Narnia

Dear Family and Friends

We have had another good week here in Terni. Today we went to Narni. The old city that CS Lewis took his story from. We found a lampost that looked exactly like the one in the movie. Then there was a door in a rock wall just like the house Tumnas in the story. You will all have to look that all up. Plus we saw a lot of Lions in the city.  The place is really beautiful but then again, I see so many beautiful things every day. It is becoming sad because I don't want to take them for granted. It is really amazing.

Anziano M****** and I are doing well together and in my opinion we get along very well. We are very different in many ways but that makes for a great thing in the end. The work is going foreward here. We were happy to get Anziano P**** and he came in and fit in right away. He seems like a great missionary. The work has been going very well. We have an 18 year old investigator named M****** and he is great. His parents are against what he is doing because it goes against the tradition of the family but he is trying to find his own personal path and he is striving to find and follow God in his life. He just wants to get better each and every day so with that being said, he is perfect. Yesterday we had a baptism for a member, this turned out to be really good as M****** was able to come along with his girlfriend. He is really golden.
Other than that, we had a great lesson with R******. R****** has been meeting with the misionaries for a long time now and he was starting to fall back. We brought him to a lesson with our Ward mission leader and it was amazing. He let out his heart to us and you could tell he needed it. We were able to teach him about how when you put God first in your life, He will be your guide in all things. He really needed some guidence in his life. He has seen that as he reads the scriptures, everything gets better. He is able to deal with the problems in his life much easier when he is following the principles of the gospel and study out of the scriptures. We were able to give him a blessing at the end and he said he felt the spirit stronger than ever.
It is so true. When we put the Lord first in our lives, we don't have to worry about anything. 

Sometimes I have little problems come into my mind about the future but I have the comfort of knowing that if I give everything to the Lord, He will never leave us alone. We don't have to worry about what will happen if we are following the priciples of the gospel. So I am doing well. I have never been happier in terms of where I am and what will be happening. I have been trying to keep a mindset about the future and now I know that it wil all be okay. I am so grateful for the gospel and the joy that it has brought into my life. I am also thankful for all of you. I hope everyone has a great week.

Love

Anziano Passantino

St. Valentine

Dear family and friends

Like always I hope that everyone is safe and well. We have had another great week here in Terni. The trio is sad to be splitting up but we are happy to be getting another Anziano, Anziano  P****. I am happy to be working with Anziano M******* this next transfer. He is a great missionary who has the language down very well. His grammer is fantastic so I am looking foreward to being able to learn from him and the hard work he has put in and be able to grow myself as well. 

This past week has been very exciting in many different ways. We started with our Pday in Rome. We saw some of the big cites. We were able to see the Vatican and a giant Castle as well. Just like us Americans we had lunch at the only Subway I have ever seen. I had a normal sandwhich for the first time in 5 and a half months haha. The funny thing is it smells exactly the same in Italy as it does in America. Oh also, I forgot to tell you all. This week for Valentines day, we were in the city where Saint Valentine was born. He is the Patron Saint of the city of Terni. It was a huge party here so nothing was open and everyone was packed in center. There was people from all over Italy here trying to sell different things.It was a big festa. 

This past week we have been trying hard to bring the members with us to all of our lessons. I have seen that when members bear testimony along with ours the spirit is even more strong. I love when others are able to be there as well because in that way we can learn from other teaching techniques. As I have said before one of the greatest things about being on the mission is growing along with those you are teaching. I see the truth grow in others but it also grows in me each time we teach.  

We are having a little trouble with our new convert S******. We are trying to help him in everyway but he has this idea in his mind that some of the members have their own personal objectives in mind when they make decisions. It makes me sad to see. I will continue to pray and hope that his heart will be softened to know the truth about these members. I am also frustrated with the fact that others have been planting these thoughts in his mind recently. I know that the Lord is in charge so that makes everything more assuring knowing that I am doing all I can to help. In the end his will will be done. It is also hard because I know the prayers, fasting, and revelation that goes into this work and he just 
can't see that as of now. I know that with faith he will be able to see that. 

Other than that, this week has been good with work. We have all been feeling a little under the weather this week, especially Anziano W******, but it seems to be getting better.His fever was at 102.6 but it is going down.  Hopefully we can avoid it for the next little while so the work can go on here. I am so grateful for this work that we are doing. I have NO doubt that it is the work of the Lord and that it is being hastened for a reason and that we are definatly in the last days. I love seeing this work go foreward. Thank you all for all you do for me. I love and miss you all but I am doing well here. Have a great week everyone!!

Love,

Anziano Passantino

Singin the the rain!

Dear Family and Friends
,

How is everyone doing? Hopefully very good! We are doing quite well here in Terni. This week has been very good. Today we are in the City of Perugia, this is about and hour and a half away from home but still part of our Area as a group in Terni. It is known for the Chocolate factory and we were going to go there but it was closed and super far away anyway. We then went on a search for this Internet Point for about 2 hours trying to get to email. In the meantime is has been raining and we were very unprepared, meaning we didn't have jackets or umbrellas. So needless to say we are completly soaked! hahaha oh well I guess it happens. 

This week we had some good fun. We had exchanges and one of the Anziani from my group came to our house to do the scambi. He is from Italy and doesn't speak a ton of English but he is super fun to be around a way funny. Everyone of our Investigators or Members that he met fell in love with him in like 2 min becuase he is just super fun to be with. That was lots of fun to see him again because everyone else from my group is down in the Southern part of Italy and he just came up this transfer about a week ago.

This week we made Cinnomon Rolls for some members that really like American deserts. My comp is the one that really made them and I just did the cream Cheese frosting. They were pretty good, not amazing because our little oven isn't really made for deserts but the best part was the end. When he was putting all the Cinnomon on the top at the end he accidently put Peperoncino on top. We figured it our but one of the other elders tried it and he was like, "Its good but it has a weird after taste.." We all started dying but he didn't get it so we just told him it was "troppo cannella" which just means a lot of Cinnamon. He believed us and they took it to the family. We tried to cut the tops off and put Cinnamon but there were still little pieces that had some of the peppers. It was really funny! The next day at Church we asked her about it and she got one of the bad pieces hahaha. 

In terms of work this week we had a good week. One of our better lessons was with a less active older lady. She is great, and has a good testimony of the gospel but just struggles with some of it. She also is very hard on herself and has some problems with depression. We read some scriptures with her about how she can improve her self image and how we can gain happiness here on the earth. I felt like I needed to focus on the fact that she is really a daughter of God. It is one of the very simple truths that we teach in the church. It is simple in words but grand in meaning. If all people could realize that they are sons and daughters of God the outlook on yourself and on others would really change. It was one of those lessons where we just droped in because we felt like she needed it. She cried as she told us how she just needed some type of strength that day. I was touched and I know she was by the spirit in that lesson as we were able to bear testimony of the Atonement and her true nature. 

I want to end by telling everyone that I know this Gospel is true. That we have the Restored Gospel of Christ here on the earth and that He loves us all sooo much. I love this work! I hope everyone is doing well and has a great week!

Love 

Anziano Passantino

Real Intent

Cari Family and Friends,

I hope that all is well over in the States. I have a had a great week. We had transfers and we now have Anziano W****** in the house also as a Zone leader. He seems like a great guy and has a lot of experience as he has been out for about a year. Anziano D* *****e is no longer here and we will miss him a lot. 

This week has been a little crazy but we have had some great experiences. Yesterday we were able to give a blessing to one of our less actives. She is also a newer convert but it is really hard for her. Her husband was offended by one of the members in front of a bunch of her friends and he is a Mayor for a city here in the area so he won't meet with us. She is amazing though. She has such a strong spirit and every time we meet with her we can feel it. We taught her about how she needs to have a consistant relationship with her Savior. She works a lot and she lives about 1 hour and a half from the Church. All of that along with her Husband makes it really hard to come each week. She has a stronger Testimony than some of the members that come every week just to be there. It made me really think about those people.In her blessing she was blessed with the strength to keep being strong in the Church and by doing everything she can to work to go to the Temple. She is really amazing. 

This made me think about a certain topic that has been on my mind from the beginning of my mission. In Moroni 10 during the promise there are three things required to recieve and answer from our savior. They are Faith, SIncere Heart and Real Intent. I have thought a lot about real intent. I have been trying me best to do everything here on my Mission with real intent. When we do this we show the Savior that we care. I would hope that everything we do is with real intent. For some reason some of the best people have the hardest lives or the most trials. In my opinion they are given these trials because the Lord knows that they can overcome these things. As I looked in my life I was able to see that all of the strongest people here that I have come to know are those who do all things with real intent. I would challenge all of  you to try and do all things with real intent. As we do this we will become better and stronger in all things. DONT just go with the motions. That is when we can get trapped in a bad place and wont be able to get out. I hope all will do this because when we do we will really see the difference. 

I hope everyone has another great week. I love you all so much!1

Love Anziano Passantino

Happy New Year & The Fiot!

Dear Family and Friends,

How is everyone, I want to hear how everyone is doing. We had a great New Years haha.... We went to bed at 10:30 and at 12:00 we were awaking by a war that we didnt know about haha. It was super funny. There were people just firing off fireworks right in the center of the street in between a bunch of apartment buildings!! Because we are on floor 4 we had the fireworks exploding right next to the windows and then there were these bomb type things that shook our entire building. It was pretty funny and a lot of fun to watch because sleeping was not an option. We then went over to a members house on the 1st and drive in their super old Fiat 500. It was awesome they made us lunch and dinner as we had a lesson with them, our Coordination, and a lesson with a friend of theirs. It was a great day. 

Other than that I have had a great week. We find out on Saturday that I will be staying here in Terni for a 3rd transfer with my Trainer. I am looking forward to really focusing hard on my Italian with him this transfer. Our good Friend Anziano D* ***** has been transferred to Rome 2 to be an Assistant so we are really going to miss him and his example of leadership in the house but we are excited for the new Anziano coming in. 

This week I have been focusing my study on a number of different topics. I have been guided to realize how important this work is right now. As has been prophesied  there really is a hastening of the work. I have seen a change in how the Lord is doing his work in the sense that He needs it done now. There is not really any time to wast. I really hope everyone is catching on to this because it is really important. People from everywhere are being called to serve in many different areas but the most important thing is that they are responding to the call of a Prophet to hasten this work. We have such a special message that all people need to get it out to others. It is soooo important that we share it. I wish I could have done better before my mission but I will try from here on out to show to people how important it is that we accept His gospel in each of our lives. I would challenge all those who are not quite sure about the direction in there life to get down on your knees and pray. Have a desire to learn and receive and answer and I PROMISE that it will be given to you. I would also challenge you all to read the Book Of Mormon for those who never have.. Start... and for those who have.... do it again and you will gain knowledge that you have never before know. It takes more than just reading though. You have to have the desire to actually learn and the faith that you will received and answer. If you have these things you will understand. 

I hope everyone has a great week. I am so grateful for all of you and the many examples I have had in my life to learn and grow from. I know this Gospel is true and I know this without any doubt in my mind. I have received answers to my prayers and I cannot deny it. Nobody can ever take away your free agency and the knowledge you gain based on personal commitment. Have a great first full week of the year!!

Love Anziano Passantino

Another One Bites the Dust!

Dear Family and Friends,

This week there isnt a lot to talk about. It has been a pretty normal and boring week. We had to stay at the Church for almost all of 3 days because we had the keys and we were the closest to the area. Great use of the Missionaries huh... Anyway its not a big deal. We got a lot of study in this week so we learned a lot haha. The theme (title of the post) is because every day when we are at home we here these explosions and they sound like gun shots but we saw some kids just blowing off little fireworks. We all start singing that when we here them. 

I have been studying a lot this week as I said. I have been reading a lot in the Book Of Mormon. I want to bear my witness of this book. It has the answer to soooo many questions of the world. I know that whoever reads it will know of the truthfulness it contains. I have found that all it takes is a little bit of effort and the Lord does the rest. We just have to read a little and we can find the answer to the questions we have. If anyone wants to get a copy all they have to do is ask. As we study  the words of God as contained in his scriptures we can become closer to Him and know his will for us. I know that this book is a book of scripture that we have as another testament of Jesus Christ. It contains with the Bible the fulness of the Gospel. I have a testimony of Modern day revelation. This is the way we recieve lots of council when we need help in our lives. I am so grateful for this gospel . I wish more people would just put in a little effort using only a little faith and they will recieve more than they can possibly imagine. Thank you for the example you all are to me. Each day I strive as hard as I can to become better. I strive to follow the perfect example of our Savior. He is the only way we can become worthy to enter into our Father in Heaven's presence after this life. I love you all soooo very much. I hope everyone has a great Christmas and please remember the real reason. Love from Italy! 

Anziano Passantino

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Hello from Terni

Wow,

I have a lot that I wanted to talk about in this week's letter but I don't think I have enough time to fit it all in... I will try my best though. Last pday we went to Rome. We get to go there once a transfer and it was super legit. We went past lots of the cool monuments that everyone hears about. Those will be sent in the pictures. We only had a little bit of time to see a ton so we didn't get to linger a lot but we saw a whole lot. Rome is huge though so you can't really see a lot in just 6 hours. We are really blessed to be close enough to do that and to be able to have such amazing monuments so close to us here. 

    In terms of the week it was really good. It seems like the days are going by faster and faster. I am trying to soak it all in. I wanted to share a little bit about the spiritual part of the week. I have been studying a lot about the need for an organized church rather than just a belief in God. The talk Two Lines of Communication by elder Oaks is amazing to clear it all up. Personal revelation is something we need to be using a lot. It helps us to make decisions and to guide us in our lives. I would recomend reading it for sure.

    Also I have been studying a lot about about our work in the church. Here in Terni we are trying to get the members more involved but they lack the motivation. I love Elder Dubes talk about this. This is a lifelong work that we are all a part of. We have to work until the end to bring people to this wonderful message. Just like he said, faith is always pointed to the future. The scriptures that I have been studying are my daily Book of Mormon Study and these in particular. Doctrine and Covenants 58:2-3 and Mathew 11:28-30. Everyone should look those up. They are great. Other than that, my message would be to serve others. Through us God may answer the prayers of others so always be willing to serve when we can.

    Sorry this is just the short message but I hope it brought a little light. I hope everyone is doing well and remembering Christ this time of year. He is why we celebrate Christmas. Have a great weeek!!

Love

Anziano Passantino