A Mormon Woman's Reflections on Life and the Gospel of Jesus Christ

I’m a former Catholic with ancestors in Italia… bella Italia..   I just saw an article, clipped below, that touched my heartstrings and reached that longing to make more ties in family lines.  Had that feeling?  Do you know what it is? Well, Mormons call it the “spirit of Elijah.”  Elijah actually came to restore the gaps and mess-ups in the human family by restoring the keys to bind worthy families together–in other words to  seal together us and others to our ancestors who are worthy or will become worthy of eternal life in the highest kingdom of God.  Well, that’s the source of that feeling that is sweeping the earth–to trace their family lines.  And it is the backbone of much of Mormon temple work.

Anyway, I’d love to find Mormons, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who are in the Napoli branch in Italy. Love this article, Laurie. Thank you!  And thanks, Bianca, for sharing it.

I have roots in the Pietraroia area, including the Bello line.  If anyone out there has contacts in that branch, I’d love to connect with them.  Hoping to bop over there with my girls a year from Christmas.  My sister went over to Italy to visit relatives, the Trifilettis, in Sicily, and said it was surreal.  Saw the house my grandfather built for my grandmother, still there amid the cobblestones and groves.

I’ll shower you soon with pics of my two girls..

NAPLES, ITALY

Laurie Sowby, Church news writer

Mario Manzella was a young husband and father looking for answers.

But, he says, it wasn’t until he began praying to God, asking why he felt nothing when he attended the church he’d been raised in, that he began to notice the name tags worn by the young men who frequently dropped in to his bakery.

“The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,” he read.

He invited the elders to his home, and his wife, Anna, accepted their invitation to join the discussion. “As soon as they started using the scriptures, I recognized that what they were teaching was true,” recalls Sister Manzella 39 years later.

She was baptized April 4, 1970, in Napoli (Naples in English), the city where she’s lived all her life. Her husband followed soon after, and in 1976, they traveled to the Bern Switzerland Temple to be sealed to their four children.

As I knelt in prayer last night, on the eve of this 179th session of General Conference (Mormons’ semi-annual meeting to receive the Lord’s will), I asked 5 questions of the Lord, and invited His guidance on those during these two days of talks by apostles and members of the Quorums of The Church of Jesus Christ (sometimes called by those who do not know its full name, “The Mormon Church”).

I received an answer to one of those requests through the remarks given by Elder D. Todd Christofferson, apostle of Jesus Christ. It came as the Spirit bore witness to me and reviewed what has been my privilege to experience through trial–the power and blessing of keeping my covenants. (more…)

Today, April 4, 2009, a new apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ was called and revealed through the fasting and prayers of the Savior’s prophet, Thomas Monson, and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. The Lord has called 57-year old, Logan-born, Neil L. Anderson, to serve as a witness of Him in all the world. Neil Anderson took his place on the stand, acknowledging and being acknowledged by each of the apostles, taking what President Monson called “the longest walk he’ll ever take.” Elder Neil L. Anderson will address the Mormon congregations worldwide and all welcomed visitors on Sunday morning. I felt his humility in the simple observance of his walk to his seat behind the pulpit. It is amazing to know that there really are 12 apostles on the earth. If the world could really know what just happened.

I testify to any of you who may stumble on this post, that this is real. This is not fiction. This is not the result of an elected vote of man, but of the Lord Jesus Christ speaking to His leaders who stand at the head of His Church. It “is” on the earth! The plan of salvation is restored. There is truth! There is a way to progress. There is hope. There are answers to life’s questions. I know, for I sought those answers for years, and have found them.

Back to Elder Anderson, a newly called Mormon apostle, or better expressed, apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ.

On of Elder Anderson’s classic talks regards the feeling of being clean. It reminded me of my own experience, which I’ll share afterwards. In his words: (more…)

A devout Christian, Gary J. Coleman, shares his views of the Savior and his priesthood authority that is traceable back to Our Lord, Jesus Christ. That authority, he testifies, which has been conferred upon Him since he joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (becoming what some have nicknamed its members, Mormons) has provided him the ability to act in the Savior’s name in providing gospel ordinances to those seeking to know the Savior.

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