Ostia Week 3

Adventures in Italy

Sorella Pinnegar and the temple construction site

Tuesday we had district meeting in Rome. I had to pack a small bag and take it with me because I was going on my first scambio! The district meeting was really good, we talked a lot about the restoration and preparing for lessons by role playing what you want to teach. After the meeting we went out for pranzo. We went to a place that over looks the construction sight of the Rome Italy Temple. The progress on the temple is starting to go really quickly. I am so excited for the temple to be finished! After pranzo the scambio started. I went to Ladispoli with Sorella Rossi, and Sorella Sanchez went to Ostia with Sorella Bray. Both Sorella Sanchez and Sorella Rossi are native Italians. Luckily Sorella Rossi speaks English very well. We had to talk a bus, then a metro, and then a train to get to Ladispoli. The train was my favorite part.

The Italy Rome Temple under construction.

When we got to Ladispoli we went straight to the church to have a private English lesson. After the lesson we shared a message about Joseph Smith and about the restoration of the church of Christ on the earth today. We had a lesson with an investigator where we watched Legacy and talked about the pioneers. It went really well. Our investigator stayed for corso. We only had two people at corso and they were both advanced so we went around in a circle talking about ourselves in English. When I told them that I had eight brothers they we astonished. We talked about it for a solid ten minutes. When it was one of the student's turns she said, "I have one brother and that is enough for me."

We finally went back to the apartment and did our planning for the next day. In the morning I woke up the the see the ocean right outside the window. We went and took a walk on the beach in the morning. The sand there is black because it is volcanic. It is absolutely stunning! All of the rocks of the beach were super smooth. We went to try and see some people in the morning, but no one was at home. We had pranzo a little early because we needed to get to the train station. Sorella Rossi made me some real Italian pasta. It was delicious!! She made carbonara pasta. It is egg, bacon, and cream. It was SOOO good! We got to the train station about twenty minutes early which was good because our train left fifteen minutes early. I really enjoyed the scambio you can learn a lot from other people and it is fun the change things up. You just have to be open to new ideas and new ways to do things. Change can be a good thing if you let it.

When we met up with the other sorelle we didn't have enough time to go home before our lesson but to much time to leave right away. Sorella Bray had not eaten pranzo so we went to find her some food. We went to a place called Eatily. It is like the Ikea of food! It had so much food and it was so good! We went and had a lesson with Laura we were there for two hours, because Laura's mom was still on here way home from work. They gave us jello again! I love jello and they do not have it in Italy so you have to make it from scratch. She also gave us mint Popsicle. While waiting for the bus we stopped at a little pizzeria. I had a slice of potato pizza. It was amazing!!  When we got back home Sorella Bray wanted something sweet but didn't realize that cocoa powder is bitter and so I had to save what she was trying to make. We ended up making a chocolate spread and a crepe type thing. It was pretty good.

We had a lesson with a little boy, named Victor, the next day. His parents are members and the anziani were teaching him, but his mother wanted us to teach him instead. He is super smart and paid really good attention during the lesson. Afterwards we had to hurry to get to corso on time. We did corso all together and played a few games at the end. When we got home Sorella Bray wanted something sweet again and forgot about the fact that cocoa is bitter added all of the cocoa into a bowl and added milk. I tried to fix it, but we were out of sugar and luck.

The next day we had a lesson with a man we met at the metro station. Sorella Bray and Anziano Kennedy were going to practice the musical number for Sunday after our lesson. That didn't happen. Our lesson lasted two hours, he really liked to talk. My head hurt so bad after that lesson. We ended up going and getting Queens Chips because there was not enough time to practice the song. Instead they practiced in the morning. Which was a good thing because we needed to ask them if they could open the church for us that evening. They were going to a baptism in Ladispoli so they just gave us the key. The baptism in Ladispoli was in the ocean and everyone really wanted us to go but we did not have any investigators going so we didn't go. In the evening we had a lesson with Giuliana and she brought her husband to the lesson with her. He was really responsive, it was wonderful. We taught them the plan of salvation and it went really well.

I was able to understand church a little better on Sunday. In Relief Society I read something and said what I thought about it. I didn't know how to say what a I wanted to so Sorella Bray translated for me. In sacrament we had four families visiting from Sweden come. The spoke English so Anziano Kennedy translated. They doubled our little ward, it was amusing. We had another lesson with Victor today and we asked him to pick a date to be baptized and he did! He is such a fantastic little boy. He reads his Book of Mormon for children everyday, and retains what he is learning. The Ostia anziani are wonderful! Today when they found out that we did not have any food in our apartment they ran some food over for us.

I feel very blessed to be here in Ostia. The people here are ready for the gospel and I have seen so many miracles in these past few weeks. I know that there is no such thing as a coincidence. Everyday there are people placed in our path for a reason. We are where we are for a reason. Sometimes we might never know what that reason is, sometimes we do. No matter where we go or who we are with we can be an instrument for good.

Try and think of ways you can have an influence for those around you wherever you are. Find ways to be a good example to your family, your friends and even people you do not know. As you do this you will be able to see the reason why you have been placed where you are. I know that I am in Ostia for a reason, I know that I was called to serve in Italy for a reason. I do not know what that reason is yet, but I am grateful to be here. I am grateful to be a missionary!  I am grateful for all your love and support. Thank you for all that you do for me!

Letter dated July 27, 2015.