Ragusa | week 11 {LAST week of writing before coming home!}

 Anziano Smith in Taormina, Italy

Anziano Smith with Anziano Kelley in Gela

Zone pday in the skinniest street in Taormina!

The church building in Ragusa! Looks beautiful

5.18.2015

So this is my last time emailing home before I come home next Tuesday, and I have no idea what to write. All I know is that I am going to miss this place. 

It made me think of a talk President Uchtdorf gave a couple years ago in which he talked about how we as mortals are not made for endings because we are made out of the "stuff" of eternity. We were not created for endings. It seems like whenever I shift from one phase of my life to another it is always tough.  I remember when I was 7 years old I cried so hard after my last baseball game of year cause I didn't want the season to finish. I have had similar feelings when friends have moved, when family members have started new phases of their lives, and as I finished high school and left on my mission. Now it is happening again as I am preparing to come home from my mission. However, the transition of coming home from a mission is quite different. Serving a mission is an experience that is unique from any other experience in the world. It is different than graduating high school/college, finishing a sports season, or moving to a different place. The reason why is because all of those things actually do have a permanent ending. When you graduate school, you will never take another test in that school again. When a season is over, you will never have any of those games back to play again. A mission is different, because our purpose here and the work we do here is never finished. This work is bringing to pass the glory of God which is eternal. When we come home we don't get a diploma or a trophy. The value of what we did is manifest in who we have become. 

There are truly no stats or grades that measure discipleship. I think the only true indicator is one's ability to love. Last week I had the chance to stay with Anziano Kelley in Gela for two days,  It was the best exchange of my mission, and I cannot describe why or how in words. All 3 appointments we had cancelled on us, and 2 buses didn't come which ruined our plans the second day. But nothing got Anziano Kelley down. Usually when appointments cancel on me, I just feel weighed down and disappointed. He was optimistic about it and said that the Lord prepared someone else for us to find and teach that night. So we did. He served me and taught me those two days like Christ would have by the way he worked, taught, his sense of humor, and the things he shared with me in our studies. We woke up both mornings at 5:45 to go running on the beach and went hard til 10:30 both nights. What I learned from Anziano Kelly was that his motivation was not a grade, a trophy, or recognition, but his only motivation is his love for the Lord and desire to serve him. That love is the true measure of success in a missionary to me. 

The beautiful thing is that that love does not have to stop after two years. The mission is only the beginning. Moroni said, "Charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him.Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure (Moroni 7:47-48)." 

Anziano Kelley taught me that as a disciple of Jesus Christ, someone who is trying to follow his example in loving other people, I can never consider myself as someone who has arrived. There is no trophy, medal, or diploma that we get when we come home saying that we mastered and perfected every Christ-like attribute and that we can retire now. I am so grateful for the opportunity to serve a mission for a million reasons. Going to college, and getting a job, and providing for a family are all necessary parts of life, but I can never lose sight of my end goal. In this life, I will never "arrive" because my hope is in eternal things. If I understand that concept, I will be comforted by the knowledge endings don't really have to be sad after all because they are only temporary. Those feelings of sadness are because my spirit is made out of the stuff of eternity, and I have not arrived at my eternal destination yet which is with Heavenly Father. 

Tante belle cose,

Anziano Smith

Ragusa | week 10

 Zone leaders came down to Ragusa for scambi

Service at Fratello di Martinos garden in his backyard, followed by pranzo from his kind wife!

Regan says they forgot how exhausting yard work could be!

Regan with Anziano Passantino on an exchange in Ragusa this week

Ragusa | week 9

 Pictures from the missionary conference from Sister Waddoups' blog! (Regan is in the back left)

5.4.2015

So it has only been 3 full days since I last wrote home, so this letter is more of a continuation of my last letter. 

The good news of the weekend was that we received permission for Nader to get baptized in 2 weeks in Milano. Usually the person must get baptized in the ward where they were taught/will belong too, but all of Nader's immediate family is in Milano, so this is a special situation. Assuming that we and the Miliano Anziani are able to finish all of the lessons, the 16th of May should be the big day. The first time we ever met with him was 3 weeks ago, and we asked why he was interested in meeting with us and learning more. He told us that his mom was a member, and he went to church with her occasionally growing up, but he never took religion too seriously. He moved down to Sicily about 4 months ago, and he has been working at a restaurant with his uncle who is a member here in Ragusa. For the first time in years he read the Book of Mormon because of a simple invitation from his uncle, and he said he felt a peace and joy he hadn't been able to find anywhere else. So, he decided to come to church with his uncle as well, and he got the same feelings again. However, whenever he wasn't reading or he wasn't in church, he couldn't find that same peace and joy he desired. So we explained to him that all of God's children could feel the influence of the Holy Ghost and that was what he felt when he read the Book of Mormon and came to church. But we explained that the only way he could always have this spirit to be with him was to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on hands after baptism. We read several scriptures from the New Testament and the Book of Mormon that taught this doctrine. The past 3 weeks he has been reading and praying consistently, and he has come to church each week although he has had to close at his restaurant Saturday nights which has kept him out until 2 or 3am. I have recognized obvious changes in him in these past few weeks, but it has also been very interesting to note the differences in Marco (Nader's uncle) and the rest of his family. They are very happy. I don't know their story or the problems they face as a family, but I know that their burdens have been lightened and they have found a renewed love for the gospel as they have shared their testimonies with Nader. As we have asked them how living specific commandments has blessed their lives, they have been able to notice the hand of God in their lives and feel of his mercy on them. That is the beautiful thing about sharing your testimony - you find it when you give it away. 

Our other new friend who asked about living apostles is Fabio. He is seriously the coolest guy ever. We met him in the church twice this week for lessons. He really loves music, especially the piano. Each time he has come, he has brought a piece of sheet music that Sorella Robertson has played on the piano for all of us. Afterwards, she has played a few hymns and we have all sung together. When I think of how many 29 year old Italian guys meets with the Mormon missionaries on Saturday night in the church to sing hymns and talk about religion, something tells me that number drops to 1 really fast. We are truly blessed to have met with him and be able to share the gospel with him. He said next week he wants to organize a dinner with us and some of his other friends from school who are studying English. I can't wait. 

I feel like the luckiest kid in the world to be able to finish my mission like I am. Anziano Brandon has been such a good companion, and we have seen so many miracles in the past 3 weeks. Another one just happened. A couple that Anziano Jorgenson and I met on the street 5 weeks ago or so just stopped in the church to ask if they could come to English Course tomorrow. We just finished talking to them for an hour about our missions and they invited us over to their house for dinner this weekend. I can honestly say that I love Italians with all my heart. All of the Italians who I have truly gotten to know treat me like a brother or a son. 

We have a great upcoming week planned including exchanges with the Gela and Catania Anziani. It's always fun to switch it up and work with new missionaries and different cities. Looking forward to it. 

Anziano Smith

Ragusa | week 8

 Anziano Smith, Anziano Morgan, Anziano Pingree

Regan with Anziano Blair

4.20.2015

A couple weeks ago I wrote about the list I made of the 30 biggest blessings I received on my mission. Well, I made that list a little too soon, because the past week and a half has included a couple that would have been on that list. On Tuesday Elder Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles came to Rome, and the whole mission was able to attend a conference with him from 9:30 to 4 on Tuesday. We only took a 30 minute break for lunch, and the rest of it was training, instruction, and a question and answer session. I literally felt like I was there for 15 minutes and it ended. I made sure to arrive very early, so I could secure a front row seat. As soon as the conference started, Elder Bednar asked us to move our chairs as close to the front as possible and fill in all the isles with chairs because the sound system wasn't great. So...my chair was literally 7 feet from the podium and 4 feet from Elder Bednar's chair on the stand. 

I will remember for the rest of my life the things that I felt as he spoke to us, and I will treasure those notes that I took as a missionary, husband, father, and leader in the church. 

Wednesday night after the conference we met with a guy we found last week who is about to graduate with the equivalent of a graduate degree in Economics. It was our second lesson with him, and we were going through the Restoration pamphlet with him. We got to the part about the Savior establishing his church and calling twelve apostles. After that he asked, "why is necessary for their to be 12 apostles on the earth today, if we can study the words of the apostles and prophets in the Bible? Isn't it the same gospel?" I will summarize what I said to him:

Yesterday we had the opportunity of going to Rome to here one of the living 12 apostles speak to us. At the end of 6 hours of instruction and training, he shared with us his apostolic witness of the Savior Jesus Christ. That his tomb is empty, he lives today, and he guides and directs his church today through revelation to his authorized servants. After that testimony he invoked a blessing upon us that would be able to "continue as we commenced" (D&C 9:5) from that very minute according to our desires and diligence. That night we took an 11 hour night train from Rome to Catania. We left Rome at 9:30pm and arrived in Catania at 8:30am. I slept for a total of 2 hours last night. This morning I taught 2 people in Catania at 11, ate lunch, took a 2 hour bus back to Ragusa, walked an hour away for another appointment at 5, had a meeting with our church leaders at 6:30, and now we are meeting you at 7:30. I have been serving as a missionary for almost 23 months now, and the past couple weeks I have been getting especially tired and worn out, but today I wasn't tired at all. I know that I was blessed with that strength because of the blessing of Elder Bednar. He holds the same priesthood keys Christ's apostles held, and old of the Old Testament prophets. It is because of the witness of a living apostle and his priesthood authority that I am delivering you this message right now. That is why it is important to have living apostles who deliver the same gospel found in the Bible. 

After that I said that to him, I thought even more deeply about my response to that question. I remember in high school when we watched videos trying to scare kids out of drinking, drugs, and sex. There were drug tests to enforce adherence to those rules too. However, the kids who wanted to do those things still did those things. Then I thought of the meeting I just sat in. We were over 200 kids between 18-21 for the most part, with no supervision, no rule enforcement, and much, much, much stricter rules. Why is it that we do our best to keep them? The best answer I came up with was from a story in the Book of Mormon. Alma gives us the following insight from his experience. "And now, as the preaching of the word (aka Elder Bednar testifying of the Savior) had a great tendency to lead the people to do that which was just—yea, it had had more powerful effect upon the minds of the people than the sword, or anything else (aka Pam Stenzel videos), which had happened unto them—therefore Alma thought it was expedient that they should try the virtue of the word of God (Alma 31:5)." It is because of living apostles that I want to keep God's commandments and they don't seem like a hinderment to my fun. 

Along with the conference, we have been blessed in many other ways the best week and a half. The referral's name we received in church last week is Nader. He is 24 years old and from Milano. It has been nothing short of a miracle to see someone change and grow so much in a such a short period of time. We have taught him only 5 times and he is praying reading the Book of Mormon each day, committed to live the law of chastity and word of wisdom, and he has come to church the past 2 Sundays. Originally we had a baptismal date with him for May 30th here in Ragusa, but he is going up to Milano for 2 weeks in the middle of the month. Right now we are trying to switch his baptism to May 16th in Milano so his whole family can see it. We haven't confirmed anything, but he told us one things is certain: he is getting baptized. 

Some people may wonder why we seek so much to help other people be baptized. That was another topic Elder Bendar talked about at the conference. He said, "If you asked the Savior what is the most important thing to him, what would he say?" He then said, the answer is in the Book of Mormon and the Bible. There is one instance in the Bible when Jesus has a limited amount of time with his apostles, and there is one instance in the Book of Mormon where he has limited time with the Nephites in America. At the passover meal in the New Testament, he instituted the ordinance of the sacrament. Among the Nephites he clarified the ordiance of baptism and instituted the ordinance of the sacrament. Therefore, the most important thing to the Savior is ordinances simply because that is the way that we can ultimately receive all of the blessings of his atoning sacrifice. We told that to Nader. We promised him that the Savior would be with him ever step of the way to help him live all the commandments he needed to live to get baptized because it is the most important thing to the Savior that he gets baptized and keeps that covenant for his whole life. That lesson was the one at 5 after the 11 hour night train ride, and it was one of the most spiritual of my mission. Suffice it to say, Elder Bedar really did bless a lot of missionaries and the Italian people because of his visit to Rome. 

Anziano Smith

Ragusa | week 7

 Ibla

 Cathedral of San Giorgio in Ragusa Ibla

April 20, 2015

This week i am emailing home from my phone which is a touch which has

definitely seen better days. Please excuse the disorder and probable T9

mistakes.

Last Saturday was my last transfer call of the mission, and i found out

that i will be finishing my mission here in ragusa with  Anziano Brandon.

We have been together now for 4 days, and i honestly could not be happier.

He has been out for 3 months and came down from Rome 2 where the assistants

live, and he also had a great trainer. So, he has brought a lot of

enthusiasm and energy to help me finish strong which is exactly what i

needed.

I have seen time and time again on my mission that when i am truly intent

on working hard and being obedient i am blessed. That is exactly what has

happened the past few days. Yesterday in church one of our members brought

a coworker to church out of nowhere, and he really enjoyed it. Last night

we ran into him on the street, and he invited us over on Tuesday. It was

such a miracle to me.

There was also another man who walked in the church right after we

finished, asking for a book of Mormon in Russian. He recently read it

in Italian, and it fascinated him so much he wanted a copy in his

native languge. As a missionary i have worked hard to find those who

are seeking truth, but it seems like they have always found me as soon

as I am ready.

The biggest highlight of the week was teaching Marco with iolanda (one

of our members). Iolanda was baptized a  year ago and is preparing to

leave on a mission this winter. We taught the restoration together,

and when we closed, Marco thanked HeavenlyFather for sending him these

3 missionaries to teach him the restored gospel. It wasn't until that

moment i realized 2 18 year olds and a 20 year old were teaching a

grown man with a family. Something i have realized on my mission is

that it really takes humility for someone to admit they don't have all

the answers and seek more spiritual light and truth...especially from

young kids. Today for pday we will be with missionaries from England,

France, Mexico, and the states, and Iolanda will soon represent

Ragusa. When i think of this incredible work we are engaged in i think

it may be part of what Nephi saw when he said, "i beheld the power of

the lamb of god, that it descended upon the saints of the church of

the lamb, and upon the covenant people of the lord, who were scattered

upon all the face of the earth; and they were armed with righteousness

and with power and with great glory (1 Nephi 14: 14).

Buon  NBA playoffs

Anziano Smith

Ragusa | week 6

4.13.2015

This week I completed step number 2 of my death packet which included writing a legacy letter. This letter is for all the new missionaries to read on their first day of the mission from the departing missionaries. Keep in mind this is coming from a mormon missionary to future mormon missionaries and includes the beliefs and ideas of Regan Smith and not the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I assume full responsibility for what is written. 

"On my mission I have come to know many of the mysteries of God. However, these mysteries are only the simple truths are taught in primary. The greatest of these mysteries is that obedience to the gospel is the law upon which happiness is predicated. 

Growing up, my dad and I loved a burger place called Ted's Montana Grill. Sometimes my dad would try to be healthy and order a Wedge Salad instead of a Bison Burger. In reality, the Wedge Salad had about 60g of fat because of the blue cheese dressing and bacon, while the bison burger only had about 40g of fat. 

In 325A.D. the adversary introduced the Wedge Salad to this country at the "Creed of Athanasius" and the world has believed it is the healthiest thing on the menu ever since. However, it cannot bring them the satisfaction or fulfillment for which they are searching because it is not in harmony with true doctrine. So...they have quit. They tried a diet with no success, so they went back to eating burgers. This is why Italy is one of the most secular countries on the face of the earth. It is full of all manner of iniquities (mafia, prostitution...bari spiders) which you will soon witness for yourself. 

However, Italians are truly incredible people. They are searching for something they don't even know is on the menu. When you tell them about it, they won't even believe you. It will be a complete mystery to them. It is a mystery you will never be able to convince them of on your own. The wedge salad tastes good, they like it (if they still eat it), and it is the tradition of their fathers. It is the chain that Satan veiled the whole earth with as he laughed and his angels rejoiced (Moses 7:26). 

The ONLY WAY for you to break this chain is to become an instrument in the hands of God as Ammon when he went to the Lamanites with his brothers (Alma 26: 14-15). He was able to become an instrument because he learned for himself the mystery of obedience. It is a pre-requisite for you to learn the mystery of obedience before you can help anyone come to know the mystery/truthfulness of the restored gospel. 

If you counsel with the Lord and pray for charity with all the energy of your heart, it will be a joy instead of a burden. I promise. 

There are more people pulling for you than you know - ex-missionaries, your family and friends, your mission president, the Italian members, the prophet, angels, your Savior, and your Heavenly Father. 

As you witness the joy that comes to the Italian people by obedience to true principles, you will see chains break as they come to "know the the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.", and your witness of the this gospel and this work will be undeniable."

As far as this week goes, we were truly blessed. We have an English course student named Marco, who has been a very close friend of the missionaries for several months now. He is working here in Ragusa, but his wife and kids have been living in Malta for some time for work and school. I actually met Marco in Malta at English Course about 4 months ago when he came to visit his family. Anyways, we were able to meet him on Thursday for a lesson for the first time since I have been in Ragusa. I knew beforehand that he was a really special man because of his humility and sincerity, but that was confirmed to me as we taught him. He truly wants to come closer to God and is willing to act on that desire. He came to church on Sunday, and everyone in the ward absolutely loves him. They already know him, his wife, and his kids because they use to come all together before they moved. Sunday night around 730 we were walking by the church and we saw Marco sitting outside in his car reading the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ. He told us he had some free time and felt that he should come to the church to read some. We went in together and read 2 Nephi 31 and Alma 32 back to back. It made my whole day. We asked him to say the closing prayer, but we forgot to go through the steps of our how pray first (address Heavenly Father, express gratitude for blessings/love for him, ask for blessings, and close in the name of Jesus Christ). The end of his prayer was one of the most epic things I have ever heard. Instead of saying "in the name of Jesus Christ, amen" he said "ti abbraccio, amen" which translates to "I hug you, amen." He is pure gold. 

Anziano Smith

Ragusa | week 5

April 6, 2015

Ill start of this week by venturing to tell a quick story of my mission to fix the shower since I arrived in Ragusa. So my first shower here consisted of mild temperature water dripping out of two of the holes of the shower head with no pressure. It literally took 25 minutes to shower with that quantity and pressure of water...so I called Fratello Chines who is in charge of the apartments for the missionaries in Sicily. When he came to check it out, the water started coming out a little more, and he said that was the best our shower could do without drilling a new device into the wall right next to our shower which would take a lot of work...so we agreed to deal with it. A couple weeks later I mentioned to President Waddoups that it might be a good idea to fix it, so the prolonged showers would not interfere with our study time in the morning. So, it was approved and finally installed this week. The two primary problems were fixed. Our water is now warm and the pressure works great. However, the new missile shaped device pointed towards our shower also seems to work as a fan blowing air on us as it provides pressure and heat to the water. Although there is a chilling effect, at least we can shower faster and thus get to our studies on time. I consider this a great success. 

On a more serious note, Easter Week was wonderful for us as we had opportunities to share the message of the Resurrection of the Savior with many people. On Tuesday after English Course, we shared the church's Easter video "Because He Lives." When it finished, everyone started clapping. I thought it was a little strange, but then I thought of Mosiah 18:11 when the people clapped their hands with joy after Alma had taught the people about the baptismal covenant. They were desirous to accept it. There were about 25 students, 1 of which was a member of the church. Usually at the end of corso, the 1 member who comes or one of the missionaries offers to say the closing prayer, but this time one of the students offered to pray vocally for the first time ever. I know she volunteered to pray because she felt the Holy Ghost which gave her the desire to pray to God. It brings me a lot of joy to hear someone pray vocally for the first time. I have heard it quite a few times on my mission, and the feeling is a great joy every time. 

(...Literally 2 seconds ago someone just walked in the church and asked if they could come to English Course. Thats another reason why our english course is so legit, is because everyone who comes always tell their friends about it. Almost every week at least 2 or 3 new people have come because they have heard about it from a friend. I have received like 4 member referrals my whole mission, and like 29473 non member referrals from english course. Service is the best.)

 I have to say, the first weekend in April and October are by far my two favorite weekends of the year, and the one in April doesn't have anything to do with the Final Four anymore. There is nothing that brings me more peace and joy than listening to and then following the counsel of God's Prophets in General Conference. As I am nearing the end of my mission, it naturally causes me to reflect on my service for the past two years as a missionary - the ways I have grown, the blessings I have received, and the knowledge and testimony I have gained. There is no greater blessing, knowledge, or lesson I have learned on my mission than the principle of grace that President Uchtdorf taught in the Sunday Morning Session of Conference. When I was a kid, I had a picture of what my mission would be like: teaching lessons all day everyday, working with perfect companions to teach the friends of all the members, and being full of joy all the time. That is the reward I thought missionaries got for being in the Lords work full-time. In reality, nothing has been quite that ideal other than probably the food. I have learned that the mission is an opportunity to follow the Savior Jesus Christ and do what he would do if he were here. There are moments in which I have done all the things I dreamed I would do, but they have come "by and by" like Alma described (Alma 32:42). More often than not, missionary work is difficult, and it is sad to see so many people make fun of or reject the message that could bless their lives so much if they would listen. All it is for us a missionaries is an opportunity to get the slightest glimpse into what the Savior felt on his mission as he was "despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not" (Isaiah 53:3). Not only the Jews who crucified him, but each one of us has turned our own way at some point in our lives for which he had to suffer. That understanding naturally brings love and reverence for what he did for us. That love and reverence will lead us to obey his commandments rather than just expect it for saying we believe in Him. The mission has also helped me gain a great sense of gratitude for the sinless life of Jesus Christ. I mess up so many times every day. I can't comprehend how he lived without ever messing up once. More than living perfectly, he performed the Atonement so we could change and become like him through his mercy and grace. It is available to all who will come unto Him and be baptized by the priesthood authority restored through the Prophet Joesph Smith. 

 I truly do know that every good thing I have received in my life and on my mission is not because I deserved it or earned it, but it is because of Gods grace and mercy. With these lessons in mind, I have recommitted myself to offer prayers pleading for forgiveness and thanking God for his mercy and the gift of His Son rather than just asking for what I want or think I need...like an ideal shower. 

Anziano Smith

Ragusa | week 4

 Elder Smith with Elder Anderson in Catania eating aracini

 

20 pound easter package full of sweets from one of Regan's best friends Francesco! This made his week!

3.30.2015

Today I am a little short on internet time. We came to Catania this morning for a zone soccer game/bbq for pday, and it was a blast. We rented a really nice soccer field for the 14 of us then grilled out 9 pounds of sausage and 9 pounds of horse meat on the Catania Anzianis balcony. I know it sounds really wierd, but horse meat is absolutely delicious. We have a really great zone and I am looking forward to working with the Catania Anziani tonight and tomorrow morning. 

Things in Ragusa went pretty well this week, but I have finally come to learn that when we are planning out our days we can never fully count on the public transportation. On Tuesday we went to a nearby town and planned on taking a bus home at 1. That bus was a no show and the next one to Ragusa was at 4. On Thursday we took another bus home in the afternoon that was over an hour late. A friend of the bus driver asked why he was so late, and he resonded "Its 2:30, I just finished lunch!" 

Anyways...aside from poor public transportation and horse meat, I had a great week. I was able to go to Gela to do an exchange with Anziano Jorgenson. Anziano Jorgenson has been out about 6 months but his language abilility, teaching skills, and spiritual maturity all exceed mine. He and his companion came to Gela together about 8 weeks ago with no one to work with really, and there are only 8 members of the church there. In the past 8 weeks they have found 14 people who they are now teaching. It was such a blessing to go out and work with him for one night and the next morning. His faith and hard work really inspired me to finish my mission as strong as possible. Speaking of the end of my mission, I received my "death packet" in Palermo two weeks ago at mission conference, and I began working on it this week. One of the assignments in it is to list 30 blessings I have received on my mission. I reflected on it a lot this week, and yesterday I completed my list. I never realized how much Heavenly Father blessed me on my mission until I really pondered about it. Some of the most special blessings we receive are not easily recognizable at first. I was filled with gratitude as I read over my list again last night noting that most of the attributes and talents I have developed on my mission are preparation to serve in different and even more meaningful ways going forward. It helped me realize that going home is not an end of missionary service but a beginning.

I hope everyone has an awesome Easter week and enjoys General Conference this weekend. If you havent seen it yet, you must see the church's new video for Easter "Because He Lives."  I certainly felt the Spirit as I watched it, and I am looking forward to sharing it with everyone at English Course tomorrow!

Anziano Smith

Ragusa | week 3

Great picture from Sister Waddoups blog! 

The best gelato in the world according to Regan!

3.23.2015

3 days of this week were spent traveling to and from mission conference in Palermo and learning from our leaders there. It seems like my whole mission wherever I have been serving has been the farthest area away from where the meetings are held. Im not sure why, but every time zone conference rolls around, its like Im going on a mini 3 day vacation. I thought having to fly from one country to another (Malta to Italy) was a bit absurd, but taking buses from one side of Sicily to the other proved to take even more time. However, it was probably the prettiest bus ride of my life. Sicily is such a beautiful island. My first Sunday here in Ragusa I was talking with the Elders Quorum President, and he asked me if I knew what God did after he finished creating the earth. I said, well, He put Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. He said, he did something before that. He kissed Sicily. It made me laugh so hard. Sicilians are definitely proud of their island. 

Mission Conference was wonderful. Elder Texiera of the Seventy visited with us, and he gave a remarkable training. He is one of the 3 area authorities for Europe. I spoke to his wife after the conference, and she said that they do 3 or 4 mission conferences a month in Europe and that is Elder Texiera's favorite assignment as a General Authority. He is certainly very good at inspiring missionaries, because he inspired all of us. I felt a strong desire to improve as a person and as a missionary in many areas. He trained us for about 2 hours without any notes, and he talked covered so many topics and told so many stories. Hearing him and Elder Kearon last year were such special experiences. Their knowledge of the gospel, personal experiences, and passion for the Lords work is contagious. It seriously runs in their blood. I cant wait to hear from Elder Bednar next month in Rome!

At the end of this week we had two great experiences. The first was on Saturday night at the Moores home. They are a member family from Nigeria who invited us over for dinner. We just so happened to show up at the same time as another couple they are friends with. Im not sure if they planned that out, but it sure went great. The 6 of us ate some African fried rice, and then we explained that we wanted to share a message before we left. We showed a Bible Video which naturally led into a conversation about their faith in Jesus Christ. We were able to share the message of the Restoration and the Moores shared their testimonies of the Book of Mormon and the Prophet Joseph Smith. I love the Moores.

The second unique experience of this week actually happened this morning. We got a call last night from the Sorelle because the husband of a woman they visit was in critical condition in the hospital. He was having heart problems and the doctors were not able to figure out what was going on. He wanted a priesthood blessing, so we offered to go visit him and his wife in the hospital this morning. Fortunately the nurses let us have some alone time with him in his room. After talking for about 15 minutes, we explained about the power and authority of the priesthood and how it has been restored by a living prophet just like in Biblical times. We laid our hands on his head and blessed him. We promised him that he would soon return to full health and go back home. It was a very simple blessing, but I felt so much peace inside, and this couple was extremely grateful. On our way walking out of the hospital several people were whispering about us, and some people started laughing. I used to get embarrassed sometimes, but I have seen too many miracles on my mission to ever be embarrassed of wearing my suit and tag everywhere I go. It reminded me of a scripture I have heard a million times: Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity (1 Timothy 4:12). 

Anziano Smith