Snow problem!

Cara Famiglia,

Well this week has been great! I have a new companion! I was kind of sad that Anziano Russo left because he was awesome, but Anziano DeVincent is super bravo too. He's from Morgantown, West Virginia! Three hours from our house! Haha he's a really cool kid though, he's already graduated from WVU with a degree in Finance. I always joke with him and say 'Go Pitt!' But he's a good worker, he's in his 4th transfer after spending three in Livorno. He never complains, which is something I really admire in a companion.

This week was tricky for teaching. We weren't able to see a bunch of our investigators. But we taught Bright a really good lesson about the Sabbath Day and he finally came to Sacrament Meeting! It was awesome. He's doing well, although we probably need to move his baptismal date towards the end of February. We also saw Gianpier and Filomena and Filomena's mom Angela who are all really cool. It was funny, in the middle of the lesson like three or four times they started the stereotypical 'Italian family conversation' style of speaking, which if someone was watching and didn't understand would think they were getting in a huge fight. But they were just talking. It was really funny. I hope this story makes sense...

We also had a really cool experience with a member named Sorella Orlandini. She's a single lady who lives alone and we were trying to just go visit members we didn't know and we set up an appointment with her. But we couldn't get a male member to come with us, so we were just going to stop by and say hi. So we knock and the door and we're like 'Hey, sorry, we can't actually come in but we wanted to stop by and say hello!' And she says 'Ah dang! Well here, maybe my neighbor downstairs wants to meet you guys!' And she called them but they were eating so we couldn't go visit them. But then she just went and knocked on the door next to her and her neighbor opened and she goes 'Hey, these are the missionaries from my church, can we come in?' And so we taught her neighbor about the gospel blessing families and gave her a Book of Mormon and Sorella Orlandini bore some awesome testimony! It was probably the best member missionary experience I have had here in Italy. So I would invite all of you to help out the missionaries like that if you can!

It finally snowed this week! We got a good six inches a couple days ago, and today it's snowing a bit more. It was fun to do finding work on an Italian piazza in a blizzard. We actually found a cool guy and got an appointment. It was very picturesque.

My spiritual though this week is Alma 62:41 -- "But behold, because of the exceedingly great length of the war between the Nephites and the Lamanites many had become hardened, because of the exceedingly great length of the war; and many were softened because of their afflictions, insomuch that they did humble themselves before God, even in the depth of humility."

I thought it was really cool how the people that underwent the same trials and tribulations of the war came out of it either more bitter, or they let their hearts be softened. It was a big reminder to me that we are truly agents 'to act, and not be acted upon', so we can decide whether to be happy or not. I invite you all to continue to follow the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which is the source of the greatest happiness there is! I know the Book of Mormon is true, and I know that Joseph Smith saw Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, and was called as a prophet of God. I love you all!

-Anziano Benjamin Smith