Rome 5 | week 5

 Driveway to Vaccoronos house

5.5.2014

This week we were really lucky to be able to visit a lot great families. It started off by visiting the Salminci family. They are the friends of a family in our branch and have been to church 2 or 3 times in the past. We met them last week at a party at Mamma Gigantes house, and they invited us over for dinner at their house. It was a really cool experience. There was a really big soccer game coming on at 8:30 that the father told us he had to see at least 3 times. His wife took a little longer than expected to finish making dinner, so we didnt finish eating until right at 8:30, but we told them right when we got their that we wanted to have a short lesson after dinner. He turned off the tv and missed the first 15 minutes of the soccer game to listen to our message. This may not seem like a big deal to all of you not sports fans, but for those of us who are truly attached to a team, you would know that this was a miracle. I have a vivid memory of 4 years ago in January when the missionaries came over to my house for dinner. Duke was playing Wake Forest and the missionaries asked me to turn of the tv for a spiritual thought. I scherz not, I was offended at those missionaries for weeks. Anyways, I respect people when they have games to watch. It was super nice of Ricardo to listen to us while Man U was playing a semifinal game in some tournament. 

May 1st was a holiday and we had two awesome appointments. One was a ward party at President Crisciones house for a cookout. It was the 3rd time I have had Mexican food on my mission. It was so good. After we ate, President Criscione, Brother Canzachi (his second counselor), and Brother Bruno asked me if I was descent at ping pong. I said yes, but at that time I had no idea what I was getting myself into. Brother Canzachi changes, puts on a headband, and get his personal paddle that he brought and sprayed it down with some stuff. They were the 3 best ping pong players I have ever seen. They destroyed me and it was kind of embarassing. It was a fun afternoon nonetheless. Then I taught my first English Course since I have been in Rome (the sorelle usually do it) which was also fun. The best part of the day was going to the De Nunzios. They spent 8 hours over the course of 2 days making us arinchini. I dont know why but I felt a special connection with that family the first time I met them, and I love them a lot. They are incredible people. Fratello De Nunzios parents and uncle were there as well who are not members. After eating, we had an awesome lesson on the Saviors love and read 3 Nephi 17:15-25 together. It was a special lesson. Teaching from that chapter really helped me feel the Saviors love a lot stronger. 

On Saturday we had a Zone Conference at Rome 1, and Elder Snow came who is in the First Quorum of the Seventy. His message was absolutely perfect. He is over the church history department, and focused his remarks and learning from the past and always remembering. He read Moroni 10:3 which we read to all of the people we teach and related it to keeping a journal and always being grateful for the tender mercies of the Lord. It was an incredible message to us all. If we are reading the Book of Mormon, praying, and going to church, we all have plenty manifestations that Heavenly Father lives and loves us, we just need to recognize and remember them. After the conference we stopped by the temple to take a pic cause it was on the way. It is making real progress. Made me way happy.

Speaking of remembering, I wanted to share one more thing. Honestly, this week was a really tough week. Anziano Gemmell and I worked really hard and contacted a lot of people. So far none of them have come through. This morning I was looking through my journal deciding what I would write about, and I realized this week was incredible. We had some awesome appointments and a lot of other awesome stuff I dont have time to write about. Honestly, I didnt even realize it was a good week until I went back and looked at my journal and remembered the blessings the Lord poured out on us. It really reminded me of the importance of taking the time to stop and think of our blessings and truly being grateful. I can remember talks in General Conference from President Monson and Uchtdorf about the importance of gratitude for our daily happiness, and I truly understood why this week. The Lord wants us to say thank you and recognize His hand in all things. And thus it is. 

Anziano Smith

Rome 5 | week 4 {Vatican, Coliseum, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, all in 1 p-day!}

Piazza del Popolo

Vatican

Vatican

 Trevi Fountain

 Coliseum

 Coliseum

 Coliseum

Spanish Steps

Spanish Steps

Gelato!

 Trevi Fountain

Trevi Fountain

4.28.14

So, as you can probably tell from the pictures last pday rocked. We went to Rome and met up with the Anziani from Ostia which are Anziano Baggaley and Anziano Zemp. Zemp and Gemmell were companions in Bitonto and Baggaley and I were really close last summer in Brindisi/Lecce. It was so fun being in Rome all day with them. I also get to see Anziano Pizza and McCllelan every Tuesday at District Meeting. We drive to Terni to have DDM in their chapel every week and it is a lot of fun. It is so good to meet up with missionaries I have served with in the past. They are seriously like brothers to me. 

Unfortuately, most of the people we have been seeing were busy this week, but it still ended up being really fun and productive. On Thursday night we had a party for English Course in the Hotel. The Sisters made banana bread and all of the Italians wanted the recipe. It was really good. I totally forgot how much I loved banana bread. Anyways, the English Course at the church is the Sisters course, but we always go to do lessons/they need a ride home after because the buses dont run that late. Anyways, we went to their party and became good friends with some of the guys from the corso and I think we are going to get a pizza with them and do a lesson at the end of this week, so we are looking forward to that. After corso, we tried to go find a contact that the sisters have at eurohotel which was right across the street. We took the wrong exit on the roundabout and got an a freeway towards Napoli that had no exit for 30 minutes. We ended up paying 6 euro in tolls and took us forever to get back. We will use the nav for everything from now on. 

Friday night we got to go visit the De Nunzio family from a ward. They are so cool and live in a village on the top of a mountain that is sweet. They had some friends visiting from the North who are investigating the church, and we were able to leave a message on the Restoration. It went super well, and we are headed back over there on Thursday night. Fratello De Nunzio is from Tropany (in Siciliy) and he wants to make us arinchini (probably the most famous Sicilian food). It is a holiday here in Italy May 1st, so we will go there for dinner and a lesson with their friends who will still be in town. Should be fun.

Saturday morning we went to Rome so I could get certified to drive the car. In New Zealand they drive on the left, so Anziano Gemmell and I felt more safe about me driving the car, haha. We met President Waddoups at about 11. I thought it was going to be a 5 minute stroll around the block. Instead we drove around Rome for a solid hour, and he took us to the temple as well. It made me so happy to see the temple. It looks really good, and I think it will be done before I finish! 

On Saturday night we met with a man named Hector who the Sisters found a couple weeks ago. He was so nice to us, and he was really humble. He and his wife are from Albania, and they moved here and have 2 kids. We had a great Plan of Salvation lesson, and he really wants to come to church next week. Hopefully there is more to report on that next week.

Anziano Gemmell and I both started to get a little fatigued from journal writing this week. I have missed 2 or 3 days my whole mission of writing. Nontheless, at times when it is 10 oclock there is no desire to put any thought into writing. This week we came up with a game to make journal writing very amusing. We started writing in our journals using Book of Mormon language. Now it is the funnest part of the day. I will quote a few entries from my journal this week:

And it came to pass that Pres said, what doest thou desire to see? And we said, the house of the Lord. And thus we began to ascend to the mountain of the Lord. As we thus arrived, we stopped our journey for the space of 10 minutes for a picture. While I labored to release the parking break, Pres said unto me, art thou a wimp? And it came to pass that Gemmell began to mock me as well. Nevertheless, I heeded them not. 

The day was far spent, and we decided to stop to talk to 8 ragazzi in the piazza. A girl from the land of Napoli reached to hug me. I said, reach thou not youngblood. I am not yet released from my calling.

And it came to pass that as we began to journey towards EuroHotel, we did err. Or in other words, Anziano Gemmell did err insomuch that he put the navigation away. And it came to pass that we lost our journey towards the land of Napoli for 30 minutes and were taxed with 6 onti (which were equivalent to 6 euro, or in other words 2 nopton pizzas). And we humbled ourselves by grabbing the navigation we recommenced our journey towards EuroHotel. 

And while we were thus laboring with all our might, we began to obtain buckets. 

This is abnoxious. I know. However, we are having a lot of fun as you can tell. Hope everyone was a great week as well.

Anziano Smith