What was most
impressive thing you saw this week?
This week for P-day we went to Centro with all the
missionaries who are about to finish. It was really fun seeing the Coliseum
(for the 50th time) and all the other sights here in Rome. It was really
relaxing and really fun to reminisce with all of my mission friends about
exchanges and transfers and all the other awesome things in the mission. For
the last 2 days the missionaries come up here to kind of hang out until they
report to the mission home for their final night. This group of missionaries
has been really awesome to me. Lots of good friends. I have essentially done my
whole mission with these guys so it’s sad to see them go. But I will see them
on the other side in a few months.
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Who was the most interesting person you talked to this week?
We did finding this week and found our way into this
ghetto with tons of Indian and Bangladesh people. Not a soul there spoke Italian,
but I can tell you there were a lot of interesting things to see and smell
there. Fishes and curry. Children running amuck, burning down trash cans and
the lot. We met some really nice people and we actually found a lady from Peru
who was a member there but moved here and did not know the church existed here
in Rome. So that was actually really cool!
We also met with a Nigerian Family this week. They live
in this housing complex of Iranians, Pakinstani, Ivory Coast, and Palestine
peoples. We started doing a lesson in the big community dining room but soon
after we started we got bombarded by all the kids from their different
countries. They thought we were so cool because we were from America. Man... We
really are super lucky to live where we do.
What was your best lesson of the week and why?
We taught a lesson to our homie named Marco. We taught
Word of Wisdom and he didn’t even question anything. It felt way too easy... I
was a super junky teacher but he accepted everything without a question. I hope
it will be that easy for the rest of the commandments. This will be really cool
if he gets baptized.
What are your overall feelings about your
mission so far?
I was a little frustrated this week because I have worked
so hard to see baptisms and see people change. Missionary work is really frustrating
because you never see the results of your efforts. I was really sad because
that guy that was baptized here a few weeks ago hasn’t really come to church or
quit smoking. I was just really frustrated because all I want to do on my
mission is see people change. I was sad because I feel like all of the people I
have worked with have not really done that. Va be. I try at the end of every day
to say that I have done my best and it is really all up to them. I really just
want to form some personal relationships with people and see them change. I
also really want to leave these areas better than how I have found
them. These past 2 years have been very hard. I have learned a lot. I
still have a lot of work to do.
I was also thinking a lot about the city of Sciacca. I
have never worked so hard in my whole life as I did in that city and never saw
anything really come from it. I want to go back there to Sciacca and do
something. That branch needs some help. I felt like I was so young and didn’t
know what I was doing there. I want to go back and make a difference. I don’t
know why I was there when we both couldn’t speak Italian or teach. We worked
sooo hard though! Man we tried soo hard! They just barely saw a baptism there a
few weeks ago. The first one in almost 7 years. Man... I love that city.
I guess my overall feelings are that I have worked soo
hard… I really want to form some personal relationships with people and in the
end see people change. Time is running out and I am doing my best. #swag
