I Belong in Africa - Bergamo, Italy

Ciao tutti! 

It's been another good one here in Bergamo. Quite honestly, this week has been pretty ho-hum with us just getting things all in place for the baptism of {A} in 3 days (yay!). On Thursday we had a big long meeting with our ward mission leader at his house so we could clarify details for the baptism. One unique thing about Bergamo and our ward here is that every person is somehow related to one another. So {A}who is getting baptized is the nephew of the mission presidents first counsellor, the brother in law of our relief society president, the husband of a RS teacher, and the cousin of Marco, our ward mission leader who is helping put together this baptism. Needless to say, our entire ward is somehow invested in some way or another to this baptism and they have been so helpful and for that I am grateful. On Saturday night we went to teach a final lesson to {A}and some of his extended family was there as well, and we found that they themselves have already found white baptismal clothes, picked out people to speak and sing for the program, figure out all the last details and all they asked us to do was fill the font. This city is a missionary dream. 

I also ate cow skin this week and I do not recommend it. We ate dinner with our African investigator {F}, and she made us an array of food including these little glossy, rubbery balls of cow skin. She and her member friend Kingsley insisted I try one. As soon as you pop this thing in your mouth it hits your gag reflex so hard that you have to force yourself to keep chewing. My companion spit hers out and the only way I got mine down was swallowing it like a pill with a glass of orange juice. {F} and Kingsley laughed and applauded and said that I belong in Africa with them. 

{F} is doing well though, and we taught her three times this week. One lesson on the book of Mormon, and then 2 on the plan of salvation. The spirit has really been helping sorella snow and I to know at what pace we should be taking this and is helping us to answer{F} 's questions. 

Another cool thing about this week was that (under the approval of our mission leaders) I got to Skype my brother Elder McConkie in the Preston MTC! It was so fun to talk with him for a minute and it made me even more excited to be a missionary. He's doing so awesome and has such a better grasp on missionary life and purpose than I did in the MTC. At the end of our call he and I swapped favorite missionary scriptures and this is the one he read to me in Alma 26:12 - 

12 Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things; yea, behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever.

As a result of my chat with Wilson, I have reflected a lot on this scripture. He and I talked about the fact that within missionary work (and life might I add), we can work as hard as we can but it amounts to nothing if we lack the Spirit. I know that every great miracle that I have seen throughout my mission has had little to nothing to do with me. It is God working in his own timing and his own mysterious way. During our final lesson with Andrea, I reflected on how it really was the Spirit who converted this man. The missionaries and even his member family are not the reason why he is getting baptized. He is getting baptized because he has faith in God that has developed to such a point that he has a sincere desire to CHANGE. 

Anyway, that about wraps it up. I love you all immensely and let me know if you need anything. Buona settimana! 

Sorella McConkie