We NEED TO STOP THINKING ABOUT OURSELVES!!

March 28th,2012

Hey everyone!

I'm really tired so i'm not going to make this a long email sorry, haha So things are going well  as far as being young men's president again... I was sustained on Sunday and had a meeting with the young women's presidency to talk about things we want to do together. I talked about my desire to reactivate the youth and to get the boys pumped up to serve missions. I'm so excited to have this calling :)

MONDAY. we had district meeting and then my companion wasn't feeling well, he was pretty sick so we just stayed in. I did stuff around the house and read and stuff it was great. Unfortunately we didn't teach any lessons.

TUESDAY & WEDNESDAY- we went to La Spezia and did a blitz. It takes a while to get there, we had to go to Pisa and then from there take a train that takes us more north to La Spezia. I was with Anziano Eveson, whose grandpa was Canadian and lived in Alberta. He told me he's been to Carmengay and Lethbridge and so dad are we related to any Anziano Everson? He's a really cool guy and I got to get to know him, he's so fun! He's such a good missionary, a real "preach my gospel missionary". He's what we need in the mission this is his second transfer and he's just on fire! Today we went to Cinque Terre, I dont know if you know what that is but it's sooo beautiful and it's right on the cost and its just houses that are built on mountains it's sooo awesome. There are 5 cities but we only saw 2 of them because there was a flood not too long ago and some of them are under construction. But we did that today because its right next to La Spezia. I took such good pictures and you would all be so proud, you'll just have to be patient though :) love you guys! tonight we have an activity with the Yms and YWs we are going to learn how to sew! :) it should be good practice for the boys when they go on missions!

I'll give you a heads up of my week, tomorrow to Friday we are doing scambi and then the week- end is General Conference, I'm so excited :) haha but this week has been so busy and it's going sooo fast haha but its way fun I love the mission so much!

Our investigators... MICHELE- we dropped him, there was nothing left we could do to help him and we just felt he wasn't progressing so we dropped him.I feel like in the future he will get baptized.

XIOMARA- still the same problem with her parents, we are really hoping for a miracle and we know that the Lord has a plan for all of his children and he will prepare a way for his daughter Xiomara.

STEFANO & CATIA- they are sooooo legit and they have dates for the 14th of April and they are soooo awesome, they read, come to church and pray and are so sincere, but the only problem with them is they aren't married... The Lord will help us and if they have the testimonies I know they will decide to get baptized!

We are working with a lot of other potentials but no one really legit comes to mind right now. With my new young men's calling I know we will get referrals from the youth and help new youth come back and all with the Lord we will do a great work here in Firenze.

I love you all and I love the mission. It has changed me and it is a commandment for every worthy young man to come on a mission what isn't a commandment is to be unworthy. We must all strive to be our best and I know that I am a different person because of the mission. I don't know where I would be without the mission. All I know is that everyday I see how the mission is preparing me to be a better member for the rest of my life. Something I heard this week was that Preach my Gospel isn't for the Investigator its to convert the missionary.  I know that I'll be  a better  husband, father and member when I come home, because missionary life isn't 2 years its a life time. I love it soo much! and when people ask me if I'm excited to go home I tell them, heck yes I am, because I can't wait to go home and continue to be a missionary. I know that as we strive to be obedient and help our fellow man the Lord will bless us. We NEED TO STOP THINKING ABOUT OURSELVES!!! stop it! we don't need to, if we put the Lord first and put his children first then the Lord will put us first so STOP THINKING ABOUT YOURSELF and everything will work out. I know that this is true, this church is true and families can be together forever what a great blessing to know that we are one forever and we will always be together. I love you all

Love Anziano Glowa

Just when it couldn't get busier !!!

MARCH 20th,2012

I'll start by writing about the craziest thing that happened this week... it all started Saturday night. We had a ward party and left late and my bike had a flat tire so we had to walk home which took about 45 mins. All in all we got home at 10:30. When we get in past 10 we have to call president Wolfgramm. So I called him and he understood the situation. In fact he told me that he had talked to my branch president that night. Apparently my branch president called president Wolfgramm asking about the rules of asking a missionary to hold a church calling...like young men's president. President Wolfdramm said that it has been done but that the missionaries in his ward are the zone leaders and he wouldn't do that to us because of our other responsibilities. Anyways when I was talking to president Wolfgramm he had just remembered that it was me that was YM pres in Mantova and he wanted me to talk to my branch president at church explaining how it went in mantova and all that. So the next day I did and my branch president was so excited he asked me if I could ask president Wolfgramm if I could become the new ym's president. So I called president Wolfgramm explaining that I would be able to handle the responsibilities and that it would help with the work and we would just explode Firenze. He said..."well I wasn't going to allow it but if you say you can do it then do it".  So I called the branch president and told him that I'm the man for the job and now I'm going to be the new young men's president in Firenze and anziano Weller will be my 1st counsellor. I'm really excited to be able to work with the youth and reactivate and baptize :) I'm sure it will be challenging at times but I like the challenge and I know it will get busy but the Lord will bless us and as we organize our time well we will see blessings. Also our branch is way bigger then what it was in Mantova. It would be a ward but we are in a district here in Toscana. We are about 65 or 70 at church on Sundays. There must be something 6 active youth, I don't really know them since I've only been here 3 weeks :P haha but the Lord always has a plan.

Our investigators are doing good, we have 5 baptismal dates we have:

MICHELE-his date is for the 7th of April. He is still progressing very well. he still suffers with depression and is very unsure of himself which causes him to be unsure about alot of things like baptism. But he keeps saying that he feels good when he meets with us and comes to church but it goes away when he's at home. We have been teaching him more about the spirit and how he will feel good all the time even at home when he is baptized and has the gift of the holy ghost :)

XIOMARA- we fasted again for her, she is doing great. She just has the biggest desire to get baptized, its just her parents won't let her. We will continue to work with her, she has a date for the 7th of April also.

STEFANO & CATIA- they are a couple that were investigating and just started again. We had lost contact with them but got it back. They are sooo awesome, we had such a powerful lesson. Catia said " I know that my old church  isn't true and I want to know what is true". So we invited them both to find if our church is true. And if it is  true would they be baptized and they said yes and they agreed to work for the 14th of April. They are so legit and love coming to church, the problem we will have to face with them is that they are not married but live together. We will try to get them to either get married or not live together. Pray for them.

JOSEPH- he is a man from Guana and comes to church every week without fail. We can just never meet with him and he is always "busy" he comes to church every week and he knows this is true. But before he gets baptized he wants the missionaries to find his wife in Guana but he also agreed for the 14th of april. 

That is our work for now it's going great and we are finding people and having miracles. Like the other day we were riding our bikes to an appointment and we got stopped at a red light. I  saw this guy waiting a cross the street and I started talking to him. I asked him "what do you believe in" and he said "do you have time that we can talk" and we stopped at the side of the road and talked and taught him and he became a new investigator. It was just a cool miracle that the Lord is preparing people and we don't have to rush quickly to and from appointments but follow the spirit for who the Lord is preparing people just like it says in D&C 61:3 :)

So a few other cool things, there is a leadership training tomorrow and we are hosting it here in Firenze, so we have to do some stuff for that. Oh also they have a subway here in Firenze. The only place in Italy that I've seen one. So I had to raid in it  last week. It was the first  time in a year and a half and I'm taking it again today. Also it's so easy to find mountain dew here I love it! haha anyways just know that I'm doing great and I'm excited to start working with the youth, pray for me, I love you all.

Love Anziano Glowa