Oh, Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree...

BUONGIORNO TUTTI!!!

Well, Gela is covered in Christmas decorations so that is pretty stinking cool!Life here is going well and I am happy!

The work in Gela is really going well and Anziano Lazarte and I feel like things are really beginning to take off and that the Spirit is guiding us in the right direction. It is really good and I am really happy. As for the baptismal date A* had, we moved it to the 10th of January because she hasn't been reading the Book of Mormon. We felt like a little wait would prove a stronger member in the future and we feel that it will help her prepare for this special experience. She had some good deep questions when we met with her on Saturday. She seems very set on baptism and we are very happy with that. We were able to bear testimony about how the Book of Mormon is important and why we need to have personal testimonies about it in order to truly have a strong base about the Restoration of the Gospel. It was great! I think she understood the concept well and we committed her to reading and praying more. She is a good lady. We weren't able to meet with S* this week unfortunately, but he is doing well from what we have heard of him. As for Ao* we tried to go back to visit him earlier this week and his wife kind of told us that they weren't interested. So, that is too bad. But it was nice while it lasted. This week in Church we got a less active lady to come back!!! That was awesome! Her name is Sorella Tabbi and she has been going through some rough times in her life. She seemed very happy to be in Church on Sunday. That was great! We had a lot of Less active lessons this week and it has been good! I think we will see some good progress with members returning soon.

This week we went and visited a member named Salvatore, he is our Branch Mission Leader, and we helped him decorate his Christmas tree! I took some photos and it was fun! I think with him the work will go better here. He is the one who came with us to visit the less actives and also helped us teach A*. It was really good!

Well, Christmas is in the air... as well as the strange smells of Gela. It is awesome! Gela has kicked things into gear and everyone is preparing for Christmas. Today Anziano Lazarte and I did our Christmas shopping for our District members, so that was pretty fun! We will be spending Christmas in Ragusa with the four missionaries there. Oh, also, this week we have Specialized Training. This is technically my last "Zone Conference", so I will be giving my final testimony... It is strange, I'm not going home yet, I've still got time! That will be an inter

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sting experience.

You know, this Church is true, it has it all. I really am grateful for the Book of Mormon and the testimony that I 

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have

 of it. It has shaped my life much more than I actually thought it would. I am grateful for this beautiful time that I have to invite others to come unto Christ. It is an incredible thing and an amazing opportunity for me to offer people the chance to taste truth. God is good, He loves us soooooo much and He has given us everything we need. All of the knowledge, help, guidance, and strength we need is right at our fingertips. He is there and it is something that I have seen repeatedly in my life and especially on the mission. He has helped guide me to understanding Him better and by doing this I understand better who all the people around me are, sons and daughters of the Most High God. This mission has been a huge growing experience for me. It is still hard for me to look back and see exactly how I have grown, but I generally feel it. I feel a difference and I feel better. That is what God does to us. When we obey and when we strive our best he gives us His peace, and it makes us feel better. It makes us feel the joy in this life and gives us the glimpse of the eternal joy and power each and every one of us can experience in the future. God is good and I am grateful for that simple but powerful fact. It is all true. I love it!

Well, this week we have been really trying to bare testimony more often and it has been good! I think that this week we have done a lot more bearing of testimony and we feel better as missionaries. It is really good. Anziano Lazarte is a funny guy, I like being with him. It will be a great final transfer! Italia is awesome, kind of hard, but awesome! I hope that everything is going well at home! The Christmas Tree looks awesome family! Good job Mom and Twinners! Love you all! I can't wait to skype you coming up soon!

Sincerely,

Anziano Burton