Week 27--Jan 11 (Tristan's 19th Birthday!)

WAZZUPPP!!!

Hey Everyone, I just want to say a HUGE thank you for all of the
birthday wishes. Y'all are so awesome and I have the best friends
and family out there ever. Thanks for all of your support—seriously, I
wish I could describe it better. This day for my birthday I have been
honestly wondering what to expect. I did get really lucky to have it
on P Day but also to be able to have such a stud companion. This
morning we woke up and worked out like normal and I went to go make
myself my usual breakfast of eggs (which the Italians think kill you; I
love telling them that I eat that and them getting so worried and
telling me I need to go to the doctor LOL) and I couldn't open the
door to the kitchen. So after slamming myself against it multiple
times trying to break it open I realized Anziano Garrett locked it to
make me breakfast. Hahaha what a stud! So this morning we dined on
pancakes which was fun, and right now we are headed off to see an old
Greek temple that a lot of people have told us about which is super
cool. I am really excited so it's going to be a good day!

So this week was honestly really interesting. I don't know a better
way to explain it than the fact that Anziano Garrett and I thought
that we were going to die... Three times. Like I don't know why but I
just feel like I have some very random interesting experiences. We
just had some really sketchy experiences that ended up turning out all
good in the end but during them we just felt super uncomfortable. One
experience that happened this week that was really messed up was on
Saturday. Last week we met a super awesome family that wanted to meet
with us. So we were like sick this is awesome, so they picked us up
and took us to their house. It didn't start getting weird until we
pulled in and the guy’s brother was there and he pulled his car out so
that we could pull in and then he pulled in... Does that make sense? Like
he blocked us in kinda thing. We were like ohh nice well this is going
to be fun. Anyway this family was from Tunisia, and they were Muslim.
Which I am totally chill with like I love my Muslim homies from Terni
I have a lot of respect for them. Then what happened is we started
with a prayer and I said it. During the pray the family exploded and
started yelling about something in Arabic and I was like What IS Going
On?! And afterwards they took Anziano Garrett and me into the other
room and taught us how to do a Muslim Prayer (it was all out and
everything during it.. I was thinking this is sooo sweet) which I
thought was so sick but at the same time really weird cause they were
taking pictures of us and videoing us. But I couldn't say no cause I
didn't want to be disrespectful. Anyway other stuff happened like them
asking for my address of where I lived and trying to find the fake
address that I gave them, and yeah it was just very uncomfortable. And
then they shoved their 6-month-year-old into my arms and took a
picture of me which is not allowed cause of legal stuff.  So yeah not
gonna lie I was really glad when we got to head home.

On the more spiritual side of things me and Anziano Garrett have been
working really hard to find people who would be interested. Something
that has been really cool is even though we haven't really seen
success in the ways that we wanted (like a lot of investigators or a
lot of lessons), we are still having fun and enjoying life (even when
we have sketch experiences lolol). We literally were not able to teach
that much this week but a really good conversation that we had is with
our one English Course student who is atheist. We talked to her after
Corso and she brought up a lot of questions about God and if he really
does exist. It was a powerful experience to be able to testify to her
that we KNOW without a doubt that he is there and that he loves us.
And after that we simply just told her that the reason why we're
here.. The reason why we want to help her to know if God is really
there and watching over us is because we love her. And we know that
God loves her. After we said that the Spirit was so strong in the
room. It was really good to be able to talk to her and then she said
that she will read the Book of Mormon so we are really hoping that it
goes well!!

We have also been working with members a lot because that is the best
way to be more effective. We started a plan with the members to not
only help them with taking to their friends but also help them with
their testimonies. We have already started to see little miracles this
week that have really helped to strengthen my testimony in doing
missionary work smarter to be be able to help everyone. Things really
do work out which is something that shows that God really is watching
over us. A miracle of this that I saw this week was when we were doing
some sweet finding on Monday. We tried to talk to this one guy but he
was wasn't really interested so while we were walking along there was
this guy sitting in his car just staring at us. So I gave him like a
little wave and kept walking but he got out and was like "Hey wait
come back!" It turns out he is a less active member and even though he is not
interested in coming back to church just yet, he comes to English
Course now and comments during our spiritual thoughts, which is
awesome.

Sorry I don't have a whole lot else to say; I am just super grateful
to be serving a mission for my Savior. Even though yeah I will admit
it's different and a little hard not being at home for my birthday, it
really is cool to be able to serve the one who has literally given me
everything.

Okay so for my funny experience this week- We've got this awesome family
in our ward who is soo cool. Oh man I love them so much, this family
is the one whose son we are working with to go out on his mission
again. Anyway, so the mom called us and asked if we could come over
and help her with her tutoring with English for a little. So we
thought that was okay we can help her out so we went over and it was
totally not what we expected. There was a bunch of little kids there
and I got assigned to help this one kid with his science homework who
was 8 years old. Umm are you kidding me? I have no idea how to talk
science in Italian. So I had to sit there for 2 hours... 2 hours
listening to an 8-year-old Italian boy teach me about mold... And
photosynthesis... And how plants reproduce. I wanted to die (this one does not
count towards the three times I thought we would die this week mentioned above lolol).

I am not kidding it was
horrible, meno male [ Meno male is Italian for “Ah well,” or “Alas,”], at least I can tell people about moldy cheese in
Italian now and how it's caused. Goodness it was not fun at all, we
will not be doing that again haha.

So for my spiritual thought this week I have been studying more about
enduring patiently and then just enduring. I really like this from a talk
from Elder Neil A Maxwell…

"We gain knowledge through particular experiences, but only
incrementally, “in that thing.” (Alma 32:34.) Hence the ongoingness of
it all, and perhaps we can be forgiven for wondering, “Is there no
other way?” Personal, spiritual symmetry emerges only from the shaping
of prolonged obedience. Twigs are bent, not snapped, into shape.

     Without patient and meek endurance we will learn less, see less,
feel less, and hear less. We who are egocentric and impatient shut
down so much of our receiving capacity.

     In any case, brothers and sisters, how could there be refining
fires without enduring some heat? Or greater patience without enduring
some instructive waiting? Or more empathy without bearing one
another’s burdens--not only that others’ burdens may be lightened, but
that we may be enlightened through greater empathy? How can there be
later magnification without enduring some present deprivation?"

I like this cause I can either endure things and just go through
hard things cause I have to.. Or because I
want to and cause I love it. I am trying to be that twig that is being
bent instead of snapped. Well, I love y'all so much! I want to give a big shout out to my
brother for his big 15 tomorrow!! You’re such a stud, little man, and I
couldn't be a prouder brother! I love you, little savage.

Love y'all!!

Anziano Spencer