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3/19/18
I finally went further south than Roma!
This week we had an awesome adventure going all the way down to Taranto for Anziano Strong's permesso (legal permission to stay in Italy). [I still haven't gotten mine and I've been here for almost a year....] We were there with Sorella McDonald and Ellison from Pozzuoli, who were there for Sorella Ellison's permesso as well. To make things even better, it was zone conference!! So all the Anziani in the Taranto zone were there! I got to see 3 of my past companions, Anziano Castro, Bohn, and my trainer Anz Ruiz! It was so fun getting to see all of them again. I also got to meet a whole bunch of other Anziani. Wednesday night I also had my first calzone! Basically, It's an amazing pizza that's folded over and deep-fried, Italian goodness in a crispy golden shell.
In Taranto, after getting the permesso we had a while to wait for our train back to Pescara, so we did a giro [round] through centro [center of town].
Sorella Ellison and Anz Strong were showing us all their favorite spots from when they served there! The deep south of Italy isn't really different from what I've experienced so far, just more worn down buildings and way more fields full of different crops. I'm going to be really excited if I get to go south for my next area!
We had a really fun lesson with Thiago using a model of an airport that Anz Strong made. We used it to explain the commandments and why we need to follow God's guidelines for us. Thiago really enjoyed the lesson and the object lesson. Afterwards we gave him the model. We had found the aereo [plane] at an open air market one Saturday during this transfer and the idea for the lesson just popped into our heads!
This week for DDM [district meeting] we had a pumpkin lasagna cook-off between me and Sorella Oveson. It was pretty intense leading up to it and the whole district was pumped to try them out. Sadly, Sorella Oveson's was deemed to be better (honestly, it was lacking some pumpkin flavor, but the cheese was AMAZING!) Mine just had wayyyy too much ricotta. In fact, it had 898 grams of ricotta, almost a full kilo! And it was quite the journey getting it from the street market to our house. It went from the market, to a restaurant shelf, to sitting buried in sand at the beach, then the church fridge, and then our house fridge before being mixed in with all the pumpkin.
This week I had a really cool experience while preparing a Facebook post for #MissionariMormoni. I passed over the scripture Alma 29:9 which says:
"I know that which the Lord hath commanded me, and I glory in it. I do not glory of myself, but I glory in that which the Lord hath commanded me; yea, and this is my glory, that perhaps I may be an instrument in the hands of God to bring some soul to repentance; and this is my joy."
And it just hit me that I need to truly internalize the effect I can have in someone's life by teaching them about pentimento [repentance]. This principle of the gospel has had such a huge effect on my own life, and I need to desire that positive change in the life of someone else in order to find that joy talked about by Alma.
Buona settimana! [Have a good week!]
Anziano Samuel Parker
The last picture is focaccia pufgliese
[I spoke with a "child"]
3/13/18
A lot of roba [stuff] went down this week!!
This week was what we call, the bomba!!!
also, I promise I won't talk about food, I'll only post pictures of it.
I had probably one of the coolest scambi [exchanges] this week. I got to go back to my old area for 2 days and got to be with an old friend from the MTC! I went back to Ascoli with Anziano (Ginger) Smith and we had a blast! He's gained a super big love for the language as well as the culture and we had fun catching up. I also got to see the new chapel there (I left before it was opened) and salute some of the members one last time. On Wednesday we had an amazing run for exercise in the morning to a Jesus statue that looks over the whole city - I got some good pics. The rest of the day we did a giro [round] of the city, doing some "finding" and trying to see some contacts I had had when serving at Ascoli. As Anz Strong and I were leaving it was really weird to think that it could possibly be the last time in several years that I will see this city again. We ended the night having an amazing conversation with a lady on the train, who we were able to share a good bit of the gospel with thanks to Anz Strong pulling out a photo of his family in front of a temple! Troppo furbo [too smart].
Our lessons our going well with Thiago, who is a 9 year old preparing to be baptized. We had a great lesson about the gospel of Christ. Then they gave us some brazilian calzone things!! Carlos freaked out since he used to eat them as a kid all the time. The best thing was seeing the whole family come to church on Sunday. They haven't been able to make it for about 3 weeks since at least one person has been sick each time, and they live pretty far away, but they made it this week!
Sunday was probably my favorite day of the week, the whole day was just packed! We went to the station early, to meet up with a new investigator who was coming to church for the first time - Tony Bello (what a name) - and his friend that he brought with him, Valentine. They both loved church, and I got to translate the whole time! The electricity went out, but they still really liked the way church works. Valentine was especially interested in the Plan of Salvation and learning about how we can help our ancestors receive the gospel of Jesus Christ! We also got to hear from the Pacella Gemelli (twins) who just returned home this week from their missions in the US, one who served in Georgia and the other in Florida. They're awesome, and they're even planning on coming to a street gesso we're doing in centro with the whole district!
Sunday evening we did a fun street gesso in centro and a young adult member came to help us out! He did an awesome job and even gave out 2 Books of Mormons!! So glad we have strong youth here, and I'm super excited to see them preparing to leave on missions! #italianpowerhouse About halfway through the gesso it started pouring rain, so we hopped on a bus and did bus finding with the Sorelle for like a full hour and a half (longest bus giro in Pescara, heck yeah!) Super fun, and we were able to keep convos going the whole time!!! I talked to some pretty interesting people. It's awesome how much you learn and see when you open yourself up to others.
Probably my favorite part of Sunday night though, was when I talked to a man named Minel, who is from Romania. So for context, this guy sits on like a box in centro with make-up on and dressed up to look like a baby - and stays there all evening getting money from people. As missionaries we've always been creeped out by him, but as we were leaving centro, he was walking out as well, so I decided to go out of my comfort zone and get to know him. He was super nice, and it turns out he's been doing what he does to provide for his wife and 2 kids that are back in Romania, with one kid on the way as well! It was even better when we walked past a €10 bill on the ground, and I was able to hand it right to him - knowing how badly he probably needed that money. It's crazy to see how so many people live, that is completely different from our "normal" and to think that they go unnamed and unnoticed so frequently to so many people.
We had an amazing DDM this week focusing on how we can find joy by "living after a manner of happiness," and we learned a TON from the teachings of President Hinckley. One of my favorite quotes we talked about was this:
“Anyone who imagines that bliss is normal is going to waste a lot of time running around shouting that he has been robbed.......... Life is like an old-time rail journey—delays, sidetracks, smoke, dust, cinders, and jolts, interspersed only occasionally by beautiful vistas and thrilling bursts of speed. The trick is to thank the Lord for letting you have the ride.” - Jenkins Lloyd Jones
Oftentimes I have found myself searching for that indefinable and unreachable "bliss" during my mission, but the most important thing I can do is "roll with the punches" and just enjoy the fact we have the opportunity to have this journey. It's such a blessing just to be able to serve a mission, something I've been thinking a lot about, and it doesn't make any sense to turn it into a miserable experience just because everything's not perfect.
I'll end this week with a quote my Uncle Allan shared on FB a while back:
“Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude." - Denis Waitley
Siete bravissimi, e fate il bravo
Anziano Samuel Parker
1 Looking at a helicopter
2 #thebeach
3 We asked these guys to take a photo, but they thought we wanted a photo with them...
4 We made some dank pastries on our scambio
5 Old theater made originally before Christ was born
6, 7, 8, 9,10, 11 - Ascoli
[Pastries in the air!]
3/5/18
Quindi, the title simply comes from the fact I've thought about, smelled, and eaten from a lot of pasticcerie [pastries/confectioneries] this week. This morning we got off the bus on the way to a street market, and I literally smelled fresh dolce [sweetness] in the air, one of my favorite smells in the world!
We had a great week, some appointments fell through, but we made the most of it. We also had some great finding sessions with food incentives at the end! ... I need to stop talking about food, sorry.
That's all I have for now, really sorry - just know I'm growing a ton, learning to unite my will with the Lord's, and trying my best to help others come unto Christ!!
Alla prossima [See you next time],
Anziano Samuel Parker
1 the Conforte family
2 Porchetta for the first time
3 Super cool market we get every Thursday right by our house, the pepperoni really caught my eye!
4 Bici [bikes] get wrecked when left out doors here
5 Shined my shoes, che differenza!
6 Pane is amazing
[We are frozen a little]
2/26/18
Ciao Tutti!
Currently it feels like we're in Russia! (not really, but here in the Rome mission we aren't used to the cold) We woke up this morning to snow absolutely everywhere! We also were out in centro doing a street gesso with sleet coming down at 2° Celsius. I'm really grateful we even had people stop to talk! It was a memorable night, and a good way to start the transfer! Oh yeah, transfer update! So I'm going to be staying here in Pescara as the district leader, and Anz Strong will be staying with me. Sadly though we are losing the other Anziani companionship, so our house is going to be a lot more quiet.
This week was spent for the most part in trios! First Anz Strong and I were with Anz Snyder up until Wednesday afternoon when he started his trip to Brindisi. Then we picked up Anz Rummens on Wednesday night to stay with us until his new companion came in on Friday morning. We had a great time with Anz Snyder. On Monday night we worked hard at finding in the rain, but we went super hard and had a lot of fun cracking jokes with each other. I'm going to really miss him! Before he left we had his last lunch in Pescara with the Conforte family, one the strong member families here in Italy. We got to hear some amazing stories from their missions, that they presided over, and we had a really great spiritual thought with them. Also, literally the best lasagna and tiramisù I've ever had. Looking forward to learning how to make it!
On Thursday it rained on us when we were with Anziano Rummens. But we had a great lesson with Tiago and his family and they even gave us a quick bite to eat after! We had a fun English course and our spiritual thought about coming to church went really well.
Friday was really wet, and so was Saturday, but we had a full day of appointments, always a blessing when that happens! First we helped out Alberto with home teaching the Di Marzio family, literally my favorite family ever! They're just such an awesome couple! In the evening we had the most perfect member appointment! The de Luca family has some friends who have come to church a couple times, and we had a great time getting to know them more and eating some super tasty food. No idea what it's all called but a white sauce lasagna type thing, some great meat, and tipico pugliese vegetables. We shared a spiritual thought at the end and gifted them a Book of Mormon and the spirit was totally there. The members even had the perfect follow up in explaining to them why we want to meet with them and teach them the missionary lessons! Can't get enough of the members here.
Time is running short so I better go, but I'm enjoying Pescara, nonostante la neve [despite the snow.]
Ciao ciao,
Anziano Samuel Parker
[The Drought]
2/20/18
It was a long week in the Pescara house. We've been without water for a full 7 days, and we just got it turned back on today. Here's a little explanation for how wacky the Italian water sytem is: As a renter, you need to pay the water bill, or "bolletta," and if you don't - well, there's not really a huge consequence until like 3 months ~ 1 year later. The renters who were kicked out before the missionaries moved in last summer, hadn't payed their bolletta and so we got our water meter (contatore) unexpectedly removed on Monday evening. Luckily, our landlord was on top of it and came Tuesday to figure out the problem. By Wednesday all the bills were payed by the church and the paperwork was sent in to the water company. We were told we would have water back sometime during Thursday, but it got delayed for 4 days somehow, and we suffered greatly. Fortunatamente [fortunately], the church was just a 4 min walk away from the house, so we were able to go there for most of our water needs. It was absolutely hilarious talking with the members about it, one member even yelled out "sei giorni?!?!?" when she found out how long we hadn't had it - all of us Anziani have been laughing a lot about the whole conundrum.
Anyway, water problems aside, this was a great week! On Tuesday we had our last district meeting with Sor Acerson and Anz Hansen, because they headed out this morning for home (staying in Rome, and flying out Tuesday). I got to lead one of the discussion and I talked about what I learned from zone conference and how I have been able to apply it since then. I learned so much in the preparation and also from all the comments made, but the biggest take away for me, was how we need to be as cheerful as possible while doing this work. We will always be happiest as we strengthen our testimony and LOVE serving the Lord and carry out His will. I've really been able to put that in practice this week and it has changed my perspective a ton.
After the meeting we had a huge district lunch at the church. I love this district! It's ginormous, we all get along, and we do great missionary work together! Nothing more I could ask for, and I'm crossing my fingers that I get to stay in Pescara for the next transfer. We'll be getting our transfer calls tonight, and until Thursday, Anziano Snyder, Anziano Strong and I are in a trio! It's been great, even just for the few hours we've been together today - it is pretty special to be with 2 such amazing missionaries. I have learned a ton from them!
We had a cool experience Friday night. We had scheduled to get out and see some inactive members, and as we passed by one house, the guy we were supposed to see wasn't there, but we got to meet his brother. Then as we were leaving the neighborhood we passed by a man just standing in the park eating a sandwich. I felt like it might be good to talk to him, but I shrugged off the prompting and only gave him a "Buona Sera!" [Good evening]. LUCKILY, God really wanted us to talk to him and as we were walking away he yelled out asking if we needed help going anywhere. We had been turning around to look at the bocci court, and I started explaining the game to Anz Strong. Turns out he was a good friend of the missionaries here in Pescara about a year ago, just saying hi and being really chill with them, but had never gotten around to learning more. He opened up about some of the problems he's been having and the perfect scripture, Mosiah 18:8-10, came to my mind! We had him read it and he was super touched. He said he's been searching for a way to draw closer to God, and we promised him he can do that by reading the Book of Mormon, and trying out the promise contained in the powerful verses 3-5 of the 10th chapter of Moroni. We invited him to church, and as we walked away he was already sitting down on a bench and reading the book that hopefully will change his life! It was a big lesson for me about how when we plan exactly where we will be going, God is able to prepare people to be in our path.
The end of this week was amazing, getting gelato all together one last time, hearing some amazing talks and lessons in church on Sunday, having an amazing first lesson with a member and some friends who are learning more about what we believe, and then finishing off with a big party to celebrate the end of Anz Hansen's and Sor Acerson's mission. Our lesson with Fratello Di Marzio was especially cool since his friend Matteo is a literal biblical genius. He was quoting verses left and right and already knew pretty much all of Mormon doctrine. He's studied the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price all on his own, and really tested all of our scriptural knowledge! We ended up not having nearly enough time to talk about everything, and I'm super happy to be able to have such an eye opening experience as to how well one can master the scriptures!
I would love to talk about the awesome party Laura and some other members put on, but I've already written assai [very much], so I'll just say it was probably the coolest way to finish a mission I've ever seen or will see. Our members here are the best!!! They did some really cool stuff for Anz Hansen and Sor Acerson to celebrate their service. I absolutely love all the moments I get to experience here, and the progress I'm able to make in becoming a better disciple and servant of Jesus Christ! It's a crazy life, but totalmente vale la pena! Italia è fortissima come sempre, non avrei potuto scegliere un paese migliore! [totally worth it! Italy is as strong as ever, I could not have chosen a better country!]
Vi voglio bene, e buon dì! [I love you, and good day!]
Anziano Samuel Parker
1 WATER......IS...... BACK!
2 Trio life, gonna be a fun week
3 Pranzo di Distretto [District lunch]
4 Freeeee Cookies! nuff said
5 #PescaraRocks
6 Chieti Alto oggi
7 e 9 Teatro Marrucino
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