About Me

The adventures of Christian Toronto, a full-time missionary serving in the Rome Italy Mission (Dec 2016-Dec 2018). Christian grew up in Minnesota, then moved to Colorado right before his senior year in high school. He is the third of seven children. He was attending Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah prior to his missionary call. Christian's older brother Simeon completed his mission in Rome, Italy a day before Christian left for his so they literally swapped places. We call them our Roman soldiers for Christ. In his free time, Christian loves basketball, tennis, american history and politics, and music.

Thursday, September 7, 2017

Take it Easy Reggie--Take it Easy Doubts

Sweet Graffiti with the family name

Carissimi,

The closest we come to German engineering and efficiency in the Great Italy Rome Mission are the Audis, BMWs, and Volkswagens that roam the streets of Pescara, and the Kraepfen doughnuts from Lidl that bring happiness with every bite. That being said, this email does its best, so try to make it to the finish, or at least to the part about the dogs!

Families: This week’s report on those we teach here in Pescara centers on two families. The first one we have been working with for a couple of months now, but the father, Adamo is beginning to show so much progress! Despite following his wife to church for 10+ years, he has now just begun reading the Book of Mormon and praying about it. His humility is inspiring, and we can't wait to help him as he prepares for baptism on the 23rd of September! The second family was found during an unconventional "porta a porta" giro Saturday night. Stefania and Loris invited us into their home, and despite a bit of craziness emanating from their 3 year old daughter, we managed to introduce them to the message of the restored gospel and the potential they have as an eternal family! We are excited to get back over there this week to continue teaching them!

▪Dogs: As the subject line indicates, this week I did the impossible. I found a dog who's actual name is “Reggie". In the interest of providing background for those not aware of the magnitude of this occurrence, just about every dog I have encountered here in Italy I have named some derivation of Reggie, be that Reginaldo, Reginald, Regina, Reg, or most frequently, simply Reggie. As a relationship grows with the dog, a more suitable name is given, i.e. Biscotto, Straciatella, or the like, while dogs that tend to be vicious, unfriendly, or unintelligent remain "Reggie's". Anyway, we were walking next to a fenced off field when a pit bull sprinted up and started attacking the fence trying to get at us.  Luckily, the fence held and behind the dog came the owner, yelling, just as I was, "Fermati Reggie!" Or as Nacho Libre might say, "Take it easy, man..." Tender mercies, I tell ya, they just make my day. 😁

▪Castle: Today we broke a series of rather uneventful P-Day's, and headed to Ortona, a city an hour bus ride South of Pescara. Located there are two extremely cool sites.  The first is a 15th century Aragonese Castle.

Castello Aragonese
Castello Aragonese
The second is the Basilica, which hosts the tomb of Thomas the Apostle, otherwise known as "Doubting Thomas."

Saint Thomas Basilica
In reflection on that last point, (in reference to "Doubting Thomas,") I leave my weekly spiritual application and invitation.

President Hinckley spoke in 1975 of the Symbol of Christ, and within the discourse he states, "The doubtful Thomas declared in soberness and reverence and realism, ‘My Lord and my God!’ (John 20:28.) ‘Be not faithless, but believing’ (John 20:27) were the unforgettable words of the Lord on that marvelous occasion." Certainly Thomas' knowledge of the resurrected Lord was made perfect in that moment, where he felt the wounds in his hands, feet, and side. He doubted no more, but traveled far and wide proclaiming the glorious news. That news was proclaimed again by Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon in the 76th Section of the Doctrine and Covenants. "And now, after the many testimonies which have been given of him, this is the testimony, last of all, which we give of him: That he lives! For we saw him, even on the right hand of God; and we heard the voice bearing record that he is the Only Begotten of the Father — That by him, and through him, and of him, the worlds are and were created, and the inhabitants thereof are begotten sons and daughters unto God.” (D&C 76:22–24.) I offer my own personal testimony along with theirs, notwithstanding doubts or questions I may have had, that I know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that He lives. He offered a hand of mercy, while satisfying the demands of justice, all that we might "Press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men."  President Uchtdorf, were he writing this mass-email-turned-epistle, might even offer his favorite, "Doubt your doubts, before you doubt your faith!"

I would rhetorically ask, in the words of "Él Guapo", "Would you say we have a plethora of scriptural and apostolic admonitions voicing a warning against the ever pervasive, faith suffocating reality that is doubt?" (Ok, maybe he didn't say it in that exact way...)

I end simply, with the words of Doctrine and Covenants 6:36, "Look unto Christ in every thought. Doubt not. Fear not!"

In the name of our Savior Jesus Christ, Amen.

Vi voglio un universo di bene!

Anziano Toronto II 🇮🇹

Pics:


Trainer pic feat. Anziano Ridd

GQ Model Shoot



Boys: minus Anziano Olsen, who is on his way home!

District, minus the former, and Slla Dustin






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