4th QUARTER! 4TH QUARTER!          July 28,2014



Good Morning!!

     As strange as this is to say, this will be my last email, I may send a really short email next week but I am not sure I will have time.  It just keeps getting closer and closer, but still doesn't seem real!  I have a week left!  But first, this last week!

     Monday night, we went to the Petrignani family, they are so cool, some of the first members here in Terni and have a some who got back from the Paris mission a couple of years ago.  We had a really fun time with them and had a great spiritual thought talking about our example that we can make and the effect it can have on others.

     Tuesday morning we had district meeting, and afterwards we rode back together with the missionaries of Roma 5 to start our scambio with them.  I was with Anziano Blair, he is awesome, we ended up doing finding and getting to know some awesome people, and went to teach a lesson to a big group of Muslims, and it was Rhamadam, and they wanted us to stay and hang out, but we had to get going.

     Wednesday we finished up our scambio with some more finding, got back that evening for a lesson that we ended up getting a bidone.  So it gave us some time to go do some finding.  Thursday morning we had another lesson set up, that we got another bidone, then we had a lunch apt with an investigator and she cancelled on us too... :(  but it gets worse... we had a member apt that night, so we get on the train, and before long we realize we are on the wrong train!!  And we end up way out of our area! hahaha  But it all happened for a reason because we met a super cool man on that train, so it was a great day!

     Friday morning we did weekly planning, then went to a members for lunch, we got to spend a lot of time with their kids and talk about missions and how they have blessed our lives and our families, it was really cool to get a chance to reflect on all that we have been given.  Got another bidone, but right after got a call from Marco Petrolini, the Im a Mormon guy, and the people who were going to their house for dinner cancelled on them, so they invited us.  They are the coolest people on the planet and every time we go there you always feel the spirit so strong and learn a lot!

     Saturday we got to go to a members house to have a lesson with some investigators and it went super well, he has arrived at Mosiah 18!!  So cool!!  It will be really hard to leave these people that I have really grown to love.  Sunday was already hard because I had to say goodbye to certain people, not the fun part!

     I just want to thank you all for the support and the prayers in my behalf in these 2 years, I love you all so much, I love the Savior Jesus Christ and his Gospel, and am so grateful he gave me this opportunity, couldn't think of anything I would have rather done.  Love yall!!  Have a wonderful week!!!!!

VVB!!

Anziano Bird

21-7-14....Weird!

HELLO BEAUTIFUL FAMILY!

     How was your week?  Hope everyone is enjoying summer!  It is SO hot here!  It will be nice to jump in a pool soon! :)  Man, when I said there is no time to slow down last week I was not joking!  The craziness started Tuesday.  We picked up the car from Roma 5 and drove to the other coast to go to Pescara for district meeting.  

     After district meeting we started our scambio with the district leader and his companion.  Anziano Bermudes and Garcia, they are both from South America, so I worked on my spanish!  We had a lot of fun that first day, we did finding all night and met some super awesome people as well and some super crazy people!  One guy told us he wanted to get baptized, and still would as long and we reinstated poligamy! haha

     It was a super fun time because there is a greenie in that city as well, Erik Mika, who if you remember was the star center for BYU last year!  So I was with him all evening swapping stories, it was super cool!  He is 6'10" so we are going to do another scambio and go play basketball against Italians, and teach them the Gospel when they lose! haha

     The next morning we continued with finding and at lunch headed out to go to L'Aquila!  THE RETURN!!  The best thing about doing scambi in cities you have served in is that you don't have to do finding the whole time!  So we went and saw old investigators and some less active members that I love!  That scambio lasted though lunch the next day, and thats when we headed back to Roma! 

     So Friday we started work back in Terni!  We were able to meet with a new contact we had who is Muslim, but very open to our message, his name is Mafi!  The next day we made the journey to Caparolla to see Alessandro and Patrizia, and Riccardo, our ward mission leader came which was awesome, they know it is true but just have something holding them back.  Afterwards we saw Anila (new convert) and she took us to a castle to do our lesson (just another day in the Italy, Rome mission :) And this was my last time seeing her because she is going on vacation.  It is weird already saying goodbye to people!

     Church was good, everybody asks me every week how long I have left, then tells me how little time that is! haha  Then we went to the Di Lorenzo family, they are awesome, and he is pretty much a chef and made the BEST meatballs ever!!!  Then we had another lesson with Mafi, but he didn't show, so we did a lesson with Riccardo who had come to help us out, and we just shared our favorite scriptures and talked about them.  

     It seemed like all the scriptures we picked all had to do with the Atonement.  And it is something I have gained such a strong testimony of on my mission, especially the power to change ourselves.  And change isn't an easy thing, but its not supposed to be.  But its not that way to punish us, its that way so we can change, because we know from the scriptures, no unclean thing can dwell in the presence of God, but no unchanged thing will want to.  I read a couple of chapters in the Book of Mormon that really struck me this week, so I invite y'all to read 2 Nephi 4, Mosiah 5, and Mormon 9.  I love y'all more that words can say, I love the Lord and am so grateful for all he has done for me.  Have a great week and enjoy the picture of our scambio!

VVB!

Anziano Bird

14-7-14

BUON GIORNO!!!!

     How is everybody!  Thank you to all who sent me a countdown this week! ;)  I almost forgot!  Except for my roommates tell me everyday! haha  Still doesn't feel real, especially because we are so busy.  This week we had our Zone Conference, my last, so I had to do my "dying testimony".  It was SO weird!  But it was a really good conference and gave our zone the lift we needed.  Afterwards we got to go visit a less active member who I love in the Roma 2 area.  And of course she fed us dinner, and we got to teach a lesson to her and her sons who aren't members!

     The next day we went to Roma 1 for a scambio, I went with Anziano Carr who is one of my best friends!!  We sat next to each other in the MTC!!!  It was awesome!!  Just in the little time together we saw a lot of miracles!!  We went to find an old investigator of mine, and instead there was a different guy there who wanted to meet with us again!! So sweet!!  The next morning early we caught a train back to Terni.

     Unfortunately we were talking with somebody and we missed our stop!  So we got off at the next one, not knowing where we were, and we were in the middle of nowhere!! and the next train didn't come for 3 hours!  We asked around and there where no buses, so we decided to walk to our next appt.  Little did we know, the next town was 2 hours away, up a couple of mountains away! haha  But we finally got to a city where we caught a bus and we were only an hour late!!

     Then on the way back, we caught the wrong connecting train and ended up going in the wrong direction!! haha so we were much more careful of where we got off this time and we made it back okay, the Lord was looking out for us!

     The coolest thing about the week was on Sunday, a family of 6 we have been teaching came to church!!!!!!!!!!!!!  It was incredible!  The speakers were so guided by the spirit, it was incredible to watch.  We met with them afterwards and they have been recognizing the spirit lately, and the husband has already read to Mosiah!!!  It really goes to show how important the small things are.  I am so happy and really blessed to have had the opportunity to serve these amazing people... it is life changing seeing other change their lives.  I love this Gospel with all my heart, and know without a doubt it is true. 

     I cannot wait to continue to share my testimony, even after the mission!  So my invite for this week, is to pray to straighten your testimony, then bear it to somebody, because that is how is really grows is through sharing it!!  Today for p-day we went to Perugia and when to the chocolate factory, it was soooooo cool, not to mention all the free amazing chocolate they gave to us!!!  It was a lot of fun.  Tonight we are going to Roma 5 so we can steal their car and do a bunch of scambi this next week!  Love y'all SO much and have a great week!  Don't get too trunky!!

VVB!

Anziano Bird

 Week 1  7-7-14



 So week one of the transfer has already flown by!  We have been so busy and will continue to be very busy all the way to the end.  Here we work a lot outside of the city of Terni so we are always pressed for time and sprinting to a from the station!  This week in Rome we had a leadership conference, and this was the first time instead of having everybody come up, the other have of the mission used a video conference feature to connect to us.  It was way cool.

     This transfer we will be doing a lot of scambi, so we will actually be in Terni very little, also seeing that the closest city to us in our zone takes 2 hours to get to!  Monday night we did a FHE with vescovo, it went really well and were able to plan many activities and also get some referrals!!  YEA!

     Wednesday we traveled to Viterbo to see Anila, a new convert, she is super cool and super receptive to the spirit.  We talked about missionary work with her because her family still doesn't know much about the church, and we did a fast together with here so that her family would be more receptive, super excited to see how it all turns out!

     Friday, July 4th!  Just so happened there was an activity planned that we went to, it was with the young adults which was cool, we played volleyball and got pizza, there were a couple of there friends that came which was super cool!  We got to share a spiritual thought and then had a little testimony meeting and the spirit was so strong!

     Saturday I got to meet Alessandro and Patrizia.  They are a referral from mormon.org.  Alessandro wanted a Book of Mormon, and he is already to Mosiah!  And he understands so well too, we talked about baptism and they said when they receive their answer they will be baptized!  They are also already planning on their 6 year old son going on a mission!! AWESOME!!

     Fast and testimony meeting was great, then to break the fast we went over to a Peruvian family's house, and the food was INCREDIBLE!!  Fried chicken and rice with a homemade spicy sauce, then shrimp and fish wraps!!  WOW!  So overall this week was great!  Next week will be even better! Hope y'all have a good week too!

VVB! Bird

Anziano 

Goodbye ladispoli 

Our single adults!

FORZA AMERICA!!!         June 30,2014



Happy fourth of July in advance!!  Go AMERICA!!

     So I am in Terni right now, and it is incredible!! I love it!  The members are sooooo cool!  We went to ones house on Saturday for some service, and look at that, he has a Mormon message!!  Here it is.

http://www.mormon.org/marco

     He is soooo cool!!  Got to week that whole garden the other day! haha  So the begining of the week was crazy trying to see all our investigators and members, so we were running around like crazy!!  Not to mention that we had to celebrate half Christmas, so happy half Christmas!!

     Thursday we all went to Rome for transfers, and my new companion, Anziano Cicon came and picked me up and we went straight to L'aquila!!!  We had to go for a conference.  It was really cool to see all of those members again.  Friday we went to an area called Viterbo and met with Francisco, he is Colombian, and super cool.  We talked about the Restoration of the Gospel, such and incredible feeling to bear testimony of truth and watch people feel the spirit and hear them describe the amazing things they felt.

     Saturday we did service with Marco Petrollini, and they are the only house in Italy that has a basketball court, so of course we played afterwards, and I won "21" both times, get ready dad! ;)  They are such a cool family, he even calls me Larry, for Larry Bird! haha  Church yesterday was awesome, and they asked me to give a talk!  So I spoke on the Atonement, and based it off of 2 scriptures, Mosiah 5:2, and Alma 7:11-13, so I invite y'all to read these scriptures and to think about how you can more fully use the Atonement in your life.

     I love y'all so much, celebrate 4th of July for me too, and America is going to win the World Cup!!!!  Have a fantastic week!!

VVB!

Anziano Bird

Death Transfer!!!    6-23-14

How is it going?! The title of the picture is what happens when you don't coordinate with the sisters for p day... haha this week was super awesome!!  Also forgot to tell you about a joke they played on me last week, they made a fake email saying Beaux had died, they are evil!  So I was happy to get the picture!

I got transferred, will be going to Terni for my last 5 weeks! Crazy! I am super excited, it will be a lot of fun!  Love y'all so much, have a great week!!  Compito della settimana, send me your favorite chapter of scripture!  love y'all!!

vvb!

Anziano Bird

6-16-2014

Good morning!!

     How is everything back in the states?  Everything is super good here and we are staying very busy and have a lot to do in the coming weeks as well.  This week has been awesome!  One of the coolest parts was when one of our investigators came to church yesterday in a super nice suit!!  And he has to drive an hour to get here!  It is amazing how so many times we don't have to say anything, but the spirit begins to work inside people and that is when real change occurs.  I am so happy to be apart of this great work!

     This week we did a scambio in Ostia with Anziano Baggaley and Zemp, and it was a lot of fun.  Anziano Zemp and I taught a older Italian man who seriously looks like a carbon copy of Mario, and guess what his name is... Mario!  We talked with him for about an hour and got about 2 sentences in! haha I am going to miss these people so much!!  

     I got may haircut (professionally) for only the second time since I have been in Italy, and it looks WAY better than the first!  We were able to have a great FHE with our investigators at the bishop's house, talked about the Restoration, and it made so much sense to him! Wahoo!  

     Yesterday we had a ward lunch after church, it was good, but it is always an interesting situation when the missionaries bring more food than everybody else combined! haha  It was a lot of fun, transfer calls are this next Saturday, so we will then know my final resting place, everybody pray for Malta!!!  Love y'all so much and have a great week!!

vvb!

Anziano Bird