Tuesday, July 29: talked with an apostle:)

July 29, 2025

Yesterday we received a message from our zone leaders asking us to be at the visitors center at 10am, ready in our best dresses. Turns out Elder Rasband had taken a 2 week vacation in Italy with his family and called a special mission conference on his last day of the trip. I felt so blessed and lucky to be one of the about 40 missionaries serving in Rome who got to attend in person. The first thing I noticed when I walked into the room in the vc where the meeting was being held is how strong the Spirit was. I am grateful for all the missionaries who prepared spiritually. Elder Rasband walked in after a session at the temple with his wife and 2 of his kids and their spouses. He was dressed in more casual slacks that didn't match the color of his suit jacket and he was wearing tennis shoes haha cause he was on vacation and said they wanted to pack as light as possible! I was invited to lead the music and we all sang "I Stand all Amazed" at his request. It was SO POWERFUL. He had a huge smile on his face the whole time he talked to us and it struck me the calm Spirit that came into the room while he was with us. He gave us "A Micro Message" as he called it but then paused, looked at us all, and said seriously: "This message comes straight from a prophet of the Lord." He gave us 3 messages:

1) We love you... like the Savior loves you. He told us that President Nelson's biggest Christlike attribute is his capacity to love. I have seen my own capacity to love increase on my mission as I've served for just 18 months so I can't even imagine after 100 years!

2) We thank you.

3) We need you. The Lord needs you. Now, and for the rest of your lives, to build up His kingdom and establish His gospel.

Then Elder Rasband asked who in the crowd was going home next. Sorella Smith and I were the only ones there from our going home group and were sitting right by each other in the 2nd and 3rd row. He asked us where we were going home to, (mentioned that he loves Meridian:)), and said that he likes to call returned missionaries "onward missionaries". He said "Never question the good you are able to do. Never. We need you forevermore."

I will never forget that.

One more story he shared was about the dedication of the Rome temple in March of 2019. He was giving a group of Catholic Archbishops a tour of the temple during the dedication. When they entered the baptistry Elder Rasband began to explain about baptisms for the dead and noticed the archbishops began to scoff, even laugh at him. Elder Rasband quoted 1 Corinthians 15:29 from memory:

29 Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the dead?

One of the archbishops had a stunned look come over his face and he grabbed Elder Rasband's arm and said: "Brother Rasband, I have never considered that scripture in that way before."

This story was so special to me because I have had similar experiences on my mission, though not quite as drastic, of people's eyes being opened as we teach them the powerful, simple truths of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

He's still downstairs eating lunch with the vc directors as I write this haha we sneaked a peek at the security cameras up here:) An Apostle of the Lord at the VC!!! I feel so lucky to be here!!

I love you all. Two more weeks:)

Sorella McCune