Anziano Orso Letter November 20, 2013

il battesimo, giorno di gratitudine, il permesso, lavoro di missionaro


ciao tutti!! come state??? questa settimana era benisima!! tanto ha fatto!! abbiamo avuto "thanks-giving", un battesimo, ho preso il mio permesso!! tutte cose!! presto avrò venti anni!! (soon i will have 20 years!!!) mama mia!! che cavela?? 3 decembre!!

thursday and friday
 i had to go back to Prato to get my Green Card, which is a 4 hr train ride....not fun. then me and anz. bendezu had to wait in line for 4 hour just to find out that we cant get my permesso until 2:30....so we hit up the Mcdonalds and talked to people. we finally got my permesso and hurried home to catch a train back to alessandria, then train got to piacenza where we had to do a switch and learned that the train was going to be a 15 minute delay.....then 20...30...60....80....100 minute delay!! every 5 minutes it would change, so we were stuck in piacenza on a train, not moving for 2 hours.....which made us miss the baptism....but its okay, hes baptized and came unto christ, which is all that matters!

saturday

we had a thanksgiving at a members house......so the pie i made didnt turn out right.....1. because the ovens here cook things differently which i didnt know. 2. i had water left in the pumpkin so it ruined the crust on the bottom. 3. ive never made pie before, cut me some slack mama mia! haha. but the family was nice anyway and said that it tasted good...they were just being nice ahah, i saw one spit it in his napkin -__- haha. but its was really cool! we had a huge turkey! and it was made italian style. the stuffing was sausage, and all deserts were made italian too! it was Forza!!

sunday
we had a good day! i was able to be in the blessing for giving Stefano the Holy Ghost! first time ive ever done it! i felt the spirit really strong!! later that day we passed by some simps. and did finding, people are grumpy and mean when it is raining ahha. the people so " ho fretta" which is " i have hurry" and walk right by and wont stop. or give is the cold shoulder. but me and my comp. just laugh it off.

monday

just a whole day of finding! no luck though, but later that day we passed by some referalls and simps. found out one of our simps. wifes passed away, so he was very sad, so we waited said we would return tomorrow, he said it was okay. it just makes me feel better that we have a plan for us, and that god has made it to wear we can be with our families again after this life. so tomorrow we will share that plan with him again.

tuesday we had zone meeting in torino! it was cold and wet, but it was good to see friends. our mission president came to the meeting, i got asked to choose and selection and read from the white hand book, which he said was inspired because i talked about being safe when riding bikes, and i guess in the past 3 weeks there has been 3 bike accidents. always be safe riding a bike!! if the old people can do it, we can haha. then later that day we had an activity with the young men, we went out and did teaching and finding, but of course none of them would talk to anyone haha. but its okay, theyre only 15, i would be nervous and embarressed too haha.

ciao!!! i miei amici!! vi voglio tanta bene!!! avete una buona settimana!!

Anziano Orso Letter November 13, 2013

Winter has Landed!

ciao tutti!! come state??

questa settimana era molto bene!!! e infermo e' arrivato!

thurdays
we went to a conference for all the missionaries in the mission. we had elder texciera? (i think thats how its spelled) who is a member of the 70 (someone high in the church) come and talk to us. he is in charge of all the missions in europe! it was a really cool thing. he talked to us and helped us understand how we can be better missionaries, bringing this gospel to all the people. he's an awesome guy, and got us all excited, i like to call these things "spiritual recharges" every time something like this happens; conference, talks, baptisms its like i just drank 20 spiritual energy drinks. it helps me a lot! haha. and it was really awesome because i was able to see other missionaries from my group!! three were from my district in the MTC! Anz. anderson, erickson and sorella carter. but i also saw someone that knows meagan, because shes friends with her friends too. her name is sorella Bolwinkle (im really bad at spelling, i hope its right) shes really awesome and half way done with her mission already!! crazy how time goes!

friday
 went to nonnas! and had lunch like we do every week! we were really busy with teaching people that day! its awesome teaching all the time! it helps my language, but sadly a lot of the time they lose interest and they stop meeting with us, but i know that they will be interested again! but i had the worst luck today! so sometime during the day i lost my missionary debit card, which if lost takes two weeks to get another one, so i would have been out of money and mooching off of my comp! but for some reason i had this feeling not to worry, which is weird because the week i had i thought this would be my breaking point. but every prayer after that, me and my companion would mention me finding my card. in our prayers for planning, personal, morning, and studying prayers. then i had an impression i left it at the grocery store! but we went to two grocery stores. and we only had time to go to one the next day before we needed to catch the train. i thought it was the one far away because thats were all my cards fell out of my wallet, but i had the impression to go to the other one. so we got there and i asked if they found a card, and the lady said yes!! i was so excited, and it was my card!! what a huge blessing!! that would have made things really complicated, especially since i have to go to prato again this week!! blessings can make your whole day turna round!!

saturday
we went to Acqui Terme, which is a really cool place!! thats where we have the member who owns the pizzeria!! but every sat, we go eat at a recent converts house who has a south american wife! im not even kidding!! i feel like im always on Man v. Food when i go over there! ill admit, im not a big person, but she feeds me like im 2 people. haha but dont worry! man wins everytime, but then im good for the rest of the day and even the next morning until lunch. haha. but they are an awesome family!! theyre about to have a baby boy!! so they are very excited!

sunday
so we decided to make our goal for the day to teach 6 people! with the lords help, and prayer we did it!! and they were very good lessons too!! i love sundays and i love church!! we have two investigators that come to church every week!! fratello morini whos wife is a member, but we do our best to help him. hes ready to be baptized and wants to be baptized, but there is one things....hes afraid of water. so every week we are doing our best to help him understand everything will be okay, but there are other things, this guys is so awesome! hes like 60 years old but i have strong faith him in, and i made it my goal every week to ease his nervous about it. and then we have our golden investigator!! his name is Stefano! and hes actually getting baptized this friday!!! we was actually found before i arrived here, and was taught all the lessons, but i have been helping him prepare for baptism. hes an awesome guy and already has a calling in the church, he was found through english class. but i found out yesterday i will miss the baptism because i have to go back to Prato and pick up my Permesso disse giourno (green card haha) so i will be back pretty late.....which is a huge bummer! but this day is for him and im stoked for him!!

monday
we have a family that is the bomb!! they are the coolest people ever!! and they said they would give us a thanksgiving! which we planned on monday!! everyone just has to bring certain things!! i was volunteered for brng the pumpkin pie because i love it. but one things is italy doesnt have premade things, so i have to make it from scratch. like buying a pumpkin, and making the puree and making pie crust and everything. so im praying it turns out good!! ill take pictures if it looks good haha.

tuesday
we had district meeting, and has the zone leaders come to our meeting, they were doing a scambio with the other copia here! but that night we played a game that everyone is obsessed with on the mission. its called "bang" its a cool game about the wild west. whats even cooler is the cards are in english and italian. so i learn some cool italian words haha.

spiriual thought for the week!!
i was reading in the old testament when i read a verse that talked about when the children of isreal still murmered against moses and the Lord. even though they had witnessed the blessings and knew that the lord could do anything. they still had that doubt of an attitude. like in the book of mormon with laman and lemuel, they recieved a witness from an angel and still had doubt about going back to jeruselem to get the plates. so always remember!! if you have recieved that personal witness that christ lives, and we have a father in heaven who loves us. know that he knows us, and that we must always hav faith in him, even when times may be tough, and we dont know why things are happening the way they are. know that god will interfere when the time is right. but always know that there is a god. nel nome di gesu' cristo amen

ANCHE FELICE COMPLEANO AD AUSTIN!!! SONO EMOZIONATO PER TE!!! TI VOGLIO BENE!!

anz. erickson, me, anz. anderson

anzi. erickson, rutter, me, anderson, alder

anz. ibba and me

sorella Bolwinkle and me

Anziano Orso Letter November 6, 2013

Tutto Giorno Sul Treno! che cavela?

(all day on the train! what the heck?)

 

so the week i had to make a stop back to prato which is 4 hours on the train. but it was good because we got to go through Firenze at night! and one thing thats good about being in a tourist attraction is all the americans that come haha. so its nice to talk to someone in our own native language haha

 

so on thursday i had to go watch a  5hr video about life in italia! was not fun, ill tell your how different it is here then america. so i had to watch the video in a room with others with a bunch of different computers so people could watch it in their own language. on my right i had this chinese guy who fell asleep and was talking and snoring the entire time. then i had this lady in my left start breast feeding her baby....and there was nothing covering her. so i had to use my hand as a visor to block her.....it was the most interesting and slowest 5 hours of my life here on the mission. but i here that a lot of people have interesting stories about seeing that video, strange people haha.

 

friday we had to take the train which left at 5 in the morning, so me and companion are waiting for the train, when it got there all these people came off the train which was weird for being 5 in the morning. we forgot it was Halloween, so everyone was partying and they were finally getting home. so we were stuck on the train with a bunch of drunk people dressed up in costumes, we went in a car by ourselves, but you could hear and see them all get off at the stops, really strange. we made it home just in time to go to Nonnas house and eat lunch, her son (not a member) was there are we taught him a cool lesson. but its always difficult with him. but Nonna makes the best italian food ive had on the mission so far.

 

saturday nothing really big happened, we had a day full of appointment, but the bike broke so we had to walk everywhere, which took forever to get to places. but we helped many come to the gospel, we taught 6 lessons that day, me and my companion went to bed early that day.

 

sunday was church, and it was really good!! later that evening all the young adults split with us and we all did missionary work, we had appointments and we helped them plan a lesson and teach some less actives. it was pretty awesome!!! i love all the young adults here, they are all always excited for missionary work.

 

monday and tuesday were days full of teaching and finding, really busy. but that night we had the guy below us come to us and get mad....because he said in the morning our desk chairs wake him up....so he yelled at us and said were not allowed to be making all this noise, and i thought i also bet your not allowed to be smoking in the hallway either. but its all good now.

 

today for pday we went to the Pizzeria and learned how to make dough and make out own pizza! it was so cool!!! its a lot more difficult then one thinks. these guys knew all the science of pizza!! but they gave us the recipe so i will have to make it when i get back, probably not going to be a good as theirs but ill try haha. anyway italy is great! the weather is getting colder......but other than that the people, food, and language is amazing, im still struggling with the language, i know what theyre saying, but when it comes to me speaking my grammer is horrible. but its progress, i have to keep trying. ciao tutti!! vi voglio bene!!!

 

 

Important families to Dom in Prato, Italy

 

Coniquet and investigators Michaela, and Tulio

Fauria family

Ioanna family

Tower of Pisa

 

Tower of Pisa

 

Dom making Pizza

 

 

Anziano Orso Letter October 30, 2013

ciao!!! come stai??

so this week has been good. im finally used to my new city a little more. and my language is improving a whole lot. i can understand better than i can talk. so im doing my best to work on my talking. we teach all the time here. everyday we're teaching a new member. investigator, or part member family. its really a huge blessing seeing and meeting all these people. im really excited for next Pday! we have a member who lives in a city called Acqui Terme, and he owns a Pizzeria. he said that next pday we could go there and he would teach us how to make pizza! spin it in the air, and then after we can cook it! and eat it! im so stoked! we see this guys once a weeks because his cousin isnt a member and we go share a spiritual and sometimes lessons with him. but the city this place is in is amazing!! and so pretty!! and the leaves are changing so its really awesome!!

the weather in alessandria is okay, i have seen the sun twice in two weeks.....so hopefully when i go back the sun comes back out. one thing that cool is alessandria has really cool thunderstorms!!! Lightning and Thunder!! haha. but the only bummer thing is when we're stuck in it while riding our bikes haha. buts thats what makes the mission fun, have to look back on the good times and frustrating times to have a good laugh haha.

so we have a investigator whos name is Stefano. hes awesome and legit. i wasnt the one to find him. he has been taught for about 3 months now. and he has been progressing really well. he has a bapt. date on nov. 16!! and it was a huge miracle because he used to smoke 40 cigs. a day, but then he went down to 10 in a week! so last friday me and my comp fasted for him and since monday he hasnt smoked one! so its really awesome!! and he has a strong testimony and knows that the everything we have taught him is true! and i love how the branch loves missionary work. 

i had to returnt to Prato because i needed to do stuff for my permesso. which is watch a five hour video. so we had to take a 4 hour train ride down here again. its really humid here!! not liking it haha. but its alright, the weather should be cooling down soon!!!

i love being a missionary!!! i love seeing the miracles the lords makes in peoples lives. when someone goes from smoking 40 cigs a day to none in 3 weeks! who could not believe in God! one of the things i love about being a missionary is spending all my time helping people come closer to christ and also myself. as i read the scriptures i learn more about christ and the life he wants for all of us. and i know that these are the words of God! im so blessed to have family and friends who love me, i count my blessings everyday! i couldnt see myself anwhere else at this point in time! God lives, Christ lives, la chiesa di gesù cristo dei santi degli ultimi giorni is the true church on the earth. and i say this with all my heart. amen

vi volgio bene!!

ANZIANO (DOMINIC) ORSO