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Catania – Week 10

August 8, 2016 By Leave a Comment

Ciao tutti!

Everything went really well this week and we were really busy with everything that we had going on! I had the opportunity to go on a scambio last Monday evening with the assistants and I went with Anziano Kelly and it went super well. We had our investigator show up and we gave him a church tour as we waited for the member to come to the lesson with us. It was a super spiritual lesson that went super well with the member that was able to come along with us. He has a really awesome conversion story on how he met the missionaries and was baptized within a week. It was really special to hear him share that story and it invited the spirit and helped our investigator feel really comfortable. He is really special and has a special heart that is willing and open to learn and grow. We hope that he will continue to progress and really find that conviction within himself. He asked really good questions on how can he have faith to pray and we were able to explain to him that simply offering a prayer is an act of faith as he shows that he is doing something to draw closer to the truth. Hope that all goes well with him! It was really awesome to to able to learn from other missionaries and I was able to learn a lot from Anziano Kelly. Anziano Albello and Anzino Toronto went finding in the park and were able to find a lot of people that were ready to listen to us and hopefully these appointments will stick through today.

We were able to have an awesome Zone Conference that was really uplifting and we were able to have a big discussion on the doctrine of repentance and change. It was super cool and I really look forward to continue to share scriptures on this doctrine with those meet to help them understand and feel what the Savior has done for them. I am thankful that we have the opportunity to be able to preach repentance to others in a different way than we may initially think that means. Repentance is change and simply by changing our nature through the Atonement we are repenting. We repent when we turn away from the things that distance us from God and initiate doing those things that do. I love this definition from the Bible Dictionary on repentance:

The Greek word of which this is the translation denotes a change of mind, a fresh view about God, about oneself, and about the world.

Since we are born into conditions of mortality, repentance comes to mean a turning of the heart and will to God, and a renunciation of sin to which we are naturally inclined. Without this there can be no progress in the things of the soul’s salvation, for all accountable persons are stained by sin and must be cleansed in order to enter the kingdom of heaven. Repentance is not optional for salvation; it is a commandment of God (D&C 18:9–22; 20:29; 133:16). The preaching of repentance by John the Baptist formed the preparation for the ministry of our Lord.

I think that is so cool that is simply change. Change that is only possible through the Atonement of Jesus Christ though. It is something that is more than changing habits and behavior but truly changing our nature. I know that these changes are possible thanks to the reality and understanding that Christ suffered already for each one of us personally so that we may be clean from our sins and mistakes. I am thankful truly for that knowledge.

We were able to have a lot of great conversations with others this week and were able to invite others to meet with us, and we really hope that we can continue to make a difference in the lives of others as much as we can. I am thankful for the fact that God continues to offer the opportunity to others mercifully and lovingly to hear this message and find for themselves whether it be true or not. I know that there is nothing to lose in having missionaries over to do a little experiment you could say to see if what we share is true. It is a decision that absolutely changes lives for the better. I know that the restored gospel of Jesus Christ makes bad people good, and good people better.

We saw some other cool miracles searching for members that we haven’t seen at church for a while and were able to find 2 new investigators through knocking on one door and then were able to get a return appointment for the daughter of a former member that has passed away. We hope that we can continue to see success in searching all these people out!

There was a funeral that was held in the church this past week for a member that passed away and we are really hoping that the family will continue to do well and we were so happy that we were able to help out in any little way that we could with ushering people in and out. It was a privilege to be able to help the as they go through a sad moment in their life right now. I am thankful though for the reality of Heavenly Father’s perfect plan of salvation that truly lets us know that it isn’t over. There is no such thing as the end, because of him.

Just as it says in the Book of Mormon.

8 And now, behold, I will testify unto you of myself that these things are true. Behold, I say unto you, that I do know that Christ shall come among the children of men, to take upon him the transgressions of his people, and that he shall atone for the sins of the world; for the Lord God hath spoken it.

9 For it is expedient that an atonement should be made; for according to the great plan of the Eternal God there must be an atonement made, or else all mankind must unavoidably perish; yea, all are hardened; yea, all are fallen and are lost, and must perish except it be through the atonement which it is expedient should be made.

10 For it is expedient that there should be a great and last sacrifice; yea, not a sacrifice of man, neither of beast, neither of any manner of fowl; for it shall not be a human sacrifice; but it must be an infinite and eternal sacrifice.

The Atonement is real and it was done out of pure love, or charity, for each and everyone of us. We can apply it everyday in our lives and know that it is thanks to this that we have the chance to live again.

That we can live with our family for eternity. I am so thankful for that knowledge.

We were able to also do a Geso yesterday in Centro that went really well! We did it on family history and it was super cool to be able to talk and share about why we do family history and the importance of knowing where we come from and the story of our family. I hope that others were touched by those conversations and will commence to call us to do free searches on their family lines. This week we have transfer calls! I don’t have a clue what is going to happen but I think that I am staying. It would be awesome to get to Napoli at some point before I finish up, but we will see what the Lord has in store for me! You all have a wonderful week!

Love,

Taylor

Catania Zone, August, 2016

Catania Zone, August, 2016

Catania Zone soccer, August, 2016 (photo courtesy of Anziano Blaise's blog)

Catania Zone soccer, August, 2016 (photo courtesy of Anziano Blaise’s blog)

Filed Under: Assignments, Catania, Exchanges, Missionary Work, Transfers Tagged With: , ,

Catania – Week 7

July 18, 2016 By Leave a Comment

Ciao tutti!

I hope that everyone was able to have an awesome and amazing week this week! This week went by really well for us and we were able to accomplish a lot while we were in the trio this week. We had some really good and powerful lessons throughout the week and it was a super good experience to be able to teach and testify with three of us and bear solemn witness of the things that we were teaching. I am thankful for the opportunity that we had and I was able to learn a lot which I love doing from other missionaries. It helps you really be able to see how you can improve and in what way you can do better. I am so thankful for that.

We had a lesson that sticks out to me in particular this week to a less active family. It was really cool and there was a really special spirit there as we taught them about how the Book of Mormon is written for us in our day. It was lesson that was based right out of the Book of Mormon accompanied with strong and powerful testimony on the divinity of the Book of Mormon. I know that it is is true and we were able to bear witness on the truthfulness of it and the blessings that come from living the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. I know that we all felt the spirit in the that lesson and I know that that they did as well, but it is up to them to accept it for what it is and understand that is what they were feeling. That is all that we can do as missionaries is present the message and allow the Holy Ghost to teach and bear that witness to them that it is true. I am thankful for that and knowing that we don’t have to get this knowledge from anyone else but the Holy Ghost and that is Heavenly Fathers way of allowing us to know of spiritual truths. Those feelings we get, the burning feeling, the pressing upon our minds, sudden strokes of ideas, etc. comes from the spirit and allows us to know what is the truth.

Transfers days have come and gone once again and everyone here has survived from them! so it was a little different this time because Anziano Berger had to travel all the way up to Rome in order to go to a Missionary Leadership Council. So he had to endure the entire travel up there even though he was staying here in Catania for the transfer.

So since the zone leaders have the car here in Catania I was given the opportunity to drive it in order to help out with the transfer day. It had been a whole year and half since I have sat on the driver’s side of a car so it was so weird. Driving here is so different in Italy and is a lot more hectic. This is also one of the craziest cities in the whole mission to drive in probably all of Italy honestly. It is pretty nuts for sure. It was cool and we were able to get everything where it needed to go and transfer day was a good success.

So Friday evening we went and visited a member that lives a little outside of Catania and we were able to go and share a message with them. on the way out on the bus that we took we saw that some man was obviously burning his orchard of olive trees. It was pretty interesting and the fire was pretty big. So we visited the family and shared our spiritual thought with them and then headed back outside of the neighborhood in order to take the bus back into Catania. We were waiting there for a while and the smoke got really bad so we decided to walk down to the end of the route at the next stop where the bus turns around and heads back into town. We waited and waited and the bus never came. We decided to walk back to the other stop hoping that maybe the members could give us a ride back into town. We then realized and saw that the fire had gotten out of hand and had hit the tree line along side of the road. It was dangerous for the cars to pass even though they were just doing it so we didn’t know when the bus was going to come or be able to make it through. We called some other members and they were going to come and get us, and then they finally were able to put out the fire and we got through on the bus that came shortly after. it was pretty nuts hahaha. I guess that must be something that people are doing right now because yesterday over that side of town from the station you could just see smoke raising up into the sky all over the place.

We had a super amazing miracle this week! We received a phone call during weekly planning and it was this guy that wanted a Book of Mormon from us and so we were free Saturday and were able to grab a train to go and see him after picking up people from the airport. We went past the stop that he was waiting at since the door didn’t open for us. We got off at the next one and it in my head I was thinking with the little time he had that he said that he had that we wouldn’t be able to do the lesson. We called him and he said that he called his friend to give him a ride. So he showed up to the station and we walked back into town which took about 10 minutes and were able to have a lesson with him. He is our age and he is so awesome! He is honestly prepared to here about he gospel  and believes that the truth can be found out there somewhere. I was so thankful and grateful to have met him and that we had the opportunity to teach him the restoration. he is so cool and was really excited to be able to receive the Book of Mormon.

It was really special and we really look forward to seeing where it all goes!

Another miracle was that the lady that called me the other week came to church! She has been living in Italy for 15 years and hadn’t been able to find the church until she called the number that she found on the Internet. It was so awesome! She was so excited to be back and she brought her husband as well. I was privileged to sit next to her in sacrament meeting and she was able to partake of it and renew her baptismal covenants that she has made for the first time in 15 years.

It was so very cool! She was definitely blessed with a wonderful day to return where we had an amazing sacrament meeting with wonderful talks that were given. It was super cool and super special for us. Her husband isn’t a member and he really seemed to enjoy church and hopefully their son, about our age, will be able to come next week. It was so very special and we were able to enjoy it with them.

I am so very thankful for the power of prayer and that Heavenly Father has blessed us with divine communication that we can have with him. We can truly be able to receive so much help and blessings from on high as we pray to our Father in Heaven. He wants to hear from us indivually and is ready to give us the blessings that he wants to give us and is ready to do so. We have to ask of course according to his will. I love this scripture that is found in the Book of Mormon when Jesus Christ is teaching the people how to pray and what can be accomplished through prayer.

19 Therefore ye must always pray unto the Father in my name;

20 And whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, which is right, believing that ye shall receive, behold it shall be given unto you.

We are always to pray to Father in the name of Jesus Christ and we will be able to receive all that which is right that we ask of him. I know that the responses and answers don’t always come in the time that we think or in the necessary way, but I know that they come to all. I know that he is listening to us and is ready to respond. I know that we have a Father who is so willing to bless us with the highest of all blessings as we call upon him. I know he wants to give us these wonderful things. Jesus Christ teaches on the sermon on the mount in Matthew 7 about prayer.

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.

9 Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?

10 Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?

11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?

I know that this is true and that he can give us all that we need. I am thankful again for prayer and know that it is something that we can always work on to be more sincere and genuine with our prayers. I want to invite you all to look for ways that you can improve your prayer and be willing to ask Heavenly Father for these recommendations to improve and he will help us pray with more power. I am thankful for all the prayers that you guys have been giving me and all he missionaries in the world. We really appreciate it a lot! I love you all and hope that you have an excellent week!

Con tanto amore,

Anziano Garrett

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

Catania – Week 6

July 11, 2016 By Leave a Comment

Ehi tutti!

I hope that everyone had a wonderful week back home and that you are all enjoying your summer!

This week went by super fast and we were able to have a lot of really cool moments this week where we were able to teach some sweet lessons! One of the really cool miracles for me this week was while we were doing some less active finding in a part of town that we hadn’t been to and we were searching for two families that a member had mentioned we could go and check out. We went in search of this house and it ended up being really strange. The number that we had of the address was 123 and we were on the right street, but we made it further down and noticed a problem.

We got to 121 on the corner and then the very next house was 125. It was really weird and seeing as I forgot what spell we were supposed to cast to get into Sirius Black’s house we had to resort to asking people where the heck this house and family lived haha. They unfortunately didn’t know either so seeing that it was kind of late we moved on to go the next family’s house. We ended up finding the daughter of a less active and she is not a member. She and her husband were home and we were able to come in and share the Restoration with them. They agreed that they would read the Book of Mormon and pray to know if was true. It was really awesome and they have two kids! One that is 9 and the other is 2. We really hope to get back over there this week and see what we can do to help them out even more. It was a really special miracle and I really pray that their hearts will be open and they will be willing to just try their best to search for the answers.

We were doing finding in the park here in Catania the other day searching for some people and we had 3 lessons that morning with people that we were meeting on the bench and it was going really well.

The last lesson we had ended up being one of the better ones where they were into what we were saying and it was the last one that we had before going home for lunch. We are doing our best to search for as many people that want to act on the message to just find out if it is true or not. It a was amazing to see at the end of the week on Friday we were able to have two baptisms one from each of the companionships. These girls are super awesome and they were so happy to be baptized.

It was really special to see and I am so very thankful that we were able to be there to witness it. They have really grown spiritually and were so happy to make these covenants with Heavenly Father. I was able to confirm one of them on church Sunday which was the first time that I confirmed the gift of the Holy Ghost to someone. It was a special opportunity for sure.

Anziano Goode went home Saturday and we sent him off nice and safely up to Rome. It was a pleasure to work alongside him and I was able to learn a lot from him over the past few weeks. He trained Anzinao LaPray in Trapani so we would often chat about Trapani and all the great and wonderful people there. I do have a friend that decided to go on his mission again from Trapani and I am so excited for him! He will leave this September I found out today! Super cool!

After that we went and did service at an English Group member’s house and we primed the tile on his porch. We then ate pranzo with him and I have never eaten 3 arancini [stuffed rice balls which are coated with bread crumbs and then deep fried. They are usually filled with ragù (meat and tomato sauce), mozzarella, and peas.] in one sitting with 2 mini pizzas, fruit, and gelato to top it off. It was super fun and great to be able to do that service for him. We were also able to share the restoration with him and his wife. It was super special and they were so very nice to us. Hope all goes well with them as well!

We have been in a trio ever since Saturday and it is going really well. We are doing a good job at trying to stay as busy as possible and we hope that we will be able to continue to be as effective as possible until transfer day. We are all staying the same and Anziano Berger will be getting Anziano Neilson who served with Anziano Rasband in Sardegna. I am excited to talk to him some more and he likes to run so we will all be going running in the park here in town. Been able to pretty much run everyday lately and I was able to go for a nice 6 mile run the other day. It definitely feels good to be able to run. I am excited to stay with Anziano Albello and we hope to continue to be able to do all we can to find as many people to teach and work side by side with all the members. We will be getting 2 new Sorelle in the city so we will have 8 missionaries in the ward. That is a ton! It’s the most I have ever heard of in one ward so we really hope that we will see a lot of great things this summer as we help as many people by inviting them to come unto Christ.  [Note:  Several other missionaries have reported that this transfer is affecting 72 out of the 75 companionships in the mission, so it looks like only the two anziani still in the middle of training new missionaries, including Taylor, and the two assistants aren’t changing this transfer!]

We have been studying a lot about repentance, change, and coming unto Christ as a mission. I enjoyed this scripture from the part in the Book of Mormon when Alma and the sons of Mosiah are converted. They are going around destroying the church and bringing people away form the truth. An angel appears to them and commands them to stop. Alma falls and loses all his strength. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Assignments, Baptisms, Catania, Food, Italy, Missionary Work, Transfers Tagged With: , , , ,

Catania – Week 1

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

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 7

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

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

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: ,

Cosenza – Week 1

March 21, 2016 By Leave a Comment

Buongiorno tutti!!

I hope that everyone was able to have a great week and that you are all doing well! I made it to Cosenza nice and safe and everything. I was traveling with Anziano Cleveland, Anziano Raedielli, Sorella Holiday, and Sorella Workman. It was really nice and we were able to really enjoy the time getting to know one another better. It was really pretty across Sicilia and the train then gets loaded on a ferry and then we get to the mainland of Italy. It was really awesome and it went well.

It was a busy last week in Tràpani and I was able to see a lot of people to say bye to them and everything. It was a lot of fun and I will really miss a lot of the people that the Lord gave me the opportunity to know. It was a time that I really loved and was able to spend with so many wonderful people. I am now looking forward to the time here in Cosenza! It will be a lot of fun.

I got in to Cosenza about 3:00 last Thursday. Anziano Borner is my new companion and he is from Idaho. Including the transfer that we have together he has 3 transfers left and has been up here in Cosenza for 4 already so this will be his 5th. We have some similar interests so that is really nice and I am sure that we will enjoy this transfer together.

We have been able to do a couple of lessons already. One of our investigators up here is really cool. He is studying law and he is a younger guy and he reminds me so much of Niko from the cross country team. It is super awesome. He has a hat just like Niko had and he has a beard and everything. He is also just super smart as well. It is really interesting to see so many similarities in people here in the mission that I know back home hahaha. We were able to have a lesson with him and then went out with him to get some cotton candy at this fair that is super close to the church. He is super cool and I look forward to seeing how we will be able to help him progress. I wasn’t able to see any other investigator here but met some members and then was able to see a lot of them at church as well. They are super nice and it is about the same size, probably a little smaller, than Tràpani. I look forward to getting to know them all and be able to develop close friendships and relationships with them. It will be a lot of fun and a good time to get to know them all.

Today we haven’t done much since we did spesa [finances], cleaned, and ate lunch. We are meeting someone here in a little because he needs help with something.

I am very thankful for Christ and his Atonement and this sacrifice that he made for us. I hope that you all had the chance to look at the website that I posted last week. There are a lot of good things on it.

I am excited to be able to celebrate Easter next week. I am so thankful for all that the Savior has done for us and through this infinite sacrifice we will be able to live again. And we can even live together with our families forever.

8 And now, behold, I will testify unto you of myself that these things are true. Behold, I say unto you, that I do know that Christ shall come among the children of men, to take upon him the transgressions of his people, and that he shall atone for the sins of the world; for the Lord God hath spoken it.

9 For it is expedient that an atonement should be made; for according to the great plan of the Eternal God there must be an atonement made, or else all mankind must unavoidably perish; yea, all are hardened; yea, all are fallen and are lost, and must perish except it be through the atonement which it is expedient should be made.

10 For it is expedient that there should be a great and last sacrifice; yea, not a sacrifice of man, neither of beast, neither of any manner of fowl; for it shall not be a human sacrifice; but it must be an infinite and eternal sacrifice.

14 And behold, this is the whole meaning of the law, every whit pointing to that great and last sacrifice; and that great and last sacrifice will be the Son of God, yea, infinite and eternal.

15 And thus he shall bring salvation to all those who shall believe on his name; this being the intent of this last sacrifice, to bring about the bowels of mercy, which overpowereth justice, and bringeth about means unto men that they may have faith unto repentance.

I am so thankful for this infinite and eternal sacrifice. After Adam and Eve were cast out of the Garden it was all dependent upon Jesus Christ, our Savior and Redeemer to truly reach out and save us all. I know that he has and thanks to this we have so many wonderful blessings and things in store. I am so thankful for Him and the love that He is full of to save us all, and to always show forth that love towards us no matter what.

Love you all and hope that you have a great week!! Talk to you all soon!

Our travel group, leaving Sicily on the ferry, March 17, 2016. Note the train on the ferry in the background. Front, Sorella Holiday, Sorella Workman. Middle Anziano Cleveland and Anziano Raedelli. (Photo courtesy of Sorella Holiday's blog)

Our travel group, leaving Sicily on the ferry, March 17, 2016. Note the train on the ferry in the background. Front, Sorella Holiday, Sorella Workman. Middle Anziano Cleveland and Anziano Raedelli. (Photo courtesy of Sorella Holiday’s blog)

[Here are some photos from this week from Anziano Spencer’s blog.  Taylor has really enjoyed working with him for the past 12 weeks and will miss him]

On a hike with Anziano Spencer on last P-Day in Tràpani

On a hike with Anziano Spencer on last P-Day in Tràpani

Last session of the English course in Tràpani

Last session of the English course in Tràpani

Recently arrived returned missionary couple that help the missionary work in Tràpani.

Recently arrived returned missionary couple that help the missionary work in Tràpani.

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