Week 46: May 23 (Trapani)

TRAPANI WEEK 23??

Wazzupp everyone! Okay, so today we are actually not going to Favinana;
we are planning on going there next week. Instead, we are going to go
down to the city center and walk around and get some play-off shirts
for Trapani. The city here is getting super hyped because of Calcio.
The way that it works here is there are different series like Seria A,
B, C and Trapani is in Seria B. But, apparently they are really good
and these past few weeks they have beaten Bari and Calgiari (in
Sardegna), so our little city is rising up with the big leagues. It's
pretty sick, not going to lie, and at night in the apartment we can hear
all of our neighbors yelling and going crazy over it. It's the best,
Trapani is sooo sick. So this week we have Zone Conference which
is going to be really fun.  I like seeing the other missionaries
from the Zone, and then we get transfer calls this Saturday. I don't
really know what is going to happen cause I have been here six months in
this city and so I could be getting transfered. Or I might stay, so I
will let y'all know next week.

This week, on the other hand, was sooo sick. We saw so many miracles, but
I want to tell y'all the main ones that really touched me.

Miracle Number 1- Okay, so we are seeing a lot more success with the
ragazzi here. We are working with a couple now and we met this one 16-
year-old atheist who is actually pretty interested. We were able to
have a lesson with him in this park right next to the biggest Catholic
Church in the city so that was kinda awkward, but there was nowhere
else to go haha. Anyway, after we explained the Book of Mormon and the
Restoration, we invited him to say a prayer. He told us that he has
never prayed before in his life, but we talked about it and he did!!
It was so awesome and it made me really happy. We have a lot to work
on with him but things are going well right now.

Miracle Number 2-So when I first got here to Trapani, we tried working
with this family with four kids but they were not that interested. We
would pass by every once in a while, but things were not really going
anywhere, so we kinda stopped going. Every once in a while we would
pass by but not a lot. So while we were heading back to our apartment,
I got a really strong impression to go to her house. I kinda shrugged
it off, expecting her not to be there and then I realized how lame I
was being and so we went to her house. We knocked on the door and she
opened it and let us in (which has never happened). She sat us down
and explained how that day she was extremely sad because she and her
husband have been fighting and that they for right now are living
separately. I asked her how long ago he left and she said that he left
that morning.. Umm what? And then she explained how she was sorry the
past few times she has never let us in because with her husband there
he didn't want to talk to us but she was willing. And in that moment
she really needed a message of hope. Ohhh my gosh, probably one of the
biggest miracles I have seen on my mission. The spirit is so real and
I am grateful that I was guided to go to that house because now we are
meeting with her again and explaining more about the Book of Mormon
and the Restoration for her to fully understand how much this could
mean for her and her family. The spirit is real, and I am so grateful
that God is watching out for all of his children. The first time we
left her with some specific scriptures to read about when Jesus Christ
came to the Americas. When we went back for the second time she had
read all that we asked and told us that she received specific answers

that she was looking for and feels a lot better. She then was like,
"It's weird because it's a book and how much it helped me but this is
true.. It's true.." OHHH YESSS that book is true haha. The lessons
with her are super fun and just a learning experience cause the kids
act like kids. While we are talking about our message, her kids are in
the back like messing with their little pet turtle, dumping water
everywhere, all this stuff. It's awesome, they are just like kids-- I
love it haha.

Miracle Number 3- We have been working with one of our good friends
from English course for a long time just to get him to pray. He had a
bad experience when he was younger and he kinda felt that God
abandoned him and so now he has not prayed for a very long time. Or
even come to church. So he came to the lesson super sad with some of
the things that are going on in his life and so we changed the lesson
to sharing hope of God’s light and reading 3 Nephi 11. At the end we
talked about prayer and challenged him to do it, and he did!! Oh my
gosh: he prayed! I am so happy and it might not sound like a big deal
but it really was; he is an awesome guy and afterward he was like,
"Ahh I always love talking to y'all cause afterwards I always feel
good and kinda like a protection.." Umm yeah, so sick we will be
talking more about what that protection is. ;)

It was a great week; we have still been looking for more investigators,
so finding is usually what we do, but it's sick. I don't really mind and we
get to meet a lot of new people. Last Monday we were walking and
someone drove by and was like "Missionaries" and it was this homie guy
fromTennessee. It was weird cause he stopped and I shook his hand and

then like almost kissed his cheeks like normal here, cause I am so
used to it. One of my most favorite members is still planning on going
on his mission and so we have been answering his questions with that
and that makes me so happy. Also, I was able to work with Anziano
Ridd, who is a new missionary from Texas. He is absolutely on fire
and his energy is incredible. I loved it so much as we were talking;

he was like, "Bro I still can't believe I am here, I love this, I

absolutely love being here. Talking about Christ with people for two
years. I love this so much.”
You're right, my man, being a missionary is so sick.

So for my spiritual thought I wanted to share something from the Bible
that I read that is so true to me,

"2 Corinthians 4

16 For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish,
yet the inward man is renewed day by day.

17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us
a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;"

I know that is true. I know sometimes in my past letters I have been
pretty hard on Trapani, just because yes, it is tough, but something that
I have seen is through my experiences and through the "affliction" but
I know also that my "inward man was and is renewed day by day" and I
absolutely love this city so much now. It's weird how that works but I
really do.  I love the branch, I love the people (even the little
drunk man that comes up and baches me and almost kisses me always.. So
awesome), I love the work, and I love serving the Lord here. I know
that maybe I won't be able to see the fruits of some of the things
that I have done here (maybe I will be here for the rest of my mission,
who knows) but I am grateful for the things I have learned and grown
from. I love y'all!!

Vi Voglio BENE!!

Anziano Spencer

The anziani with the guy from Tennessee that Tristan managed to refrain from "baching" (kissing). 

You just don't see that every day (or ever) in Flower Mound!

Add caption

A young man going back out on his mission (after health challenges brought him home). 

Members that Tristan loves!

Anziano Olsen receives some love from a drunken man. :-)

Finding.

Some of Tristan's favorite branch members.

Anziano Spencer's stomping grounds: Centro, where they do most of their finding (street contacting).