Italian Travel Tip #1: Never Eat Your Pasta on the Go. We learned that the hard way this week. My companion had made a pasta that could have served a battalion of missionaries, but unfortunately we had to run a sister to the train station halfway through our pranzo time. So we did what any sane and hungry person would do, and we put our pasta in a Tupperware and just kept eating as we traveled. We were on the metro, enjoying our pasta, when all of a sudden the man across from us just starts screaming at us. He was saying things like "I can't believe how disgusting you are" and "This is disrespecting my culture, go back to America" and "you didn't even bring bread to eat the rest of the sauce, this is disgraceful." I considered offering him a little, but decided it was better to just keep eating and ignore it. Then a train official starts yelling back at him and telling him that she had the authority to arrest him if he kept harassing us. And what does this angry little Italian man do? He gets up in her face now and starts yelling until the metro doors open and he sprints off.
Italian Travel Tip #2: Avoid Italian Hospitals When Possible. This week I decided to be an adult and try to fix what I thought was an ear infection. So the nurse told me to go get it checked out at the pronto soccorso. I could be wrong, but I'm almost positive that the word "waiting room" has an Italian derivative because we did a fair share of waiting there. Four hours of it, to be exact. Fortunately we found out that I don't have an ear infection. But they also told me they weren't sure what was wrong, and I should take 6 different medications in an attempt to figure it out.
But, the best parts of our week were not that yelling Italian man and the crazy hospital, but were the times we got to teach and hear from Elder Brent H. Nielson.
We met with a great family this week and played the game about having a testimony of Christ. The way it works is every round you have to eliminate something you could live with out. So it starts out with things like nature and movies and clothes, but by the end the options left are scriptures and churches and family and a testimony of Jesus Christ. Everytime I've played the game, the only thing left is a testimony of Jesus Christ. It's the most important thing we can have. After sharing this game with the cute Columbian family, the mom said in her broken Italian, "Jesus Christ is our joy and our hope. How could we live without him?" I know that that's true. Our testimonies of Jesus Christ are the most important things we can have with us in this life and the one to come.
We also had the chance to hear from Elder Brent H Nielson this week, head of the missionary department. He shared a message about using the enabling power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. He said we use this power when we "Submit cheerfully and with patience" to the trials that Heavenly Father allows us to face. That phrase is all throughout all the scriptures and is our key to finding strength through Jesus Christ. After explaining that he said, "So. If we came to this earth to learn through our trials, why is it that everytime we get one we freak out?" That hit me so hard! Why do we freak out everytime we get a trial? Why do we ask why me? We literally agreed to so this! And through those trials we have the chance to grow closer to our Savior through the enabling power of His Atonement. I know it's a lot easier to say that than to apply it during trials, but I loved how he helped me to really change my mentality about trials.
I know this church is true and I'm so grateful for my Savior Jesus Christ and His Atoning Sacrifice.
I love you all!!
Sorella Maxfield
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