3 Months Are Up

3 Months Are Up

Well 3 Months are officially in the books. Time is a weird concept...Day by Day the time goes so slow, and then when you take a look back it all went by so fast. I think that you can all relate.

This past week had a lot of ups and downs. My new comp and I are are kind of starting to get used to each other. He finishes his mission soon and so our levels of desire to get missionary work done are not at the same place....We often see differently on certain things...but in this life we have to learn to give a little and take a little. I have been praying that we will soon start to click and that everything will be smooth. Keep us in your prayers please. Haha we need all of the help that we can get.

Last Monday Night...We hosted a birthday party for a younger kid of our Branch at the church. He is such a nice kid. Patrizio is his name, or Patrick in America. He turned 13 and was so grateful for us. He is such a good kid. At the party we were able to meet and talk with many families and friends that are not mormon. It was a productive night. There was a ton of good food and tons of good people there. Italians really know how to throw a party. That is for sure.

English Course was good this week. On Tuesday I tried to give out a Book of Mormon to Alfredo. The old man that always comes to English Course. He instantly shut me down. He believes that God does not have a body. He believes that God is in all of us. I tried explaining it to Him over and over and over....but he didn't want to listen really. He is a good man...I will get to him soon! He is one of my main focuses. He comes to church every sunday, and we don't even invite him. I know he feels something when he comes, and when there is a spiritual thought at english course....The Spirit is slowly working on him which is good. God's timing is perfect. 

On Tuesday I was walking my new comp around Crotone. We stopped by a fruit stand that we always buy our fruit from. The Guys name that sales the fruit is Alessandro. He is a short little guy, but he used to be the Italian Champ in boxing way back in the day. I like to call him The Real Rocky. I will send a picture next week of me and him. When we were leaving his fruit stand....A lady backed up into some of his fruit with her car and knocked some onions and potatoes over. We went back and picked it up for him...(As he was chewing that lady out)...and after he was done yelling at her...He turned around and we had it all picked up. This went a long ways with him. I could tell that it meant a lot to him. He then gave us a banana and an orange for free. I am hoping that maybe we can start teaching him soon. The Lord always will put us in the right place if we are listening. 

This past week I also got my second haircut in Italy. We went back to the same place that we did before. The guys that own this place loved me and my companion before. When we walked in the 3 workers started freaking out and welcomed us in. The younger guy cut my hair this time. Right before he started cutting my hair he looked at me and said...."May I?..." and I just said..."Yes Sir." He went crazy and gave me a pure Italian haircut. He took some pictures of me and put it on his Facebook and he also followed me on Instagram! While we were in there the head owner was talking about how much he respects us, and how much he likes us. A Gospel Convo got started and we didn't even start it...but we both jumped right in and pitched in. It was honestly the coolest haircut. 

On Saturday we went to Stake Conference in Cosenza. We road with all of the old ladies in our branch....oh what a ride that was. I have never laughed so hard in my life. Old Italian ladies are so crazy and their laughs kill me. They were just giving us candy and telling us to come over to their houses for dinner. Each one of them told us that they are the best cooks in Crotone and that they will cook for us whenever we want. It was so funny....The Funnest ride I have ever been on.

Last Night, we went and saw Antonella and Gianluca. They are the best family in the world. She always makes us good treats and they take such good care of us. Last night we took our family pictures over to their house and showed them everyone. They loved this and they told me to tell everyone Hello! They are such a good family.....they will be baptized in June hopefully if all goes well! 

Well that is what happened this last week. Nothing to crazy. This upcoming week si going to be a good one. We are heading to Rome on Wednesday for a conference on Thursday. Then on Saturday we are going to a Crotone Soccer Game with one of the members here! I am pretty excited for this week! 

Alma 30:8...."Choose ye this day, whom ye will serve." In honor of Kenzie G. receiving her mission call this past week I want to talk a little about service. Serving others is the most rewarding thing in this world. Kind, Simple and Loving acts of service is what holds the world together. When we serve others, and truly focus on the needs of others, we forget about ourselves. Wd don't think about the struggles or the pains that we are going through....We only think about giving our best to someone else, to make that someone else feel loved. The Natural man turns inward and is selfish. The natural man wants to take care of himself first, rather than caring for the needs of another. The Savior always turned, and still continues to turn, Outwards. He was always looking for ways to help, comfort, heal and love others even when He was constantly being rejected and rebuked. Learning to turn outwards, all of the time like The Savior did, is one of the hardest things to become great at. We will never be able to fully do it the way that The Savior did, but we can try. Being able to turn outward, when the rest of the world would turn inward, is the True Character of Christ. I know that if we will choose to turn ourselves outward, and give all that we have to others.....our lives will be filled with more joy then we can possibly comprehend. Service is selfless. Service is pure. Service is love.

I know that Jesus is The Christ. I know that through His everlasting and infinite Atonement that we may all live again. Through the Atonement of Christ we can always return, no matter how far away we may feel. Because of The Savior we can live for eternity with the ones that we love most. To me nothing sounds better. I know that The Love of the Savior us unfailing and unending. His arm is stretched out still....He is there and always will be. Because of Him.....Anything is Possible.

Have the Best Week.

Thank you all for all of the love and support. I truly could not do this without you all. Thank you for the prayers and the love. 

I love all of you so much. I am so grateful for you all. You have all had the biggest impact on my life. Thank You. Thank You. 

love...

Anziano JarDee Nessen 

I love you all.