Battipaglia is unique and crazy!

Pizza. of course. just for you dad.

Church with Sorella Scherbel and a member

Ciao famiglia! Che settimana!! This week has been so great and a little crazy! Battipaglia is filled with the craziest stories that I have heard on my mission so far of just the craziest people and problems. I can't write it all, but be excited every week to hear more. 

 First let me tell you about Rosa.  Rosa is a sweet investigator who has read the BOM, knows it is true, and really wants to be baptized. But she is obese and has a bone disease where it would be hard for her to walk up and down 4 flights of stairs to come to church each week. We brought over Presidente Scherbel because we had no idea what to do. We talked for a long time and we actually figured out a way for her to get baptized! It will take lot of work, but it is possible to make it happen. So then we were stuck with the decision of do we still let her get baptized, even though she can't ever come to church? She wants to get baptized and baptism is important...but church is also very important and Italy already has a ton of In actives!  Luckily I didn't have to make that decision...President did! But he told us to work more with her and to try to get her family involved for the time being. Then we went over there and did the catholic lesson...the one where you have to tell them they need to stop praying and worshiping the saints and only God. Well she didn't take that too well. She has spent her whole life believing and praying to Mary, padre pio, etc, and she has received a lot of faith and help from them. She wouldn't accept the idea. But the worst part is is that we didn't have a lot of time before we had to catch the bus to talk through everything. But she still wants us to come back and I think she just doesn't quite understand the restoration yet. So she’s not getting baptized quite yet. 

Last week we went out with this member and the Elders to Salerno! This cute city by the sea and we saw this huge catholic church where they claim to have the body of the apostle Matthew. The whole inside was dedicated to Matthew and had pictures of every scene from his book. 

Salerno

Salerno

Salerno

Salerno

We also have Rosaria, who is doing great! I'm like shocked with how great she is doing. She's reading the BOM everyday, praying every day, wanting us to come and teach her everyday and is getting ready for her baptismal date. On Friday we had a fireside in the Scherbels home and we invited her to it. She called us in the afternoon and I didn't want to answer (when an investigator calls right before it is usually to cancel) but I did and she was just confirming the time. Then she called again and I was so scared to answer, but again just to tell us that she watched the restoration a third time and loved it more. And then she actually came!! She loved the fireside. I feel like she is too good to be true, but she is really so interested and is really progressing. I think we’re really going to have a baptism!!! But she does really like her saints and she doesn't like this ward member and she wasn't actually able to come to church Sunday so she's not completely a perfect. But still!! Pray for Rosaria!!! 

Those are basically our only two investigators right now. We have others, but they don’t seem too interested…which means a lot of finding! Which I am actually enjoying! I’ve been putting a lot of thinking and strategy in finding and it is fun! Trying to think of all our potentials and how we can get them to take the lessons. Sending out scriptures every night has made a huge difference here. Also, in Italy the month of June is called the month of the invite and everybody is a supposed to invite all the less actives to come back to church. There seems to be so much work here to do with the less actives and three of the people we are working with came to church yesterday!! 

Ok I'm just going to rave a bit about how awesome Sorella and Anziano Scherbel are! They are the senior couple that live across the hall from us and they are the best part of this city. Here is their blog if you want to see it...geriandpaulscherbel.blogspot.com. She adds pictures on it all the time. 

I found these next four pictures on Scherbel's blog and decided to add them.  

  

They do so much for us and the ward. Today Anziano Sherbel took us to this mountain top where we went hiking (I went hiking on a mountain! I love hiking!!). Also, sometimes they invite us over for our lunch hour and teach us how to cook yummy Italian food and then we eat it together. Anziano Sherberl actually reminds me a lot of dad…only because of his jokes. Today we went hiking and there was all this poo pellets on the ground and he told us the ‘’smart pill’’ joke just like dad always does. It feels just like being in a family here…our parents, us two sisters and then we have the two Elders as brothers. Oh funny story…both of the Elders here come from Pheasant Grove and American Fork.  In fact, Anziano Sorensen knows my cousin Todd! I have never been in a city with this little amount of missionaries, but it is kind of fun. We actually share a lot of  less actives and investigators…which I have never heard of doing…but it actually works really well here. With us all having the same goal…it doesn’t matter who teaches who what. They are teaching the sweetest lady ever named Anita who I just already love so much and she goes really well with them, but sometimes they let us teach her too. Anita has a really particular situation…she has epilepsy and she goes into seizure attacks whenever she feels the spirit. So she wants to be baptized and loves the church…but goes into seizures whenever she feels the spirit really strong. So do we not teach with the spirit? We don’t know what to do with that one either. Haha but she’s great.

Cooking with less actives

The church...the yellow building in the back.

Also, by the way…I love cooking!! The Italians have got to me and now I can’t spend my lunch hour doing anything, but cooking. And it’s not good unless I have to at least spend 10 minutes of cutting vegetables and use at least three different spices. Yeah J
Okay we saw so many miracles this week...Rosaria progressing, 3 in-actives coming to church, meeting a lot of people who are ready for the gospel.  Also this week...well there are three people we're working with (members, investigators, etc) that are named Mina or Nina and I was trying to call one of them...but being new here...I forgot her last name and called the wrong one.  Realizing what I did and not knowing who I was talking to...I thought eh I might as well get an appointment with this random lady.  So I did.  I told Sorella Webster about it and she was so amazed because they have been trying and trying for week to get a hold of her.   God knew when she would be there and knew that we probably wouldn't have called at that time anyway so he had me call her on accident.  Hahah!  buona settimana!!!!

p.s. Grazie for the package! Loved it! Especially the cool scripture study book! I need to find a good time to make that cake though!