Little Africa

Ciao tutti!! And Happy Valentine's Day to you all haha. As Sorella Mitchell and I like to say, Valentine's Day is great on the mission because you are never alone. (: It's been another beautiful week in Bologna!!! This week really has been amazing. Last P-Day, we had all you can eat sushi, which is sempre worth the stomach pain. We also had our weekly FHE at Friday's house where I am forced to eat banku, which is disgusting but I am getting so good at chomping banku!!! (this is the raw dough dipped in spicy miscellaneous soups with bones in it that you have to swallow whole) And the Africans love me for it. And Friday facebook-lived the whole FHE, which was interesting. Then some of the Africans asked us to be their Valentines, and we told them that the only love we talk about on Valentine's Day is the love of Jesus, which led to a great discussion about the grace of God, as any conversation does with the Nigerians.

So this last Sunday, Presidente Allen came to Bologna for church to do a caminetto (fireside) for our ward for the last 2 hours of church on missionary work. And I heard it was good! I didn't stay because we took our investigator, Basirat, and our then-potential, Ayisat, out for a mini-lesson because online missionary work doesn't really have a lot to do with them. So we taught them the Restoration, and they honestly don't retain any information. Teaching Africans is so hard! Because even though we both speak English, we really don't speak the same language. So at some point, Ayisat books it out of the lesson for an unknown reason. But then Basirat tells us she likes our church, and even though she doesn't understand everything that we teach her, she feels like she is coming home to our church. So we set a bap date with her for March 17! Then we go back up to finish out the caminetto, and after the meeting, Ayisat sits down next to us and says, "Hey when can I get baptized too?" !!!!! So we were like...  uh.... March 17???And she was like okay cool I can do that. Hahahahaha we were like ARE YOU KIDDING hahahaha it was the best day of my life. So we have 2 bap dates for next month!!!! And we hope to see them with their husbands this week and fix the dates a little more firm and set ones with their husbands too since their husbands have never come to church. But we have 2 solid families!!!

We also got another new investigator this week! Her name is Suki, and she's super cool. She's from Morocco. We're pumped to teach her some more. The work in Bologna is going solid right now! We had transfer predictions at district meeting today. We open a kinder egg, and based on my toy and my scripture everyone predicted that I am leaving, which I don't want to do!!!! But I guess I will let you all know next week! We have just been so blessed here the last 2 weeks, and I am not ready to leave yet!

I love this work and this Gospel! I love being able to see people recognize truths that they knew before they came to this Earth and have just forgotten! I love how the Gospel unites families and marriages! It has been so cool to see! I love serving in Little Africa and I never want to leave! As I like to say, here in Bologna, a baptism for us is actually a baptism for Nigeria. Because I'm pretty sure everyone that has been baptized in the last I don't even know how long is Nigerian. AND IT'S THE BEST EVER. I love this work and Gesu! You are all the best, and keep going strong in whatever trials or struggles you may face! You can do it because Gesu loves you! You're all awesome and you'll hear from me next week! Ciao!

statue by Michaelangelo

Ark of Saint Dominic