I know that Heavenly Father has a plan for each of His children to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I know that I was sent to the Milan Italy Mission because people there were prepared for me personally. I know that God is mindful of each and every one of His children. I am so grateful for the tender mercies He gives us. God loves His children and will do everything in His power to get them back to him. He sent His Son to die for us.
I had been inviting the people I home teach to listen to conference with a question in their hearts. I promised them blessings that the Lord would answer those questions personally enough for them to know the answers came from God. I took the invitation upon myself and have prepared myself this last week or so with a few questions/guidance of my own.
Today I received the best news I think I have ever received as an RM. (Answer to conference question number one) I was at my mission reunion, noticing how much time had past since I had returned from my homeland :). There were so many missionaries there that I didn't recognized and it aged me. It frightened me. And yes, even frustrated me...still not married :) So here I am trying to not be to overbearing and float around to the various groups of missionaries that are created at these social events. Towards the end of the get-to-gether, I go over to Erik who is talking to a Sorella Fairbanks. She is mentioning this lady named Laura - trying to spark some memory in him about teaching her. Erik and I shared a glance at each other thinking of one Laura we would like to forget :) And then it hit us. Milan Italy
I knew that I would be finishing my mission in Milan. I had gone through the mission singing in every ward, at every opportunity that I could. Rarely did I have companions musically inclined in the slightest so it was difficult to share this testimony of mine. I remember one interview I had with Pres Dunaway (our Mission President) when he asked me REALLY out of the blue, "Have you sang lately?" This was towards the beginning of my mission, perhaps 5 months in or so. It caught me off guard but I was so grateful he said that because I searched for any opportunity I could to sing in Sacrament Meeting or carol at Christmas time; just anything.Erik was my last companion. We had a blast together. We knew how to have fun, doing the work the Lord wanted us to do. IT WAS SERIOUSLY a BLAST!!!! Every day we went out doing casa in casa (knocking on doors) although we (or maybe just I) scheduled it with apprehension, once we started doing it.....the Spirit guided us and it turned into an uplifting experience each time...no matter how much rejection there was.
One day, we come to this door (I seriously can see it as I type, I was on the right hand of Erik) and we knock. A dog barks...and it sounds fairly vicious. We give each other one of those looks like, "Man this is gonna be fun." Finally we here a voice say something like, "Sorry I'm not interested" or "I can't come to the door." Now you have to know Erik and I. We don't take no very easily...especially when we know we are right :) So one of us said something like, "But we have a really awesome message we want to share with you." I think it was at this point that she explained she was blind and the dog would attack if she opened the door. We probably said something like, "Well thank you." and gave each other another look. I believe at this point she came to the door (with the little chain secured and dog nipping at her heals). We explained more about the message and decided to sing a song. I am a Child of God, classy I know but seriously...what better song is there to sing to share the most basic message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ? We noticed her getting a bit emotional. She cried. We asked if we could stop by again if we were ever in the area to see how she was doing. She agreed and off we went.
It was awkward. There was the rule that we couldn't teach single sisters without a member (which was fairly difficult to find...). So we really didn't know when we could see her again.
Well I was ending my mission and I hadn't put on a Musical Fireside - a dream of mine I wanted to do before I left Italy. I was suddenly blessed with this companion that had great musical talents and so I told him that we should do this. We decided we wanted it to be as open as it could; for any faith with a foundation in Christ or any member that wanted to feel the spirit. We invited everyone!!! We made flyers, we gave them to people on the streets, less actives, we gave stacks of 20 or so to the members to give to their friends. We gave them to all of our investigators...even the old couple who lived in the apartment complex with us. Laura, the blind woman came to mind so we invited her as well. We made sure the second time to get her phone number so that we could coordinate a ride for her.
(Note) What faith she must have had to trust a random stranger, to take her from her home, away from her dog, to a random church across town. She must have been touched either by the hymn that was sung upon the first encounter or the fact that two young men cared enough to come back and invite her to this activity.
We set up everything. ALL the pictures the chapel had to offer we set up all around the podium. We set the chairs up. There was even refreshments. Ya...we really went all out for this hoping things would happen. There were a few members that were a part of the program, others who were just good to us and came to support but just a few members.....it felt like no one. Our mission President and his wife came and we were so disappointed in ourselves that there was not a better turnout for something we felt so strongly about. The old couple from our apartment complex...and then Laura.
We had spent so much time preparing, so much time practicing....and no one showed up. I sat by Laura as you can see in the videos...nobody else really had potential as we say in the mission. When the fireside was over, we went in for refreshments....and there was a lot. I remember talking to Pres. Dunaway and being so depressed about it. It was SO well planned and yet nothing. The spirit was so strong and yet nothing.
We were so bitter after the Serata Musicale, that we joked about the whole situation. We had a testimony of the Lord's work. We knew that we were suppose to do it. The only plausible solution was that it was all for Laura. All the planning, all the refreshments...for her. And we presume God doesn't know us?!?!?! God knew her. (Ps...notice the moment when something tells me to get up and make the effort to go and sit by Laura so that she can hear the words of the song clearly.)
Missions are frustrating for this reason alone, putting forth so much effort and not seeing any immediate fruits.
Well...we had our mission reunion tonight and a Sorella Fairbanks relayed the joyous news of Laura's baptism. She said that after I left, sisters were reintroduced into the ward and took over the female investigators. A Sorella Oliver stayed in that ward for a while and taught Laura. Sis Fairbanks came in soon after and just straight up asked her one day. Why aren't you baptized? They knelt in prayer and by the end Laura felt like she should get baptized.
Sorella Fairbanks is going to email me her experience with Laura but needless to say, she expressed to us that it was one of the most (if not the most) sacred experience she witnessed when thinking back on the baptisms she witnessed.
God knew Laura. A blind woman in the middle of Milan Italy. He planted those talents in us, that burning desire to share the Gospel through music, put us together as companions halfway across the world, and all because one person was ready to accept the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. Really people? And we say God doesn't know us? Shut up.
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