Miracles come when you follow the spirit!

January 9, 2017 

  This week has been great as always! It has also been very busy with missionary work and that is awesome! Also it snowed this week so that was awesome! It was coming down super hard at times but didn't really sick so we ended up with maybe 4 inches it was enough to make me really happy though! 

   We had some lessons with Silvano this week and they were great as usual! We taught the law of tithing and of the fast and it was so good. Its cool on the mission when you teach something then in the lesson you realize how good that thing is and how many blessings come from it. While we were teaching I was thinking of my testimony and realized that it was very strong on these two commandments! A phrase has been starting to pop in my head a lot and it's so true. "The bigger the sacrifice, the bigger the blessing" this applies to so much in life.

  Silvano also came to church loved it! He learned so much and during our lesson later that night he kept referring to church, how it went, how much he learned and the spirit there! In that lesson he mentioned his desire to be baptized and said that he is preparing every day for it! He also told us his story of how he started meeting the missionaries and just how everything worked out. It's just so cool to see the plan that God has for people! His first contact with the missionaries was in 2014. His testimony is amazing to hear and to see the change in his life these past 2 months just brings so much joy!

  We also had another miracle this week! We were waiting for an investigator to show up and we decided to go out and wait for him and he wasn't there so then we just started walking around talking to people and giving out English course cards and there was a guy about to cross the street and so I thought “nah, he's crossing the street I don't need to talk to him, but as I got closer I felt like I should stop him so I did and he seemed interested! Then the next day we got a call from him asking how to get to English course and so we were super excited. After English course we had a super good spiritual thought and everyone stayed after the prayer to continue talking. During the conversation I asked Silvano how he has seen his life change ever since he started meeting with the missionaries and he gave a really awesome testimony. Leonardo accepted to have us over the next day to teach his family and it was awesome! We are so excited to continue helping them. Miracles come when you follow the spirit! 

  Thank you all so much for your prayers I really see them.  This week was awesome, I hope you all have a great week!! 

Vi voglio un sacco di bene!!

-Anziano Ruiz

Our apartment- the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints

Anziano Ruiz and Anziano Farinotti

This next year will be great and I can't wait to continue to serve God in his marvelous work!

January 2, 2017 

  This week as been sweet! New year’s was interesting because we had to be in by dark, it was the first new years, in I don't know how long, that I was asleep for the new year haha but it was really nice to sleep a little extra. We also had deep cleaning on New Year’s eve and we got done with that really fast thanks to my mom teaching me the ways haha. Anyway this week was sweet! There were just a bunch of little miracles everywhere! 

  First off for district meeting we did a secret Santa and I didn't buy a gift in time and all the shops were closed for the holidays so I didn't have a gift. Then on the way to district meeting I was looking for something and found the perfect thing that was funny and half useful haha and it worked really good!  But on a more serious note we had awesome lessons with Silvano this week he is making some much progress and it's is awesome. This week we taught some very difficult commandments and he took them so well and totally agreed with us! Every time we read a scripture with him he loves it so much haha it’s so cool. One time we couldn't even finish the scripture because he was so anxious to figure out where to find the scripture. One time during a prayer Silvano said please bless OUR church. He said that his Christmas was made special because of what he felt at church, he found the true Gospel.  One time when we read a scripture he said we were giving him food and it is buonissimo. There is just a ton of good stuff that he says in lessons and I know that he is ready to give his life to Christ through the sacred ordinance of baptism by immersion. It is awesome to watch as the light of Christ enters someone life! 

  Today I have been reflecting on the past year. A year ago today I was probably snowboarding and now my life is devoted to spreading the light of Christ. 2016 was a year of great change and I didn't really expect it. Leaving home to serve a mission was that change. It was different and very difficult at first. But through the Atonement of Jesus Christ I was able to adjust to all of this change and I love it! I know that when we are abiding to Gods will that we can receive help though all of our difficulties and change in life! This next year will be great and I can't wait to continue to serve God in his marvelous work!

 Thank you for all the prayers and support! miracles come through it every day! Have a great week!!

 Vi voglio bene 

 Anziano Ruiz 

Here is a sweet picture of some Ascoli views! It's super pretty here! And it's even less green than usual because it is winter.

I got this scarf from the secret Santa we did for district meeting.

Sweet shops like these are all over the place. We got some cookies to bring to a member and they were ok haha not the best but I'm sure everything else is good! They only make hard cookies here!

Here is some pretty good pizza we had the other day! Having hotdogs and french fries on your pizza here is something special haha only because it is American! That one really wasn't that good tho haha.

 roman.ruiz@myldsmail.net

Anziano Roman Ruiz

Missione Italiana di Roma

Piazza Monte Gemma, 9

00141 Roma Italia

This joy and happiness is something that we can see all throughout life. The answer is Jesus Christ and His Atonement.

December 26, 2016

 Merry Christmas to all! This week was amazing!! The Christmas season definitely brings so many miracles and it seems like our work is exploding!! 

  So the beginning of this week was pretty crazy with traveling for district caroling. Monday everyone was here in Ascoli and caroling was great! We'll talked to so many people and gave out a lot of bigliettini! (pass along cards) Then the next day we went to L'Aquila to paint their house which was a fun district activity. Then we had district meeting and caroling so that was fun. Early the next morning we were back in Ascoli, which was nice. Then that night we had a Christmas party at our apartment for the ward which was great we had a couple of investigators there one of which was Silvano. I was talking to Silvano and he is continuing to read the book of Mormon and he read the restoration pamphlet again and loved it! It's awesome to see the love and understanding he has for this Gospel! Silvano also came to church for the first time and he really like it, even stayed after to talk to us about the how much he liked the talks in church. I'm very happy to see the joy that has been brought into his life!

Christmas Eve was just filled with awesome miracles. First off in the morning an old investigator Francesca who was taught once about 3 months ago randomly rang at our door and we talked for a while and she is now going to start meeting with us again starting today! Then later that day we had a lesson with the mother of a convert who was baptized about 3 years ago. And she really liked it.  It was awesome to have members present to bare sincere testimony on how much the Gospel of Jesus Christ can bless a family. We look forward to meeting with her to share more joy!

  So about a week ago I found a guitar place, walked in looked  around for a bit because I was actually looking for a ukulele, then we talked to the owner for bit and left a bigliettino. We came back this week to get a ukulele and he invited us to his Christmas Eve party. So after the lesson we were on the way to the party and were stopped but our soon to be new friend Erik! He is African and asked if we were the church of Christ and said that he had been looking for us! He's talked to missionaries in the past when he was in Africa and really liked it, so he's been looking for us and finally found us and stopped us. So that was just a super miracle! It's not just a saying that the elect will find you! We are meeting with him this week and are very excited to see how it goes! So back to the party, we showed up and the owner was super excited to see us! It was such an awesome time because everyone was kinda confused of who we were and what we are doing here especially that I am American, So they asked and we talked to a lot of people about missionary work! The owners family was there and super happy to meet us, we were having a great time and ended up being the last people to leave. We hope to be able to meet with all of them again someday! 

  

  Then Christmas was super fun, we had church which was great with Silvano there. Then after church we just went over to our group leader's the Teodosi's house and did Christmas with them all day it was just awesome to be there in a family atmosphere! My bishop from Rome was there because he is our group leader’s son; it was cool to get closer to his family. We ate so much and just hungout, my companion got to email his family Sunday, it was just great!

  This Christmas season I think I have seen more than ever the light of Christ not only in my life and through out my day but also in those around me. There have been so many miracles this week. I know that all of this is from the extra emphasis of the life of Jesus Christ during this special season! This joy and happiness is something that we can see all throughout life. The answer is Jesus Christ and His Atonement. I love Christmas here and the opportunity I have to be able to serve the Lord at the same time!

Have a great week and continue to enjoy the happiness that comes from our Savior Jesus Christ!

Vi voglio bene 

Anziano Ruiz 

  

 Here is my desk decorated for Christmas with a classic Italian meal. Pasta! Haha

 

Christmas day with the Teodosi's and Bosco family! 

 A cool pizza place we went to

roman.ruiz@myldsmail.net

Anziano Roman Ruiz

Missione Italiana di Roma

Piazza Monte Gemma, 9

00141 Roma Italia

I know that through Christ we can find light in this world at any time

December 19, 2016

  This week was a good one! We had zone conference which was good. I always enjoy going back to Rome! Anyway, the conference was good, we talked a lot about working with the leaders in your ward which is interesting because we don't have any haha. But we also talked about working with the members which was really cool. One quote that I liked was "The missionary's responsibility's are to help and assist the missionary work of the ward." This shows the great responsibility that the ward has to do missionary work. 

  Yesterday we got to meet with Silvano (who is from Africa)and it was super good, we've been meeting with him about once a week but he hasn't really wanted to keep commitments. We have had some good lessons with him the past couple of weeks and they have been going a lot better, he really likes the book of Mormon now. So this last time we met with him he had read 3 chapters and a pamphlet we gave him two weeks ago. Then he was really excited to talk about it with us. We didn't even ask him and he was already talking about how he has to keep all of the commitments on the back of the pamphlet. So we are really excited to see where the lord takes him!

 

  This week while we were finding I saw a picture of a guy throwing the discus in side of a shop so we walked in and I asked if he sold that kinda stuff and he said no. But it turned out that the picture was of his son. His son is on the Italian Olympic team and placed 3rd in disc this last Olympics! Well I'm pretty sure at least, haha unless understood wrong. But that was really cool, he showed us where a track was so maybe I'll do some running in the morning!

   Anziano Ferinotti and I watched the Christmas devotional this week and it was really good. One thing I really liked was "there is no Christmas without Easter". Christmas is a wonderful time that we get to remember the birth of Jesus Christ but this birth would be no more different or special than any other if it wasn't for the Atonement and Resurrection of Christ. Through this magnificent event, Jesus Christ became our Lord Savior and redeemer of this world! I know that through Christ we can find light in this world at any time. I am so grateful for him and everything that he is. I love this Gospel so much and the opportunity I have to share it everyday!

  I hope you all have a great week and a merry merry Christmas!

Vi voglio bene!

Anziano Ruiz 

roman.ruiz@myldsmail.net

Anziano Roman Ruiz

Missione Italiana di Roma

Piazza Monte Gemma, 9

00141 Roma Italia

Rome East Zone Conference

  

Missionary Nativity play after zone conference

Beautiful Ascoli Piceno

The track! 

A cool guitar shop I found

 Just some Christmas decorations that I made.

New Haircut

I can't explain how great this work is, but the fact that the all mighty God calls it a "marvelous work" is amazing to me

December 12, 2016

  Man every week gets faster! This week was great! To start out I did a scambio (exchanges) with our district leader in Pescara and that was super cool. For our morning workout we went on a run to the beach then played football there, it was really fun and made me miss the good old Friday night lights! Haha on the other side of the scambio my trainer was with a Pescara Anziano in Ascoli. they had some new people in English course and after they had the spiritual thought they were really interested to learn more about our church so that was an awesome afternoon miracle!

  We have a member here in Ascoli whose name is Andraya. He is an awesome member missionary! We called him the other night so see if he could do a lesson with us the next day, but told him the lesion might fall through or that we might not need him and that we would call the next day to see if we need him. Then the next morning 3 hours before the appointment he called us an said "Elders, I'm ready for the lesson!" it ended up being a huge miracle that he was there! Andraya  knows this gospel so well and helped our friend Francesco understand so much. He turned a lesson that could have gone downhill to a great lesson. Andraya also takes us out once a week and brings us to referrals. He is just an awesome example of love for missionary work and this gospel! When I get off my mission I want to strive to be like this! Through missionary work we can find so much joy and are promised so many blessings! 

  The beginning of this week we had very few lessons and it was a little discouraging, Saturday night for finding we really wanted to find some more people to share our message with. So we tried our best to find and had no luck. Church the next day was amazing, our investigator Francesco came for all three hours and loved it! Then a member convert Alex brought his brother, whose name is also Andraya,  and he loved church too. After church we had more lessons that just kinda popped up. Sunday was great and definitely made the week a lot better! This week was a representation of enduring to the end to me.  I love and strive to live the scripture 3 Nephi 15:9 "look unto me and Endure to the end". I know that when we look unto God that we can Endure all things and through that we will find great blessings awaiting us! 

  Again, I can't explain how great this work is, but the fact that the all mighty God calls it a "marvelous work" is amazing to me. I love being a missionary and helping people every day. I love Ascloi and couldn't ask to be anywhere else! 

Thank you all for the prayers support and love! 

Buona settimana.

Vi voglio bene.

Anziano Ruiz

On the coast of Pescara, during the scambio.

Centro with Christmas stuff up.

Sant' Emidio

Sant' Emidio at the end.

Centro during the day.

roman.ruiz@myldsmail.net

Anziano Roman Ruiz

Missione Italiana di Roma

Piazza Monte Gemma, 9

00141 Roma Italia

I invite all to practice their Christ-like attribute of gratitude through counting blessings

December 5, 2016 
  This week was over in the blink of an eye! I don't have much time so this might be short. A couple of days ago I went back to Rome for my Promesso, so now I'm legal here haha finally. Then Sunday we had a big stake conference in a nice hotel because the churches aren't big enough here, haha anyway it was really good. it was also super awesome to see a lot of the friends that I made in Rome, there are some much cool people there! I miss the GANS, youth and the families, there are a ton that I miss, they are all super awesome! I also got to see a lot of missionaries which is always a treat!

  Saturday night I went on a scambio with Anziano Cagnacci he is a greeny in his second transfer right now and is native Italian so that was super fun I hope I'll get to serve with him one day! so that night we went to a dinner appointment with the Olmos family. Right before I left Rome I met them and we both really wanted to have dinner together but I got transferred so we couldn't. So it was super awesome that we got to do that! they are so so awesome!! Their boys played the guitar and it was so sweet haha I wanna learn someday when I'm home! the Olmos are from Sandpoint Idaho that's why we got along so well! I have family  there. After dinner and the guitar playing with shared a spiritual thought on blessings, the spirit was amazing! there is the saying that goes "Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% what you do with it" and it applies perfectly to counting blessings and happiness. Through blessings we can recieve 10% happiness but when we recognize them, thank God for them, show gratitude and maybe even write them down we can receive 90% more happiness. I invite all to practice their Christ-like attribute of gratitude through counting blessings, and by this we can experience the true joy that a simple blessing like "the sun was out today" can bring.

  Also this  week we had the chance to meet with our friend Silvia! She loves the missionaries so much but is not to interested in changing her beliefs. Silvia is about 75 and works as a tailor. A couple of weeks ago we gave her a Book of Mormon. We wanted  follow up and it went okay, she is really set on her beliefs. For the closing prayer she asked me to give a prayer but for it to be spontaneous and from the heart, which is perfect because that is how we believe we should pray. So I said the prayer (in my not so perfect Italian) and after she was crying and told us how she felt that spirit so strong that we are certainly two special angels in her life, and how grateful she is to know us. It was an awesome experience and a huge testimony to me of the amazing power that a simple prayer can bring into a room. I love being here, making friends and bringing the spirit to people's live's, it is such a great opportunity. 

Thank you all for everything and have a great week!!

Vi voglio bene 

Anziano Ruiz 

 Some awesome members that we visit every Wednesday. They are so crazy loving  and just straight up Italian! Daughter - Alessandra, Grandma, Mom - Roberta. 

Of course, have to take a picture of the Maserati/ Ferrari store.

More cooking

 More sandwich making      

Christmas tree Mom made and sent from home.

  roman.ruiz@myldsmail.net

Anziano Roman Ruiz

Missione Italiana di Roma Piazza Monte Gemma, 9 00141 Roma Italia