Baptism!

Blogger Note:  I have been delinquent in keeping up Andrew's blog.  I apologize.  This is my attempt to catch up on the last 4+ months of Andrew's mission.

How's it going this Christmas season?  Is it still festive?  I feel like I'm on Mount Crumpit here in Italy where you see 1 out of 50 balconies on a palazzo that has Christmas lights on it.  Maybe we should go knock their doors....

Anyways, as far as the work goes, we have a baptism this Friday!  Samuel's sister, Sarah, after seeing the sudden change in her younger brother's life after his decision to be baptized decided that she wanted to do the same.  It's been a little hectic planning the baptism since she decided so quickly, so we've been rushing around trying to get it organized.  It's amazing to think that when I arrived here a month ago, this family had one less active mother in the Church, and after this friday there will be a fully active member, and 2 baptized children.  (All that lacks now is their oldest son, 20 years old, and the father).  It's way exciting to see people take these crucial steps towards changing their lives for all of eternity.  This eternal battle for souls against the Adversary is a lot more important than any other challenge we could face in life.  I'm very grateful for the opportunity to serve and it seems like it's just flying by.  Going by way to quick.

 

I know this Church is the church of God, and that we can all partake of the blessings of the Restored Gospel.  It's the thing that will bring us the most happiness in this life and in the life to come.  Because in the end it isn't really the Church Building or the suits or any of that, but a way of living that brings us closer to our Heavenly Father who loves us.  I feel very grateful for that relationship. 

 

Vi voglio bene e mi mancate tanto.  Buon' Natale!

 

-Anziano Proctor 

   

November 30th - Baptisms

Dear Family-

 

This week was a full one!  We had Samuel's baptism on Sunday, along with 3 others from other companionships here in Torino.  It went super well and he will receive the Holy Ghost this week in Church.  Something great happened after the baptism though.  Sara, Samuel's older sister who is 13, told us that she wanted to follow her brother's example and be baptized too!  She had been thinking about it for a while with her mom and hadn't been to sure.  But she said that when she had prayed to know if our message was true that she received an answer that this was the path she was supposed to take.  So last night we set a date with her to be baptized on the 9th of December.  It's really really soon though so we have to work with her a lot.  I'm hoping that she will be ready and that she has the right motivation.  We'll do our best to get her ready.  It's also a bit tough because of the dad.  He is a tough one.

 Our next Zone Conference is the week before Christmas, Dec. 12-18.  If Jono's or the Danson's package comes late that's okay, it'll come just in time for my birthday :)  (Crap, I'm almost 20?  Non ci credo.)  Oh, another really cool thing.  The other day, one of our investigators when asking me where I come from told me that she knows about Park City because she watches "Everwood," the series that Treat Williams was in.  Let him know that his fame stretches across all the way over here in Torino!  I was a bit proud to be able to say that "the Doctor" was one of my little league football coaches ha.

Anyways, I was studying the Book of Mormon today in Jacob 2,3.  Jacob is kinda chastising (well not kinda, he is chastising) the Nephite men because of their bad examples set before their wives and children.  Verse 35 of chapter 2 struck me most.  As a little side note I wrote "Never, ever, ever do this to your future wife/kids".  Just wanted to let you know that you did 180 degrees opposite of this, and I'm super thankful.  I've seen some pretty depressing relationships between parents and their children here in Italy and I just wanted to thank you and Dad for being so great.

 

I know that the Book of Mormon is true.  With that also comes the knowledge that Jesus is the Christ and Joseph Smith was his prohet, seer, and revelator in these last days.  Because of this I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is the Lord's Kingdom here on the earth in preparation to the Second Coming of the Messiah.  That gives me peace. 

 

Love you all tons!

 

-Anziano Proctor

November 24

Ciao tutti!

 

This week has been hectic, with appointments all over the place and traveling tons.  That sister missionary you met from Verona is Sorella Francesca Lui, who I met in the MTC.  She is super cool, and in the pictures I sent home from the MTC (the one with my district and the Italian flag).  I got Ellery's letter yesterday as well.

 

We went to Milano again for a leadership training.  We watched a movie called 17 Miracles, about the Martin and Willie Handcart Companies that came over into the Salt Lake Valley.  Their story is portrayed through the eyes of Levi Savage, a Latter Day Saint who was experienced as a frontiersman, as opposed to these English immigrants who knew nothing of sleeping on dirt, or pulling a handcart.  There's not a lot of time to explain it, but I want to invite you all to find, rent, or buy this film and watch it together.  It made me so grateful for the blessings I have, and the things that these people did for us, their posterity. 

 

We don't have any plans for Giorno di Ringraziamento (we'll probably celebrate by making some pasta in the evening... boh.)  I have to go because we're super busy today but I wanted to at least bear my testimony.  In this time of the year we see people that don't have family, don't have friends or even peers with whom to associate.  We truly see how much of a blessing this Gospel is in our lives and the peace and happiness these holidays give us as a result of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  At this Thanksgiving I am eternally grateful for Him, for his Atonement and for his love.  I couldn't go on without it!

 

Love you all!

 

-Anziano Proctor

November 16

Hey everyone,

 

Sorry I don't have much time to write today but I'll try to fit in something meaningful for you!

 

This last week was great as far as the work goes, after having seen some great progress from investigators.  We will be having a baptism next week, where 3 people from 3 different companionships here in Torino will be baptized!  It's so rewarding to work here in Torino.  The work here is a bit more fun than that in Piacenza (and a little bit less awkward, because you don't see the same people everyday who already know what you do.)  The work the last 2 or 3 days has been a little weird though, because we have been helping the ward publicize a blood drive with AVIS (Associazione di Voluntari Italiani di Sangue) thatwil be held in our church this saturday.  So it was a bit weird to be on the street talking about a blood drive, instead of talking about the Gospel.  The whole idea of the blood drive is to get people inside the Chapel to see if we can peak an interest and find some investigators!  (Also to donate blood.... that too.) 

 

Anyways, I've gotta run, but I love you all lots.  I love this Church and I love this mission.  Thank you for everything you do for me and all the support I receive!

 

-Anziano Proctor

 

P.S. I got Cash's letter.  Gonna write him back this afternoon!

November 9

Heyyyy,

So it's almost been a week since I've been here in Torino.  There's been a lot to do!  Torino is the bee's knees.  It's a lot bigger than Piacenza and the work here is completely different.  In Piacenza you found a lot of people in the park or knocking doors.  Instead here you get more referrals, street contacts and you do work on the buses, trams, metro, etc.  There are also a lot more people here who take our English class.  It's super hilarious to hear italians try to speak English.  The accent isn't super great, although they love the english language.  Torino is kind of like Salt Lake, just without the suburbs.  It's amazing to see how many people they can pack into such a small area.  In Torino there are about 1 million people; the city is divided into 2 wards, Torino 1 and Torino 2.  We are in Torino 1, and we split it with another companionship.  So we have a population of about 250,000 people to work with.

I don't know if you've heard much news here from Italy, but the weather has been beating down on us for the last little while.  It's been raining for the last 4 days straight here in Torino.  Cities like Genova, San Remo, La Spezia, and Cinqueterra were pretty badly affected.  There were some pretty heavy floods and a lot of damage.  President Wolfgramm called us this Monday and told us we might be going to Genova this weekend with the Helping Hands organization to help clean up the city.  It's not sure yet though, so we'll see.

Super stoked to hear about the Utes victory over Arizona.  It isn't too tough to forget about football during the week, but it is nice each wednesday to get news about my Utes.  Although I have to warn you, being here in a mission heavily populated by Cougars... I'm broadening(?) my horizons a little bit.  But we'll think about that in a year or two.  To answer your questions: as far as the bikes go it depends on the city.  In Piacenza we had bikes, but in Torino we use public transportation (bus, tram, metro, train). 

It was a little sad to move away from Piacenza, especially with all of the success that we were starting to see.  However, the Lord has blessed me with an amazing opportunity here in Torino.  One of our investigators with a baptismal date, Victor, is moving here to Torino!  He will be here by Friday and we can pick up right where we left off and hopefully get him in the water.  The work here is great, especially with Anziano Minà.  He's a machine and I'm learning tons from him, both how to speak italian and spiritually as well.  We live with 2 other missionaries in the apartment, Anziano Russo and Inouye (in-oo-ay).  They're both from California and are super funny.  It's fun living in 4, but it is a bit dirtier than with 2.  You already know we had a talk about that :)

Anyway, I've got to go, but before I forget here is my new address in Torino:

                             Anziano Proctor

                             Corso Grosseto 59

                             10147 Torino

                             Italia

Keep those letters comin'!

-Anziano Proctor

P.S. Mom, there actually don't happen to be any Christmas decorations here in the Torino Apartment... what are they thinking?

November 2

Ciao tutti!
 Yeah, the spaghetti was a bit tough on the body, but nothing compared to this week's challenge (eat 1 kilo of gelato each).  I thought I was going to die afterwards... but alas, we overcame the trial and are now closer as companions.  We also decided after this challenge that we're never going to do something like this ever again.  I had a pretty good Halloween as far as the mission goes (although it was a pretty mediocre Halloween as far as Proctors go).  We spent the whole night teaching investigators and knocking doors.  It certainly was a different kind of trick-or-treating.  Although I think our "costumes" (shirts, ties, and name tags) still scared the Italians pretty well...  Maybe that's not a good thing.
 Anyways, big news of the week: I am getting transfered from Piacenza to..... Torino!  I will be companions once again with Anziano Minà, my beloved past companion from Palermo.  We got the call late last night so I am packing today and will be in Torino by tomorrow afternoon.  I'll have the opportunity once more to exponentially improve my italian and ability to cook.  Yes!  I don't know much about Torino right now (ex. the address, the ward, etc.) but I will let you know this week.  Also, obviously since I'm being transfered, letters sent to my old address in Piacenza wont get to me.  If anything, for some reason or another, needs to be send this week you can use my address in Milan:

                     Anziano Proctor

                     Via Gramsci 13/4

                     20090 Opera (MI)

                     Italia

 

I got a really good email from Searle this week, which talked about the old Provo Tabernacle (and the new Provo Temple).  A man in his ward gave a talk about how the Tabernacle, once a beautiful edifice of the Lord, burned to the ground and how it is now to become a Holy Temple of the Lord.  He spoke about how this is how the Lord develops us as people.  Sometimes we think that we are a holy part of the Lord's kingdom on the earth (a tabernacle) and that we've reached our potential.  Then we see that the Lord causes us to be burned down so that we can become something much more holy and beautiful (a temple).  We see that the only way for this transformation to take place is for us to be burned down and brought into the depths of humility (or humbled and changed through repentance).  He then applied this to the Savior Jesus Christ, he being perfect and holy, then being subjected, in an atoning sacrifce for us all, to a descension below all of us, so that he could accomplish something incomprehensible.  It was a really interesting insight on a current day work of the Lord.

 

Anyways, I have to go pack, but I love you all tons!  (Also, we're giong to have lunch with a member and her investigator son, Felipe.  Brazilian food!!)

 

-Anziano Proctor

October 27th

Ciao!

 

I sent a longer email to Dad this week so I don't have a lot of time left, but I thought I'd shoot you a quick message and some pictures. 

 

We went to Milano twice this last week, once on Saturday and then yesterday on Wednesday.  On Saturday there was a fireside with Elder Gonzalez from the Presidency of the 70.  It was awesome!  He talked to us about our purpose as missionaries and helping people to make and keep covenants.  Then yesterday we went for Interviews with President Wolfgramm.  He pretty much told me that after being in Piacenza for 4 transfers (and my whole mission), I'm probably going to be transfered.  But we'll wait and see eh?  I also got your package, by the way.

 

I'll explain the pictures real quickly.  The first picture is of me with all of my companions I've had.  Starting from the left: Anziano Minà, Anziano Nielsen (my trainer), me and Anziano Wilkins.  Then the next 4 pictures pretty much explain themselves... but I should explain WHY we did this.  At the beginning of this transfer 5 weeks ago, this being mine and Anziano Wilkins third transfer together, we decided to rethink "companionship unity."  So each week we've done some sort of challenge together.  Week 1 was to eat an entire habanero pepper each.  Week 2 was to eat 2 entire oranges, peel and all.  Week 3 was to eat 200g of Nutella.  And week 4 was to eat 1 kilo of spaghetti between the 2 of us (500g each).  We're coming together as a companionship :) (and getting more fat too).

 

Anyways, apart from that the mission is great.  We have 4 baptismal dates, 2 for November 5th, and 2 for November 26th.  I'll be transfered by then but it'll be great to see the pictrures!

 

Love you all tons!

 

-Anziano Proctor