Ciao!: Week 81: Jan 23 (Roma)

ROMANACIA

Hey guys! I hope you all had a great week! Today we are playing calcio together with the combined two zones so I am super pumped. I don't have much time but I will try to hit the main highlights of what's going on here in Rome. It’s going to be great with the combined zones because a lot of my good friends are in the other zone, like Anziano Ridd, Anziano Stratton, etc... so it’s going to be a really good time. Right now I am sitting on the metro and it's not moving right now, lol, which could be a problem. This last week the metros were shut down for a day because there were a few earthquakes again right in the region that I am in in Italy. I honestly don't know how serious they were, but I felt about 3 hit when we were studying as our house started to sway back and forth. Another one hit while we were having DDM up on the sixth floor in the senior couple’s apartment. I am just grateful that the apartments are strong and that they sway back and forth and that's it. It’s a pretty weird sensation, but hopefully that's the last of the earthquakes for a while.

We saw a huge miracle last Wednesday that I really want to focus on. Last Tuesday night we planned for Wednesday night and planned basically the whole afternoon open because no one could meet with us... so about 5ish hours of finding. Then we got a call from the missionaries in our district telling us how there was an American family that wanted to take us all out to eat for dinner at a fancy restaurant in downtown Rome. The missionaries had gotten permission and not gonna lie, it sounded pretty cool, but my companion and I decided to stick to our plan and go finding. That night we were having some success but not a whole lot until we met these four HOMIES that we started talking to. All of them are GANS (young adult) age except for one who is a little older and kinda looks after these guys. We started to talk about who we were as missionaries and then one of them cuts into the conversation and starts going off on Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon and looked at his friend and was like, “ If you want to become Mormon you have to quit coffee.." I kinda cut him off just because I thought he was trying to freak out his friend, but then he looked at me and in English was like, "I was an investigator in England.. I almost was baptized but then I had to move two days before my baptism to Japan for a family emergency. I met the Elders there and then I moved here..." He then turns to all of his friends and was like, “Look at his tag that he is wearing.. it says the Church of Jesus Christ.. that means it's His church.." I was kinda shocked because I was not expecting all of a sudden this huge help from this guy we met, but then he starts talking to his friends about who we are and then talks about how "Joseph Smith could barely read and write, so therefore it is obvious that it was by the power of God that he translated the Book of Mormon..and that it’s true..." Ummm wow.

The next day we met with our 4 homies and they are all super sincere and all need the gospel in their own different ways. It’s pretty cool. As of now the one who was almost baptized in London does not open up when we ask him questions directly, but when we ask questions to his friends he backs us up. A really cool example of this was when we invited all of his friends to be baptized on the 18th of February. We always try to invite on our first lessons so our purpose is clear with our investigators... all of his friends started talking about how it was way to soon and that they couldn't do that. Their friend looked at them all and was like, "you have not even read the book and you’re saying no.. read first and you will know that this is true." It was so great to have him there. Unfortunately, they did not come to church, but they are going to come to the family night tonight with all of the other GANS and make some friendships. I am so grateful that we did not go out to eat at the restaurant!! Even though it would not have been a bad thing, we received such a huge blessing from focusing on our finding, and our purpose, and I am really excited to see where these four guys go and how they progress.

Another really powerful experience that I had was in a teaching lesson that I was in with Anziano Houseman. We do a lot of pass-off lessons to the other missionaries if we find people that are not GANS and if they are not a guy. First off, it was awesome to be in a lesson with one of my “brothers,” basically, from the MTC and teach together. Second, the spirit was really strong. We were teaching the Plan of Salvation and some questions came up that Anziano Houseman and I were both like.. ummmm ohhh boyyy that’s not your typical “Am I am child of God?" question. But there is a scripture that I want to share that will explain what happened that's found in the Doctrine and Covenants 100:

5 Therefore, verily I say unto you, lift up your voices unto this people; speak the thoughts that I shall put into your hearts, and you shall not be confounded before men;

6 For it shall be given you in the very hour, yea, in the very moment, what ye shall say.

All of a sudden, I knew exactly what to say and how to respond to his question, and I even was teaching kinda myself as I was speaking. After I finished the explanation our investigator was like, “Okay, that makes sense." Both Anziano Houseman and I were super happy with the way that the lesson went, and it was just another testimony builder to me that it truly shall be given to us in the very hour…even in the very moment... what we should say if we are listening to the spirit.

That’s about it for this week; I am excited to see what happens this coming week! We just finished playing zone calcio and it was a really good time. I think I brought honor to the Spencer name and repped my beast brothers, so I am happy. It was raining too, so it was great. Tonight we have family night and I really hope that we have a good turn out!

I love you all!! I hope y'all have a great week!

Vi voglio bene!!

Love,