{"id":242,"date":"2015-05-11T16:09:30","date_gmt":"2015-05-11T16:09:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.taylorgarrett.info\/blog\/?p=242"},"modified":"2015-06-19T12:45:55","modified_gmt":"2015-06-19T12:45:55","slug":"roma-1-week-4","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/taylorgarrett.info\/blog\/?p=242","title":{"rendered":"Roma 1 – Week 4"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ciao!<\/p>\n

My first draft got deleted so I am trying again right now, so this might be shorter than the first one, unfortunately.<\/p>\n

Last Tuesday we had a scambi [exchanges<\/span>] and I went up north to Terni for the day and stayed the night up there one night.\u00a0 We had two lessons on Tuesday and we taught this 8 year old, who is preparing to be baptized soon, and he just knew everything.\u00a0 It was so awesome.\u00a0 He was really educated and has a strong testimony.\u00a0 I was happy to be able to teach him for sure.<\/p>\n

We had another lesson that went well after that, but he talked a ton and so we had to go straight to English course.\u00a0 It was a lot of fun and we taught the basic course about computers, but they knew so much that we just had a really complex conversation about technology.\u00a0 It was a lot of fun and I had a blast on the scambi.<\/p>\n

We did some finding the next day, Wednesday, and it’s crazy how many fewer people were walking the streets compared to Rome.\u00a0 It was very different.<\/p>\n

Thursday we had our service day with Silvestro and we did some really hard work in the garden.\u00a0 It was hot, but we worked hard and were rewarded with trippa di Roma which is boiled cow stomach with red sauce over it.\u00a0 It was super good.\u00a0 We are still having trouble getting him to commit, so we shared with him the Because He Lives<\/em><\/a> video and it was really nice and he really liked it.\u00a0 We shared how living this Gospel can truly bless our lives and that we can all change through Christ.\u00a0 We really can.\u00a0 It was really fun and then we committed him to try to live the Gospel for a full 24 hours and then see if he felt and saw a difference in his life.\u00a0 We tried to follow-up a little bit on the phone, but it didn’t work too well.\u00a0 We will have to really follow-up the next time and ask how it went.\u00a0 He knows these things are true, he just has to start committing to that change.<\/p>\n

Friday we did some finding that night that went really well and we had some good conversations but only came away with one potential contact, but that is ok.\u00a0 I have gotten better at stopping people, but I always can do better.\u00a0 The Italian is coming along nicely. I want to keep improving upon it, though.\u00a0 I am thankful to have a native Italian as my companion and need to do all I can to learn the language as best as I can with him.<\/p>\n

Saturday we had a nice lesson in the morning with a man from Sri Lanka named Sandun.\u00a0 We gave him a Book of Mormon in his own native language and did our best to explain it to him in English.\u00a0 He doesn’t speak the best English but he can understand it some.<\/p>\n

We got invited over by a family from Sri Lanka for lunch.\u00a0 They aren’t too interested in changing their religion, but they are so so so nice and really love to serve people.\u00a0 In their culture the guests eat first so we ate and talked to them.\u00a0 It was a really good meal and a really good time getting to talk with them.\u00a0 We shared Mosiah 2:17 [“And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God.”<\/span>] with them and talked about the loving service that they offered, and they really did offer loving service.\u00a0 They are really respectful of other people’s religions and it was super nice to get to share some time with them.\u00a0 We see them a lot and they are always just happy.<\/p>\n

We did some nice finding on the way to our church activity that night and got a really cool girl’s number that is atheist, but agreed that we could meet again.\u00a0 She texted us later that night and then we ran into her earlier today too!\u00a0 It was super cool and I am really excited to meet with her.\u00a0 We had the church activity and had a few people from English course show up.\u00a0 It was about South American culture and it was really fun.\u00a0 We closed the night with some food then had to head back home.<\/p>\n

We had a great Sunday yesterday and had a ton of visitors at church and we had one of our less actives come which was super sweet to see her there.\u00a0 There was a talk given about the power of fasting and I have gained a bigger testimony of this recently and I know that fasting, accompanied with sincere and fervent prayer, is so powerful.\u00a0 If any of you are struggling with something, need an answer, or want to fast for someone else I would invite you to do so.\u00a0 I am thankful to have the monthly fast that we have as part of our church and I want to continue to grow my testimony of it.<\/p>\n

We then had a really sweet fireside that I had to have Anziano Calvanga explain to me, but it was really interesting.\u00a0 Before that, though, I got to Skype my family, which was so very nice.\u00a0 I was really happy to see and talk to them and that hour flew by so fast hahaha.\u00a0 It was really nice though.<\/p>\n

We then went to Anziano Calvagna’s aunt’s house to Skype his family and that was a lot of fun for him.<\/p>\n

Today we played zone soccer and it was a lot of fun, but my callouses aren’t as strong as they used to be and I have some of the biggest blisters.\u00a0 Well one is huge on my right foot.\u00a0 So the next few days won’t be the best thing to walk around, but oh well hahaha.<\/p>\n

Something that I want to share that I read this week in the book of Mormon is Ether 5.\u00a0 The chapter is really short but I really love how it prophesies of the coming forth of the Book of Mormon and the testimony of the three witness.\u00a0 It is such a cool chapter and even though 2 of them were excommunicated from the Church they never denied what they saw and witnessed.\u00a0 Then I love how you can put those scriptures in correlation with 2 Corinthians 13:1 [“This is<\/span> the third time<\/span> I am coming to you. In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established.”<\/span>].\u00a0 The Book of Mormon is built on those witnesses and then the Bible and the book of Mormon both witness that Jesus was the Christ.\u00a0 I just really enjoyed that from my studies.<\/p>\n

And I want to share a mormon message with you all that I invite you to watch.\u00a0 It is a talk given by Jefferey R Holland and I think it is entitled a Testimony of the Book of Mormon.\u00a0 It is so powerful.\u00a0 Joseph Smith was a true prophet of god and you can know through reading the Book of Mormon and asking God if the things are true.\u00a0 He restored Christ’s church on the earth today and I am thankful for all the things He did for us.<\/p>\n

I love you all and look forward to hearing from you all soon!<\/p>\n

Ciao!<\/p>\n

Love,<\/p>\n

Anziano Taylor Garrett<\/p>\n

\"Zone<\/a>

Zone Soccer, 5\/11\/15, Rome. Photo courtesy of Anziano Parker Scott’s blog.<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Our<\/a>

Our team for zone soccer. Left to right: Anzianos Garner, Kennedy, Castillo, Lercer, Martin, and Garrett<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Zone<\/a>

Zone soccer match<\/p><\/div>\n

\"The<\/a>

The Vatican, which is in our assigned area<\/p><\/div>\n

\"The<\/a>

The Pantheon<\/p><\/div>\n

\"The<\/a>

The fountain at the Spanish Steps<\/p><\/div>\n

\"The<\/a>

The Spanish Steps<\/p><\/div>\n

\"The<\/a>

The Rome skyline from our area<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Bridge<\/a>

Bridge over the Tiber River (Fiume Tevere)<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Pizza<\/a>

Pizza before scambi (exchanges) with the zone leaders<\/p><\/div>\n

\"The<\/a>

The Pantheon<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Small<\/a>

Small lizard we found in our apartment<\/p><\/div>\n

\"My<\/a>

My favorite water fountain in Rome<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Castillo<\/a>

Castillo di Angello<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Dinner<\/a>

Dinner at someone’s house. Cow stomach (trippa di Roma). It was delicious.<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Castillo<\/a>

Castillo di Angello<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Canoli\"<\/a>

Canoli<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Eating<\/a>

Eating the canoli<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Bridge<\/a>

Bridge over the Tiber River (Fiume Tevere)<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ciao! My first draft got deleted so I am trying again right now, so this might be shorter than the first one, unfortunately. Last Tuesday we had a scambi [exchanges] and I went up north to Terni for the day and stayed the night up there one night.\u00a0 We had two lessons on Tuesday and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18,19,4,26,33,10,11],"tags":[38,39,34,36,37,15,35],"class_list":{"0":"post-242","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-culture","7":"category-food","8":"category-posts-from-italy","9":"category-missionary-work","10":"category-recreation","11":"category-roma-1","12":"category-tourist-sites","13":"tag-canoli","14":"tag-castillo-di-angello","15":"tag-fiume-tevere","16":"tag-pantheon","17":"tag-soccer","18":"tag-spanish-steps","19":"tag-tiber-river","20":"entry","21":"override"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/taylorgarrett.info\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/242","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/taylorgarrett.info\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/taylorgarrett.info\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/taylorgarrett.info\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/taylorgarrett.info\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=242"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/taylorgarrett.info\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/242\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":352,"href":"https:\/\/taylorgarrett.info\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/242\/revisions\/352"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/taylorgarrett.info\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=242"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/taylorgarrett.info\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=242"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/taylorgarrett.info\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=242"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}