Aloha Famiglia! Aug 19, 2014

Wow. This week was awesome. So many miracles!! 

To preface these miracles, I just want to say that prayer is real. This last week I have really been praying to understand and recognize promptings of the spirit better. My prayers were answered :)

On Friday, we were on shift at the visitors' center and an older couple came in to visit while their daughter was going through the temple. They were members, but very less active with some interesting family history. The wife has been wanting to come back to church, and brought the husband into the visitors' center hoping that he would feel the sweet spirit here on temple grounds. We ended up sitting and talking to them for over an hour and a half. After hearing some of their life stories, I had the impression to ask the husband if he believed that God has protected him and watched over him in his life. That kind of took him back and he tried to change the subject but I could tell that he knew that it was true. I just looked at him, and said "I know you felt something here today. You cannot deny it. You need to go to church on Sunday. I promise you that you will feel the spirit again there, and you will love it." Never before have I been so bold. But I knew that he needed to hear it. I felt the Spirit working through me to pierce his heart. Heavenly Father wanted to let him know that he is aware of him.  How often we forget that we do have a loving Heavenly Father that wants us to be happy again. I don't know if he ever went to church because he lives on the other side of the island, but I honestly know that he felt something. The spirit was so strong during our conversation, and I could not deny the impressions and gift of discernment that I was given at that time. 

Another miracle -- on Thursday I had the weird "feeling" that I should study some of my limited Italian. I have one Italian language book and my Italian Book of Mormon and I was carrying them around all week. I have not even met any Italians yet, so I was wondering why I was having these impressions!! Anyways, as you can probably predict, on Saturday night at the VC I ran into the most adorable Italian couple, straight from Roma! They are here studying English. When I asked them where they were from and they told me Italy I just about exploded with excitement. Now, anyone that knows me super well (Tatum) knows that I have pretty much blown every Italian speaking opportunity that I have had because I just get so excited that I completely blank and forget everything. Well, not this time! I was able to give them a complete tour in broken (but still mildly impressive) Italian about Jesus Christ, the Book of Mormon, the restored gospel, and the temple. They left with pamphlets and I got the woman's information so I will be teaching her more via email! Ohmigoodness I am so grateful that I studied Italian!

Well, that was a lot for this last week, but thanks for spending the time to read it! I love you all and I am so grateful to be a part of this great work, serving my Savior and the people of Hawaii and the world. 

Keep smiling!
Sister Willardson