This week has been a wonderful end to the transfer. Our boy Abraham
took the plunge into the waters of baptism Sorella Burkman and I found
him on the first day in Rimini, so we have taught him 2-3 times a week
for 3 transfers. He started off with no understanding or knowledge of
Christ and now he knows that Christ is his Savior and Brother. His pal
Sunny, a convert of just a year, baptized him and it was magical. We met
with them many times to practice and it paid off. Sunny said the prayer
perfectly and it was a success on the first dunk! I thought my soul had
taken flight, I was so happy. While they were changing in the bathroom,
Sorella Burkman and I could hear them laughing and crying together.
These are the moments when every crappy moment suddenly doesn't even
matter. Sorella Burkman and I just cried together and welcomed our boy
"Abbey" as a new member of Christ's Church. He was confirmed on Sunday
and given the Holy Ghost in a beautiful blessing given by Fratello
Draghi, who speaks English very well. The Holy Ghost is the bomb.
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| "Sunny (next to me), a convert of less than a year baptized his best bud Abraham (on the right)" |
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| "Chillin' with my Nigerian brothers." |
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| "We have, hands down, the best branch mission leader in the world." |
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| "Joy, my second baptism, is proof that angels exist." |
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| "Joy is so incredible that she often sends us scripture texts/thoughts" |
Okay, now the moment you have all been waiting for. We received a call from the assistants on Monday
night. I have been transferred to Lodi, directly under Milan. The
mission home is directly in the middle. Sorella Burkman is going to
Varese (my dream city!!!!! She gets to be snuggled in the mountains in
the middle of winter!!!!! lucky.) We travel to Milano tomorrow before parting ways.
And now the emotions have completely taken over. We
said goodbye to Luisa at her house and she handled it with smiles until
we sang Onward Christian Soldiers together. I never thought it was
possible to cry in that anthem but Luisa had tears streaming down her
cheeks and the Burkster and I both lost it. All three of us just there,
holding each other and crying. Words were a burden and it was almost
like our hearts were just communicating. I never thought I could
possibly love a someone so much. From my incredible experience with
Luisa I learned to never underestimate the power of pure love; charity.
The world had turned its back on her and it doesn't matter because
through our love, she knows she is a chosen daughter of God. Don't ever
give up on people, ever.
Last night while at the church, we said goodbye to
other people from the branch and again I was in tears. Rimini literally
grew me into the person that I am today. The members took us under their
wings and treated us as their own. The memories I have of Rimini and
the relationships with people are deeper than I ever thought possible.
It is going to be extremely difficult to say goodbye but I am now needed
in Lodi. God bless you Rimini.
To end with a funny story, Sorella Burkman and I
have both started taking Melatonin nightly. Turns out we are both the
conversationalists in our sleep. The other night, I was sleep praying in
italiano loud enough to wake myself up only to hear "Grazie per la tua
preghera Sorella." Hahaha Burkster slept thanked me in italian. It will
be even harder to say goodbye to that gal.
Vi amo!
Sorella Alley
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| "So much time is spent in these helmets." |
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| "Celebratory Gelato....(is that how you spell celebratory?)" |
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| " I switched Sorella Strong bikes for the night and homegirl rides like a gangster. She is the tallest and has the lowest riding bike haha" |
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| "We decided missionary work wasn't for us, and we are now hired on painters." |
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