8/28/13

End Of August

 Wow, this week has been incredible!  So busy but amazing!  So when I wrote last, I was in Palermo.  So we spent most of p-day in Palermo, then left and finished it out in Trapani.  I did an exchange with Anziano Gemmell (who is from New Zealand) he is a young trainer so they really needed some help.  So we had finding planned for all that evening (3 hours).  So I asked if there were some members close by we could stop by and share a thought with, and there was a little ways away, so we started to make our way there while talking to EVERYBODY. On these exchanges you really have to be a super missionary and set the bar super high!  So literally everybody!

     So we got some numbers and passed out a bunch of supplies, and by the time we got to the house Anziano Gemmell was just so excited to talk to everybody!  This family that we stopped by was awesome!!  They are probably in their late 50's, no kids at home, but another less active member was at their house which was even better!  They just loved the spiritual thought we shared and loved us!  So they really wanted to feed us, but nothing was ready yet.  So we went out and did finding for about 45 minutes and gave out some Books of Mormon and got some more numbers!  So we really saw some instant blessings for getting out and working!

     This family was awesome!!!!  Found out he had mafia ties back in the day, and heard their conversion story, not to mention the amazing food!  Shows how important it is to help build the members and build those relationships with them!  The next morning we left Trapani to head to Sciacca.  And on the way there, the gas light came on, we were in the middle of nowhere, soon the gas light started to blink, and there was no civilization in sight, we were pretty scared!  But ended up putting into a gas station just in time!! haha

     We did exchanges there with another struggling companionship, I was with an older missionary this time that is just alittle "tired" we like to say.  We taught a lesson and did more finding.  It was awesome because we were there for lunch so we really got to reinforce the study times and things like area book that I think will be really good for them.  That night, we headed back to Catania so we could catch our flight Friday morning!

     On the flight I sat next to a man from Perth, Australia, and was hear in Italy because his son was going to come over and play professional rugby!!  And he seemed pretty interested in the Gospel as well!  We got back to Rome and had a lunch appointment with a member that fed us SO much, and fed us the most delicious eggplant which is now my favorite food!!  Then Saturday was spent catching up, and we got a call from some sisters in Rome that locked their keys in their house, so Anziano Kasper and I had to go break into their house for them, it was pretty awesome!!!  We used xray paper and shook the door and it just popped open!

     Sunday in church it was finally full again, everybody is back from their vacations!  And as missionaries we are doing a musical number in a couple weeks for church so we practiced that!  Then the coolest news of the day, they announced that they are splitting the Rome Italy Stake!!!!  So that means, on September 15 Elder Ballard will be here to do that and there is a pretty good shot he will meet with the missionaries!!!  Monday we were preparing for some conferences this week and we are in Terni right now doing exchanges here until Thursday.  Last night we had a lesson with a man who is getting baptized in September and it was way awesome!!  Then a couple hours of finding and we met some really cool people and had lots of success!

     Today for p-day we might be heading up to Perugia to go to a world famous chocolate factory, where at the end of the tour you get all you can eat chocolate!!!!! YEA!!  I am so happy I am here and so blessed to have the opportunities I am having.  I love y'all so much!!  Have a great week!!

Vi voglio bene!

                      Anziano Bird

Hey family!!      8/21/13

     Okay, first off, guess where I am!  Palermo!!  But we will get to that in a second.  So starting back at last week, we had a lesson with our investigator Laura.  We planned on teaching the Restoration, but as we started to talk, she really opened up and told us all about her life and how she had been studying genealogy for a lot of her life!  So we decided to teach the Plan of Salvation.  It was one of the best and most spiritual lessons of my mission.  She was so happy and overwhelmed that she was in tears half the time.  The spirit was so strong, and we hadn't really covered the Book of Mormon yet, but she said "I have been thinking a lot about Native Americans lately and their history, I'm not sure why!"  So we explained the Book of Mormon and we were all just blown away!  She has truly been prepared by the Lord. 

     Saturday we had to go the the other side of Rome to do a baptismal interview, and we met this Filipino family that are members of another ward here, and they were incredible!!  So we did the baptismal interview at their house and then ate and talked with them.  The made fresh cantaloupe juice and it was the best thing ever!  Filipino people are the nicest people on the planet I have decided!  And it was about that time I got a call from a member in the bishop rick here to give a talk the next day!  Its nice to be the back up plan!  So this was my second talk here in Roma 2, which is awesome, because I actually really like giving talks now, and it is a good way to try and get people pumped about missionary work!

    So Sunday morning was spent planning a talk and church went great!  Then right after we headed to Roma 3, a ward across town, for the baptism of Moses.  A man we taught here in Roma 2 then passed over to the other missionaries.  So it was awesome to be able to go to that!  Then we ran home and had about 30 min to eat and pack for our almost week long trip!  We flew out of Rome on Sunday evening and flew into Catania.  The first night we did a mini exchange with some of the younger missionaries there.  There are a lot of really young companionship's in our mission and so we need to do a lot of exchanges so that their spirits will be lifted and they can learn to enjoy the work.

     Monday we had Zone Conference in Catania, and I did exchanges with Anziano Hatch, and we went out to the American Navy base outside of Catania with the Sorelle and we taught Italian class!  It was really really fun!!!  Also weird because it was like little America!!  Everyone spoke English and there was grass, and carpet, and Chevy camaros!! haha  And afterwards we met a guy that seemed really interested in the Gospel and got to share some things with him, which doesn't always happen on the base because you can't talk about religion unless they ask us something.

     The next morning we left early to head to Palermo!!!!  And we head the first Zone conference in Palermo in who knows how long! Other than the power being out and it being SO hot, it was incredible!  And we got to do splits here last night and I got to see everyone!!!!  My new converts, investigators, members, everyone!!!  It was so cool!  And so we are doing p-day here today, then driving over to Trapani to do scambi, then Thursday we are going to Sciacca to do more scambi, then back to Catania, and then flying home on Friday!  So it will, and has been a super fun week!! Love y'all a lot!!!!

Anziano Bird

Hello Everyone!  8/14/2013

Buon ferragosto!!

     Tomorrow is ferragosto here in Italy, and it is possibly the biggest holiday in Italy, I believe it celebrates the Madonna.  So, everyone is gone, and so for us missionaries, it is one of the big cleaning days for our apartments!  I am pretty excited because it has been a good while since our house has been cleaned, and with 6 missionaries living there, it has a tendency to get pretty dirty!

     So this past week our mission president and his wife were out of town, so we got more missionary work done than we usually do!  And we had the opportunity to teach our brand new investigator Laura for the first time!  It was incredible, there is no doubt that she has been prepared to hear our message, every question she asked was just perfect!  And we brought a greenie that lives in our house to the lesson and had him do the baptismal invite, and she led him right into it by asking the question "what do I have to do to be happy and have this light and this spirit that you all have?"  It was incredible to say the least and the spirit was SO strong!

     Also this week we found a less active man named Mario.  He is getting close to 90 and is just the tiniest most frail man, but is so cool!  So we ventured out to his house last week and in total it took us about 3 hours to find it!  Luckily we have began to listen to talks while we drive ( I can't handle MoTab anymore!! ) and we listened to a talk that quickly became my favorite talk for the month!  It was a talk by Anziano Holland at the MTC given a couple of years ago.  And he spoke on the Atonement.  It was one of the most powerful talks I have ever hear.  He spoke about how everything we teach as missionaries, and in turn everything we believe in is just a branch off the Atonement.  And how important it is in all of our lives, and how we are all in need of it, not just our investigators, not just missionaries, but everyone.

     I have actually listened to this talk twice this week because I love it so much!  My testimony on the Atonement of Christ is probably the part of my testimony that has grown the most on my mission, and it truly is incredible to have the comfort that Christ has literally felt every pain and difficulty that I face here in the mission.  And when I mess up, He is waiting to forgive me!  How blessed are we?!  

     So we visited Mario and it turns out it was just the perfect time!  He had really been facing some difficulties in his life and really needed some answers to his questions.  He has forgotten a lot what the missionaries taught him in the past so we are going over everything with him again and he is just loving it!  So rescuing the lost has been a pretty big part of the work, which is one of the most rewarding types of missionary work to do!

     This past Monday was our zone conference down in Napoli, and it went super well, it was crazy because they are in a district and so our mission president has to do all the temple recommend interviews.  After the conference we got to go do exchanges with the missionaries in Caserta, they were super young missionaries, and we did finding with them for 3 hours and we got 10 numbers and handed our tons of stuff, it was super cool because it got them so excited about the work and we all really learned a lot from it.  Also I saw one of my friends from the MTC at the Napoli conference, Anziano Carr came up from Malta and this was the first time I had seen him in the mission so that was super cool!

     And we especially didn't get a p-day today because we had the Roma East zone conference.  And guess where we held it..... L'Aquila!!!!!  Wonder who had something to do with that!?  It was my first time being back in 7 or 8 months and I did not want to leave!  Made me really miss it!  And so we just got back and I got to squeeze in internet on p-day which is always a plus!  I love ya'll SO much and I miss ya'll and hope that everyone's week is just awesome!!

Vi voglio tanto tanto bene!

              Anziano Bird

8/8/14  

  It is really weird to think that this is my release date for next year!  Well it has been another great week with tons to write about!  So Thursday and Friday were just the normal days doing a bunch of crazy work, we got new budgets and numbers for the mission and we found out that within the next 2 years they want us to have 31 new houses for missionaries, so, we have some work to do!  Then we were dealing with travel for peoples permessos so they can stay legal and stay in the country!

     We have a completely new english course program that we will be starting next transfer and so we have been preparing all of that stuff for zone conferences.  Sunday we got the official plan from the bishop on families we really want to work with.  We got the Lopez family, they are Peruvian and they are the BEST!!!!  We went over to their house for the first time last night and they are so ready to share the Gospel and we set up a plan with them to do it.  They already want to have us over twice a week and they want to make us all kinds of Peruvian food! YES!  The closest thing to Mexican food I can get!

     Sunday was also super awesome because we had a ward council and got to meet with everyone to talk about all our investigators and new converts and less actives, there is a lot of work to do!  Then we spent a lot of time preparing to go to Bari and Taranto for zone conferences.  So about 7a.m. Monday morning we heading down to Bari.  Had a sweet zone conference, our training was on our responsibility to the Lord and our mission president.  It went super good.  Then that night we got the opportunity to go and do exchanges with 2 struggling missionaries in Bitonto and really help them out.

     Tuesday morning we drove down to Taranto, which is super cool!  They have a super strong ward there and probably on of the nicest church buildings here.  Another good conference, and for lunch one of the members who owns a pizza place made us lasanga and a sister down there made salsa especially for me, so it made it one of the better lunches I had had! They also have probably the most youth and young adults in that ward and so every year that ward basically produces the Italian EFY music, so we got our hands on that too, MoTab was getting a little old. haha

     And here is the super cool story of the week, its not very spiritual, but its super cool!  So on the drive back from Taranto Tuesday night, it was dark, and cops here don't really pull people over, they just drive around with their lights on.  So we were on the freeway and I see a cop coming up behind us with his lights on, so I got over.  And as this cop car passes, I look over, and this is no ordinary cop car, its a Lamborghini!!!!!!  Yep a real Lamborghini Murcielago cop car!!  And he just cruised past.  And Anziano Kasper and I looked at each other and couldn't believe what we had just seen!!  So I was talking to the Italian that we live with and he said yea, there are only 2 in all of Italy, and they use them to transport organs, because ambulances aren't fast enough!!!  I felt like I was in a video game or a movie!

     Also yesterday for p day some members from the U.S. took us out to eat at a restaurant facing the Colosseum and then they paid for our tickets to finally go it and see inside!  It was pretty cool I guess!  Glad I got to do it for free!  But it was super fun!  Hope y'all are well, and I love y'all a ton!

Vi voglio bene,

                       Anziano Bird

July 23, 2013


Okay, this was a crazy week, so hold on tight!

     Last Saturday night when I emailed we also had a ward activity (talent show) but we had a lesson planned (we got stood up) so we went to the talent show.  It was a lot of fun and got a super sweet contact out of it.  There is a blind kid named Robert who comes to English course, he is 18 and super cool, he came and loved it!  So we invited him to church and he came!

     But first thing Sunday morning we drove down to the Trevi fountain to pick up Elder Evans and his wife!  So we went to church with them, and in church we had Elder Evans (first quorum of the 70) Elder De Feo (an area 70), the stake president, and the mission president!  It was so sweet!  Anziano Evans spoke alot about the mission presidents broadcast and about how missionary work is changing.

     After church we went to the temple site...... where we got on!!!!  We were the first missionaries to make it on!  Our last mission president didn't even get on!  We didn't get the full tour but it was still super cool!  Then we went to the mission home where we ate lunch and got to hang out with Elder Evans for another couple hours and ask all kinds of questions, and the direction they are taking missionary work will be incredible! 

     And as we were taking him back to his hotel, we decided to see Rome, and the Colosseum!  So we walked around with them looking at downtown Rome, also got my picture with them in front of the Colosseum!  Monday we left super early for Bari, takes about four and a half hours to get there, then we did the leadership council, got some famous sandwiches, then went to Bitonto to do exchanges!  And it went super well and we had alot of success!

     The next day was another zone conference, which is always fun, we got out of there pretty late and ended up getting home around midnight!  Wahoo!  And today for p day I bought a tie!  It was a good day!  Hope all is well with all of you and hope it continues to go well!  And nobody worry about sending me packages for the year mark! 

love y'all!

Quick Email    July 13, 2013

  So I am going to blow through this last week!  New president, a lot different, but is really ready to make some good changes in the mission.  We have been going crazy trying to do 6 zone conferences in 3ish weeks!  And as of right now we only have one left!  Last Sunday I got the chance to drive President and Sister Waddoups down to Battipaglia (city south of Napoli next to the Amalfi coast, famous for their buffalo mozzarella) for church.  It is a branch of about 25ish normally, but that Sunday they set a record with 54 in church! It was so cool!

     Got to eat with all the missionaries there after at the senior couples house, the meal was prepared by a professional chef in the branch, it was incredible!  So in driving time I got to spend about 6 hours alone with the president and his wife, even though they slept a little.  Got back late Sunday, and had to wake up early Monday to catch our flight down to Catania!  I sat next to a super awesome young couple and learned a lot about Sicily and got their number and they will be baptized one day!

     The conference went really well, then Anziano Kasper and I got a car from down there and started the journey home.  The first night we stayed in Reggio Calabria.  And Wednesday morning before we left we got what was voted southern Italy's best gelato!  We headed up to Battipaglia again where we ate the worlds best buffalo mozzerella and picked up some missionaries to head to the Napoli zone conference, which is actually held in Pozzuoli, and that church may have the best view of any church I have been to!  It is up on a hill and overlooks the beautiful ocean!

     Headed back and got home late Thursday night, and did the normal stuff on Friday and today we were preparing for my first general authority visit since my stay in Rome!  Tomorrow Elder Evans from the first quorum of the seventy arrives and I have to pick him up from downtown Rome for church, afterwards they have permission to go on the temple site (I am hoping SOOOO bad to get on too) and they we are having lunch with them and our mission president and his wife!!!  It should be the coolest thing ever!  I will keep y'all updated and will try to email on Wednesdays from now on! haha

    The one picture is Ex-Anziano Kafel (my companion in Palermo) and Ex-Anziano Botallo (who lived in our house) they have been down in Sicily and stopped to see us on the way up!  It was way good to see them and you could tell they had been at the beach!  The other picture is by in Pozzouli and it is the spot where Paul landed and began to preach!  So that is all of us and the church they built there... so that of course is awesome!  Love y'all!

Love,

               Anziano Bird

Ciao   July 3, 2013

Hey everybody!

     I feel like I say this almost every week, but I dont have alot of time today!  So we are going to try and do email on Wednesday again! haha  We have really tried and change "the traditions of our fathers" here and we are starting to get alot more missionary work done.  Since we have been in 3 it has been easier and we have found new investigators and been able to meet with alot more members.  

     Last week we watched the mission presidents broadcast, it was SO cool!!!  If ya'll have't watched it.... you have to!  The members in this ward are SOOOO awesome and the bishop is a boss!!  He was a professional soccer player and he is a super spiritual man and is ready to do some awesome work with us.  Also we found an african named Moses this week.  And we met and set a baptismal date and is the coolest person ever and is so prepared for the gospel.  But we than found out that he lives in another zone of Rome, so we had to pass him along.

     Having the new mission president has been interesting.  They are like children, and you have to lay out their days for them because they have no idea what is going on. haha  But he is a really good guy and is ready to work hard.  Its nice that we can change a few things we didnt really like (like doing little missionary work).  I hope yall are well, I love the emails and the letters, and I will be better about letters I promise!!!  

Love yall!

                      Anziano Bird

President and Sister Kelly

Summer June 23, 2013

Summer is finally here! And man is it hot! But it is nice, it is definatly hard to wear a suit on Sundays. Today was alittle different, our microphone in the chapel was broken today so everyone had to be really reverent, and normally there are so many people they have an upstairs room they broadcast sacrament meeting to, but couldn't do that because there was no microphone. So we set up a ton of chairs in the hall and everyone just had to listen really carefully! This week has been interesting but good. An Anziano in our house still has chicken pox so we rotate through who has to stay with him throughout the day. Needless to say the house is now very clean and everyone has done alot of studying and called about everyone there is to call. This is the last week that my mission president has, and our new one flys in on Friday! Yesturday night our ward had an activity that explained the temple and geneology and those things, we had a really good turn out and ended up with 15 numbers from it. So we have this next week to contact some people, them the rest of the transfer we will be doing Zone Confrences. Our office also got painted and rearranged so everything is nice and new for the new president. Its pretty cool, we go from having a mission president who was the co-founder of JetBlue, to having one that was a Utah senator! Remember to write me with any questions that ya'll have, I am always happy to answer them! I love ya'll and have a super fun week!

 love, Anziano Bird