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7/23/18
It's been a while - but I'm alive and thriving in Rome! {Title hints at something coming soon!}
The missionary work here is absolutely incredible, and I'm scared to leave. Honestly, I could stay in Rome the rest of my mission and be totally happy. It's such a big city and there are so many "in gamba" (with it) people here. It is just really fun talking to tourists in English every once in a while, like a family from Illinois that I got to visit with, on the way home the other day. The dad of that family, it turns out, works with a Bishop in our church! So cool! Our ward in Rome 1 has had very low attendance recently, due to practically all of our Peruvians going back to Peru for Ferragosto, a month long holiday in August. The actual holiday is August 15th, and all of Italy shuts down and goes on vacay. We are bracing for the lack of people to teach as missionaries here in Rome. Last year I was in Olbia, which is a big vacation spot, so we had lots of people in town! Here in Rome it might be a bit interesting. In other news, the temple is getting even closer to being finished! In fact, we had some people in church on Sunday, who are here to organize the furniture being put inside, so exciting! We've been over there quite a bit recently and the grounds are looking incredible! Definitely a one of a kind creation.
So in terms of our teaching pool, we're teaching a "simpatizzante d'oro" [gold sympathizer] named Massimo! I met him with Anz Melling after a friend of his asked us to give him a blessing. We went over to his house and he had a really incredible experience, as we gave him the blessing. This helped increase his desire to learn more about the church. We've been meeting with him since then and he has the greatest faith I've ever seen! He is also amazing at understanding the scriptures, and loves reading whatever we send to him. He said during our last lesson that he loves coming to church so much he can't wait till Sunday rolls around again, because church always helps him feel like he's "in a big family." He's planning on getting baptized the 4th of August! It also turns out that the friend who referred him to us was actually his fiancee, who is a member in another ward, and eventually they want to be married in the Rome temple! They say everywhere they go they keep on inviting their friends to his baptism because they want everyone to know about it.
We are also teaching a man named Di Vitantonio and his daughter Luciana. They are the cliché Italian family: he owns a bar right next to their house where he worked for the past 40 something years. They have a garden in the yard where they grow their own tomatoes and other vegetables, and he has some land in the countryside where he grows fruit! We always get to meet on their patio at a table and have some classic Italian "bitter" or "crotino." When I came to Italy he is what I thought the picturesque Italian nonno was like. They've both been really open to hearing more about the church and also God's plan because of the loss of Di Vitantonio's wife several months ago. They'll be taking a pause from meeting with us during Ferragosto, but they're enjoying the Book of Mormon a lot!
We had a big loss in our district... The Herways [the LDS Charities senior couple] left this past week! They were in charge of church interactions with helping refugees for all of Italy, and they have been like Grandparents to me here in Rome! They've lived for the past 30 years here in Europe though, so they're grateful to be able to go to the states and finally get to know their own grandkids better! To say goodbye to them, we had a big lunch and Anz Sanchez made 2 top-notch lasagne! They get better every time I eat one of his creations!
We've been hitting the streets hard this transfer, and it's probably the best I've been at talking with people! There's a reason this quote from Thomas S Monson is so true - “Regarding one’s testimony, remember, that which one willingly shares he keeps, while that which he selfishly keeps he loses. … Teach and testify. There is no better combination.” As we turn outside ourselves we learn that the true joy comes from caring more about others and their happiness. Then all the rest comes after! [But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you. - 3 Nephi 13:33 / Matthew 6:33] I've struggled a lot with trying to "lose myself in the work" as President Hinckley teaches us to do, but I think the key is to have good intentions always as your priority and not thinking too much. As Nike says, "Just Do It!" I'm so grateful for the scriptures, the knowledge of the restoration of the fullness of the gospel (given we just visited the Vatican today, that point is rather pertinent), and just a solid testimony that I'm a son of my Heavenly Father. I think we sing "I'm a Child of God" so much for a reason - that's one of the most important doctrines of life. We need to "Believe in God; believe that he is, and that he created all things, both in heaven and in earth; believe that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth; believe that man doth not comprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend." [Went a little heavy on the spiritual side this time, but I know it's all true and I love it!]
Siete bravi, mi mancate, e spero che tutto vada bene questa settimana per voi!
[You're good, I miss you, and I hope everything goes well this week for you!]
Alla prossima ragazzi, [See you next week guys]
Anziano Samuel Parker
7/2/18
Hey everyone!
I'm absolutely loving Rome right now! Missionary work is still missionary work - talking to people on the street, trying to serve people, and doing our best to live like Christ. There are always those tough days, but I've seen a lot of cool things, have met some amazing people, and have been served by Italians and members here in the Eternal City. Honestly, the main reason I haven't been writing is because our p-days have been so packed. I won't make any promises, but I think I'll do better this next transfer :)
So for an update on my status, right now I'm serving in Roma 1 - the most Eastern of the 3 Rome areas. We cover the cool portion of the city - not everything, but we do have the Vatican! I've been serving here with Anz Melling for the past 12 weeks, and it's been great! He's such a happy guy and loves to make daily missionary work a blast! I learned a lot from him - probably the biggest lesson being that when you see things that need to be done, DO THEM! He was always serving others and trying to make the most of his time out here. We were able to help a lot of people together. Sadly, he returned home last week, along with my trainer Anz Ruiz (who I got to see on transfer day in Termini with his Mom, Dad, and brother!) We had a bomb day just walking around Rome, eating Napoli style pizza and brioche. My new companion is Anziano Dickey, from Happy Valley, Oregon - which totally matches his personality - he always has a smile on his face!! He was serving in Palermo just beforehand, so he's sad about the decrease in food quality, but happy to be here in such a beautiful city! We're both the zone leaders, so we're looking forward to helping out all the missionaries here in Rome work to make sure the members and Romani are prepared for the temple! It's coming fast, and I can't believe it will be opened by the time I go home.
This past week I had a lot of fun, especially since I didn't have an assigned companion from Monday evening till about 7:20pm Thursday night - I kept jumping around to be with various anziani. I got to work with Anz Velardi and Sanchez, Anz Oswald (who I met for the first time and got to reminisce about Ascoli Piceno - where he is currently serving - and Sardegna - where he served the past couple transfers) and then Anz Bardsley (again with my MTC comp). Thursday was just crazy - we were at Termini - the main train station in Rome - taking missionaries on and off trains from 6:45pm till 19:30 when I finally got Anz Dickey! He's got an incredible fire for talking with anyone and everyone, and I've learned so much thanks to his determination to keep on talking to people!
On Friday and Saturday we had MLC with all the other mission leadership at the villa with President and Sister Pickerd. We had a dinner, a brief training, and then we went to the temple and had a devotional right in front of it! We learned about the 4 most important types of love we can have: love for companions, love for the people of Italy, love for our mission President, and love for the Savior. All those things are what push us to be better and change so much during this 2 year experience, and also to make the sacrifices necessary to help others. As it says in the infamous song - "All you need is love!"
I truly do love my companions, other missionaries, the Italian people and culture, President and Sorella Pickerd, and most importantly - I love my Savior and My Heavenly Father. That is why I chose to serve and that is why I continue to serve as a disciple of Jesus Christ. Non si può fare nulla più importante di quello! [You can not do anything more important than that!]
Alla prossima, [See you next time]
Anziano Samuel Parker
1 Pday today doing a giro [round] of Roma Centro
2 Last walk up "le scale della morte"
3 Temple at MLC, it's almost there!
4 I'm really gonna miss Anz Melling and Slla Wood :(
5 Night walk home past the Vatican!
[I have not forgotten you!]
6/4/18
Soooo,
I still am alive here in Rome and I'm doing great. Recently I've been sending out a lot more personal emails, so sorry for the slack in these group ones. We did service this morning for a young adult member who needed help cleaning his house, it was really fun - and honestly one of the most satisfying p-days I've had!
Anyways, il lavoro va avanti! [work goes on!]
Sempre avanti, mai indietro con un sorriso [Always forward, never back with a smile]
Vi voglio un mondo di bene [I love you so much],
Anziano Samuel Parker
1 & 2 We ate a lot of brioche gelato this week (Anz Melling got me hooked - literally the best! I'm still trying to find the best 3 flavor combination, so send me suggestions.)
3 Italy
4 Tacos with Ludovico!!
5 A BYU hat! Just a random guy we met on the street, and then he accepted a Book of Mormon!
[A New Transfer!]
5/22/18
Ciao Carissimi!
This week absolutely flew by, and a lot of stuff happened. Here's a list of the most important things:
-We had a second lesson with Severino, one of the most humble and sincere men I've met on my mission. He has such a great desire and love of the gospel! The only problem is he has to work on Sundays, so he's not able to come to church. In the mean time we've invited him to read the Book of Mormon and pray with us for miracles from his boss!
-We met with Giuseppe to talk about the lesson which teaches about the gospel of Jesus Christ. It's my favorite lesson to teach. I don't know why, but probably because it shows how simple and clear living the gospel is. The gospel is simple in it's lay out; faith, repentance, baptism, listening to the spirit, and persevering to the end!
-We had an impromptu lunch on Saturday with the Bishop and his wife. They live in a really cool small apartment on the top floor of a building. It was a really simple, but tasty meal of Carbonara, salad, and bread with prosciutto. Anz Velardi shared a scripture and thought with us all, and then the Bishop tied it into his talk the next day. It was pretty sweet!
-We had crazy, crazy transfers - and luckily nobody got lost traveling across Italy
-We had a Mission Leadership Conference (MLC) over Skype and we learned a lot of good ways we can do a better job of helping other missionaries. It's just so inspiring going to meetings like that!! #churchistrue
The best part of the week was a party that the sud americani [South Americans] put on. It was all the South American woman in the ward, and they invited all their friends! We had a lot of non-members there and we got to know a bunch of new people. We also played some really fun party games, accompanied by some great music!
This week I have reflected on and am so grateful for all our weaknesses and strengths we've been given. I started doing an activity that my MTC teacher Sorella Griffin invited us to do (points if you're reading this Sorella Griffin!) The idea is to write down and say out out loud "I am a Child of God" 10x every day. Every time I had a difficult moment or felt my capacities just weren't enough, that phrase ran through my mind and I was reminded of my divine potential, destiny, and role in God's plan. It's such a powerful phrase. In fact, President Nelson said that the most effective way to help people who are struggling is to "teach them their identity and their purpose." So.... just think about that! Your life is much more than where you're at right now, it's all about where you are going, and whether or not you truly want to get there!
Alla prossima ragazzi!
Anziano Samuel Parker
1 Piazza del Popolo
2 #compunity [companion unity]
3 Rome 1 Missionaries! Sorella Denti is 90 years old and still going strong!
[The Vatican and Tanto Cibo ...... and the family !!]
5/14/18
Hey everyone!!
Soooo, I got off my game last week, but I'll try to fill you in. To sum up the previous week, we had some great lessons (and one really cool walk all the way through centro Roma - past all the main piazze [squares] to get to the metro!) Anz Huntsman and I also had an absolutely amazing scambio [exchange] where we were able to talk to a lot of people about the church (including 2 Catholic Priests, one friendlier than the other). I was just amazed at how easy it was to start conversations with people that weren't just "surface-level," but got to the more important things right away!
You will not believe how awesome the Rome temple is! Whenever people ask what church we are from, we explain we're "Mormoni," or from "La Chiesa di Gesù Cristo dei Santi degli Ultimi Giorni" [The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.] Then we can pull out a temple bigliettino [card] and ask if they have see this building - it's right next to the biggest mall in Rome, and on the side of the freeway. The people here are really excited about it and that they will be able to enter and see the inside of it, within a year. Some people have even promised me that they will be there for the open house next January! (It helps when you talk to architects and they're immediately intrigued by the complex, modern, and yet somehow classical looking structure on the card I show them! Having it so close is definitely making me miss being able to go to the temple on a regular basis, but patience is a virtue!
I've also been so blessed recently to have some clarity of mind, a sort of peace, which really helps me follow the spirit each day. I had a scambio [an exchange] with Anz Sanchez, and we had such a great time talking to people 24/7 and looking for ways we could serve, while going to appointments. (This makes exchanges with 2 out of 3 of my MTC roommates, I just need a scambio with Anz Imes now!)
One of the most touching moments of the week was when Anz Sanchez offered to carry the grocery bag of a woman and we walked with her to her house down the street. She was so touched, she started crying, and it just made me so happy to see someone so touched by such a simple act of service. It really makes me want to serve others even more! (Anz Melling was also a good example and was always serving others - he kills it.)
My favorite part of the week was being able to call [Skype] with my family for Mother's day. We had so many good laughs together, and it was really cool to see all of them, especially all my brothers. I loved being able to bear my testimony and explain the blessings I've seen here in the mission field. It truly has changed my life, and I'm so grateful that God has given me the opportunity to share this gospel with others.
Vi voglio bene tutti!!!
[I love you all !]
Anziano Samuel Parker
1 Finally hit up the Vatican!!!
2 Saw ex-Sorella Taylor Holiday in church! #StocktonReunited
3 The trio of gelato: Martin, Anz Sanchez e io [and me]
4 Missing my Dad here, but family is so awesome!!!
5 Inside St Peter's Basilica
6 the district!
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