Headed Home from Rome

 D&C 15:6

And now, behold, I say unto you, that the thing which will be of the most 

worth unto you will be to declare repentance unto this people, 

that you may bring souls unto me, that you may rest with them 

in the kingdom of my Father. Amen.

Twenty-five missionaries successfully completed their missions and have returned home to their families where they will face new experiences with new challenges and much more experience to help overcome them.  Each of them is unique and has different talents.  They came into the mission field as young men and young women.  They go home 18 to 24 months older as men and women.  It's a marvelous transformation.  We have watched them learn and grow, talked them through frustrating moments, held their hands during hard times, shared in their joys, and learned to love them.  It's always difficult to see them leave, but their hearts and eyes are facing the future and that's where they should be.

They will no longer be serving in the Italy Rome Mission, but we will always pray for their success in the Kingdom of God.

Super interesting week!

Dear family and Friends!

This week has been a super interesting one. I wouldn't say that it has been bad or good, just... I have no idea. Alessandro our golden new convert had a fit becuase he found out that we couldn't ride in the car with him without another female. I think initially he was mad becuase it made him feel like he was untrustworthy, and then mad becuase we never told him it was a rule. He said that we should have told him ALL of our rules from when we started doing the lessons with him. We are considering giving him a white handbook, just so that he can understand how many we have. Then we found a copy of the restoration in Romanian, which should have been a miracle for Ika (our investigator that speaks only romanian) but when we showed it to her, she had a fit because her mother was a very strong baptist, and she wants to get baptized in the LDS church but she doesn't want to say that the baptist church isn't true because she feels like it would be disrespectful to her mother. Also her employer gave her a ton of anti-mormon literature, and talked to her about polygamy which amazingly didn't phase her but somehow she found out about tithing in all of that, which greatly upset her. So she yelled for about an hour about all of this, and I just said her name softly until she calmed down, and told her that we would be back in a few days. So all of that was really really sad to me, and also meant that we couldn't really meet with any of the people that we regularly, so instead we did a lot a lot of finding. We went finding for 6 hours one day which not suprisingly was super exhausting.

So that was the heaviest part of my week, but it also wasn't terrible. We saw a lot of miracles in finding this week. We have been asking survey questions, and then having people watch the grazie a lui video, to answer it. We have had some really really beautiful experiences while finding, and it's turned out to be a huge blessing for us. It is helping me feel like I'm truly working hard my last few weeks as a missionary, and it's helping sorella winegar lose her fear of finding, and understand how important using your time effectively is. Last night we had a long correlation and we came home to drop some stuff off before going back out and it was 8:15, and we debated going back out, our staying in to do some areabook, pr something like that, and we decided to go back out. We talked to four people in that entire time. A couple who rejected us, and two friends who agreed to meet with us again. It really made us realize how that 45 minutes made a difference. Sometimes we go out and in that 45 minutes no one listens to us, and sometimes we find someone completely prepared to her the gospel. The lesson learned is that it's always important to go out, because you never know if it's going to be the 45 minutes were you are just planting seeds, or the 45 minutes that Heavenly Father has given you the oppertunity to harvest.

I also love my companion so much. She is so funny, we laugh all the time, and she has such a strong testimony. She is also an amazing communicator. she never lets anyone go to bed angry, and she has taught me that you can literally fix anything. She is the best problem solver I have ever met. She resolves everything from investigator problems to a broken house. I am so grateful to have had three transfers with her.

So sometimes when things are tough they are also beautiful, and wonderful, and I guess that is what makes us human. 

Also I have gotten some grief for not having shared more stories with you, so I'm going to fill you in on some of the goofier things that happened this week. So the first was our deep cleaning day, so we stayed in all day to make our house sparkle, and i in the process of 24 hours when we were supposed to be making our house pretty and clean we managed to break almost everything in our apartment. So in itlay we have giant patios and Sorella Winegar locks someone out on these patios at least once a week, so new years eve, it started snowing so sorella Tapia and I went outside to see the snow, and sorella Winegar locked us out in our pj's in the freezing cold! So in Italy they have a thivk wooden blind to keep the sun out during pranzo naps which can be lifted up by a gear on the inside or by two small nobs on the outside, so Sorella Tapia and I were trying to get back in by finding a door that was left open, but we had to open the blinds first. So as we were lifting the blinds Sorella Sartena, who was very much tired of our shinanagins opened one of the doors, and instead of gently lowering the blinds like they are designed to be closed we dropped them and ran to the open door before Sorella Winegar could figure out what was happening. Which pulled the blinds out of their gearing (I don't know what the word I was looking for was but probably not this.) so fatality number one-the blinds to our bedroom. Fatality number two- the giant three hundred lb wardrobe where we keep all of our clothing. Sorella Winegar and sorella Tapia decided to do some basic reorganizing to get us rejuvinated (sp?) which ended up being a great idea, it was a huge help, and one of the things that they decided to move was the two largeish but not unmanageable wardrobes in our bedroom. They planned on doing it by themselves in fifteen minutes by themselves while I was on the phone making scambi arrangements. BUT it turns out that the two largeish wardrobes were actually one three hundred lb wardrobe, so I had to promptly get off the phone to keep it from crushing sorella Tapia, and once it was tilted there was no way to get it back up in the room that we were in because there was no room to move it, so all four of us had to move it into our living room where it was kind of stuck, and to get it there we had to take off two doors that lead to our living room fatalaties three and four .  Once we finally got it to the living room we had no idea what to do with it, and Sorella Tapia decided that maybe it was time to call the elders, but I was really really embaressed about our destructive natures and I talked them out of it, so we deconstructed it, but we didn't have tools.. of course, so we used forks and butter knives, and carried it piece by piece into the room where Sorella Tapia and Sorella Winegar had originally intended to put it, and then we slowly reconstructed it. Then we went to bed. The next morning we woke up to the general mayhem we created. I was really insistent on following normal schedule (still embarassed probably) and so during prazo we bought a tool set, and then during our luch and evening breaks we slowly put everything back together, and somehow we did it. No one ever knew, we never got a lecture, and no one's family is going to be charged thousands of dollars in repair. the only lasting evidence are the pictures and photos. Otherwise no one will ever know. I love you all have a great week!

ps apologize all typos and spelling errors.

Christmas in the Rome Italy mission is kind of tough

 So I don't remember in exactly which email you wrote this to me, but you kind of talked about how you have ben struggling with doing the basics, and it kind of made me smile, becuase I have been kind of having the smile experience this last week. Christmas in the Rome Italy mission is kind of tough as I'm sure it is for every mission in the world becuase everyone and their dog goes out of time, and there is no one left to teach the gospel to. 

The big difference between america and Italy however is that Holiday celebrations last well into January so it's even harder. So I had kind of checked out. I had decided that I was going to spend my last few weeks just hanging out with my district and new converts, and that I wasn't going to really try anymore becuase honestly there wasn't any point. 

Then I got sick, and I had to get a blessing, and Heavenly Father reminded me that I still have things to do. I only have three weeks, but those three weeks have the power to make a difference for me and those around me. In the blessing special attention was placed on scripture study, which I have been doing but maybe not with the dilligence that I should. 

I really realized this weekhow valuable our time is as human beings, and how the only way we can truly become great is through sacrifice. I know the thing that annoyed you the most about me in high school was how hard I pushed myself, and I think that trait has only been accented in my mission. I would rather stand in front of the Lord and tell him that I did evil in my life, than that I did nothing. 

I think the most hurtful thing we could do to the Lord is disregard the life that he has given us. I don't know if it's a good thing or a bad thing, but it's a crucial part of who I am. Another thing that I have learned as a missionary is that I have to do the things that I want done first everyday first everyday. We are given a missionary schedule in which we generally have an hour to get ready first thing in the morning and then an hour of scripture study. 

Because of the fact that we are in four and we have to move things around so that we can all shower I have started cleaning up for about 15 minutes so that I can fell the spirit, studying for an hour, and then getting ready with whatever time is left over. I've seen that the only way to make the gospel my first priority in my life, is to literally make it the first priority in my life, as in the first thing I do every morning. I'm hoping to be able to find a job that starts at about noonish when I get back home, so that I can mantain a similar schedule. Scripture study for an hour, Italian study for an hour, and then work. I'm trying to make these last three weeks just as effective, if not more effective than every other week in my mission. Sorella Winegar is already hating me. :)

Mission Christmas card 2014

 

Sardegna Zone

Giant Nativity

 I'm still pale and white, they still put up giant nativity scenes in piazza's in Italy. Not much has changed.

    The only thing that you really need to know about this week is that I sang far far away on Judea's plain over 20 times last night. I may never ever sing that song again. I'm not sure that I have any Christmas Spirit left in me. not even like a few drops. Just kidding I love Christmas, this year has been particularly special. I did my final addestramento this week, and it went really well. The whole zone conference was on testifying of Christ, and I was assigned to talk about hope in Christ, and I spent about two weeks studying Christ, writing down all ideas, weeding through all thoughts, and finally the morning of I ended up with a 15 minute explanation of the enabling power of the atonement, and how through the sacrifice of our Savior we can become more than we ever could have been on our own, and I don't know if it affected anyone else, but it truly changed me. I finally realized that there are no limitations that can be placed on me. I can accomplish anything with the help of my Savior. That being said it's proabably about time to retry Freshman biology.

     We also did a really cool lesson with three men that my companion met while I was in Cagliari for like a week. We were only supposed to be doing a lesson with one of them, but he ended up bringing two friends with him. It was super startling because I expected him to be like this 60 or 70 year old guy, and he drives up to the church and he like 25, so I had to adjust the whole perspective I had had for the lesson. Needless to say, Sorella Winegar did not do a good job of prepping me. It was really cool because this guy (his name is Christian) doesn't believe in God, and his two friends believe but aren't practicing, and we invitied them to try alma's experiment in Alma 32, and then let us know what happens. It was a super logical discussion. We kind of ended on the note, that if it's true it could potentially change your life, and if it's not what happens. absolutely nothing, you go on with your life, and we go on with ours. It sounds super logical, and kind of agianst the whaole nature of the gospel, but the spirit was super strong.

     On Sunday IKA CAME TO CHURCH!!!! I think it was actually really hard for her, because she feels super out of place in Italy, but luckily there were two Africans in church that are working with the other sisters and she clung to them a little bit, becuase even if they don't speak the same langauage they both understand what it is like to not understand Italian. Then we went to her house and sang to her in the evening. She lovessss the missionaries, but is still a little overwhelmed by the members. Oh well little by little. We are getting her a skirt for Christmas, so that she feels more comfortable in church.

     Also Alessandro is doing so well. He blessed the sacrament on Sunday, and it almost made me cry. Then we went to the relief society president's house to carol (always far far away on Judea's plain of course.) and he was doing his home teaching. (I didn't even know he was a home teacher, no one tells me anything dagnabbit) AND in Sunday school On eof the elders was teaching the lesson and he asked how can we show Heavenly Father that we love him, and Alessandro immediately responded obeying the commandments. I know that may not seem lik e a huge deal, but he struggled so much with understanding the commandments. I was so worried when he was baptized, that maybe we had made a mistake and that we were setting him up for failure, but he has literally blossomed in the gospel, and I don't think that it is something that ever would have happened with out the Holy Ghost. Also his mother and brother have started "coming to church" with him. Tilda (his mother) only comes for the "mass" because she isn't a member, and she isn't "obligated" to come all three hours like alessandro, and his brother sits in the foyer and waits for the missionaries to come out and talk to him. I'm pretty sure they think we are Catholic, but we are getting there. piano piano.

      I think that is the big news for the week. I know this is kind of one of those boring missionary emails, so I will throw in on efunny story just for spice. HAlfway through carloing last night, I got super tired and stopped paying attention for the whole affair, and at the relief society president's house I sang the wrong verse for about half of a verse, and Sorella Tapia got confused and started following me. Then the next song, I kind of started following the alto part accidently which threw the whole Soprano group off, and we all started laughing, and for that song Sorella Tapia was the only soprano singing, but Alessandro thought we did great and that's all that matters. My favarite thing about this ward is that it is full of the biggest variety of people I have ever seen in my life, and we are all crazy and imperfect, but it works, and we love eachather. I pretty much live on the island of misfit toys, and I couldn't be happier. 

      Love you all 

Sorella Spencer

Sardegna Specialized Training - December 2014

 

Christmas time in Italy is so beautiful!

 wow guys I don't have much to say. It's Christmas time in Italy which is so beautiful, because it's a catholic country and so there is a lot of emphasis on I was out of town for almost two weeks so I don't have a ton to say about the work. I was worried having left the two greenies by themselves, but they did an AMAZING JOB. They set two baptisimal dates for investigators in the other companionship, and found two new investigators.

 Right now, our number one investigator is named Ika. She is a beautiful Romanian woman who has lived in Italy for 3 years now. She does not speak even one word of Italian (just kidding she does but it is messy) so teaching her is an adventure. We used google translate (don't worry it was authorized) to translate the baptisimal invite two lessons ago, and she started cying when she read it (we tried to read it, but it turns out that our Romanian is not great). She is super special, and all I want to do is spend every minute of every day with her. 

Also I have to teach an Addestramento (my guess is that the english translation is training) in zone conference on finding Hope in Christ next week, so I have been doing a really in depth study of the atonement in every spare minute taht I can find. I feel kind of like a dork becuase I am finishing up my mission and I feel like I'm just starting to understand ehat it means that we are children of God. It makes Christmas a million times mopre meaningful.

I have to go I love you all so much!