Mornin peeps
So! This past week was pretty good. It went by suuuuper fast and I'm honestly not entirely sure how it's already Monday again but that kinda stuff just happens, so here we are again! The most exciting news is definitely that there was a baptism this week!
"From the baptism"
I talked a little bit about him last Monday and mentioned that he'd be baptized, and everything went smoothly this week. It was such a cool experience to see all of it done during Easter as well. I honestly can't think of a better time for someone to be baptized and confirmed as a member of the church than on Easter. I was able to officiate the confirmation as well, so that was a first and also a really cool experience for me. Having the priesthood on the earth once again is a great blessing that I'm only now coming to understand -- and that in just the smallest degree. God is good!
"Just some random place in the city that I thought was really pretty"
We also kinda had another tiny trio this week because Anziano Haws (if you guys remember, he's one of the other anziani in the house with me and my companion) needed to go get his permesso (it's basically a residency permit saying he's legal) from Rome, so we were with Anziano De Feo for one day as well. During the scambio (the exchange) I was able to learn a lot actually about myself and what I can improve. I think it's really interesting how quick we are to forget God and forget our testimonies. When I read in the Book of Mormon about how quickly the nephites were to turn from righteousness to wickedness I always think "man they're pretty dumb. I'd never do that!" But the same thing happens to each of us in different ways, and it's the mindset of "no it'll never happen to me" that gets us. For me, it's that one week I'm super pumped about missionary work and I work hard and am diligent and then the next week, I'm completely out of it. That's what the scambio helped me
realize. It reminded me that I can be better, that God needs more from me, and that I needed to recommit myself to the Lord. And it was cool, because after recognizing that, the next time we left the house I just started striking up conversations with people on the tram. No, there wasn't anyone who accepted a baptismal date right then haha. But it was nice to just be friends and talk about why I'm here. I think that's one of the best ways to share the gospel - just being a friend. Eventually the time will come when they'll remember what I said or they'll meet other missionaries, and it's at that point that's they'll be ready. I don't need to worry so much about being the change but just doing my part in pointing them towards Christ. If I do that with all the love my wimpy heart can muster, whether they accept the gospel now or later won't matter to me. If I've loved them and shared the
gospel, I'm happy☺
We also had an inspired district meeting
"The district!!...without the anziani from mistretta, that is."
this week in which we talked about the importance of the Holy Ghost. Time and time again, I'm baffled by how important the spirit is in missionary work. During the meeting, Sorella Garrett, one of the senior couples missionaries, mentioned how when the spirit guided us, he never forces us. She then made the relation to how when we pray, we can't pray to take away someone's agency. We shouldn't be praying for those around us to do something specific or to feel a certain way. Beyond going against their moral agency, it could also be going against the will of God. We can pray for them to be sensitive, sure, but the rest is up to us. How much more willing would God be to help us if we'd pray and ask to be able to be instruments in his hands and do his will? I thought it was a cool thought.
Again, happy Easter! Hope it was fantastic for all of you and that you all had time to ponder about the Savior's sacrifice for us. I was actually asked to give a talk this past week in sacrament meeting about what it means to be a follower of Christ, and even though I only had two days notice to prepare the talk, I had some thoughts come to mind that I wanted to share with you.
Christ, in the New Testament, invited fishermen to be his disciples by uttering the simple phrase "follow me". Of those disciples, it was said that they "straightway left their nets" or "immediately left the boat" to follow him. I really like the analogy used a few years ago in general conference where one of the apostles compared the nets to anything that's preventing us from being entirely engaged in following Christ. I then thought about what my nets are. What's preventing me from following Christ? It can be anything! And more than just recognizing what it is that's holding us back, we need to do what it takes to let those things go. We don't need to understand perfectly, and we don't need to have perfect faith. We just need to act on the tiny faith we do have and let go immediately. If we do, we can make the Savior's sacrifice for us more meaningful, more worthwhile in our personal lives. Let's not allow his love for us to go to waste! On a large scale, his sacrifice will never be considered a waste, but it's up to is to make it worth something in our own lives. Just as we can't take away the moral agency of others, he can't take away ours.
"From zone soccer last week"
I think though that the best promise is that when leaving our nets becomes hard, when the road to following Christ goes where we don't feel we can go, we can remember that he never asked us to do it alone. It's more than just following the Savior, it's walking with him. Because he is our resurrected Savior, we can do that everyday☀️
This upcoming week, we'll have zone conference! That's going to be exciting, so look forward to hearing about that next week.
"We were trying to get the person to take the photo so you could see the rest of the street in the background but they just COULDNT DO IT and I was angry but this photo turned out okay"
Buona settimana tutti☺✌🏼
May the glory ever be to God
"I mean they did get this one but I don't like it as much cause I'm not smiling"
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