And sometimes it doesn't...
Ciao tutti!! Mi mancate, però tutto aposto cua in Italia. L'opera sta bene, però e SEMPRE dificile. Hello everyone! I miss you all, but everything is set here in Italy. The work is good, but ALWAYS difficult!
I want to first thank everyone for their wonderful emails to me. They honestly brightened my day. Mom, thank you for the snail mail you sent me a while back, I read it quite often this week because I was missing you all. It seems that when the work gets hard, that family is the thing you cling to most. That is what the gospel is all about right??
So I am officially inducted into the mission...4 out of the 7 days this past week it rained...and you think we would have learned after getting DRENCHED twice!! I didn't really mind it though...it's frustrating to feel like you aren't being productive because of the elements, but then I look back and think about what happened...For me, I feel so blessed. All through biking in the rain without raincoats or umbrellas, I am laughing often. All of our lessons were cancelled, but I couldn't help but laugh at the situation. As we would pass people on the street, they would double over and laugh because we were smiling as the sky poured BUCKETS on us. As we would pass, I would just shrug and laugh right along with them...Even if it means getting absolutely drenched and muddy, and we still make people smile...it makes ALL the difference in the day!!
We invited Richard to be baptized this past week, and he is still thinking about it. The other sisters have a baptism this Saturday and we are going to see if he can come...baptisms change people's lives...and we know he can make this change. He's reading and praying constantly, and so we are there for him everystep of the way. As far as the family we taught (Rosanna, Sarah, Ricardo) they have been difficult to get ahold of. We call them every once in a while to check up on them, but a HORRIBLE incident happened with their family...We decided, the other day, to just go do a passby and check on them. I love in the mission you justt have this UNENDING love for your investigators...as a missionary you are blessed to see people as God sees them! But we stopped by, and they told us the WHOLE REASON why they haven't been able to see us. Their neighbor, is not the best woman...she is a prostitute and...I don't need to explain. But I guess the family's dog was barking and this woman hops the fence and starts beating the dog with a baseball bat! Ricardo walks in and is like WHAT THE?! What are you doing to my dog?! And with that, the woman turns on HIM and starts beating HIM with the baseball bat!! Ricardo got beat up pretty terribly...he wouldn't hit the woman or anything. He just let her have her way...yeesh. She hit him on his side, and had she hit him an inch higher, he would have died. I guess the law here is that the women aren't punished for abusing men...so no charges were pressed, and Rosanna is just hot as an oven about it all. The amazing thing about the gospel, is after all this, Sorella Snodgrass asked if we could pray...and as soon as she did...there was an IMMEDIATE difference in the home. I even felt at peace...We shared about how trials make us stronger and that we are praying for them. It's really crazy how things happen on your mission that seem unreal. Even when doing parco or other things, I find it quite funny how much I don't get. We ran into a man, well quite a few, and I don't really understand the gist of what is being said. I do...but the context is so different here...that I don't really know. I just end up teaching what I know, and responding in ways that I think need to be responded to. I rarely have awkward situations because I don't know...but Missionaries say that's the best because you are responding with your heart and not your head. Thank goodness for the language barrier now...it helps Sorella Snodgrass because she gets frustrated with the creepy men and awkward conversations...but the culture is so different and you just have to see them as children of God...even if it means excusing yourself, cutting the converstaion short, and going your way. We had a man get off his bike and bow to us saying how beautiful we were...he was younger...but I just laugh and keep walking...while Sorella fumes a little bit. Mah...what can you do?? It's easier for me to laugh and be on my way...and that's how I have always been and I LOVE that about myself. not to boast or anything...but it really comes in handy all the time...and I know the Lord is blessing me everyday with that ability!!
We found another young man named Seth from Ghana. I guess he ran into the missionaries a WHILE back, and lost contact with them. As we were doing casa, we knocked into a woman named Vivan who gave us her number. As we were leaving the casa, we met a man named Maxwell who gave us HIS number too...As it turns out, Maxwell and Vivian are husband and wife...but due to where Maxwell works, he has to live somewhere else. But as we go in to teach Maxwell, Seth comes around the corner and immediately changes into something decent (he was in a tank top before) and is just ENTRHALLED with the lessons. We have decided to teach Seth separately because Maxwell is so intense...we just spin in circles. BUT...all in all...the Lord works through mysterious and sometimes complicated ways to help us find His children who are searching. The park we go and visit is said to be pretty sketch, and the Anziani don't understand why we go...but we go because we ALWAYS find people to share the gospel with. Stranieri (those who are not Italian) deserve the gospel just as much!!
Today, as it is P-Day, I have been praying to find ideas to build the ward. As I was pondering about it yesterday, I felt that we, as sister missionaries, should spend some time getting to know the YW. There are only 2...and so today we have the 2 YW, an investigating YW and a few others...we are getting together for pizza, popcorn, a movie and brownies. The women here in Italy have such LOW self-esteem that it is really heartbreaking. As we were on the bus the other day, a girl about 16 got onto the bus and just looked so lonely and sad...As I turned to her, she pulled her hair aside and had hickies all up and down her neck...and I literally almost started crying, right then and there. Inside I was just saying...Don't you know that you are so special?! Don't you understand how much you are worth to God?! You are beautiful and you don't need that stupid boy!! It is so heartbreaking to see the women have such low self-confidence, and so I am DETERMINED to reach out to the YW here and remind them how special they are in the sight of God. I reach out every Sunday to ALL the members and address them by name to the best of my memory. I bore my testimony and afterwards SO many people came up to me and thanked me for it. I know that I have a work to do and I am determined to bring the ward closer together. I really do love the ward...it is SO diverse and the power of missionary work can change ANYTHING. I expressed how we can't do the work without the help of the members, and so I am hoping this will make a difference.
Well, I am sorry if this letter isn't too interesting..this week has been a standstill week...but we are working our hardest!! the work presses forward and we have Zone Conference next week which is something to look forward too!! I love you all and thank you for all your support!!
love,
Sorella Camille Bowman
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