Returning Missionary

February 19, 2014

Occasionally we have a missionary who goes home for one reason or another.  It's a heartbreaking experience for us and for them.  A few weeks ago we had a missionary with some real health challenges and we were concerned enough that we made the decision to send him home on a temporary basis until the concern could be resolved.  We've had that happen before and the missionary wasn't able to return and we were sad.  Today we were elated when this last elder who went home was able to return with a clean bill of health.  Arrangements were made for him to meet up with the new missionaries who were just coming to Rome.  I think my heart skipped a beat when the door of the terminal opened and there he was right in front of all the new missionaries showing them where to go and what to do and being such a blessing to them.  Welcome home, elder!

Church in Battipaglia

We attended a Branch in Battipaglia one Domenica (Sunday).  The members were so excited because they had record breaking attendance that day.  The goal was to get over 50 people (members, visitors, and investigators) to church.  It's tourist season and there were visitors from Germany there.  Michael and I and one of the assistants was there.  They had some investigators there.  All in all, 56 people attended that day.  They were so excited.  Two weeks later that tiny Branch had 7 baptisms in one day. That might be a record.  I have a testimony that "The Hastening" is real.

Delayed Success

June 30, 2013

Bp Celestini of the Rome 2nd Ward taught the combined Relief Society/Priesthood lesson.  He started out talking about how Moroni had written to people in the future that he didn't know and never would know, but he felt it important that he record his thoughts and experiences.

He told of a young missionary who never had a baptism and thought he hadn't had a very successful mission.  One day he and his companion were walking through the park and a young boy who was there with his mother, fell and hurt his leg.  The two missionaries hurriedly offered their assistance and helped the little boy and got him back in his carriage.  The mother seemed very grateful and the missionaries gave her a pass along card. 

Twenty two years later, the missionary was sitting in church and heard a man bearing his testimony of how years earlier two Mormon missionaries had helped him after he had hurt his leg in the park.  He never saw the missionaries who helped him again, but that experience had planted a seed in his heart.  He always remembered that act of kindness.  Since that time, he had joined the church.

The original missionary now knew how successful he had been as a young missionary even though it didn't seem like it at the time.