Brindisi | week 5

This Saturday is transfer calls! I cannot believe how fast my first transfer has gone by. It will be really sad if any of us go. I am really hoping we all stay together at least one more.

Nevertheless, this week was quite eventful. To start off, English course on Thursday was awesome. We talked about music the whole time, and I had an impression that we should all sing O How Lovely Was the Morning for the spiritual thought and talk about the First Vision. Afterwards 2 people asked to be taught the lessons. Anziano Pizza and I taught Corridino on Friday morning. It was a really amazing experience. We taught about the purpose of this life and how the Atonement can help fulfill that purpose and find joy now and throughout eternity. We also gave him a Book of Mormon the day before and he read the first couple chapters. He went on a trip to Milan for a couple days, but he is coming back tomorrow. We are excited to meet with him again on Friday!

Friday night Anziano Brown and I went to visit Victor and Blessing again. I seriously love them. Their faith is so incredible. We taught Blessing about the importance of enduring to the end and Victor was able to share the most powerful testimony of his conversion and how this is what he really wants. It is incredible to see how the gospel can change people permanently! One thing I have learned personally in the past couple weeks is that the gospel is meant to change our natures, not just our behavior. It is a big adjustment for everyone who serves a mission because the schedule and all of the rules we have to keep. Now that I have been here for 5 weeks and had some opportunities to teach I am realizing that the schedule and rules are meant to change our very natures so we can teach with more convincing power. Instead of a burden it is so evident that they are a blessing. Diligence and patience are so important in this work because nothing comes immediately or easily.

President Casti and his wife invited us over for Pronzo yesterday and it was unbelievable. Ok, I know I use a lot of superlatives, but I am not kidding this time when I say that it was the best food I have ever tasted. They are such incredible people. They moved to Taranto a while ago which is a 45 minute trainride from Brindisi, but they still come to our branch because they love the people so much. It is so easy to feel their love for us. Also, behind their apartment is a patch of grass and it is the second time I have seen grass of any kind in Italy. In between courses of pronzo we all just played on their grass. It was so enjoyable. I honestly felt like I was in America.

So the spiritual thought for this week is about good questions. During my personal studies this week I have learned a ton and it is because I have learned to ask good questions. The scriptures have the same stories and the same sermons every time you open them, but they are literally an inexhaustible source of knowledge if you master asking good questions and searching for the answer. I have learned to look in my studies as to how I can help resolve peoples concerns that they may have. When I study out of love for another person and desiring them to come unto Christ, inspiration from on high can come.

I am really excited for September. There are like actually people home now. August is the biggest month for vacations in Italy, so it is starting to pick up a lot more now. Everyone who is going back to school, have fun! Haha

Love,

Anziano Smith

MTC | Week 5

My birthday was a solid start to my 5th week. Thank you so much to everyone who took the time to write me. It really meant a lot. I may not have the time to personally write everyone back, but please know that I love you all and appreciate your support. Pdays are getting busier and busier and will continue to do so when I actually go to Rome on Tuesday. The entire district enjoyed the huge edible arrangement I got for my bday. Many other districts were jealous. Also, Anziano Romano told his mom it was my bday and she sent me a Red Sox shirt. That meant a whole lot to me. In terms of gifts that we give, it really is the effort and thought put behind it that matters most. Romano also decided to throw a bday party for me that was prime. We had personal language study from 7:30 to 9 when we usually just sit at a desk and study out of a book. This night was much more fun. We found an empty classroom with a whiteboard and played a verb conjugating game. There are strict rules about no competition in the MTC so we never play any language games. However, due to the special occasion we had an intense game of conjugate that verb. No lie, it was actually a blast. 

This week at priesthood meeting President Willis gave a very powerful lesson on Repentance. We read in the Bible Dictionary that defined repentance as a change of mind. It is all about turning our hearts and desires toward God. He said something that really touched me. He said in the MTC you don't really have the opportunity to commit that many sins. In the mission field it is the same way. We are engaged in a good cause and we are constantly trying to build the kingdom of God. We don't do that many things that are rebellious or evil. However, he said we still have to get on our knees everynight and ask for forgiveness. He told us we must repent of everything we do that is keeping from coming closer to Christ-things that I have never even thought were bad. It might be a joke when it is not appropriate, not focusing as hard as I could during my personal study time, or something like that. Every single one of us has a great need for repentance everyday. He also talked about the people of Italy. They will have to repent before they are baptized. Before people are baptized they must make certain commitments. He listed 6 that will be specifically difficult for Italians. First, keeping the Sabbath day holy. He told us most Catholics in Italy go to church on Christmas and Easter for an hour or so. It is generally a day of recreation. We will ask them to come to 3 hours of church every Sunday and give up recreational activities for all of that day. We will ask them to live the Word of Wisdom. Italians take pride in their wine, most people smoke, and almost everyone drinks coffee. We will ask them to live the law of chastity. He told us it is common for couples to separate and move in with someone else without ever getting a divorce because they don't want to go through all that trouble. We will ask them to pray sincerely to Heavenly Father every morning and every night. He told us many Catholics pray to Mary and saints, and it is even rare for there to be prayer at meals. We will ask them to study their scriptures every day and seek personal revelation and inspiration. Many people there believe they can get all they need from the priest and rarely study. We will ask them to live the law of tithing. Most people contribute a couple euros at Christmas and Easter and feel that is good enough. These 6 committements are HUGE! How would they ever desire/be able to do this? President Miller promised us that through our testimonies of the Restoration of the Gospel and the infinite power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ these changes are possible. All things are possible through power of the Atonement. 

Yesterday our district read Judges 6-7 together. That is the story about Gideon leading his people to battle. The Lord cut his army from 30,000 down to 300. If there was 30,000 soldiers it wouldn't have been a miracle and a lot of people would have died. Instead, the Lord cut Gideons army down to 300. They won and nobody died. The Lord did this to show forth his own power. We then read Ether 12:27 from the Book of Mormon which says, "And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is suffiecient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them." After we read this Fratello Weller told us to never forget for one minute of our missions whose work this is. This is the work of the Almighty God and he is a God of miracles. The Book of Mormon teaches us that he can only work among the children of men according to their faith. I will probably never see a battle won by 300 people against an army of tens of thousands, I will never see a sea part or someone walk on water, but I will see miracles that are just as great. I will see people change their lives. I will see the effects and blessings of the greatest miracle of all time: the Atonement. I will see people's hearts change through repenting and keeping the committments listed above. I have already seen it, but it is amazing every time it happens. In Elder Bednar's "Character of Christ" talk I have watched the past two weeks he talked about the story of the brother of Jared in Ether 3. The Lord touched 16 stones one by one to light the 8 vessels so they could cross the sea. Each one alluminated as the Lord touched it, but the brother of Jared didn't see the finger of the Lord until they were all aluminated. He compared the stones to the people we will teach on our mission. When the first one lights up, we will be shocked and suprised. Each time we see a life change our faith will grow stronger and stronger until we have a perfect knowledge and then we will see the finger of the Lord like the brother of Jared. Our faith will be confirmed by evidence. This evidence will give us pure knowledge. Elder Bednar promised us that. If we have faith in Jesus Christ we will know him with a pure knowledge which is to have eternal life (John 17:3). 

We leave on Tuesday morning at 7:30 for the airport. Last night we had a devotional which was perfect for us right before we leave. It was by President Hinckley's son. He told us that the absolute worst thing that could possibly happen on a mission is that you come home with regrets. He said you will come home and say "I wish I had" or "I'm glad I did." I'm so glad I have my whole mission before me. I have never learned so much in 5 weeks in my life. I certainly have never worked this hard in my whole life and I have never been closer to Christ either. There is nowhere I would rather be than right here. I most likely will not be writing next week since my plane lands in Rome on Wednesday at 2:20pm. We got our travel plans. There are 49 elders total flying to Italy that day ( 22 Rome, 27 Milan), but I am only flying with 10 others. I can't wait. It's alphabetical order so I will be with Anziano Rigby, Romano, and Robinson. Three of my all time favorites. So long for two weeks. 

Love,

Anziano Smith