Fall Already!  9/26/13


I'm sorry but every week I feel like I write the exact same thing.  I don't have a lot of time today because we are at an Internet point in L'Aquila and we have to go over to Pescara tonight.

     So last week we had Zone Conference in Napoli (aka coolest city on the planet) it was great, then we got to head to Caserta to do scambi.  We had so much success and it was way fun because I got to do them will with an anziano I was in the MTC with.  Then on our drive back to Rome we tried to find a referral that was in the mountains out in the middle of nowhere!  We searched and never found him!

     So we had a late night Saturday night getting ready for the next conference on Monday.  Sunday we went to church and found out the new boundaries and the new leaders in the new wards.  I got to do translation and is super fun, and our normal translator became a new bishop, so looks like its my job now! haha  Then right after church we ate, and started our drive down to Sicily!  We only made it down to Reggio Calabria Sunday night.

     Monday morning we finished the drive to Catania where we had Zone Conference there, it was awesome, tons of missionaries!  Then that night we headed to Messina to do scambi.  All Tuesday we had time to do scambi and that night we went over to a members house for a birthday party.  All of there family were non members and so it gave us a good chance to meet everyone and it was so fun and these people were some of the coolest people I have ever met!!  I have to add that to the list of places I have to serve. And of course the food was incredible!

     Then Wednesday morning we made the trip back up to Rome, stopping in Napoli for a pizza of course.  Got back pretty late, packed for the Rome East Zone Conference, then finally got to sleep in our own beds!  Then early this morning we came to L'Aquila (which is awesome!) and did the conference here, had to stay in the house in the morning because an anziano was sick, but it gave me a chance to write some letters!!  And tonight we head to Pescara to do scambi there until Sunday, then we will head to Foggia, then Bari!  Busy busy busy, but  I wouldn't have it any other way, love it!! And I love y'all!!                  

Anziano Bird

9/18/13

Last week of Summer!!!                                       

  Wow, every week it feels like there is so much to talk about!!  But this week I want to focus on one of the coolest things that has happened on my mission!  So we have our super awesome investigator named Laura.  And the only problem is we haven't been able to get here to come to church.  So Friday we decided we would do a lesson in the church and show her that the church wasn't scary or anything. 

     But right before our lesson we walked out of the office and saw there was a ton of people in the chapel.  So we started to panic a little and realized they were having choir practice for the conference with Elder Ballard on Sunday.  And so Laura arrived and we did a tour of the church and we felt inspired to ask her if she wanted to sing in the choir, and turns out she is a singer and really really wanted to!!

     And although this was just their last practice before the conference, everyone welcomed her and she had a really good experience.  And on Sunday morning she woke up before 6 so she could make it on time!  And she said afterwards she was just crying when Elder Ballard was speaking and it just so happened that he spoke about genealogy for a while which is her main interest!!  It was one of the coolest things ever!!

     So to go back alittle, last week we got back from Malta and immediately had to start preparing for this conference, it was crazy!!!!  And then before the conference on Sunday, Elder Ballard wanted to meet with all the missionaries and have a meeting.  So all of that was on us to prepare, and we were working until the very end, but everything went super smooth and it was one of the most amazing conferences I have been apart of.  Not to mention I got to chat with him for a second!  He truly is an amazing person.

     Then the main conference had SO many people there.  Missionaries alone there was over 100, then members from 18 wards and branches!  The talks were so amazing and it was such a blessing for all the members here.  We did lose our bishop to the stake presidency and found out they are splitting our ward!  Then Monday we had our first zone conference of the transfer, so one down 6 to go!  But it is a lot of fun and its is a good thing because president told Anziano Kasper and I we will both be here for quite a while! haha So we will probably end up doing half of our mission together by the end!

     I love y'all and hope all is well!

Love, 

            Anziano Bird

                                                     

                                                    just another Malta picture too!

MALTA!!!!


September 11, 2013

Hey everybody,

     So it was only a couple of days since I wrote so not a lot of new things have happened.  Sunday we had to really start preparing for Elder Ballard to come for the Stake Conference next week to split the stake.  There will now be 4 Stakes in our mission!  On Monday we kept preparing and also had a lesson with a man we met when we were in the basement of a Catholic church doing a P-day at Assasi.

     It was interesting to say the least.  We should have known the was something up when he was so eager to meet with us and and saying some weird things.  In the end he was not interested in the Gospel, he was more interested in Anziano Kasper and I..... so probly no more lessons with him.  

     Our house is pretty crazy right now because they are tearing off all our old wall paper and painting so the whole place is a mess!  Tuesday morning we got on a plane and got to come down to Malta!!  Just so happened to be my birthday, funny how that worked out!  But Malta is incredible!  So much different than I thought it would be.  They speak Maltese here, which is alittle bit Italian, Spanish, English, and alot of Arabic!  But luckily they speak english too.  So yesturday I was trying to talk to people in Maltese and preaching the Gospel for the first time in English, and it was pretty hard.

     We taught a lesson to a man from the Ivory coast yesturday and did finding the rest of the night.  And we saw so much success.  I would love to come down and serve!  It is pretty sweet because not a lot of people get to come see Malta, but we do!  So we will leave tomorrow afternoon, I dont want to leave but there will be a lot of work waiting for us in Rome! 

     I dont remember if last week I told yall about Laura, our sweet investigator.  We had a super awesome lesson with her last week and set a baptismal date.  And we had an Anziano with us who is in his 2nd transfer and so he doesnt really understand a ton yet.  And this lady has cats, and they were rubbing on his legs and he was trying to avoid them.  And so she stopped and looked at him and and if he was scared, but he didnt understand, so he did what every greenie does in the situation and just nod your head and say "si" really enthusiastically!! haha And so she jumped up and locked the cats out, it was hilarious!

     Just alittle bit more about today, there is a senior couple here that took us on the grand tour of the island so that was pretty sweet and this afternoon we have some appointments set up so I am excited!  I love yall a ton and hope everyone is doing good!

Love,

         Anziano Bird

September 8, 2013

Well I figured pictures are worth a thousand words, and there are 2 pictures so it is just like I wrote a really long letter!  The first is when the greenies came in last week and we are with Anziano Steurer who is one of the couples in the office. And the other is a cat that lives next door to the Anziani in Ostia!  So much has happened lately, the craziest week of my life and we haven't slept a lot!  This Tuesday I decided to treat myself for my birthday and take a 3 day trip to Malta, which should be incredible!!!  

     Our one investigator, Laura, is doing incredible, we just set a baptismal date and everything is super awesome!!  Love y'all!

Anziano Bird

This is at the baptism of Moses!!! he was the man we taught then handed off to the other Anziani! 

                          this is the other morning when we walked out and our rims were stolen!