Siena = Miracles!

Cara Famiglia,

It was awesome to talk with you guys on Sunday! Great Mother's Day phone call. It was good to see you are all doing well. Today we are in Firenze for P-day again, we are going to hang out with my father Anziano Kimball and Anziano Warren who's in my MTC group! Sad news is that this is Anziano Kimball's last transfer! Also, shout out to the Blake Family who sent me an awesome letter and I will write them back!

This week in Siena was awesome though! We had a bunch of miracles. The biggest one was the lesson with Andrea and Miwako. They came to church on Sunday and brought their two kids which was awesome, and hd a really good experience. They tell us that every time they come to church they feel like the talks and lessons are just for them and help them out a lot, it is so cool. Then afterwards we went to go teach them and we brought one of the BYU students with us! It was an awesome lesson. We taught them the Restoration and watched the video in Japanese since Andrea had already seen it. She loved it and then we sat down and the table and we just bore a bunch of testimony and really promised blessings. Then we gave Andrea the baptismal challenge with a date and he was a little hesitant, but my companion bore some more awesome testimony and then he accepted with a smile on his face. It was one of the happiest moments of my mission! Soooo awesome. So now he has a date for the 3rd of June. Pray that he can make it. Miwako wants to be baptized when she is out of the hopsital, pray for her to get better!

Another super cool miracle happened Monday morning. At around 8 o clock there was a missed call from some number we didn't recognize. Turns out it was a sister who moved to Siena from Savona! She was less-active there because she lived far away from the church and it was hard for her to go, but now she lives in Siena near the church and wants to be active and go to the temple! So now we have another member in the branch! Yeah!

This last week we had an awesome training from Sorella Wolfgramm about the 'enabling' power of the atonement, which is often overlooked. The Atonement is to make not only bad men good, but good men better. She used the example of 1 Nephi 7: 17, when Nephi doesn't pray for God to simply solve his problem, he prays for the strength through his faith in Christ to change his circumstances. It also cross-references to Jacob 4:6, which is probably one of my favorite verses in the Book of Mormon. It teaches us that through the Atonement we learn and gain strength so that we can act as agents for ourselves, instead of just relying on God for things we need. I know the Book of Mormon is the word of God, and I know this church is true. I love you all lots!

-Anziano Benjamin Smith

Pictures from Mother's Day Call

We got to call Elder Smith yesterday--well, technically, we did a Google Plus Hangout with him. It was great! Here are a few pictures, with descriptions below each one:

Anziano Mina and Anziano Benjamin Bortolussi Smith (Mother’s Day

May 13, 2012) Siena, Italia

Our Google Hangout phone call with Benjamin in the Branch President’s

office in Siena, Italia. Here is Anziano Mina (from Sicilia) talking with us.

(Below pictures of Diana & Austin, Anziano Mina, Irene & Dave, & Kevin

in Idaho.

Benjamin looked so happy! What a joyful look as he sees us in Google hangout.

How cool to join Italy, Idaho, and Virginia into a hangout session. Anziano

Smith’s joy was the best Mother’s Day gift a mom could wish for.

Anziano Smith listening intently to his family in Virginia & Idaho.

Anziano Smith looks over at his companion asking him a question in

Italian. Benjamin’s Italian was so much better than the MTC call or last

Christmas. Apparently they speak Italian 95% of the time.

Anziano Benjamin Smith holds up one of the contratto (neighborhood

region’s) flag emblem in Siena, Italia. He hopes to see il Palio (famous

horse race held July 2 & August 16) in Siena in the main centro.

Anziano Smith turns to hear a comment from his companion Anziano

Mina. (Sitting in the Branch President’s Office in Siena, Italia.)

Google Hangout phone chat with Anziano Benjamin Bortolussi Smith on

Mother’s Day May 13, 2012.

Making a hand signal about calling someone.

Just a silly picture where Benjamin put a pirate’s eye patch and

beard on his computer image picture. Sort of a missionary disguise

image.

Sad for mom trying to say “Goodbye” but Benjamin was happy…says

he’s not homesick and wishes us well…also “HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY MOM! Ti voglio bene sempre!” (Most likely last Missionary phone call)