Crotone! Transfer 5 Week 3!

Non ti preoccupare, sii felice! 

Don't worry, be happy!

This week feels like one of the fastest in my mission and it just goes to show how fast time flies when you're having fun! The message we're here to share is a message of happiness and joy! So we have to show people how happy we really are! I've been thinking a lot about that this week, we have seen a lot of rejection and doors shut in our face and sometimes I just get so frustrated but my companion said something really cool to me this week! We were knocking doors in a few buildings not far from our house and we had done three buildings with not even a smile or a thank you just some straight up rejection and I was getting bugged... Anziano Allen said "Heavenly Father is testing us to see if we will follow the spirit even when it doesn't seem like it's paying off." We didn't end up sharing our message with anyone that morning but we both knew that we followed the spirit in going where we needed to go and I thought it was interesting to think about how Heavenly Father might just be testing us sometimes to know if he can trust us with something bigger and better. 

We had a really great trip to Taranto this week but before we left the Catanzaro Anziani came to do a scambio with us. It felt so weird to let my Greenie go with someone else! It's like taking your kid to their Aunt and Uncle's house for the first time and leaving him there! Parenting is going to be traumatic... but I got to work with Anziano Gunnell! He is a great kid from Orem UT! He is one transfer behind me and he's a great worker, we put his Finding skills to the test and had a pretty good time! We ended up talking to some Jehova's Witnesses and for the first time it was a positive experience! He actually said at the end of our little chat: "One thing I've really taken from you Mormons is that we shouldn't be arguing or pushy with our message, I've met quite a few missionaries like you and I am always so impressed that you don't try to fight or argue, you just state what you know to be true!" It was really cool and definitely more positive that the usual "TJ encounters" 

Tuesday we headed for the big city and I was so excited for Zone Conference, they always just leave you feeling energized and ready to take on the work! The spirit is super strong and you can tell that everyone in attendance is well prepared. We took an Intercity train  which goes faster than the normal ones and is quite a bit nicer. It was like a Harry Potter train so the six of us had a little room all to ourselves. I was hoping someone would come by and say "Anything off the trolley dears?" Just so I would have the chance to say "We'll take the lot!" But apparently Italy isn't like platform 9 & 3/4. I have to throw Anziano Allen under the bus for this... We were almost to Taranto and the ticket checker guy came by and was checking our tickets and he was writing down the number but apparently he couldn't read the words so he pointed to a letter and said "Questo e un m?" (Is this an m?) to Anziano Allen who looked up at me with the biggest deer in the headlights look and said *in English* "You're gonna have to talk to him!" As he pointed at me... all 5 of us busted up laughing so hard, I couldn't even respond to the train guy. It was hilarious and I don't think we ever told him whether or not it was an M!

We made it safe and sound to the big city and I actually remembered which bus to take to get to the church. We made it a few minutes early and Anziano Allen and I actually had our interviews with President that night because we had to take a train back to Crotone right after the conference so we hung out with Sister Pickerd and waited for President. Interviews went well and I was super ready for the conference! We were the last ones so we got a ride back to the house and picked up some pizzas along the way! 

Wednesday was an early morning as we had a special training for all the trainers and trainees in the zone with President and Sorella Pickerd, the assistants, the Zone Leaders and the Sister Training Leader before Zone Conference. We talked a lot about the importance of sharing the work load in a 50/50 manner right from the start... which is kind of hard because you don't want to overwhelm your Greenie but they also have to take on new responsibilities every day! So I decided this week that the phone is Anziano Allen's! Starting today he is going to make phone calls! HE is not super stoked... 

Zone conference was so good! We talked about the importance of the spirit and how we can use the spirit in everything we do. The testimony of the spirit is so evident in the scriptures and it is mentioned so many times. Sister Pickerd gave us a great training on this and she shared one quote from Dallin H. Oaks that I really enjoyed. It goes something like this "If you teach something, even if you teach it correctly, if you teach without the spirit it is not of God." I thought that was really interesting from a missionary point of view but also from the point of view of a member whether we are teaching Primary, teaching Sunday School, Relief Society or any number of things. If we do not teach it by the spirit it is not of God. We also talked about exhorting people to commit themselves. We extend commitments to everyone everyday and it takes a lot of effort on their part to commit themselves and if we are gifting them this invitation to act and exhorting them to hold to it they will be much more likely to do it. So we are going to work on it this week and see how it goes! 

We had lunch and then President and Sister Pickerd went through a slide show of all the baptisms from the last transfer with the pictures and their stories. I got to see Ruth in there and explain to the Zone her story and what happened as she progressed to baptism. They also had another baptism in Cagliari, it was the zone leader's investigator Francesco. Its so cool to see how people change and get closer and closer to baptism and finally take the plunge! 

Right after the conference the assistants gave us a ride to the bus station, the Sorelle and the Anziani from Catanzaro were doing a scambio so we were alone for the bus ride home. It was a good trip and we both were feeling super energized to get to work!

My desk was held together by duct tape so after seminary on Saturday we had a member take us to Auchan to find a new one. We brought it home and I put it together. By the end of my mission I should be able to use IKEA as a reference I am getting so good at putting their stuff together! 

Church on Sunday was pretty great! People just kept coming in, there was so many people! We had to break a second piece of bread! It was great! The Gospel Principles teacher is Italian but all the people that go to Gospel Principles are African and don't speak Italian so I translated Gospel Principles which was really fun! I miss those lessons! It is so nice to go back and understand the basic doctrine of the Gospel. Those are the fundamental important parts. We finally got an Italian Pranzo for my boy Anziano Allen! The Corrado's invited us over after church and we had a great time! Anziano Allen said to me "Its so cool when you stop paying attention to the language and you just listen. Thats when you realize you're understanding without really trying. I remember my first appointment when I realized how much I was actually understanding and I was so surprised! He is doing great with the language and has nothing to worry about! 

Today has been a great day, we went and bought our American missionary some Italian pants this morning and he looks more Italian by the minute! Grocery shopping and now emailing at the church! Should be a great P-day!

I hope you know how much I love you all! 

Anziano Jacob Bellucci

Italy Rome Mission