President, I LOVE my companion!

Here are some wonderful "GEM" moments that our missionaries have shared with us.

(Mar 23, 2011)
My companion wrote me a beautiful note that I found one morning right before my personal study.  He expressed his love and his thanks for me.  He helped me realize how much I love him too and how much better I should be at showing that love!

(Mar 23, 2011)
My companion really has mastered his start chart. He really has taken the time to turn all of the principles and doctrines of the gospel into simple sentences with questions and scriptures. He has been a great example. Even though he is fairly new too, he has not let his inexperience overwhelm him. He is a great example to me in all things.

(Mar 23, 2011)
My companion knows why he's here; to baptize. It's truly inspiring that he's not here for Italy or food or whatever, but he is here to do the Lord's work and is fully committed to doing it. It's really a boost for me when I'm not doing as well as I could and need to focus more on baptism.

(Mar 23, 2011)
This last week my companion was really good about reminding me to practice my 2-minute drill.  He would initiate mini practice sessions as we were walking and it really brought a great spirit into our companionship.  We are sharing so many more spiritual experiences together doing these role plays and it is making our teaching so much more powerful because the spirit is so abundantly present.  My companion is amazing; truly a spiritual giant.

(Mar 23, 2011)

He showed me a great example of faith this week. We set our vision for 4 baptisms this transfer, and I started to doubt whether or not it was going to happen. But he showed me the importance of believing that the Lord can do anything as long as we just believe.  And, because of that, we are going to have 4 baptisms this transfer!

(Mar 23, 2011)

My companion has been helping me a lot with the language.  He keeps me on my toes—it’s great!  We both really sustain one another and we just push through the hard times.  We just keep going, never stopping.  We have seen a lot of success, and I realize that I have a lot to improve on.  Every day I learn something different; with every door that shuts, my testimony grows.   My whole perception has changed and I look at things with better light and understanding.   My companion is great!  I couldn’t ask for a better trainer!

(Mar 23, 2011)

For P-day, we planned to take time to clean the apartment.  We had a pretty busy P-Day, and had an hour left before we had to leave for proselyting, in which we had planned to get the cleaning done.  I completely forgot and started to do some personal things, but then I saw my companion, who had started to clean the bathroom. His example reminded me and quickly I went into the kitchen to do my part.  He doesn't use a lot of words, but rather, teaches by example.  And I am very grateful for that.  It makes me want to be more like him.

(Mar 23, 2011)

My companion wrote me a beautiful note that I found one morning right before my personal study.  He expressed his love and his thanks for me.  He helped me realize how much I love him too and how much better I should be at showing that love!

(Mar 23, 2011)

My companion really has mastered his start chart. He really has taken the time to turn all of the principles and doctrines of the gospel into simple sentences with questions and scriptures. He has been a great example. Even though he is fairly new too, he has not let his inexperience overwhelm him. He is a great example to me in all things

(Mar 23, 2011)

My companion knows why he's here; to baptize. It's truly inspiring that he's not here for Italy or food or whatever, but he is here to do the Lord's work and is fully committed to doing it. It's really a boost for me when I'm not doing as well as I could and need to focus more on baptism.

(Mar 23, 2011)

This last week my companion was really good about reminding me to practice my 2-minute drill.  He would initiate mini practice sessions as we were walking and it really brought a great spirit into our companionship.  We are sharing so many more spiritual experiences together doing these role plays and it is making our teaching so much more powerful because the spirit is so abundantly present.  My companion is amazing; truly a spiritual giant.

(Mar 23, 2011)

He showed me a great example of faith this week. We set our vision for 4 baptisms this transfer, and I started to doubt whether or not it was going to happen. But he showed me the importance of believing that the Lord can do anything as long as we just believe.  And, because of that, we are going to have 4 baptisms this transfer!

(Mar 23, 2011)

My companion has been helping me a lot with the language.  He keeps me on my toes—it’s great!  We both really sustain one another and we just push through the hard times.  We just keep going, never stopping.  We have seen a lot of success, and I realize that I have a lot to improve on.  Every day I learn something different; with every door that shuts, my testimony grows.   My whole perception has changed and I look at things with better light and understanding.   My companion is great!  I couldn’t ask for a better trainer!

(Mar 28, 2011)

I went on a scambio, and it was exciting to do missionary work with him, even though the two of us were both so new to it. We talked with a lady the whole train ride and later saw her again on the street. She started tearing up and said we're such bravi ragazzi. She may come to English class, too.

(Mar 30, 2011)

My companion has stuck 100% to the start chart.  It helps our finding, our teaching, and our relationship in general.  Because of his efforts in learning and memorizing these principles I am blessed by it and it helps me to do the same.

(Mar 30, 2011)

My gem of the week would be to show more interest in the work!   I need to have more hope; after door after door of rejection, my excitement goes down.   I just want to stop and rest for a while, and do nothing but be lazy!  My companion, however, is just a machine!  He works like a beast and just doesn’t stop!  He keeps on going!  There is no stopping him!  If you put the biggest wall in front of him, he will just walk right through it!  He is a great worker!  I want to have that same push as he has, and I’ve been doing it! I’m still going, like him, even when I’m not enjoying the work as much!

Zone Conference–March!

We had a very inspiring Zone Conference!  We baptized someone in 5 hours thanks to the persistence of the Assistants, watched the amazing John Tanner story, and were spiritually and physically fed!  Here are a few pictures of your missionaries!

 

 

Sorelle Shuel, Näslund, Manning, Elliott, Mondelli, Burgoyne, Harper, Willey, Ryan, Johnson, and Noteware.

 

 

 

 

Anziani Glowa and Dean

 

  

 

 

 

Anziani Gray, Cluff, and Poulson synchronizing watches…or planners.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sorelle Shuel and Johnson                    caught slightly off guard

March Miracles

Here is a plethora of miracles that have happened here in Italy in this last month of March.  I hope that you will enjoy them as much as we have!

(Mar 24, 2011)  
     From the past address we had from the Assistenti at interviews, and also from reading PMG, I have decided that there really is a better way to do missionary work, and that is through the ward.  Whitewashing this coppia last transfer was a little harder than my companion and I thought it would be, but our hard work with the ward is really paying off now.  
     Last week, we received four referrals from the ward, and a few more said that they had friends they wanted us to teach!  This is HUGE for me!  This has never happened to me before!  These referrals we are teaching are coming to church and they already have this great support system!  This means the ward trusts us and knows who we are!  I remember at the last training also, they talked about how we need to make sure the whole ward knows who we are, and we need to talk to people at church. I really believe this will make or break our missionary work, and will make or break our new converts and people we teach.  I am very grateful for the referrals we have received, and I know that God really is preparing people for us to teach as long as we are ready to receive them. 

(Mar 24, 2011)  
     I really like the start chart.  I do it for language study now and it gives more structure to my study.  I am also finding that I don't get stuck on what to say to people as often because I have these memorized phrases I can throw out there when I don't know what else to say.

(Mar 24, 2011) 
     Last week was incredible.  The Lord is so anxious to bless us when we are willing to tear down the traditions and limitations we inflict upon ourselves.  We were riding back from casa in the morning, content for having taught a great couple in Desio, when we passed a young lady at a bus stop on our bikes.  Just as we passed I got that classic thought, Anziano, you should contact that lady. 
     At this point (we ride really fast), I was already a few hundred meters in front of her, I didn’t know if the bus was going to come before I got back, and it’s always awkward bike contacting—especially young ladies all by themselves, we were late for lunch, and about eighty other really good excuses.  But it hit me again and I ended up getting stopped at a light. I turned around to my companion and told him my intentions and he, being the greatest missionary ever, silently turned around and we rode back. 
     I just jumped off my bike and approached the startled lady.  "Hey I know this is really awkward, but have you ever seen missionaries like us?  We bring an extremely important message from Jesus Christ.  What do you know about Christ?"  She gave us her number and address and even called us to confirm she’d received the right number on our card. We met her and her husband the next day in a park. They are from Ukraine and have been looking for a church since they’ve got here. She is concerned because her husband still needs to be baptized but knows he'll be a great follower of Christ because he doesn’t drink or smoke. They were so excited to meet us. They’ll be in church this Sunday and we'll set up baptismal dates for them tomorrow night. 

(Mar 24, 2011)   
     My companion and I were prayerfully trying to plan for the next day and decide where we should focus our efforts.  I spent 10 minutes looking at the map and finally pointed to a spot.  My companion asked me if I was sure because that place was in the middle of nowhere.  I was sure.  That next morning, we went and did some casa in that area.  It was a tough area, because the people weren’t exactly the friendliest.  We were walking down the street when I recognized a palazzo and said this is the one in which we are supposed to do casa.  We rang the citofono and got in and went all the way up to the top and knocked on the first door.  A man answered and we gave him a “teach to find” approach that we had been working on.  He simply told us that he wasn’t interested.  We persisted, and then out of nowhere his little dog ran out of the house and began going down the stairs.  
     I decided to buy us some more time with this guy and said, “I’ll go get the dog… not to worry.”  I ran down the stairs after the dog while my companion stood there talking to the guy.  When I came back, he had the man’s info. 
     We didn’t really think much about it at the time. We finished doing casa and went back home for lunch.  After lunch, we went back out and did casa in a new area.  As soon as we locked up our bikes, the phone rang.  The lady on the other end of the phone was talking really fast.  I had to stop her and ask who she was.  She told me that we had stopped by her house earlier that morning and we talked to her husband.  She said that the night before she had been praying for God to send her heavenly messengers to help her in this time of need.  The next morning we showed up at her house.  I asked her when we could come over and she said, “Right away!  As soon as possible!”  We got back on the bikes and went straight to her house.  We taught her the ten bullet points and the BOM and now we are teaching her and her husband.  I know that the Lord guides His missionaries to find those that are ready for the gospel.

(Mar 23, 2011)   
     We had ward council and discussed Samuele, who is supposed to be getting baptized this week.  He had smoked before and was still in the process of quitting.  This last week, he talked with the bishop in church and committed to quit completely in order to be ready for his baptism this week.  We talked about options for him and they wanted to have him wait a couple of weeks still. I felt prompted to basically argue with them, to explain to them how ready he is and how he found the church and his testimony.  Then I asked them to pray for him for help, so that he can be as ready as the Lord needs him to be this week.  We had come to the decision that if he had stopped smoking by Saturday, he could be baptized.  One of the members in the council suggested that we all kneel down in prayer at that moment and say a specific prayer for him, so we did.  Not five minutes ago, he called me to tell me that he had completely stopped smoking.  How true is this gospel!

(Mar 23, 2011)   
     The Start Chart works!

(Mar 23, 2011)   
     After leaving Zone Conference, my companion and I were so filled with the spirit, and we knew our lesson with Marco and Sarah was going to go great.  We took them over to Stefano's house (our new convert). We watched Finding Faith in Christ, and then we talked about following Christ.  The spirit was so strong, and everyone was in tears.  We then extended the baptismal invite; at first Marco was saying he didn't feel ready. Then Stefano came into play and bore a very sweet testimony and we ended up fixing a date for both Marco and Sarah for the 3^rd of April. 

(Mar 23, 2011)   
     I loved Zone Conference.  A lot of the problems that I had were covered in conference, like cleaning the apartments, placing quality Book of Mormons, and asking more inspired questions.  Also, I really like doing the Start chart.  It’s not only something to do at nights and with free time in general, but it has already been really useful in teaching.  

(Mar 21, 2011)   
     Lunedi abbiamo fatto uno scambio con i capi zona e devo dire che è servito tanto sia per me che per il mio collega.  Abbiamo potuto migliorare il teach to find e il lavoro in strada.

(Mar 21, 2011)   
     The miracle for this week was that we were able to set a strong baptismal date!   We have an investigator and her name is Harriet.  We were able to bring a member to her lesson.  It was amazing how the two created a friendship within minutes.  My testimony of teaching with members has grown so strong from this experience.  At this lesson with Harriet, we were going to invite her to be baptized.  At the lesson, the member bore her testimony about baptism while we were standing in front of the font.  It was the strongest testimony ever!  I almost cried.  It was pure, and it was simple, but it was amazing.  At that point, Harriet caught the spirit and asked: “When can I be baptized?”  It was just amazing.  This is what I learned from this experience: 
     1. Members are very important when teaching; they become a huge determining factor.
     2. Testimonies from members greatly help in the conversion process.

(Mar 21, 2011) 
     We had a really, really great district meeting that really changed my outlook on my mission and what I can give and do every day. The Capi Zona came and did training on sacrifice and the blessing we can receive from it in reaching our vision goals.  This mission has not been easy, and at times I have felt sad and useless and even a little homesick.  But the Capi Zona gave us a list of really specific things that we could sacrifice every day on our mission.  Things like going to bed exactly on time, doing area book work every day, language study, what our conversations are about, doing our Book of Mormon reading, etc.  My companion and I really took this seriously, and already in almost two weeks, I think I could say that it has changed my mission and taught me lessons for life!  I wish I had figured this out earlier!  I mean, I think in theory, I already knew what it meant, but it took this District meeting to really get me going.  I don’t think I have ever felt happier in my entire mission!  The more I give and think and pray about our work, the more enthusiasm, energy, and faith I have!  I am very grateful for our mission leaders and the inspiration they give us. 

(Mar 20, 2011) 
     So on Sunday, we were “stood up” by investigators 3/3 times, bringing the total to 10 for the week.  Rather depressed, we decided to try casa by our house.  We began knocking and people were still getting super mad.  We almost gave up; however, we decided to do this last little palazzo.  We got in and found an American who doesn’t speak Italian!  He is now a new investigator.  Persistence and never giving up pays off!  Even when it gets hard, keep going!  God will bless you. 

(Mar 20, 2011)   
     Having had 12 investigators in church has made us ponder a lot.  We saw God's hand bring all these people to church with us and this made us think about how powerful faith in Christ really is.  We have thought about just how anxious God is for His children to come to His church and if we will just invite them and open our mouths to allow the spirit to testify, miracles will happen.  This experience just gave us a glimpse of the potential we really do have as missionaries.  When we are prepared servants, God will send us to as many prepared people as possible.

(Mar 19, 2011)   
     Last Saturday, we received a referral from a member; went to her house and we met Matteo and Lilia from Peru!  They are so ready for the gospel; they asked all the right questions.  They have been searching a long time for the truth.  This Saturday, we will meet with them and invite them to be baptized!  All our hard work—all those 8 hour days of casa—is paying off with the Lord blessing us.  Yesterday, I was on a scambio.  I was a little nervous considering we both are new and don’t speak Italian very well, but we just had faith that we were going to see miracles.
     We went out and worked hard.  I always felt awkward stopping people, especially since I have trouble understanding everything they say, and now I know that that doesn’t matter!  The first guy we talked to, we placed a Book of Mormon with!  We met a lot of people.  It was one miracle after another.  We ended up with 10 contacts, placed 4 BOMs and had 3 lessons!
     We met one lady doing casa, and discovered that her husband died recently.  I didn’t understand her, but I was prompted to share Mosiah 24: 13-14.  During the reading, her countenance changed.  We got her number and a return appointment for the following week!  It was just amazing!  Every person I bore testimony to, I felt the spirit work through me more than I ever have before.  I really cared about every person I talked to and I think that is such a key factor.  I learned so much; I could not have done it on my own.  I know it was the Lord working through me, and I know it was the best experience on my mission so far.  We were so excited!  It is just indescribable.

Cos'e Stato. . .(What has been)

Transfers!

This week was a transfer week, which means it has been even busier than normal! And we are in the process of moving the mission office! There is always so much to do, and lots of commotion and excitement in the air.

We were blessed to welcome 16 new missionaries into the field. We are excited to get to know each of them better and to see each one of them grow in the gospel and as individuals.

Here come our new Italy Milano missionaries fresh out the doors from claiming their baggage!

Benvenuti Tutti!

 

Anziani Bushman, Cluff, Ellsworth, Jeter, Murray, Parrish, Portellano, Russo, Schuern, Smith, Terry, Warren, Webb, and Wilkey; Sorelle Maciel and Mondelli.

Arrivederci!

Anzioni Barthel, Bartholomew, Bevan, Brawdy, Casuto, Collins, Coombs, Cozzens, Cressman, Fairbanks, Gallacher, Hunsaker, Merrill, Millar, Motley, Perkes, Pilcher, Turner, Wells, and Wiederholt; Sorelle Jacobson and Yonnet.

But, like every transfer, when you welcome new missionaries, you also have to say goodbye to old missionaries. These missionaries have served incredibly well and we will miss all of them! We are grateful for their service, smiles, and wonderful examples. We know each of them has a bright future ahead of them.

Che Sará . . . 

March 2011

Week 1:  Leadership Training;  Verona Stake Conference

Week 2:  Zone Leader Council;  Specialized Training

Week 3:  Specialized Training;  Firenze District Conference

Week 4:  Zone Conference

February Miracles

(Feb 16, 2011)  
     We started teaching this lady who has been absorbing the lessons with passion.  She told us she would have to leave for Brazil shortly so we didn’t expect to complete all the lessons.  She just informed us she would be here longer that she thought so we excitedly made our way to where she is staying (conveniently with a member) and we taught her a great lesson about the restoration of the gospel.  As we finished and bore our testimony about the restored church she stopped us.  
     She told us how for the last couple weeks she has been reading the Book of Mormon and praying with all her heart to find out if this really was the true church and if God had truly ended her life long search (she's sixty) for the truth. She said the answer just was not coming. She even went to Bergamo and spent the day alone praying in the cathedrals and in the mountains. That weekend she got really sick and had to stay home alone from church in bed. While in bed, she had a dream where an angel came to her and gave her a brilliant book that just shined. She woke up with an amazing feeling but couldn’t explain the meaning of it. That same afternoon a member who she didn’t know felt inspired to visit her. 
     Without another word the member (who is an incredible spiritually powerful woman) bore testimony of her conversion story and challenged her to read two chapters out of the Book of Mormon which helped convert her to the gospel about ten years ago.  They were Lehi's dream and Alma 5.  As Laura read them she just cried as the Spirit confirmed to her that this was the shining book in her dream and that this was indeed the end of the search she had been on (Laura is a very integral part of the Catholic church in Brazil but had never felt at ease with many of the doctrines and practices). The miracle for me wasn't that the answer had come but just to see the light in her eyes as she told her story to us. To see the tears as she expressed her awe that God loved her enough to respond so personally, so lovingly and so directly. She will be baptized Saturday.

(Feb 15, 2011)  
     La scorsa settimana ci sono stati molti miracoli. Venerdi' siamo andati ad insegnare da una famiglia in parte membro. Il marito ed una delle bambine della famiglia sono membri mentre la moglie non lo è. Con la scusa che un'altra delle sue 2 figlie ha raggiunto l'età del battesimo ci ha chiesto di andare a fare alcune lezioni a casa sua. L'ultima lezione, quella di Venerdi', abbiamo deciso di rivolgerci completamente alla moglie e di sfidarla a prendere le lezioni con noi missionari. Durante questa sfida è successo qualcosa di strano. Ho avuto la forte sensazione di chiederle quale fosse il suo piu' grande desiderio. Essendo il marito malato di tumore lei ha chiesto la salute per la famiglia e mi sono sentito di prometterle che se lei si fosse impegnata a capire se quello in cui crede il marito è vero avrebbe ricevuto quello che avrebbe richiesto. Beh, per farla breve il marito questo lunedi' doveva iniziare una nuova terapia per combattere il tumore che per fortuna negli ultimi mesi si era un po' ridotto e non cresceva piu'. Abbiamo saputo la sera dello stesso giorno che il marito di questa famiglia non inizierà la cura perchè dalle analisi che sono state fatte sembra che il tumore sia scomparso.

(Feb 8, 2011)  
     On Saturday, February 5^th, we had a lesson with one of investigators at a less active member’s house.  Also present was an active member. It was such a powerful lesson.  The less active member who has been searching to rediscover her testimony was in tears.  The other member who had just returned from the temple expressed how she knows the church is true because of the way she feels at the temple.  She explained how the people are dressed in white to express purity.  We did not know, but this investigator had had a dream where she was told to join the church where the members dress in white.  After the member described her temple trip, the investigator expressed her dream.  She then testified how she also knows this church is true.  On Sunday, we had another powerful lesson with one of our new converts and this investigator.  The new convert explained her conversion story, and the investigator explained how she had found out that this church was true.  Most everyone in the room was in tears.  Now we moved up her baptismal date to this Sunday.

(Feb 8, 2011) 
     We just taught the Restoration to two investigators who both had copies of the Book of Mormon. Throughout the lesson, we concentrated as much as we could on the Spirit, acknowledging it often and asking lots of inspiring questions. After explaining the Restoration and bearing testimony, we asked them to describe their feelings, and the lady responded like this: “I can't even begin to describe how I feel! When you speak, the words you say are connected with an incredible power that fills my insides. It's wonderful.” The man agreed and we immediately invited them to be baptized. They almost leaped out of their chairs they were so excited, and said “YES, YES, we'll be baptized. We'll be baptized tomorrow!”  We explained that that wouldn't quite work, but then went forward and set the dates for the 19th. It was amazing. Absolutely amazing.

mormon messages - without fear

Each of our missionaries has sacrificed in order to serve a mission. We know that our missionaries are blessed for these sacrifices and their services.
One of our Italian missionaries, Anziano Boscia has a unique and wonderful story of sacrifice and blessings. This video highlights his journey to the mission-field and the sacrifices he has made.



Anziano Boscia, like all our missionaries, is a wonderful example of all the ways the Lord blesses us when we put His will before our own. We all have so much we can learn from our wonderful missionaries.
How has your life been blessed because of the sacrifices of our missionaries?

Welcome!

Welcome to the Milan Italy Mission Blog!

Our goal with this blog is to keep you updated on what is happening in the mission, introduce our newest missionaries, share great testimony strengthening stories, and keep you connected to all of us as we share the gospel throughout Northern Italy.

We hope you enjoy visiting our blog. Please feel free to check back regularly to see what we are working on!