Siena Week 3!

Cara Famiglia,

This week has been a good one in Siena! We are working really hard and talking to a lot of people and finally seeing some fruits of our labors. The weather has been fantastic, and me and my companion get along really well together! Today we are doing P-day in Firenze with my father Anziano Kimball and his companion Anziano Warren, and the Anziani from Pisa (Anziano Mitchell my old companion! And Anziano Hardy!)

Andrea and Miwako: Andrea came to church on Sunday and liked it a lot. Miwako didn't come because she was feeling depressed. They are going through a lot of trials. Pray for them! We talked to Miwako afterwards on the phone and she said that Andrea said he feels positive energy whenever he comes to our church, so I guess he is feeling the spirit! We just have to help him recognize it and set a date for baptism. It's kind of tough meeting with them because of their schedules, but they are doing well.

Other than that we found a cool new investigator named Fernando this week. He's a Bolivian kid who's maybe 20ish, and is super interested in the Plan of Salvation and the Book of Mormon. We're seeing him for the second time tomorrow.

This last weekend we did a huge tour of the southern area of our proselyting area in the southern half of Toscana. We left Saturday morning and our first stop was in a little city an hour south of Siena where a less-active lady named Doris lives. She is Peruvian, but was baptized in Rome about 10 years ago. She was active in the church for seven years but then got married and moved to this city and it is really far for her to come on bus to make it to church so she feels bad. It was really sad, we taught her a lesson and she teared up about how she misses church and wants to come back. We are hoping to be able to find a way to help her come, since there's another member that lives an hour past her that might be able to pick her up occasionally. Unfortunately her husband who is Italian isn't a member and so isn't too big on the idea of driving her to church every Sunday, but we'll see if we can work on getting him interested in the church. We also visited a less-active lady in this tiny town right near the edge of the mission. She hadn't had any contact with the church in the 10 years she moved into Toscana from Varese. She was baptized in Varese about 30 years ago, but says she only did it because she felt sympathy for those 'American guys' and now says she doesn't believe in God because she's had too many trials. It was really a bummer to see all the unfulfilled potential and good she could have done in the church! I feel so bad for less-actives that miss out on all the blessings of service in the church. So all you who read this email go out and re-activate a less-active! They are awesome people!

This week I was really thinking about the example of Nephi in the Book of Mormon. I think he is my new favorite character from the Book of Mormon, although not because of his usual 'courage' that everyone talks about. While it is true that he was very courageous in going into physical danger to get the plates in Jerusalem, I was really impressed by his patience, charity, and long-suffering. In 1 Nephi 7 he gets tied up by his brothers for telling them the truth, and they want to kill him. After he is able to loose his bands he gives us a great example of Christian courage:

21 And it came to pass that I did frankly forgive them all that they had done, and I did exhort them that they would pray unto the Lord their God for forgiveness. And it came to pass that they did so. And after they had done praying unto the Lord we did again travel on our journey towards the tent of our father.

I was struck that he 'frankly forgave' his brothers for the horrible things they did, and instead of seeking justice he invited them to repent and used the opportunity to bring his brothers closer to God. I know that as we pray for this gift of charity we can feel our love for others increase, and I am grateful for the ultimate example of love in the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ. I know the Book of Mormon is true, and that this church is the true church of Jesus Christ. I love you all tons and tons!

-Anziano Benjamin Smith