Anziano Orso Letter October 16, 2013

ciao!!!

how are you! everything here is good!!! i had a major break through with the language this week!!! i have been able to understand a lot more, and i can talk with barely stuttering. i speak at a normal slow pace haha. but its good cause my comprehension is getting better too!!!

so i found out im getting transfered1 :( im leaving the amazing Toscana and going up north by Torino. which is cool too because that is where our family is from. its a city called Alexandria! and i hear they get snow 4ft tall.....i knew idaho prepared me for this haha. but im excited because now i get a new companion and get to learn more about the italian culture. and also at the same time meet know people as i continue to do the lords work.

this week was kinda slow, nothing big really. it rained most of the week, so it was a lot of knocking doors, which is really hard to get people to let you in. but we went to the fume and talked to some people. we taught this guy about the plan of salvation and how he can be with his family for ever, and that god has a plan for everyone of us, its really a huge blessing to know the purpose of life, and when we teach people it, that gain hope!! its so awesome seeing the glow in their eyes when they feel the love of christ and heavenly father!!!

this week was also very good with teaching or simp. we have 4 baptisms planned for the next month!! and the best part is helping them growing closer to heavenly father and prepare to be baptized. i have seen the many blessings in my life and i love helping others feel the same joy and happiness that i have.

last night we taught our simp. Tulio and Michiela! they are awesome!! we taught about marriage and they are going to get married!!! wahoo!! marriage is also an amazing blessing that brings joy to families and couples! but since im leaving and i had to say bye to them :( these people have become my family, so it feels like im leaving home again.... but while i was leaving Michiela Batched me, which is when italians say hi or bi and they kiss each of your cheeks, yup, it happened, and it happened to quick, but i thought 1. this is my first 2. its happening to fast i cant stop it 3. im going for it. haha its not as bad as you think, its just like a handshake to them haha.

so for Pday we went to PISA! yup....the one with the Tower that leans, but in Pisa is called Torre di Pisa. it was so cool!!! its weird, i still cant believe im in Italy!! your so busy doing missionary work when you get that break it hits like i just got here two days ago haha. 

im thankful im given this opportunity to serve the lord, im learning so much and meeting amazing people. my testimony grows everyday and i cant wait to continue strong on my mission. its been 4 months, i still have 20 to go! and im going to make it count!!!

vi voglio bene!!!

Anziano Orso Letter October 9, 2013

Bonjourno!

i loved conference!!! its crazy to think that a talk can be specifically directed to one person!!! but this week has been really good and busy!!

thursday

i got my bike back!!! which was good because i was really getting annoyed with walking everywhere and having to give us a 20min head start to make it to any appointment.
 

friday

general conference was coming up so we did a lot of finding along the river and in centro, we handed out a lot of pass along cards and talk about the church, didnt teach anyone but we did our best sharing simple truths. we also found this member who has been to church since 1985, we taught her a lesson and she said that she has been hoping that we stop by and say hi, we have high hopes that she will start to come back and have the blessings of the gospel in her life again.
 

saturday

General Confernce was so AWESOME!!! its a lot more meaningful when your a missionary!! it started 6pm here, so in the beginnin of the day we went to the river, but it started to pour and we got soaked....but its okay, im good and we were able to watch and enjoy hearing from the Prophet and Apostles. if you have time, look up the talk about the speaker who is called "Dube" we teach a lot of africans here so these are what they sound like haha.
 

sunday

Confernce again all day!!! it was really awesome, my favorite which is probly like many other people is from President Uchtdorf "doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith" so when the hard time comes, and you are down and know one is talking to you, dont think its your, most likely God is helping you learn something that will help you in the future.
 

Tuesday

we had our last district meeting!! it was really awesome!! after the meeting we took a picture of our district and made PB&J sandwiches!!! i cant tell you how much i miss the simple american meals haha. no one believes in anythng on bread besides meat....weird haha
 

but the big miracle we had this week was from this couple we have been teaching, his name is tulio, he is 50yr and has been meeting with us for almost a month. his companion is Mikayla and she is 50yr. last night we finally ask them if they had a testimony of this church, and if it was true. they both said that they read the book of mormon, prayed and even though satan was causing problem they recognized the spirit they felt when they meet with us, go to church, and read the scriptures. they said they have never felt closer to god!!! its so awesome watching them grow in this gospel. they said that they want to be baptized!!!! wahoo!!! now its the end of the transfer, so i hope i can stay here for one more to see them get baptized!!
 

Vi Voglio Bene!!!

Anziano Orso Letter October 2, 2013

ciao!!! come state? sono bene cui, sempre lovorando e imparando la lingua!!!

the language is coming a long!! my comprehension is becoming a lot more fluent. its still very hard for me to think of a sentence in my head quick, but if i have a second to think i can make a sentence and talk back!!! its really weird, because now i always keep thinking in both italian and english. when i talk, dream, and write. haha. its crazy when you can just say things with our thinking in another language.

anyway, this week was definitely a challenge for us. this week we had to help the other Anziani in Pistoia move from their old apt. to their new apt. its really nice. ours is really nice too. but we had a good time, there were 12 of us anziani and a senior couple who helped them move. and this senior couple served in the military. so they gave us rootbeer, which is crazy because the base is the only place to get rootbeer, peanut butter, and a lot of other things. so its was a little treat for us!

but the reason this week is challenging for us was because we lost three of our investigators. so now we have to do findning work all over again. but its okay,because it means that we can now go find those that have been prepared for us. luckily we still have tulio and isreal. they are awsome and i have high hopes for tulio to be baptized soon. we met with him last night and talk to him about prophets and the importance of them. and he has a strong testimony of the church, and has changed his life around. he just needs to figure some things out, so we have been helping him with that.

not much with the teaching, a lot of finding and park benches, but we pray that the lord will send the prepared and elect in our path to help them come closer to Jesus Christ and God. i love see the changed in people, when they really understand the Gospel of Jesus Christ and apply the changes in their life to be more happy and follow the savior. little by little, i see our investigators doing that, even if they stop talking to us, i have seen them change in a little way.

so today for Pday we drove to a city called tirerrina, and went on the military base they have their. (thanks wayne for serving in the military, (and all other too)) because without my id we couldnt have gone. it was awesome!!! i bought PEANUT BUTTER and many other things that i cant buy in an italian store!! it was really neat, and i could understand everyone there! it was different, but i felt little bit at home there haha. and when we had to go to the commissary we had to pay with american money, not euro, which was really different haha.

i miss home a lot, but the time flies, i may get transfered to a new city in a couple weeks, which is cool because ill get to experience italy more, but sad because you get so attached to an area you dont want to leave haha. 

i have changed since ive been here, but its for good. im learning what qualities i want to develop. who i want to raise my family, and the standards i want to keep. and my outlook on life is different now. im so very grateful for the life i have, and the many blessings i have recieved growing up. VI voglio bene!!!! ciao!!

Anziano Orso!!

 

Pictures of me in firenze and the military base!! also with Anziano Walker

group foto:

left to right: anz. anderson, anz. windley, me, anz. walker