t's your favorite Pesaro elder checking in! I hope you're enjoying
your March and are preparing for St. Patrick's Day later this week.
I'm looking forward to destroying my companion; he doesn't have a
green tie. ;) It's been a wild week over here in Italy. I say it's
been a wild week in ITALY and not Pesaro because we've been all over
the place this week. We had our zone conference in Bologna, new
missionary training in Milano, and a special district meeting in
Rimini. It's always fun getting to see all my missionary friends
again. Anziano Santoro sent a bag of COOL RANCH DORITOS with Anziano
Pyper to our zone conference for me (he's serving on an American base
and has access to some pretty rare food). They were incredible. I
shared them with our English class and they were impressed with
America's chip game. Then, at new missionary training, Sister Hoopes
sneakily gave me a package from "home"- filled with an assortment of
her famous muffins (it was labeled from home as to not make the other
missionaries jealous)!
I always feel a little bad when I start laughing when we are teaching
a lesson... But, there was a point this week where I just couldn't
help myself. I need to paint this picture for you: Abraham, our
Nigerian investigator, is smooshed in between Anziano Leavitt and I as
we watch the restoration video on the steps of a random castle.
Abraham is holding my iPad playing the video and he is in deep
concentration mode. The sun is shining, God and Jesus Christ have just
appeared to Joseph Smith, and WHAM- a cat jumps on top of Abraham!
This cat appeared out of nowhere and pulled a surprise attack on our
African friend. The best part about it is: ABRAHAM DIDN'T EVEN FLINCH!
I was trying really hard to contain my laughter. The cat stayed on top
of Abraham for the rest of the video!!! After the video finished, the
cat jumped down on top of my lap... I pet it for a few minutes, it bit
me (dogs > cats
can't surprise an African.
Yesterday, we had a really powerful lesson with Marina (are Russian
investigator who was drunk the first time we met her). She's such a
sweetheart! We were satisfied to hear that she's been going to therapy
and an addiction support group to help overcome her alcoholism. We
talked about the Plan of Salvation and discussed how Jesus Christ
knows our situations individually and can help us change our bad
habits. It was a cool moment when Anziano Leavitt offered her a Book
of Mormon at the end of the lesson... She was SO excited to see that
we had a book for her in Russian!
As a missionary, I'm really grateful I get to work closely with
inspired, Priesthood men. I look up to my mission and branch president
so much. They have both shown me so much individual love. Jesus Christ
lived a life caring for "the one" and my presidents have a way of
making me, and everyone else they come into contact, feel like the
one. Every time President Allen sees me, he acts like he's so excited
and always jokes about my awkward hugs. Our branch President is
constantly checking up on us wanting to help us in any way possible.
This week, before driving us to an appointment we had with a
less-active woman, he drove us up on a mountain overlooking Pesaro and
shared some neat stories with us.
I hope you all have a great week! If you are in the Pesaro area this a
Saturday, swing by the Pesaro soup kitchen and you might see some
pretty cool Mormons at work. ;) We are the official
assistant-backup-soup-kitchen workers for Pesaro now (does that title
remind you of the assistant TO the regional branch manager?). We
basically fill in at the soup kitchen whenever one of the normal
servers is sick! The man that runs the place gives us a ton of free,
slightly expired meat and cheese (it pays to serve)!
Side note: When you get a chance, go to lds.org and check out Elder
Rasband's Face to Face event. Skip forward and go to 1:07:53. There
are two young men that perform a song that is UNBELIEVABLE. I have
literally listened to the song 30 times this week and don't plan on
slowing down anytime soon (my companion can testify of that). The song
is so powerful. Yesterday, I found out that one of the boys that sings
the song is in my mission.... AND, I heard a musical number this week
at zone conference without having any idea. So weird. But, seriously:
check it out!
1. Gelato with Anziano Castronovo (we've got some wild post-mission plans) ;)
2. Zone conference in Bologna (I swear I look taller in person)
3. New missionary training in Milano (look at the Allen's handhold.
4. Anziano Castronovo making me a lasagna (he's wife material)
5. Last night at President Di Nuzzo's house (he happened to turn on
Randy Houser's Runnin' Out of Moonlight during our time together and
Anziano Anderson's ears were very happy ;))
6. We played beach volleyball today and I was the best (I wasn't the
best player, but my zone agrees that I was the best on-court dancer)
0 comments:
Post a Comment