Buona Pasqua with a Broken Fridge!

Cara Famiglia,

This week was full of events! From the subject you might have realized that last wednesday our frigorifero(one of my favorite Italian words) broke. So last week we got all non-refrigerated groceries i.e. no milk, yogurt, cheese, meat, or veggies. This week our meal of choice at lunch was pasta with red sauce. Good times. We got out new fridge today, and it is great. We are looking forward to being able to eat cold things again. Also, apparently this week was Easter! The holidays really creep up on you here in the mission because you don't have all the decorations that build up to it usually. At least not in our apartment. It was good though, during Sunday School we watched the 'Finding Faith in Christ' movie which I hadn't seen in a looong time. I think it's really cool that they do it from Thomas' perspective. Then in Sacrament Meeting there were some good talks about the resurrection and the risen Christ. They also had a special musical number that I know is one of the CDs that Dad plays every Sunday, in English I think it's called 'The Lord is my Good Shepherd', but it's not the 'The Lord is My Shepherd' that's in the hymnbook. We also had the great idea to go around and give out copies of 'Il Cristo Vivente' to the people we talked too. We probably could've used the week before Easter a little more to our advantage, but oh well we will do better next time.

We had a couple good referral lessons this week, one was a referral from Napoli. He lived in a little town called Crevalcore (which reminded me of Zoppola!) that is about an hour away on bus from Modena. We gave him a Book of Mormon with a dedica from the guy who gave the referral and had a lesson about it. He seemed really interested and was an awesome guy, notwithstanding the fact that his accent was quite different. But he's moving back down to Napoli this week so we're hoping the missionaries there pick him up. We also went to lunch at a member lady's house on Pasqua and her companion (I dunno what the proper term would be) who isn't a member was apparently interested in learning more about the church, so we taught him a lesson about prayer and the Restoration. His name is Paolo and he's a really cool guy who lived in the USA for a while, so we're going to teach him some more and hope he progresses. Israel is still a stud, he is actually coming to church this week! The big hurdle is getting him to commit to not just come this one Sunday, but to covenant with the Lord so he can receive more blessings by coming every single week! Unfortunately, his mom kicked him out of the house last night, so he is currently out of living arrangments. Pray for him!

The music-ness never stops, fortunately! Since Sister Willey who is in Modena is amazingly awesome at cello (she played in the Orchestra at Temple Square for a couple years) our ward is holding a music fireside on Sunday May 8th! She is playing a couple of songs, and I even get to accompany her on a version of I Am a Child of God! I also get to play piano for Anziano Kimball singing Come Thou Fount, the same version that Anziani Bushman and Scheurn sang with me in the MTC. It's gonna be awesome, and we're giving out people flyers for that too.

This week we taught a cool lesson to a less-active member about the Liahona, and so we were planning on following mom's idea from when I was in Primary to spray paint this baseball in out apartment gold and decorate it like the Liahona. Unfortunately, all we could do was color it yellow with a marker and then we forgot to even bring it! But we still had the lesson, and I was impressed by 1 Nephi 16 and Alma 37, where much of the information on the Liahona comes from. It is a great allegory, being such a small device that works great miracles, of daily scripture study in prayer. I particularly liked the last four verses in Alma 37:

44 For behold, it is as easy to give heed to the word of Christ, which will point to you a straight course to eternal bliss, as it was for our fathers to give heed to this compass, which would point unto them a straight course to the promised land.
 45 And now I say, is there not a type in this thing? For just as surely as this director did bring our fathers, by following its course, to the promised land, shall the words of Christ, if we follow their course, carry us beyond this vale of sorrow into a far better land of promise.
 46 O my son, do not let us be slothful because of the easiness of the way; for so was it with our fathers; for so was it prepared for them, that if they would look they might live; even so it is with us. The way is prepared, and if we will look we may live forever.
 47 And now, my son, see that ye take care of these sacred things, yea, see that ye look to God and live. Go unto this people and declare the word, and be sober. My son, farewell.

I know 100% that the little things are the most important. I am incredibly grateful for the Book of Mormon because every day I open it, read it, and feel the spirit while learning something new. I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God and that it answers our questions while at the same time bearing testimony of our Savior Jesus Christ. I know that my redeemer lives, and that this work in Italy is being directed by Him. I love you all!

-Anziano Benjamin Smith