The Bari/Taranto Zone Conference is the next to the last one on this round of conferences. It was held right after the Puglia Stake Conference which made it much more convenient since the conference was held in Bari, too.
As usual the new missionaries bore their testimonies. Sometimes they are really hard on themselves because their Italian isn't perfect yet, but most of them really are doing good. In two weeks when we get new missionaries in again, they will realize just how much they have learned.
Again, the main topic of zone conference was obedience. When we are obedient, the Lord can bless us even more and the blessings from that obedience are quick to come when serving a mission. After the last zone conference, one of the missionaries sent a note in his next weekely e-mail to President that said "If we are almost perfect, we will almost get the blessing." What a great quote!
Michael and I both went on a scambio (exchange) in Bari on Monday night after interviews. I went with a couple of sisters and Michael went with a couple of elders. Michael took the elders in the car and I walked with the sisters. It was a nice day, but it started to rain that evening after our first appointment. It didn't just sprinkle a little bit. The heavens opened and just wept. I tried to put a positive spin on it by saying it would help clean the sidewalks. One of the sisters said her experience was that it just softened the dog pooh. Maybe she was right. We were pretty wet when we got to our next appointment and the sister we were meeting with insisted that we take off our sweaters and put her dry ones on while we were there. She was determined and we decided it was just better to let her show us a kindness than to argue. I think it made her happy that she was able to do something for us.
Following zone conference on Tuesday, we drove to Lecce to do a scambio with two of the elders there. Michael was excited about it because he had served in Lecce forty-five years ago on his mission. The elders were excited because the mission president was going with them. The member who was working with them to teach a family was probably the most excited. He invited the ward mission leader and another member to come, too. It turned out well and we had a very meaningful discussion that night. I felt the spirit and my hope is that the mother felt the spirit, too. Her husband is a member, but she isn't.
Michael always tries to go out teaching and finding with the missionaries. They love having the president with them and he loves being with them, too. Most of the time I go with the sisters to teach an English class. This time is worked out that I did scambi's too. I hope the sisters were as excited to have me for a companion as I was to have them be mine.
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