A week of miracles!

[Email from 1/11/12]

Hello everyone!

This week has been an awesome week, but also one of the hardest too. Funny how that works, isn't it?

First of all, the hardest part was that Dora called us on Sunday and dropped us. I am really sad about that. She said thanks for everything we have done for her. We have helped her change her life for the better but that she chooses to go back to her old church. I can't believe how much it hurts to see people who truly have felt the spirit testify to them of the truthfulness of our message and be so close to having the great gift of the holy ghost and then let Satan get the best of them and give it all up. I know without a doubt though, that she will come back and accept the gospel and enter the waters of baptism. She has a firm testimony of prayer and the scriptures, she just is weak because she hasn't been meeting with us as often nor been coming to church due to the holidays. But we will give her a little bit of time to let the spirit work in her before we try her again. This experience only testifies to me more of the importance of the basics of the gospel: prayer, scripture study, and church attendance. They are like the three sides of a triangle and without one of them, you crumble. I think the biggest key to helping someone enter baptism is through church attendance. That is usually the key to what causes members to go in-active. We need the constant nourishment of the gospel, not only on our own in prayer and scripture study, but through other members around us. We are put in wards to build each other up...and by so doing, we cannot fall. So my challenge for everyone who is reading this...don't ever skip church! Do everything in your power to get to those three meetings and partake of that wonderful, powerful, and sacred sacrament. It is your anchor to the gospel.

We found three new investigators this week. Thursday we decided we were not going to go in for lunch until we found a new investigator. So we did house, and street, and didn't get much of anything. Then Sorella Hicks had this picture in her mind about a man sitting on a bench in a blue jacket. So we went to the central station and went talking to people. We found a man on a bench, so we talked to him, but he didn't speak any italian...or english. He was from Albania. So we gave him a pass along card and went along. Then talked to a lady from Georgia (the country) and kind of taught her about the BOM and then tried to pray with her but she wouldn't let us. She said the idea of saying a prayer with us our way scared her. So we didn't get her...yet. She did give us her number, and we will try to get a BOM in her language for her. So we kept going. Then we crossed the street and saw him...this man in a blue jacket, sitting on a bench. When we saw him, Sorella hicks had the impression to tell him that we've been talking to people all day and no one has been wanting to listen to us, as a business man, can he give us some advice and pointers to how we can do better. SHe thought that was weird, but we just said hi to him and did small talk. He started trying to sell olive oil to us and talking about how he is a business man...DING DING! perfect intro to our entrance. So we ask him for help and he is all game for that. So we sit on the bench and teach him about the Book of Mormon and all that and we say a prayer and ask if we can meet again to give him a BOM to read. He agrees and doesn't give us any advice of how we can be better, it went down like a normal lesson. It was awesome!! His name is Piero.

Then the next day, we were doing house late at night and I asked if we could take a different street than we normally take to get to our origionally planned street for finding. So we did, and then there was this huge group of pallazi and I felt like we should go in there and do house instead. So we went to the gate, and it was left open. (That is always a good sign, because one of the hardest parts is getting in the gate). So we try at the citoph for the first set of apartments and no success. Then we do the second. Nothing until the very last one and someone opens the door. It's this man. We do our little intro and out walks a women too. They initially say they don't have time, then ask if we are americans. We say yes. The woman wants to learn english because she is studying to become a chef. We tell her we teach english for free. She gets excited. Let's us in to get the information and we start talking and stuff. Then she asks us to eat dinner with them. We agree and sit down have dinner with these two people: Antonio and Rosalba. It was yummy. We said a prayer with them on the food, and taught them a little about a prophet and prayer and stuff. Then we left. They were so nice. THe coolest thing is that they almost never respond when people come unless they are expecting someone...which they weren't. But Rosalba told Antonio to anyway. She said, "I didn't know I was opening the door to Jesus!" It sure made us feel great. I see great potential in both of them!

We had a FHE with Pres and Sorella Kelly Monday night. We watched that movie 17 Miracles about the Pioneers. Most of us were bawling like babies! It was incredibel. That movie is so inspiring and humbling. Makes me think twice before complaining about anything I am doing being hard.

There were two baptisms in the other Bari was on Sunday. Angelo (the new convert) baptized one of them. He was very excited. But I think he was even more happy with the fact that he was worthy to do it. He has not been smoking for awhile now. So we are all really happy. We asked him if he was worth (degno) to perform the baptism, and he said really loud, with a great big smile, DEGNISSIMO! it was so cute. And he is so happy.

Yesterday we had zone conference. Everything taught was exactly what I needed to hear. I have been trying to figure out what I can do better to become a better missionary and everything that was said answered that. Now I need to not get overwhelmed with the giant list, and just take them one thing at a time and I honestly am so happy and joyful to have this great list of things I can be improving upon. I am most happy when i am progressing and getting better. So thank you so much for this opportunity to not only work on becoming a better missionary, but to become a better person to help build up the Lord's kingdom. I wish we could have zone conference every week! I love this work and I love this gospel. Pray for Dora especially and do everything you all can to help with this work.

Also....share your testimony with someone this week and write me about your experience.

Love you all,
Sorella Heiner

P.S. Mom, do I have a plaque up on the wall at the church? And do we get to have a scripture up there too as like our 'missionary scripture'? Everyone else does. Well... if I do, I want mine to be Romans 1:15-16. It is so awesome and perfect! Not every missionary can have the scriptures talk about the exact nation you will preach to. :)

And...I am very excited that Chase is doing Cross-Country! Tell him not to give up, not matter how tough practices may be...because those experiences are rare and so precious. He will create memories to last his lifetime. I am proud of him!