Buongiorno!
Hope everyone is having a good week! Definitely pumped to hear the Blackhawks are doing well. One more game and we got it. Sorry, but I had to start with that.
This week has been a little slow with the work, but it is all looking good and we are really working hard. We are trying our best to work with the members to find referrals and people to teach. We were really having trouble having investigators keep commitments and it is a little hard knowing that this can bless their lives more than they may realize or know. It is hard, too, when you see someone and get to know them, but sometimes not seeing them for a little can help change their desires and help them to get working.
We really didn’t get to see too many people this week. One of our investigators got a baptismal date for next month so we were really excited about that. At district meeting Anziano Rasband shared on the power of prayer and we all picked about 3 investigators to pray specifically for as a district each morning and night. It is really awesome seeing the miracles that come through prayer and how the Lord will bless us if we ask and continue to press forward in faith. He is willing to grant us blessings all upon us asking. I love these two verses. From Matthew 7:
7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
It doesn’t rule out the fact that we also have to seek, and that sometimes seeking takes longer than we may want or think that it will. But as we work diligently we will be able to find those things that we are looking for.
We got to see our [other investigator with the baptismal date] but we will have to push his date back and take some time working with him to make sure that he understands everything and that he is really ready for this.
We did some service this week with our bishop, which was really nice, and we were able to talk to him and strengthen our relationship with him. We are going back there soon to help around the yard again. He is super cool and a really smart guy.
Saturday night we had a ward talent show activity which was super awesome. We had a lot of non-members there and some English course students showed up and it was a really good time. Anziano Rasband and weren’t going to participate because things just fell through, but then we ended up being signed up without anything to do that morning. Anziano Rasband then thought we could just do an eating contest and eat gelato. So we went and each bought a 500g tub of gelato and decided to eat that with “My Country Tis of Thee” on the piano. We decided we would see who could eat the most in 3 minutes. Well, we didn’t need that long. My ice cream eating throughout my life had prepared me. I finished in 1:13 and beat Anziano Rasband. The ward members and others got a kick out of it. The other ward members played guitar, danced, sang, and did some other really cool things. It was a really good time and a great time to share talents with people. It was a lot of fun and I think that everyone enjoyed it.
Sister Harmon and Sister Nagliati shared a short spiritual thought on our gifts before the show and it was really well put together. God has really blessed us each individually and we are all unique in our own ways. I know that God loves us and its a love that is pretty much impossible to fully understand. He knows each and every one of us personally and he wants what is best for each of us. He never leaves and is always there. We can continually feel his love in our lives as we continue to do all we can to obey his commandments. They aren’t there to hold us back but there to help us more fully be truly free. I know that everyone can feel his love. I like this scripture from Jacob:
2 O all ye that are pure in heart, lift up your heads and receive the pleasing word of God, and feast upon his love; for ye may, if your minds are firm, forever.
I love the phrase “feast upon his love.” What a blessing. I hope that you will all be able to feel the personal love that he has for each and every one of you. I love you all and hope that you all have a great week and take care this week. Hope to hear from you all soon and I will talk to you next week!
Ciao,
Anziano Garrett
[Note from family: Taylor hasn’t figured out a routine for sending pictures, now that they have their iPads and do not go to the Internet cafes weekly. His camera doesn’t have built in wi-fi and has to be connected to a real computer in order to send photos. We’re trying to figure out a “workaround.” So this week, he shared a picture from Anziano Rasband’s camera.]
Rome East Zone selfie inside the Colloseum (with a few random tourists thrown in as well)
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