Anziano Orso Letter February 19, 2014

Come State Tutti!!! saro' nel'trasferimento

so we just found out transfer information and i get to stay another transfer here in Milano. which im excited because the work here is booming! we have one bapt date coming up for this kid named jordan! hes so awesome, hes filipino. and we are planing on his brothers for May! but we are going to try and make it sooner. but both of them are so awesome! and they love the gospel and church! its a huge miracle!!! its true!! member work is what helps get this work progressing!! and we have this kid named Alfred! hes so awesome too!! we have taught him almost all the lessons! and our last lesson we had in the prayer he thanked god for sending us to him, and for helping him find the true church! its so amazing seeing someone change how they pray. the catholics say memorized prayers and they dont close their eyes or cross theyre arms. but when they change, how they pray, you definitely know that they are talking to heavenly father! and the spirit is so strong during prayers because its the easiest way that the spirit can testify to these people. its an amazing experience!!

so the weather has been a lot better this week!! we had three days of sunshine!! wahoo!! haha. i love those days. anyway i dont have a lot of time today!! but i want to say that im thankful for the opportunity i have to serve a mission. i know i would be able to get this experience anywhere else, and help other come unto christ. i have a scambio the other day with another companion and he pointed out to me, im used to being on the mission now, missionary life i normal for me. but the one thing that still blows my mind is talk to people in a different language and being able to understand them. once you learn a language or become adapted in the culture, its one of the coolest things. i think and pray and talk in italian everyday. because somethings only make sense in italian haha. 

anyway i love you all! thanks for everything!! ci sentiamo tra poco!! 

here are some pics of some kids i have taught and got baptized! and some fun silly things!!

the pics with the two kids are named Marco and Giulia. i confirmed Giulia! my first one (:

the one with the one boy his name is Micheal, this kid is awesome! 

then one with me and Anz. Johnson

my district!

my shoe finally gave out.....

then these are the pics in switzerland!

Anziano Orso Letter February 12, 2014

il digiuno e la preghiera  (fast and prayer)

ciao tutti!! come state?? questa settimana e' stata molto bene!!! sono molto contento!! avevamo tanti miracolo!! la lingua va bene, il lavoro di missionari va bene, tutti italiani sono bravissimi!! 

anyway this week was good!! a lot better than the last couple of weeks that we have been having. i have been praying for guidance and the spirit to help us in this area. and we were blessed with two new people to teach. they are brothers and they are so awesome!! we found them through two members that were baptized about a month ago. they are really awesome. we got invited over their house for dinner, and when we were over there for dinner one of the things that we did was teach them a little lesson, so we asked for the brothers to come in the room. and they felt something really cool. so i guess about two hours after we left the house they said that they wouldnt mind changing their religion and becoming mormon, because they felt calm, and peace when we were teaching them. it was a cool miracle, so we're praying and they should be baptized in about a month. then we have another investigator that we finally said that he would come to church, we have been teaching him for a while but nothing has really happened. but we're praying for this guy. then a member that said he would come to church, then randomly disappeared (i thought he died honestly). good news he didnt die haha, he was just in Sicilia DOWN DOWN DOWN SOUTH in italia, with his daughter. but we finally came by and saw him, and he said he would come to church this sunday too!!! so we should have 4 new people in church this sunday, and two with baptismal dates!! im so excited!!! the ward that im in has had baptisms every sat. for two weeks already haha. of course they were all taught by the sister missionaries, because they are all single women. but its okay, we're really excited because it doesnt matter who finds them and teaches them. as long as theyre coming closer to heavenly father. 

so this morning we had Pancakes in case you care haha, they dont have those here in italy, and also waffles, but because we went to the base we bought mix. and syrup, and he had peanut butter and oreos to put on top with syrup. sometimes i really miss american breakfast haha, mainly because 1. they dont really eat breakfast here, for italians its an espresso crepe. 2. they dont have bacon, or hash browns anywhere around here. so this morning was fun because we had the other missionaries in our zone come to our apt. and we had breakfast! cool morning so far haha.

vi voglio bene!! ci sentiamo la settimana prossima!

con amore, Anziano Orso

Anziano Orso Letter February 5, 2014

sta piovendo sempre!

how is everyone in good old america? i went to the base last week so im not misses it anymore haha, i bought peanut butter, oreos, honey combs, doritos! i got all the good stuff haha. but i do miss the weather there a lot!! its been raining here for an entire week! and my shoe goes a hole in it.....i have been coming home everyday with my feet soaked :( i could find shoes this Pday, so next one im still going to be looking, because this is miserable haha. so i guess im not a fan of the italian style yet haha, because we go to a lot of stores and i dont buy anything haha. im still attached to american style. we went to a mall and there was a Hollister! which was more expensive than the ones in america. but it was cool because they had the video screen of the beach.....made me a little trunky haha. but other than that everything is good. this week i made taco pasta haha. it was bomb, im going to make it again!

so for missionary work this week, this week my faith has really been strengthened through fasting (digiuno) last week all of our inv. dropped us, for some reason, and it was a really depressing things, because then it makes you wonder if it was something that you did. so for this fast i prayed and fasted that we would find more people to teach, and that we would be able to speak with the language and have the spirit help us talk to people. and this week since monday we have 4 new inv.!! it was a huge miracle and big blessing. three are a family, and the other is a referall that we got from the sisters, im counting my blessings. 

my testimony grows everyday about the savior, i everyday i realize how the lord has prepared me through growing up to be here at this moment, i know that we all have a purpose in this life, that through the savior we can all receive the wonderful blessings that he has prepared for us. i have no doubt that Christ lives and that we have a Father in heaven. and i have no doubt that the trials and difficulties in our lives are for nothing, they have a purpose, to help us grow and become more like the savior. 1 Nep 1:3. i think about this with commandments, trials, sufferings, misery. but even with good things too, families, friends, temples, and the Gospel.

vi voglio bene!! ci sentiamo fra poco! Cristo Vive, egli e' il nostro salvatore, redentore. 

 

here are the pictues of me in Venezia!! (Venice!!)    vi voglio bene!!

Anziano Orso Letter January 30, 2014

Ciao Tutti!! Otto Mesi Gia'!!

so this week was good, the language jumped up for me this week!!! wahoo!! im excited, because the more i can talk to people the more i feel comfortable, and less homesick. which i havent been homesick in a while haha. but i still miss you guys all the time. ill talk to you about our investigators real quick. so we still have Edwin, who is a chinese person. he has a lot of potential, but we had an amazing lesson with some members in our ward, and got Edwin to realize that God sent us him for a reason, and i think hes starting to realize that. the members we went to are really awesome. theyre from the philipines, but the dad works here, so they only speak inglish and togalog. theyre the only ones that dont make fun of my name because they dont understand its italian haha. our other investigator freddy and ida, they have been disappointing because we try to meet with them, and they live pretty far, so when we go all the way there, theyre not home......so then we have to leave, and we wasted a lot of time. but we have a lot of faith, and still pray for him because he really wants to change, but he has his agency that we cant control. then our other investigators that were referalls have been really frustrating too. we passed by and they let us in, but we have gone back three times and everytime they couldnt go it. and they live really far too. so this week has consisted of alot of traveling. and finding, nothing really to special. always going to the parks or talking to people as much as we can. i have a thing for talking to jahovah witness haha. but so far they have all been really nice to me, because some just get really mad and argue with you. but im not worried if that happens either haha. and the weather is really cold!!! i bought another coat, because this one was made for this weather. but nothing new has happened here in italy, everything the same and ill be thankful when spring comes haha. a couple more months haha. i really love my mission, and everything that im learning, things that i know i wouldnt learn if i wasnt here. im meeting all different kinds of people and learning a lot about different cultures here. but most of all i love how special this calling is, misisonaries serve all day for 18 to 24 months, and dont think about about yourself. you do your best to serve others, and i know this is something that has already changed my life. the Gospel is true and i know that Jesus Christ is my savior. Heavenly Father knows each and every one of us, when we have struggles just pray to him, he will help us.

yea my pdays have been getting messed up and short because we have a lot of things we have to do. and we have meetings that theyre making us changing things. and this week i had to go to the military base in Vicenza because im getting my crown finally. so our pday is switched today.

 

but everything is good, the work slowed here a little, only because there is a huge festival coming up, and everyone leaves to go there, plus its been raining and really cold outside. so no one really goes outside. but luckily we can come to them, we have been doing a lot of knocking doors, but that okay, gotta do what you gotta do. haha.