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Roma 1 – Week 18

August 17, 2015 By Leave a Comment

Ciao!

We are alive and well and finally were able to return to working normally again. I really am excited to be back and at it. Well I will start with the big news since we received our transfer calls Saturday.

So here is what happened. Usually we get our call sometime during the study hours which are from 8:00-10:00 but this time we didn’t because we had a “deep cleaning” day in the house since it was a holiday and a ton of people leave to go on vacation the same day. So we got our call around 12:00 or so while we were cleaning. It was a super fast call because Anziano Rasband and I are both staying here in Rome 1! And the sisters are all staying here too and we will receive a new sister Thursday. Definitely crazy we are all staying here. I would never have guessed that to happen again. We are excited about the new transfer and really think we can improve on some things together and see some amazing things happen.

Last week we got back into the work and we were able to start seeing people again. A lot of our investigators have been out of town so we haven’t been able to see them for a while. We are really looking to get new investigators and keep pushing to find more, especially referrals. We saw some less actives that I always enjoy seeing and helping them with what the Lord needs us to do. I am excited to see some of the people getting back on vacation soon.

We had English Course as normal this week, which is going well, and we are seeing new faces pop up here and there, which is nice.

The weather has been nice here and I hope it will stay this way. We had a nice day today we went to St.Peter’s Basilica which was really neat and had an amazing view from the top. Before we went there we had an amazing conversation with a younger couple that is on vacation. We were just waiting for the order missionaries and the guy comes up to us and says he was trying to explain about the Mormon church to his girlfriend just earlier that day. Then he said I figured you guys could do it better. It was a really fun time and we shared the restoration with her and I really hope that they will have further exposure to the church down the road. I really really hope so because they were so nice and super awesome!

We had a good time at church yesterday and was great to see the members again. We are looking forward to this coming week and really looking to kill it! I am excited about it and just hope that we can keep pushing forward even when things always don’t work out the way that we expect.

I read in Ether 12 this past week and enjoyed reading about faith. I was feel like there is room to always look to improve our faith. I read this in True to the Faith and it can say it better than I can so I want to share this with you guys. [Read more…]

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Roma 1 – Week 17

August 10, 2015 By Leave a Comment

Ciao!

I hope everyone had an amazing week and that everyone is enjoying the end of their summers!

So I really don’t have much to report on from last week. Last p-day we saw some really neat things. We went to this place called the keyhole where they say you can technically see 3 different countries because you look in this keyhole at the Malta Embassy and then you see Vatican City and then of course Italy as well. It was pretty sweet! We then had a nice view of Rome nearby which was really cool. We then went and saw Circus Maximus which was really big but nothing too spectacular at all either. We then finished up with La Bocca Della Verita (the mouth of truth). It was pretty cool, but I don’t really know the history behind that at all. We of course finished up the day with some gelato too which always hits the spot especially when it is this hot. We finished up the proselyting day with some finding in the park. We had some good conversations but unfortunately they didn’t pan out beyond that.

Tuesday we had our district meeting and it went really well and then the Memmotts had us for lunch and that was a lot of fun. They are so nice and I really enjoy getting to know them and talk to them. They are so sweet and are truly disciples of the Lord. Tuesday evening we finished up with our English course and I really started to not feel too good that afternoon. By the time we got home I really wasn’t feeling to hot at all. So Anziano Rasband and I ended up getting food poisoning and we have had to stay home for the past 4 days. It’s definitely been hard but that’s ok I think we are finally getting through it. I feel better today and I hope that just lasts. So sorry I really didn’t have much to report on this week at all!

I really enjoyed reading 3 Nephi in the Book of Mormon when Christ makes his appearance to the Nephites. It really would have been amazing to be there and experience that. He manifested himself to the people because he loves them too and I am so thankful for the Book of Mormon and the ever flowing knowledge we can gain from it. It truly testifies of Christ and shows that Jesus is the Christ and that he lives. It stands as another witness of Him and the things that He did in the Holy Land truly occurred. I am so thankful for our Savior Jesus Christ and the infinite love that he has for every single one of us. I am thankful for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the faith I was raised in. I am no where near perfect at all, but I try to be like my Savior and I have to just keep on working to be like him everyday. I know we all can have a place for Christ in our lives and that he will become the center of our lives as we live by his teachings and live in the manner that he did.

Love you all and I hope that you all have an awesome week!

Love,

Anziano Garrett

Sorella Gates sharing with some tourists

Sorella Gates sharing with some tourists

View of our area in Rome

View of our area in Rome

Roma 1 District selfie, plus Sorella Nagliati and Sorella Gates from Roma 5

Roma 1 District selfie, plus Sorella Nagliati and Sorella Gates from Roma 5

Roma 1 District selfie, plus Sorella Nagliati and Sorella Gates from Roma 5

Roma 1 District selfie, plus Sorella Nagliati and Sorella Gates from Roma 5

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Roma 1 – Week 16

August 3, 2015 By Leave a Comment

Buongiorno!!

I hope everyone had a really awesome week and that everyone is doing well! I hope that I can get this email in and it all make sense to everyone.

I forgot to mention that we got “Hey Elder!”ed (When someone sees us and yells for us or runs into us and we get to have a nice conversation) the other week and I am not sure if the family were members or not. They were from Charleston, South Carolina, but were just at Mattoon not too long ago for a funeral so they knew Charleston. I thought that was pretty cool. They were talking up Monicals pretty big.

Last P-day we had lunch with a member and it was really good. It was chicken, rice, and noodles. It was really good and a good time with the district and the members. After that we went and visited this church near the Baberini Metro station which would be close to Fontana di Trevi and this church is nicknamed The Church of Bones [It is actually called the Capuchin Crypt]. It was really interesting. I wasn’t allowed to take pictures so I didn’t get any at all. But it was a church that sometime in the 18th century, if I am not mistaken, they started to make art with bones. It was quite interesting and it was really weird all the same haha.

After that we had a family home evening in the park where we invited members, investigators, and English course students. I thought we were going to have a good turn out but only 2 members and an English course student came. I was glad that they showed up though. We had a good time, but we tried to get this English course student as an investigator and it didn’t work out like we had hoped. I was really hoping it would because he is super cool, nice, and funny. He really likes music too so I always love talking music with him. Maybe it just isn’t his time and we will have another chance in the future. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Food, Roma 1, Tourist Sites, Transfers Tagged With: ,

Roma 1 – Week 15

July 27, 2015 By Leave a Comment

Ciao Tutti!

This past week has been super exciting and it has been a really awesome week. We had a chance to see a lot of new people is week and we had another chance to meet with our new investigator from last week. We played zone soccer last week but I didn’t get any pictures from it. It was so hot though. It was really hot and I never thought I would miss swimming all that much while on my mission, but that sure sounded super nice right then. And it so happened we were on the field right next to the swimming pool… It was a fun time though! We had a scambio that night so I got to have two less active lessons with Anziano Calvagna and it was a good time to be with him. It is truly amazing how wonderful it is following the spirit when preparing lessons and really considering what that person needs and what Heavenly Father needs them to hear. I saw that evening that when we act on the promptings to prepare for them and be bold when sharing lessons it can really have a positive effect in their lives knowing that message was personalized through the spirit for them. The promptings of the spirit can be so subtle and we just have to do what we can to learn how they come for us individually and act upon them.

So this week I really saw how success is truly a gift from God and that everything is in accordance with his timing. We had a lot of really good lessons this week and they were with people that I am so excited to keep meeting with. They seem so ready for the gospel and I just really want to share this gospel with them because I know that it can bring so many blessings to anyone’s life as they choose to obey and follow the commandments. I think of a talk that I read this past week that explains why we as Latter-day Saints are sometimes so eager to share this message with others. It’s a talk from General Conference of October 2014 by Elder David A. Bednar entitled “Come and See.” I love the story that he tells in there about his two sons. I always thought that story was super funny and really does give a wonderful analogy of why we want to share this gospel with others. This is a quote from the talk, but I would really encourage you guys to read it.

“The invitations we extend to you to learn about and test our message grow out of the positive effects the gospel of Jesus Christ has had in our lives. Sometimes we may be awkward or abrupt or even relentless in our attempts. Our simple desire is to share with you the truths that are of greatest worth to us.”

It is true that when we share this gospel it does stem out of genuine love that we have for others. It truly is something that we to help people see and have the same blessings that we have received. I know that these things can truly bring so much happiness into everyone’s lives.

We saw a lot of amazing people this week and I look forward to being able to continue to meet with the them. They are all super nice and seem so fit for this gospel. I just hope that they will commit to the things we ask them to do so they may know for themselves that these things are true. In my study this week I am still in Alma and I actually wanted to share something that I thought about regarding Captain Moroni again. This is in Alma 50. [Read more…]

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Roma 1 – Week 14

July 20, 2015 By Leave a Comment

Ciao tutti!

So this week was a little weird, or it seemed like it was to me. We had a really great week though. We are still trying to find some new investigators. It’s looking up and I am really excited about this coming week. We have a lot of good plans and it should be an awesome week. Last Wednesday we had a zone blitz the night before Zone Conference and we had the zone do English Course finding so we can see an influx in our course and get some new students. It was a good use of a blitz and we had the missionaries at the Metro stops in our area.

We also had Zone Conference last week and that was really good to hear some things that we can apply to our work to improve as missionaries and I am really excited to try some of the new stuff out. It was really nice and a good spiritual conference. We had some plans this weeks and they fell through, but we are just going to keep on going.

We had an amazing lesson with a new investigator last week, and he is really awesome. I am super excited to continue to work with him. He said something that really struck me. He said he prays everyday and he believes that God listens and he said, “I pray for my brother, my mother, and my family. Then I pray for what I need.” It struck me that he was so selfless to put others in his thoughts before he put himself and I thought that was really cool. So this week in my study I am in the Alma chapters and I had read in Alma 46 about the title of liberty and it really stuck out to me. These are Alma 46:12-14

 12 And it came to pass that he rent his coat; and he took a piece thereof, and wrote upon it–In memory of our God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our children–and he fastened it upon the end of a pole.

13 And he fastened on his head-plate, and his breastplate, and his shields, and girded on his armor about his loins; and he took the pole, which had on the end thereof his rent coat, (and he called it the title of liberty) and he bowed himself to the earth, and he prayed mightily unto his God for the blessings of liberty to rest upon his brethren, so long as there should a band of Christians remain to possess the land–

 14 For thus were all the true believers of Christ, who belonged to the church of God, called by those who did not belong to the church.

 It really impresses me how they stood fast for what they believe and know to be true. They didn’t shy away from it at all and they professed what they believe and were willing to lay their lives for it. They then took that title and hoisted it all over the land. [Read more…]

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Roma 1 – Week 13

July 13, 2015 By Leave a Comment

Buongiorno!

I hope that everyone has had a great week. This week for me was a little nuts. We were all over the place and it just all seemed like a lot of traveling and stuff.

So Monday night we went and picked up Anziano Calvagna and we were planning on going to Terni that night but we had to wait for the train so we went and grabbed some dinner while we were waiting. We went and ate at Asian Delight again which was so good. That place is really awesome. Well we were sitting there and felt like we should call the sisters because we knew that one of them could probably use a blessing because she had something happen earlier that day. So we went and did that and then got a call and we totally forgot that we had an appointment set that night but we got all thrown around with having to go to Terni for a couple of days. So we stayed in Rome 1 and then rescheduled that appointment with that sister for the next day and had a good service opportunity there as well. We then went to Terni after that and we got there to have enough time to get to an appointment. The lesson went really well and we taught about the Plan of Salvation and she was really struck by some things that she hadn’t heard before such as Spirit Prison and Spirit Paradise and the three different Kingdoms of Glory. Instead of just heaven and hell. It was really nice and the member was really good as well. We then had a good English course and we watched Legacy the movie about Joseph Smith. One guy seemed really interested about it so that was sweet!

After English course we had another lesson that went really well. This investigator really accepts things easily and she seemed super cool.

We taught on the word of wisdom there. It was a really good lesson. To finish off the night we went and picked up some pizzas from this place that cooks Napoli pizzas and the guy was from Napoli. That was the best pizza I have had while I have been here hands down. It was so good. Well the next day our appointments fell through so we headed back to Rome 1 with all three of us in the afternoon, and had a lesson with a less active and a new investigator. It went well but it will just be a slow process for sure. The next day were transfer days so we went and dropped off Anziano Calvagna in Termini where all the transfers basically go down and helped a little with the bags as well. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Food, Italy, Missionary Work, Roma 1, Transfers Tagged With: , ,

Roma 1 – Week 12

July 6, 2015 By Leave a Comment

Ciao tutti!

I hope everyone had a great week! It’s been nice and really hot here.  I really wouldn’t mind the heat too much if I could wear shorts and didn’t have a collar choking me, but I can’t lie it is pretty hot here.  It’s nice though!

Ok first things first.  TRANSFER CALL.  So we had transfer calls last Saturday on the 4th of July and we got our call at the beginning of companionship study.  So the big news is I am…. Staying!  I am staying in Rome 1 with Anziano Rasband and surprisingly Sorelle Nagliati, Cano, Kennedy, and Harmon are all staying too!  We are the only district in the entire mission that doesn’t have a single change!  I thought that was pretty sweet.  The Sorelle here in Rome 1 are really hard workers.  They get work done that is for sure.  They have awesome work going on right now and have some really cool investigators.  So yeah we will all be here for another whole transfer.

I am looking forward to this next transfer and I really want to keep working hard to do all I can do to help those the Lord has prepared.  This work can’t be done alone.  We have so much help and I am constantly seeing miracles and blessings that are always coming our way.  We see miracles that are made up of mini miracles and it just leads to things that are so rewarding and so cool to witness and experience.  I know that when we do all we can to live righteous lives and do all we can to follow Christ and obey God’s commandments He will bless us.  No sacrifice goes unnoticed.  He works on His own timetable and in His own way, but He will always follow through.  He blesses us with way more than we even put in sometimes.  I know that this is true for all of us.

We are still working to try to find some new investigators and we are really working to press forward and continue to find people to teach.  We only got to meet with a couple of people this week.  We are hoping to meet with some new people we have found and talked to earlier this week.  I am really excited to talk to some of them.  I have a super good feeling about some of these new people. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Conferences, Roma 1, Transfers Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Roma 1 – Week 11

June 29, 2015 By Leave a Comment

Ciao!

Not a ton has happened this week.  We are really looking to try and find new people to teach.  We really want to work hard to find the people that are ready to receive our message.  So we did a lot of finding this week and we had some good conversations and we hope that some of them really turn out for the best.  We are really working hard to do all we can and we are going to continue to push ourselves a little further too.  I know we can’t do it alone though.  We will have help all along the way and we will be able to do what the Lord would have us do.  The Lord really blesses us as we extend forth all the effort we can to reach something. He will never leave us and neither will Christ.

Christ knows exactly how we feel at all moments of our life and they both know us personally. Even better than we know ourselves. They will always help all of us in the righteous things that we do in our lives.

Today for pday we got to play some soccer with some of the Anziani that are in Rome.  It was a lot of fun and I always love getting to meet and talk to all the other missionaries and getting to know who they are.

Something I enjoyed reading this week was from Alma 5. I love verse 12.

12 And according to his faith there was a mighty change wrought in his heart. Behold I say unto you that this is all true.

We can all have this mighty change of heart in our lives at some point whether it be with something in particular and different for all of us.  When we have faith this mighty change can and will come.

I also really liked the first presidency message this month talking about the pioneers.  I like the attributes that were shared that we can work on to have just as the pioneers did.  I love the stories of the pioneers and always like hearing them.  They really did so much that we can be thankful for today.  I thought it was interesting to read in the Ensign that the unity of the saints when crossing the plains was unlike any other companies.  They would help everyone and would put others before themselves.  They are truly inspiring and I love what Elder Uchtdorf said, “Our praise for the pioneers is empty if it does not cause inner reflection on our part.  I mention a few of their attributes that inspire me as I contemplate their sacrifice and commitment.”  I know as we think about them and their stories and sacrifices we can become pioneers of today.

We look forward to having a good week though!  We are really going to work hard and do all we can to help everyone we can.  I hope that all of you have a great week and are enjoying your summer!  Have an awesome 4th of July!  Love you all and miss you!

Love,

Anziano Garrett

Rome Soccer, June 2015. Includes players serving in Rome from both zones. (from Anziano Blazzard's blog)

Rome Soccer, June 2015. Includes players serving in Rome from both zones. (from Anziano Blazzard’s blog)

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Roma 1 – Week 10

June 22, 2015 By Leave a Comment

Ciao tutti!

This week went well!  I forgot to mention for last p-day we went to the Colosseum and it was really awesome!  I have always wanted to go inside so that was super cool to be able to do that.  If I do it again I would love to have more time to read and learn more about it.  We had a good time there, but didn’t have time to go to the Roman Forum afterwards, unfortunately.

Today was really awesome too because we just got back to the church from the Vatican and there is so much to see there and to learn about.  I got a lot of good pictures I will be able to send later.  It was really neat though.  Tons of really cool art, and I especially liked the rooms done by Raphael and in Michelangelo in St.Peters Cathedral.  It was super awesome.

So my grandpa had a few questions and I will answer some of them on here so others can no know.

So for food we usually eat at home everyday.  We will eat out occasionally, and then we also will get invited over sometimes for meals.  We usually make just simple things like pasta, meat, and what not.  We will get fruit from fruit stands that I still haven’t got a ton of luck with on the fruit I pick.  We will make pizza sometimes as well for dinner to make when we get home.  When we go out to eat it will be pizza and other things here and there.  There is this french fry place that started in Amsterdam, I think, and it is super good and cheap as well.  The food the members make is super delicious.  We had lunch yesterday with a member family and it was super good.  We had a little sandwich platter, then some fish and rice dish, then Sicilian pasta, sword fish, watermelon, pineapple, gelato, and flan with some fruit.  Needless to say it was a good meal.  The members are super awesome here and I am really getting to love them more and more every week.

Anziano Rasband and I have started to run.  He ran track and cross in high school so that’s what we do in the mornings.  We usually go just 4 but today only 3.  It’s been nice.

Well back to last week.  After the p-day was over we went on a scambio (companion exchange) with our zone leaders.  So Anziano Calvagna and I were together again for that night and the next day.  It was super fun to be back together again.  We had 3 appointments that day and so we were busy after our District Meeting and pranzo [lunch time] hours.  It was a great scambio. [Read more…]

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Roma 1 – Week 9

June 15, 2015 By Leave a Comment

Buongiorno!

Hope everyone is having a good week!  Definitely pumped to hear the Blackhawks are doing well.  One more game and we got it.  Sorry, but I had to start with that.

This week has been a little slow with the work, but it is all looking good and we are really working hard.  We are trying our best to work with the members to find referrals and people to teach.  We were really having trouble having investigators keep commitments and it is a little hard knowing that this can bless their lives more than they may realize or know.  It is hard, too, when you see someone and get to know them, but sometimes not seeing them for a little can help change their desires and help them to get working.

We really didn’t get to see too many people this week.  One of our investigators got a baptismal date for next month so we were really excited about that.  At district meeting Anziano Rasband shared on the power of prayer and we all picked about 3 investigators to pray specifically for as a district each morning and night.  It is really awesome seeing the miracles that come through prayer and how the Lord will bless us if we ask and continue to press forward in faith.  He is willing to grant us blessings all upon us asking. I love these two verses. From Matthew 7:

7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:

8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

It doesn’t rule out the fact that we also have to seek, and that sometimes seeking takes longer than we may want or think that it will.  But as we work diligently we will be able to find those things that we are looking for. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Assignments, Italy, Roma 1, Tourist Sites Tagged With: , , , , ,
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