13 FEB 2008

Whoa it's already mid-February, I can't believe how fast time is flying these days! I wish everyone a Happy Valentine's Day tomorrow!

This week had been incredible, filled with many many miracles! Last week after doing email we hurried to an appointment with a lady we had never met named Rita. She was a referral from the elders. She was expecting us to come and when she opened the door she was so suprised that we were so young! I think she was expecting older women but she invited us in and we sat at her kitchen table and talked to her. She told us a little bit about her past...marriages and divorces and how she is just barely getting by these days as a single parent of 3. Tears flowed from her and like so many other times on my mission I had to try to keep back the tears as well. It's hard seeing these people just trying to hang in there! We told her that our message would help her and then went in to teaching her a first lesson about the restoration. She listened intently to the Joseph Smith story and we left her with the invite to read a chapter in the Book of Mormon and pray to know what we taught her was true. The spirit was strong and as we left after having said a prayer she said "I was crying when you first came and now as you leave I'm happy and feel good." Anyway, it was a really neat experience and she's a new investigator. Hopefully we'll see her again tomorrow.

Thursday we met with another investigator, Asia Rhina. She is probably nearly 60 and comes from Santo Domingo. She is great but due to her work can never come to church which is an obstacle. We'll continue teaching her and praying that some way she can come to church. Thursday evening we did an exchange with the Rome 2 sisters. I stayed here in Rome 3 and an Italian sister, Sister Mura, came here and we worked together that afternoon and evening. We did some finding work in the park and then we had an appointment with another lady we had never met, Carmen, also from Santo Domingo (wierd huh!). She's probably 50 and has heard about missionaries before. There was nowhere to go because she's in the middle of leaving her husband so she didn't want to go have the lesson at home. We sat in a little park in the middle of a piazza and taught her a first lesson until we were all freezing. It was really neat to be with an Italian and teach with sister Mura! It was a good lesson and we'll meet again with Carmen next week because she's out of town now.

Friday we had one of the most amazing lessons, maybe of my whole misison. The sister before I got here met a couple doing street. We finally got a hold of them and set up the appointment for Friday. We got to their apartment and met them. Claudio is Italian and Maria is from Romania. They've been married for like 3 years and have 2 little kids. We got to know them a little bit and talked a little about what they believed etc., normal intro stuff, and then we told them we wanted to share our message and told them how much it could help them. This was one of the most incredible lessons ever. It was a first lesson aimed at the family because, obviously, they're a family. Everything that was said came out perfect, one of those "open your mouth and it will be filled" lessons. The spirit was amazingly strong and they were all listening intently. We pointed out the spirit and asked them how they felt. We left them with the invite to read and pray together and promised them they could find more happiness with this message. When Sister Steensen and I got out of that lesson we were smiling from ear to ear and sooo excited! These people are amazing and the spirit had taught the lesson! We are going back this week! So this past week we got 4 new investigators and now the work is exploding! We are so excited for these people and pray that they can progress in the gospel!

Saturday we got to watch the broadcast of the worldwide training meeting. I liked it a lot! What an emphasis on the family. Thanks mom and dad for all that you did and do for our family!

Sunday was a great day too. We went to church as usual and then had zone singing that evening. We all met in Piazza del Popolo and sang the hymns and talked to people that stopped to listen. I had been singing for a while and was praying that someone would stop so I could teach them. I saw this lady stop and went out to talk to her. She was from Romania and told me she was here alone working. I could tell she was lonely and needed to know that she was a daughter of Heavenly Father who loved her. I told her that He loved her and she started crying. She asked me if it was true and I assured her that it was. I told her our message could bring her happiness and she continued to recount how she was living under the stairs in some building. Anyways, we probably talked for a good half an hour. She wouldn't except a Book of Mormon but she gave me her number so hopefully we can call her and get her one in Romanian. It was a neat experience.

Monday was great too. We had interviews at the mission home in the morning. President Acerson is amazing as usual and I thanked him for his work and he thanked me for mine. The Acersons are amazing and I love them a lot. That night we had an appointment with a girl named Marilena. She's an investigator of many years and just can't quite commit to things. But she called us and wanted to meet so we did. She's the cutest girl ever and really searching for answers. We met on the Spanish Steps (who has lessons on the Spanish Steps! only the porsche-a girl I guess!) and tried to help her as best we could. We'll see how it goes with her.

Yesterday we had a member appointment and did some finding work. So it's been a pretty busy week and FULL of miracles. We are so exciting to be here working together. Sorella Steensen is awesome and we have lots of fun laughing and working together. I couldn't be happier!

Hope you all have a wonderful week.

Love Sorella Boynton