Baptism

Hey there everyone!

 Well, well, well.  This week has been a good one!  We have been really busy!  And... Franco got baptized!  Woo-hoo!  It's been a long time coming but he did it!  It was really, really cool.  He was a little nervous  but we talked with him and gave him a pep talk. :)  Haha,  he was nervous about giving his testimony so we practiced with him before he did it.  It was so awesome!  He was so sincere and you could tell that what he was saying was coming from his heart.

   We also helped Victor and Tessy set up for Victor's sister's wedding.  They are from Nigeria.  Way cool members.  While we did that, Victor's nephew was there helping.  He is a less-active 19-year-old, way cool.  We made friends with him and got him to come to church!  I think he wasn't coming because he couldn't understand everything. So I translated for him. After every talk he was really happy and he would just say "Wow, that was good."  After church we were talking with him and he said he wants to invite his friends, but he's scared.  So this week we're gonna go over and practice with him. His name is Wisdom.  Such a cool kid.

   Our ward just left last night for the temple in Switzerland for the week.  It will be fun to hear their testimonies next week!  Haha, we'll see what happens.

   Oh!  Also, this week we are going to Rome to do a zone blitz.  So basically everyone in the zone goes to one place to help jump start the work and to get the morale up. So that should be fun. Unfortunately, it's right before the end of the month and I kind of had to pull out some personal funds. I'm sorry!  It will get reimbursed though.

   Man, I don't know what else to say.  The work is going on and I am happy.  Tired, but happy :)  You guys are awesome. Thank you so much for everything!  I don't know what I would do without my family.  It really is a huge blessing.  I love you and I'll talk to you next week!

   Love always, Anziano Rigby 

The Big 20

 

 Hey fam!  Wow, time flies!

   Well, I am having a great time here in Pescara with Anziano Mika!  He is awesome and I love him! We are doing some good work.  It is super hot and we are super tired, but life is good and the work is growing!  

   Franco, our investigator, is pulling through. We had his interview yesterday and he passed! We are working really closely with him and we have seen miracles this past week. On Wednesday we had a lesson with him and we decided to offer him a blessing to help with his smoking. We talked to him about it, explained it, and asked him if he wanted one...he said yes. We then asked him if he had the faith and he said yes.  So we gave him a blessing.  The spirit was strong and I know for certain that we were lead in what to say.  We kept in contact the rest of the week until Sunday.  From the day of the blessing he has not smoked a single cigarette.  On Sunday he came to church, and he was different!  He was talking more, he even answered a question in priesthood!  It is like a veil has been lifted from his eyes, and he understands more too.  It is a miracle. 

   We are still working hard and looking for more people to teach.  It is really hot and humid which just about kills us, but it's cool.  Haha, we are also doing a 12 week program called "the yoke project." Basically, we're gonna be huge by the end of two transfers.  :)  Haha, I think I need it!  :P

   We are meeting with a lot of the people in our ward right now, trying to get them to use Preach My Gospel and to study it.  It makes a huge difference in how they do missionary work!  I think it just helps them understand the principles of the gospel that much more so when something comes up about life, they can't help but see a point in the gospel that helps. We'll see how it works out. 

  Well, I have to go, but I love you guys!  Thank you for all the birthday 

wishes!  I really appreciate it! Haha, have a good week and I'll talk to you next Monday!  Ciao!  :)

   Love Always, Anziano Rigby  

The Pescara Life

Hey guys!

   Haha, dang you guys were busy!  It sounds like you had a good time though, so that's good :)  Well, I was pretty busy too!  So this week was kind of nice because it wasn't as hot as it has been.  There was a storm  Tuesday which really cooled it down.  It was nice!  But, boy, is it humid!  You never dry off.....never.  Haha, I hate it but I deal with it.  Haha, what can you do, right?

   

   So, this week we went to Rome for Zone conference, and me and Sorella Bradford sang while Sorella Rossell played the harp.  It was pretty cool!  We sang "Cast Thy Burden On The Lord" and I think it went well...?  Specifically for how little we practiced!   Haha, we never had time, we were just too busy.  But the Lord helped us so that was a blessing  :)

   Then later in the week we met with this referral we got named Enzo.  He is awesome!  He's 65ish with a wife and two kids (grown-up).  We went and he took us and showed us around his town (which is beautiful by the way) and then he bought us both boxes of Confetti (edit note: Jordan almonds, used at special occasions in Italy) and Gelatto.  As we ate, we talked and he mentioned that his son made mozzerella for a living and I said how much I love Mozzerella. Well, let's just say by the end of the night we had almost 5 pounds of mozzerella to take home with us.  Hahaha, seriously one of the nicest guys I've met here.  We are going to start teaching him and his wife.  :)

 

  Franco is still on for the 26th and we are working hard to help him.  He really needs to help himself, and he needs the help of the members and his wife.  We will see in the next couple days what will happen.

Elder Rigby and his companion, Elder Mika

   

   Me and Anziano Mika are tearing it up out here!  Not in the sense that we have tons and tons of work, but in the sense that the work we are doing is good and we are making good relationships with the people in the area. 

   Well, I love you guys and hope you are doing well!  Thanks for everything!

    Love Always, Anziano Rigby  

Rome East Zone Missionaries

God Bless America!

Hey Y'all!

   Wow, it looks like you guys had a bomb week!  That is SO cool!  Haha, 4th of July is definitely one of my favorite holidays! America is beautiful.  Italy is too, don't get me wrong, but it's not quite home for me… hahaha.

   Well, Franco didn't get baptized this week. We set his date back to the 26th so right now we are working hard for that!  But we have a ways to go.  Francesco decided to move to Milan….wait, what? Haha, yeah it was a little random and a little sad.  But we will give his information to the missionaries up there.  

   This week we weren't able to meet with hardly anyone so we did some good finding! We also we able to go out to a town called Sulmona to give a girl from Canada a blessing.  She is a member, but she has a broken leg that's not doing so well. At first we didn't want to go because we were so busy with work those days but we moved some things around so we could help her.  It was a really good experience and a good lesson about taking care of the one." Every one of us is a child of God and he loves us on a personal level.  As missionaries, we're not just here to find people, but we are here to do what He would do.  And I think he would probably want to go help those who are feeling down and maybe a little downtrodden.

   Man, I love Anziano Mika!  Haha, he is a great guy with a big heart and a huge desire to help those around him feel the love of their Savior.  I am learning a lot from him.

   Well, I can't really think of anything else to say.  Life is cool, the weather is hot, and the food is good. :)   I love you guys!  I hope you all have a good week and I will talk to you later!

   Love always, Anziano Rigby