Anziano Toronto

Catania – Week 10
Transfer 12, Mission Week 75

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

Tràpani – Week 21
Transfer 8, Mission Week 51

Ei buondi!!

Hope that everyone is doing well. Sorry that my emails didn’t make it through last Monday. I resent them to everyone so hopefully they all got there and everyone was able to read them. President Waddoups did a good job of scaring the crap out of me too. I had just had my interview and Anziano Spencer and I were finishing up a sick night of finding in Palermo and I got a call from him and he says, “Well Elder you’re in trouble.” I was like oh crap, “What did I do?” He replies it, “It wasn’t what you did, it’s what you didn’t do.” My reply, “Uhhh…” Thoughts were running through my head. Did I miss someone to give a pass along card to or something like that? He then explained that I didn’t email my family and everything which was really weird since I spent like 3 hours in the church emailing. We got it all figured out and I sent them off the next day while we were waiting for Zone Conference to start.

Last week went really well though! Monday night we had a really awesome lesson with this family and it went super well. We were talking about the plan of salvation and they really enjoyed it. We could feel the spirit super strong at the end as we bore our testimonies on the Book of Mormon and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that has been restored through Joseph Smith. Super awesome lesson and we are going back over there tonight to watch The Restoration film with them and then have dinner. We are excited and really hope that it goes well.

Tuesday we did a scambio with the Palermo B Anziani in our district, so Anziano Jensen and I came here while Anziano Spencer and Anziano Brandon were in Palermo. It went really well and was good to get to know Anziano Jensen some more because we didn’t get many chances to talk one on one in the MTC. We were able to have a pretty successful scambio together and I definitely took a lot of good lessons away from it. We were able to randomly meet so many people I knew on the street that I never really see at all. It was really weird, but we turned out to have a lot of really good conversations. We finished up the scambio visiting some members and having lunch with them. We headed back to Palermo Wednesday so we could get there for interviews. Anziano Spencer and I teamed up again and went out for a night of finding that went really well and we were able to talk to some really awesome people. Hopefully the numbers will go places for the Anziani there. We stayed the night with the Anziani at the Palermo 1 house with all 4 of the anziani plus the assistants as well. It was fun, as always, to get to talk to everyone before heading to bed.

Zone conference was a lot of fun and we were able to really learn a lot from all our leaders. President Waddoups did two really good addestramentos. One on becoming a consecrated missionary, based around Tad R. Callister’s Becominng a Consecrated Missionary talk. It was super good and a really good reminder for me to make sure that I am putting my all on the altar of sacrifice for the Lord during my service over here. He then focused on the Book of Mormon and we have the challenge right now to read it in three months which is going really well. I am excited that we are all really trying to focus on Preach My Gospel and the Book of Mormon right now. The assistants, Anziano Flynn and Anziano Taranto (Toronto), gave an amazing addestramento about focusing on Preach My Gospel. Sorella Waddoups also had a really awesome activity that she did where we were able to share our thoughts on two missionaries, then the Book of Mormon, and finally the Savior. It was really awesome. Super fun zone conference for sure.

We did a lot of planning Friday night and then coordination meeting with our branch mission leader. Saturday we were able to have 4 lessons which was really awesome and they all went really well. The one with our new investigator from English course went really well and we were able to read Alma 32 together and it was awesome. We really look forward to seeing where he goes and how he progresses. He came to church too!! It was so awesome. I really love him a lot and really hope it all works out with him.

We went to Segesta again today, which was really fun, and we were able to go with Anziano Palazzo, Anziano Trejo, two other members from Palermo 1 and then an investigator of theirs. It was super fun.

Something that I really enjoyed from my study this week was from this morning was 2 Nephi 9:39.

39 O, my beloved brethren, remember the awfulness in transgressing against that Holy God, and also the awfulness of yielding to the enticings of that cunning one. Remember, to be carnally-minded is death, and to be spiritually-minded is life eternal.

I really like the last sentence. It is so true that as we are spiritually minded it truly helps us make the best decisions in life and helps us avoid falling into temptation from the adversary. I really liked that a lot to just be spiritually minded which will help us get to where we want to go, our enteral home with our Heavenly Father.

I love you all very much and hope that you all have an amazing week and that you enjoy life in all ways possible. Talk to you soon!

Vi voglio bene,

Anziano Garrett