Missionary Story from Kimberly

Sorry, but I haven't gotten back to update the blog with the rest of the pictures, but transfers, zone conferences, and Christmas is coming! I'll get to it later, but in the meantime, this was a sweet story we received in Kimberly's email that we wanted to share.

So we had to go to Milan yesterday for Zone Conference. And not like us sister missionaries are always on time getting ready in the morning:), but it's exceptionally tricky when you have three sisters, one shower, and one mirror. Anyway, what I'm getting at is that we missed the bus that would get us to the train station on time. There was another one that would pass soon, but it would be cutting it tight. So I started praying and made a deal with Heavenly Father that if He would make the train late, I would promise to talk to whoever I was sitting next to on the train. (This is harder than you might think because I would have to talk for about 45 minutes straight in Italian and try to keep it going toward spiritual topics, get an invite, but leave time so that it wasn't awkward when we still had 20 minutes to sit by each other if I didn't plan it right. Oh ya, and did I mention how my Italian is still not perfect and I don't usually have much to say?) Anyway, just like always, Heavenly Father kept his part of the deal. The other bus came, the train was late, (it was snowing like crazy), and we made it. We got on with all of our stuff (we have to bring small rolling suitcases to bring back our orders of Books of Mormon and such) and I realized that I was sitting by the window with one companion on one side of me and the other sitting on the other aisle seat facing us. This meant that no one would be coming to sit by us because they couldn't. I got a little worried because you don't want to make a deal with God and not keep your part right?:) Luckily, the next stop we picked up a TON of people which meant we had to cram. Really, people in the aisle and everything. This really nice, about 26-year-old, beautiful, natural, Italian woman came and sat by us. She was stylish as most Italians are, and I realized that this was my chance. I waited a bit and kept reading my scriptures while I noticed her staring at me and reading my tag. I looked up and said hello and started the conversation. (People are always so curious and if you let them read your tag, then you can get eye contact and then they're stuck!) Anyway, long story short, it was great. My companions jumped in and helped me and towards the end, she was asking us for our number, we gave her a Restoration pamphlet, and got her number. Sad news is that she works like crazy at this really high-priced store all day everyday because of the Christmas season, but she asked us to come and find her after the holidays. She was so persistent—she really wanted to make sure that we would. Towards the end, she kept looking at me and finally said something like, "You look so familiar and it just feels like we've seen each other before." She said this about 2-3 times and the spirit just rushed in. I felt the confirmation that yes, we really had seen each other before and yes, this was something special. I'm sure she felt it too and we both got a little teary eyed as we said good bye.

Once again, just one of those tender mercies of Heavenly Father reminding me that I am in the right place, at the right time. And if I continue to show Him that I am going to all that I can to be the best missionary I can be, He will trust and help me find those who are ready and sometimes, someone who I knew before this life! The gospel is true and this is the most important work in the world!