There is a lot more happiness to find when you work on the little things!

June 5, 2017

  The Lord's hand has been in the work! This week was a good and fast one. Half way through the week we had a district meeting on setting goals which was perfect because that has been something I've really been pushing these past couple of weeks, I have definitely been seeing the blessings. After district meeting Anziano Sellers and I did a scambio and it went great! It's always fun helping out young missionaries. After the Scambio the other missionaries came down to Olbia and the train times were a little messed up so Anziano Cutler and I got to do a little super last second Scambio and it was awesome!! We didn't have anything planned so we just went out letting the spirit guide us and talking with anyone who the lord  put in our path. After a while we found our selves walking outside the park and saw this guy sitting on some steps and decided to go out of the way to talk to him. First attempt to talk to us he was pretty cold but we stayed and kept talking to him and then he opened to us. That day was very hard for him and guilt that he has been feeling from his mistakes that he has made made him really down. He was just praying outside the church before we talked to him and he said he has no faith but just hopes that someone is listening. We bore testimony that God loves him that he does listen and that he sent us there for him. It was super powerful. He told us that he usually isn't a talker and doesn't open up to people but for some reason he was talking to us. We showed him the prince of peace video and the spirit was so strong. He is so ready to hear this Gospel and I'm so happy that I was doing the things that I should have been doing to be in the right place in the right time for Giacomo.

  After the Scambio, this week has been on a spiritual high. Two days in a row Anziano Parker and I had nights of finding planned and both nights we had the thought to change those plan, last second according to the spirit. Both times we saw miracles. The first time we decided to stop by a house that told us to come back another day. So we did and they let us in happily. They have a son who is part of that group that calls me "Washington" whenever they see me haha. He is the same age as my little brother Elijah so it's super easy to connect with him, he actually looks almost exactly like my little brother too so that's awesome! I'll have to get a picture when we stop by this week! The second day we had the impression to stop by a less active so we did. It turns out that he got his blood drawn the day before so that was the the only reason he was home. Usually on Sundays he's hiking the beautiful island of Sardegna! But he wasn't so we got to see him finally and we had a great talk about the gospel and his life. In the end he accepted to pray and read the Book of Mormon. Also another spirit high was sacrament meeting. We had two tourist couples here and I got to translate for them; two of them bore their testimony and they were just so powerful. Then Santo gave an awesome testimony, the chapel  that day was full of tears from feeling the spirit. 

  This week was just full of little miracles that we saw from following the spirit. Miracles mostly because we were in the right place at the right time and we had treasured up the word and are ready to act at all times. In missionary work the thing is that not every spirit prompting brings a miracle but those promptings when put together create a miracle. I'll give a small example. Yesterday we were waking in the park and handed a girl an English course card. I wanted to say more and thought I should but wasn't able to. Later down the walk I saw two people on a bench in the other direction and had the prompting to talk to them so I did. They couldn't even speak Italian and rejected us. But when we walked back the other way we saw the same girl that I had left the English course cards before sitting on the bench. She stopped us to ask us about the course and we were then able to talk to her about the gospel show her a video and bare testimony. She didn't want to meet again but the point is that "all things have been done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things." And that through small things big things come to pass. This principle can be put in to every aspect of the church, life Faith, repentance, love, obedience, setting goals, the list goes on. There is a lot more happiness to find when you work on the little things! I know the savior is always waiting, willing and ready to give us a hand when we call out for help in even the littlest things! 

Vi voglio bene!

Anziano Ruiz  

 Our front yard