THE FOURTH WATCH

This is not a picture that goes with this email - it was from an earlier gathering.

Hello everyone. Time is short so like always I'm just going to give a few highlights and leave the rest for funny stories when I get home haha. Also I'm sorry if I have already written an email titled like this before, but I relearned this concept this week so that is why.

New missionary interaction of the week:
Sorella Wood: "why is this cheese soooooo good?"
Me: because it's real mozzarella cheese haha

Sorella Wood: "American cheese pizza is lame. That's what I've learned."
Me: (laughing) "I'm glad that in two and a half weeks of missionary
work you've learned that American cheese pizza is lame hahahaha

Highlights:

• we had a lesson with a member and we were teaching her about giving a Book of Mormon to someone. At the end we invited her to do so and she says, "you know as you guys were talking I was thinking about all of the people I could possibly give a Book of Mormon to and this lady's name popped into my head. I have no idea why because she is super cattiva (direct translation is like evil but we don't really describe people in English as being evil and I don't remember what word you use so we're just going to use the Italian one) but I will pray about it and see what it is that Heavenly Father wants me to do." Ok coolest experience ever!!!

• Saga made us Finnish pancakes because she is going back to Finland to go through all of her mom's stuff. (We will probably take a break teaching her because she doesn't really have intentions to be baptized and I don't think she has as open of a mind as she says she does)

• We had a scambio with Sorella Wise and she is so funny haha she says to me "I'm done praying for charity or patience because every time I do Heavenly Father gives me EVERY opportunity to develop that characteristic. Don't do it!!" Haha she was joking obviously but it was super funny!

• Saturday, we had the miracle of all miracles. There is this less active family that I have called since February (when I got here). I call them every week. Sometimes multiple times a week and no answer. But this week he answered and set up an appointment with us Saturday. I was really skeptical that it was going to happen so on Friday I called to confirm and it was confirmed. So Saturday, we leave our house at 3:30pm to get there. Well long story short our appointment was at 5pm and we got there at 6pm!!!! Haha oh man. The struggle. And when we got there they had prepared dinner and he had left work early to be there, their 14 year old son didn't go to tutoring to be there and the wife didn't work so she could be there. They are from Peru and all have really strong testimonies, they just work literally 24/7 so they can never come to church. They invited us back for a FHE on Monday and it will be awesome! Finally a breakthrough!!! Prayers are answered people!!

• Sunday, we got a call from a less active family I have never even heard of. They called our phone 8 times during church and we got out and called them and they said "can you guys come visit us?" YES!!!!!! That has NEVER happened to me before.

• There also was this Chinese man who went and sat next to Sorella Wood on the metro and doesn't speak Italian or English really. Just Chinese and he was telling us how he is Christian so in our limited communication we managed to set up an appointment with him so we'll see how that goes. I'm still trying to figure out how to teach someone when you don't speak the same language but we'll figure it out!

The title comes from something really crucial that I learned this week.

I wish I could explain it in more detail but basically 
WE WORSHIP A FOURTH WATCH GOD. Meaning that God will always come, but it will be in the fourth and last watch of the night after we have rowed the equivalent of 75 football fields against the wind. Sometimes I feel like I'm in the 48th watch and He's never coming, BUT Brad Wilcox allowed me to learn otherwise. He says, "We worship a. Fourth watch God. So when the trials aren't over and the blessings don't come, don't assume that Ne is not there or He is not listening, or He doesn't care, or you're not worthy. ALWAYS ASSUME you have NOT YET REACHED the fourth watch."

I know that we worship a loving and merciful God. He loves us and He wants to help us grow. He is ALWAYS watching us and He is ALWAYS listening. He will calm the storms of our lives.

"Be still and know that I AM GOD."

Have a great week and always remember that when you're like almost drowning, you haven't yet reached the fourth watch, so HANG IN THERE
until the Savior comes to your rescue!!!

Con amore,

Sorella G 🎈🇮🇹