Ciao, tutti! This is for my first full week in Genova!
So I love Genova. I had heard really good things about it before I even got here but then I got here and I was like, "oh my gosh, I didn't know." The members are so nice and there's seriously so much work...admittedly it was a rough start because I'm training and neither of us have been to this city before, so we had to ask other missionaries a billion questions and wait for ward councils to roll around and stuff like that, so it was slow but now we have TOO MUCH work so I guess you can't really win. The mission isn't perfect, surprise!
Anyways, I wanted to talk about a couple 
miracles today.....cioè actual miracles.
We actually had to read a talk for zone training and there was a part in it that I really loved, it said: "Consider this: What of Jesus’ ministry if He had performed additional miracles but without the transcending miracle of Gethsemane and Calvary? His other miracles brought blessed extensions of life and lessened suffering--for some. But how could these miracles possibly compare with the greatest miracle of the universal Resurrection? (see 1 Cor. 15:22). The multiplying of the loaves and fishes fed a hungry multitude. Even so, recipients were soon hungry again, while those who partake of the Bread of Life will never hunger again (see John 6:51, 58)." - Maxwell, Consecrate thy Performance
So the idea is that consecrating/sacrificing is great, but up to a certain point, it's fairly doable. Just like in sports, the real champions are the ones who keep going, AFTER it hurts. It's easy to warm up your muscles, get your heart racing, and even work up a sweat. But what about when it hurts? When you push through the hurt is what elevates you from the average athletes to an elite.
It's like that in the gospel. We see the perfect example, of course, in Jesus Christ's life. Just like the quote said, his life was spectacular but the miracles are empty in comparison to his eternal atonement. When we push ourselves to the next step, we find that God blesses us exponentially more than we had been previously. For example, this week we have had so many days that were long and frankly kind of sad and then because we decided to stay out even though we were tired and had basically nothing to do, God threw a new potential or the chance to teach a lesson to us. So, so blessed. I know that personal sacrifice verso Dio ci aiuterà a diventare le persone che vuole Dio che diventiamo. Vi voglio bene! A presto!
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| Jill and Sorella Smedley. Don't know who the third one is.. |
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| The Zone |
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| Appointment got canceled. |
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| The girl in the hat knows a missionary on Temple Square that Jill knows also. Lessons to come. |
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| Enjoying the fine Italian leathers. |
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