Layton Spencer, who capped a stellar four-year career in baseball, basketball and track as 2022 Valley High School Student Body President, has just returned from his mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to the country of Romania.
Enjoying a relatively brief hometown family respite in Glendale prior to heading on to Brigham Young University in September, he addressed Sunday morning’s enrapt stake meeting with a few memories of his life altering experience there.
Afterwards he shared some perceptive thoughts before leaving for a community luncheon in his honor at the North Events Center. “So, I was in Romania for about two years, and I was able to learn about the people and their culture and their language. And get to know them and who they are. Romanians are a very religious people. They’re in the Eastern Orthodox Church, which is the biggest religion there, and they, almost all of them, love Jesus Christ. It’s been amazing to get to know them and their testimonies. And it’s been fun to be able to talk to those who were willing to meet with us and watch them gain their testimonies even farther than they already have. Watching them learn about Jesus Christ in a way that they hadn’t known Him, so they can grow closer to Him, because He is always there to bring us joy. The key to the gospel is you have to be happy. If you’re not happy, then you’re not living the gospel correctly.”
During his time, he labored in five different locations: Brasov, Craiova, Oradea, Bucuresti, and Baia Mare. “I was able to serve with many different companions. They were able to teach me more about my Savior and help me learn what my purpose here is on this Earth. I was blessed with the members in Romania to teach me more about faith in times of difficulty. It’s a lot harder to be a member of the church there than it is here, in my opinion. They have a lot less opportunity; there’s a lot fewer members there. It’s just amazing to get to know them and understand where they come from and what they do.”
Having previously expressed a willingness to revisit in the future, he concluded, “Everywhere you go, you meet amazing, wonderful people. The people in Romania are very special to me. And I’ll never forget them!”
