Caserta | week 16 {Pompeii, St.Patrick's Day, ugly ties}

Sister Salviti took the missionaries to Pompeii for P-day today and these are some of the photos she took!

Sunday lunch 

Anziano Hatch and Anziano Smith with the Fusco Family 

3.17.2014

This past week was seriously too good to be true. Anziano Hatch and I feel like we have found our long lost brothers in Antonio and Daniel. I remember the first time we met them at the train station in Maddaloni and I knew they were awesome from the beginning. They seriously just make everyone around them happy all of the time. It is incredible. Today after we go to Pompeii with the Salvitis, they are coming over for dinner with us and I can already guarantee it will be a night never to be forgotten. The thing that is most incredible about them though is their desire to learn the gospel. We taught them a whopping 5 lessons last week which included watching a talk by President Monson, church movies, reading from the Book of Mormon, and other stuff. Anziano Hatch and I try our best, but we arent necessarily the best teachers in the world. Their progress is seriously coming from within themselves and not from anything we are doing. We are nothing more the instruments in the hands of the Lord that are presenting the gospel. They will seriously be our brothers for life.

Last night we went over the the Fusco family's home and it was a very special experience. That family is beautiful and they are incredibly nice. We stop by their bakery to talk and see how things are going almost every day, but Sunday is their only day off of the week. Last night we spent a solid two hours at their house getting to know them better and then we had an incredible lesson with a Plan of Salvation puzzle thing that Anziano Hatch has. Then we read the Family Proclamation together. It makes me so happy to see families like them who are so happy and such good people. Anyways, two weeks ago Anziano Hatch and I went to Napoli, and we found a tie stand near the station that was selling the ugliest ties I have ever seen for 1 euro. We bought a bunch and have  been wearing them every day the past two weeks. Last night I think our ties were hurting Maurizios eyes so he brought each of us a tie from his closet. He gave me this white and black checkered tie that is honestly my new favorite tie. It is something I will wear the rest of my life and I will never forget that family. Teaching in their home last night really helped me understand the importance of having charity, or the pure love of Christ. If I dont have charity for those I am teaching, then I am really just saying words. But last night was really special because we really felt love for that family and we were not just saying words. We were sharing the things of our soul and the Spirit was really strong. It has been an incredible blessing to get to know them and teach them.

Last night Hatch, Tingey, and I read our mission journals to each other from our first week in the MTC and it was absolutely hysterical. It is funny to look back and see how far we have come. Reading statements like "The gift of tongues is real" from day 5 and "The days are flying by already" on day 8 were some of my favorites. Coming on the mission was the best choice that I have ever made for several reasons. One of which being the personal growth that I have made, but more importantly for the relationships that I have made and the joy of sharing the gospel with other people. It fills me with incredible joy to here about mission calls that are being received by those who will leave this summer. It is really humbling to know that missionaries are working hard all over the globe the bring this glorious message to all who are wanting to learn more about Jesus Christ. Im am sincerely grateful to be a part of this work.

Anziano Smith