Simone was Baptized!

Letter Written Oct. 2nd
Hello my lovely family, 

First, THANK YOU FOR THE PACKAGE!  President brought it when he came for interviews in Forli.  Also, Haley family, thank you so much for your package. It was wonderful and made me so happy. Jen, Wit, Robbie, Sara and Julie thank you so much for writing me. Sorry I haven’t been able to write back. President is adding a bunch of stuff we need to do during our internet time which takes up our email time, but I will go and do cio che presidente ci ha comandato (that which the president has commanded)! haha. Yup...officially a missionary.  BUT Sarah Simmons Glover, weird you’re pregnant but CONGRATAS! I am so happy for you! I cannot wait to meet all these new people! Namely the babies!

Quick little advice for anyone who is about to serve a mission; check your Facebook before you leave. Your investigators, members and companions families look at you Facebook. Delete any inappropriate pictures, immodesty, or trashy looking stuff. They see you as a representative of Christ.  Your Facebook should not compromise that…even if it was before your mission. 

Haha dad...Twi is a joke. All of my Gahanna’s just laugh at me and my American accent.  I just giggle though. It is fun. Good thing they speak English too. 

I bet you are all curious about Simone....well on Saturday Simone Leonardi was baptized! Crazy stuff! He asked us last week if he could.  He was ready and we pulled it off! MIRACLES! He was so cute when he came out with his whites on.

He was so exited the whole day. He said he was nervous, calm, happy, and thrilled. He wanted to keep practicing his dunk so he wouldn’t mess anything up. Blerina has mom’s autumn allergies and she was so sick. He said that he knew that Satan knew that he was too strong that he couldn’t touch him, but he went to attack Blerina in hopes to stop his baptism. But he prayed so hard that she would feel well because he wanted this so bad. She came, sneezing and tired, but she made it. I honestly felt like a visitor at his baptism, because he did this all on his own. Our font is a little portable one tucked into a corner but that didn’t matter. The ceremony and the ordinance are what mattered. President came too! He came all the way from Milano for Simone’s baptism. Simone came a little early and brought an entire pistaceria (pastry shop) with him for after his baptism. We said a prayer with him before he went home to pick up Blerina and he said he felt instantly calm. 

When he touched the font he felt shivers up his back and he knew this was right. Blerina spoke first, and bore her testimony of the Holy Ghost. It was so sweet, the thing that touched me most was when she said that they were now starting this new spiritual path together. It sent chills up my arms. Then the bishop spoke on baptism. It actually turned into a book of Mormon talk, which was perfect. In his talk, he said how we need to have that hunger and thirst for the gospel, to literally live for the gospel. We cannot live without food and water,  we cannot live without Christ. He said the way to keep our excitement and flame is to read and pray continually and that powerful spirit we felt would never go away. How true that is. We then went to the font and the spirit was so tender as he went under the water. It wasn’t a powerful blow you away spirit like it was in our first meeting when he accepted baptism but more a sweet, confirming, calming spirit entered the room. 

He literally now has the key to eternal life. The reality of that hit me as I was sitting there Sunday morning for his confirmation. That this is missionary work. We give these people keys to happiness and life with God again. Simone is already talking about the temple and being sealed. That is my miracle. He came to church all dressed in his shirt and tie, with is new scriptures in hand glowing. He literally looked like a changed person. A new life began for him. I am so humbled to be a part of his story. I feel like a played a very insignificant role in his conversion. This couple now can be an eternal family! There has been nothing so beautiful thus far in my mission than to witness that. 

Sorry. I gotta go but I love you all! SO MUCH! 

--

Sister Francesca Montagnoli

alicia.montagnoli@myldsmail.net
sorellamontagnoli.blogspot.com

P.S.  So we had these grapes and they ended up turning our whole mouths purple. Quite funny

The weather cannot make up its mind. Sunday was beautiful sunny, but not too hot, then it started dumping buckets...we looked like wet cats according to Sorella Russell