Jul21
The Weekly Dime on July 19th
Hey Fam. I love you all. Hope you all had a good week.
Senior companion is a bit different. I like it, but it is different.
My companion is kind of having a hard time without his trainer right
now, so I am just doing my best to show him that I love him and that I
care for him. Things are getting better as the days go bye. He is a
super good kid and I love him to death. I want the best for him and I
want him to enjoy his time not only with me, but throughout his
mission as well. He is a stud and I love him. We are getting along
fine and doing good work.
We have been doing lots and lots of finding ( tracting ) because when
I arrived here we had zero investigators. We started off last week by
really getting the word out that we do a free English Course. We hung
about 50 English Course posters in different places all around the
city of Napoli. Hopefully something good comes from our efforts there.
Also I have been trying to be a little bit more fearless.....So now
when we get on inner city train ( like a Subway type thinger ) instead
of standing up and just waiting until our stop....I have been sitting
next to people and just talking. It was super hard to get over my fear
of just sitting next to someone and talking about our religion (
because I didn't think my Italian was good enough to do it without my
companion right beside me ) but I started doing it and I love it. It
is my favorite way to find now. I get to teach The Restoration a ton
and so it also helps with my teaching skills. Now when we don't have
an appointment or anything we just get on the inner city train and
ride it back and forth and just talk to different people along the
way. It is awesome and really effective. When we are walking down the
street, it is easy for others to say no and reject us. BUT when they
are stuck inside of a train with us, they tend to open up a lot more.
My first week here in Napoli, a husband and wife came to our English
course for the first time. They are middle aged people and they are
incredibly kind. The husband is ripped. He is seriously the strongest
looking guy I have ever seen. His muscles are huge and when he shakes
my hand it feels like he could break it into pieces if he really
wanted to. His idol is Bruce Lee. He was the European Champion in
kick-boxing for 5 straight years in the 80's. Safe to say.....He is
still a lethal weapon today. They were super interested in us and our
beliefs so we gave them a Book of Mormon and invited them to read and
pray with a sincere heart to know the truth. This last Wednesday we
went over to their house for the first lesson. We didn't jump right
into the restoration right away. We kind of just let them know who we
are, what we do and why we are here in Italy. We asked them some
questions and asked them what role religion has played in their lives.
The husband had already read through 1st and 2nd Nephi. He loves the
Book of Mormon. They have been prepared. This Wednesday they are
having us over for another the lesson and it will be on The
Restoration. I am seriously so pumped. My companion and I have been
practicing non-stop on this....We want this to go the best that it
possibly can. Wednesday is going to be a big day and I am super
excited.
Here is the super cool part about that guy. Again, he loves Bruce Lee.
In his house, he has his own DoJo. He teaches martial arts in his
house. When we were setting up out next appointment, we set it for the
following Wednesday at 7. His reply was,"Could you come at 6 and I
will teach you some martial arts and then at 7 you can teach me about
Christ?" My companion and I looked at each other, smiled and happily
agreed to the invitation. So we have a martial arts lesson and a
lesson on the restoration. I can't wait!
This last Thursday was my companions birthday. He turned the big 19. I
bought him a sweet Adidas shirt and sang to him when he woke up. At
English Course Thursday night we through him a big surprise party. It
was awesome. He was having a pretty rough day, because the first
Christmas and Birthday away from home are always rough days.... The
party really helped him and cheered him up. I had a good time. The
students had a good time. But most importantly Anziano Just had a good
time. It was good to see the guy have a good smile on his birthday.
Friday night we went on exchanges with some other missionaries. When
we started the exchange Me and Elder Anderson ( My exchange partner.
He is from Texas and is one transfer younger than me ) took off and
headed towards the inner city train station. We were walking down the
stairs and as soon as we got down the stairs we heard in
English......"Elders!!!!" A man and his wife came over to us and shook
our hands. They introduced themselves and told us that they were from
Denver and here on vacation. They needed help getting on the inner
city train so they could get back to their cruise ship. We bought them
some tickets and escorted them to their stop. They gave us 20 bucks
and told us that dinner was on them. They were some of the kindest
people that I have ever met. They took pictures with us and talked to
us for a good 15 minutes. It was a huge tender mercy from the Lord. He
was a young single adult ward Bishop and was hilarious. The wife was
one of the nicest people on the planet. They have a daughter in Chile
serving a mission right now. They were seriously Heaven sent. I have
always thought about having that experience out here, and it came
true. Then not even joking, five minutes after we ran into a sister
missionary who finished her mission a little while back. She was with
her mom and they were just walking through Napoli. I served with this
sister in Crotone for one transfer. She was really cool and her
grandpa is actually Russell M. Nelson ( the new President of the
Quorem of the 12 Apostles ). We were running into Mormons all over the
place Friday night. It was awesome!
Every Saturday night we gather our new converts together. We eat a
pizza, get to know each a little bit better and have a lesson. It is
super effective. I have never thought of something like that before,
but it works. Our new converts are really strong here in Napoli. From
this they develop better relationships with other members, they get to
become close with the missionaries and they get a pizza from Napoli.
It doesn't get much better than that.
Yesterday was good. Sunday's are always good in the mission. Last
night we went over to a less active members house and taught him a
lesson. It went really well. He lives on the 9th floor of the building
so we decided to take the elevator on the way down. Well.....the
elevator stopped all of a sudden and we were stuck. We sat in there
waiting for it to start working again, but after 15 minutes it started
to get really warm in there. We were able to pry the elevator door
open and we could see about half of the 3rd floor. There was a number
in the elevator to call if something happened. We called and called
and called....but nobody ever answered. By this time it was about 8:30
pm and we were still a long ways from home. It came down to spending
an awful night in an elevator or prying ourselves out. We ended up
forcing our way out, which wasn't easy. My companion got out first
and than I climbed out. It was a bit of a struggle....but we made it.
I will be sending some videos home.
This week.....I want to simply bare my Testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith.
I know that God the Father and His Beloved Son appeared to a young 14
old boy, in response to that young boys prayer. I know that Joseph
Smith obtained the record, which was long ago hidden in the Hill
Cumorah by Moroni some 400 plus years after the death of Jesus Christ.
I know that with the power of the almighty God, Joseph Smith
translated the record into the English language. That once did buried
record is now known as The Book of Mormon. Joseph Smith translated the
record in 65 days. I know that through Joseph Smith that our loving
Heavenly Father restored again on this earth the proper priesthood
authority. I know that the same priesthood authority that was restored
nearly 200 years ago, is still on this earth today. During the mortal
ministry of Joseph Smith he suffered all kinds of troubles and
afflictions. To name a few: He was tarred and feathered, He was
beaten, He was mocked, He was falsely accused, He was Hated, He lost
Children, He was locked in Liberty Jail... The Prophet Joseph Smith
did translate the Book of Mormon. God did restore His priesthood
authority through Joseph Smith. Joseph Smith did see the Father and
the Son that spring morning in 1820. He truly saw what he said he saw.
I have stepped foot in the Sacred Grove for myself. There is a peace
there unlike any other place. The Almighty and The Savior of The World
truly spoke to then a 14 year old boy. Joseph Smith was a prophet of
God and that he sealed his prophetic testimony with his own innocent
blood. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is true. Joseph
Smith was a Prophet. The Book of Mormon is true. The Book of Mormon is
the evidence of The Prophet Joseph Smith and the truthfulness of The
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. If the Book of Mormon is
true, than Joseph Smith was truly a prophet. If the Book of Mormon is
true, than the same priesthood that was on the earth when Christ was
on the earth is again on the earth today. If the Book of Mormon is
true, than the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is true.
I bare my solemn testimony that I know with every fiber of my being
that Joseph Smith was a Prophet of God. I know that He was called and
chosen to restore the church in these last days. I know that the
record he found in that hillside and translated is true. I know that
he sealed his testimony with his own blood. I know that He truly saw
exactly what he said he saw in the grove. The Church of Jesus Christ
is upon the earth today. The Church of Jesus Christ is true.
My invite this week is rather bold. My invite is to begin reading from
the beginning of the Book of Mormon tonight and to finish it in 65
days ( The same amount of time it took Joseph Smith to translate it ).
As a representative of The Resurrected Lord Jesus Christ I promise you
that if you truly commit and carry out my invite... That you will be
blessed with the same surety that I have. That these things are true.
"Ask, and it shall be given unto you; seek, and ye shall find; knock,
and it shall be opened unto you." ( 3 Nephi 14:7 ).
I love you all. Thank you for the love and support. Have a great, safe week.
peace be the journey,
Anziano JarDee Nessen
D&C 135:3
3 Joseph Smith, the Prophet and Seer of the Lord, has done more, save
Jesus only, for the salvation of men in this world, than any other man
that ever lived in it. In the short space of twenty years, he has
brought forth the Book of Mormon, which he translated by the gift and
power of God, and has been the means of publishing it on two
continents; has sent the fulness of the everlasting gospel, which it
contained, to the four quarters of the earth; has brought forth the
revelations and commandments which compose this book of Doctrine and
Covenants, and many other wise documents and instructions for the
benefit of the children of men; gathered many thousands of the
Latter-day Saints, founded a great city, and left a fame and name that
cannot be slain. He lived great, and he died great in the eyes of God
and his people; and like most of the Lord’s anointed in ancient times,
has sealed his mission and his works with his own blood; and so has
his brother Hyrum. In life they were not divided, and in death they
were not separated!
Senior companion is a bit different. I like it, but it is different.
My companion is kind of having a hard time without his trainer right
now, so I am just doing my best to show him that I love him and that I
care for him. Things are getting better as the days go bye. He is a
super good kid and I love him to death. I want the best for him and I
want him to enjoy his time not only with me, but throughout his
mission as well. He is a stud and I love him. We are getting along
fine and doing good work.
We have been doing lots and lots of finding ( tracting ) because when
I arrived here we had zero investigators. We started off last week by
really getting the word out that we do a free English Course. We hung
about 50 English Course posters in different places all around the
city of Napoli. Hopefully something good comes from our efforts there.
Also I have been trying to be a little bit more fearless.....So now
when we get on inner city train ( like a Subway type thinger ) instead
of standing up and just waiting until our stop....I have been sitting
next to people and just talking. It was super hard to get over my fear
of just sitting next to someone and talking about our religion (
because I didn't think my Italian was good enough to do it without my
companion right beside me ) but I started doing it and I love it. It
is my favorite way to find now. I get to teach The Restoration a ton
and so it also helps with my teaching skills. Now when we don't have
an appointment or anything we just get on the inner city train and
ride it back and forth and just talk to different people along the
way. It is awesome and really effective. When we are walking down the
street, it is easy for others to say no and reject us. BUT when they
are stuck inside of a train with us, they tend to open up a lot more.
My first week here in Napoli, a husband and wife came to our English
course for the first time. They are middle aged people and they are
incredibly kind. The husband is ripped. He is seriously the strongest
looking guy I have ever seen. His muscles are huge and when he shakes
my hand it feels like he could break it into pieces if he really
wanted to. His idol is Bruce Lee. He was the European Champion in
kick-boxing for 5 straight years in the 80's. Safe to say.....He is
still a lethal weapon today. They were super interested in us and our
beliefs so we gave them a Book of Mormon and invited them to read and
pray with a sincere heart to know the truth. This last Wednesday we
went over to their house for the first lesson. We didn't jump right
into the restoration right away. We kind of just let them know who we
are, what we do and why we are here in Italy. We asked them some
questions and asked them what role religion has played in their lives.
The husband had already read through 1st and 2nd Nephi. He loves the
Book of Mormon. They have been prepared. This Wednesday they are
having us over for another the lesson and it will be on The
Restoration. I am seriously so pumped. My companion and I have been
practicing non-stop on this....We want this to go the best that it
possibly can. Wednesday is going to be a big day and I am super
excited.
Here is the super cool part about that guy. Again, he loves Bruce Lee.
In his house, he has his own DoJo. He teaches martial arts in his
house. When we were setting up out next appointment, we set it for the
following Wednesday at 7. His reply was,"Could you come at 6 and I
will teach you some martial arts and then at 7 you can teach me about
Christ?" My companion and I looked at each other, smiled and happily
agreed to the invitation. So we have a martial arts lesson and a
lesson on the restoration. I can't wait!
This last Thursday was my companions birthday. He turned the big 19. I
bought him a sweet Adidas shirt and sang to him when he woke up. At
English Course Thursday night we through him a big surprise party. It
was awesome. He was having a pretty rough day, because the first
Christmas and Birthday away from home are always rough days.... The
party really helped him and cheered him up. I had a good time. The
students had a good time. But most importantly Anziano Just had a good
time. It was good to see the guy have a good smile on his birthday.
Friday night we went on exchanges with some other missionaries. When
we started the exchange Me and Elder Anderson ( My exchange partner.
He is from Texas and is one transfer younger than me ) took off and
headed towards the inner city train station. We were walking down the
stairs and as soon as we got down the stairs we heard in
English......"Elders!!!!" A man and his wife came over to us and shook
our hands. They introduced themselves and told us that they were from
Denver and here on vacation. They needed help getting on the inner
city train so they could get back to their cruise ship. We bought them
some tickets and escorted them to their stop. They gave us 20 bucks
and told us that dinner was on them. They were some of the kindest
people that I have ever met. They took pictures with us and talked to
us for a good 15 minutes. It was a huge tender mercy from the Lord. He
was a young single adult ward Bishop and was hilarious. The wife was
one of the nicest people on the planet. They have a daughter in Chile
serving a mission right now. They were seriously Heaven sent. I have
always thought about having that experience out here, and it came
true. Then not even joking, five minutes after we ran into a sister
missionary who finished her mission a little while back. She was with
her mom and they were just walking through Napoli. I served with this
sister in Crotone for one transfer. She was really cool and her
grandpa is actually Russell M. Nelson ( the new President of the
Quorem of the 12 Apostles ). We were running into Mormons all over the
place Friday night. It was awesome!
Every Saturday night we gather our new converts together. We eat a
pizza, get to know each a little bit better and have a lesson. It is
super effective. I have never thought of something like that before,
but it works. Our new converts are really strong here in Napoli. From
this they develop better relationships with other members, they get to
become close with the missionaries and they get a pizza from Napoli.
It doesn't get much better than that.
Yesterday was good. Sunday's are always good in the mission. Last
night we went over to a less active members house and taught him a
lesson. It went really well. He lives on the 9th floor of the building
so we decided to take the elevator on the way down. Well.....the
elevator stopped all of a sudden and we were stuck. We sat in there
waiting for it to start working again, but after 15 minutes it started
to get really warm in there. We were able to pry the elevator door
open and we could see about half of the 3rd floor. There was a number
in the elevator to call if something happened. We called and called
and called....but nobody ever answered. By this time it was about 8:30
pm and we were still a long ways from home. It came down to spending
an awful night in an elevator or prying ourselves out. We ended up
forcing our way out, which wasn't easy. My companion got out first
and than I climbed out. It was a bit of a struggle....but we made it.
I will be sending some videos home.
This week.....I want to simply bare my Testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith.
I know that God the Father and His Beloved Son appeared to a young 14
old boy, in response to that young boys prayer. I know that Joseph
Smith obtained the record, which was long ago hidden in the Hill
Cumorah by Moroni some 400 plus years after the death of Jesus Christ.
I know that with the power of the almighty God, Joseph Smith
translated the record into the English language. That once did buried
record is now known as The Book of Mormon. Joseph Smith translated the
record in 65 days. I know that through Joseph Smith that our loving
Heavenly Father restored again on this earth the proper priesthood
authority. I know that the same priesthood authority that was restored
nearly 200 years ago, is still on this earth today. During the mortal
ministry of Joseph Smith he suffered all kinds of troubles and
afflictions. To name a few: He was tarred and feathered, He was
beaten, He was mocked, He was falsely accused, He was Hated, He lost
Children, He was locked in Liberty Jail... The Prophet Joseph Smith
did translate the Book of Mormon. God did restore His priesthood
authority through Joseph Smith. Joseph Smith did see the Father and
the Son that spring morning in 1820. He truly saw what he said he saw.
I have stepped foot in the Sacred Grove for myself. There is a peace
there unlike any other place. The Almighty and The Savior of The World
truly spoke to then a 14 year old boy. Joseph Smith was a prophet of
God and that he sealed his prophetic testimony with his own innocent
blood. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is true. Joseph
Smith was a Prophet. The Book of Mormon is true. The Book of Mormon is
the evidence of The Prophet Joseph Smith and the truthfulness of The
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. If the Book of Mormon is
true, than Joseph Smith was truly a prophet. If the Book of Mormon is
true, than the same priesthood that was on the earth when Christ was
on the earth is again on the earth today. If the Book of Mormon is
true, than the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is true.
I bare my solemn testimony that I know with every fiber of my being
that Joseph Smith was a Prophet of God. I know that He was called and
chosen to restore the church in these last days. I know that the
record he found in that hillside and translated is true. I know that
he sealed his testimony with his own blood. I know that He truly saw
exactly what he said he saw in the grove. The Church of Jesus Christ
is upon the earth today. The Church of Jesus Christ is true.
My invite this week is rather bold. My invite is to begin reading from
the beginning of the Book of Mormon tonight and to finish it in 65
days ( The same amount of time it took Joseph Smith to translate it ).
As a representative of The Resurrected Lord Jesus Christ I promise you
that if you truly commit and carry out my invite... That you will be
blessed with the same surety that I have. That these things are true.
"Ask, and it shall be given unto you; seek, and ye shall find; knock,
and it shall be opened unto you." ( 3 Nephi 14:7 ).
I love you all. Thank you for the love and support. Have a great, safe week.
peace be the journey,
Anziano JarDee Nessen
D&C 135:3
3 Joseph Smith, the Prophet and Seer of the Lord, has done more, save
Jesus only, for the salvation of men in this world, than any other man
that ever lived in it. In the short space of twenty years, he has
brought forth the Book of Mormon, which he translated by the gift and
power of God, and has been the means of publishing it on two
continents; has sent the fulness of the everlasting gospel, which it
contained, to the four quarters of the earth; has brought forth the
revelations and commandments which compose this book of Doctrine and
Covenants, and many other wise documents and instructions for the
benefit of the children of men; gathered many thousands of the
Latter-day Saints, founded a great city, and left a fame and name that
cannot be slain. He lived great, and he died great in the eyes of God
and his people; and like most of the Lord’s anointed in ancient times,
has sealed his mission and his works with his own blood; and so has
his brother Hyrum. In life they were not divided, and in death they
were not separated!
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