Week 50: June 20 (Brindisi)

KRAI (tomorrow in Pugliese)

Hey everybody! I hope that y'all are all doing well, and that summer
break is going good. Sorry that I am not going to be able to send a
long letter this week; we went and played calcio [soccer] today which was really
fun. It was also really sick cause I was able to play with my cousin.
That family unity, though, is real! We had a fun time. Kinda reminded me
of all the ultimate frisbee tournaments that we used to do at the reunions.
Also, in two days I hit my half-way mark on my mission, which is really
weird to think about.

So this week was really great. We have still been trying to find new
people but things are going well and we are seeing success. Something
that I have really seen in this city is that again, this is not my
work. This is the Lord’s work and I have seen that many times and have
again been humbled and will continuously be humbled as we follow the
spirt of where we should go and if we feel like we should talk to
someone and they accept and they are interested. We had about 3
specific experiences with that this week with finding some ragazzi who
are interested and knowing what we should do. Serving a mission is
incredible. Our friend G. is
progressing really well and has been coming to church, reading, and
praying. I am really excited and we are hoping and praying that he
continues to progress. It has been really cool to see how much he has
grown from not wanting to really talk and now coming to church and
wanting to learn. It makes me so happy and, to be honest, it is really
nice to see the fruits of our labors.

I was also able to have my first real branch correlation!! It was
awesome, and it was nice to see how people will work together and it
just kinda reminded me of home with people willing to support us. It made
me so happy! Okay, so there is this family that we are starting to work
with and they are sooo sick. We need to help them understand our
purpose cause that wasn't really established in the past and I am a
little worried that they just want to be friends with us and not
really have a desire to know if this is true. But, they just have one
son who is 26 and is so cool. He is a lifeguard and studied
performance and dancing and travels around doing kinda like Broadway stuff.
He also teaches hip hop... Ohh man he is soo sick.

A good experience that I was able to have this week was with one of
the members from Africa. With that cute little family I mentioned last week.
His family moved to Germany for a time and he will go as soon as he
figures out his documents, but he is the most humble man that I have
ever met. He told us some of his sad stories about his past and then
just mentioned how all he wants to do is serve God and provide for his
family. He is incredible and something that he mentioned to us, "is
that if we are humble then we will see the world in a different light."
I have thought about that a lot and I think it's very profound.

For my spiritual thought I want to share something that I read from
Come, Join With Us by President Uchtdorf (one of the counselors to our
prophet):

"It’s natural to have questions--the acorn of honest inquiry has often
sprouted and matured into a great oak of understanding. There are few
members of the Church who, at one time or another, have not wrestled
with serious or sensitive questions. One of the purposes of the Church
is to nurture and cultivate the seed of faith--even in the sometimes
sandy soil of doubt and uncertainty. Faith is to hope for things which
are not seen but which are true.

Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters--my dear friends--please,
first doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith. We must never
allow doubt to hold us prisoner and keep us from the divine love,
peace, and gifts that come through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ."

This talk really struck me this week as we ran into someone from
America this week. We were doing finding and I started talking to him
and he responds and says, “You're not from Utah, are you?" Lol totally
not expecting that.. He then goes on and explains that he was raised
Mormon and then he changed and now he doesn't come to church anymore.
As we were talking, this exact talk came into my head. It was sad cause
anything we were going to say was not going to really help, and so I
invited him to read the Book of Mormon.. Again.. And we went our
separate ways. It was an interesting time though, because as we were
talking, the quote from Anziano Bednar came into my head how God will
literally send the Apostles around the world to find that one... I
really hope that our friend will have a desire to come back to church
in the future. I love what President Uchtdorf says about doubting our
doubts before we doubt our faith. Our faith is something that can be
grown and nurtured and, like Alma states, grow into a tree. It's the
little things that affect us, like scripture reading everyday,
prayers, and attending church that really make the big difference. I know that is
true!!

I love you all so much! Sorry this letter is kinda all over the place.

Love,

Anziano Spencer


P.S I also wasn't able to personally thank my dad for everything that he
has taught, done for me, and continues to do for me through his love
and his example. I absolutely know without a doubt that I would not be
where I am today without his guidance in my life. I love you Dad!!
Happy Father’s Day!!

Sent from my iPad