Transfer Win!

Cara Famiglia,

Transfers! Oh man. Fortunately neither me or my companion is getting transfered, we get to stay in Siena and see more miracles happen! The work here is going really well and every day it is awesome to get out and do missionary work. We finished the 12 week training program so we even have an extra hour now to be outside! Birthday time! Happy Birthday to Dad on October 2nd!! Woohoo!! Also Happy Birthday to Jason Richards on Oct. 1st, Aeldste Richards on Oct. 3, and Emily Evans on Oct. 4th! There are a lot of birthdays in October!

The work is going really well and is progressing. We are still teaching Selifa and Noelli(I don't actually know how to spell her name! haha). They are progressing and Selifa really wants to be baptized. We finally got another copy of the Book of Mormon in French too so now they can both read on their own! We have also been fortunate enough to have members help us out at almost all the lessons, which helps immeasurably. Members make a huge difference in the lessons and in anyone's progress in the gospel.

I also had a really cool opportunity this week to contact a referral from my good friend Aeldste Richards. A guy he taught in Denmark moved to Firenze to go to school, and we had a surprise opportunity to work for an evening in Firenze on Saturday night! So my good friend Anziano Warren and I went and found him and he is awesome! And it was really cool to be able to teach someone that one of my best friends taught! I will try and find a referral for him!

I had forgotten to mention that this last week was the Firenze District Conference, and we had a visiting Area Seventy, Elder Clifford Herbertson! We got to go to a really good training for Priesthood leaders in Pisa and hear him speak. It was awesome! He gave a really cool thought that I would like to share. His son had a really powerful Harley-Davidson motorcycle and was going to make a long trip. Anziano Herbertson compared that to the Holy Ghost. Seeking and following the promptings of the Holy Ghost is like riding the motorcycle, but choosing not to seek and follow it's promptings is like walking to your destination while pushing the Harley-Davidson alongside you, it just makes things harder. I really liked that analogy and am grateful that the scriptures and prayer help clarify the voice of the spirit, that is the most important voice we can listen to in this world. I love this work and I love this gospel and I love you all lots!

-Anziano Benjamin Smith