So yeah. Zone Conference was yesterday. It was actually really good. We learned how to overcome problems with baptismal invites for a specific date. We are also learning how to budget our time more efficiently. I guess the hardest thing me and Cleveland have doing is finding work. We are going to try new things out to hopefully see new results. Things like saying to people "We came all the way from America because we know this message would benefit you." "Why do you think we are here doing this work voluntarily?" Things like that to try and get the Italian people moving.
Didn't get the letters yesterday. Not sure when I will get them now since we might not even have Conference or Training next transfer. Might be a while before I get them in that sense. Oh well. Still get emails and stuff.
As far as our investigators are doing. Well...... maybe I'll start by explaining what happened yesterday.
After Conference, President Wolfgramm came to Prato to interview A to see if she was finally ready for baptism. He passed her since she has kept all the invites for this past week. So then we went to consiglio (branch council) to tell them about it. Our Branch President was super concerned still because there have been a lot of members baptized who before had a huge dependency on things then afterward got back into their problems again. He is worried that she will just end up like that and it will all be for not. He is also just super upset with the branch because they do nothing in terms of missionary work or callings (sounds like the same problem you are having in our ward). He made a good point on how we as missionaries should not have to do finding work. When we do finding work, we only find those with problems because they are the only ones walking around on the street, at home during the day, etc. Then we baptize one of these problem people, and their social status is with those of other problem people. So these new converts only bring in more problem people and so on and so forth until the branch has more problems than it can handle. (Yes, this is a bit brutal but it is true) He wants the members to do missionary work because they are able to reach families and those that us as missionaries can't reach. Unfortunately he can't explain it the way he did to us last night (I have given the nice, short, clean version) because some of the members might take it wrong. I imagine it to be very hard as Branch President. All in all, BP wants more members to do work and accept callings, and to just understand why President Wolfgramm passed A. We still need to hear from him on what President Wolfgramm says to know if we go forward with the baptism or not. Really big problems I guess you could say. If there was a baptism, I'll tell you on Sunday.
Other than that, we have a few new investigators that are doing ok but no one really progressing as much as we would like.
D is making good progress I suppose. She accepted the Word of Wisdom and likes everything we say but won't set a date for baptism with us. We're going to try out the new techniques we learned on Wednesday to fissare qualcosa.
G just had another surgery so she is out of the count for a while unfortunately. She just has all these bad things happen to her but she pushes onward anyways. Great example of faith.
S and X have actually disappeared. Wondering where they are now.
Our member missionary work has made some progress though. A lot of members are taking the challenge to give out a Book of Mormon to a friend. Our second counselor in the branch presidency and his wife are preparing for a mission. So we are trying to do a lot of work with them. They have given us tons of legit referrals.
Other than that, we are sitting in Florence again today. Going on another adventure to find some church we always see from Piazza Michelangelo but never have gone to.
For the callings, I'll see if we can go earlier or not. Because Cleveland's dad has to talk in church. That really messes with the time. We'll just have to see when we get on. I tried emailing Jason but got no reply from him, so if you could call and invite him over too.
Onward to another week and in a way another year here in Italy.
Talk to you all on Sunday!
Anziano Rockwood
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