Hello :)

   Haha, it sounds like you guys are having fun with everyone! That's awesome. Tell them hi for me, everyone.  Haha, I am doing well.  And, mom, don't worry about the coconut oil, I found some!  :) Haha, thanks anyway.   :) 

   So I don't have much time today, I am really sorry!  But this week has been good. We have been working hard trying to find more people to teach and baptize.  Everyone is getting sick right now for some reason, and so it is a little hard to make appointments, but we're doing it!  

   This past week I have seen, sadly, just how hard the adversary is trying to stop people from accepting the Gospel.  The other day we were talking with this nice lady named Rosa about the Gospel, when all of a sudden this young man walking by, stopped, ran over, and started to attack both our beliefs and Rosa's.  We soon found out that he was studying to be a priest in the Catholic church and he was determined to find anything and everything wrong about our religion. We talked with this man and Rosa for a good half hour.  Mostly, we were trying to slowly diffuse the situation and bring the Spirit back so we could testify of the truthfulness of our message (because he and Rosa were now engaged in a full-on argument about beliefs), but there was a bad spirit around him and it was not getting any better.  And he was dominating the conversation. So we ended by saying that if he wanted to know what we really believe (because he was convinced we are not Christians), he was free to read the Book of Mormon.  He was about to start railing on us again so I bore my testimony of Jesus Christ and his love for us.  It is amazing what happens when you testify.  He was mad and he still had plenty to say, but in that moment he was quiet.  Testimonies are powerful.

Light reflecting off the Rome temple currently under construction.  It is the only only curved temple in the world.
(taken from steurersinitaly.blogspot.com - another great blog telling about the Italy Rome mission and life in Italy.)

 

  We also had a lesson with a young man named Marco and he was convinced that the Book of Mormon is not the word of God.  We talked with him for an hour and a half, and at the beginning the Spirit was there but as we talked about Joseph Smith and the Restoration of the Gospel and The Book of Mormon, he got really nervous and he got really defensive, and the Spirit went away.  Faith and fear cannot exist in the same place.  Something I am starting to see is that people don't realize that there can be more scripture.  They say that they already have the Bible and that "nothing can be added." They also say that revelation ceased and there is no more need for prophets, that Jesus was the last one.  It is hard.  It reminds me of when Alma the Younger and the sons of Helaman went to preach to the Lamanites.  It says that they were able to convert them because of their faith.  The faith of Alma the Younger and the sons of Mosiah saved thousands of souls.  

  I have been humbled and reminded of the importance of being faithful and ready to testify.  When we are obedient, we read the Book of Mormon, we study, pray, fast, listen to the Spirit, and do EVERYTHING in our power to follow Christ, we will have the power and authority to preach the Gospel, and we will not be confounded before men.  I kind of realized I need to work on that because at times I found myself not knowing what to say.  But the beautiful thing is we can become better. :)

  

  Alright, I have to go but I love you all and I will talk to you next week!  Ciao! 

Love Always, 

Anziano Rigby