Anziano Ruiz in the Italy Rome Mission: When we serve, we grow a greater capacity to love others, develop more selflessness and gain Christ like attributes

January 23, 2017

Man this week was a crazy one! So Monday night it started snowing/raining and it didn’t stop till about Friday so we have had only about a foot a snow but so much rain! So a good week of wet feet! We also had quite a few earthquakes this week and pretty big ones! The first one happened while I was shoveling snow to make a walk way to the other parts of our apartment. We live right next to the train tracks so we heard something and felt the ground shaking a bit and thought it was a train but after a second everything started shaking pretty hard. The next couple were while we were at a Store called Globe looking for snowshoes. The second earthquake hit hard! It was just so loud, people yelling, running in every direction, and everything was shattering and falling off the shelfs, it was definitely a frightening experience. Then a couple more hit while we were there. After my companion got shoes (they do not have my size) we went over to have pronzo and a lesson with a nonmember family and they were super awesome! They made some really good food too. So the mom, Gabriella, was a referral from our awesome member Andraya! We haven't taught her all of the restoration yet but we gave her the pamphlet. While we were preparing pronzo we started talking about the Restoration and her daughter (28ish) asked the mom what it was and Gabriella explained the restoration pretty much perfect to her daughter! It was super cool. We talked a little about eternal families and it was good! There was also another pretty big earthquake while we were at their house haha.

Because of the snow this week we had the opportunity to do a lot of service and that was super awesome! We stopped to help some people get their cars unstuck and that was really fun it just feels so good to helping people! So if you ask people in Italy if they want some help they'll usually say no. So I tried a new approach and it worked! I just go to them and say "hey! I can help you!" then take the shovel out of their hands and start shoveling haha so I'll remember that for whenever the next opportunity comes!

So this week I was asked to give a talk in sacrament meeting and I was pretty nervous to speak for so long in Italian but it was actually good! I decided to talk on service because I did a little extra of that this week. While I was studying for the topic it really hit me how important this point is! If we look at the life of Jesus Christ and strive to follow his perfect example we will find ourselves serving all! The mission has really grown my testimony on service, when we serve, we grow a greater capacity to love others, develop more selflessness and gain Christ like attributes. My life right now is dedicated to serving others and I really haven't been happier. When I look at my 2 year service it's not a loss of two years at all, but an opportunity of an life time and a lifetimes worth of lessons. I am so great full for the opportunity to be set apart as a full time missionary, it is really such a blessing. And it is just amazing to see the Lords hand in his work.

I hope you all have a great week and stay safe! Thank you always for all the love prayers and support!

Vi voglio bene!

Anziano Ruiz

Lots of snow this week!

Earthquake devastation in Ascoli Piceno.

This is the 5th series of earthquakes since Roman has been in Italy. He has always been over 100 miles away from the center of them each time but has always felt them. 2 out of the 5 have caused fatalities.