Week 21 (Nov 30)--Terni

AO FRA!!

Hey everybody!! I hope everyone had such an awesome Thanksgiving over in America!! We were able to celebrate over here so that was super fun. So what we did is Thursday morning we went to Rome and had a Thanksgiving feast in the mission office with like 45 other missionaries. We were all asked to contribute something so I bought a melon. Something out of the ordinary instead of clementines or apples haha. It was almost 5 euro though, so I am never doing that again lolol. The feast was really good and I was able to meet some other missionaries which was super fun (cause this feast was put together by a different zone). In fact right now we are on a train going to Rome to play some football (American--not soccer) with them cause the AP's invited us. We are super pumped and I am hoping I can bring honor to the Spencer's name as we savagely try to destroy the others…in a good missionary way, I guess haha. After the feast though we headed out and went back cause we had planned a turkey bowl with like 40 of our friends/members/ and people we have met. The culture here in Italy is very different; if it gets below like 50 degrees or looks like it is going to rain no one goes out. So it was kinda frustrating when one person showed up. But hey at least one did!! Afterwards we headed to our English course cause we put a party on there too and brought a turkey that our mission leader cooked and other desserts that we made. Normally we have around 30 people that come to course but only like 10 showed up so again we were a little frustrated at first cause we set up a bunch of things-- but it ended up being a huge success cause all the youth came and the English course people that did come are all sooo sick that we had a really good time. So yeah that's what I did on thanksgiving!! (Editor's note: this letter continues after the pics.)

Tristan and his cousin Ethan (Anziano Spencer and Anziano Cannon) together at the Thanksgiving Feast! So happy Anz Cannon was transferred into Tristan's zone and they could celebrate this holiday together!!

This sister was in the MTC with Tristan and arrived in Italy the same day.

Anz Palazzo clearly looking purposely (and out-of-character) menacing in all these pics...not sure why.

Quite a Thanksgiving feast! Not one piece of pasta to be seen.

I cried when I saw that Tristan had received his little Christmas package in time! 

At the English course Thanksgiving party (and the pics below too).  

Other than that this week was pretty normal. The one thing that was so much fun was my scambio that I did with Anziano Callbero. He is just about to finish his mission, and is one of the most incredible missionaries that I have ever met. I was a little nervous going into it cause he doesn't speak a lot of English (he is from Columbia). But, I seriously had one of the best times on my mission with him. He's an incredible cook (we actually had Mexican tacos; it was the best!!!) and during dinner he sat me down and gave me the most incredible advice that I have received for my mission so far. And it was such a blessing cause I was able to understand everything that he was saying to me with no trouble at all. That's how it was for the entire time we were together but also duirng that time I understood everything. It made me realize that I know more Italian than I think which helped my confidence and just being around him makes you want to try better and be better. Every time you ask him how he is doing he always responds Alle Grande (which is like I am good, more than good)--just a positive awesome guy. It was the best.  

Pretty happy about those Mexican tacos!

I'm guessing this is Anz Callbero's apartment.

Tristan with Anz. Callbero

Okay so for my interesting experience this week! Ummm no news from the transvestites women... Hallelujah!! But I did meet an Albanian man this week when we were doing some finding. We started talking and he was like, "Do you have a girlfriend?" My response, "Umm no…?" "Ohhh okay, well let me tell you... I have two beautiful girls; one is 21 one is 18.. I would like you to meet them, in fact give me your number and then you can come over to my house sometime.” Well, that was easy hahaha sooo I don't think he really understands that that is definitely not my purpose here to marry some random Albanian woman but hopefully they will be down to hear a message of the gospel if they do let us come over!


I also was able to do an exchange with Anziano Slade this week too who is such a stud. I feel bad for him cause he's broken out in these like random rashes on his face and so like everyone we would talk to on the street was just like, "Umm what is that on your face?!" And one woman Anziano Slade had his hand in his pocket and she was like “Umm get your hand out of your pocket that's so disrespectful to me. Where are your manners?!' And then right after that was like, "What is that on your face!!??" He was like are you kidding me.. I was kinda dying not gonna lie haha.


Well, we have been doing a lot of finding this week. Pia is so awesome though!! She came to church even though she used to work on Sundays! She talked to her boss and changed it so now she can come to church! Something else that we have been doing is getting really close with this one family that has sons who are 17/15/12; this family is super strong in the church but we are trying to get the 17 year old super hyped for his mission so that has been fun getting closer with them! They are such studs. The 15 year old reminds me of my little bro Gavin and the 12 year old is like my little brother Bubba.. Literally both straight up studs so I really enjoy working with them!


So the spiritual thought that I want to share is something that Anziano Callbero was telling me. He talked to me about obedience and how I need to be obedient to the rules cause that's so important. But he then said do the things that Christ would do if he were here. He then explained to me a story about how there were three missionaries walking by a beach (you’re not supposed to even be by the beach but that's not the point haha:)). Two of them were talking and they realized that one of them was gone. They started freaking out and were like we need to call president. This missionary is so disobedient like he is gone and we’re at the beach and he needs to be sent home. The other one said like no no let’s give him the benefit of the doubt, let's look for him. All of the sudden they see a huge group of people by the beach yelling and screaming and they look out and there is a girl drowning in the ocean. They look out and there is their companion: the only one acting, in his church suit, shoes, everything swimming out to her to save her. This story hit me hard. The point he was trying to make is obey the rules, but be as Jesus Christ. I hope that makes sense. Trust me I am not going apostate or anything but I am going to remember to do my best to do as Jesus Christ would for the rest of my mission. I hope this story makes sense haha! Well I love y'all!! This week is the last week of this transfer so I could be gone next week!! We will see!! (I find out Saturday morning.)


Love y'all!!


Anziano Spencer  

This is a Romanian dish you eat straight from the table.

I am guessing the sister missionaries are not trying this dish! The elders don't seem to mind eating off the table!!

This little Romanian girl invited the Elders over for her birthday.

Tristan's Christmas package!

Tristan's Christmas tree after he decorated it with items we sent; we wanted to make sure he got to decorate a tree this Christmas. He'll add more during the 12 days of Christmas. :-)

Week 20--Nov 23 (Terni)

HAPPY THANKSGIVING MAA PEOPLE

What is up everyone!? I love getting your weekly emails and updates, like I am not kidding, they are the best thing ever. I really do want to know how y'all are doing haha. Anyway, this week was sooo good. My companion and I have finally found our mojo together and it is making everything so much better as we are a lot more united. It really does make everything so much better. It's really cool because to be honest my companion and I were fine for the first two transfers, but we were not really united. We worked really hard and did our best but I was kinda pulling one way and he was the other. So I know that this transfer for me was really inspired to stay another and work together because now we are getting along and it's really awesome.

Okayyy anyway, so this week we had some cool experiences. One thing that happened is our boss mission leader made a calander to have us over to share like a spiritual thought, serve, and have dinner if the people want. And so he gave it to our English course students. It was super cool cause they were all sooo down for it so last week we were able to go and have lunch at these two homies' house from Libya. We knew they were both Muslim though, so we were interested to see how it would go with like what we would share. We started talking and it was awesome cause one of them literally reminded me of my buddy Needs because he is literally involved in like everything that can possibly be done and is like a genius, and a stud. He was saying how he is doing everything he can to make Libya a better place and how this week he's going up to Milan cause he was selected to build a project to transfer electricity form some islands in the Caribbean, through Europe, and down to South Africa. My mind was just completely blown as he was speaking more complex English than I was lolol even though I teach him. Then for our spiritual thought we asked them if they had any questions for us as missionaries of our church. We ended up teaching the whole restoration to them and then offering if they wanted two Arabic Books of Mormon so it was super cool. They are such homies hahah. So glad that the other guys had to go to the transvestite's house the next day. But once she found out that I wasn't coming she decided that no one was coming. Goodness, so glad I dodged that.

My funny experience from this week happened on Saturday. There was a baptism of a little girl in our ward so we were asked to help with the new font and set everything up. Anyway so hopefully I can explain how funny this experience really was. So there were two members helping us (one of them was S. whose wife growls and yells at us-- I think I have mentioned her before). So S. is kinda just an odd really funny old guy that says the most random things. Like he told Anziano Palazzo how he just finished painting a picture of the First Vision and all this stuff even though we all know it's not true. And one time after we finished our lesson with him he's like "I am going to watch beauty and the beast.” Just sooo random. So we get this call in the middle of the afternoon saying, "Anziani get over here the font is breaking!!!" So we were like oh no so we run in and the inside elastic is collapsing inward and so water is about to go everywhere. We grab the sides and S. grabs it but water starts pouring out and he's like "woooooww a waterfall" and got like super excited haha while the other member was like Anziani we have to pick up this and dump all the water in the other font.. Ummm what?? This thing is 450 lbs.. ANZIANI LIFT!!! So we are like oh my gosh lifting as hard as we can, all the while S. is just super excited the water is going everywhere, and the piano was playing for some reason "Oh When the Saints Come Marching IN" some super crazy randition of it. I was DYING... It was the funniest thing I think that has ever happened on my mission. I am sending pictures that will hopefully make more sense haha. 

Well things with our investigators are going really well.  We are working with some amazing people and seriously some of them are just so prepared. Pia accepted the Word of Wisdom like right off the bat and was like yeah this all makes sense. And we are working with this one Pilipino right now who after we taught the plan of salvation sat back and AnznRay was like does this answer your questions? And he was like "yeah" with a sigh of relief; it was awesome. We have met some incredible people on the street too. On Thursday we were planning on going to see someone but instead I felt really strongly that we should go into the passagiata. So we did and I saw this guy sitting up on this hill sleeping. And I realized that for some reason he is the reason that we came here so we walked up and started talking to him and I felt the spirit so strongly as I was bearing my testimony. We are meeting with him tomorrow so I really hope that things go well with him so we can increase our work here!!! There was this guy that we met and he really respected us and was using the form that you use when you talk to kings. He was 91 and mentioned he wasn't going to change but said he really respected what we were doing here. It's these little things that help make everything so worth it.

The language is coming  too, as at church we had these two African homies come that we met on the street. One of them is named Happy. So sick. Anyway I was translating for them in second hour and was able to translate most of the lesson, even though the lesson was about the 12 Tribes of Israel. So it's coming, slowly but it is! 

Sorry this letter is so long!!

Well I love you all!! Have an awesome Thanksgiving!! If you have any advice for how to make donuts (they don't really exist here) or any other Thanksgiving foods (i know donuts have nothing to do with Thanksgiving but we have to bring them for a party for corso) cause we are playing football with all our corso friends and then having a party. Which will be really good and hopefully we will make some new contacts from it. Anyway, that would be awesome cause literally I have no idea! Love y'all so much!

Spiritual thought- I have been really working on doing the best that I can and sometimes though I feel like it's not enough. So I read this awesome talk about inadequacies and how when we face our challenges, yes, it will be hard, but we will grow and learn so much more than just turning away and not facing them. That’s another reason that I am glad I get to stay in Terni for this transfer. Anyway I love this, "We can also keep moving. Only the Lord can compare crosses, but all crosses are easier to carry when we keep moving. Men finally climbed Mount Everest, not by standing at its base in consuming awe, but by shouldering their packs and by placing one foot in front of another. Feet are made to move forward--not backward!"

Have an awesome week!

Anz. Spencer

The guy on the left in blue is the ward mission leader, the guy in the front is a member who travels 3 hours by train every week to attend church, and the guy on the right is a member of one year who happens to be a millionaire. 

"What I wear to bed at night!" (He reports his apartment is freezing.)

S. of the font incident referred to above. :-)

And the font itself!

Week 19--Nov 17 (Terni)

Ohhh Spencer!!!

Hey everyone!! I hope that y'all had a good week and what's going on with y'all? I hope everything is good!! So this week was really good! I have a reason for the title of this letter this time. So do you remember the transvestites? Who I invited to English course? Yeah, bad bad move on my part.. Anyway, oh my this week was interesting.  So we were doing the normal finding last week and then all of the sudden we saw her/him standing in the doorway of this store so I was "ohh no" so we crossed the street as fast as we could but then I hear the familiar "Ohhh Spencer!!!" And I turned around like gosh dang it, not again and walked up as she and her/his friend brought me into their store (lair) and sprayed perfumes on me. It was horrible. They will be at corso tonight so yeah... I don't think I will ever get rid of them until I leave Terni lolol. 

So we have been teaching this new woman. She's from Romania and is literally so awesome. She accepted to be baptized and is progressing so well. Anyway so I am not saying this to be mean but she is just a very big lady. Like very, very big. So after the lessons when she stands up she kinda blacks out. We had our last lesson in this park area and when she stood up she blacked out again so she grabbed my arm for support. As she held on hard, I was like “Don't worry Pia, I will not let you fall" but in my mind I was like, "oh my if she does fall we are both going down and that just would not be good" and then she started to shake and I was like "oh gosh we are both going down" like bracing myself but she recovered. So it was all okay in the end haha. I love working with her, she is so amazing. 

So this week I was pretty stressed because yesterday was our zone conference (that's why I am emailing today instead) and I was asked to perform a musical number. Ummm what? I don't really do that kinda stuff haha. So luckily I have the most clutch cousin who I am super blessed to be in the SAME ZONE with! I called him and he told me that he could play the piano and so I called some of my other missionary buds from the MTC and we ended up performing I Know that My Redeemer Lives with me and Anziano Slade harmonizing. It went really well and I am really happy with the way that it turned out. And so yeah the biggest highlight of my week was being able to see my cousin yesterday. Family is everything and I am so grateful that I was able to see Anziano Cannon. It was the best hug that I have had since my dad at the MTC. 

Cousins! Anziano Ethan Cannon and Anziano Tristan Spencer

So this week we are still working hard to find people that we can work with. But I am trying to realize that it's important to recognize the little miracles that we can see in our life every single day rather than trying to look for the huge ones. This is something that I am still trying to work on. Yesterday I received some great counsel from my mission president. I was talking to him about how it's difficult for me to feel like I measure up when I live in a house with missionaries that are incredible and speak the language really well like Anziano Palazzo. And he looked at me and was like “Well, Anziano Spencer, it is hard playing on the freshmen basketball team with the varsity team isn't it?" And that hit me, all of them have had so much experience like Anziano P is about to go home cause he is almost finished. So instead of getting jealous and down on my stuff, I need to work on having a more humble and open mind and receiving all the instruction I can receive while I am still here in Terni. So yeah I've got a lot of weaknesses but I know I can be made stronger and become the man the Lord would have me be on my mission!! I love you all! Have a great week!

Love,
Anziano Spencer

PS These pics were taken from the mission blog from zone conference.   The link in the sidebar will take you to the mission blog for more pics.

Week 18--Nov 9 (Terni)

Transfer NUMBAA 3!! And I remain in Terni.. Lol

Hey everyone! It was so nice to get all y’alls letters and support this week; thank you so much! How is everyone doing by the way? Soo we got our transfer calls this week and I was super excited. Not gonna lie it was like the night before Christmas when I was a kid, that's how stoked I was. So the next morning I got the call from Anziano Pingree who was "born" in Terni like me so we have that like brotha connection which is pretty cool. Anyway, he starts talking to me and he was like Anziano Spencer what do you know about Calabria? And I was like oh I have no idea it's in Sicily thought right?!?? I I started getting so pumped with adrenaline going to a new city and everything and he was like I am just kidding bud you’re staying in Terni... What. All the adrenaline just gone hahah so yeah I remain here for another 4 weeks. Hahaha so yeah our house didn't change at all so it's still me, my companion Anziano Ray, Anziano Slade, and Anziano Palazzo. But, I am doing my best to realize that this is where the Lord needs me, and there are still always things for me to learn living in a house with the district leader, and the zone leaders, and then there is me.. The scrub haha. So life is good!

Anyway this week was pretty awesome! We have found 2 new investigators that are really interested and one of them seriously is super prepared to hear the gospel. She said she noticed something different about us when we prayed personally to Heavenly Father instead of saying memorized prayers. We had a very powerful lesson with her that was a really good experience for me so I am really grateful for that! The spirit was seriously so strong, we just haven't been able to meet with her since because she has to work so much. But, I have really high hopes for the both of them!

Umm another thing is that we finally were able to work at the Catitas! We met with the guy in charge and he said that we are allowed to come once a week to help out so we went on Saturday cause that's when their youth work there. So something that I have learned is that the Catitas serve food, as in we served food, to all the homeless drug addicts that have cussed us out in the streets, or yelled at us in the grocery stores. Oh man I guess I have to really develop my patience and love even more cause it was hard to give food to a person and smile with love [that has been rude to us] (I am being completely honest here). So yeah I have a lot of weaknesses and that isdefinitely one of them but I am trying to be better! We got along really well with the other volunteers though so hopefully something will come of it!!

Yesterday I had another very interesting experience. Again. This time with a woman begging me to take her dancing. I seriously don't understand it, like there are no boundaries here. So what happened is we were doing some sick finding like the normal. And we stopped this one 28 year old woman that ended up being one of our English course students that hasn't come for a while. We started talking and she told me that she was going dancing. And then asked me if I had ever heard of swing dancing?! Ummmm... Did you say swing dancing like OF COURSE I HAVE!! I love swing dancing!! So that was my mistake by telling her that I know how and I love swing. She then persisted for the next 5 minutes begging me to take her and how I need to call my "boss" (mission president lolol) and ask him to make an exception cause she had invited me and once I shut that down for like the 5th time she started to go into batting her eyelashes (as if that was going to do anything) and saying "Spencer, Spencer Dai Dai (meaning like “ 'mon”)”-- it was so bad. So yeah that was interesting, she said she will be at corso on Thursday to see what my "boss” had said.

So yeah those were some of the interesting things that happened this week. So to be honest I was really hoping that I would be transferred. For me I really like change and I wanted a different experience in a new city and to be honest Terni has been really hard lately. We basically do finding every single day and just different things that are going on that make it hard. So I was hoping for something better. So when I got the call that no one would be leaving and we would all be staying I was super bummed out and pretty upset. But then I realized that if I left that would be like running from my problems and I don't want to do that. I need to make this city better that I found it ( I sound like I am Oliver Queen from Arrow oh gosh haha) and right now it's not a whole lot better even though we have been working our hardest. That's just how it is I guess.. Sooo I am just trying to keep my head up and trying my best to stay positive. 

I was looking through my notes that I have made and I really liked this, especially for right now. It's from a talk by President Boyd K. Packer titled Called to Serve.

"It is not in the proper spirit for us to decide where we will serve or where we will not. We serve where we are called. It does not matter what the calling may be."

So yeah I really liked that. I love being a missionary and the Church is True!!

Love Y'all!!

Anziano Spencer

Week 17--Nov. 2

AO FRA!!! (This is how Nigerians say what's up.. Soo sick haha) 

Hey everyone, I hope everyone had a good Halloween!! I am happy to say from my last letter that I have run into the transvestite person only one more time and she/he is not coming to corso so life is good lolol. This week was good though, I was able to do two exchanges with Anziano Wog and Anziano Palazzo so I have really learned a lot. As for H., we had to push his baptism back till November 24th. We have had a hard time getting over to his house cause he gets home really late, but he came to church and he wanted to go up and bear his testimony. Like he is doing really well!! He just needs a little more time which is fine cause we want him to be ready. 

So the exchange with Anziano Wog was really interesting. He actually arrived in Italy the same time as me cause he had to go home for a few months since he broke both of his feet. I am not totally sure how he did that but that's why he had to. And to be honest he is the complete opposite from me in every single way so I was really interested to see how this was going to go and if we would get along. And it actually went really well!!! It was so cool to see how we both were here for the same purpose, we wanted to work hard, and we were trying our best. We had some powerful lessons, and for me it was cool cause it was my area so I was able to take the lead and help him with the lessons and what we were doing. It started out a little rough though cause we almost missed our train from Rome to Terni cause we had a lesson in Rome. So we got to the station and I start sprinting to our train as fast as I could cause we wouldn't have made it. And I look back and he is walking and I was like Via Via Anziano Wog!! Come on man!! Not gonna lie I would have been ticked if we missed the train.. Nevertheless, we made it. I love that guy haha. 

Yesterday was really powerful for me. We have been doing a lot of finding and yesterday after church we had planned to basically do finding for the rest of the day. But little miracles happened throughout the entire day that helped me realize the God really is watching out for us and he loves and cares about us cause we are his children. We were able to have a lesson with the guy that gives us the pepporcino and he still refuses to really put forth an effort to believe in God. We ended up sharing Alma 22 with him and he actually read with us this time, and prayed at the end!! So we are making progress! And we stopped by our friend’s house that we haven't been able to reach who kept giving us Bidoni and he was rounding the corner while he was walking up to his house with his girlfriend and he let us in and we were able to teach his whole family. It was awesome, and other little things like this one guy that came up to us and just invited us over to his house without us really saying anything to him before (that has literally never happened so I am hoping...) stuff like that. GOD IS SO GOOD!

So something that I am trying to get used to here is how touchy people are in Italy. The Italians, Nigerians, everyone.. It's normal for my homie W. to come up and like hold my hand when he is talking to me and just like hug me and not let go. Or if we are talking to someone on the street they will just like hold my arm. It's been super interesting to get used to lolol.  Also, I have made a super good friend named S. He is literally the coolest Nigerian I have ever met, and his story from crossing the desert, Libya, and the Mediterranean Sea, is absolutely incredible. Hopefully I will have time to write about it next week. It just made me realize how blessed I was to be born in America. Like seriously.

Also, Anziano Palazzo is such a beast. We had our scambia together and I learned so much and continue to learn from him. He's a huge inspiration for me and I think he's going to be AP next transfer! Which is in a week--so maybe I will be somewhere else next week!

Well I love you all!! I love serving a mission so much! Here is my scripture that I found this week that I think is sooo sick- it's in Romans 1:15-16 

15 So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also.

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

Love y'all, 

Anziano Spencer

A few more pics from Rome last week.

"Me and Anziano Wog!"

Tristan said in regards to Halloween,
"Totally different over here cause we had already started our fast so we didn't do anything special or eat anything. The only cool thing was  Anziano Palazzo wrote in our shower with paint “Happy Haloween Niglets" lololol!”