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Catania – Week 3
Transfer 11, Mission Week 68

June 20, 2016 By Leave a Comment

Ciao tutti!

I hope that everyone has had a great week! This week has gone by pretty fast for us and we are really trying are best to find as much new work as we possibly can. We did a lot of finding this week and were able to have a good amount of lessons with people on benches and in the parks.

I am thankful for the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the opportunity that we have to bring this beautiful news to the world. It truly is an amazing and unique thing that we are offering people to come and find out if it is true. We are really trying to work at finding the elect of God here and find those that are truly ready to receive us and will listen with the intent to know and find the truth that we bring forth.

So we recovered well from last Sunday’s nice run and then the next day at zone soccer my callus decided to rip off on one foot and then a nice big blister formed on the other. It wasn’t too bad at all thank goodness though. It was a good time being with the zone and then doing a blitz with park finding and an English group Geso afterwards. It was a lot of fun and we are really hoping to see more people come to English group these next couple of weeks. So then we had to have 17 Anziani stay at the house the night before our specialized training.

It was a packed house for sure and I am thankful that we had enough mattresses for everyone. It was packed hahaha. The specialized training went really well though! It was really bittersweet though because that was the last time that we were able to see Presdient and Sorella Waddoups here in Italy. It was a really special and good conference and I am so thankful for the opportunity that I had to get to know them and love them over this past year. I am so thankful for all the work that they did here for the people of Italy and also for us. It is really awesome to see all of the miracles they have witnessed and  the love they show everyone and especially all the missionaries.

I saw two really big miracles this week that were really awesome. The first was when I was on scambio with Anziano Goode and we did some park finding and we saw these two ragazzi [boys] sitting on this bench and they were smoking and we didn’t really know how it was going to go. We were able to share the whole restoration with them and they were really pumped to learn and know more. We set a return appointment for two days later. I was a little nervous because they weren’t there on time and I called three times and they said they were coming. They finally showed up an hour late and it was cool to hear that they took that much time to come to the park to learn more. We started off the lesson with a prayer and one of them offered it and it was almost just right. It was super special and very heartfelt. They are cousins and one of them commented on how that was better than the one they offered the other night. That was super cool  and the lesson on the plan of salvation went really well  and they are excited to read the Book of Mormon. The other miracle that I saw was on the way to the church. I started talking to this guy and he opened up with me. We ended up sharing a video and testified of the love of the Savior and how he is always here for us. I am thankful for that knowledge. He then said that he wanted to try to make it out to church. Saw him again a couple days later and he said that he would see us Sunday when he came. Well Sunday morning I was really expecting him and he didn’t show up until like 40 minutes into sacrament meeting he came! It was super cool  and I really hope that he will be open to start meeting with us and coming to church more.

Yesterday was Father’s Day and I am so thankful for fathers everywhere. The divine role of fathers is so important and it is a calling that we are never released from. Lately I have been able to see how the characteristics of our parents here on the earth correlate with the feelings that our heavenly parents have for us. I am thankful for the undying love that they have for us and always trying to provide what is best for each of us. I am thankful for my dad and his example for me that has truly changed my life, his love, support, kindness, humor, unselfishness, charity, and so many other qualities and attributes that I have been able to learn from him. He has truly done so much for me and I am thankful that we have a day to recognize all that they do for us as well. Elder D. Todd Christofferson talked about Fathers this past General Conference. I love this quote.

Perhaps the most essential of a father’s work is to turn the hearts of his children to their Heavenly Father. If by his example as well as his words a father can demonstrate what fidelity to God looks like in day-to-day living, that father will have given his children the key to peace in this life and eternal life in the world to come. A father who reads scripture to and with his children acquaints them with the voice of the Lord.

My dad has truly done that for me and aided me in finding my love and testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I will never forget the example that he has set and continues to set for me and for others.

Examples are powerful. I know that we can teach the gospel at all times and then when necessary use words. I am so very grateful for that. I love my dad so much and am thankful that Heavenly Father has blessed me with such amazing parents. My mom and dad truly rock. Well I hope that you all had a wonderful Father’s Day. I would invite you to check out that talk as well as this awesome video.

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2016/04/fathers?cid=HP_TU_7-6-2016_dPFD_fGC_xLIDyL1-A_&lang=eng

https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2013-01-002-earthly-father-heavenly-father?lang=eng

Love you all and talk to you next week!

Vi voglio bene!

Anziano Garrett

[Here are some pictures from the Catania Zone specialized training, posted by Sister Waddoups]

Catania Zone, June, 2016

Catania Zone, June, 2016

Catania Specialized Training, June, 2016

Catania Specialized Training, June, 2016

Catania Specialized Training, June, 2016

Catania Specialized Training, June, 2016

Catania Specialized Training, June, 2016

Catania Specialized Training, June, 2016

Catania Specialized Training, June, 2016

Catania Specialized Training, June, 2016

Catania Specialized Training, June, 2016

Catania Specialized Training, June, 2016

Pres. and Sister Waddoups, last meeting with them.

Pres. and Sister Waddoups, last meeting with them.

Our goodbye note to the Waddoups, who leave for home on June 29th.

Our goodbye note to the Waddoups, who leave for home on June 29th.

Filed Under: Assignments, Catania, Conferences, Missionary Work Tagged With:

Catania – Week 1
Transfer 11, Mission Week 66

June 6, 2016 By Leave a Comment

Ciao Tutti!!

So this week went by super fast! We had a nice busy week, full of fun things going on over here! Monday, Tuesday, and Wedneday I was able to have a lot of lessons with people while saying goodbye to less actives, investigators, and members. It went really well and we were able to have a lot of spiritual lessons with people. I was pretty shocked for sure about recieving my transfer call so I had to say bye to a lot of people really fast. It was really nice though and I am thankful for the things that I learned in Cosenza and for what the experiences that I learned there really helped me to gain things that I needed and helped me grow more into who I need to continue to work on becoming.

I definitely made a lot of amazing friends over there in Cosenza.

So Thursday was the day of transfers and it was a pretty hectic day.  We got down to the station and everything with the help of some ward members that gave us a ride to the train station so that we didn’t have to walk. It was really nice and super awesome of them to do that.

We had to wait in the train station at Paola for a little bit and then my train came. So I knew that my greenie was going to be on the train and I happened to get a picture from my Grandpa [from Sister Waddoups’ blog] of the two new missionaries that had just come in. So I thought they knew I was going to be joining them on the train there. I get on to a cart, but I was supposed to be on cart number 5. Thinking that logically it would make sense that the first one started at the front, I made my way backwards on the train trying to get to number 5. I have three giant overweight bags with me as well. I remember that Presdient Waddoups asked me on my first transfer day if I have ever heard about preaching without purse and script but it seems that lesson has still not settled in for me quite yet. I made my way all the way to where I think 5 should be and I am squeezing past people. Well there comes a point when I can’t go any further and I run into a group of people that tell me I am now at number 2 and happened to actually get on the right one the first time.  But I hadn’t seen any missionaries there at all. So at the next stop I get off the train and race back up the platform with the help of the Crotone missionaries and the senior couple and manage to get on the train just fine, but still haven’t found anyone. I left my bags with a nice lady in my assigned box on the train and ventured off in search of my greenie. Finally managed to find 2 missionaries on the front of the train that were headed to Palermo, but that meant that the front part of that train would split off once we got down to Messina. So then I finally got the information (after a ton of time) that they were sitting in first class which happend to be the very last cart of the train. So needless to say I was finally able to find them and meet my companion who is Anziano Albello.

Anziano Albello is from the Philippines and is a super awesome guy!  He is a little quiet, but he is super cool!! He really has so many amazing Christlike qualities that I have been able to learn so much from all ready! I don’t know why he went to the MTC in Provo, because he lived in Milan for 6 years and then moved back to the Philippines 2 years ago. When he first started talking Italian to me I was super impressed and he told me that he had studied for a year. I didn’t find out until we got to Catania (from someone else) that he lived in Italy for 6 years. He is using grammar that I haven’t even been able to scratch the surface of hahaha. That helps out a ton when it comes to missionary work! He is going to do amazing things here with all the skills that he has. I am excited to be with him and get to know him better! He is from a family of 4 and likes movies, music, to travel, and guitar as well! He is going to be an awesome missionary and we have already been able to see some really cool miracles together! [Read more…]

Filed Under: Assignments, Catania, Companions, Culture, Italy, Missionary Work, Transfers Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Transfer Day

June 2, 2016 By Leave a Comment

Going from Cosenza to Catania!  When Taylor gets on the train in Cosenza, he will meet his new companion (who will have traveled from Rome) and they will travel together to be “blown in” to their area in Catania.  Being “blown in” is missionary-speak for a situation where both companions are new to the area.  Catania is an old city, founded by the Greeks as a colony around 720 BC, and is the 10th largest metropolitan area in Italy, so it should certainly be another Sicilian adventure.  Before the consolidation of the Italian missions in 2010, Catania was the headquarters of the Italy Catania Mission.

Catania Skyline with Mt. Etna (active volcano) in the background

Catania Skyline with Mt. Etna (active volcano) in the background

Only two new missionaries, Anziano Haws and Anziano Albello, arrived from the Provo MTC on May 31st. One of these Anziani will be Taylor's new companion.

Only two new missionaries, Anziano Haws and Anziano Albello, arrived from the Provo MTC on May 31st. One of these Anziani will be Taylor’s new companion.

Filed Under: Assignments, Catania, Transfers

Cosenza – Week 11
Transfer 10, Mission Week 65

May 30, 2016 By Leave a Comment

Ciao tutti!

I hope that everyone had a great week and that everything is going well wherever you find yourselves! This week went really well and flew by too! Monday we were able to have a couple of lessons with people and one which was just spontaneous, but ended up being really cool. It is super neat to see how when we have these unexpected opportunities the spirit really guides us to know what we need to share and it’s been really cool to see that this past week. The lesson with our one really sick [awesome] investigator went really well and it is awesome to see that he doesn’t try to find criticism whatsoever in the messages any more, but he just adds things that go right along with the message. It is super cool to see his progress even if it is slow sometimes. I will definitely miss him a ton.

Tuesday we were able to have DDM [district meeting] in the morning, which ended at 11:45 and we had to catch a bus at 11:50. We made it to the bus station and bought our tickets, but we ended up missing the bus. We asked one of the workers for the bus line where the next closest stop was so we could go and catch it. He said there wasn’t one and so we took off running after the bus and we ended up making it! Then 2 minutes later there was a stop that we could have easily made it too hahaha. We had a good visit with a less active person and were able to share a talk with him by President Uchtdorf entitled, “You Matter to Him.” It was a great visit and he is such a funny guy. He is really lonely so he really loves the comapany that we give him as well when we are over there. One of the few people that I have met here that really understands sarcasm hahaha. We then almost missed the bus that was supposed to head back into town as well, thank goodness we were blessed with another miracle. We had English groups that night and then we had a meal appointment with a member where we were also able to bring our sick investigator to. He is so cool and is awesome to see how integrated he already is into the ward and how polite and kind he is. He is so cool. We were able to have a good dinner with a good spiritual thought as well.

Wednesday we got on the train and headed down to Messina and then to Mistretta. Before we got on the train we did notice a sign that said something about a strike so we were a little worried, but it said our train was coming and we ended up being fine. We got down to the right station and then we were able to catch a ferry over to Messina. Once we got there we walked to the train station and then we were trying to find out where our train would be and this guy comes around the corner and starts speaking perfect English with an accent to us. Of course we were at the train stations so someone came up asking information about trains since they think we look like workers hahaha. It is good for service!! He explained how the train may get cancelled because of the strike so we needed to ask about what was going on. Well he commented on us in what rubbed us the wrong way and walked off. We went over near him and he started talking again and then we were able to get a good conversation going. He is half Italian and French, teaches at a university in the DC area, has 4 doctorate degrees, studied at Yale, speaks 4 fluent languages and has studied some others, and was just such a smart guy!! It ended up being a super cool miracle though since we were able to talk to him the whole ride down. We were able to have some really good things in there and he accepted the mini Book of Mormon that I had. We wrote our testimonies in it and gave it to him. It was super cool to see that we were supposed to go down there for even just a miracle like that. We were able to have some really good appointments up in Mistretta as well. It was really cool to see some of the work and the people that Anzinao Nessen had worked with and the love that you can see and feel between all of them. There was a family in particular that was super fun to meet, and it was so great to really see the love they have for the missionaries and the great faith that they all have. It felt super good to be in Sicilia again and was a lot of fun/productive trip! [Read more…]

Filed Under: Assignments, Cosenza, Food, Italy, Missionary Work, Places, Sicily, Transfers Tagged With: , , ,

Cosenza – Week 10
Transfer 10, Mission Week 64

May 23, 2016 By Leave a Comment

Ciao tutti!

I hope that everyone is doing well! Sorry I am running short on time once again! Had a lot of people to shoot emails to this week!

This week went well and we were able to have a few lessons. We weren’t able to have all that we were planning on having with our investigators, but the ones that we did have went really well. We had such a fun lesson last Monday where one of our investigators brought a friend to the lesson and we did the restoration which went so well!!

It was cool to see Anziano Nessen and I just click together. It was a lot of fun to teach and we really hope that we will continue to help these two kids recognize the answer they will receive. They are super cool! We didn’t have a chance to do a lesson with our progressing investigator, but we had almost constant daily contact which was super cool that we were able to keep an eye on him and just keep him going.

When he called on Saturday he said to us see you tomorrow morning.  That was super cool!

We had a good scambio in Crotone this past week and I was able to work with Anzinao Martinez, which went super well! I was able to learn a lot from the amount of faith that he has and how that helps him in all the different parts of the work and his life. He is a convert from Uruguay and he is really cool. He is really funny too and it is so cool to just watch someone get so much awesome work done and then just at the same time be his fun self and joke around with everybody. He is a really excellent missionary and it was a pleasure to work with him.

Anziano Nessen was “born” [started his mission] in Crotone so we went and visited this family that he worked with when he was down there about a year ago and they let us in. We stopped the scambio temporarily since they had correlation meeting in the church. It was super fun to have a lesson with this family regarding the family and the powerful doctrine of eternal families. The spirit was so strong as we bore testimony and taught about the importance of family. I know that families can be together forever and it just doesn’t make sense to work all our lives on these relationships and building these beautiful families for it all to end when we die. I know that it is once of the most beautiful and pure doctrines that was resorted through the Prophet Joseph Smith.

I know too that is something that has to be done in order and that we can’t just expect it. It needs to be done as an ordinance with Priesthood power that has been restored on the earth again thanks to Heavenly messengers. I am so thankful for that. To know I will be able to live with my family forever as I work towards completing those necessary ordinances done in the temples of our God with that proper authority.

This week it was really good to see some really cool miracles and we really hope to see a lot this week as well. We have a few days to work hard here in Cosenza then we have to go to Mistretta in Sicilia to pick up the permesso for Anziano Nessen. We look forward to working hard and seeing all that we can get done. Hope you all have a lovely week and I love you all!

Love,

Anziano Garrett

[This is the trip to Mistretta from Cosenza to get Anziano Nessen’s permesso]

Filed Under: Assignments, Cosenza, Exchanges, Missionary Work Tagged With: , ,

Cosenza – Week 9
Transfer 10, Mission Week 63

May 16, 2016 By Leave a Comment

Ciao Tutti!

This week went by super fast and it was super good as well! We had a nice scambio on Tuesday with Anziano Pingree and Anziano Pineau. It was a lot of fun and I was able to learn  a lot form Anziano Pingree in a lot of different areas of life and missionary work. It was super cool and a really great time well spent together. We had a miracle lesson where the guy was called through a past contact sheet and he said he would be down to meet. We tried to meet in a pizazz with his girlfriend but the dog was going to crazy so we went to a different one and he still went crazy! So we had to give the lesson standing up on a side street on the corner. Not the most ideal place for a lesson but it went really well and they really understood and wanted to learn more and know if it is true. He even offered the prayer at the end and then his girlfriend told him how he needed to fold his arms and close his eyes next time hahaha. It was awesome.

We had a really nice zone conference on Tuesday and we were able to hear from the Assistants, President, and Sorella Waddoups. It went super well and it was a Restoration themed training with a big focus on planning. There was really a special spirit there and we were able to really feel the spirit strong as testimonies were born and the spirit witnessed of the truthfulness of those testimonies. We look forward to taking those lessons away and rolling with them as we implement them in our work.

We saw a a lot of cool miracles this week and one was with our investigator that hasn’t been making much progress. We went into the lesson knowing we may have to drop him. The lesson went super well and he agreed to read for 10 minutes a day and come to church every day for the next 3 months. Was super sick!

I am out of town.  Love you all and will talk to you next week!

Anziano Garrett

 

Taranto Zone Conference, May, 2016

Taranto Zone Conference, May, 2016

Taranto Zone Conference, May, 2016

Taranto Zone Conference, May, 2016

Taranto Zone Conference, May, 2016

Taranto Zone Conference, May, 2016

Taranto Zone Conference, May, 2016

Taranto Zone Conference, May, 2016

Taranto Zone Conference, May, 2016

Taranto Zone Conference, May, 2016

Taranto Zone Conference, May, 2016

Taranto Zone Conference, May, 2016

Taranto Zone Conference, May, 2016

Taranto Zone Conference, May, 2016

Taranto Zone Conference, May, 2016

Taranto Zone Conference, May, 2016

Taranto Zone Conference, May, 2016

Taranto Zone Conference, May, 2016

Filed Under: Assignments, Conferences, Cosenza, Exchanges, Missionary Work Tagged With: , ,

Cosenza – Week 8
Transfer 10, Mission Week 62

May 9, 2016 By Leave a Comment

Ciao tutti!

I hope that everyone had a great day and as well as a great Mother’s Day yesterday! Hope you are well! This week went well for us even though some things didn’t go as planned. We were able to see our investigators and it went really well with the lessons that we had with them. We are still looking to help them keep their commitments and realize that is the key for knowing for themselves whether the things that we are telling them are true or not.

This was our first full week together and it was a lot of fun.  Anziano Nessen is super funny and I am really enjoying working hard with him each day and we are excited to see what we will be able to do together this transfer. We have some great work going on right now and we just want to keep finding more and more and rely on the Lord to help us in all that we are here to do. We had some good lessons this week and I am just so thankful for the Book of Mormon in my life and how it really testifies of so many things. I am thankful for those in ancient times for keeping records and then for Mormon to bring to pass a work that was truly amazing and compile all the needed records to make the Book of Mormon. I am thankful for this scripture when Lehi teaches his son, Joseph, about Joseph of Egypt who prophesied of Joseph Smith and the coming forth of the Book of Mormon. This scripture lays down one of the missions of this wonderful book.

12 Wherefore, the fruit of thy loins shall write; and the fruit of the loins of Judah shall write; and that which shall be written by the fruit of thy loins, and also that which shall be written by the fruit of the loins of Judah, shall grow together, unto the confounding of false doctrines and laying down of contentions, and establishing peace among the fruit of thy loins, and bringing them to the knowledge of their fathers in the latter days, and also to the knowledge of my covenants, saith the Lord.

I like how it states that it will confound false doctrine. Then if we go to another scripture in the Book of Mormon where Moroni explains that it is written to help us believe the things in the Bible.

8 Therefore repent, and be baptized in the name of Jesus, and lay hold upon the gospel of Christ, which shall be set before you, not only in this record but also in the record which shall come unto the Gentiles from the Jews, which record shall come from the Gentiles unto you.

9 For behold, this is written for the intent that ye may believe that; and if ye believe that ye will believe this also; and if ye believe this ye will know concerning your fathers, and also the marvelous works which were wrought by the power of God among them.

10 And ye will also know that ye are a remnant of the seed of Jacob; therefore ye are numbered among the people of the first covenant; and if it so be that ye believe in Christ, and are baptized, first with water, then with fire and with the Holy Ghost, following the example of our Savior, according to that which he hath commanded us, it shall be well with you in the day of judgment. Amen.

It does such an amazing job of showing us that the Book of Mormon is there to support the Bible. I know that is true and the more I study the more I can see this is so true. It will confound false doctrine and helps give us a single interpretation of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Those that truly want to learn more of Christ simply have to pick up the Book of Mormon and read it. That is how you will know that anything the missionaries say is true. We never ask anyone to believe our words and just follow us blindly in what we practice in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We ask that they read and ask God for themselves to receive a testimony of truth and light. The Book of Mormon truly blesses our lives more than we can imagine.

We are working with some really cool people and they want to know if these things are true and we are enjoying being able to meet with them. We know that the Lord continues to prepare people to receive the restored gospel of Jesus Christ and we just want to continue to work to find those that are ready to accept our message.

The weather has been cold and rainy a lot of the days with the occasional really nice and beautiful day sprinkled in. I hope that will start to become the norm soon. This week we have zone conference so we will be leaving to go to Taranto tomorrow morning after studies and doing a scambio with them there before Wednesday and then continue that afterwards and finish up Wednesday after conference with a zone blitz. Should be a lot of fun and we look forward to helping all the missionaries in Taranto.

So I was able to talk to my family for the third time on my mission and it went really well! We had a good time talking to each other and catching up on just little things, but overall it just felt that I got to hang out with my family for a while. It was super funny and just time well spent together. Definitely miss them and so many others, but I am very happy to be here and doing this work. Can’t believe how fast the time has gone by here and how many amazing experiences that I have been blessed to be a part of. I know that this work is true and it is so worth being away from home for a short 2 years to help those over here in Italy receive blessings beyond imagination through Christ’s restored gospel. It is truly amazing.

Yesterday we had a special day for all moms everywhere and I am so thankful for my mom and all that she has done for me. As well as my grandmas and the love they show their kids as well as us grandkids. I am extremely thankful for them and all the love that they give us all that is truly undying and always there. Moms go through so much with us and are there every moment helping us along the way. I love this video that was made for Mother’s Day, but I would like to still invite you all to check it out. It is really special to think of the divine roll that mothers have! It was so nice to talk to my mom yesterday and I would encourage you all to get to know your moms and continue to grow that special relationship always.

https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2014-00-1440-it-was-mom-a-mothers-day-tribute-to-moms?category=topics/mothers&lang=eng&cid=HP_FR_6-5-2016_dMIS_fMLIB_xLIDyL1-A_

I hope that you all have a great week and thanks for all the support help and love that you send this way! I love you all and will talk to you guys soon!

Love,

Anziano Garrett

Filed Under: Assignments, Conferences, Cosenza, Exchanges, Holidays Tagged With: ,

Cosenza – Week 7
Transfer 10, Mission Week 61

May 2, 2016 By Leave a Comment

Ciao Tutti!

This week went by super fast and I can’t believe it is already Monday again! I hope that the week went really well for all you guys and that you all enjoyed everything that life has to offer. Thursday went by well for transfer days and everything got figured out just fine. I was able to send off Anziano Borner on the train up to Rome and Anziano Nessen got off the same train.

We were able to say goodbye to everyone that Anziano Borner had the opportunity to work with down here and that went really well! We were able to see a good number of people and were able to have some really cool lessons with them as well. We were able to do some good work and we really hope to be able to continue to increase all the work that we have going on here in Cosenza. We are really looking forward to seeing all the things that we will be able to do here with what we have and all that we hope to gain. I am so excited for this transfer and so excited to be working with Anziano Nessen. He is so funny and he just keeps everything so fun. We are going to have a lot of fun together, and be able to get a lot of work done as well. We are super pumped for everything that we have. This week will be really important in finding new investigators and making sure that we can really help them get to where they need to go. We really hope to do a lot this week and pray and expect the miracles. It is cool to feel the energy here and in the whole mission right now and how we are all working together to reach 40 baptisms in one month. We are really pushing for this hard right now and really want to be able to help all those that are in the zone push together. It is really fun to be here right now and be doing all these great and wonderful things with everyone.

We were able to have a Missionary Leadership Council this week that went really well and helped us really see things that we can work on!

We had to go down to Crotone for that and that is where Anziano Nessen started his mission so he was really excited about that!

This week is Mother’s Day and I don’t have much time to write, but I really wanted to share part of this talk from the October 2015 General Conference with you all about Mothers.

“Prophesying of the Savior’s Atonement, Isaiah wrote, “He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows.” A majestic latter-day vision emphasized that “[Jesus] came into the world … to bear the sins of the world.” Both ancient and modern scripture testify that “he redeemed them, and bore them, and carried them all the days of old.” A favorite hymn pleads with us to “hear your great Deliv’rer’s voice!”

“Bear, borne, carry, deliver. These are powerful, heartening messianic words. They convey help and hope for safe movement from where we are to where we need to be–but cannot get without assistance. These words also connote burden, struggle, and fatigue–words most appropriate in describing the mission of Him who, at unspeakable cost, lifts us up when we have fallen, carries us forward when strength is gone, delivers us safely home when safety seems far beyond our reach. “My Father sent me,” He said, “that I might be lifted up upon the cross; … that as I have been lifted up … even so should men be lifted up … to … me.”

“Today I declare from this pulpit what has been said here before: that no love in mortality comes closer to approximating the pure love of Jesus Christ than the selfless love a devoted mother has for her child. When Isaiah, speaking messianically, wanted to convey Jehovah’s love, he invoked the image of a mother’s devotion. “Can a woman forget her sucking child?” he asks. How absurd, he implies, though not as absurd as thinking Christ will ever forget us.

“This kind of resolute love “suffereth long, and is kind, … seeketh not her own, … but … beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.” Most encouraging of all, such fidelity “never faileth.” “For the mountains shall depart and the hills be removed,” Jehovah said, “but my kindness shall not depart from thee.” So too say our mothers.

“You see, it is not only that they bear us, but they continue bearing with us. It is not only the prenatal carrying but the lifelong carrying that makes mothering such a staggering feat. Of course, there are heartbreaking exceptions, but most mothers know intuitively, instinctively that this is a sacred trust of the highest order. The weight of that realization, especially on young maternal shoulders, can be very daunting.

“To all of our mothers everywhere, past, present, or future, I say, “Thank you. Thank you for giving birth, for shaping souls, for forming character, and for demonstrating the pure love of Christ.” To Mother Eve, to Sarah, Rebekah, and Rachel, to Mary of Nazareth, and to a Mother in Heaven, I say, “Thank you for your crucial role in fulfilling the purposes of eternity.” To all mothers in every circumstance, including those who struggle–and all will–I say, “Be peaceful. Believe in God and yourself. You are doing better than you think you are. In fact, you are saviors on Mount Zion, and like the Master you follow, your love ‘never faileth.’ ” I can pay no higher tribute to anyone. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.”

I really love this talk and am so thankful for the divine role of mothers and the responsibility that God has given them all. I am thankful for all the sacrifices, love, charity, lessons taught, patience, examples given, and so much more that they all offer us. I love my mom and am so thankful for all that she has done for me and I know that Heavenly Father is happy with the work that she has done in raising us. I know that all you moms out there really at times carry the weight of the world on your shoulders and I just want to thank you all to for all that you do! I am so excited to talk to my family this week and can’t wait to hear from them. I have to go, but I love you all and am thankful for all the support. Talk to you again next week!

Love,

Anziano Garrett

[This photo was posted on Anziano Yskes’ blog.  This is the Crotone District in the last meeting before transfers.  Anziano Yskes was transferred a few days later to Sciacca, in western Sicily near Tràpani]

Crotone District, April 2016, courtesy of Anziano Yskes' blog. The district comprises the cities of Cosenza, Catanzaro, and Crotone.

Crotone District, April 2016, courtesy of Anziano Yskes’ blog. The district comprises the cities of Cosenza, Catanzaro, and Crotone.

Filed Under: Assignments, Companions, Cosenza, Missionary Work, Transfers Tagged With: , , , ,

Cosenza – Week 6
Transfer 9, Mission Week 60

April 25, 2016 By Leave a Comment

Ciao tutti!

I hope that everyone is doing well and that you are all enjoying life. I am sorry that this will not be the longest email that I will be able to send this week!

So for transfers I will be staying here and Anziano Borner will be headed to Rome 5 this Thursday.  I will get Anziano Nessen who is coming up from Mistretta in Sicily. He is super awesome and we were in the same zone for 4 transfers so it will be awesome to get to work with him and know him better. Will be a lot of fun for sure. We are really looking forward to it.

This week went by really well and we were able to have some lessons with people.  One lesson with our investigators was really cool because at the beginning of the lesson we followed up on his Book of Mormon reading and he was able to recognize that he needs to be reading it way more. It was just cool to see that prayers for him came in a different way than we had expected. We assigned him some chapters to read and we really hope that he will be able to read them and we will be able to really teach according to his needs and what will help him find the truthfulness of our message on his own. We can’t give it to him, he has to search it out himself.

We got a referral this week that sounds really awesome and we strangely got the call from the St. George Utah Temple visitors center from the sister there, which is generally not allowed I don’t think, but she was from Italy and gave us the referral and we were able to go out and contact it and we will be setting up a lesson with him and his friend this week, so we are super stoked about that too! He knows some members as well which will be super nice to be able to get them to help with lessons when they are available.

We had two other really spiritually powerful lessons this week. One was with a new convert that was about fatherhood, based on Elder Christofferson’s talk from last conference, and it went super well. It was awesome to hear his testimony and the responsibility he knows that he has as a father. It was so cool and he is such a strong guy with an amazing faith and their family is super awesome. They have really cute kids. The other was with our Branch President who is recovering from a heart attack. It was super cool to go visit him and he really enjoyed having us over and we were able to share a nice short message with him. Glad that he is doing better and he should be back home in a few weeks or so.

Thank you guys so much for all the support from back home and all the prayers that you guys offer for me. I am very thankful to know that we have all the support that we do. I love you all and hope that you all have a wonderful week and that you will all be able to enjoy it as fully as you can!

Anziano Garrett

[The following picture was borrowed from Sorella Carver’s blog this week.  She describes a member who invited a bunch of members (and the missionaries serving in Cosenza) over to her home for games and food]

From Sorella Carver's blog: "Most intense game of Jenga I've ever played! - Sorella Pinnegar, Anziano Garrett, and Luka." Cosenza, April, 2016.

From Sorella Carver’s blog: “Most intense game of Jenga I’ve ever played! – Sorella Pinnegar, Anziano Garrett, and Luka.” Cosenza, April, 2016.

Filed Under: Assignments, Companions, Cosenza, Missionary Work, Transfers Tagged With: ,

Cosenza – Week 4
Transfer 9, Mission Week 58

April 11, 2016 By Leave a Comment

Ciao Tutti!

This week went really well and we were able to see a lot of really cool miracles throughout the week, big and small. We didn’t get to meet a ton with the people that we are working with right now. We did get to meet with one and we really have to help him read the Book of Mormon because that will be the only way that he is going to know if the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is true or not. He is such an awesome guy and is super funny and all. He is really smart and I just hope that he will really continue to strive to read the Book of Mormon each and everyday. It will truly make all the difference.

Anziano Borner and I started running last week and we have been going out every day, so that has been super nice and we have really enjoyed it a lot. We feel really good throughout the week and it is just super nice to be able to get back into the running mode and everything. I have really missed it. I feel out of shape, but nothing terrible, thank goodness. The runs are super pretty here though and super fun. We like running towards centro storico. They are also super hilly! We did a solid mile up a hill during the week so we were really tired after that. It was super cool though and was a really pretty view. It has been fun though! Our goal is to run out to McDonalds, eat breakfast, and run back by the end of the transfer. We plan on doing it the next Saturday after this one hahaha.

So this week during English course we have been able to get a lot of new students and there is this one younger couple that are super cool.  They are super fun and we really love having them here. We hit it off at the end of the class when the guy and I were talking about music for just a second. We were able to get their number the second lesson and they are totally down to meet!! We are really excited to see how it will turn out and what will come of it! I really hope all goes well! They have a 3 year old son too!! So awesome!

Another miracle that we were able to see was when we were doing finding on the main drag of centro. There were a ton of people out and we were trying to stop so many, and not a single one stopped to watch the video the whole time. We turned off the road and the first or second person we stopped watched the video and we were able to set an appointment right there with them. The lesson was last night and it went really well and they are so nice. We only did it with the grandma but there is a whole family that lives here so we really hope that all goes well and we will be able to teach the whole family about the gospel! We were super excited about it for sure though!

We were able to go up to a small town called Saracena this week where we have some members. It was a really good visit with them and it went really well! We also found this store that sells candy from America and the UK so that was pretty cool! We bought a few things that, of course, we probably didn’t need, but it was nice to have some more candy from back home! Saracena was a really cool city and the members are so nice. They don’t get a ton of visits so it was nice to get up there and see them!

We are enjoying working together and being able to be here in Cosenza together. The time has flown by since we have been here, and it has been a really good time together! So this transfer is still the normal 6 weeks and the next one will be 5 weeks so that one will probably go by pretty fast! I don’t think that Anziano Borner will be here for the next one so we will enjoy all the time that we have together. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Assignments, Companions, Cosenza, Missionary Work, Transfers Tagged With: ,
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