First Baptism!

Dear Family and Friends,

Wow this week!! I have like no time to write all that I want to about this week but I will try my best. It has been great. I think I will focus on Saturday. We preped the "baptismal font" in the morning. It was really just a minny backyard pool that we filled up. That was funny we climbed in with chairs hahaha. It was pretty funny and great. We then went and did a thing called gesso, it is where we stood in the Center and drew the Plan of Salvation of a sheet and it gets the attention of all the Italians and then from there we have Plan of Salvation pamphlets and explained it to them. In one our we had 3 numbers and a return appointment. It was great. 

    Then for the Baptism. Everything went great. The printer at the Church was not working and so me and my comp ran around looking for a place to print the programs for like an hour because everyone was closed. We then went back and I had to get changed and just a little bit after that we started. It was a little close but it all worked out. We got to see S***** sincerely happy for the first time. It was great. I was super nervous to say the Prayer in Italian but once we got in the font I was no longer nervous. It wasnt difficult because I didnt really remember saying it but I know that it happened. That might sound a little strange but I know it was becuase the Spirit helped me with it. I am so happy for him. I wil try to put on some pictures of the night. 

      Other than that this week has been good. Finding went good this week. Lots of that is because we went on an exchange and I had Anziano B. again and he is super excited about Finding so it makes it easier and more successful. We have lots of appointments this week. Overall this week has been great. I know this letter has been super short but it was good. I am happy to be here. We have transfer calls this week so that should be fun. This transfer has felt long and short at the same time but from what everyone is saying it just gets shorter and shorter so hopefully I will be able to work to the best of my ability these next two years. Hope everyone is doing well. I love you all and am so grateful for you. Have a great week!!

Love

Anziano Passantino

When in Roma

Family and Friends

This week has been filled with a lot of travel and a lot of fun and learning an all sorts of different things. We had Zone Conference on Tuesday and I was given the chance to bear my Testimony in Italian in front of all the other Anziani and Sorelle which was a bit nerve racking but everything went very well. I have been blessed to learn the language and because of this I have not being super diligent on language goals but I do know how important they are. The more we set goals the more we will succeed. I am trying my best to become better and better at this and the more I do it the more I have seen my language skills grow and grow. We then had Stake Conference in Rome both Saturday and Sunday. That was good. I did not understand all of it and some people I can understand a lot better but they were using very formal language with another form that is not used very often so it was difficult. Other than that the conference was great. It was all about missionary work and how we need to work more with the members. In our last 100 baptisms as missionaries 48 of them have come from members and 4 from door to door and street combined. It really helps and I know how important that is. My friend Anziano M. was transferred today. Too bad we will miss him but are excited for Anziano T. to come to Terni. I have spent a lot of time in Rome this week but have not seen a thing. Hahaha o well I will at some point im sure. I wanted to share about something I have been studying a lot about here lately. This is the importance of being humble and Charitable. I have found that in my life sometimes I get jealous at others for blessings they recieve and have a hard time showing happiness for others when these kinds of things happen to them. I have been working really hard on this. I know this is because of pride that I have in my life. I know that this is something I need to be working on and will continue to work on my whole life. I really like a talk called Beware of Pride by Elder Benson if I can remember correctly. It is great and has helped me to see how I can improve in this area. Also I will try to be more charitable. It is hard sometimes but I know that it is important. I have not always been the best in the past and hope to get better and better. I know that this life is based mostly on our journey to become like Christ. I love studying from the Christlike Attributes in preach my gospel. We gain so much from there. It is my prayer that we can all become more Christlike and to strive for this in our life. We will all come up short but as we use the Enabling Power of the Atonement we can continue to improve each and every day. I hope all is well at home and everyone is doing good. I think about you all daily but I know this is where I need to be so I strive to focus on the work each day. I know that this message is special, some may disagree with me but I have seen miracles in the lives of these people as they follow Christ, it is truly amazing to see the fruits of this work. We have a baptism on Sunday and I am so happy for him. I have been given a love for these people that I am so grateful for. I hope everyone is doing well and that you will try your best to improve and become like Christ each day and if you fall get back up and start continuing on the path. 

Love 

Anziano Passantino

sorry again for the spelling it is really hard!! 

"He asked me to perform the baptism"

Dear Family and Friends,

Wow another week here in Italy. This week was both long a short at the same time. I was feeling a little under the weather all week. I am starting to get over it now but I felt pretty bad around Wednesday. It was just a little cold I think but everything is getting better now. We have had a harder week in terms of teaching. We have 6 investigators and only one came to church and he is getting Baptized in two weeks. We have Stake Conference this coming up week and tomorrow is my first Zone Conference. I am looking forward to that. About this guy who is getting baptized, his name is S****** and he has been taking the lessons for a while now. He comes to English course every week twice a week. He is a huge fan of the Band Genesis and he sings them all the time to me in English. He always try to speak to me in English it is pretty funny. He is a good guy. He has asked me to perform the Baptism so that will be a good experience for me. I am looking forward to that opportunity, and am honored that he chose me to perform it. He is the one in the pictures that I will try to send.

 The language is coming step by step. It is hard to always pay attention when I dont know what is going on in the conversation. The hard part for me right now is having just normal conversations. When we are teaching and talking about the Gospel I am blessed with the ability to understand for the most part what is happening its the normal conversations that are still difficult for me now. This is also hard becuase I cant really relate to people or get to know them and their needs if I cant talk to them about normal everyday activities. I am doing really well though. My comp helps me as I make mistakes. We work good together becuase I am the one that wants to talk to people but cant becuase of language barriers so I stop the people start a little converstion then he finishes it by talking about whatever. Just a little team I guess haha. Everything is going well, we love all the people here. I know that this is the Gospel of Christ. I have witnessed the spirit touch people. One of our investigators prayed for his life to change for the better then the next day he ruined his hand in a machine at work. He took this to be a sign from God as the next day the Missionaries showed up. We were able to get him a book of Mormon in his native language and he is traveling to Sri Lanka this week to help his mother who is in bad health. He has said that he wil read the Book of Mormon on the plan where there wont be any disractions so hopefully this happens. I am so grateful for the Gospel. It has changed my life for the better and I wouldnt rather be anywhere else right now. I am thankful for my family and friends and their example to me!! I hope everyone is doing well and has a great week.

Love

Anziano Passantino

ps Sorry about the spelling mistakes it is harder to type on these Italian keyb