respect. She helped me to talk to people in a more informal, haha you could say, "normal" way. I did not even realize it, but sometimes I can become a little too intense and forget to just relax and let the Spirit do its job. She also taught me a lot about just opening my mouth and speaking without thinking too hard about what I am going to say next. It really made a difference as we continued to approach people and I tried following her advice. I also felt the Spirit more myself.

  Sorella Padulla is an Argentinian fireball. She had a big scholarship to sing opera at a university, but felt the Spirit call her to serve a mission. She followed the prompting immediately, learned Italian and English really well in the MTC in Spain and speaks better than most of us missionaries who have been out in the field for a while. This is her second transfer in the field, but you would never know it! She is super talkative, huggy and constantly thinking of others. I was most impressed with her prayers. I cannot even express how heartfelt, beautiful and powerful they were. I began to understand how the Nephites felt in 3 Nephi 17:16-17 " The eye hath never seen, neither hath the ear heard before, so great and marvelous things..." when Jesus prayed for them. I know I am going on and on about these sisters, but I cannot even tell you how they have impacted my life. I pray to be like them.

 I feel so weak in my capacity, more than ever, but in a good way, I think. I cannot believe why we are having so much success in the work right now, but all I know is that is not by our own power! We could never do it all on our own. All I can say is that we are trying to improve, to be 100% obedient, to forget all our personal affairs at home and to do our best. I feel like a tiny crab trying to move a wall. It's incredible, the "wall" is moving. The Lord is moving it. I am so grateful for the goodness of God and my companion.

All my love,

Sorella Oakes