Some Pictures from Italy

From Anziano to Lindsay

 Hey, y'all this is Lindsay.  This is a letter I got from Andrew last week that I want to share...

Ciao!

   That is correct my dear Sister Missionary.  Ciao is "hello" and "goodbye" in italian, and "goodbye" in portuguese ("hello" is "hoy").  We learned that a couple weeks ago from this really energetic door contact ha. 

   That's awesome that you and Pat got called to be ward missionaries.  You guys will be a great help to the missionaries in your area.  You don't know how grateful the missionaries are when the ward is ready and available to help!  The leaders of the Church (and Preach My Gospel) say that the ideal way to do missionary work is 100% with the members.  Don't be timid in your calling to aid in the Gathering of Israel!

   Speaking of the Gathering of Israel, we made a small list of the countries from which we've invited people to the Gospel:

1.Italy

2. France

3. England

4. Romania

5. Albania

6. India

7. Nigeria

8. Ghana

9. Nepal

10. Ecuador

11. Peru

12. Mexico

13. Argentina

14. Brazil

15. Canada

16. Australia

17. New Zealand

18. The Philippines

19. Congo

20. Senegal

21. Portugal

22. Ivory Coast

23. Morroco

24. Ukraine

25. Russia

26. Iran

27. Iraq

28. Korea

29. Japan

30. Macedonia

31. Estonia

32. Libya

33. Bangladesh

34. Thailand

35. Bosnia

36. Eritrea

37. Ethiopia

38. Tunisia

39. Pakistan

40. China

41. USA :)

42. Cuba

That's about as much as I remember, but there are more.  How's that for gathering huh?  Right you are, it is a wonderful thing to be part of the true Church of Jesus Christ and to do the Lord's work here on the earth. 

  In the Spirit of your new calling, read Alma 29: 9-10 for me will ya?  It's one of my favorites :)

   Sorry I forgot to write you last week before Pat's birthday and your anniversary . . . I had even written it down!  But hey, you both know I love ya.

Ci sentiamo presto.  Ciao!

- Anziano Proctor

September 7, 2011

Buon giorno tutti!

  It has finally started to cool down here in Piacenza!  In the mornings when Anziano Wilkins and I run it has started to feel cooler so we're doing better.  Although, it's not cold enough for all of the Tiger Mosquitos to go away.  I don't know if I've told you about those.  They are basically the most evil thing on the face of the planet.  They're just like regular mosquitos except for their tendency is to bite you 5 or 6 times in a row, and their white and black striped (hence the name "Tiger", or in italian "le zanzarre tigre").  My first couple days in Italy I woke up with 5 red mosquito bites right in a line on my forearm.  Anyways, within a couple weeks it should be too cold for them!

   So this last week there were some great happenings in Piacenza.  The Lord has blessed us in some very very interesting ways.  It is a mission goal to teach 20 lessons every week, a goal which Anziano Wilkins and I had struggled to meet until this last week.  Our Area President, Elder Kopische promised us that if we taught 20 lessons every week our baptisms would double and we would see miracles.  With everyone gone on vacation it was very difficult to get 20 lessons with solid investigators who made solid progress towards baptism.  Anyways, this last week we had just committed ourselves to doing it, no matter what.  By Sunday night with very little time left before we had to be back home, we had only taught 18.  We met one of our investigators in the park to teach him right as it started to rain.  We had an awesome discussion with him.  Then as he left under his umbrella, the rainstorm turned into a tempest.  The park was emptied within 20 seconds.  We knew we still lacked that last lesson for the week and were about to turn in.  But we knew we had to do it, so we strapped on our battle-bike-helmets and mounted our 2-wheeled-steeds and set off into the rain to find that last person who we could talk to.  We had ridden maybe 30 yards and around the corner walks one of our investigators who we hadn't been able to reach in 2 weeks.  We slid to a stop and asked if we could teach him.  So we stood under the pouring rain for the next 15 minutes and shared our testimonies of the Book of Mormon, the weather conditions obviously adding to our conviction that the book is true, as we were not going to leave.  What are the chances that we would just find him 2 weeks later under the pouring rain, when there was not a soul outside.  The 20th lesson came by a miracle. 

   Like promised, having taught 20 lessons last week, we have been seeing so many blessings.  We have found a couple very strong investigators who are all very possible (and we think probable) converts.  There is a man named Biju, a cristian man from India.  Then there is Sassan, a former Muslim from Iran who is searching for the truth (who has a date to be baptized October 8th).  Also, there is a young man named Jonas, a Pakistani med student (who used to live on the street where Osama was killed) who we soft-invited to baptism and he accepted.  We're taking him to a baptism in Modena on saturday so that he can see what it is like.  Who says we don't do missionary work in the Middle East? 

   Anyways, we've got to go so I will sign off!  Mom, can you let those select few who I wrote to know that I wrote them?  In your birthday email to Elder Olsen, wish him happy birthday for me because there is no way my handwritten letter will get there on time :/

   Okay, love you all and will hear from you next week!

August 31, 2011

Proctors-

   August is over!  This week is starting off with a lot more people in town, so that's good.  Like I explained, everyone in Italy just disappears from late July to early September.  I think a good amount of them have returned, although not everyone.  Our District Leader in Reggio Emilia told me they haven't had there bishop in church for about 6 weeks! 

   The backyard concert sounds like it was fun.  It's hard to believe that I've missed the last 2 (and will miss the next one as well).  I have never seen the Joseph play, but Alexa told me she was trying out for it back in March.  I'm sure it was fantastic.  That's too bad about Park City losing to Stansbury.  I hope Jono is okay!  Did him and Brian get that letter I sent them in the MTC?

   We met a guy this week in the park who used to live in Greenville, NC.  He was an Italian (southern italian by the sound of his accent), who lived in Africa when he was little and then moved to the States when he was younger.  He lived in Greenville and evenutally went to some sort of Navy Academy (although not the Navy Academy in Anapolis).  When I told him that my sister and brother-in-law had just moved to Greenville, he got all excited and said they were lucky.  Do Lindsay and Patrick love it there as much as this guy does?

  This week we got to play basketball with some of our members and one of their friends they wanted to refer to us.  It was a lot of fun, but we soon discovered that Italian basketball is kind of like... American pizza?  Pretty terrible but you eat it (or play it) anyways.  We also saw that our own athletic ability had kind of escaped  from us in our first couple months here.  Anyway, it was a ton of fun and we got to bond with some of our younger members.  It's fun to see the Church in it's younger stage here in Italy.  It really is an opportunity to build the Lord's Kingdom on the earth.  You see all of the members and how they were brought into the Church, all of them either being converts, or children of converts.  You get to see this tiny little "branch family" build itself up one by one.  It makes life a lot more worth it when you put your own love, sweat and hard work into the building something great.  I read a chapter in the Book of Mormon this morning that explains how I feel about it all: Alma 12 (especially verses 5-7, 12-14).  Look it up!

Comunque, tutto è a posto adesso.  L'unica cosa che posso fare è di andare avanti e fare fatica ogni giorno di servire il Signore.  So che ognuno di noi possiamo fare quello e ricevere benedizioni bellissime.  Grazie di tutto!

-Anziano Proctor

P.S.  Mom, can you tell Cash he needs to write me back?  He told me that I have to remind him every once in a while.  Also, can you find out if Cole got the letter I sent to him, Max and Kimber?

August 25, 2011

Ciao!

   Hey there all, how's it going?  It sounds like you guys are just having a blast back there in Utah with your lakes and boats and pirate crusades.  It's still hard for me to believe that Searle is back home!  You'll have to read him some of my letters, since I hardly kept my promise to write him on the mish!  Anyways, it was great to hear all of the fun news about Brittany and Katie.  I'll bet that was fun for Katie to come play in her home town.  I always wanted to play in the Salt Lake Valley when I was at Dixie State.  Also, I love hearing about how the PC team is doing, so keep letting me know.  I remembered this week that Matty Moore is a freshman now, and I think he said he was going to play on the freshman team.  Is he?   That's amazing about Alexa!  Tanti auguri a un amica stretta! 

   We went to Verona again for P-Day because Anziano Jolley (our district leader in Reggio Emilia) and my comp Anziano Wilkins had never been.  It was fun to go there again, although I think after 3 times I basically have seen all that there is time for on the mission.  We saw L'arena, which is kind of like Verona's Colloseum, La Casa di Giulietta and Torre dei Lamberti, which is the tallest tower in the city (I think).  It's the tower that I'm on in the video I sent home on my SD card.  Anyways, it was a lot of fun to see all of the street actors that they have here.  All along the streets they have people dressed as knights, gladiators, egyptian statues, etc. who kind of just interact and take pictures with the people and basically act in the strangest ways they can to make money.  My personal favorite is the man who masquerades as a newborn baby.  He has this bright pink stroller that he sits under and pokes his head out of, and has some sort of doll for a body.  He uses some sort of device to make his voice super high like a baby.  It's quite ludicrous :)

   Things are beginning to run smoother here as the month of september comes closer.  Like I'd told you we had been working and working without seeing (or maybe realizing) many miracles.  However, this week we met up with a man we met about a week ago.  His name is Biju and he is a converted cristian from India who speaks english (and who lives in Italy... what a combination of cultures)!  At first he didn't seem super interested, although he was very friendly.  But then we met with him this week, and something changed in him.  He all of a sudden had a very large interest in knowing what we believe and what we do as missionaries.  He said he was struck by our faith and dedication to come here to Italy to share our testimonies, faith being a very important characteristic in the Indian culture (according to him).  He had a lot of questions about Joseph Smith and the First Vision, so we sat down and explained more in depth that he wasn't the founder of the Mormon faith, but that the Church of Jesus Christ was restored through him and that we now have a living prophet on the earth.  Once he understood exactly what it is we believe he told us that it was almost exactly in line with what he believes.  We met with him again last night and he already has faith that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God.  He asked us how being baptized into the LDS Church would change his life, and upon hearing our response we could see that he was putting some serious thought into what baptism means to him.  He has a wife who is 2 months pregnant who is cristian just like him who we want to teach as well!  Once again, this man kind of just came out of nowhere.  Who knew that Christmas comes 2 weeks in a row?

Sono contento di aver sentito da voi e tutte le buone cose che mi avete scritto.  Mi mancate e penso di voi sempre.  Ma sono grato anche di essere qua in Piacenza predicando il Vangelo di Gesù Cristo.  Sempre lavoriamo and facciamo fatica nella vita di raggiungere le nostre mete, e pensiamo che le benedizioni non veranno.  Ma c'è una cosa che mi ha detto un altro missionario, che forse le benedizioni non sono venuti ancora... ma la parola importante è <<ancora>>.  Se perserveremo e andremo avanti avendo fede in Cristo, le benedizioni veranno.  Il Signore ci ha promesso questo e ci credo.  Comunque, devo andare.  Vi voglio bene!

-Anziano Proctor

August 12, 2011

Proctors-

   It is almost 6:00 on Wednesday night and boy was it a long (but fun) day.  We went to Maranello to see the Ferrari Factory again today because Anziano Wilkins had never been.  It's a pretty cool place if you're into cars (which almost all 19-21 year old missionaries are).  Anyways, we've still got to do our weekly shopping and then teach our English class tonight. 

   Things are still going fantastic here in Piacenza.  Transfers were this week but Anziano Wilkins and I are both staying together here for another transfer, so we're super excited.  It's brutally hot here in Italy in the summer, and certainly a lot more humid.  If you thought I sweated a lot in Utah, you should see me here.  Or maybe not?  All I know is that those hankerchiefs that Mom said to pack, that I said had no use, now serve to keep me sweat free.  Thanks for keeping me Eagle-Scout-prepared Mama.

I'm glad that Nanna got my letter.  Me and my companion were talking about how much we neglected our grandparents (and even our parents) before the mission.  When you are a missionary and you see how some people don't want to listen to you just because of what you portray with your white shirt and black nametag you really see how important it is to take a minute to stop yourself, and listen to what someone else thinks.  I don't know if we notice how often we tend not to REALLY listen to what others are saying.  We both were saying how we just want to talk to and learn from our families.

   Have fun at the Utah/AZ game and in Lake Powell you two.  Try not to rub it in too much :p   It's funny how we as missionaries become accustomed to life here in Italy.  It really is very different here.  How people dress, how they interact, what they do for fun, what they value.  I hopefully see myself coming back more deeply cultured . . . Although, I will still love America more! :)

   I got some letters sent out this last week to people who had written me.  I think there was Cash, Ellery, Alex, and Sami Myers... So I did respond to those.  Ellery told me that you and her had been super busy but that you finally were able to meet up ha, so thanks for that.  Cash told me that you guys chat every once in a while, that's great.  I know he loves you all so keep it up okay?  Oh also I forgot, I wrote a letter to Cole, Max and Kimber cause our letters back and forth haven't been going through very well.

   There were some other last minute things too.  If you do end up finding a need to send me that package, the best place to send it is to the mission address in Milano.  Sometimes packages get to the missionary apartments late or after transfers and then it's just difficult for the box to get into the right hands.  So if you send one, send it to Milano:

      Missione Italiana di Milano

      Via Gramsci 13/4

      20090 Opera (MI)
     Italia

Anyways, all temporal things aside, I'm still super excited and blessed to be here in Piacenza.  I love it here.  I can feel so strongly the love of our branch members here and the power that it has to work miracles.  Every day I think about what this message means for the world and the people in it, and the power that it has to change their outlooks, their experiences and their lives.  I know that this Gospel is true and that when we endure to the end we see the blessings that come from our faith.  In Mosiah 4:27 it says, "For it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength.  And again, it is expedient that he should be diligent, that thereby he might win the prize."  We must always strive and press forward, putting our faith in him who gives us strength to run faster.  I love this Gospel with all my heart.

-Anziano Proctor

July 28, 2011

Hey all!

 

   The letter this week will have to be pretty short!  Like I told you I have that ingrown toenail problem and Anziano Wilkins and I have to catch a train to Milano for a doctor's appointment.  Sorella Wolfgramm authorized this appointment to see this American doctor to see if I should just keep treating it myself at home or if we have to have the doctor fix it for me.  Anyways, I'll try to write as much as I can!

 

  This week was a pretty good one.  We taught a lot of lessons, but not to a lot of people that are clinging onto the message.  There are a lot of people that are out of town (in Italy EVERYONE goes away for vacation in late July and all of August) and a lot of people who are just sincerely not interested.  It's okay though, if everyone were interested you could barely call this missionary "work"! 

 

   Mom, when you have time will you write me a couple notes about Grandpa Schettler's life?  I've written in my journal what I remember my self but specifics such as birthday, place of birth (SLC?), date he and grandma were married?  Just a few notes :)  Also, I cannot for the life of me remember the sibling of Karl Lester whose initials are O.P.  Help?

 

   Have fun this week with all of that stuff you have planned!  Say hi to the Hawkers and to Linds and Pat for me okay?  I'm glad that Connor got my letter!  Is he going to write me back?  I had a dream last night that I saw him, and we were both back in Utah at a family function of some sort.  One day it will be a reality!  I got Alex's and Sami's letters this week.  It was great to hear from the both of them.  Let Cash know I'm still waiting for his next letter! (I love my big man).  As far as getting the book to Ellery, if it's easier for you to wait until school starts when their family is in town that's fine.  Don't want you to stress yourself out :)

 

   Anyways, I've gotta book it!  Love you all!  Fino al giorno in cui ci rivedrem!

 

-Anziano Proctor