Week 9 - The miracle of the Banana Bread

Ciao Carissimi !!
Another week down in the Great Italy Rome Mission. Battipaglia feels more like home everyday, as I can now recognize the local Jehovah's Witnesses, avoid the local crazies, and have made friends with the people who run a crepe stand, the cafe owners, and the sandwich makers. I've basically got the whole food pyramid covered with all of my strategic friendships.

We had zone conference this week. It was great being able to get together with everyone and learn from President Pickerd. We discussed 2 Nephi 2 about life before and after the Fall of Adam and Eve, and about life thanks to Christ's Atonement. It was interesting to see how the things we lost because of the Fall (being in the presence of God, easy life with no worries or sin) can be restored through the Atonement of Christ. Thanks to The Fall, we can progress and grow, and we can have families. God's plan is truly one of happiness!

In true Christmas tradition, we acted out the nativity as a zone. We had a full cast; inn keepers, wise men, shepherds, a flock of sheep, an angel, even sone pigs. What was my role? The star. What did that entail, you might ask? Standing behind everyone, with my arms stretched out. I had flashbacks to the time my dad made Stewart and I have a contest to see who could hold their arms over their head the longest, and afterward I couldn't move my arms. It wasn't quite to that level, but I will say I'm glad I had practice.

Highlight of the week was for sure my scambio with Sorella Taylor! For those who don't know, we were next door neighbors for a while, and grew up in the same ward. It was a miracle she was the first sister I had a scambio with. She. Is. A. Fireball. She talked with every single person we passed and was so bold in sharing our message. I'm hoping I can become the same type of missionary she is. 

Finally, as my spiritual thought/Light The World promo/crazy story, I want to tell you about the miracle of the banana bread. Our day started out by us trying to figure out how we could use #siiunaluce. The theme of the day was helping those who are sick or afflicted. One of our investigators had been having a very hard time with her depression the day before so we decided to make her some banana bread and give her a visit and a lesson to comfort her. So we made banana bread, not realizing it needed an hour to cook... the brilliant missionaries that we are, we just cooked it for 45 minutes, then just cut off the raw bottom part. (Sorry mom) Then we ran to catch our train. Somehow we made it to our investigators house, only to have her tell us she couldn't see us until 1. We were a little disappointed, BUT here's where the miracle comes in. We stopped to do comp study at a grubby looking cafe, and within minutes, the family who owned the cafe was out talking with us and asking us questions and inviting us back so they could learn more. So our impulsive decision to bake banana bread and go to Eboli turned into an amazing teaching experience. "By small and simple things are great things brought to pass"

I love you all, have a wonderful Christmas! 
Sorella Maxfield