March 28th, 2016 // #13 of 2016

March 28th, 2016 // #13 of 2016

\\ Greetings from Mistretta //

I hope everyone back home had a Happy, Happy, Happy Easter weekend. I hope the Easter Bunny found everyone and I hope everyone found an egg or two. I here the weather back home is going a bit wild, but if it makes you feel any better it is doing the exact same here as well. It was about 60 degrees on Wednesday and on Thursday it dropped down to about 35 degrees and rain. Other than the weather, things are going well up here in the mountains. We are staying healthy, our investigators are making little steps closer to baptism with each lesson and we are getting after it out here. Here are a few highlights from this past week.

Tuesday we had ourselves a Zone Conference in Catania. They decided to combine the two zones in Sicily and do one big Zone Conference. I had lots of good buddies there and it was good to catch up. I love President Waddoups. He is seriously one of the biggest studs of all time. He is gentle, but powerful. I look at him like a grandpa. During my interview we talked like friends and that was the first time I've had a relationship like that with a leader. I asked him for a priesthood blessing and goodness that fella is inspired. I had a few questions going into the blessing and throughout the blessing that he gave to me, he answered every single one of my questions. He told me to tell all of you "Hello and Happy Easter." He is a stud and will be heading home in the beginning of July. I'm going to miss him. During my interview he practically told me that I will be remaining in Mistretta for a 6 transfer. Nothing like holding down the fort in the smallest city in the mission for 9 months. I love it. Mistretta is the equivalent to Howell Valley for me.

We had a few lessons this week and goodness gracious they were powerful. I probably sound like a broken record week after week after week, but truly they were powerful. We met with Maria, the sister of Nino, and showed her the video that the church produced for Easter. We weren't there for very long, but the lesson went just as we planned.

We talked about just how wonderful and perfect the Resurrection of Jesus Christ truly is, and the blessings that come from that first Easter Morning. Elder Holland once said, "Some blessings come soon and some come late. Some blessings don't even come until heaven, but for those who accept the gospel of Jesus Christ....they come." That's so true. Sometimes we receive a blessing immediately, such an answer to a prayer. Sometimes we have to wait a little while for a blessing, for example...praying, fasting, hoping and patiently waiting for a loved one who has fallen off the straight and narrow to work their way back.

That would be a blessing that doesn't always come immediately, but a blessing that may take some time and work. Lastly, some blessings don't come until heaven... Such as reuniting with a loved one and living with them for time and all eternity. That is a blessing that we will not see or receive in this life, but promised blessings from The Lord do not change. They are eternal, permanent. With Maria we talked about seeing our loved ones again and how much joy, happiness and love will be felt in that moment. She felt the spirit. We felt the spirit.

We all came away edified after sitting in her living room for 20 minutes. She committed to come to church, but unfortunately didn't make it. We will get her though. We are starting to make some real progress with her. Her and I have really connected as of late. I love that lady.

We also met with Dr. Enzo this week Saturday afternoon. Poor feller isn't feeling very well at all. We also shared with not only him, but his entire family, the video that the church produced. We talked about how after this life, we won't have to worry about these pains and weaknesses that we have to overcome here in mortality. That is one of the great teachings of the Book of Mormon. We will have a perfected body and we will live forever. We also talked about how The Fall of Adam and Eve brought spiritual death and also physical death into the world, but how the Infinite and Eternal Sacrifice in the Garden of Gethsemane performed by Jesus Christ overcame spiritual death and also that on that first Easter morning the bands of death were shattered by the glorious and precious resurrection of our Lord and Savior, the very Son of God Himself.

As you can see from those two short examples above, we had many opportunities and many privileges to testify of the resurrected lord Jesus Christ throughout this Sacred Week. It was nice to teach and talk with people throughout this week, because everyone seemed to be a little bit more open to the message that we had to offer. I love this Easter season, because I think we all take a little more time to think about the man that willingly sacrificed Himself for the sins and shortcomings from every single person who has ever touched down on this earth. This Easter season is sacred, and it should be. That first Easter Sunday was and always will be the greatest single event that has ever taken place here upon this earth. We are blessed with the knowledge that we have, so very blessed....for in Christ, no one truly dies.

Easter Sunday was a good one. My last Easter away from home, and it feels pretty good to be able to say that. We had testimony meeting up here in Mistretta because this weekend we will be able to hear from our Prophet and Apostles during General Conference. Testimony meeting went well. It was nice to sit in the back, and watch the members one by one walk up to the pulpit and bare testimony about their love for the Savior. We ate lunch with Nino and his family members. Maria was there and it was good to see her. They made a lasagna, but they didn't use hamburger for the meat. Instead they used the guts of a goat for the meat. That was tough to get down, and they always make the elders eat more than one helping. "You're eating liver, intestines, lungs, a heart amongst other insides...." was going through my mind as I was focusing on my dry heaving or up-chucking the lasagna all over his kitchen table. For the main course we ate goat. I got the shoulder.

That was the first time that I've eaten goat and it will be the last time that I eat goat. It was a completely different experience, and I'm glad that I'll never have to suffer through it again. I love beef.

It was so kind of Nino to have us over though with his family. Like I said last week. He considers me part of his family. I love that guy and am really going to miss him. We were in good company, we were surrounded by laughs and it was a great Easter lunch. In the evening we headed down to Sorella Battista's home for our sacrament meeting down there. Pippo Portera came down with us and goodness sakes I love that guy. He has been and is one of the most incredible people that I have ever met. He is a powerhouse and a half. He is the humblest man I have ever met. He called us over for dinner 4 times last week, because he said it looked like I was losing weight. He is a champion. Anyways, the sacrament meeting at Sorella Battista's house was incredible. In that living room of hers, I've had some of the most spiritual meetings that I will ever have in my life. Yesterday as the six of us took turns bearing our testimonies, the thought..."You're going to miss this little, plain living room someday..." And that is true. I love Mistretta. I love the people here. I love serving the Lord, my Savior and my Friend.

To close out my weekly report home this week, I would like to begin with a quote from Sir Isaac Newton. He once said, "If I've seen any further in life, it is because I've stood on the shoulders of giants."

On the first P-Day of this year I raised my opinion and voice on my thoughts, feelings and impressions on the relationships we each have back home. I was very blunt and to the point in that first email home of 2016. If there were any feelings hurt that day and if I said something out of line I apologize. I simply wanted to get the ball rolling down the path of forgiveness and mending of old wounds. I believe that we have started down that path and it feels better than words can adequately describe. Now today I would like to give a tribute to those of you who have blessed my life in more ways than I can possibly imagine.

In my 19 years here upon the earth, I have been surrounded by some of the most incredible and humble people in the world. From loving parents who were and still are willing to sacrifice absolutely anything for my benefit and wellbeing. For loving aunts and uncles that have kept me close, and always supporting me with sports. From cousins and more cousins for being some of my closest friends and inspirations. For grandparents and great grandparents that constantly showed me an outpouring of love. Wherever I have been, in every place I have ever stood...I have been lifted, supported, cared for and loved. Everything and anything that I have ever needed ( and than some

) has always been there right in front of me. I'll never forget my birthday party down at Peter Pipers Pizza and playing in the ball pit with Bubba Wise. I'll never forget my first day at preschool and the day I graduated from high school. I'll never forget that football game when I was 8 years old when I chipped my teeth because I forgot to put my mouth guard in, and I will surely never forget walking off the field that last time after my last high school football game at home.

I will never forget the cupcake fights at birthday parties, getting tossed from the tube while boating at Twin Lakes, the family camping trips up in Lava Hot Springs and DownAtAHot Springs, the family home evenings and Christmas parties with the Huffs, the family get togethers on SuperBowl Sunday, and evening hunting for Easter eggs up on the hill in Howell Valley. In all of these experiences, which I truly cherish, I have been completely surrounded by the most incredible group of people that has ever been and ever will be assembled here upon this earth, that being my family. I'm not sure what I did to deserve such a big, loving and supportive family, but I will forever be grateful to my Father in Heaven for blessing me which so much, and I will forever be indebted to each of you for the positive impact you have all had on me and my life since the very beginning. Throughout all of my life I have truly "stood on the Shoulders of Giants." Each and everyone of you have blessed me in one way or another: by your example, by your happiness, by your attitude, by your dedication, be your hard work, by your love. Whatever it might be, today I say thank you. Thank you for constantly being in my corner or up in the stands on a Friday night. Thank you for keeping me close and telling my story after story. Thank you for teaching good habits and good principles through your words and as well as your deeds.

Thank you for showing me how to love, how to love and how to be tough.

Thank you for your sacrifices. No matter how big or how small you think that sacrifice might have been, I thank you with everything that I have. Thank you for looking out for me, for praying for me and for loving me. Thank you for the highs and the lows, and truly everything in between. Thank you for it all. I honestly and proudly declare that I would not be the person that I am today without the loving and caring influence of my family. Today, I say Thank You. Thank you for be those "Giants" that Sir Isaac Newton was talking about. Thank you for allowing me to stand upon your shoulders. Thank you for blessing me with so much joy, happiness and love. Someday I hope to be able to return just a sliver of all the joy, happiness and love back to all of you, but know that I am truly grateful. I've been blessed with nothing but the absolute best on all sides. Once again, in closing, I Thank You.

I love you.

I'm praying for you.

Enjoy General Conference this weekend.

Love,

Anziano JarDee Nessen

Italy Rome Mission

Romans 1:15-16

Some of the pals from Zone Conference.

Mistretta, I love this place!

This is the goat. I named him Hoppy. Nino gut the thing
himself in his basement. Poor Feller!

March 21st, 2016 // #12 of 2016

March 21st, 2016 // #12 of 2016

Good Morning Everyone!
Here we are and another week has come and gone. We had a solid week up
here in the Mountains. The work here is tough, but I love this little
city. I just started my 11th transfer here in the mission field. Crazy
to think how fast time goes by. Anziano Dunn is doing really well. He
is picking up on the language quick and working hard. He is a good guy
and we're getting along really well. Here is a little recap of our
week.
For PDay last week, we decided to head down to Palermo and spend he
days with the Elders that are serving there. We had planned to go play
some volleyball and basketball but the weather turned out to be pretty
nasty and so we played ping pong for most of the day. It was pretty
strange weather though. The sun was shining and there was hardly a
cloud in the sky, but the rain was coming down so hard. After PDay was
over we stayed down in Palermo for the night and went on Exchanges
with the Elders. This time Elder Whiting and I hit the streets
together, while Elder Dunn went out with Elder Chilvers. Elder Whiting
and I had a good evening together. Now when I say this, you probably
won't believe me but it is the honest truth. Here in Italy when e
Africans arrive as refugees, 99% of them change their name. I've heard
some of the strangest but also some of the coolest names here in
Italy. I'll name a few, for example: Endurance, God's Time is Best or
Prince John (I was fortunate to give Endurance the Gift of the Holy
Ghost while I was serving in Crotone shortly after his baptism). The
Africans always have the best of names. Well Monday evening I had the
opportunity to teach an African man and his name is Hillary Clinton.
I'm not joking there and I just had to get a picture with him. He was
one of the kindest and most humble people that I have ever met. Every
time we would pay him a compliment, he would quickly deflect it away
and give someone else the credit. We taught Hillary the Plan of
Salvation and it went really well. He is a stud and should be getting
baptized on the 9th of April. After I was blessed with the privilege
to teach Hillary Clinton, I went and bought some African style fabric
and we went and visited an African married couple that the
missionaries are working with. This couple makes African clothes,
dressed and suits. I decided that I won't have to many more chances in
my life to get a hand made African suit, so I thought it was about
time that I got myself one. It should be ready in the next ten days or
so and I'm seriously super excited for it. I will never have to buy
another Halloween costume again. We got my fabric and went and visited
them for two reasons though. Number One: This couple is seriously
incredible. They just have a good spirit about them. They have good
personalities and are hard workers. They are just fun to be around. It
was good to get around them and speak a little bit of English. There I
was able to see just how big the language barrier can be sometimes. I
was able to click with them so fast and made a good relationship right
from the start. They are good people. Reason Number Two: I really want
a hand made African suit.
Tuesday Morning we held our last District Meeting of the transfer. It
went really well. I really liked our district last transfer. It was a
solid one indeed. This transfer we have another Greenie that just
arrived and we also received an Elder who will finish his mission at
the end of this transfer. I'm excited for our district and to see the
good we will do his transfer. After District Meeting Elder Dunn and I
got back to the train station and hopped on a train heading back home.
Pippo Portera came and picked us up from the train station and gave us
a ride back up the mountain to Mistretta. I love that guy. That
evening we ended up stopping by Nino's house to see what he was doing.
He was in the middle of cooking Easter cookies for everyone and was
having a hard time because he was all alone. I walked right over to
the cupboard, threw on an apron and we got to work. When we arrived I
could tell that he was a little bit down and a little sad, but Elder
Dunn and I surely turned that around. Poor old feller just gets lonely
sometimes. Here in Mistretta around Easter all of the Mothers make
cookies for their children in the shape of horses. They decorate them
with saddles and all sorts of good stuff. Nino made me a horse and
Elder Dunn a dinosaur. While he was making my horse, because I always
talk about the farm and how my Papa Gordie is a cowboy, he began
talking about his mom and how she used to do the exact same thing for
him when he was a little feller. He started to cry and get pretty
emotional as he was making my horse for me. It was a pretty cool
moment to share with him. I was able to tell him that she wasn't very
far away, because I know that my own mother isn't very far away
either. He gave me a big ole hug at the end of the night and told me
that he loved me. It was a good day.
Wednesday we had a solid, and a real solid, lesson with Dr. Enzo. We
decided to teach on the Godhead. We brought Pippo Portera along with
us. We started off by talking out Heavenly Father and how He is
literally our Father. We moved on to the Savior of the World, Jesus
Christ. We finished it up with the Holy Ghost. We all bore testimony
and brought in the spirit very strong. I asked Dr Enzo, "Do you
believe that Joseph Smith saw God the Father and Jesus Christ on that
spring morning in 1820?" He replied, "Yes." I than invited him to be
baptized, and his response was stern but just what we needed to hear.
Asking those questions lead us right to his needs. Judging off what he
said and how he said it, he believes that the church is true. I just
don't know if he has the courage to change. With the help of heaven,
we will get him there. It was a solid lesson.
Thursday we were able to see Maria, Nino's sister, for the first time
in a few weeks and it went so well. We talked about the Savior and his
Resurrection and His infinite and eternally saving Atonement. We all
got a little bit emotional and the lesson was super powerful. She is
the sweetest little lady and I want nothing more than for her to be
happy. She had a heart of gold and reminds me so much of Grandma Nan.
As we were getting ready to leave, she opened up her cupboard and
filled a bag full of goodies for Elder Dunn and I. She is a champion.
Pippo wants to come along with us this week and we plan on getting her
to church this week.
We had some other lessons and neat things that happened but I don't
have a lot of time and I want to tell you all quickly what happened
yesterday at church. We were asked to speak in church Thursday evening
and I had the topic of "Easter." I prepared pretty well but on the way
to church I had the feeling to bag everything I prepared and really
just wing it. I was very confident in my just wing it prompting that I
received, but I decided to following anyways. I got to the stand and
gave the best talk that I have ever given. I got emotional towards the
end and when I looked up everyone else was teary eyed as well. I spoke
on Easter, but I spoke a lot about the relationship between the Father
and the Son. I give all the credit to the Spirit because with out the
promoting to bag what I had prepared, my talk wouldn't have went the
way that it did. During the closing prayer, a member said..."Father we
thank thee for the missionaries, especially Elder Nessen who always
starts his talks with a smile and finishes them in tears." After the
prayer everyone was giving me hugs and telling me thank you. Nino
said, "How come you get up there and always make us cry down in the
audience?" I have felt an outpouring of love from these members here
and they all consider me part of the family. I love this little town
and I am so grateful to be here for my 5th transfer. It's a good
little town, and these people have changed my life forever.
That's about it for this week. I hope you all are doing well and
everything is staying healthy. I hope you all had a good week and I
hope that you all have a good Easter week. This week is truly a
beautiful one, and Easter is truly the simple most important day of
the year. I'm grateful for a Savior, who lived a perfect and flawless
life here upon the earth and oh so will it took upon Himself our sins,
our pains, our weaknesses, our fears, our sadness. Truly He descended
below all things, so He could comfort us in a perfect way every single
time we experience some sort of mortal pain. I'm grateful for His
character. Thinking about it, I'm not sure if in the scriptures you
can find the Savior saying the phrase, "I love you." He didn't need to
tell anybody that He loved them, He just showed them with his actions,
teachings and dealings. He bled from every pore in the Garden, took a
whipping across His back, was nailed to a cross in between two men who
had committed serious crimes, but He rose on the third day, completely
voluntarily. Even after His suffering in the garden, He healed the
soldiers ear. Upon the cross He said, and this could be one of the
most beautiful quotes of all time, "Father, forgive them; for they
know not what they do." Upon that very cross He continually reached
out to comfort those around Him. To one of the sinners next to him
upon the cross He said, "Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be
with me in paradise." His character was without flaw. His life was
without blemish, but never the less He willing paid the price for our
sins. One day we will all have the privilege to stand in front of this
Jesus Christ, and in that very moment I believe that His arms will be
open, I believe that He will have a smile on His face, and I believe
that He will say something along the lines of...."Welcome home..." I'm
not sure if I will be ready to stand in front of Him, but I do know
that in that moment I will wet His scared feet with my tears of
gratitude. He is the Savior of the World, The Redeemer of us all and
the Author of our salvation. This Easter season I pray that we will
remember Him and His eternal and infinite sacrifice, for without Him
this life wouldn't be worth living. Let us remember Him this week. I
can testify that the more we focus on Him, His sacrifice, His
character and His love, that more happiness, peace and joy will fill
our everyday lives. I hope you know that I love you and that I am
praying for you. Take care.
Happy Easter!!
Love,
Anziano JarDee Nessen
Italy Rome Mission
Romans 1:15-16

This is Hillary Clinton. Thee most humble and caring man of all time.

More horse cookies with Nino. I love this guy.

My District

March 14th, 2016 // #11 of 2016

March 14th, 2016 // #11 of 2016

Hey y'all ❤️
Trying something a little new this week with my weekly email. I want
to try and send a video home once a week instead of trying to type for
so long during PDay. Let me know what your thoughts are. I thank you
for everything and wish you a wonderful week.
I love you all.
Anziano JarDee Nessen 🇮🇹

The New Suit

March 7th, 2016 // #10 of 2016 🍀

March 7th, 2016 // #10 of 2016 🍀

Good Morning Everyone!
March is here and Easter is coming on up. In a few days I will be
hitting my 15 month mark which is pretty neat. I hear it's been
raining cats and dogs back home on you all. Here the weather has been
pretty nice, but this week we are the ones that are going to be
pounded by the rain. We had a pretty slow week. Mistretta is a very
hot and cold city. Some weeks everyone's front doors seem to fly right
open, while other weeks we might as well dress up in a gorilla suit
and try to get into a home that way. I sure love this place though.
I've been here since the end of September last year, and the people
here have surely grown on me. The Portera family has become my family
away from home. Nino has become a grandparent. The Wardle senior
couple are incredible and practically have become family as well.
Mistretta is a good place. Last week, I said that we should be
receiving transfer calls. Well Saturday morning we received a text
message from our Zone Leaders explaining that we would not be
receiving our transfer calls on Saturday. Kind of weird and this has
never happened before, but President Waddoups is inspired and we
should be receiving calls here in the upcoming days. I'm praying to
remain in Mistretta, but it is about what I want or am hoping for.
I'll let everyone know next week what is happening there.
Last Week, I explained that when we down to Sorella Battista's for our
second sacrament meeting her daughter, Rossaria, was not feeling well.
Her heart beat was around 150-155 beats per minute and she was running
a high fever. Sorella Battista asked us to give her a priesthood
blessing. We put our hands upon her head, and I administered the
blessing of healing. Throughout the prayer, I felt that I could
promise her that her heart would calm down shorty and that he fever
would break. At the end of the blessing I promised her those things.
Immediately after the blessing we headed back up to Mistretta without
hesitation, so we were unable to see how Rossaria felt after a little
while. Well, Friday evening we headed down to Sorella Battista's house
for our Weekly Family home evening and the first thing I asked her was
how her daughter felt. She responded and I quote, "30 Minutes after
you left, her pulse dropped a full 60 beats per minute and her fever
broke immediately. It was a miracle, an absolute miracle." It was a
moment out here in the mission field that I will never forget. It was
the first time I had the chance to lay my hands upon the head of
someone and give them a blessing in Italian. The power of the
priesthood is such a blessing, and a blessing for everyone. How
grateful I am for the opportunity that I had. God hears and answers
our prayers.
We also had another solid lesson with Dr Enzo this passed week about
the Prophet of the Restoration, Joseph Smith. We decided to take an
entire lesson and just talk about one man, one man that was prepared
from the day of his birth to fulfill what he was preordained to
accomplish. We talked about his life before the First Vision, his
hometown, his family, his religious background. We talked about his
life immediately after the First Vision, the persecution, the
challenges and harassment. We talked about the Book of Mormon, his
wife Emma, his children, and his martyrdom alongside his brother,
Hyrum. I never get tired of teaching about the Prophet Joseph Smith.
The more I learn about him, his life, his revelations, his
character...the more and more convinced I become. He was absolutely
incredible and like D&C 135:3 declares, "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." The lived great, and truly he died great. Towards the end of the
lesson, I had the thought to turn  to a conference talk given by
President James E. Faust in the October 1992 General Conference. In
this talk, which is titled "A Priceless Heritage", he talks about The
Pioneers. In this powerful talk he shares a few pioneer stories. I
would like to share one of the stories he shared. I believe that I
have already sent this home once before, but reading it again doesn't
hurt. Here it is...:
"Let me tell you of James Kirkwood. James was from Glasgow, Scotland.
On the trip west, James was accompanied by his widowed mother and
three brothers, one of whom, Thomas, was nineteen and crippled and had
to ride in the handcart. James’s primary responsibility on the trek
was to care for his little four-year-old brother, Joseph, while his
mother and oldest brother, Robert, pulled the cart. As they climbed
Rocky Ridge, it was snowing and there was a bitter cold wind blowing.
It took the whole company twenty-seven hours to travel fifteen miles.
When little Joseph became too weary to walk, James, the older brother,
had no choice but to carry him. Left behind the main group, James and
Joseph made their way slowly to camp. When the two finally arrived at
the fireside, James “having so faithfully carried out his task,
collapsed and died from exposure and over-exertion."
James was 11 years old.
I read these stories to Dr. Enzo about the strong, fearless and full
of faith Pioneers and it was a big turning point in our lesson.
Anziano Dunn and I bore testimony that Joseph Smith would not die
along side of his brother, leaving behind their wives, children and
little band of Mormon followers over a Book. He would have never
endured so much pain, so much affliction, so many trials and so much
hatred from a Book. He sealed his testimony with his own innocent
blood, and his brother was in the exact same room standing by his
brothers side as 150-200 men, with faces painted black, entered the
jail with pistols and balls in hand, thirsty for blood. Once again, he
lived great and he died great. We then bore testimony on the pioneer
stories that we shared. We testified that an 11 year old boy died,
after carrying his younger brother on his back for miles in the
blazing snow and wind while they were trekking towards Zion. We
testified that these Saints wouldn't have left it all behind, put
everything on the line, and march across the United States all because
of a Book, if they weren't absolutely certain about this books
divinity and authenticity. They were strong, just as the Saints are
today. We testified of the reality of the Book of Mormon. We testified
of an inspired 14 year old, who desired to know the truth. We
testified of those who valiantly lost their lives on the painful and
straining walk across those rough plains and of those who reached what
we know as Zion. This lesson with Dr. Enzo was probably my favorite
lesson that I have taught throughout my mission. To be able to look
someone in the eyes and say..."I know..." is a pretty powerful thing.
I'm not sure about Dr. Enzo, but I came away edified from that lesson.
I'm grateful for the Spirit that lead and guided that lesson. He is
the true teacher, us missionaries are merely the mouthpieces. I'm
grateful that He accompanied us through that discussion we had with
Dr. Enzo.
That's about all that I have time to share this week, but I hope you
know that I love each of you. I'm grateful for each of you and for
your love, support and prayers. I'm grateful for my family, my friends
and the Italian people that are making this two year journey the
greatest experience that a 19 year old boy could have. I'm grateful
for a loving Father in Heaven who loved us enough, that He sent His
very best to suffer, bleed and die for each and everyone of us. He did
not only send this Perfect Son to suffer, bleed and die...but to Live,
to Love, to Teach and to Live again. I'm grateful for that Son, that
willing accepted the Fathers call to come to this earth and suffer for
us. Surely He can and will shift a mountain, change the course of a
river and walk by our very side every step of this mortal journey. I'm
grateful for the Prophet Joseph Smith. For his character, loyalty and
obedience. For his strength, for his grit and for his will. I am
grateful for the Scriptures and especially the Book of Mormon. The
Book of Mormon was saved for our day, right now. The Prophet Joseph
Smith, his brother Hyrum, James, and a countless number of others gave
their lives for that very Book. I am grateful for once again my
family, my friends and these Italian people that make my life so rich.
I love you all. Have a great week and take care. I'll talk to you soon.
Love,
Anziano JarDee Nessen
Italy Rome Mission
Romans 1:15-16

PS.
For those of you who would like to participate with me in a special
fast here is some info. One of my past companions has recently
returned home from the mission, early for reasons that do not need to
be discussed. The fact of the matter is it that I love this missionary
and I would do anything I could for him. He has had an impact on me,
perhaps bigger than any other companion that I have had. I will begin
my fast this Saturday after lunch and close my fast Sunday after
church. I will not be publishing his name in respect for him, but for
those of you who would like to fast we will be fasting for Elder
Unknown. The Lord will know exactly who we are fasting for and will
send Angels to this Elders right and left during this difficult time.
I thank you all.

-Nino on his Tablet (Notice without the huge glasses. Those are his
normal ones)
--Shoutout to my best friend and right hand man for making the
baseball team. #21