Anziano Orso Letters for September 18 & 25, 2013

Both emails sent to us on 9/25/2013

This is for 9/13/2013

This week has been good. a lot talking to people on the streets and in the parks. friday me and anziano anderson went on a scambio and had taught this guy in centro. then we taught people english, its one of the service things we do here, a lot of people always want to learn how to speak english. but before that we had a meeting with the zone, and on the way back we were taking the train when we accidently got on the wrong train, so we traveled an hour south of our area, which was not good! we didnt know where the train was going to stop, and we were on the border of the mission boundry. but luckily we got off and switched trains, so everything else was good.

sunday at church was really good! we had a good service, and we were invited to a birthday party for sat!! wahoo!! but later that day out of no where a huge storm came and it poured, well, me and anziano walker were on bikes so we were soaked. we ended up stopping in a palazza because the streets were flooding and it was dangerous to bike. i got home and everything on me was wet. it looked like i just jumped in a pool haha.

monday there was another storm, but this one didnt really last a long time. but it still got us wet haha. but everything was good. we had a district meeting in the church, it was cool!! we finally have Sisters in our district haha. sis. Bared, and sis. Mcan i think thats how you spell it haha. 

tuesday i had to go to a place called the Questura, which is where i get my Green Card to stay in Italy for two year. we waited 6 hr. there is no system here haha. but everyone has to do it to become a temporary citizen here. 

so this is for this week!!

this week has been good!! its was emotionally draining, but its okay because one day a week i get to hear from you guys and its makes it all better!!! 

honestly not much big has happened this week, its seemed really long and slow. a lot of talking to people and having lessons, but lately no one has been progressing like we are hoping. we keep seeing them but they arent really keeping their committments. but three of our investigators came to church on sunday!! its always a good feeling and always a nervous feeling, because you dont know how its going to go!! but i guess everything went good because they all want to come to church again!!

this week we has tonta sfortuna (a lot of bad luck) with our bikes!! my bike got a flat, so we took it to the bike shop, after a day he said he had it fixed, i rode the bike for twenty minutes before the tire popped again! so we had to walk my bike for an hour to the bike shop again. and later that night my companions bike broke too!! and another missionaries bike the chain broke. so we only have one working bike for 4 missionaries.....its not good haha.

we went to a birthday for members twin boys. it was fun, they asked us to think of american games that we could show them.....it was really hard to explain to a bunch of 5 and 6 year olds how to play rossa luce, vedere luce (red light, green light) but all the people who arent members thought it was nice for us to teach them games. because everyone here is in love with the united states. so thought it was the coolest things having 19 and 20 year boys from the USA taking time to share our culture. so it was a success with contacting at the party.

so it may be a shock or not, but i have lost almost 18lbs since ive been here!! all my pants and shirts are getting really big on me......but its because we do a lot of biking and walking. plus, the italian culture is to only eat one big meal a day which is lunch, so i really dont eat much. its insane though!! kids start school at 9 have a two hour lunch break between 1 and 2 then back to school until 4. i dont think i would be a fan of that haha. anyway i have to go!! ciao!!! 

Anziano Orso Letter September 11, 2013

Ciao Tutti!!

this week was okay, they had a huge party this week that was celebrating Mary's birthday.....which is really weird because 1. it was on sunday 2. it was for Mary.... and 3. everyone was getting drunk and there was a huge party. so we had to try and avoid the areas that people were getting really crazy. but me and anziano Anderson were able to see the parade, it was really cool!! they had everyone dressed up like people from the renaissance... and they were marching down the streets. so since im in italy only once we watched some of it because that was where everyone was. 

we had a baptism for this girl named Xiomara!! it was so awesome!! and spiritual!! it reminded me of my baptism. the reason i havent mentioned her before is because she was taught all the lessons already, she just had to wait to be 18 to be baptized. so she wasnt our investigator, but i did teach her a lesson with anziano Ibba, so i feel responsible for 1/25 of her steps to baptism haha. but we had two investigators, Godsman and Gianlucca. they both felt the spirit and felt how it was something that they needed to do. Godsman want to be baptized now and we are still helping Gianlucca learn that understanding how once hes baptized and the gift of the Holy Ghost he can have that feeling all the time. 

and i finally got a BIKE!!!! i have actually been walking everywhere since we opened this transfer we didnt have a bike. but some cool new i found out about my District!! we have the Missionary Sister Mcain? ( i think its how its spelled haha) but she is Elder Hollands Grand-daughter! so thats pretty cool!! we'll meet her for the first time tomorrow for Zone Training. 

so the weather is starting to cool down!! its really nice, because its always humid, but when we get that nice cool breeze its amazing haha. but we met a lot of people this transfer that even though they dont care about our message, they say sempre! " i admire you all sharing your religion like that, i wish more people had faith like you, but im catholic sorry"....what that heck!?!?! haha but its a compliment hahal. 

so the mission rules have changed, i think all over the world to, but we cant wear backpacks, we have to wear side bags, and the mission rules her you have to have a certain kind of side bag, so starting october all missionaries here have to start switching to side bags, luckily im 20 min. near Florence so im thinking of getting one there in the market, im sure i can hassel them down on the price haha. when i come home im probly going to be eurpeanized...ahah

anyway i love you all!!! keep writing me emails!!! they make my day(: Ciao!!

so here are some italy facts that i collected during the week:

1. everyone answers their phone, even in the middle of church

2. cars are made smaller here

3. there is NO DR. PEPPER!!

4. when you talk to everyone it looks like your playing a HUGE game of Cherades haha

5. they use a different key for every lock, they also have a lock on every door in the house, even the kitchen and living room.

6. there is no personal space.....when in line its like everyone is doing a huge hugging chain.

7. every other song they play here in italy is english, but no one can speak english.... 

Con Amare,

Anziano Orso!!!

filling baptismal font in Prato Italy

baptismal font in Prato Italy

Anziano Walker, Xiomara (baptism), Anziano Orso

Prato, Italy - September 2013

Anziani Anderson, Orso, Sexton, Davis and Walker

Prato, Italy

Anziano Orso

Tuscan Mountains, Italy

Anziano Orso Letter September 4, 2013

Ciao Tutti in America?? come state?? sono felice sempre!! amo lovoro di missionario!! ill explain how my week went!!

thursday was really interesting, i went to Mass at a Catholic church and there was this one lady who hated that we were there. she kept looking back and giving us dirty looks. anyway we were walking down the street and we saw her so we looked at her and said "buona sera" then she took out her cross necklace and smacked me in the face with it....and said something to me i couldnt understand, me and my companion just looked at each other and laughed haha. then we met this other lady who we stopped and talked to her about the church, while i was talking it was hard to understand me, but she said i was really cute and pinched my cheeks.... hard. that is the first time that has ever happened to me haha.

friday was really good too!! we had our fireside at the church which was about helping others get involved in missionary work. it was really good. and i had to teach a part of the fireside, it was difficult, but i did my best and everyone in the branch helped me with my italian. but at the end, i was eating my bag of M&M and all the little kids starting attacking me for them....i mean they were jumping on chairs and hanging on my leg. the worst part was i didnt know how to say get off, or hold on in italian....i just stood there until the parents finally took their kids off of me haha.

Sunday!!! we had our first investigator come to church!!! his name is Gianlucca, hes really cool!! he came to church on the day we dont want people to really come...."fast and testimony meeting".....so the entire time we were hoping they wouldnt say anything really crazy, church here in italy is way different!! first. they dont silence their phones, so in the middle of the meeting someones phone would ring and they would answer it! not even go in the hall. but thats normal here. but anyway he said he liked it and we are meeting with him sat!!

monday was our big cleaning day!! and we got a lot done, and also in the apartment we found two disney story books!! theyre cool, so i looked through them, it actually helps me with the language because i learn other words that is not usually learned in a Gospel sense, but i bet Chelsea will like them when i get home!! also found out that my companion is now the District Leader of our area, so that means i will be going on splits with all the other missionaries!! which is exciting, cause i have been here in Prato for 6 weeks!! but anziano Ibba is getting transfered, so ill see him maybe before he leaves to go home.

now tuesday was by far insane haha, we were cooking lunch when the power went out....so after 20 min. we finally got it turned one, but my comp. was grilling a baked potato in the microwave, and they i smell something burning....the Microwave was on FIRE!!!! so i hurry and unplugged it and my comp. ran in and the fire died out, but i swear the apartment was haunted for a little haha. then later that day we had an appointment with Gianlucca who came to church, he thought i was 25yr and my comp was 31yr. i dont know to take it as im mature for my age, or i look old....but everyone here looks younger than they really are.

vi voglio bene tutti!!! Ciao fino sentimana prossima!!

Anziano Orso

David Statue in Florence, Italy

Disney Store in Florence, Italy

Elder Orso and companions in Florence, Italy

Elder Orso in Italy

Elder Orso and Companion in Prato, Italy