Week 64: September 26 (Brindisi)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BUBBA!

I know I can't do much on your birthday little man, but I just wanted
to wish you a happy birthday and tell you how much I love you Caden!!
The big 12 is coming up--that's so awesome!!

I hope everyone is doing well! I don't have much time today so just
know that I am doing well and that I love being a missionary. Today we
are going to go spend some of our Pday at our friend Teodoro's house
because he invited us over and then we have some lessons tonight which
will be great. One of them I am a little nervous for because it's with
a family whose daughter stalked my little brother Gavin and the mom of
this daughter asked me if I could go dancing and to the beach. After
I denied her on both of those options she asked if she could get a picture
with us. It's going to be very interesting, but we want to use this
opportunity to share a message with the family, so we are praying that
things go well.

Things have been going well here in Brindisi. We have been planning a
really big party for all of our English Course and so that will be
tomorrow. Our branch president is expecting about 50
people to be there, excluding members, so we have been doing a lot of
publicity for it. We managed to go into two high schools as well and
so we are really hoping there is a good turn out. We want to keep
gaining our branch president’s trust and we hope that when our

friends meet the members in the church, they will enjoy it and we can invite
them to learn more. To "come and see." It's been good practice for
Anziano Young as well because he is a stud and is not afraid to grow
and so I have been trying to get him more comfortable talking to
people and so we were on the main road in centro doing more publicity
for this party and I told Anzaino Young to go on the left side of the
road and I would walk the right and to talk to everyone. There was a
lot of people out because it was a Satuarday night and it was good for
him. He was willing to just go for it and I like that. BUTATI BABY!!
(Throw yourself.. It's kinda my motto for the mission. Have no fear.)

D. has still been continuing to learn and to come to church. He
still needs to recognize what the spirit is and so we have been
studying a lot about faith and putting these things into practice so he
can feel. We try to ask him questions to help him identify that that's
the spirit but when we ask him those types of questions about his
feelings he always just says, "I don't know." So it's kinda tough, but
in the Bible Dictionary it talks about how as we accept the Gospel of

Jesus Christ and put the commandments into practice in our lives we
will be able to feel the influence of the Holy Ghost. This week Danny
has been praying every day and in our last lesson we asked him what he
has been feeling.. "I have been feeling good. And I don't know why.”
Well, it's a start!! We are hoping that things continue to go well with
him and that we will be able to find some new investigators as well.
There is one lady from English Course that said to me, "I don't really
come here to learn English. I just come to relax and listen to you
guys because I can see the light in your eyes. It helps me." PERFECT.
She will be at the party tomorrow and we are hoping we can talk to her
a little more.

We saw a very big miracle this week with some members that have not
come to church for many years. To be honest, like I explained in
my last email, I struggle with this type of finding because I feel like
I always have the worst luck and I haven't seen a lot of miracles with
it. But, Anziano Young and I felt like we should go to this one
family’s house even though they live very far away. We tried them last

week but they didn't answer and so we felt like we should try them
again. We went and they let us in!!! Not gonna lie, I was so nervous
because I wanted to get in so bad and so the first few minutes I did
everything I could to make them laugh and build trust and we ended up
having a really good discussion. (So this is my mind process..
Opens door. I see she is wearing a Nike shirt and tell her I like
Nike.. She then invites us in and I look over and see the dad stand up
and he has arms that are massive because he used to be a cop and is
still huge.. I go over and ask him if he goes to the gym.. I
then mention how my father is huge too and I get a smile out of him.
And then I mention how I want to one day beat him in an arm wrestle
which probably won't happen but I can always hope and they start
laughing.. They invite us to the table. Success..!) I was so scared Lolol. 

Unfortunately, in the past they were offended
by the members and so it's going to take a long time, but we are just
super grateful that we were able to get into their house. They are
super in gamba [in gamba means “with it”] though and would be such a strength to this branch.


I love you all! I am so excited for General Conference this week and
can't wait to hear what our Prophet has to say to us! We will be
watching it at the church like normal, just much later our time, just
like the last two times on my mission.

For my spiritual thought I wanted to share something with y'all that I
read on patience in the Book of Mormon. When a missionary named
Amulek is teaching a group of people, He says:

"40 And now my beloved brethren, I would exhort you to have patience,
and that ye bear with all manner of afflictions; that ye do not revile
against those who do cast you out because of your exceeding poverty,
lest ye become sinners like unto them;

41 But that ye have patience, and bear with those afflictions, with a
firm hope that ye shall one day rest from all your afflictions."

This really touched me this week because patience is honestly one of
my worst characteristics. I am really trying hard to grow it and this
week again was another week where I had that opportunity…:-)

Love you all!!

Happy Birthday again Caden!!!


Love,

Anziano Spencer

Chef Tristan commented on these pics: “Dad…check out these oysters! And Mom, the salad tastes just like a salad from you!” [As Mom, I am happy to hear him enthusing about salad!]