Rome Forum - May 2016

Basil is a luscious, fragrant herb that tastes as good as it smells.  It is a vibrant green color.  Basil plants grow where they are planted.  If the plant receives adequate sunshine, water and nutrients, it flourishes and grows rapidly.  The leaves are used for cooking.  If it is too cold and rainy, or the sun doesn’t shine, or if it’s too hot and the sun shines too much, the growth of the basil is stifled.  Sometimes the stems and leaves of the basil plant wither and dry out, but the stem and leaves are still useful and taste good.   If the basil plant gets sun and  water and is left unattended, it grows rapidly and forms blossoms on the end of the stems.  The plant then becomes spindly and doesn’t look as fresh and vibrant as it once did.  The solution is to cut the tops off of the stems and decrease the size of the plant.  This causes the plant to generate new growth and become healthy and useful again.  Regardless of the growing phase the plant is in or even if the leaves have all been picked, dried, and cut into pieces, the pieces of the plant are still useful and still taste good.

Our lives are much like a basil plant.  Sometimes we are planted where we don’t want to be planted, but we have to learn to grow where we are planted.  Sometimes life is good and we grow and flourish.  Occasionally we have bad things happen and we have to exercise faith that good things will happen again.  Sometimes when everything seems to be going really good, we find ourselves growing too fast and our potential isn’t being used as it should.  Those are the times when we need to have adjustments made in our lives and, like the basil, we need to be cut back a little bit so we are able to branch out in other areas and be strengthened.  Regardless of what happens to us, we need to exercise faith that Heavenly Father is the ultimate gardener and knows what we need to keep us healthy and useful.  He is in charge of our growth.  Regardless of what happens in our lives, good or bad, it is still just what we need.  Like the basil plant, we are still useful, and still taste good during all phases of our lives.

As missionaries, you have good times and bad times, growing times and stagnant times.  Regardless of what stage you are in, you are always what someone needs to make their life a little bit better.  Heavenly Father recognizes all the good things you do and will bless you for them.   Here in the mission we are mostly young and growing.  We have many plans and desires.  We encourage you to press forward with your hopes and desires. 

We love you.  Each time we taste or smell basil, we will be reminded of you—especially if there’s a bee buzzing around!

Presidente and Sorella Waddoups

Rome Forum - March 2016

March 18, 2016

Just as chalk can be removed from a blackboard,

with sincere repentance the effects of our transgression can be erased through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

--President Boyd K. Packer

As we look forward to Easter and reflect on the meaning of the resurrection of our Savior, Jesus Christ, it is important to understand that the resurrection took place after the death of Christ.  The death of Christ was only after he had atoned for the sins of all mankind.  Because of His atoning sacrifice, all of us may be forgiven of our sins if we truly repent and come unto Him.

That is the message we share with everyone we meet—“Come Unto Christ”.   Repentance and baptism are the keys that open the door so that a person can truly start on the path to life eternal. 

When we commit a sin, Satan tells us we are lost forever and there is no forgiveness, no way to repent, and all we have to look forward to is despair.  Christ on the other hand, offers redemption to all regardless of what the transgression is.

As missionaries, our purpose is to invite everyone to Come Unto Christ.  We offer hope to anyone who is willing to forsake their sins and follow in the footsteps of Christ.  We offer light instead of darkness.  We are the Lord’s emissaries here on earth.  We teach there is a better way and that sins can and will be forgiven when one truly repents.  We should strive diligently to share that message.

In a recent address, Elder Russell M. Ballard said:

We do not want God to weep because we did not do all we could to share with His children the revealed truths of the gospel. I pray that you will seek to know the blessings of the Atonement and that you will strive to be worthy to serve the Lord in the mission field. It was Jesus who said, “If … you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father!” (D&C 18:15). Not only that, but great shall be the Lord’s joy in the soul that repenteth! For precious unto Him is the one.

We hope you will each gain a personal testimony of the Atonement and that you will share it with everyone.  Understand that anyone who repents is forgiven.  Even missionaries.  Once you have confessed your sins and gone through the repentance process, learn to forgive yourselves because God has already forgiven you.  This is the perfect time of year for people’s hearts to be opened to the blessings offered because Christ died for us and was then resurrected so that we, too, might live again.

We are proud of you.  We love you.  Continue to “bee the best you can bee”.  Happy Easter.

Presidente and Sorella Waddoups

Rome Forum - February 2016 - Book of Mormon Challenge

Book of Mormon Challenge

It was announced in the Church News that the Italy Rome Mission will be getting a new Mission President the first of July.  Presidente and Sorella Pickerd are excited and looking forward to sharing the next three years teaching and guiding the mission. Our prayer is that, as missionaries, you will be prepared to follow their counsel and help "Bring others unto Christ".

In order to facilitate this transition, we are extending a challenge to each of you to re-read the Book of Mormon from start to finish within the next three months. If you begin now, you can finish the book by May 15.  That means you will need to read a minimum of 5 pages per day.  

In 2005 President Hinckley issued a similar challenge to the members of the church. He said, "Without reservation I promise you that if each of you will observe this simple program, regardless of how many times you previously have read the Book of Mormon, there will come into your lives and into your homes an added measure of the Spirit of the Lord, a strengthened resolution to walk in obedience to His commandments, and a stronger testimony of the living reality of the Son of God."

The Book of Mormon teaches us many things.  As missionaries, we need to pay special attention to one of the first lessons taught in the Book of Nephi.  When Nephi and his brothers returned to Jerusalem to obtain the plates from Laban, their first attempt was a failure.  They didn't have a plan or a backup plan.  They cast lots to see who should go ask for the plates. When the first attempt failed, the brothers wanted to give up and return home. Nephi wanted to accomplish the task he had been given and offered a backup plan "Let us be faithful in keeping the commandments of the Lord; therefore let us go down to the land of our father's inheritance, for behold he left gold and silver, and all manner of riches.  And all this he hath done because of the commandments of the Lord. ... And it came to pass that we went in unto Laban, and desired him that he would give unto us the records ... , for which we would give unto him our gold and silver, and all our precious things" (1 Nephi 3:16, 24).  Laban kept their riches and then threatened to kill them.  That wasn’t what they planned either, but eventually Nephi was able to obtain the plates. 

Laban and Lemuel complained about the loss of their worldly possessions that would have provided them with momentary pleasures, but not continual happiness.  As it turned out, the entire family was blessed with the writings on the plates that offered them the teachings of the Spirit and the reward of life eternal.  These blessings are much more valuable than worldly possessions.

Through this example, we learn that the scriptures are of greater worth than worldly riches.  

As you make a plan to read the entire Book of Mormon before May 15, you will find that the scriptures are "desirable; yea, even of great worth unto us" (1 Nephi 5:21).

In 1988 President Ezra Taft Benson taught “We need to read daily from the pages of the book that will get a man “nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book.”’ (History of the Church,4:461.)

President Ezra Taft Benson also said "I challenge our mission leaders to show their missionaries how to challenge their contacts to read the Book of Mormon and pray about it. Missionaries need to know how to use the Book of Mormon to arouse mankind’s interest in studying it, and they need to show how it answers the great questions of the soul. Missionaries need to read with those they teach various passages from the Book of Mormon on gospel subjects. …  Anyone who has diligently sought to know the doctrines and teachings of the Book of Mormon and has used it conscientiously in missionary work knows within his soul that this is the instrument which God has given to the missionaries to convince the Jew and Gentile and Lamanite of the truthfulness of our message.”

We challenge each of you to prayerfully consider what steps you can personally take to bring this new witness for Christ more fully into your own life and into a world that so desperately needs it.  You have been called and chosen to be in the Italy Rome Mission at this time because you are the ones who can make a difference in the lives of people living here by sharing your testimony of the Book of Mormon.

We pray for you daily and love you more than you will ever know.

Presidente and Sorella Waddoups

Rome Forum - December 2015

(This is a story Sister Waddoups wrote last year at Christmas time.)

The Missing Christ Child

I love nativity sets and have collected them from all over the world.  Last October we were in Portugal attending the Mission President’s Seminar.  While there I purchased a small nativity set to add to my collection.  It was unlike any other nativity set I have.  Mary and Joseph were standing at the base of a tree trunk.  A branch extended from the trunk and had a piece of twine that hung over the branch with a Baby Jesus lying on a star at the end of it.  The clerk  carefully wrapped the nativity set in bubble wrap and put it in a box so it wouldn’t get broken on the airplane ride home. 

Upon arriving back in Rome, I opened the box and unwrapped the nativity set only to find the figurine of the Baby Jesus wasn’t in the box.  I searched in the suitcase and in my purse to see if it had accidentally been misplaced.  No luck.  The Baby Jesus was nowhere to be found.  Without the Baby Jesus, the nativity set had lost it’s meaning.  It was incomplete.  A nativity set without the Christ Child just wasn’t the same.  Instead of making me happy, it made me sad.

I felt really bad about not having a complete nativity.  In some ways I mourned the loss of the little figurine.

A few days later my husband asked why I didn’t just buy another little Baby Jesus figurine and tie it onto the branch to replace the missing one.  I knew there was no way I would be able to replace the exact figurine, but I started looking for a replacement.  It had to be just perfect or it wouldn’t look right. 

I saw a Baby Jesus figurine in a store window soon after and purchased it in the hopes it would work.  It was too big.  I saw another one a few days later and bought it.  It was too small.  I continued to watch for just the right figurine.  I bought several and none of them was exactly right.  I realized there is just no substitute for the real thing.

As I was pondering the plight of the missing Baby Jesus, it suddenly dawned on me how very important the real Jesus Christ is in my life.  I am happy and content because I know Him personally.  I can’t see Him.  I can’t physically hear Him.  But I know He is near.  I know He hears me when I pray and that He answers my prayers.

Serving in the mission field, I see people on a daily basis who have lost something in their lives or know there is something missing that they just can’t find.   Just like my desire to put the Christ Child back in my nativity set, they desire something.    They continually search for that thing that is missing in their lives.  Many times they go from religion to religion trying to find the perfect fit.  When they find that something is Jesus, they find true happiness.

I see people who once had the Gospel of Jesus Christ in their lives and then lost their testimonies.  Their lives are incomplete and they really struggle, most of the time not realizing why they struggle.  When they regain their testimony, they are so grateful to have found Jesus in their lives again.

We all need a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  We all need to come to the same realization I did.

Christmas just wouldn’t be the same without the Christ Child.

It is our prayer that this Christmas season you will recognize the importance of the Christ Child in your own life and share that knowledge with the people of Italy as you strive to help them Come Unto Christ.

Merry Christmas.  We love each of you. 

Presidente and Sorella Waddoups

Rome Forum - November 2015

 
Rome Forum

November 2015

Conquering the Unexpected

When new missionaries arrive in Rome, there is a feeling of great excitement and zeal for the work.  Sometime during the first or second transfer (sometimes the third), they start saying how hard a mission is and that it isn’t what they expected.  In addition, there is always the inevitable bout of home sickness.

A recent article stated we can compare these times to the Zion’s Camp that the early saints experienced.  It was a difficult assignment and many of the saints complained.  They experienced all kinds of challenges including hunger, fatigue and illness.  Many of them wished they had never gone on the trek.

Zion’s Camp was not what those involved expected.  Your mission is obviously much different than some of the preconceived expectations you had before you came.

In our day we have difficult times, too.  In our mission we have had experiences with persecution, physical trials, illness, temptations on the internet and by Satan’s angel’s, family problems at home, loss of scholarships, loss of employment, missed weddings, births, ordinations, and baptisms, and mental struggles that have tried and tested many.

We believe these trials, like those of Zion’s Camp, are refining you.  You are the future leaders of the mission and of the Church.  From your ranks we will see future elder’s quorum presidents, relief society presidents, youth leaders, bishops, stake presidents, and general authorities.  You will become patriarchs and strong teachers.

After withstanding the trials of a mission, you will be blessed with temple marriages and become loving fathers and mothers.

For those who complete honorable missions, we echo the statement of Joseph Smith to the members of Zion’s Camp “The Lord has accepted our sacrifice and offering, even as he had Abraham’s when he offered his son Isaac”.  And like Joseph Smith, we ask Heavenly Father to “ bless us with eternal life and salvation”.

In the end, Zion’s Camp was a refiner’s fire.  Many of the soldiers involved grew spiritually and became great leaders in the church.  Nine of the original Apostles, all seven presidents of the Seventy’s quorum, and all sixty-three other members of that quorum had all served in the army of Israel that marched to western Missouri in 1834.  Instead of giving up, complaining all the time, or losing their testimonies, they put their trust in God, met the challenges, and endured to the end.

As a mission, we have accomplished much, and we will accomplish even more.  May the Lord bless you and protect you as He always has His worthy saints.

Presidente and Sorella Waddoups

Rome Forum - October 2015

Rome Forum Article

October 2015

*  *  *  *  *

“Bee Bold”

We recently read a letter written by Kevin and Nancy Duncan written to their missionaries in the Chile Santiago Mission when they were serving there.  It contained some valuable information.  We want to share an excerpt that we believe will help you become more effective missionaries.  

“Don’t be afraid to be bold. For some, approaching a stranger and talking about religion can be a very scary experience. I know, as a new missionary, I was afraid.  Overcoming fear takes some time and effort. The most effective way to gain courage and then confidence is to just dive in. A little practice will go a long way in helping you develop the courage it takes to be an effective missionary [role play]. And even if you do something wrong you will learn and grow from the experience and be better because of it.

You may not recognize it, but the Lord in His wisdom carries the message of salvation to the world through young men and women for a very unique reason. It is easier for young missionaries to be bold without being overbearing. Missionaries age 18 and up have some hidden advantages – merely because of their age. Children and teenagers look up to them and want to be just like them. Peers their own age feel a connection with them and find it easy to believe their message. Older adults don’t feel threatened or intimidated when approached or taught by 2 young adults. You can always be bold without being offensive.  People expect it of missionaries. Alma’s counsel is to, “Use boldness, but not overbearance” (Alma 38:12). By the end of their mission, most missionaries learn to be bold. But it is such an advantage if you learn how to be bold early in your mission.” 

When missionaries first arrive in the Italy Rome Mission, they feel a great excitement and zeal for the work.  After the first, second or third transfer, that enthusiasm is replaced with the inevitable bout of homesickness and the mission is not what they expected it to be.  Perhaps they experience what the Apostle Peter felt.

During the last transfer period, each of you had the opportunity to listen to a talk given by President Uchtdorf where he talked about “Fear Not”.  Many of you felt a connection with the Apostle Peter—some because of your boldness and some because of your fear.

In another talk, President Uchtdorf said:

“While serving with the mortal Christ, Peter displayed both boldness and fear. Such could also be said of the missionaries serving today across the globe. It was Peter who, following his Master’s lead, walked on water. And it was Peter who became frightened by the boisterous wind and began to sink, crying out, “Lord, save me.”

“The Lord did save him, and as Peter followed Jesus he continued to show remarkable courage, mixed with a good measure of human weakness.  He was always willing to take risks, to open his mouth and say what was in his heart. At times this led to blunders, but more often it led to precious learning experiences not available to those who held back.”

Peter’s human challenges are often found in missionaries.

“They arrive in the mission field brimming with confidence — in themselves, in the Lord, and in their mission president. They are ready to baptize the entire city, starting with whoever opens the first door they knock on. They will walk on water if you tell them there’s a golden investigator on the other side of the lake. And they are quite certain that they will never, ever, get discouraged or tired or fearful.”

Until they do.

“Because lurking beneath their confidence and zeal are human imperfections, inexperience, and fear,” said President Uchtdorf. “And if they are to become the kind of disciples, the kind of leaders the Lord expects, they will need to face and overcome those weaknesses, just as we all must in our individual journey of discipleship.”

“We all start out a little rough, but with some polishing and refining, with an ever-growing conviction of the Savior’s Atonement and Resurrection, we can become an effective instrument in bringing souls unto Christ.”

We encourage each of you to “bee bold” as you daily strive to overcome your fears and share the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Preach My Gospel was written to help you know how to overcome these fears.

President Uchtdorf concluded his talk with this counsel:

“As you dedicate your work and will to Him and put your worries and fears in His hands, He will make you a great and fearless witness of Him, of His gospel, and of His Church. He will make you great missionaries.”

We pray each of you will be blessed as you strive to become “great missionaries”.  

We love you and pray you will “Bee the best you can bee!”

Presidente and Sorella Waddoups

Rome Forum - Fear Not

Fear Not

Each missionary at the completion of his/her mission is given a form to fill out entitled  “Leaving a Legacy”.  One of the missionaries who returned home in July put this on his form:

“DO NOT HAVE FEAR!  Push the limits of your capacity to serve, and have faith to do more.”

It is great advice.  There have been many talks given on the topic of fear. 

President Uchtdorf said “As you dedicate your work and will to Him and put your worries and fears in His hands, He will make you a great and fearless witness of Him, of His gospel, and of His Church.  He will make you great missionaries.

President Uchtdorf also said “While serving with the mortal Christ, Peter displayed both boldness and fear. Such could also be said of the missionaries serving today across the globe. It was Peter who, following his Master’s lead, walked on water. And it was Peter who became frightened by the boisterous wind and began to sink, crying out, “Lord, save me.”

“The Lord did save him, and as Peter followed Jesus he continued to show remarkable courage, mixed with a good measure of human weakness. He was always willing to take risks, to open his mouth and say what was in his heart. At times this led to blunders, but more often it led to precious learning experiences not available to those who held back….”

“As you dedicate your work and will to Him and put your worries and fears in His hands, He will make you a great and fearless witness of Him, of His gospel, and of His Church.  He will make you great missionaries.”

In Doctrine and Covenants 6:33-34, 36 we read “Fear not to do good, my sons, for whatsoever you sow, that shall ye also reap….Fear not, little flock; do good; let earth and hell combine against you, for if ye are built upon my rock, they cannot prevail….Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not.”

President Gordon B. Hinckley said “When I went on a mission, my father gave me a little card with a verse from the New Testament, the words of the Lord to the centurion servant who brought news concerning the little daughter of the centurion. Those words, 'be not afraid, only believe.' I commend those words to each of us, my brothers and sisters. You do not need to fear if you are on the side of right.”

To quote John A. Widtsoe “Fear is the devil’s first and chief tool.”

Dorothy Bernard stated “Courage is fear that has said its prayers.”

Nelson Mandela taught “I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it.  The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.”

President Thomas S. Monson admonishes each of us  “Though the storm clouds may gather, though the rains may pour down upon us, our knowledge of the gospel and our love of our Heavenly Father and of our Savior will comfort and sustain us and bring joy to our hearts as we walk uprightly and keep the commandments.  There will be nothing in this world that can defeat us… Fear Not.  Be of good cheer.  The future is as bright as your faith.”

President Joseph Smith promised “We have nothing to fear if we are faithful.”

Our counsel to each of you is:

“It is time to put fear behind you and faith in front of you.”

Presidente and Sorella Waddoups

Rome Forum - July/August 2015 - Repentance

“R” is for Repentance

In Mosiah 15:26 Abinadi warns “. . .  the Lord redeemeth none such that rebel against him and die in their sins.”   He is trying to get the people to repent.  Repentance is the second principle of the gospel and essential for each one of us as well as for our investigators.

The Lord further instructs “I command you to repent – repent, lest I smite you . . .” (D&C 19:15) “For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God;”   (Alma 34:32)   We all inwardly know we must repent.  However, for various reasons we delay, refuse, or don’t know how to repent.  Repentance can be facilitated as we study and teach more effectively.  President Kimball taught that Pompeii was in the “same lamentable situation as Sodom and Gomorrah” and was destroyed because the people did not repent. 

As a youth in seminary I learned about the steps to repentance and feel that sharing them with you might help you understand repentance so you can  more effectively teach your investigators to repent and be worthy of baptism.

Recognize is the first step.  We must recognize we have sinned and acknowledge that repentance is necessary.

Regret must follow.  Do not rationalize!   Sorrow for sin is prompted by our conscience.

Remorse for the sin is the deepening of our regret which moves us along the path to repentance.

Realizing the seriousness of sin helps us feel true remorse.

Rejection of the sin and the circumstances that tempt us to sin is an important step.  Have we completely rejected the sin if we allow it to repeat itself?  (D & C 82:7,   James 4:7)

Resist temptation.  The temptation will come again.  Resist the temptation to sin!

Resolve to abandon the sin.  Never do it again.

Relay your conviction to repent by confessing the sin to God and when necessary, to the appropriate priesthood leaders.  Apologize to those you have offended.  We often deceive ourselves by thinking that a confession to God in a brief private prayer is sufficient, but it is not enough.   (James 5:16, Mosiah 26: 29,35-36)

Restore, Repay and Restitution   As much as possible, we must put things back as they were.  Return stolen goods.   Some things like life, virtue and honor cannot be fully replaced and we must plead for the atonement to make up for our short comings.

Resist the temptation to return to old ways.  Never give up hope.

Receive His atonement as we complete the steps and truly have a change of heart.

Rejoice in the Saviors atonement and in His acceptance of our repentance.

President and Sister Waddoups

Rome Forum - January 2015

Rome Forum - January 2015

In Act 1, Scene 3 of the play Hamlet written by William Shakespeare, Polonius is giving advise to his son prior to going out into the world.

Costly thy habit as thy purse can buy,
But not express'd in fancy; rich, not gaudy;
For the apparel oft proclaims the man,
And they in France of the best rank and station
Are of a most select and generous chief in that.    
This above all: to thine ownself be true,
And it must follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man.

There are many bits of fatherly advise that can help us all as missionaries, but I would like to concentrate on just one today.  Appearance.  How do you look today?  Have you looked in a mirror? Have you evaluated what message you are sending by your appearance?  Your clothing and overall appearance sends a message to everyone who sees you. 

If you are wearing a black robe, what is the message?  I am a judge.  A  white, sterile lab coat says I am a doctor.  A uniform indicates the person wearing it is a policeman or military person who has authority.  Plaid pants and a sweater or short-sleeved shirt says I’m a golfer.  A clean, freshly pressed suit with a white shirt and tie or modest, but stylish, dress says I am a professional, I deserve respect, and I have something to offer.  Whether you are dressed as a business person, a lawyer, or in your case, a representative of the Lord Jesus Christ, the way you dress says right away that you are special and that you deserve to be heard.

Studies show if you are dressed like a million dollars, you are much more likely to earn a million dollars.  If you dress smartly and appropriately, you really will do 5 % better on an exam. Your chance of getting a job increases significantly if you dress appropriately and professionally.

As a missionary, what message do you send if your shoes are scuffed, your hair is too long or cut in a style designed to draw attention?  If the knot in your tie is loose and the button is undone, or if you are wearing flip flops or strange-colored nail polish, or your skirt is too short, what message does that send?  How does how you look affect the message of Jesus Christ that you are sharing?

Some people may not care how you look or what you say, but even they will subconsciously have less esteem and respect for you and other missionaries when you do not portray the image our prophet and church leaders have asked us to portray.  It is partly because of the way we look that people often say “There is something different about you.”

As we begin a new year, let us each evaluate our appearance and the message we send by the way we look.  Let’s not justify some of the seemingly small violations of the missionary dress code.  Let’s make our appearance be part of our commitment to be 100% obedient.

To view the missionary dress guidelines established by the church, you may go on-line to the lds.org site at  https://www.lds.org/callings/missionary/dress-grooming     

We encourage you to “bee the best you can bee” and “look the best you can look”.

Vi vogliamo bene,

Presidente and Sorella Waddoups

Rome Forum - December 2014

Rome Forum - December 2014

Where is the Christ Child?

This story has always been one of our favorites because it is symbolic of lessons we all need to learn.

One Christmas we had an interesting experience. Halfway through December we were doing the regular evening things when there was a knock at the door. We opened it to find a small package with a beautiful ceramic lamb inside. We looked at the calendar and realized that the 12 days of Christmas were beginning! We waited with excitement for the next night’s surprise and only then, with the gift of a matching shepherd, did we realize that the lamb was part of a nativity set.

Each night we grew more excited to see what piece we would receive. Each was exquisitely beautiful. The kids kept trying to catch the givers as we slowly built the scene at the manger and began to focus on Christ’s birth.

On Christmas Eve, all the pieces were in place, except for the baby Jesus. My 12-year-old son really wanted to catch our benefactors and began to devise all kinds of ways to trap them. He ate his dinner outside in the mini-van watching and waiting, but no one came.

Finally we called him in to go through our family’s Christmas Eve traditions. But before the kids went to bed, we checked the front step—no baby Jesus! We began to worry that my son had scared them off. My husband suggested that maybe they had dropped the Jesus and there wouldn’t be anything coming.

Somehow something was missing that Christmas Eve. There was a feeling that things weren’t complete. The kids went to bed and I put out the Christmas presents, but before I went to bed I again checked to see if the Jesus had come. No, the doorstep was empty.

In our family the kids have to wait to open any presents until Dad wakes up. So one by one they woke up very early and I also woke up to watch them. Each child checked to see if perhaps during the night the baby Jesus had come. Missing that piece of the set seemed to have an odd effect. At least it changed my focus. I knew there were presents under the tree for me, and I was excited to watch the children open their gifts, but first on my mind was the feeling of waiting for the ceramic Christ Child.

We had opened just about all of the presents when one of the children found one more for me buried deep beneath the limbs of the tree. I was handed a small package from my former teaching companion at our church.

In the time we spent together, I learned that her family didn’t have much for Christmas. It sounded like she didn’t get many gifts to open, so I had always given her a small package—new dish towels, a book—not much, but something for her to open. I was touched when at church on the day before Christmas, she had given me this small package, saying it was just a token of her love and appreciation.

As I took off the bow, I remembered my friendship with her and was filled with gratitude for knowing her and for her kindness and sacrifice in giving me a gift this year. But as the paper fell away, I began to tremble and cry. There in the small brown box was the baby Jesus. He had come!

I realized on that Christmas Day that Christ will come into our lives in ways that we don’t expect. The Spirit of Christ comes into our hearts as we serve one another. We had waited and watched for Him to come, expecting the dramatic “knock at the door and scurrying of feet,” but He came in a small, simple package that represented service, friendship, gratitude, and love.

This experience taught me that the beginning of the true spirit of Christmas comes as we open our hearts and actively focus on the Savior. But we will most likely find Him in the small and simple acts of love, friendship, and service that we give to each other. This Christmas I want to again feel the joy of knowing that Christ is in our home. I want to focus on loving and serving. More than that, I want to open my heart to Him all year that I may see Him again.

 We love you and pray for you and wish you all a Merry Christmas

Presidente and Sorella Waddoups

Rome Forum - November 2014

Il Forum della Missione Italiana di Roma

Novembre 2014

Like all of you, I enjoy reading the words and talks of general authorities.  I was uplifted as I watched the general conference messages.  I have heard from many of you about how much you enjoyed conference and that as you listened to conference, your questions were answered.

This week I was reading a talk by Elder Boyd K. Packer in which he gave advise to missionaries.  I would like to share the following excerpt with you.

“I was once in a university town with a friend.  I learned that a doctor from my hometown was the university doctor.  I wanted to see him and went over to the clinic.

We sat in the waiting room.  There on a low table were stacks of pamphlets of all kinds.  Each pamphlet described a disease.  We sat there for a little while, and my companion said, ‘Look at those pamphlets!  You look at them long enough and you will think you have got it!’

You should learn as a young missionary the power of impression of that kind.  It is something you need to understand and manage.

When you write your mother about a little indisposition of some kind, be careful not to say much about it.  Did you not know that if you are in Australia and you write to Canada, a sniffle in Australia is double pneumonia by the time your mother reads that letter?  We do not need to talk much about our aches and pains.

I knew that a missionary had something wrong with him.  I knew it, but I never could figure it out.  I interviewed him searchingly.  He was performing well.  He eventually became a zone leader.  It was not until near the time he was released that one of the other missionaries told me he suffered from migraine headaches, terrible migraine headaches.  I did not ever know it, because he would never tell me.  He was on his mission, and the headaches were not going to be his preoccupation.  I admired him greatly.  A few years later I saw him.  He was married had a family, doing well, working, and the headaches were gone.”

Sister Waddoups and I do not want you suffering needlessly.  We want you to be healthy and happy.  When you require medical attention, we want you to get it.  However, we also have noted, as did Elder Packer, the power of suggestion.  Sometimes we develop symptoms just because we have heard others talking about them.  We have a testimony of faith and the power of the priesthood.  Do not hesitate to get a priesthood blessing when you are sick.  Have faith in the healing influence of the Holy Priesthood.

Remember there is opposition in all things.  Satan is trying to stop or at least slow the work in Italy.  We are in the period of The Hastening.  We have a temple coming to Rome.  We will not allow Satan to slow nor stop the work.

Elder Packer also said, “If you can learn to control your thoughts, you will be able to hedge up the way of the adversary when a thought comes as a temptation.”

We pray for you daily.  We know you are chosen and capable of being wonderful, successful missionaries.  “BEE the best you can BEE.”

We love you,

President and Sister Waddoups
 

Rome Forum - September/October 2014

One day I was conducting a meeting when the discussion became quite contentious.  One person made a comment that offended somebody else because that person had been involved in the situation being discussed.  That person felt threatened and defensive.  The situation was rapidly spiraling out of control when Jerry, a friend of mine, asked to speak.  He began by telling a story about a squirrel.

When Jerry was a young boy, he had the responsibility of changing the irrigation water in the fields.  Every day he would jump in his old pickup and head out to the corn rows with his dog “Charlie” by his side.  As soon as they reached their destination, Charlie would jump out of the truck and immediately begin to chase birds and run around.  He loved the freedom.  One day, a new animal entered the scene.  Charlie chased a squirrel under the wheel well of the old truck.  He stuck his nose in the small space trying to get hold of the squirrel, but the squirrel was small and just fit in the crevice.  The dog couldn’t get his nose in to get the squirrel.  Each time Charlie would stick his nose in the wheel well, the squirrel would defend itself by scratching and biting the dog’s nose.  Jerry watched for several minutes as the dog whimpered and wailed with a bloody nose while relentlessly, yet unsuccessfully, attempting to get the squirrel.  He was impressed with Charlie’s determination, but could see the dog wasn’t making much progress.  He decided to help the situation by taking the end of his shovel and sliding it along the side of the wheel until the squirrel jumped off and ran down the road.  Charlie took off after the squirrel.  The squirrel didn’t stand a chance against a 100 pound dog with an axe to grind.  Charlie quickly caught the squirrel and within minutes the squirrel lay lifeless in the dirt.  With the squirrel no longer a threat, Charlie placed his nose in the cool ditch water and then lay in the weeds and whimpered.  After a few minutes, Charlie got up and approached the dead squirrel, picked it up with his mouth, and shook it with vengeance.  Then he put his nose back in the cool ditch water and lay back in the weeds to sulk.  Charlie did this several times until Jerry lost his fascination with the situation and decided to take the dog home.

Jerry said he had reflected on that experience with his dog and the squirrel many times.  He said he had witnessed many people who had been temporarily hurt or offended but continued to “shake the squirrel” long after the threat had been removed.  Instead of licking their wounds and moving on, they allowed their anger and hurt feelings to fester.  They wasted so much time and energy being hurt and offended, that they missed out on the wonderful opportunities ahead of them.

We should all learn to live and teach the second principle of the gospel, which is repentance.  When someone has repented, we need to forgive and forget.  We all need to develop the Christlike attribute of forgiveness.  We need to let go of the grudges we hold against past companions, members who didn’t fulfill our expectations, and investigators who chose not to accept the invitation to “Come Unto Christ”.  The challenges you have each faced and overcome have helped you develop your leadership skills and become the kind of missionary you are today.

We love you and appreciate you.  You’re the best!

Presidente and Sorella Waddoups