CONFERENZA GENERALE!

How is everyone doing this week?? Wasn't conference just AMZING!! We say here that it is the Super Bowl of the mission. I learned so many new and great things this past weekend and cannot wait to put them into practice. This morning I made my list as to what I must do from what I learned in Conference. We were able to see most of it, all but sunday afternoon. Maybe we will watch that sometime this week. 

Well this week has been really good. I am super excited to be working here in Catanzaro for this time in my mission. I know that they work here will really be different but I am very interested to learn how I can help the work here grow and help others to come unto Christ. I am really looking foreward to working with the members during this transfer because I think the Leaders of the church were trying to give us a message as to how we must work with the members and how they must work with us!! I know that the branch will be a lot different than the ward but I think this branch can really grow. I have been told what the goal is for the year and I am excited to try and help them reach that. I feel like it is possible. I feel like the Lord can bless this place and  that if it is His will the work will go foreward strongly.

 I learned a lot from all the talks this past week but I believe that I had three that really stuck out to me. First was all the talks about defending our faith (especially that of Elder Holland) and our beliefs even when the world would like to say they are wrong. That is very important in a world that is changing for the worse in my occasions. Second was that of Elder Ridd in Priesthood session. Speaking mostly to the Youth of the Church he counciled about how we can use technology to better the lives of those around us. Also he spoke a lot about choices. I felt that was very powerful. The youth in this age are very important and you can see that now and in the near future they will be hit with some of life's hardest challenges. And third, Elder Bednars talk about the Enabling power of the Atonement. I have been studying many of his discourses about this subject in the recent past and I learned even more from this talk. It helped me to grow. DON'T forget his invitation to study and pray about the Atonement and how we can use it in our lives. I feel spiritually uplifted from the ideas and concepts that were given to us during this wonderful Conference!!

I did have a great experience this past week just before I left to come here to Catanzaro. I was watching The District with Anziano M******* for companionship study and something stood out to me that never has before. We were watching about setting goals and in this section Elders Ballard and Scott and speaking about goals. They talk about how if both companions in a companionship are working together and feel like they are able to accomplish a goal then "invoke the powers of heaven" that they will experience the same thing that the quorem of the 12 experiences. They will be guided by the Lord in all things that they do and say. This really stood out to me. I brought this story with me here to Catanzaro and shared it with Anziano Kenney. We both agree that we can do this here and help the work to really grow this transfer. We have goals that are quite high for our work here for this transfer and we have prayed really hard for the help to accomplish these. I know we will be blessed by the Lord's help in these next 6 weeks and that we will see many blessings in our lives and in the lives of others. 

I hope everyone is doing well. I send my love and wishes to all of you and thank you all for your prayers. I reciece strength from all that you guys do. 

VI VOGLIO TANTO BENE!!

Anziano Passantino

Headed to Catanzaro

Dear Family and Friends,

How is everyone doing this week?? We have had a good week. We have seen a little bit of a drop off in our ability to see people in this last part of the week but we think it is just a temporary thing in which they are a little bit busy right now. We also have recieved a little bit of news. I will be leaving this week to go down and serve in the city of Catanzaro!! I am very excited for this new adventure that I get to be going on now.  Terni has been really good to me. I am going to miss it, that is for sure, but I am very excited for this new adventure in the mission. I am excited for the change and for the chance I will have to grow in Catanzaro. Anziano M******* and I will be sad to leave each other because we have become good friends but I am super excited to go and meet Anziano K**** I have only heard good things about him and the work he is doing. Catanzaro is in Calabria and down south. It is quite the change in places in terms of distance. It is almost like being sent from Chico California to San Francisco or Dallas to Houston. Even a little big bigger than those. Plus the cities will be a TON different. It will be small branch instead of a big ward and the work will be different but I am super excited for the new chance to work in this area. 

This week here in Terni we were also able to do a Scambio with the Rome 5 anziani. I really enjoyed it and I learned a lot from both Anziano S***** and G*****l. Both of them are great. Anziano S**** to came with me in the morning and taught a new member lesson with Stefano. It went really well and I learned a lot about teaching from one short lesson. He seems to connect really well and come up with great examples to help others understand a little bit more about the gospel and what they need to be doing to recieve the blessing of it here on the earth. Then I taught and did a lesson with Anziano G*****. We tried out a new finding technique. It was called spiritual finding. He told me to think about a person, what he was wearing and what he looked like, then to picture a place and then we would pray and go find that person.On the basis that we had to be exactly obedient and we had to stop the person when the Lord put them in our path. I did this and it worked. I found this person wearing exactly the same thing I saw and at the exact spot. He didn't want to hear anything but we were able to leave a little pass-along card and who knows what will happen. I did reviece a stronger testimony of how when we have faith and when we invoke the powers of heaven he will bless us with miracles. Of course everyone has there ability to choose but we can only do our best to help others come unto Christ. 

It is so amazing how we see miracles every day. I am able to grow, learn, and continue forward each day. 

I hope everyone has a great week and everything is going well. thanks for everything!! I love you all

Love Anziano Passantino

Elder Kearon comes to visit

Well we have been really blessed this week.Today we were able to go to the Waterfalls here near Terni. They are one of the biggest in Europe or something. I am not really sure but they are famous around the world I guess. We got completely soaked but it was lots of fun. Also it was freezing cold plus the water but totally worth it. Oh and it hailed for like 20 min while we were doing the hike. Just another fun story to share.

The work is going very well also. The other day we were looking in the area book and I felt like I needed to call a certain person. I called him and we set up and appointment. During the appointment he told us about how three times in his life when he needed help and asked God to help him in some way the missionaries contacted him. The first time it was a really hard time and they gave him a picture of Christ. The second time they called him twice. And the third time was us. He met with us and came to church this Sunday. He also brought his companion. He really wants to change his life and is really doing great and we are really looking forward to working with him.  I feel so blessed to have the chance to serve as a missionary. 

The conference with Elder Kearon this week was really inspiring. It was a little different than normal in the fact that he didn't really go to hard on us (breaking boxes as they call it here in Italy) but was very loveing and sincere I was able to learn a lot and recieve many answers to my prayers. I loved how genuine he was and I felt like he was speaking directly to me. He talked a lot about finding out who you really are and this is something I hope to be able to figure out here on my mission. It is a subject I have studied a lot but I now realize that fasting and even more fervent prayer will be necessary this week to get the answer I need at this moment. Don't get me wrong, I know that I am a son of God and I have felt that in my own life, I am just now trying to move that knowledge into some way in which I can help others feel of that love. I hope to find that with lots of scripture study, prayer, fasting, and pondering. 

The week here has really gone well. Everything is going well and we are still working hard. It has seemed like this week has gone perfectly in the sense that everything is moving along very smoothly. Our investigators are moving forward and progressing well. We hope that they will be able to make some very big steps in the coming weeks and really get them to come closer to Jesus Christ. We didn't see a slow down in the work even when we missed a day on wednesday to come to Rome, the work is still moving forward plus we were given an extra push from Elder Kearons words. 

I have really been focusing on something different in my studies the last few days. I remember Elder Kearon saying something about having softend hearts. I wrote in my notes that I needed to find out how I can soften my own heart before the spirit can soften the hearts of others. I didn't really understand the true meaning of a softened heart until I began to study. I really feel like by softening our hearts we can become more in tune with the spirit. We must be more humble. I have always desired to be one of those people that radiates with the spirit. I feel like those people who radiate with the spirit have soft hearts and are willing to follow the spirit in every case. We have to be able to invite the spirit and then accept in into our lessons. 

I love the fact that the spirit is so strong in all that we do and say as missionaries. We can really really learn from the spirit if we are willing and humble enough to accept the teachings that we are given by the spirit. I have learned a lot about myself and about how I can help others from the spirit in these short 6 months and will be eternally grateful for that and for all I will continue to learn from those I meet each day. Have a great week!! Thank you for everything you all do. 

Love

Anziano Passantino

Our Mission President Came to Church

Dear Family and Friends,

How is everyone doing this week? Everyone having a good Saint Patrick day? We got my comp today because he only had one green tie and I asked him if I could use it today so we were able to get him on the green trick .Anziano M****** and I are doing well. I am learning a lot about myself from being with him.  We have had a good week. We have seen some amazing miracles as we are striving to help others learn and grow. I have always heard from lots of different people that the more you forget about yourself the more you actually find. It is really true. I have seen that as I focus all of my thoughts and actions in serving others and helping them that I see miracles and the spirit teaches me and helps me grow in strength and testimony during the process. 

We were blessed to have our Mission President in Church this last week. Unfortunately none of our investigators came for the first two ours but 3 of them came during Sacrament meeting the spirit was very strong. It an important meeting not only for the members but also for our investigators. 

Yesterday was especially important for M******. M****** is one of our greatest investigators and is really striving to learn and find the truth in his life. He was able to speak to President a little bit and President invited him to a baptismal date within 30 seconds. Something that wasn't really brought to the attention of President is that we were doing a fast for him and his baptismal date on Friday and Saturday. He told us he felt good but didn't really have the answer to his questions yet. Then President was able to meet with him and talk about that date. I think this really gave him a goal. Exactly after that, he went and was talking with a member who had joined us in the fast for Michele. During their discussion the member mentioned that we can find all the answers to our doubts and fears through the scriptures. At that moment he opened the scriptures to 3 Nephi 17. There were two verses that were underlined in this chapter. We saw him read these two verses then run out of the room crying. We didn't really know what had happened. We went to comfort him and we found an empty room in the church where we could meet together. He explained to us through sobbing that these two scriptures were the answers to the doubts he had. He explained to us about how he had never felt the spirit so strong in his life. He explained how he had been praying and fasting with all his heart trying to find the truth and in that moment he knew it was true. I saw this miracle or prayer in fasting happen right in front of my eyes. I felt so much love for him and was so happy for this moment in his life. He was striving to find the truth and God blessed him with an answer just as promised. I know that God responds to our problems and is always there to helps us in times of need and when we are HUMBLY searching for an answer and or a guide in our life. I am so very grateful for the love my Heavenly Father gives to me and to all of His children and for the chance I was given to see that in my life this week.

 My advice for the week would be to try and do something for someone else every day this week. If you will do it you will see the blessings.Elder K***** is coming this week and so we are going to Rome on Wednesday morning. We are all super excited. Have a great week! I love and Miss you all. 

We will not give up!!!

Dear Family and Friends,

How is everyone doing? I am doing very well this week. We have had a good week. This week has been a little bit slower but we are still working towards our goals every week. Anziano M******* and I are getting along well. We had to travel a little bit this week and so we were not able to get as much done as we would have hoped but our travels to Perugia went well. We have a new investigator there that is great. He accepted all that we have taught him and he really wants to know a lot about the Book of Mormon. He is great and just wants to help others in all he does. We have been doing a little bit of house to house this week. We found an apartment building that we thought was great and we knocked doors for an hour or so. We knocked about 40 doors and no success but we are not giving up hope there because both Anziano McClellan and I felt like it is a place where we needed to be. Some have been asking about the language. I have realized that I haven't talked much about it. It is coming very well. I feel comfortable with it now and can communicate with others well, now I just need to keep on building it up stronger and stronger. But like I said it is good and I have really been blessed.

This week I have seen many miracles. I have been searching more than usual for the small ones that we sometimes miss if we are not looking really closely. I love seeing the many blessing that we are given as we give our hearts to the Lord. In my scripture study I have been reading about Ammon. He is a hero to me and an amazing example of how we need to be as missionaries. As Preach My Gospel says, the way he teaches the king about God is amazing.Somebody who doesn't have a knowledge of who God is or what his plan is, is actually more common than I thought. I have been trying to keep him in mind and learn from him as we are teaching an atheist who doesn't believe in God. This man did come to church this week and that was great. The only thing holding him back is that he is not willing to pray for an answer. We have and will continue to tell him that this is the way we can receive this answer he is looking for. When we feel the spirit, and our testimony of that confirmation grows, there is nothing and nobody that can take that away from us. 

Also another thing that I noticed was that the more I teach the more my testimony is growing. Sometimes as we talk to people on the street or we teach people from other religions we sometimes are put down for our testimonies. We sometimes get put down for what we know and what we have a testimony of at such a young age. My Testimony is really growing each and every day, I have defended my knowledge about religion and the gospel of Jesus Christ and it is a little sad to me that others will try to put you down for it. I KNOW without a shadow of a doubt that what we are doing is the Lords work. Satin is working hard on these people but the Spirit is so much stronger. He cannot stop us if we are united in bringing people to Christ. Like I said before we are doing well and always moving forward. I love you all soooo much. Have a great week.

Love

Anziano Passantino