Anziano Orso Letter August 28, 2013

Ciao Tuuti!!

everything here is good. it was a busy week, but the weather is starting to cool down which is good. the language is still pretty tough, some days i just get really frustrated because i cant talk to anyone.....but i know that it will come over time. but nothing new this week, same old stuff, teaching the gospel to people, and just being friendly. this week was really excited in church, because he have spent a lot of time figuring out a way we can help get members more involved in church, and with missionary work. well this friday we have an activity where we are helping people get more involved. its called "ogni membro missionario". but that this friday so we have been preparing for that!!!

we do a lot of finding work, its mostly a long this river here in prato, well, we walk a long that path a lot because there are a bunch of parks also, but there are also the same people who are a long the path too. so even though they dont want to hear the gospel, they are atleast nice to us and say "ciao". so we have made some friends!! which is good haha

we went to this place called the Duomo, which in every city its the HUGE church. (i sent a pic of it) anyway two of the Anziani (elders) started singing Hymns to get attention from everyone, then me and Anz. Walker went and started talking to everyone. its worked alittle, we were able to hand out pamphlets and stuff. plus, the people who have never heard of us, get a good first impression!! 

nothing really new or big this week, its the last week of the transfer, ill most likely stay here in Prato, its good because there is this 18yr. girl who is getting baptized next week!! her name is xoimarra, and i have been able to teach her a couple lessons, shes really smart, she was like me, went to seminary and church, but her parents didnt believe in the church so she had to wait to be baptized at 18. 

something me and my companion do to pass the time when there is no one out or its a long walk, we play 20 questions, with disney movies. i never really thought about how many there were, but he knows a lot of disney stuff too!! haha.

vi voglio bene!! love and miss everyone!!

ANZIANO (DOMINIC) ORSO

Anziano Orso Letter August 21, 2013

ciao!!! so much had happened this week!

so this week we have been teaching a lot of lessons, but its hard to get the second appointment. but we beat our transfer goal already!!! we have 17 investigators, and this week we taught 13 lessons!!! its was awesome!. the days are long but the weeks are fast, even though its hot and gross during the day i think 1. im in italy 2. im a missionary 3. im in italy 4. i could be in arizona 5. im a missionary haha. either way im a missionary serving the lord in Italy!! haha, no way bad anyway you look at it haha.

i was discouraged this week, we were talking to this one man who we have been teaching and he told me how can i be preaching if i have even read the whole bible, but i said im preaching the book of mormon, because this too is the word of God, and along with the bible, this book helps clarify and explain doctrines and principles that have been lost over time. and i know this book is the word of God and it can help your in your life and your families. so i didnt let him fully discourage me, but made me want to read the bible a lot more, so know one can use that against me. 

thursday was an italian national holiday; ferragusto, which is called "holidy of august" haha. but anyway we didnt know there was going to be a huge celebration in piazza, but there as a huge gathering of people. because the catholic  church here has the original "sacred sash" which was the virgin mary's sash she gave to thomas!! so we were able to see it. and they only show people 4 times a year. it was awesome. 

we started a program here in Prato called "ogni membro missionario" which is to help others get involed in missionary work. its awesome so far. we are testing it 6 families and seeing how they do. our goal is to get our referrals up. the brach is called Prato, and there are 200 member, but only 80 active members, they want to become a ward soon, so we are trying to help them make their goal. 

today this morning me and the other anziani attended catholic mass. it was interesting. i couldnt understand it, but we stuck out and everyone kept giving us stares. but it was okay haha. 

fun fact: one day i made pasta and called its "pasta di orso" which i then decided not to call it that because that means bear pasta haha. so that was no bene haha. 

i know this is the true church, im happy to be a missionary in italy!! vi voglio bene!!

love Anziano Orso

Domenico is my name in italian and on the back of coke bottles is says 

"condividere questa coca cola con Domenico" its was cool haha

Anziano Orso Letter August 14, 2013

Buona Sera Tutti!!

so we are teaching two families and one man. a this will be a shock but they are not italian....two families from pakistan and another man from nigeria. this city is very diverse. but ill tell you about the families. the first one is the Gill Family. they are nice, the husband and wife are members but the kids are not. something really cool is the husband was the first member ever in pakistan!! and was the first member from pakistan to go on a mission!! its so cool! he met his wife and introduced her to the church, they have three kids, two girls and a boy. so we go over there and teach them the lessons because the husband is in germany and they havent been going to church. so we have been helping them get that want to go. the second is a pakistan family who moved here 4 years ago. his wife went to england to study religion, they are christian, which is a blessing because everyone we meet from there is muslim. so we have been reading the book of mormon with them and helping them apply it in their lives to see the blessings. they have a 10 month baby girl who had the same problem Britts baby jaxon had. so we have been praying for her and helping them with anything we can. the last guy is name is israel and hes from nigeria. he has been in italy for 11 months, and his family lives in new york. but hes very smart and knows a lot about the bible. he loves to read and read alot from the book of mormon already. and hes starting to gain a testimony!! so really amazing to help people change their lives and find the love christ has for them.

now the work here has been really kicking up more, it has the potential. every time we talk to members or talk to in church we tell them how important they are in missionary work. and its been making a difference, they have been asking us to come over to help teach non members or less actives. but i have not yet had my first real italian meal :( like the italians say "piano piano" which means "over time" aha.

monday we went over a members house and had a family home evening. they are the Ianni family, and we were also joined with the Faurdia family (this family reminds me a lot of you guys) but after our lesson and activity we ate little appetizers. me and my companion asked what is was sorella Ianni said she will tell us after we try it.....after we ate it we asked what it was, she then said its turkey......liver. yes i have just tried my first foriegn delicacy in italy. i guess liver is popular here....but i hope they only do it on special occasions. also here they eat everything from an animal, brains, eyes.....its a little weird. but my big fear is i dont know what the packages say, so i hope im not buying pig intestine or something haha.

italian facts!!

1. everyone is active!! they either run, walk, or bike everywhere!!

2.people honk for no reason when they drive haha

3.they dont monitor anything..... not a good thing

4.they have cigarette dispensers on every corner (no wonder there are 12 yr olds smoking)

5. the only fast food here is kabob and pizza, pizza and kabob, and last a pizza-kabob....haha i have tried both

6. everyone uses public transportation! a lot quicker than a car

7.you dont say hi to someone unless you plan on having a conversation with them. so when us missionaries walk by and say "ciao" they freakout.

love and miss you guys!! i love being a missionary!! 

ho una testimonianza della chiesa. questa chiesa e vero, il libro di mormon insegne con la sacra bibbia contiene la pienezza del vangelo di gesù cristo. il nostro padre celest ci ama. and mediante seguire il esempio di gesù cristo possiamo tornare con lui e la nostra famiglia. amen.

ANZIANO (DOMINIC) ORSO

Anziano Orso Letter August 7, 2013

Buongiorno!!

how is everything. i feel like this week has gone by really quick!! but its always a good day when i can see all your emails and write you!!

 

so much happens in a week here its really hard to always remember when i want to write. but i write it in my journal so i have it written somewhere. so this week has been a lot of finding work. it was been pretty hard getting lessons. since me and my companion are opening this area we had to start from scratch, with 0 investigators. but the lord has shown us blessings and miracles because of our hard work. we went on exchanged this week, so i went with anziano Anderson for a few appointments. we went to this less active member and she asked me is i was related to the other Anziano Orso that served here 30yr ago! its crazy cause i have not met anyone else who has the same last name. and here in my area a lot of member keep telling me i look like another Missionary that served here many years ago....maybe its a distant relative!!! :O haha

one of the great miracles we had was yesterday; my second day here i need to go get my "green card" for italy. so we went to the post office to make my appointment. while in line there was this lady and her daughter who recognized my last name as italian, but laughed because it ment "bear" haha. but that was the last we saw of them. well yesterday we decided to pass by an old investigator who hasnt met with missionaries since 2010. while we were there only the husband answered the door. we started teaching him a lesson about the church when his daughter and wife came in....guessed it yet? it was the lady and her daughter from the post office!!!! it was a huge blessing because we didnt even plan to stop by their house, we only went because our other three lessons fell through. but it was awesome because we kind of met already, so it was funny, and we all laughed haha. such a good blessing after earlier that day.

 

so yesterday i was sick, i has a fever and body aches, but i took medicine and drank water, so now i feel a lot better today(:

so here are some fun facts about italy that is different than america:

1. everything closes around 12-3 for lunch!! i mean everything its a ghost town, everyone goes home to eat lunch, because lunch is the big meal of the day instead of dinner or breakfast.

2. august is a dead week in italy!! everyone goes to the beach, so there is no one home or on the streets, which stinks for us cause that means we have no lessons and we're walking around 6 hr. by ourselves haha

3. soda has less surgar here then america! its weird tasting at first, but then you get used to it. 

4. club soda is a refreshing fancy water here, if you are meeting with someone important, you drink club soda, which stinks cause i hate it haha

5. the shoulder bag is really popular here.......for guys. i see more guys wearing purses that girls haha. but thats the style here haha. 

 

anyway i love you guys a lot, some days its hard, but at the end of the day i can always count one miracle, which makes up for the rest. this work is amazing, and i love the opportunity i am given to serve a mission, the language is hard, but when i talk the spirit helps testify what im saying(: love and miss you guys!!! ill write to you next week.

 

love Anziano Orso

 

ps! last pday i went to the duomo in Florence!!! its weird, im so tired all the time, sometimes it doesnt hit me that im in Italy haha weird.....

 

these pics are of florence!!

 

This one is in Prato, Italy

In Prato, Italy

Florence, Italy

inside a church in Florence, Italy

Dom's apartment

outside Dom's apartment

Dom's apartment

Dom's bedroom