Dear Family!!, I am so excited to write you. We received our
transfer calls on Saturday. I have been asked by President Kelly to ....
Remain
here in Bari
with SORELLA FULLER!!!!
It will be my 4th transfer in my birth city. That is a lot so I
am very grateful. And I am so happy that I get to be with Sorella Fuller. I get
to learn so much more from her :) Sorella Wagoner is also staying and Sorella
Rosato is going to Roma 2. Sorella Christiansen will be coming down from Rome. She came (to Italy) with me
but she only stayed in the MTC for 3 weeks because she already spoke Italian.
She minored in it at BYU and lived in Napoli
for 3 years.
This next week will be a crazy week of spiritual growth. We
have stake conference this week !! And the mission president is coming down and
speaking. They will be holding it at the hotel Sheraton because there will be
so many people. Then Thursday we are having a mission tour. Elder Kent Richards
of the Area Seventy in Europe will be speaking
to us missionaries. We will have it instead of zone conference. He will be here
3 days and go to 3 different cities. Ours is Thursday and it will be the Bari and Taranto
zone. I am so excited to come and learn like crazy.
Last Sunday was amazing!! I love fasting because it has so
much power. Fasting has the ability to call down the powers and blessings of
heaven!!! It is so amazing. Fllo Gallone and Slla Gallone, two of our less
actives came to church and he bore his testimony. Giovanni bore his testimony,
and Giuliano and Loredana (new converts). Then Slla Sebastiani bore her
testimony after our experience on Monday that I wrote about :) ! It
was amazing.
Our ward is starting a 40 day fast!!! A different person
signs up each day and fasts on that day. And you go 40 days and we end on
Easter. We already have about 20 signed up :) I am so excited to see the
miracles that will come :)
Yesterday I discovered the hardest part of the mission.
It is seeing your friends and the people you love trip and fall after
having a testimony. And then you must wait and hope they remember and
apply the Atonement in their lives. It is hard because you really cannot do
anything. Everyone falls and we need to repent everyday. I know this, but it is
hard to see someone struggling. It is good because I have to trust in God! And
as my companion said, "We are not here to save the healthy. The healthy have no
need of a physician!"
Thank you for all you do! And all your prayers. I will send
photos next week!!!!!!!1
Sorella Preston
Dear Sorella Preston,
ReplyDeleteI stumbled across your blog in doing some research and I'm hoping you might be able to help me. I was in the Italy Catania mission from 83-85 and I served in Bari for 6 months (the best 6 months of my mission). I am trying to determine the status of some of the members who joined the church when I was there. In particular I am looking for Mino or Vito Santoro. I'm also looking for Sorella Valenti. She was the mother of Leonardo Letinni whose family was killed in a train accident after I left. Could you do me a big favor and let me know if you are aware of the status of any of these brothers/sisters? I'm hoping that Sorella Valenti wasn't the one that was passing out cookies in RS (although it wouldn't surprise me)...
If they are still around I would love to get their email addresses and correspond with them. My email address is rflarson@yahoo.com. If you would be so kind to pass it on and/or collect their email addresses I would be so grateful!
BTW, is the church still at Via Cancello Rotto? I know they are a stake now but it was only a branch when I was there. I'm wondering if they kept the same building with the tennis courts outside and the baptismal font in the basement.
Hello! In response to your questions Via Cancello Rotto is still there but there are now 2 wards in Bari. I am in the other ward . We have a building over by Ipercoop along Viale Louis Pasteur. They constructed it about 10 years ago. Sorella Valenti was not the one passing out cookies :) But she is the cutest little old women. She is still very strong in the church.
DeleteMIno and Vito Santoro are also both active. Both are married. I have met Vito and I am pretty sure I met MIno I only know him as Fllo santoro so I dont know for sure :) I have heard about the train wreck but all is well . The people have recovered and are still hopeful and happy. All three of them live in the other ward so I do not know them very well. If you know the Mongelli family they are doing very well. Emmanuele Mongelli's son, Ruben, is leaving for his mission in London on Feb 28th.
I will try to get some email addresses for you. I am sure they would love to have contact with you again :) Also what is your last name so that they will remember it. Is it Larson? I love Bari and I am glad to hear you loved it too!!
Sorella Preston