ITALY AND THE GOSPEL

I BOUGHT A PLANE TICKET TO ITALY! I LEAVE SEPT 23 (I ALMOST WROTE DOWN HOW MANY DAYS UNTIL I LEAVE BUT REALIZED THAT RELEVANCE WOULDN'T HELP IF READ AT ANOTHER TIME).

I NEED TO BEGIN BY BEING GRATEFUL THAT I HAVE A LOVING FATHER IN HEAVEN THAT NOT ONLY HAS A PLAN OF SALVATION AND HAPPINESS FOR HIS CHILDREN ON EARTH BUT HAS ONE SPECIFIC FOR REEDO.

I HAVE BEEN DISTRAUGHT THE LAST FEW MONTHS ON THE PREMIS OF NOT FEELING THAT I HAVE MADE THOSE CHOICES AND SACRIFICES TO BE WHERE I "NEED" TO BE OR WHERE I THOUGHT I NEEDED TO BE (MOSTLY BEING GRADUATED/MARRIED/BEING A DAD/ETC...)

I WAS SURPRISED AS SUMMER WAS COMING TO A CLOSE AS MY CELL PHONE RANG AND AWOKE ME ONE SUNDAY MORNING. IT WAS ALEX AND KIM WADSWORTH (SOME OF MY FAVORITE PEOPLE).

ALEX AND I MET IN WASHINGTON DC FALL 2006. I THEN MET HIS, SWEETHEART, KIM THE NEXT SPRING IN 2007, ALSO IN WASHINGTON DC. WE WERE PART OF A STUDENT ORGANIZATION THAT TAUGHT STUDENTS CIVIC ENGAGEMENT AND THE BLESSED ART OF LOBBYING. WE ALL HIT IT OFF RIGHT AWAY. I WAS AMAZED AT ALEX'S DISPOSITION TOWARD MY BELIEFS AND CONVICTIONS AS A MEMBER OR THE LDS CHURCH. HE AND KIM BOTH WERE VERY RESPECTFUL.

BACK TO THE PHONE CALL...
ALEX CALLED TO TELL ME THAT HE AND KIM WERE STATIONED IN ITALY, HE BEING IN THE AIR FORCE. HE CONTINUED TO TELL ME OF HOW THEY GOT INTO A HOUSE THERE. THEY WERE RESIDING JUST OUTSIDE OF VENICE. HE CONTINUED ON THEIR RECENT CHURCH ATTENDENCE. IT WAS AWESOME TO HEAR HIM SAY THAT THEY HAD CHOSEN TO ATTEND AN LDS CHURCH AND WERE TAKING THE LESSONS FROM THE MISSIONARIES!!!! AS OUR CONVERSATION CONTINUED I TOLD HIM THAT IF HE AND KIM DECIDED TO BE BAPTIZED THAT I WOULD COME OUT FOR IT, BUT I GAVE HIM AN ADMONITION NOT TO GET BAPTIZED FOR ME.

ROUGHLY THREE WEEKS AFTER THAT PHONE CALL I RECEIVED ANOTHER CALL. THIS TIME IT WAS THE MISSIONARIES. HE SAID THAT HE WAS THERE WITH BROTHER AND SISTER WADSWORTH AND HEARD THAT I HAD A PROMISE TO KEEP. I, AT THIS TIME, WAS IN THE HALL RUNNING A TABLE FOR CLUB RUSH. I WAS SO ECSTATIC!!! ALEX CALLED ME SHORTLY THEREAFTER AND ASKED IF I WOULD BAPTIZE BOTH HE AND KIM.

I HAVE HAD SOME TIME TO REFLECT UPON THIS INCIDENT SINCE THE PHONE CALL AND BOOKING THE FLIGHT.

I THINK OF HOW I WOULDN'T HAVE MET ALEX AND KIM IF I HAD SOLEY FOCUSED ON SCHOOL AND NO EXTRACURRICULAR. ALSO, I THINK OF HOW IF I HAD BEEN GRADUATED I LIKELY WOULD BE IN A POSITION TO JUST TAKE OFF AND GO TO ITALY FOR A FEW DAYS. I AM REMINDED OF D&C 101 SPEAKING OR ZION'S CAMP, WHEN THE LORDS COMMANDS THEM AND US IN OUR DAY TO "BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD." HE KNEW EVERY ACTION AND REACTION THAT I WOULD MAKE AND WILL MAKE. THERE WILL COME A DAY WHEN I WILL STAND BEFORE HIM, MY GOD, AND KNOW THAT HE DID EVERYTHING HE COULD TO SAVE ME.

THIS IS TRULY A TENDER MERCY OF THE LORD. I WILL BAPTIZE TWICE AS MANY PEOPLE IN ONE WEEKEND IN ITALY THAN I DID IN TWO YEARS IN KOREA. I DON'T MEAN TO ALLUDE ANYTHING TO NUMBERS BUT I HOPE TO EMPHASIZE THE POINT OF CONSTANT MISSIONARY WORK. SINCE COMING HOME I HAVE BEEN HALF AT BEST AS ORGANIZED AS I WAS ON MY MISSION. I KEEP LONGING FOR MY DAYS TO GO AS WELL AS THOSE; DAYS WHERE I KNEW THE LORD WAS GUIDING ME TO THE LEFT OR RIGHT; DAYS WHICH I KNEW I WAS TRULY ON HIS ERRAND. THIS IS THE BEST FRUIT OF MY LABORS. I THANK HIM FOR ALLOWING ME THIS AND I THANK ALEX AND KIM FOR CHOOSING TO ENTER INTO THIS COVENANT WITH HIM.