Sweaters, Internet, Asking Questions

SWEATERS. Background for the first part:

1. Last June: Buy D 2 sweaters for him to take to Italy.
2. August: D arrives in Italy, no sweaters.
3. D emails home: "Getting cooler, I left my sweaters home. Can you send my sweaters?"
4. Mom turns D's room and garage upside-down, no luck (and no sweaters).
5. Mom orders 2 more sweaters on European Amazon to avoid customs charges.
6. Sweaters are on their way.

It's been a pretty good week this week.  I haven't yet received the sweaters, but the transport time was 1-2 weeks, so I'm not concerned about that.  I don't know when the next package delivery will be, but it hasn't been cold for awhile.

**Note the inflections: can you just see/hear him saying the following...** Chuckling now...** :)

Also. Um. These things happen, but I found the original sweaters tucked away in a corner of the suitcase. Thought you should know.  Sorry about that.  I won't be cold during the time it takes for the other sweaters to get here.  And it's better than Dad's trenchcoat following him around the mission.  (When Frank was on his mission in Spain, his mom sent his trenchcoat to him but he kept being transferred -- moved to a new area -- before it finally got to him...AFTER winter was pretty much over...)

INTERNET TIME. My number of emails is usually between 11-17.  I respond with a parent email, 2 sister emails, and then communicate either every week or every 2-3 weeks with about 8 people.  Fortunately, I have a bit over 90 minutes, every week at the Internet Cafe. It costs about 1.5 euros for that 90 minutes, which is an interesting system: very convenient.

From Devil's Bridge, Cividale del Friuli

SEMINARY. ("Early-morning seminary" is a before-school scripture study class for the high school students.  Teachers come from our congregation, and Frank and I were asked to help teach this school year.)  I'm glad to hear that seminary is looking to be good this year.  Knowing you, it's probably best that you only have one day a week to teach the seminary kids, otherwise seminary would have the workload of an extra class for them. :/

MIRACLE. The miracle for this week was that we got into a house as we were going door-to-door.  A man and his son were home, and we taught them the Plan of Salvation.  Imagine you're sitting at home reading and someone rings the doorbell.  You see two well-dressed young men at the door.  "Hello, we have a message that the family can be together forever, even after this life.  Can we come in and explain in a bit more detail?"  Most people say No.  99% of people say No.  I've rung a lot of doorbells--not really doorbells.  Think of apartments with columns of buttons with names, and a microphone if they pick up the phone.  Anyway, it was cool for that to happen.

Here is a photo of my Venezia (Venice) zone, at the Zone Conference we had on Monday.

My Venezia Zone

Here is a picture of the other zone, Bologna.

Bologna Zone (not mine)

ASKING QUESTIONS. We learned about more effective teaching, through asking inspired questions.  And making people think to come up with an answer, in a way that builds a testimony.  We did a roleplay of teaching a lesson, and looked at the good and bad of the roleplay.  And we were told to always ask for referrals when we visit members, and follow up on member missionary effort.  President Dibb said, "The tradition for at least the past 10 years has been: the missionaries come over, are fed, share a warm-fuzzy message, and leave.  Now we are encouraged to get the members to work a bit more.  Maybe you've seen that from the missionaries you've had over.

Here is a photo taken (like the one earlier in the blog) from Devil's Bridge in Cividale del Friuli.  It's about 70 feet up, and has a magnificent view.

From Devil's Bridge, Cividale del Friuli