tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829475947762520322024-02-07T11:34:49.633-08:00Anziano Bryant ChaseJohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15676772108179956641noreply@blogger.comBlogger103125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-382947594776252032.post-62560601182908492822016-07-11T05:40:00.001-07:002016-07-11T05:40:50.015-07:00Dove sono I miei genitori???<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Hey everyone, for some reason my parents decided to go somewhere I've never been today... Rome!! C'mon! I guess they decided to do an Italy trip without their tour guide son. Anyways, this week was pretty eventful.<br><br>Soo our new mission president did a meet and greet with us this week. He is a really nice guy, who really has a love for others. I think he will make a big difference in this mission and a big difference for the members in this area. All the missionaries were thrilled to meet him.<br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheKL3W635ulMpXhD3AvgECE8tNrU8HBhMfbVJuxN1_RfBpqbwebSlW5SnX-BMrvBaxCVGaNHhmvmFf-DD7lTXRBpJo1fCFAbIHLnWQ9bz9BjlBtwtiKcHW9FwxnCq6C2GBMEgFGamE_0U/s640/blogger-image--1295234514.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheKL3W635ulMpXhD3AvgECE8tNrU8HBhMfbVJuxN1_RfBpqbwebSlW5SnX-BMrvBaxCVGaNHhmvmFf-DD7lTXRBpJo1fCFAbIHLnWQ9bz9BjlBtwtiKcHW9FwxnCq6C2GBMEgFGamE_0U/s640/blogger-image--1295234514.jpg"></a></div><br>I also had my first bistecca fiorentina this week. Basically it's a huge thick Tuscan cut steak cook very quickly to were it is the rarest of rare, and then you add olive oil and salt. It was strange for me because I usually like a little more well done, and it was sooo chewy. The picture doesn't do it justice, but it was tasty! One of our new converts wanted to be the first one to make me this steak.<br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOuFOxLtAPvRrPFMO7RIbfbNeo6l97QJIGUP4W-nRfFAbyFuK3SdG7izQiVJCZHUJUsSZ389toD5v5u7z5EXMTfx8SU8ulya2ArZcjcM6TNyb9CGQrERMyJWA84glCR5MiMzF5b0iuy6Q/s640/blogger-image--904422952.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOuFOxLtAPvRrPFMO7RIbfbNeo6l97QJIGUP4W-nRfFAbyFuK3SdG7izQiVJCZHUJUsSZ389toD5v5u7z5EXMTfx8SU8ulya2ArZcjcM6TNyb9CGQrERMyJWA84glCR5MiMzF5b0iuy6Q/s640/blogger-image--904422952.jpg"></a></div><br>For simpatizzanti Adama is doing really well. Even though there is a language barrier, his Italian is getting better, and our bishop loves teaching him in French. I haven't seen someone as spiritually inclined to become better than I've seen in him. He's got a ways to go, but he wants to make that change.<br><br>Liviu is doing good, he is starting to read the scriptures, and realizes there are a lot of good things that can come from them. We just need to help him understand the nature of God and how sometimes God will or will not interfere with events. We don't understand the mind of him, but we understand that he is perfect and does it for the benefit of everyone.<br><br>Stefano is ready to start meeting with us again so we are excited to get back on track with him. We know he is ready for the gospel, he just needs to personally acknowledge his own testimony out loud.<br><br>On the Fourth of July (God Bless America!) after our meet and greet with the new mission president, we went to an American style grill, and I borrowed a tie from a member and we took a California picture with all the missionaries from California. Needless to say, even though I was far away from home, I still kept my pride high.</span><br style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivAevBcWzUkvXz8K42YSCyWpmLGJE0MqjBMbAJ3AXYV-5JHIUyXd2o4xFhGFzdYcr8Iq7YTHsrOj-P5E4YF_e4Ws4PVjh6UegKIwxK9n-9j7SXmSamYbVDIhcigKcicwehEUkuMuNJRC4/s640/blogger-image--1319006418.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivAevBcWzUkvXz8K42YSCyWpmLGJE0MqjBMbAJ3AXYV-5JHIUyXd2o4xFhGFzdYcr8Iq7YTHsrOj-P5E4YF_e4Ws4PVjh6UegKIwxK9n-9j7SXmSamYbVDIhcigKcicwehEUkuMuNJRC4/s640/blogger-image--1319006418.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP3cVssHXGAfWh2S2RYR2qp54xkmjuSWmOKn0bPGkmaz0Fp1wgysGcvexLNvtkSWoISiuWXMgu_L9utSMmJUWBVfJU9STGbTJg0TMQI64kEbIHjfxORq00NjOFVI7dqEe46Zeozqit0Tk/s640/blogger-image--1953655467.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP3cVssHXGAfWh2S2RYR2qp54xkmjuSWmOKn0bPGkmaz0Fp1wgysGcvexLNvtkSWoISiuWXMgu_L9utSMmJUWBVfJU9STGbTJg0TMQI64kEbIHjfxORq00NjOFVI7dqEe46Zeozqit0Tk/s640/blogger-image--1953655467.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGLpM_PhQp2ifUIPEvJ-8cxzOGUi7NnygaE-d8WHPUvOqcWtUfPItkvlwlmcqjkX-tZ-amhL56ay3eT8zVahn3WYVf3PnuzTuAaongyvJfAYXJ2-L2P2k6NznuDapRXMV9xT31D4vVEY8/s640/blogger-image--266854051.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGLpM_PhQp2ifUIPEvJ-8cxzOGUi7NnygaE-d8WHPUvOqcWtUfPItkvlwlmcqjkX-tZ-amhL56ay3eT8zVahn3WYVf3PnuzTuAaongyvJfAYXJ2-L2P2k6NznuDapRXMV9xT31D4vVEY8/s640/blogger-image--266854051.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_lJABGWpxXMuGYTY94QXJ8yALu12SrOhgmVaqQlzyuKlVzgW_ALY39BsZAluuOex3FG3bKwqfYp4GUJH_Pz-L53NgJM0GxolbUHFtt-prQB8oems0GGC46eIqrUKZNXZuDUaCt0ffIJA/s640/blogger-image--1953805490.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_lJABGWpxXMuGYTY94QXJ8yALu12SrOhgmVaqQlzyuKlVzgW_ALY39BsZAluuOex3FG3bKwqfYp4GUJH_Pz-L53NgJM0GxolbUHFtt-prQB8oems0GGC46eIqrUKZNXZuDUaCt0ffIJA/s640/blogger-image--1953805490.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-l_yb9mjpVH79nAPjuFDvfBggcu71Hai8_zsbiws8d7Y6UDxdEyJksmu3ZtcAindNQUhlrvMwO6yV_grXogC8CEvgisp37BYZ2uDKyerUKh_qKlZphgKFjXuBMNUAFhXgKP6c9uyuuow/s640/blogger-image-965544986.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-l_yb9mjpVH79nAPjuFDvfBggcu71Hai8_zsbiws8d7Y6UDxdEyJksmu3ZtcAindNQUhlrvMwO6yV_grXogC8CEvgisp37BYZ2uDKyerUKh_qKlZphgKFjXuBMNUAFhXgKP6c9uyuuow/s640/blogger-image-965544986.jpg"></a></div><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">This last little period has been focused on gratitude. It is something I have been trying to think about because sometimes we don't realized how blessed we are. I am blessed to have served a mission, I am blessed to have come to Italy. I have been blessed with the gift to learn a new language, and to be able to see so many amazing things. But I've also been blessed with struggles. I have been blessed with long days of no success. I have been blessed with sleepless nights,<br>loneliness, exhaustion, mental breakdowns, and other trials. But I have been blessed because it all came from Heavenly Father. He plays a part in every moment of our lives. He knows that everything that happens to us, happens for a reason. We should Always be grateful for whatever comes our way. The trials make us stronger and the blessings give us even more hope. When we have an attitude of gratitude we can be happy. We can understand that God wants well for us, and that we are blessed abundantly. I know this mission has and will bless my life forever. I know his gospel is true, and that it is he perfect way for us to return to him. I know that he answers my prayers and that he allows me to have my agency in the path to him. I know he loves us, and I know that we are his children.<br><br>I can't wait to see you all very soon, and have a fantastic week!</span><br style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip7-eeIGA2lx9wIoarOJ48oG8DbIWhEKw0jhxLph3WYxlkHLXudi92RioHRkN6P_COw8Gc_dcWNOfIehDUGtT2L0PtXvYF5uj4VUylbrduf8pJJ1ot3u_nkHDV0Jc5BfE6Nxawx-7-h6c/s640/blogger-image-436116332.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip7-eeIGA2lx9wIoarOJ48oG8DbIWhEKw0jhxLph3WYxlkHLXudi92RioHRkN6P_COw8Gc_dcWNOfIehDUGtT2L0PtXvYF5uj4VUylbrduf8pJJ1ot3u_nkHDV0Jc5BfE6Nxawx-7-h6c/s640/blogger-image-436116332.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWiRClBFdeTc3YLbBtpdKi0wglxdnLBiGU5cgOiVnaUBMmNH9ZTNr4CS5WWMh1XPu8e-VFWo1_m6J77ellC18sXCA0tBPMySC_nNQiBA4RDTQ5wZvBIxpr8gKoC1ahXOnv6jUyeguQ36U/s640/blogger-image-1080768855.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWiRClBFdeTc3YLbBtpdKi0wglxdnLBiGU5cgOiVnaUBMmNH9ZTNr4CS5WWMh1XPu8e-VFWo1_m6J77ellC18sXCA0tBPMySC_nNQiBA4RDTQ5wZvBIxpr8gKoC1ahXOnv6jUyeguQ36U/s640/blogger-image-1080768855.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo4o3DxA_UGX0Uv8u74LrbQW57gGa9IGFgL-DdvzsG0hVp5so5h8JCXR2AJicuo7NXyX7BttlMlo7AJQPENxvsiysnwFr_r8SLmY_O7pGUw_g_k8QWtYQjtyoHLkTPzM6kyspLuetEJKc/s640/blogger-image--203925534.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo4o3DxA_UGX0Uv8u74LrbQW57gGa9IGFgL-DdvzsG0hVp5so5h8JCXR2AJicuo7NXyX7BttlMlo7AJQPENxvsiysnwFr_r8SLmY_O7pGUw_g_k8QWtYQjtyoHLkTPzM6kyspLuetEJKc/s640/blogger-image--203925534.jpg"></a></div><br></span></div>Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15676772108179956641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-382947594776252032.post-89343610122235664872016-06-08T22:13:00.000-07:002016-06-16T08:41:23.790-07:00Firenze adventures - Week 94<div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">This week sure has been a busy one! We've been going at it and it has been really nice. Anziano H., my new companion is a stud. He knows this city well and is really willing to work hard for the people here in Firenze. He welcomed me in with open arms.</span></div>
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We have a simp named S. He is a great man. We have been working with him these last couple of days. He had met with missionaries in the past but he said he had started to feel something different in his life. He started to actually believe God could possibly exist. We invited him to pray out loud and he said it is helping him be more confident that God is real. We are working with him to solidify his testimony and it is going great.<br />
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We have another simp we met named J. He is a real nice man with a wife and daughter. We have been working with him on the importance and point of commandments. Commandments are only to protect us, they don't limit what we can do, they are there to free us from losing our rights. They give us promised blessings and constant freedom to choose.<br />
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While doing strada one day we met a guy named F. He is from Chile, so I used my dad to try and make a connection with him. (It wasn't a very necessary thing but I thought it was fun to throw that in there) he is a nice man with a family. We talked about how this life is to find joy. We then added how Jesus Christ gives us the ultimate opportunity to be happy. He has given us the ability to start over whenever we want. His atonement gives us an everyday opportunity to be happy. He liked that and said we could possibly meet him again.<br />
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Sunday we were able to have a multi-stake conference for the west Europe area. It was broadcasted from Salt Lake. Anziano Christofferson spoke and the focus was on daily repentance and charity. At our church we have a lot of visitors from foreign countries, and I ended up having to translate for 40+ Americans.... But the conference was great and I loved the part about repentance. We should repent everyday because it helps us remind ourselves of the Lord's power of forgiveness and the love he has for us. He wants to bless us, and when we repent daily and rely on him with all we have, he can bring himself even closer to us.<br />
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A little scare, at about midnight Tuesday morning we heard an alarm go off five times in our apartment complex. We and our neighbors went to see what it was. It was late so our neighbors were upset, and it turned out to be 2 Islamic ladies with 4 kids in an elevator. The elevator stopped midway during the ascent. The kids were very young, with a couple being newborns. Normally 6 people in an American elevator is not bad, but many elevators (including this one) can maybe fit 3 people in it at a time. So these women were panicking and we helped keep them calm until the firefighters arrived to get them out. It was definitely a strange experience and we were dead tired the next day, but at least they all were ok. Moral of the story, follow the weight and capacity limits, or, don't use Italian elevators ever. I would follow both.<br />
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We have a lot more great work going on too, and it's really exciting. Today was our luxury day, so we took a trip down to Siena (I get to visit Firenze every day, so I thought Siena would be a nice place to visit) it is a just a nice little city. We went with some other missionaries and it was beautiful. We went to the duomo and the main palazzo. They have a special horse race on July 2nd, so we are going to see if we can get a pday moved to go see it. It started down-pouring on us and we had to race to get to the car that the other elders use. It took us 40 minutes to find it and we got soaked, so we took off our ties and blasted the AC to dry them in the car.<br />
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Over the week, I have been focused on a thought. When we look at adversity and see all the bad things that always seem to take center stage in the world, it can be easy to get depressed. Bad things seem to be the most common thing that happens. A quote came to mind, "We fail only if we fail to take another faithful step forward. We will not, we cannot, fail if we are faithfully yoked to the Savior--He who has never failed and will never fail us!" We will make mistakes, there will be a lot of bad things that happen. We have moral agency, but when we are faithful we hope and move forward. The prophet Paul said it best, "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." (2 Timothy 1:7) God will lift us up, we just need to use the strength he has given us to take our next step forward.<br />
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I know this gospel is true, Christ is the head of his church! Have a great week everyone!</div>
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Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15676772108179956641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-382947594776252032.post-10057761511648284822016-06-01T22:16:00.000-07:002016-06-13T23:15:15.754-07:00Il finale: Firenze - Week 93So I'm am starting the last transfer of my mission, and with that, the mission office decided to send me to another city for the last six weeks. For some reason or another, they chose to send me to Firenze, just a little tourist city that some people like to visit when they come visit this country. I'm only just a little excited to be in this city...... The only sad part about leaving Gorizia is saying goodbye to all the people I've been with since the beginning of December.<br />
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This week was quite busy saying goodbyes but we were able to see some people. E. is doing great. We met with her, and we had a great conversation about having the desire to believe in a concept we don't necessarily understand.<br />
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We were able to go see the C. family again, and we picked strawberries for a good deal of time. Eating strawberries right off the plant/vine/<span style="background-color: #ffd9de;">I</span> don't know the correct term, is just sooooo delicious! Well, we were able to teach them one final lesson, and it was on the atonement of Jesus Christ and on miracles. There are miracles, big and small, everywhere. We are the ones who define the miracles. It was a very spiritual lesson.<br />
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P. is doing well, I'm gonna miss him. We finished by talking about how we accept God's will even when we don't see any logical sense in the decisions made by him. His thoughts are not our thoughts, neither his ways our ways. When we accept God's will, we accept that it will be for our good.<br />
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So, I am really excited to finish hard, and give it my all, so my mind has been focused on diligence. When we set goals, it gives us motivation to work for something. As a missionary, I can set goals to work hard for two years, but sometimes at the end, it gets hard to run to the finish. So these last couple days I have been changing my goals to be for the time that I am in Firenze, and what I want to accomplish. When we set big goals, such as working for two years, we also can set smaller goals for smaller periods of times, and that has been a big help to me especially in these last 5 months or so.<br />
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I know Heavenly Father has a plan for me these last little while, and I am excited to see where this journey takes me. I know his gospel is true, and that there is someone waiting to hear it from me.<br />
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Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15676772108179956641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-382947594776252032.post-36445559185992828812016-05-25T22:21:00.000-07:002016-06-13T23:13:23.320-07:00For those who keep trying - Week 92<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">This week has been extra busy with things, but that's life out here. We were able to have another church tour this week for an elementary school class of ten-year-olds. It was really awesome because one of the students is a member so there was a lot of excitement from these kids to see what our church was all about. These ten-year-olds blew my mind again by asking so many deep questions. They were really intrigued by the message of the restoration and the Book of Mormon. We were able to spend an hour with them answering questions, explaining our beliefs, and give them a small tour of our building. It was another great experience for us to have here.</span></div>
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Then we had another exchange with the Anziani in Udine, and I felt like both of us needed to be working in their area for the day, so there were four of us working in that city. It was nice for me because I was able to teach some of their investigators and get a feel for what may be good for them to teach these people. Usually, I am always in my assigned area for exchanges to instruct missionaries but we felt this would be a good opportunity to help them with their people.<br />
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Friday we had a zone conference in Pordenone, and it was really nice. Our themes were based off of really teaching people instead of just principles, and on true conversion. It was nice because this is something always on my mind, because the people we teach are more than just investigators of the church, but are people with thoughts, feelings, and personality. If we don't come to learn who these people are, we will never be able to know what will be of most help to them. So needless to say I enjoyed this zone conference.<br />
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Zone Conference</div>
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P. is doing ok, he had some sad news from back home, but the branch like always is being so supportive of him. He is really stepping up and being a good friend to others in the branch who he meets.<br />
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We have been doing a lot with members and on a visit to a member's house, we met their friend M. He is a really nice man and has known this family for a while. We met with him and he gladly let us share a message with him. It was great because this family was spot on in adding their testimony to him. He lives in Pordenone so we won't be teaching him as much but it was nice because we feel that he is willing to continue learning about our message.<br />
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This week I also had the lovely surprise of a visit from Brother McBryde. It was pretty dang awesome to see him again. It is really nice to be able to keep seeing him after over a year, knowing that we are good friends and that we left a good impression on him. He came up and we talked and during lunch, he took us to a thing called an escape room, which is basically a locked room in which you have an hour to find clues, solve puzzles, and escape. Well, we did it and we set a new record by escaping in 34 minutes!<br />
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This week my mind has been centered around a quote from a conference talk. This talk was centered around diligence and perseverance, and Elder Renlund talked a little bit about how Nelson Mandela was someone how was considered a saint for forgiving the people who imprisoned him for years. He quoted something from Nelson that I really liked. He said, "I’m no saint--that is, unless you think a saint is a sinner who keeps on trying." I really liked that quote because no one is or will be perfect in this life. I like this because it shows that everyone people look up to, are people who are trying every day, just like us, to overcome temptation and sin. No matter how perfect someone looks, they still are overcoming things just like we are. We all can keep trying to be better people and with the help of he savior we can make a difference in the world. We just need to keep trying everyday!<br />
<br />
I know is gospel is true I know it molds us to be better people and I know every day we can become more like our Heavenly Father, if we keep trying!<br />
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Muddy Buddies!</div>
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Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15676772108179956641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-382947594776252032.post-41801402317226511252016-05-18T02:49:00.000-07:002016-06-13T22:30:13.891-07:00La benedizione d'imperfezione - Week 91Hey everyone, once again we are back here.<br />
<br />
This week went by decently
fast sometimes it's hard for me to remember that I have been in Gorizia for
six months now.<br />
<br />
Anyway, we were able to meet with E., who has
been coming to our English class, and were able to give her an overview of
our church and our beliefs. We talked about the word of wisdom with her, and
she really appreciated our desire to be faithful. She is a
practicing Catholic but she really is engaged in what we are teaching her,
and she expressed desire to learn more.<br />
<br />
Saturday we had the unique
opportunity to have a branch activity for a returned missionary. Not that
often does a small city have a missionary serving from their branch, so this
a special occasion. It was pretty nice, because when we met her, she just
wanted to go out and teach with us, which we don't mind at all.<br />
<br />
We had
another great lesson with En. We were able to finish the plan of salvation
of her, and were also able to explain the importance of the will of God in
all things. Sometimes things happen that we don't understand. We don't get
why God would allow this to happen. We use Isaiah's teaching that "God's ways
are not our ways" to simply state the fact that we can't comprehend
everything. I also like to use the fact that every thing that happens in our
lives is meant for learning and growing. The challenge in life is to put our
trust in God and to accept that he putting us in the path that will help us
become the best that we can be.<br />
<br />
P. is doing well, he has been busy
with school, but we are happy that he gets to study and improve. He has been
slowly reading the Book of Mormon and asking us questions to help him stay
spiritually focused.<br />
<br />
G. is also doing well. We were able to have
him open up a little more on what his doubts were, and it gave us new ideas
on how we can help him keep growing in his faith. He invited us to have a
dinner with him this last week too for his birthday, which made us
feel pretty special. He likes us just enough to celebrate his birthday
with him.<br />
<br />
Today we spent the day with the Bressans for M., the
daughter, for her birthday. We do a lot with them, and thankfully being pday,
it was the perfect day to do things with them. We made lots of food, and
will be doing an activity tonight with some of the youth in the branch
for her too.<br />
<br />
Just to leave on a thought, I was thinking about how God
blesses us with imperfection. When we think of imperfection, how could we
ever see that as a blessing??? The blessing of imperfection is the
ability to learn, grow, and become perfect. If God blessed us with
instant perfection, we wouldn't learn anything, we wouldn't
appreciate anything, and we wouldn't know true happiness. Because we
are imperfect, we can learn from our mistakes, we can learn what
sadness is, and in turn, learn what happiness is. We can grow, and
become something great. The purpose of life is to become like our father
in heaven, and the only way we can become like something, is if we
start from imperfection. God blesses us because we try in our
imperfections. He wouldn't need to bless perfect people. We get credit for
trying and doing our best, and that is when God wants to bless us the
most.<br />
<br />
I know this church is true, and that we can become like our
Heavenly Father. He has given us the tools to become like us, and has
blessed us by making us the people we are at this moment. He guides us
in everything we face. Have a great week everyone!!!Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15676772108179956641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-382947594776252032.post-13270196672354532462016-05-11T10:25:00.000-07:002016-06-13T22:29:46.387-07:00Eccomi - Week 90This week was another good week. I mean I got to skype my family, which makes
any week a great week. It was super weird to realize I won't skype them
again... For those of you who don't know why, I'll just leave it to you to
understand for yourself.<br />
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Thursday we were in Mestre for an exchange with
the Mestre Anziani. My companion for the day and I went and were able to see
a man who had been inactive for five years. He had called the Anziani a few
days earlier asking to see them. We didn't know what was going to
happen, or what we needed to talk about, but spiritually prepared
ourselves for whatever would happen. When we started to talk with him, he
told us he felt like he needed to start over again, and find the gospel
in his life again. He said he realized he had abandoned it all, and
now knew he needed it more than anything in his life. We had a
great conversation about the atonement of Christ and how it is for
every single individual to have. When we know we need to change, the
power of the atonement washes away our sorrow, and gives us the strength
to start again, just like this man so desires. I really believe that
this person can make this change in his life. He knows he needs to rely
on God every step of the way.<br />
<br />
So I accidentally busted P.'s lip
the other day... We were invited to a young single adult game of calcio, and
we took P. so he could get to know some of the young single adults in the
stake. Plus side was that he was a soccer player in Ghana, so he was super
excited to come. Anyways, we were playing and I position myself for a
header. Little did I know P. had come racing over to try and get
the header himself. So as I go up his face connects with my shoulder
due to his momentum. I ended up cutting his lip pretty bad.... But
overall the activity went great and he made a lot of new friends.<br />
<br />
We
had the opportunity to finally go and visit the geletaria that G.'s
parents own. It is in a city a ways out from Gorizia, but we thought it would
be a good gesture to go out of our way to stop by and see them. They are
really busy with their store, but they really are trying to make it to church
more often so they can all be ready for G. when we set his baptismal
date.<br />
<br />
G. is doing good. We were able to talk about the will of God
and how sometimes we need his correction in our lives. Sometimes we
feel like we are doing great in our path to success, and then all of
a sudden we get a spiritual correction telling us to stop or to
change something. We sometimes feel like we shouldn't need to be cut
down, that our bush was becoming a beautiful tree. We can sometimes
get upset that we were corrected or given council. But Elder Christofferson said something important. He said that God is
the gardener and he knows the best way to make us a beautiful tree.
We never would become that tree without the guidance and love the gardener
has for the tree. He knew that cutting out bush a little bit would help us
grow in the right way to become a beautiful tree. When we allow God to give
us advice and help, we are rewarded by him. He wants us to grow ourselves,
but there will always be times when he, the gardener, will need to step in
and make changes to protect our growth.<br />
<br />
Today it was super rainy so we
didn't get to do much, but it was nice to rest for a bit. Anyway, I just
wanna end with a little phrase. "Teach the gospel of Jesus Christ, and if
necessary, use words" the gospel of Jesus Christ lives within us. We live
what we teach. The light of Christ should be seen in us when we strive to
live by the teachings he gave us. I know this is true. I know it is why
people see the difference in others who strive to live a Christlike life.Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15676772108179956641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-382947594776252032.post-20362502879877427812016-05-04T10:23:00.000-07:002016-05-19T02:47:18.424-07:00Il solitudine - Week 89Hey everyone, this week has been interesting to say the least. A
new companion, a talent show, being sick, but still needing to work.
It's been crazy<br />
<br />
So my new companion, Anziano S., showed up. It was
a little strange at the beginning because at first I felt like we were just
doing another exchange, like we always did in Busto Arsizio, and then
we realized we were actually companions now. So that was
pretty interesting. We both know each other super well, so it made
the transition easier.<br />
<br />
Well to start the weekend off, we had a branch
activity. We had a talent show, and tons of people showed up. There were
almost 30-40 non members there, and it was a blast. Having a reputation for
putting on a show when I was with AnzianoB., the branch insisted
that Anziano S. and I do a talent. The only problem was that we
had absolutely no time to prepare and scarcely any ideas to choose
from. About five minutes before our talent, we decided to sing a
funny Italian song called "il solitudine". It is a relatively high
pitched song, and with the lyrics the branch couldn't help but laugh
and applaud. Needless to say, it went pretty dang well.<br />
<br />
After that the
sickness came like a storm. I would say in total I have had about 10 hours of
sleep in 3 days and have had to buy new big packs of tissues every day just
so I could somewhat survive the day. I would have preferred to sleep and
fight this sickness away, but I had a lot appointments already set up, and
decided it was better to see these people. Even today I don't feel that good,
but I'm still functioning.<br />
<br />
P. is doing well, and has made good
bonds with the members. One lady was singing in the talent show and as she
got nervous he started to sing along with her for a little bit of
support.<br />
<br />
E. is doing great as well. She has been super busy with work,
but told us that she is really appreciative of the kindness of the
branch and that willingness for us to freely answer all her
questions.<br />
<br />
D. is doing well. He has been sick too, but we were able
to talk a little more this time because he couldn't work as long. We were
able to focus on the role of the Holy Ghost in conversion.<br />
<br />
Today we
went to Venezia because after we have an exchange with the zone leaders. So
it was perfect for us to go because we didn't have to worry about taking a
train back in the middle of the afternoon. It was nice, makes me miss the
Pacific Ocean, but it was neat. We also got our feet eaten by little
fishies!<br />
<br />
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Venezia!</div>
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<br />
I just want to touch a little more on the Holy Ghost before I
finish. There was a quote I really liked that explains the importance of
the Holy Ghost by Joseph Fielding Smith. “When a man has the
manifestation from the Holy Ghost, it leaves an indelible impression on his
soul, one that is not easily erased. It is Spirit speaking to spirit, and
it comes with convincing force. A manifestation of an angel, or even
of the Son of God himself, would impress the eye and mind, and
eventually become dimmed, but the impressions of the Holy Ghost sink deeper
into the soul and are more difficult to erase". The truth in this sank
deep with me. Sometimes we feel things that we can't explain. Often we
see things and forget them weeks later. But it is much harder to
forget the things we feel. The feeling of holding your first born child,
the feeling of when you first received a testimony of something.
It sticks.<br />
<br />
I know this church is true, I know it blesses lives. I know
that God is watching over us, waiting to help us. I know that prayer is
the link to these blessings, and that we can receive answers to
our questions! Have a great week everyone!<br />
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<br />Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15676772108179956641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-382947594776252032.post-21397781395131007192016-04-27T10:23:00.000-07:002016-05-19T02:35:57.668-07:00La prima verità - Week 88Hey everyone I hope you all had a great week! This week was strange, due to
the fact that Is was the last week serving with Anziano B. I had been
serving with him since December and it's weird to me that he will no longer
be my companion. My new companion will be Anziano S., who I am good
friends with here in the mission. He served in my district in Busto Arsizio
and now we are going to be companions. It was a good week.<br />
<br />
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Our English class students</div>
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Just a good ol selfie with Anziano B., M. and N.</div>
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<br />
We were
able to have a family home evening with a family in the branch and P. It
was great because as a new convert it helped P. get to know another
family in a more personal way. The Liberatos are a<br />
great family and they took
in P. and really tried to get to know him. We are slowly reading through
the Book of Mormon with him and he really tries to learn from every
chapter.<br />
<br />
We were also able to go out and have a lunch with the Tomanis
before Anziano B. will leave. P. just wants the best for us,
and really keeps surprising me how much she listens to what we say.
She probably knows as much about my family now as I do, and that's
saying something! But she's great! We were also able to go play some
calcio and basketball with E. and some of his friends, to make a
closer connection with him. He's become a good friend and is willing
to listen to our message.<br />
<br />
Other than that we spent a lot of time
saying goodbye to the members of the branch. In this branch we had been known
as cheeseburger, and as we were going to make the visits for Anziano
B. I had realized how much of a relationship we had made with these
people. The members are devastated that our companionship has to be split up.
As a companionship we tried our best to get to know everyone in the
branch, and now we were able to see how much of a change we really had made
in these people's lives. It just made it harder for me to think when
I have to leave these people. But for now I can continue being with
them and continue to help them the best I can.<br />
<br />
Anyways my mind has been on the subject of a
quote that Elder Holland said at the last general conference. He said "we all
know the first great commandment is to love the lord with all thine heart,
might, mind, and strength. But we also need to remember he first truth,
and that is that our father in heaven loves us". A subject in many of
our lessons this week has been that of hope. It is easy for us to get
lost in the troubles of the world. It is easy to lose hope when things
go wrong. But when Elder Holland said this, there came to my mind the most
powerful hope and knowledge we can have. When we know or even hope that our
Heavenly Father loves us, we can feel a change in us. We can go forward. If
we even have a desire to hope or believe that he loves us, then we can
receive his love and help in abundance. If we don't believe that Heavenly
Father loves us, we blind ourselves to the endless love he offers us. We need
to hope and believe that he does indeed love us. Otherwise we are choosing
not to hope, and thus choosing not to see his love he desires to show us. I
know here in Italy that I have been blessed by his love. I know he is
watching over me every day. Without his love, I would not be able to go
forward. I would not be able to be happy. I know his love is eternal.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
The district</div>
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<br />Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15676772108179956641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-382947594776252032.post-53128695600876071502016-04-20T10:21:00.000-07:002016-05-19T02:32:17.840-07:00Io oddio le allergie.... - Week 87Hey everyone, I hope you all had an allergy free week. Here for some reason
the pollen is especially potent, and everyone is being affected right now.
I've already gone through 30 packets of tissues in two weeks.<br />
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<br />
This
week went by quick so I'll get to it.<br />
<br />
E. is going great, we taught her
the first half of the plan of salvation and were able to give her a copy of
the Book of Mormon. She really is taking this challenge to learn for herself,
she wants to know what god's answer is and she is doing what she needs to do
to find a response.<br />
<br />
After church we had a branch lunch in celebration
of P's birthday. It was a blast and everyone was super nice to him.
P. is doing well, and we are reading the Book of Mormon with him. It's
really nice because we get to go slowly and really go over every chapter with
him.<br />
<br />
The Codarins are doing really well, and we did a ton of work in a
big storm so it was pretty dang fun. D. is doing fine, he
seems content how he is, but he is always attentive and willing to
follow the commitments we invite him to do.<br />
<br />
Today we did a bunch of
work for the Bressans and hence why this email is short. We did some work
shoveling a bunch of gravel, and moving wood. We are helping them organize
their shed space etc. it is pretty dang fun, even with all the
blisters.<br />
<br />
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<br />
Anyways, my mind lately had been focused on what Elder Uctdorf
said in general conference about the shepherd and lost sheep. We all
are shepherd as members of the church, but we can all get lost at
times. But something that I like that uctdorf said was that the only thing
we need to know in order to be able to be saved, is to know that God loves
us. We can all be found if we know this principle. We can all stop in our
tracks and let the shepherd find us. If we don't believe God loves us, we
will keep walking away assuring that we will stay lost. But if we stop, if we
turn around, we will be found. The promise is that. All of us can be
found.<br />
<br />
I know that this gospel can help all of us. Gods love is
sufficient to help us, even if it is just a sense of comfort, it will help. I
know this church is true!<br />
<br />
<br />Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15676772108179956641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-382947594776252032.post-86387286985208998822016-04-13T10:20:00.000-07:002016-05-19T02:29:39.252-07:00Non lo dimenticherò mai - Week 86Hey everyone, I hope you all had a great week. Just a reminder to everyone,
it's my mothers birthday, number 26 so make sure to give her a happy birthday
message.<br />
<br />
This week was one to celebrate. P. took the steps to be
baptized, and it was just a great event. The night before he told us
that Saturday was his special day, the most important day in his life.
And it indeed was a special day. The night went great, there was lots
of support, and he was all smiles. The following day on Sunday, he
was confirmed a member and given the Holy Ghost, and it was an
emotional blessing. Being a fast and testimony Sunday we were able to hear
the testimonies of soo many people who were touched this last weekend.
Now we are working with P. to teach one of his friends that he
wants to help be baptized.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Wooooooooohhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!</div>
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<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Getting ready</div>
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<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Passing time eating pizza while the font fills up</div>
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<br />
Sunday a member brought a sister in law to
church, because she had been asking questions. Her name is E. She met us
and when we told her that we teach people about our religion, she immediately
asked to meet with us so she could learn and understand. The member
friend joined us, and he really was a big part in the teaching. It
helped because being 20 year old boys sometimes we don't know how to
relate with people who are in their 60's, but this member did, and it
brought an extra boost to our meeting we had together.<br />
<br />
We were able to
visit the Codarin family again, and this time got put to work on the
tomatoes. We planted hundreds, tended to hundreds, and set up room for them
to grow. It's really nice being able to give help so often to this family. We
were then able to talk about what our goal in life is, and how that affects
the streets we walk. When we don't have a goal, or a destination point, it
never matters where we walk, but when we want to get somewhere, we take the
streets necessary to arrive at that point. If we want to be baptized, we need
to follow the "streets" or commandments to help us receive the ordinance of
baptism.<br />
<br />
We were able to see M. again. We watched the conference talk
by Sister Oscarson with him. We focused on how we need to always
believe what we know, or knew. It is good to know something is true, but
when we include the belief to that knowledge it gives us more assurance.
We can say we know 2+2=4 but do we often believe it or care to
believe it's true? Sometimes we have spiritual confirmations, and then
we forget that we knew those experiences because we stopped believing that
they happen or that it was true to begin with. Our focus with M. was to
help him use the combination of his knowledge of the gospel, with the belief
(faith) that it still can help him.<br />
<br />
Today we went to Trieste and visited
"la risiera di San sabba" one of the concentration camps that existed in
Italy during World War Two. It was a humbling experience to walk through the
factory that had turned into a camp. It made me really appreciate the freedom
we have today, and the sacrifice many people made for us to walk around in
safety. It is a traumatizing event, but it is a great reminder to us all of
what we want to always avoid.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Concentration camp San Sabba</div>
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<br />
Anyways my mind this week was really
centered on the guidance of the Holy Ghost. There are many promises the Holy
Ghost gives us, such as comfort, counsel, warnings, and many others. It is
said so many times in the scriptures that the Holy Ghost will give to us what
we need to say or do, and I had always known that, but sometimes it was
pushed out of my mind. When we follow a prompting from the Holy Ghost we
are entitled to help, if we are worthy and follow the guidance it
gives us. I have recounted many times when I stopped someone on the
street, or during a lesson, and then had no idea what I needed to say. I would rely on the Holy Ghost and when I opened my mouth, words
would come out that were not originally in my mind. The Holy Ghost is
the ultimate teacher and converter. By it, we receive all
the understanding we need from our Heavenly Father. I know that when
we daily accept council from this member of the godhead we will
always find help when we need it.<br />
<br />
I hope everyone has a great week,
and enjoy the wonderful weather!<br />
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<br />Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15676772108179956641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-382947594776252032.post-48011135938998821962016-04-06T10:19:00.000-07:002016-05-19T02:14:51.614-07:00La Primavera - Week 85I hope you all had a fantastic week! The weather is getting back up to about
20*C and the sun is shining! This one was super busy week, but
exciting.<br />
<br />
So P.'s baptism is this Saturday! We are so excited for
him, he has really come a long way for this. Anziano B. is going
to baptize him. I realized he hasn't had the opportunity to
baptize someone during his mission, and we both know it would be good
memory for him and P., so I told them I thought it would be nice for
them if he did. Something that I really admire about P. is how
sincere he is when he prays. He really prays with his heart. He lets
Heavenly Father know what his intentions are, and he lets him know what
his true desires are. Needless to say, we are stoked for
Saturday.<br />
<br />
Another great bit of news. We are going to be working with a
kid named G. who is the son of a less active family that
recently started coming back to church. They want him to be baptized at the
end<br />
of the month so we are going to be working with him to make
that possible!<br />
<br />
This week we had zone training in Mestre again, and
also had interviews with President Dibb. This was most likely my last
interview with him because we do interviews every three months, and my
last interview will actually be my going home interview, but President
Dibb gets released two or three weeks before I go home, so my
last interview was probably the last one with him. But it was nice,
we really have been focusing on how we can become great workers
with members of the church. We focus on teaching people so much,
and members want to share the same thing. Many have served missions,
but still most people sometimes just don't know how to go about it, so
we are trying to figure ways to help members be missionary
minded.<br />
<br />
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<br />
This week I also had the opportunity to go to Trieste to
interview a teenager for baptism. It was great because it was amazing to see
the growth of this person. Having just been a part of the development
of<br />
P.'s testimony it was awesome to see how everyone can go
through the same spiritual change. Being thirteen years old this kid
really knew the God loves him.<br />
<br />
P. is doing well, she has been
having some problems with her back, so we have been trying to help her out as
much as we can at her store. We were able to meet with F. at the
Tomasetti's home. We had a great time. The Tomasettis have been wanting us to
start working with F. again, but we wanted to find a good way to break
the ice, so we played some Italian card games, and asked her to teach us how
to crochet, which she absolutely loved. We were able to bring her a
good spiritual message, and she mentioned how much she missed hearing
our message, so we are hoping to get deeper with her in the near
future.<br />
<br />
Well this week was general conference, and unfortunately due to
our busy schedule we have only watched most of conference, but it
was still great. If anyone have not seen conference, let me just say
the family was definitely a focus point. But I would also just like
to share one thing I liked from conference (I could talk forever about the
talks, but I'll spare y'all the trouble) President Dieter F. Ucthdorf in his
morning address talked about his home city in Germany. He mentioned a church
that was the crown jewel of the city, and how it had been destroyed in the
war. He explained that after, they took whatever remaining parts they still
had and restored the church to its original form. He then said if a man could
take rubble, broken pieces, and little sections of a destroyed object and
turn it into something beautiful, how much more capable is Heavenly Father in
helping turn us imperfect people, into disciples of Christ? It's true, we can
rely on God to help us even when we are shattered and broken. If we seek
him he will help reconstruct us into something amazing!<br />
<br />
I loved
conference and I love this gospel! Have a great week everyone!<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Selfie of the week. Anziano B. didn't want to smile</div>
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<br />Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15676772108179956641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-382947594776252032.post-2059897580608101462016-03-30T10:17:00.000-07:002016-05-19T02:10:56.119-07:00È Risorto!! - Week 84I hope you all had a good week, and more importantly an amazing Easter! It's
weird to see all the holidays just fly by out here. This week went by
well.<br />
<br />
P. is doing great. We finished teaching him all the lessons
he needs to know and now should be ready for his baptism in a couple
of weeks. I've have noticed that he gets even more excited for
the lessons, than even we do. Being 19 years old he truly has taken
this message and made it a part of himself.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
P. with myself and Anziano B.</div>
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<br />
Easter was pretty good. We
only had one hour of church, and I was asked to give a talk. My subject was
on the atonement, and my mom was so kind to send me some material for my
talk, even though she no idea I was giving a talk. After the meeting, we went
to the branch president's home and had some ljubljasnka and a lot of chocolate
eggs. It was a nice simple Easter to remember Christ. Christmas is
important because we remember that Christ came into the world. I like Easter
a little bit more because we remember what Christ did while he was on the
earth.<br />
<br />
We saw Z. after a little while. He had been busy, and
we focused on the simplicity of church songs. Z. was a
choir director, so we did a lot of singing. Well, I played the piano, and
my companion and him sang.<br />
<br />
G. is doing well, he said something
neat and simple the other day. He said that no matter how hard the world
gets, missionaries like us, and members never seem to look like they've lost
hope. That made me think about how much the gospel gives us hope to continue
forward. We know that the lord is blessing us, and even when things get
tough, we are getting stronger through the trials.<br />
<br />
P. is doing
well. E. just had a little loss at love, but no he wants to do more with
us, especially out of work. We usually pass by them while they are working in
their store, but it will be a great opportunity to be able to do more with
him outside of the work atmosphere.<br />
<br />
This week has gone by and as
general conference arrives this weekend, I have been trying to spiritually
prepare myself with questions. General conference is a time where we can get
the most current revelation and guidance in the world. Even though they speak
to everyone, I believe we are each individual spoken to. When we
have spiritual questions, and open hearts I truly believe we will
be inspired and guided. As I hope most of us will watch conference, I know
I will be touched personally by the messages brought. I know God guides our
prophet to lead and guide us, and that this is his church on the earth
today!Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15676772108179956641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-382947594776252032.post-62796634634268498072016-03-23T10:17:00.000-07:002016-05-19T02:08:28.155-07:00San Sabotino - Week 83This week has gone by and I am exhausted. So I apologize if this is shorter
than normal.<br />
<br />
So exciting news. P. has made the decision to be
baptized! We are working towards the day he chose, and are just working to
make sure that everything will go through. It is still a little ways away
but the important thing is that he chose to take this step.<br />
<br />
D. is
doing well. We got on a deeper level with him and we think we have finally
figured out what some of his doubts are. Now we just need to find a way to
help him understand this for himself.<br />
<br />
We had a great discussion with
P. and E. about the plan of salvation. Anziano B. and I were
talking with them and the subject of heaven was brought up. We were able to
bear our testimonies on the principle of the resurrection and how all of us
will see our loved ones again. This then helped us tie in the other points of
the plan of salvation, and P. was in agreement with it all. We
left her with some stuff to read and will be following up with them
this week.<br />
<br />
Monday and Tuesday we went to Mestre again to do an
exchange with the Capi Zona. I was with Anziano S., who I got to know a
little bit when I was in Busto Arsizio. We met some great people, and I
actually met a girl from San Diego, who was staying in Mestre for a good
amount of time. She thought it was cool that I was from Temecula and said
we could come back and talk (but I forgot to tell her I actually serve
in Gorizia....) so I'm hoping she still will meet with the
other missionaries.<br />
<br />
Today we hiked in Gorizia to a mountain that
borders with Slovenia. We went to the top of the cliff and had a beautiful
360* view. It was super windy, but there were many trenches and caves from
world war 1. It was awesome!<br />
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Caves from WW1</div>
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Trenches from WW1</div>
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This half is Nova Gorica, Slovenia</div>
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This half is Gorizia, Italia</div>
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<br />
<br />
This week I spent a good deal going back
and rereading notes I had taken down during studies. I realized that often
times we study things, we do it once and never study it again. But we neglect
their value. When we go back we can learn more than we did the first time.
I felt like I was learning so much more, even though I had read some
of the notes/scriptures at least 5 times. I truly believe that
the scriptures, words of the prophets, and direction of our
Heavenly Father, are to be of constant help, giving us something new to
learn daily.<br />
<br />
Have a great week everyone, and don't forget that because
Christ rose the third day, all of us will return to our father in
heaven. #alleliua<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
A stingray in Italia?</div>
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<br />Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15676772108179956641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-382947594776252032.post-73260792469019346052016-03-16T10:16:00.000-07:002016-05-19T01:58:33.559-07:00Golf Italia - Week 82I hope you all had a great week! This one was very nice. We have been
doing a lot of good things lately. We traveled with a member of our branch
presidency this week to Grado to move some furniture for an older sister in
the branch. Grado is a very pretty place near the coast of the Adriatic Sea,
and we were able to move some things for her to the disposal unit
using the car of our branch counselor. After that we were able to go see
the T. family in their home. They had both their kids with
their significant others, and we had a great evening with them. C.
is very Austrian proud, and loved showing us all his collections from
200 years ago. We had a great dinner with them and were able to talk
about how important the family is to our Heavenly Father. They are
an incredible family and families are meant to be together forever.
We feel like we left a big impression on them from the evening
and message.<br />
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<br />
P. is doing good. Still coming to church every
Sunday, and is making his friends listen to our message. We just need to help
him move forward for his official baptism. He knows it's true, we
just need to get him to say the official I'm ready statement.<br />
<br />
G.
is being G. M. is being M. But we keep pushing both of them
because we know that they know this is important. We are just looking for
ways to get the message to be vital enough for them to hold onto
it.<br />
<br />
This week I had Anziano C. come and scambio with me all the
way from Trieste. He is a hilarious guy from Texas and we were able to
see man named A. He seemed very interested, and felt like we
had something he was missing, so we are hoping to see him again. We
were also able to have an activity with a couple of our less active
young single adults. It went really well and S. and I. both
are<br />
starting to do institute now, and want to do things with us more.
We really hope this helps them get fully integrated back, because
they will be a great help to this branch.<br />
<br />
Today we were able to be
classy Americans playing Italian golf. We went to Grado, and launched a lot
of balls at the driving range and practice fields. It was a blast. Being
right next to the sea made it nice too. We made good friends with the workers
there, and we might come back and play a couple holes with them. <br />
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<br />
This
week my mind has been focused on strength in overcoming trials. I was
thinking about how when we exercise faith, we receive the strength to
overcome it. Elder Bennett of the seventy said, "Our willingness to take a
step is not just met; it is exceeded by the Lord’s promised blessings...
Strength is given to those who keep seeking and trying" When we do not know
if we have the strength to overcome something, we need to at least have the
desire to receive strength, and try. When we take a step the lord gives us an
extra push to move forward. He gives us the momentum to keep going forward.
As we do this we find the strength we wished we would have had at the beginning. Like it says in Ether 12:27 "And if men come unto me I will show
unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble;
and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me;
for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will
I make weak things become strong unto them". We will find the strength, if
we keep going forward in faith.<br />
<br />
I know this gospel is designed to perfect
us. It is the ultimate guide to become like our Heavenly Father. Have a great
week everyone!<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Our branch likes to call Anziano B. and myself cheeseburger (B., cheese, ya get it?) so one of them drew this when they heard we were doing a third transfer together.</div>
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<br />Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15676772108179956641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-382947594776252032.post-31275236112322818162016-03-09T10:15:00.000-08:002016-05-19T01:44:58.666-07:00Eccomi - Week 81<div>
Hey everyone, another week down. The time keeps getting shorter. This week
was a little anticlimactic, but nevertheless was a good week.</div>
<div id="AppleMailSignature">
<br /></div>
<div id="AppleMailSignature">
We had a branch activity for the Festa Delle Donne.
We fed all the sisters in the ward dinner, and the primary kids performed some
talents, and we ourselves also performed a little talent. We did the morning
routine of a missionary, where I controlled Anziano B.'s hands (his face
and body, but my hands) We'll just say everyone got a good laugh out of it.
There were a lot of potentials that showed up to the activity. One of them I
particular, J.P., really enjoyed the courtesy of the members in this
branch.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div id="AppleMailSignature">
Saturday we had a lunch with G. and his
grandchildren A. and J., and we had a great time with them. We had a great
discussion with A., about how much our agency really affects our lives.
Sometimes we think of everything such as rules, restrictions, or limitations
just as things to keep us from being ourselves. But there is nothing that stops
of from being ourselves. When we <b>choose</b> to follow the guidelines or
rules, it is because we want to. Sometimes we kid ourselves into thinking it is
just pear pressure or just to please someone else, but in reality, we
<b>chose</b> to do it, because deep inside us, that is what we wanted to do. In
following the gospel and in life we understand that the rules are for our
benefit, and no one can force us to follow or break the rules. God gave us
agency to learn and grow, and every choice we make, is a just more proof of us
being ourselves. We <b>chose</b> to either stay protected or see if something
bad might happen.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div id="AppleMailSignature">
P. is doing great. He is coming to church
frequently now, and the members are doing a great job trying to fellowship him.
We still need to choose a date for him to be baptized, but we can see the
testimony in him taking hold.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div id="AppleMailSignature">
We saw M. after a little break, and we focused on
the most powerful experiences we have in the gospel. When we have confirmations
of truth, or spiritual experiences that really touch us, it is a convincing
evidence of truth. We can go forward in life, but we can never deny the truth
that we felt at that time. We all have major changing points in life, and we
always need to hold on to those memories, because they help us remember why we
are on the path we chose. It gives us a reminder of the feeling that was felt
during that experience.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div id="AppleMailSignature">
A really cool thing that happened this week. We were
visiting a family this week, talking about a friend that they were thinking
about. We talked about many ideas of how we could help this friend, but none of
us felt certain about what to do. After reading some things, we decided we
needed to kneel in prayer. We offered a prayer, and I kid you not, moments after
when we were casually talking about something, a word that came out of my mouth
triggered a thought in the members head. This thought of hers was the exact
solution we needed to help this friend of theirs, and we saw immediate results.
We were able to set up an appointment with their friend, F., because we
followed the impressions of the spirit and had kneeled in humble prayer.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Anyways I am excited to still be working in this
beautiful country of Italy, I am grateful to help these wonderful people. I know
that God is waiting to aid us in our needs, and that he is much closer than we
think. I know that we can all receive his help, if we humbly seek and ask of
him. I know it with all my heart.<br />
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Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15676772108179956641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-382947594776252032.post-26628025532479840912016-03-02T10:14:00.000-08:002016-05-19T01:41:30.767-07:00Venezia - Week 80Hey everyone I hope this week has been a good one for y'all. So I started off
the week with a nice little cold, but I was fortunate enough to not have to
be bedridden. It just made the days a little longer and tiring. It continues
to rain, but things are going well. We were able to continue our service with
the Codarin family and we are seeing great things from D. We still don't
know what is holding<br />
him back from making the step forward in the gospel, but
his testimony really is getting stronger.<br />
<br />
P. had a little nasty
accident playing soccer, and now is in a cast because he broke his
collarbone. They wrapped his arm into his chest and when he walks around with
his jacket he looks funny because you can only see one arm. But due to this, he is more free on Sunday and was able to come to church with us. The branch
was great and focused a lot of the lessons on his questions and needs. He
felt very welcomed and content.<br />
<br />
P. is doing ok. She too is
having medical problems and she works too hard. We always tell her she needs
to rest, and she knows it. But we set a day to go to their home where she can
be relaxed and will have a lesson with them. Her son E. has been very
open to us and said he will be there too when we pass by.<br />
<br />
G. is
being G. Always happy to see us, and always ready for a good
conversation. J. and A., his grandchildren, convinced him to have a
lunch with us this upcoming Saturday which gives us the perfect opportunity
to teach them all together. We are excited that they are so excited to learn
and be with us.<br />
<br />
We met two new people this week, A. and M.
They are friends of P. We were casually talking with them trying to get
to know them and M. says right off the bat, "teach me about Jesus
Christ". We were able to have a good lesson with them and were invited to
come back and teach them.<br />
<br />
Today we decided to go to Venezia. I know, I
know, Venezia. Every tourist's must visit site. It was a nice day so I can't
complain. We saw a couple of my old members from Vicenza and it was nice to
walk around. It was fun to walk up to Americans and speak English to
them. I got in a little debate with a lady that sad Bakersfield was
better than Temecula. But it was a nice day.<br />
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Venezia??</div>
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<br />
I've been pondering a lot
about gratitude lately and it has been big for me. I realized that it rained
20 of the 29 days in February. I remember everyday just looking to see if
there would be more rain, and then when there was I would be upset. But then
towards the end I started thinking something. I was seeking out the rain. I
was seeking out the thing that I didn't like. I had been neglecting the nice
sunny days I did have in the month. We have sooo many beautiful days
during the year. Way more than ugly days. If we search for the bad days,
we will never be able to enjoy the good days that are usually already
in front of us. "Stop seeking out the storm and enjoy more fully
the sunlight" God blesses us daily. When we look for trials, we forget
how I immensely blessed we are. I know I have so much more to be
grateful for, and that I need to recognize that, and search for that. It
is truly in front of all of us. I am grateful to be out here as
a missionary. Not many people have this opportunity to come to Italy
and teach people about God and Jesus Christ. I am grateful for the
lessons I've learned and the good I am able to give. I know this
gospel blesses us.<br />
<br />
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<br />Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15676772108179956641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-382947594776252032.post-64627162487683276762016-02-24T10:13:00.000-08:002016-05-19T01:36:53.700-07:00La vita missionario - Week 79This week has been long, and short at the same time. We were full with our
days, but lots of travel was included. This week I have only spent two days
in my serving city Gorizia.<br />
<br />
Friday we spent in Mestre for a zone
conference. We focused on the importance of intense studying, and speaking
our language more. Sometimes when we start our studies, especially our
language studies, we zone out. We don't make it effective. If we don't put
the effort into our studies, we are just wasting time. We won't get the
results as often as we want, and we will not want to study. When we
study, practice, and evaluate during our studies, we can hash out
the mistakes more frequently.<br />
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Conferenza della zona</div>
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<br />
Saturday we helped a family in our
branch move 2 tons of wood from their yard to their storage unit. My arms
still feel a little sore. After we went to the Saturday evening session of
stake conference in<br />
Mestre. We met Elder Adler of the seventy. He was talking
to us, and we didn't even realize who he was until after he walked to the
podium to speak. He said some very profound things though. He used a
driving analogy for the gospel. There can be noise to our left, and noise
to our right, but we can still drive the car. In the world there will
be plenty of "noise" or distractions all around us, but we can
always choose to "drive", or focus on the savior as Elder Adler put
it.<br />
<br />
Sunday we went back to Mestre again for the Sunday session of
stake conference. It was really nice because I got to see all the members
of the Vicenza branch and military ward.<br />
<br />
Monday I went to Udine to do
an exchange with one of the missionaries in the district. To be honest it was
one of the most unique days I've had in my mission. We had no appointments
the whole day so we were on the streets looking for people to talk to. We
ended up running with one guy to teach him, we met some guy in a local park,
after it got pitch black, and then we say a lady on the first floor (which is
the 2nd for America) looking out the window, and said hi to her,
and started teaching her from the street. We had decided that
whatever opportunities came our way, we would make the most of it, and that
we did.<br />
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<br />
So for an update on the people we got to see this week. P.
is doing well. He's still reading the Book of Mormon, he just has problems
being free on Sunday. G. is doing well. He struggles with the idea of
life after death, but is willing to pray about it. M. is doing well, we
focused on the importance of having spiritual conversion daily.<br />
<br />
On
Tuesday we had this awesome opportunity to give two elementary school classes
a tour of the church. We had about 40 ten year olds show up to the church in
the morning with parents and teachers. We gave a presentation of how he
church was established, watched a church video presentation, gave them a tour
of the building, and answered questions they had. These kids were soo smart.
I was honestly shocked at how intelligent their questions were. At the end we
were able to give each one of them a Book of Mormon and some information
about the church. We hope we can see some of them again.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Handing out 40 copies</div>
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<br />
Just one
thing I want to leave on was a question that one of the kids asked me. He
asked how we feel when we start to talk about God and Jesus Christ. That
question kind of struck me. I realized that<br />
sometimes I forget how how I feel
when I talk about them. As a missionary I talk about them everyday, and as
this kid asked me this question I recognized the feeling that I get when I
talk about them. I feel a strange calmness and peace that always soothes me.
Then I realized sometimes in order to feel the spirit, we need to have
the desire to receive a feeling. We need to try and feel something.
And when we do feel it, we need to write that feeling down. We need
to recognize the feelings we get when we receive them. It helps us when we
start forgetting the conversion we had in the first place.<br />
<br />
I know that
Heavenly Father gives us spiritual witnesses and that we can have them over
and over again, if we let it get inside of us. I know he loves us!<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Una bella domanda</div>
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<br />Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15676772108179956641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-382947594776252032.post-45715149517555037962016-02-17T10:11:00.000-08:002016-05-19T01:29:57.330-07:00I treni.... - Week 78<div>
Hey everyone. I hope you all had a good week. This week has still been wet,
we scarcely get a day without water pouring down on us.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So this week has been busy. Thursday we went and did more work for the
Codarin family. I love working in the fields with them. It's a different type of
work than I'm used to, but missionary work means service, and I enjoy this
service. We are really close with D., the father who is not a member. He
acts like a member, but for some reason is not baptized. We have been trying to
figure out what is keeping him from this step, but we know the spirit is working
hard on him.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
P. is doing ok, he's been busing traveling, but still is reading from
the Book of Mormon. G. is doing good, we watched the Mormon message about
leaving behind old dirt that has been transformed into something better. (I
think I translated that right. In Italiano il titolo è Redenti) we all make
mistakes, but the atonement helps clean us, and we are able to "recycle" these
things to make a pure field, a pure body. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
We had to go down to Mestre this week to do an exchange with the zone
leaders. We also have to travel two more times this week, and it takes 3 hours
in train to get there. So we have been on trains for 8 hrs so far this week, and
have another 12-16 to go... But we are able to sit and talk with people more
freely. We met this one lady named S.. I won't lie, she might have had a
couple of loose bolts and screws in her. She's from Ukraine, and we spent two
hours with her on the train. We taught her many of the lessons, and then somehow
at the end of our train ride, she had given us jewelry, taken our pictures,
given us postcards with her address in Udine, and Ukraine, and had answered so
many strange questions about religion... But hey at least it's a strange story I
won't forget.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Our exchange with the zone leaders was nice. It was pouring rain, but we
were able to talk to a lot of people. A lot of people in Mestre are stranieri or
tourists who visit Venezia (which once again we didn't go see......) but we were
able to get the zone leaders a couple of potential people to teach. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Due to traveling and being in Mestre, we haven't been able to see a lot of
people, but the days have felt useful and full. This week my mind has been
focused a lot on the commandments. When we think about the 10 commandments, we
believe them to be logical, which they are. So that being said, it is easy to
follow them. But then we look at the word of wisdom, some people have trouble
finding the logic in not drinking coffee or tea. We can go all scientific and
dive into the details of whether or not coffee and tea are technically bad, but
that still causes debates. When I think about the commandments, I have to blot
out the logic of why a commandment is given. I do believe that there will be
given revelation as to why coffee and tea are not good in the future, but the
scientific reason should not be my reason to follow the word of wisdom. When
Abraham was commanded to sacrifice his son Isaac, was that really a logical
commandment? When the lord commanded Joshua and his people to walk around the
walls of Jericho multiple times in order to capture the city logical? They
honestly are not. But what we learn is, by our faith in keeping
<b>any</b> commandment, we will be blessed, and I believe we sometimes need
illogical commandments to test our faith. we can understand the blessings of the
commandments, after the obedience to the commandment. It is not bad to ask the
physical or logical reason why we follow a commandment, but it is more important
that we follow the commandments, because of our faith in the almighty.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I have a testimony of this gospel, and of the following of the
commandments. They never lead us astray!<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Cinnamon Rolls</div>
</div>
<div>
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Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15676772108179956641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-382947594776252032.post-12068815204452176332016-02-10T10:10:00.000-08:002016-05-19T01:30:34.568-07:00Dov'è andato il sole? - Week 77Hey everyone. This week has certainly been a wet one. The amount of time it
has rained this week definitely exceeded the amount where we could walk
outside with an umbrella.<br />
<br />
This week has been a good one none the less. It
was "carnevale" week so every kid was dressed up in a costume of some sort
going to a party. That being said, our branch had a carnevale activity as
well. It was a blast, there were about 20 kids just running around
in costumes playing games and having fun, and for us it was fun to
talk with everyone and see the lighter side of the branch. There
were several nonmembers that came, and it was a nice event.<br />
<br />
Thursday
we were able to give some service to a part member family that lives in
Fossalon, the Codarin family. They have a bunch of farm land, and they are
getting close to their rush season. With the wetness we have been getting we
needed to wear special work clothes and rain/mud boots, because we were
working with radicchi, pulling them out of the ground, and prepping them. It
was a blast.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Just getting dirty doing farm work</div>
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<br />
After church on Sunday we were able to go with a couple
families in our branch to Cividale, an old city a little north of Gorizia. It
is a city that has history all the way back to Caesar the roman emperor.
It was really nice, and There was a free museum with Viking items
that were found in Cividale graves. We hope to go back and see even
more when it isn't raining as much.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Cividale</div>
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Casa medievale</div>
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I ossi del cavallo</div>
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<br />
P. is doing well. We are
reading the Book of Mormon with him, to help him keep pushing forward. He
often has a commitment that isn't of his choice on Sunday so we are slowly
working to help him find a way to be able to come to church more often. But
overall, he is doing awesome.<br />
<br />
M. is doing well too. We read a talk
by Neil L. Anderson, titled "If it is True, What Else Matters?" It brought a
good spirit, and an important lesson. When we know something is right or true
we don't have any excuse to not follow it. Gordon B Hinkley said it best,
"When [an individual] is motivated by great and powerful convictions
of truth, then he disciplines himself, not because of demands made by
the Church but because of the knowledge within his heart"<br />
<br />
One rainy
day (out of the 5 rainy days...) we were doing some casa (door finding). It
was pouring rain on us, and many people were being less than friendly to our
questions. After a long time we got let into a house. We met a nice lady
named S.. She might be considered the old cat lady, but she was younger
and really nice. We had a great conversation with her, and she invited us to
come back. She was like "it's raining, you boys shouldn't be outside" and
that was how we got in haha.<br />
<br />
Anyways this week my mind has really been
focused on having daily conversion. When we do missionary work, or anything
to better ourselves it is for our good. We sometimes, however, tend to just
look into the past at our experiences and think that they are good
enough. President Monson said (with my personal emphasis in parentheses),
"Our missionary experiences (or any experience for growth) have to
be current. It is not enough to sit back and ponder former experiences. To
be fulfilled, you have to continue to naturally and normally share the
gospel (or act to grow)". It can be applied to farm work. We can look back
on a great harvest we had one year, but it will never be enough to keep us
going forever, we need to plow the field daily, insuring that we will
continue to have the necessary things for life. I know hat we all can have
daily experiences, some being as little as a compliment to another person, or
some being bigger. But as we do this we will always end up being more
satisfied with ourselves.<br />
<br />
I know that this gospel brings joy to everyone
who seek to follow their Heavenly Father! Have a great week!<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Making pizza #italy</div>
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<br />Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15676772108179956641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-382947594776252032.post-53138705305524519642016-02-03T10:10:00.000-08:002016-05-19T01:20:21.246-07:00Cinghiale?! - Week 76<div>
Hey everyone! Once again another week is over in the Italian adventure. It
currently is raining, and by the looks of it, I might be wet for the next week
or so... This week I feel especially old, because all the sister missionaries in
my group finished their missions... It is weird to think that they are gone, but
I'm glad I have 5 months to go.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
This week was really nice. We were able to meet with C. and P.
and they took us out to a family owned restaurant that has been a Gorizia
original for many years. We've been friendshipping them for a while and we're
finally able to get a night with them where they were not working in their shop
they own. We had a great discussion about the restoration and P. just was
so happy and just is so open to here more. We really like them and know our
branch members would just love them too. A cool thing that happened on the way
back was near the beginning hills of the alps there are some wild boars that
come and destroy farms, etc. but the only like to show up in the dark. Anyways,
we were driving with them in their car and saw a huge boar make a dash for the
hills. It was huge!! My comp and I kind of want to go boar hunting now
haha.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
P. is making good progress, we have been trekking along and this week
we really focused on reading the Book of Mormon. It is our personal shield for
the day. It gives us aid when we are week. He really liked that, especially
because he is far away from any family. He invited us to play soccer with him
and some other older Italians, and it was a blast. I'm still feeling a little
sore in my calves from it. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
M. is doing good, he really is trying to follow our invites, and we
have been focusing on the love for our Heavenly Father being our motive to
change. There should be no other greater reason to follow the gospel or keep his
commandments. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Z. is a stud. We focused on missionary work this week with him, and
he just loves to sing. He used to be a choir director back in his home many
years ago. So we talked about how he can use that talent to help others. He
loves the lyrics that come from music and can use it as testimony of his faith
to others.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
This week I have really been focusing on a story that President Hinkley
taught over 30 years ago. "Then-Elder Gordon B. Hinckley spoke of meeting a
young naval officer from Asia. The officer had not been a Christian, but during
training in the United States, he had learned about the Church and was baptized.
He was now preparing to return to his native land. President Hinckley asked the
officer: “Your people are not Christians. What will happen when you return home
a Christian, and, more particularly, a Mormon Christian?” The officer’s face
clouded, and he replied: “My family will be disappointed. … As for my future and
my career, all opportunity may be foreclosed against me.” President Hinckley
asked, “Are you willing to pay so great a price for the gospel?”With his dark
eyes moistened by tears, he answered with a question: “It’s true, isn’t it?”
President Hinckley responded, “Yes, it is true.” To which the officer replied,
“Then what else matters?"</div>
<div>
Just like how Elder Lee (who is serving in Peru right now!
#doingworkdownthere) was talking about truth, and how when we act on truth they
gain knowledge, the same story applies here. When we <b>know</b> something to be
true, we don't need to worry about anything else. We have a greater knowledge of
our purpose, that others can choose to listen to or not. I am likewise bringing
the truth I have to the people of Italia and I continue to receive help true
application of this truth. I know I am here and that I have received a knowledge
of the true gospel of Jesus Christ. Have a great week everyone!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15676772108179956641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-382947594776252032.post-80858893039763011242016-01-27T10:09:00.000-08:002016-05-19T01:19:30.921-07:00Ancora ci siamo - Week 75Hey everyone! I hope you all had a good week. Ours went fast and the strange
thing is I really can't remember half of the stuff we did...<br />
<br />
Well to
start we had the mission broadcast, which was sent to all the missionaries
around the globe, and it was very nice. It helped give me a little push to
finish off strong. It was centered on repentance and baptism, and I really
enjoyed the thoughts about repentance. True conversion really comes from the steps of repentance we take. It is our signal to Heavenly Father that we
believe in him and his teachings to us.<br />
<br />
We were able to see P. and
M. this week and they are doing well. M. is having a couple of
doubts with some of his past teachings he grew up with, but P. is still
going really strong. We talked about how necessary reading the scriptures is.
We need that 10 minutes of spiritual strength in today's world. We need to be
able to have God in our lives, and when we read the scriptures we
enlighten our minds and give us a spiritual defense from the sin of the
world.<br />
<br />
M. is doing better, we have been trying to find a way to get
his concerns resolved, but it is taking some time. We really have
been focusing on what pushes him in the gospel, and what is the
strongest part of his testimony. When we recollect on our spiritual
foundation, we really help reinforce it.<br />
<br />
We were also able to see
G., and his grandchildren, A. and J., and had a nice spiritual
lesson with them. A. and J. have been coming to our English class, and
now my course, which is the less advanced group had about 8 new 12-18 year
olds in it, and it is giving us good opportunities to introduce the light of
the gospel in their lives in a normal way.<br />
<br />
There is a church also
nearby that on Sunday's at 6 a lady always comes in to play the organ, so we
decided to visit and just sit and listen. It was really dang cool. Oh oh, I
also got to see a couple of members from the Vicenza Italian branch that are
in stake priesthood/auxiliary members in church because our branch was
being reorganized so that was really cool.<br />
<br />
A couple funny things that
happened this week. We have been doing some polls in public lately, and one
day we were walking and there is a bar we always pass by called Charlie's
Angels. When we walked by I noticed one person was looking at our sign. Once
I noticed that, I saw that every single person in that bar had stopped what
they were doing to stare at our sign. We were just walking by, and it was
just funny to see how much attention we attract doing this. Another funny
thing was we were walking down the street, and I saw a car that was super
iced, and there was a person scraping the ice off to leave in the car.
Out of nowhere I find my face connecting with a light post... My
comp couldn't hold in his laughter, nor me and my embarrassment, but it
was a funny thing to laugh about after.<br />
<br />
Anyways, my thoughts have been
really centered around the imperfection of human beings. We really are so
imperfect. We make so many mistakes. We have to learn so much. But the
marvelous thing about being imperfect is seeing the growth within ourselves
when we do good and when we improve. There is no limit to our growth, and
with the aid of Heavenly Father and the atonement of Christ, we can always
work on bettering ourselves. We can accept that we are imperfect, but we
can also strive to be the best we can knowing that we will be helped
along the way. It is a never ending journey of growth we are on.<br />
<br />
I
know this gospel is true. I know we can all be perfected through the gospel
of Jesus Christ!<br />
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The closest I'll ever get to being in Slovenia....#onlyapprovedtohaveonefoottouching</div>
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<br />Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15676772108179956641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-382947594776252032.post-72450229031469988622016-01-20T10:07:00.000-08:002016-05-19T01:13:23.737-07:00Andiamo avanti - Week 74Hey everyone, I hope you all had a great week. This week was a decently
busy.<br />
<br />
Giovedi we saw S., one of our less actives. He really likes
the missionaries, he just has to work on Sunday's keeping him from
church. In Italy it is really hard to find work these days, so we decided
to talk about fasting, and how we can receive revelation on what we
need to do. After that we went to a nearby city to order a new part for
our phone. The screen broke, and we have visibility of only 1/8th of
it... We visited G. and had a nice discussion on how we need to
push ourselves to be spiritually minded in order to overcome the
natural desire to sin.<br />
<br />
Venerdi we helped Sorella T., the wife of
our branch president, move a bunch of old furniture out of their home. As our
reward they fed us lunch. After that we had a good lesson with P. and
M. on the law of chastity. They really accepted the law to stay pure
in our thoughts, words, and actions.<br />
<br />
Sabato was a more calm day with
finding work. We gave out a bunch of English class flyers and then were able
to meet with P. We had a nice conversation, and she invited us over to
have a dinner with her and her family!<br />
<br />
D. was really nice.
P. and M. came to church and we had a really good lesson with them
on the word of wisdom. With the help of some members we really we able use
their testimonies of it. They enjoyed the meetings and really feel like they
are progressing.<br />
<br />
Lunedi we were able to see Z. and talk to him
about the priesthood. We focused on the importance of setting our
standards higher. The priesthood is a power given to us and with this power
we need keep ourselves always worthy to have it. We have the authority
to use god's power only if we are spiritually worthy to receive
it.<br />
<br />
Martedi we had a good time doing white board finding. We posed
a question with a "yes" or "no" section for them to respond. After
they put their response we would ask them why they thought that way.
It really got a lot potentials for us. After that we had our English class
and we were able to set up a time to have dinner with the A. family
this weekend. They have shown a lot of interest in<br />
our message and we are
glad that we have this opportunity to go teach them.<br />
<br />
Oggi was quick.
We did some planning, and are about to watch a mission broadcast for all the
missionaries in the world (it starts in 10 minutes or so....) so I am excited
for that.<br />
<br />
My mind has been focusing a lot on how we allow the natural man
inside of us to control what we do. It is not natural to do service or
say nice things. But we receive spiritual promptings and choose to act
on them. As soon as we make that decision to help someone, or do something
that was given through a prompting, we make it easier to receive spiritual
promptings and do good things. If we never followed our spiritual promptings,
we would naturally want to do nothing. It's sad but true. We need to push
ourselves to do good, and as we focus on that desire we receive
help.<br />
<br />
I know this church is true and that his gospel is on the earth
today!<br />
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<br />Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15676772108179956641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-382947594776252032.post-32286607741113756222016-01-13T10:06:00.000-08:002016-05-19T01:11:07.095-07:00Week 73Hey everyone this week was another nice week. Lots of rain, but
pretty eventful. So Friday we spent practically the whole day on the
train due to a zone training in Mestre. It takes 3 hours each way in
train and our zone training was really short. But it was nice we
talked about the importance of bold invites. We cannot expect someone to
see the importance of our invites if we don't make it seem
important ourselves. We need to show these people we truly are devastated
when they don't accept our invites and should be very happy when
they follow our invites.<br />
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<br />
Saturday President Dibb came to Gorizia for
interviews. They got to the church a little late, but it was nice to talk
with him. We only get to have interviews with him usually once every three
months, so every time he comes it is a pleasure to talk with him. I'm sad
he finishes his mission two weeks before I do, and that I will have
my last interview with a new mission president, but I'm excited for
the last 5 months I have with President Dibb here.<br />
<br />
Sunday a lot of
members were sick, but we had a very nice sacrament meeting. We were able to
visit G. and his grandchildren A. and J. were there. A. was
very open with us and we were able to share a neat message with them. We also
were able to see M. and got him to pray, which he hadn't done in front of
other people for 10 years. We also saw P. and his friends, and P's
desire to be baptized has really sky rocketed. He knows baptism is essential
for his growth in the gospel<br />
<br />
Monday and Tuesday I was in Udine for an
exchange with Anziano C. He is in his 2nd transfer but is an awesome
missionary. We went and gave service at a center for the handicapped and
disabled. They truly are amazing people and we spent time sharing bible
stories and playing games with them. Then we were able to visit some
families in their branch to help spread the relationship of
member/missionaries a little bit.<br />
<br />
Today we went to Trieste to go to a
cave called Grotta Gigante. It is a really nice cave that goes decently deep
into the earth. The experience was awesome and even though no pictures came
out well due to it being a cave it was awesome to go through something like
that.<br />
<br />
My mind has been thinking about the meaning of true sacrifice
lately and how we truly do give up so much for our Heavenly Father. There
are so many things we give up to follow him; substances/objects,
time, jobs, relationships, temporary pleasures. Many people think we do
it because we know that it is an advantage in the world to come or that we
will receive certain blessings because we sacrificed that specific thing, and
that is true. But even more important is that our sacrifice comes from our
love and devotion to our Heavenly Father, and not just the promised blessings
that follow. As a missionary I know I will be blessed for my sacrifice, and I
know my family has been blessed for it, but I am also sacrificing my time
because it's something I want to do for my Heavenly Father. In essence it
isn't a sacrifice to me, but a pleasure. True sacrifice can be difficult but
having the love for our Heavenly Father to do it, makes everything worth
it.<br />
<br />Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15676772108179956641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-382947594776252032.post-1120863245476288792016-01-06T10:05:00.000-08:002016-05-19T01:15:04.403-07:00C'è neve in questa missione - Week 72This week has been jam packed with stuff so we are just going to
get right to it.<br />
<br />
So for New Year's Eve we had our district meeting and
then were required to be inside at an earlier hour due to festivities that
may be uninviting for missionaries. So we spent the day really
inside. From our balcony we can see the city's castle, and at midnight
the castle had a firework show that lasted for a full half hour. It was
a nice little thing that the city does.<br />
<br />
Our New Year's Day was really
nice. A lot of people were asleep and inside most of the day, but we spent it
visiting investigators that we knew were not big party people. G. was
at home and he was with his daughter and her family. It was really nice and
we were able to invite them to English class and are also possibly going to
visit them at their home! After that we went and had a visit with M. I
think he really is listening to us, and on the fast Sunday
testimony meeting, he got up a bore a sincere testimony of prayer. We just
need to help him get over his little doubts and issues he has with
being rebaptized.<br />
<br />
Saturday we were doing casa and it was cold and just
had been a long day. It had been raining and our spirits were pretty low. We
get to one apartment complex and starting calling all the doors and on
the last one we see someone look at us, and we just get so surprised
when she says "venite" (come) so we slowly walk in and then we get
even more surprised when she asks us "so you said you have a message
about families?" (Our approach to teaching some people) usually we don't
get that surprised, but when we do door approaches seldom do people let
us in and then actually ask us about our message. It was a mother with two
little girls, and we shared a little bit about the plan of salvation and how
it blesses families. She invited us back, and told us she knew a family that
were members so that is why she let us in. We felt extremely blessed to have
met her.<br />
<br />
Sunday we spent the day with some members trying to fellowship
and help with family mission plans, and we ate some of the best food
I've ever had in my life.<br />
<br />
Monday I woke up to just a wonderful site.
SNOW. We had snow proprio falling almost all day. We were set to have an
exchange so the udine missionaries were coming to do the switch so we decided
to make our first snowman (and by us I mean the two Californian missionaries
and the one Arizona missionary. The Idaho missionary aka my comp has
made plenty) after the snow play day, Anziano L. and I were able
to meet some new people. We taught a man named prince about
the restoration and he invited us to come and teach his friends at the
end of the week. The snow brought so many people outside and
everyone became super friendly.<br />
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<br />
Tuesday was Anziano L's
birthday so we made a big breakfast to celebrate the end of our exchange and
his birthday, and then took him back to Udine. The snow was almost all melted
which was really sad, and our snowman was melting, and fell so we were a
little depressed, but we talked to some good people and found a couple more
potential families.<br />
<br />
Today we took a trip up to the city Tarvisio, a
city up near the border of Italy, Austria, and Slovenia. There was a ton of
snow up there, and we went on a hike that was just soo epic. We felt the
we were the fellowship in Lord of the Rings embarking on an adventure. The
city was just so calm and full of snow. There was a ski hill nearby and just
pretty things. It was a really cool find.<br />
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<br />
So with so much going by this
week, my mind has been very scrambled, but I read something pretty profound
from President Monson. “Life is full of difficulties, some minor and others of
a more serious nature. There seems to be an unending supply of challenges for
one and all. Our problem is that we often expect instantaneous solutions to
such challenges, forgetting that frequently the heavenly virtue of
patience is required." Sometimes patience is a pain in the rear, but how
much more do we learn when we exercise our patience? We can see
the blessings come from the patience we have. If a trial came our way
and two seconds later it is immediately lifted, we would always get
mad when after two seconds our trial was still here. As a missionary,
we practice patience daily, and always are working on our patience.
But when we truly are patient we always receive the blessings.<br />
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<br />Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15676772108179956641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-382947594776252032.post-36475040927246185812015-12-30T10:04:00.000-08:002016-05-19T01:00:04.010-07:00Il fine del anno - Week 71Hey everyone. I hope you had a great Christmas, and that you were able to
spend it with someone special! This week was a very happy week for my
companion and I. We were able to spend a lot of our time with members,
enjoying the holidays with them and remembering Christ with them. Our
Christmas Eve was very occupied with traveling to different families. We were
a little worried that we wouldn't be able to get to everyone we wanted to see.
We had planned out efficiently what we needed to do, and with a little help
from above we were able to see 4 families that we wanted to see. I t helped
me appreciate a planned out day. If we hadn't really written out what/who we
were going to do/see and how it would be accomplished we might not have had
the opportunity to see some families. Our Christmas Day was very nice and
simple. We went to lunch with the Perez family and watched some nativity
videos with them, and spent a good deal just being with them. After we
were able to skype our families (who would be excited for that????)
and then spend the rest of the night with the Bressans.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Natale con la famiglia Perez</div>
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<br />
The rest of
the week was really mixed with seeing other families in our branch and
finding people to teach. We had been struggling lately to find new people to
teach, but really have been blessed these past couple days. When we were
teaching G., his friend M. became very interested in our message.
We hope to be able to see him. When we were at a members house, his non
member mother was very open (well for a very Catholic woman asking questions)
and she let us teach her a little. We have been working hard and can see that
our efforts will surely be paying off soon.<br />
<br />
When we were teaching
M., he said something that quite frankly concerned me. He spoke of a concern that members are not as good people as they should be. Although this
should not affect personal testimony, it still leaves the worry that our
example is noticed, for good and for bad. Testimony IS personal and nothing
should be more important than our personal commitment and covenant with our
Heavenly Father. But as members, we also need to be living to the standard
that our father in heaven wants us to live. People who have never heard
of the church will look at people that are members and start
formulating opinions. With those first impressions from our actions, a firm
desire or no desire to learn about our gospel can start to form in
these peoples lives. We should always be examples among the believers,
so that when people meet us, they can see the gospel within us. I have
a firm belief of personal testimony and I hope that M. can see
past the faults of a select few that may have tampered with his
testimony.<br />
<br />
This week in my studies I was able to really focus on the
importance of our father in heaven. My companion and I were discussing how
we know he loves us and I started pondering about prayer. He asks of us to
pray always, day and night, in faith. He promises to answer our prayers and
bless us. I know of that for a fact because I have received many answers to
my prayers, but then I started thinking about a more simple reason why he
wants us to pray. He knows the thoughts of our hearts, why do we need to
pray? For one, to recognize he is there, and two (what really struck out to
me), is that he wants to listen to us and talk with us. Have we ever thought
about that? That he may just want to be a part of our life? How many times
have our parents tried to start a conversation with us and we shut down the
conversation thinking that it is an interrogation? All they usually want to
do is speak with us, and be our friend. That is how I know my
Heavenly Father really cares. He wants to make our relationship personal,
and not just him being the almighty and all knowing dad that he is.<br />
<br />
I
hope everyone has a great new year, and that we can all start 2016 with a
bang! The church is true!<br />
<br />
Anziano ChaseJohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15676772108179956641noreply@blogger.com0