Week 29--Jan 25 (Trapani)

Trapani Week 7!!

What is up everyone?! Life is soo good and I love serving a mission!!
So this week was pretty interesting, just like every week, which is awesome. 

This Saturday we receive transfer calls and I
really hope that I get to stay here in Trapani with Anziano Garrett.
If anything, I think that he might get called to be a zone leader
somewhere because he's so awesome, but I hope that we get to stay another
transfer together cause we  get along really well. I didn't know this about
myself though, but apparently I sleep talk at night and the other
morning Anziano Garrett was like, "Dude.. You were doing finding in
your sleep last night. You were saying Ciao! Come Stai??"And he was so
confused cause I woke him up and I was just saying this like I was
doing street contacting or something. I think this is so sick cause I
had no idea, and the language is coming along nicely now which has
been a huge blessing. Sweet, speaking Italian in my sleep oh yeahh
haha. [Editor’s note: Tristan must have forgotten he does this, because we’ve all heard him and told him this in the past!]

So this week Anziano Garrett and I were able to see a lot of miracles
that were really awesome. Three weeks ago, I wrote home about how we
found this less-active guy that was sitting in his car. Anyway we
walked past that same spot last Monday night and he was in the car
again. This time he got out of his car and he came over and was like
"What is up anziani!!" And then he got our number because he wants us
to come over. (Which was really cool cause we tried to talk to him
about the gospel, but he was pretty closed during our first meeting) And then
he was getting back in his car and he got out again and said, "Ya know
I am going to tell you one thing... It's strange ya know. I prayed for
you guys...And you guys came." And then he got into his car and drove
away. That was a really big miracle for me because we were an answer
to his prayer. Anziano Garrett and I are really trying hard to
follow the spirit in where we go and what we do, so it was a testimony
builder to me that we were guided to that place and we were an answer
to his prayer.

Another really good experience that we had is there is this less-
active guy who served a mission in Milan about 25 years ago. He knows
really good English and we were finally able to get over to his house.
We started talking and he told us about his mission and then we
shared a video about Jesus Christ, Because He Lives. It was powerful
and the spirit was definitely there. He opened up afterwards and told
us how he doesn't feel like he has a good relationship with God right
now. He then explained how he's losing his job soon and he's going
through a really tough time. We are going back this week and we
are going to keep seeing him. He then explained how it's hard to think
that he gave two years of his life to serve and teach others about the
gospel of Jesus Christ and to see how that's changed. That just really
reminded me that we always have to be growing and learning in the
Gospel and always doing the little things to stay strong like prayer,
scripture study, going to church, cause he is there but we also have
to do our part too.  I am really excited because he is very humble
and very sincere and we want to help him the best way that we can.

One thing that I think is super sick here in Sicily and Italy is how much people talk with their hands. It's not a
stereotype; it’s so true and I love it, and I and am doing my best to
learn it haha. I will try to explain the best that I can. Okay so if
you take your thumb and make a slash mark across your cheek that means
Mafia. So legit, but if you are saying like you need to watch out for
that guy cause he's kinda sly you rub the skin close to your eye. And
then if someone is saying something like death then they take three
fingers and twirl them in the air. SO basically if you see someone do
a Mafia slash and then three fingers you’re done. Umm another one is if
someone puts their hand underneath their cheek then pulls forward that
means "I don't really care.” It's all really cool and interesting, not
gonna lie I think the Mafia one is so sick haha. But people just all use
hand symbols when you are talking to them cause it shows that they are
thinking; it's not directed at you when you’re talking. It's the
strangest thing, but it's so cool.

So my spiritual thought this week is on attitude, because not gonna
lie like if I am being honest this week was hard; this city is pretty
hard haha. But that's not important. What matters is how I look at
this situation and focus on the things that I can do and know if I do
my best, then that's what matters. And that's what I am doing and I am super
happy. Like I truly believe that I am seeing success, just different
ways than I had expected and it helps when I am happy and finding the
joy and laughing about the little things. There is this quote that I
really like that was given a long time ago in General Conference-

"A person’s attitude is perhaps the hardest of all personal attributes
to change. If your attitude is right, then your life is made right. If
your heart is touched, your mind and way of thinking will change and
your life will change for the better accordingly. I believe we must
become so immersed in the gospel of Jesus Christ that we become
physically as well as mentally more and more like the Lord himself. We
must yield our whole hearts to him. What we then do is done not
because we are asked to, nor because we are forced to, but because we
want to. Neither pressure nor force can be exerted upon us from
outside, when what we do is done because it is our own choice and
desire. It then makes no difference to us what other men may think, or
say, or do. Our hearts being committed wholly to God, what we do is
done out of our love for and our trust in him. We then serve God in
every way we can because we have been converted, our attitude has been
changed and we now desire to become like him both spiritually and
physically.”

I think that is so true because as my attitude becomes closer to serving
God and doing my best, then it doesn't matter what people think of me
or how many numbers I am getting at the end of the week. Sure, I would
like them to be higher, but I guess the Lord is trying to teach me
other things right now.

Well, I love you all!! Thanks for all your support and prayers!

The Gospel is True!!!

Vi voglio bene!

Anziano Spencer

Pictures of the salt flats on the way to a lesson: