Guess Who I Saw?

Dear Family and Friends

Wow I can't believe we have been here for 3 weeks already. Sometimes it feels really slow but when I think about it it has really flown by. I do really like it here. I can't believe the amount I have learned and all that has happened. We just got back from the Temple here in Provo and it went really well. I love having the opportunity to go to the temple each and every week because it really puts me in a great frame of mind for the rest of the week. I am learning so much. I can speak the language okay right now and can teach people all about Christ and our message for them. It is crazy how blessed I am to be doing this. This week had a few difficult days including some where it was hard to keep going, the blessing being that I did keep going and am doing even better for it now. This place is really fantastic and the amount going on is awesome considering all the people, all the languages and everything that is happening all the time. I know I am repeating myself a lot in this email but it really just blows my mind with all that is happening. It is weird to think that in 3 weeks I will be in Italy and working hard. O MY GOSH I can't believe I forgot but just like 10 min ago I was walking outside and we were going to come email and we were walking by all the new elders and I stopped and waited a little while and I saw my boy DALLAS!! hahaha he hadn't taken 10 steps out of the car and I saw him. I wish I could have seen Brian too but he had just driven away. Hahaha pretty funny huh? So make sure the Schoens know that he is doing well and we took him to his dorm and class for the next six weeks. He is going to be great! Thank everyone for all the letters and packages. Getting a letter or a package is like Christmas everyone always wants to check the mail and see what is happening. Its pretty funny actually:) So this week is fast Sunday and then we have General Conference. I am totally stoked about that. The General Authorities are AMAZING!! They have the spirit with them and when they speak they speak with divine inspiration for many who need to hear it. I am really so excited for that opportunity to hear them all speak. We had a great devotional from Elder Clarke of the Seventy and he talked about our ability to speak with power and authority from god and he was amazing. He talked a lot about being obedient to everything that was told of you and when you do so you will be blessed beyond belief. It remeinded me of the Prophets talk about Dare to Stand Alone, and when we do so we must Dare to Make our message know. I also like something else. He said "this work only works on the basis of love. Mom that made me think of you and how you were such an amazing example of that. I shared that example in our district meetings after the devotional. Even though I am still hoping to get an apostle I really do love all the talks given in these devotionals. I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the time at home. I love and pray for you all daily. Have a great week everyone. 

Love

Anziano Passantino 

Note from Kindra...Dallas is C.J.'s best friend in Texas. He is going on his mission to Brazil and  was supposed to go to the Brazil M.T.C. but hasn't gotten his visa yet so he is in Provo. They were of course, hoping they would see each other. Dad saw Dallas at the DFW airport and Brian picked him up and brought him to the MTC. We can only imagine how excited those two awesome Elders were to see each other right of the bat, truly a gift from Heavenly Father. 

Elder Schoen and Anziano Passantino best friends ready to serve the Lord!  

"I've only been here two weeks, I've already been here for two weeks"

Hey,

Hows it going everyone?? Week two has been good. Not nearly as exciting as week number one so this email is going to much shorter!! Sorry about that. We have had a good week. Lots of lessons and teaching in Italian so we've been working our way through those but we are getting a lot better. I don't know if I told you but my comp's name is Anziano S. and he is from Spanish Fork Utah. So we get to teach in Italian each day to our two new investigators M**** and S******* which is Italian for Savior! S******* is working to be a catholic Minister and M***** is alone and needs the plan of Salvation in her life! Our group Has been getting along really well again and we all just get closer and closer each day. After our planning a few days ago we went to the Milan Missionaries apartments and we all just started cracking jokes and we literally were on the floor crying laughing it was so funny. I think the fact that we were all exhausted had a little bit to do with it but it was so much fun and ever since then all we do is laugh and make stupid missionary jokes back and forth. I taught my first lesson without any help from me writing things down or any materials to back me up on Tuesday and it went really well. In my personal study I have been trying to focus on how I can be better at Teaching with the spirit and by making my investigators feel a little bit more comfortable around me. It helps but when they say something really fast in Italian and use words I haven't really heard before I have learned just to rely on what I do Know in Italian and teach them from my heart. It is hard but fun. I  really do like it here but I can't wait to get to Italy. I feel like its this feeling of I've only been here for two weeks while at the same time feeling like I've already been here for two weeks!! Its weird for sure. That elder I told you about last week who has been here for 8 weeks now is probably going to be here for longer now which I am happy about because he is probably the one I get along with the best! Him and Anziano T. who I think Melissa knows somehow!! He is awesome. I actually get along with everyone really well but those are probably the two I get along with the best and its cool because I can still become way good friends with the people going to Milan because we are so small that we all get to be together like all the time and we all are each others best friends for sure. It is really going to be hard to say goodbye to all of them at the end of all this because only 3 of us out of the 14 are going to Rome. O well it will be fine. Well i hope you are all doing well and know how much I love all of you! I love this gospel and I know without a doubt in my mind that it is true. Each time I testify of it the Spirit confirms that to me! I love being here and I know with no doubt this is where I am supposed to be at this time in my life! I love you all but more importantly Heavenly Father and Christ love you! They know each person personally and give us challenges but also give us a way to get through those challenges! Each person is different but God knows what we need and when we ask He will answer! Have a great week!!

Love 

Anziano Passantino

"The MTC is Amazing"

Dear Family and Friends,

I want to start out by thanking everyone for all the cool things you have done and all the support I have received from everyone!! The MTC is amazing! I know its only been one week but it really is great here. The spirit is strong and the people are great. For those who don't know I am on the West campus not the original campus. The rooms are bigger the food is better and the work is just as strong:) I know that this work is true. The spirit is strong here whenever there is a devotional and whenever we are together. I did get called as our district leader but its kind of funny because we only have 4 people in our district, me and my Comp Anziano S and two sisters who are going to Rome as well. Our branch is only 15 people strong but we have grown so close together as a group that I wouldn't change it for anything!! The first day was quite crazy, they rushed us off and we got all of our books and tags and all of that then we had to rush to get on a bus that was taking us over to the West Campus so that we could put all of our stuff down in our living area. Our living area is huge compared to what I expected, We have two rooms with a bathroom, a living area with two couches and a kitchen area. From what I've heard it is a ton bigger than what the people on the main campus are sleeping in! We then went to our classes where we waited until everyone got there and then we started. The only people in our class is our district so those same four people. I think that helps a lot with the language because each of us can get a little more one on one time with our three teachers who all went to Rome on their missions. I have learned how to pray in Italian and I know the "scopo" or our missionary purpose it Italian as well. I am half way done with the first Vision but it is quite a bit harder than the other two. They only speak to to us in Italian so at times it is frustrating but its alright. I have learned how to say "Posso dirlo in englese" which means can I say it in English and they usually say yes so if I am struggling with carrying a conversation in Italian that helps a ton! After class we met the Branch Leaders and we had a little get to know you testimony meeting with us and they interviewed us all and thats when they called me to be district leader. I was honored to be responsible for the district even if it is just four of us. The sister are Sorrela K and Sorrela P and because we are in the Class more than any other place by far we have grown together as a district and we all get along very well. They are by far the best at the language too so I have to give them their props! We finally got to relax as little bit after all of that and unpack. We then met our roommate Anziano P who has actually already been here for 7 weeks but he got delayed because of sickness and physical reasons so he has been there for a while. He has a very strong testimony and has really helped us as a group. We have two Zone leaders for our group who also have very strong testimonies of the gospel as well but Anziano P is kind of our leader for now! We have two guys in our district that are over 6 foot 7 so when we play basketball they have to be on different teams. Sunday was really amazing!  It was so spiritual.I  was able to bless the sacrament for our small little branch but it was defiantly special for me. Also we all had to prepare a Talk and on Sunday during Sacrament meeting they chose who was going to speak. And yes you guessed it, I was asked to speak. Luckily it was a short talk but I kind of went over a little bit, o well:) We had leadership meetings in the morning and priesthood and then we went to devotional at night. It was really good and was all about how we need to work hard and Prayer especially and how the gospel truths cannot be testified of without prayer!! He explained about how necessary it was that we always pray. We also had an amazing devotional by a member of our branch Presidency about how we knew Joseph Smith before this life and in Doctrine and Covenants 138:56 when he is talking about the meetings that we could have been in them with all the prophets and how it wouldn't be a stretch to say those were taught by Christ to help us to prepare for this time in my life. It was really incredible and it made me think about my purpose in life. We also had a great devotional on Tuesday from a member of the seventy. Elder Martino, if I remember correctly he spoke at either Conference or something recently because the name sounded super familiar but it was all about testimony and was super good. In this last week we have taught six lessons all in Italian and they were okay. Some of them went good and some didn't go as good but we tried to testify of the gospel of Christ in each. My comp and I get along but we are very very different. Our investigator has the desire but just hasn't been taught by the spirit yet that it is true so we try to help him recognize it in each lesson. Well that has been the update for the week. hopefully I answered everything you all wanted to know because I am rushing to finish so! I want each of you to know that I have a testimony of this gospel and I KNOW that it is true. I am out serving because of that Testimony. I know Christ loves us all and cares about everyone. He has shown me a lot in this last week. I love you all and I pray for my family and friends all the time. Thanks again for everything you have done to support me!

Love 

Anziano Passantino 

And so it begins....

He entered the Missionary Training Center! Doesn't he look ready and excited to go and serve? His blog will be updated with his first letter as soon as we get it.

In the meantime let him know you're thinking of him by emailing him at charles.passantino@myldsmail.net

Going to www.dearelder.com

or sending a letter to the address posted on the side!

Ciao!

And he's off.. to Provo that is. 

He's headed to the MTC on Wednesday! 

Ciao, C.J. you are loved!