Buongiorno!!
Ciao tutti!! Today was a fun P-day, but before I get to that I want to pick up a little where I left off last Thursday, so some other things i wanted to share about Elder Bednar’s conference.
He was super funny and definitely had some great jokes, don’t know why that popped into my mind, but I really wanted to share that. He knows so well how to be guided by the spirit when he teaches. He wants to be sure that he addresses people’s needs and I really like that. Through the QandAs he is able to address what people need and give us answers and then I love that he makes the point not to write down everything he says but to write down the things that the spirit teaches us. We can receive teaching from the spirit that no one else can receive. It can be so very specific and personal to us. This makes me think of how it is with investigators that we can’t always know exactly what they are learning if they may not be comfortable sharing everything, but as we teach through the spirit, and their hearts are softened, the spirit can touch their hearts.
I just realized that I forgot my journal at the apartment, but I will share something that he said that I really liked. An elder asked the question pertaining to how we can best prepare now for being fathers and mothers. Then he asked if he could add to the question. His response was that we first have to make sure that we are good husbands and wives and that really struck me. I really loved what he said. We have to make sure that we are good husbands and wives and then the fathers and mothers part will follow. I love that. He talked about how we have the responsibility to raise our children and raise them knowing the Gospel, and I thought that was really cool. It reminds me of this past general conference, with the focus on families. Family is so important to me. I love my family so much and I am so grateful to know that through God’s plan I can be with my family for eternity. That is so powerful. God has ordained marriage. The important bonds we make here can be bound and sealed for eternity. I love that. That is such an amazing part of God’s plan for us.
Something that President Stowell said at the Youth conference we had in Nauvoo last year has always stuck with me. He said that he could spend 1,000,000 years with his wife and it still wouldn’t be enough. I love the song “Families Can be Together Forever.” “Families can be together forever, through Heavenly Father’s plan. I know I want to be with my own family, and the Lord has shown me how I can, the Lord has shown me how I can.” That is such a beautiful song.
He talked about some interesting things such as how he goes about writing talks and I thought that it was a really cool explanation that if I have time I can explain, but I thought it was interesting that he talked about how the time spent on writing a talk can vary from a couple of days to 40 years. I thought that was really cool.
Someone asked about the health of the apostles and prophets and his response was really cool. he talked about how, at their age, it is normal to have complications and health issues, but how extremely healthy they are at their age. One thing he said that struck me was about Elder Perry and how very active he still is. He told how fast that he can still get around and how he still works out on the punching bag thing (the thing in like the Rocky movies no clue what it is called hahaha). I just thought that was awesome too.
The conference was simply amazing. It was an awesome experience and to hear from one of the Twelve Apostles was so amazing. He talked about how sometimes when sitting in the room with the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve how the security Guard let him in there. He is super humble and I love how he just shows that we can’t do anything in this life without the help of our Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost.
We met with Riccardo [name changed] again over lunch two days ago and we were able to answer some questions that he had and we talked about some history of the Church and then also about temples. It was a really nice time and I really enjoyed it. The member there that is friends with him cooked a Peruvian dish. It was some lamb with rice and beans and it was really, really good. Riccardo just has trouble finding faith in his life. If he just keeps reading the Book of Mormon, and prays, he is acting on faith. And it reminds me of the verse in Alma 32:21. If he just keeps doing what he needs to do he will see his faith increase and he will be able to receive and find the answers he desires just like we all can.
So about two weeks ago we had a miracle. I saw this lady while riding the bus home and she had a lot of groceries and I just felt like we should get off on the stop that she did, ask if we could help, and just share a message that God loves her. We went to get off on the stop and we got held up because Anziano Calvagna was helping an elderly woman onto the bus which is totally and completely understandable. Well we lost the lady and said a quick prayer to see if we could find her. Well we, unfortunately, didn’t. On the way back walking to the apartment we ran into an evangelist lady and a former Jehovah’s Witness. We talked for a while and both gave them a copy of the Book of Mormon and our numbers. We hadn’t heard from them since then, besides seeing the lady once while we were on the bus. Yesterday I got this feeling in church that we should go knock on this door that was across the hall from a member’s apartment. Well while finding yesterday we decided that we would act on that. On the way towards there I just got the feeling that by doing this we may run into those two we had talked to earlier. As we went down the street towards the house we ran into the former Jehovah’s Witness. He has already read 100 pages, which I thought was super great. He really doesn’t believe. I think that as he keeps reading that he can come to know that those things are true through the Holy Ghost.
The Book of Mormon does two things: It testifies that Jesus is the Christ, and that the prophet Joseph Smith was a true prophet and that Jesus Christ used him to restore his church on the earth. This reminded me of something that Elder Bednar said when he bore his testimony at the conclusion of the conference. He said that Jesus Christ is the head of this church. We have the prophets to lead and guide us on this earth, but it so awesome to know that as we follow them we can know that we are following our savior Jesus Christ.
I love the Book of Mormon so much. I read something the other day in a missionary book and then read it just today in the Book of Mormon. It is in 3 Nephi, when Jesus had appeared to teach the people. In 3 Nephi 14:15-20 he talks about prophets:
15 Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
20 Wherefore, by their fruits ye shall know them.
He says we will be able to know them by their fruits. I love that. Joseph Smith’s works have brought forth so many good fruits and I think that it is so awesome how Jesus taught to look at the fruits that are born from the works.
The Book of Mormon is truly the word of God and we can know this by reading it and asking God if it is true. Just as it states in Moroni 10:3-5:
3 Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts.
4 And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.
5 And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.
We had a youth activity Saturday and we played some games with them and then shared a spiritual thought on missionary work and challenged them to invite someone to church this month. We will be sure to follow up on that.
I am able to pick up more and more every week in conversation but that is still the most difficult thing for me.
I had McDonald’s twice this week and it is so expensive here. I forgot how I don’t really like the milk here all too much unless it is fresh, and I ordered a milkshake one day and it had the after taste of the milk and it was just weird.
Today we ate in Rome because we were meeting some other missionaries there. We ate at a place called Asian Delight and it was so so so good. Cheap too, which made it all the better.
We walked around to all sorts of places today, which was a lot of fun. We went to the Spanish steps again, the Trevi fountain again, and then we saw the Pantheon and went inside, which was amazing. It is super cool. Then we finished up by going to walk around St.Peters again. I want to go inside one of these days but we didn’t have time today. It was an awesome p-day though, and we are going to play zone soccer next week which will be a blast. We have some turf fields close to our house, so it will be fun to go there and play with the zone.
We were going to go inside the Colosseum today but we had a change of plans.
Well that is all I have for this week. I can’t send pictures either because I am a moron and forgot to bring my cable. Sorry!! I have a lot to send too!! Hope everyone is doing well and I will talk to you all next week!!! Love you all and have a great week!! Ciao!!!
Love,
Anziano Garrett
Note from Norm: Since Taylor couldn’t include any photos this week, I’ve attached some pictures from the Elder Bednar conference, from Sorella Waddoups’ blog:
The Italy Rome Mission, April 28, 2015
Missionaries waiting for Elder Bednar’s arrival. Taylor is on far left.
Elder Bednar speaking to the mission, 4/28/15
Anziano Calvagna at the Mission Conference, 4/28/15
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