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. 

 Anziano Ruiz- loving the Italy Rome Mission

Ascoli Piceno at night

This is truly Gods work! We see his hand in it every day!

January 16, 2017

 This week was good and very quick! We did a lot of traveling this week with exchanges and zone conference! So Wednesday night we went over to Pescara to do an exchange then Thursday night we left from there to Rome for zone conference, then Friday night we were back in  Ascoli doing some good  ol’ missionary work! It was good.

  This week we had a lesson with Silvano and just talked about baptism and it was super good he really wants to get baptized but is a little hesitant about it. So we talked about a date and during the lesson told him that we don't want to make him choose this date but that he should seek help from God. At the end of the lesson he gave a beautiful prayer thanking God and asking him if this was the right date from him. After the prayer he said that he felt really relaxed and then told us to invite Vescovo Teodosi to the baptism on this date! We were really happy that he is learning to have so much faith and for his decision to be baptized! It's amazing to think of the change that I have seen in his life in just this short time that we have been meeting. It's just a testimony builder to me of how much happiness that comes from applying the gospel of Jesus Christ to your life. 

  Zone conference was great we talked a lot about the Holy Ghost and its influence on the work. There were a lot of sweet mission stories told and it was over all good! It's interesting that we talked about this because that's something that I have been focusing on lately and really just all through my mission. It's cool because there is so much you can learn just from one aspect of the church. Growing up with knowledge of the gospel you don't always realize how special the Holy Ghost it. A mission goal for myself is I want to follow the promptings of the spirit 100% and really just let God guide me in his work. There have already been so many miracles from this goal. I just know the Holy Ghost is so real. I have felt it before it has manifested truth to me and because of it I have the knowledge that we are all children of God and he truly loves us like a perfect father.

  This is truly Gods work! We see his hand in it every day! Thank you all for all the prayers love and support. I hope you all have a great week!

Vi voglio bene!

- Anziano Ruiz 

Rome East zone

 roman.ruiz@myldsmail.net

Anziano Roman Ruiz

Missione Italiana di Roma

Piazza Monte Gemma, 9

00141 Roma Italia

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