Sep20
September 19th, 2016 // #38 of 2016
Hello Fam and Friends.
I hope everyone is doing well back home. I hope that everyone is
healthy and happy. Here are a few of the goodies that took place last
week over here in Italy.
We have this investigator named Giuseppe. Giuseppe is a young guy that
lives here in Bari. He is 25 years old and has a job. We met him back
in July and he came to the baptismal service of the Musicco family.
Giuseppe is a good guy, and we can tell that he is searching for
something more. We met with him last Monday evening and it went really
well. We didn't really get into The Restoration or the Plan of
Salvation, instead we talked about the Hope that Jesus Christ offers
us. He had many questions about why do we have to suffer? Why are
there children who starve? Why are so many people without homes and
shelter? Why is there so much death? We talked about that for a good
hour or so and finally we came to a conclusion. We talked about that
unfortunately in this world there are those who suffer, there are
those who have no roof over their head, their are those who are hungry
and would do anything for a few ounces of food....but in the Book of
Mormon we learn that "the Lord hath comforted His people, and will
have mercy upon the afflicted." We bore testimony that Jesus Christ
loves us, and that He will one day put an end to all of this
suffering, all of this hurt and all of this pain that we feel
ourselves as well as all of the pain we see on the tv or hear on the
radio. He will win, and put an end to the destruction, heartbreak and
pain. Sadly, that will be the last lesson that we will have with
Giuseppe. We found out that he lives in the other missionaries area,
so this week we will be passing him off to the other elders. After our
lesson with Giuseppe, we went and visited Sister Magno. Sister Magno
is the little old sister who went up to the temple in Switzerland, and
on returning home discovered that her son had passed onto the next
phase of the eternal plan of salvation. It was incredible to look at
her, and see just how peaceful that she really was. She was calm and
collected. She didn't shed a tear, she just smiled. We were asked to
carry a disassembled piece of furniture down the flights of stairs and
we happily did just that. I was sweating like a pig on Auction Day at
the Box Elder County Fair and Rodeo, but it went well. We were happy
to perform such a small act of service, for a sweet little old sister
of our ward who is overcoming such a hard trial.
Tuesday, we got outside got after some tracting done. We went to our
Miracle Park and started opening our mouths. We asked Heavenly Father
to guide us to those who would receive us, got out of the car and
headed into the park. In an hour, we were lucky enough to sit down and
talk with three different people about Jesus Christ and His gospel
which has been restored in the Latter-days. One of these people that
we met was a younger lady, probably 30 years old. She was pushing a
small child that was confined to a wheelchair. The little guy is named
Roberto. We showed her a video about Jesus Christ, and as the video
was playing I couldn't help but stare at Roberto. His little arms had
no movement. His legs were completely still. He didn't say a word, but
he didn't have to. I just looked at him with tears in my eyes and I
could feel just how perfectly our Savior loves him. Roberto is
perfect. He is truly without spot. I thought once again about the
Eternal Plan of Salvation and how we will live again, with a perfect
and immortal body. In that day, I hope to somehow run into Roberto
once again and in that moment I will tell him thank you. In that day,
he will no longer be confined to that wheelchair. His arms will be
strong, and his legs will be powerful. In that day, he will not only
have a perfect spirit, which he already has, but he will also have a
perfect body. It was a powerful moment for me. Tuesday evening we
heading out to Trani to visit with the Musicco Family, as well as
Lucia and Marianna who are preparing for their baptisms. Our lesson
went well, and we were able to meet the husband of Lucia. He seems
like a pretty solid guy, and we are going to start meeting with them
as a family, which we are excited about.
Wednesday we were able to take a Road Trip up to Rome from Bari. It
was awesome. Italy is simply beautiful. We were able to get onto the
military base and get ourselves a little taste of home. It was
awesome. We arrived in Rome and received a new car. That evening we
were invited to stay at the Villa, or our mission home, with President
Pickerd.
Thursday we had the opportunity to be with 2 general authorities.
President Kearon, the Area President of Europe, and Elder Sabin, of
the 70, came to visit our mission. Holy smokes, it was incredible. We
were all able to shake their hands and look them in the eyes. Those
men are powerful. They just carry a spirit about them that is unlike
any other. They are so powerful, but yet so humble and show so much
love. They shared many wise thoughts and impressions, and we all came
away uplifted from the conference. Thursday evening, I had a temple
recommend interview with President Pickerd. President Pickerd was also
a general authority, and so I was excited for the opportunity. He gave
me to big compliments during that interview, which had me in tears. I
was surprised at how well he knew me, and my life...even when we had
never talked about those things previously. It was a spiritually
uplifting experience, and I will always remember that interview with
President Pickerd. What a man!
Friday Morning, all of the zone leaders and sister training leaders in
our mission had the privilege of having another conference with
President Kearon and Elder Sabin. Once again, we were uplifted and
blessed by their presence. The thing that really stuck out to me about
these two disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ was that they are human.
They laughed, they joked around, but they were themselves. They didn't
change who they were, just because they were called as general
authorities. I will be sharing some of the thoughts and things that I
took away from the conference at the end of this here email. In short,
it was an experience that I will never forget. It was a pleasure to be
amongst two general authorities. Friday evening we took another road
trip back down to Bari in our new car. In Rome we got stuck in traffic
and ended up traveling a total of 2 kilometers in an hour. Yeah, that
was fun.
Saturday we got home and got right back to it. We met with a less
active who is having some trouble smoking and that went really well.
We talked about how the Savior gives us strength, when we are trying
to change. He is super humble, and came to church yesterday which was
neat. Saturday evening we met with the Musicco family again and it was
strange. It was a difficult environment to teach in. Their were little
kids running, screaming and climbing all over everything. Nobody
really wanted to pay attention, and I wanted to scissor kick a few of
the little kids...but we talked about how they need to be built upon
the Book of Mormon. It was alright, and Lucia and Marianna are excited
for their upcoming baptisms.
To close out my email today, I would like to share a thought that
President Kearon shared with us. He asked us how our morning prayers
are. He asked us how we prayed. In the mission field many missionaries
kneel to pray in the morning, but many kneel on their bed. Not going
to lie, I am one of those missionaries who kneels on his bed in the
morning. President Kearon said something along the lines of, "Climb
down onto the floor and feel the cool chill in the your knees." It was
a simple suggestion, but since I've kneeled on the floor instead of on
my bed and it has truly made a big difference. So this week, I would
invite you all to climb down onto the floor and feel the cool chill in
your knees when you pray.
This week has been a good one, a really good. It has been a very
spiritually uplifting week, full of powerful experiences. Being in
front of 2 general authorities, well actually 3 counting President
Pickerd, was a wonderful experience. I was able to shake each of their
hands and look them right into the eye. They thanked me for my
service, and I thank them for theirs. It was powerful! I love you all
so much friends and family. I'm grateful for Italy, the Italian people
and these experiences. I'm grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who
sent His Son Jesus Christ to pay the price for our salvation. I'm
grateful for men who are called by that Son, to lead, to bless and to
guide us here upon the earth in these latter days. I'm grateful for a
powerful and loving mission president who has taught me more than he
will ever know. I'm grateful for all of you and for the love and
support each of you send my way. I wish you all a happy and safe week.
I'm praying for you all! Be strong and keep the faith.
Peace be the Journey,
Elder JarDee Nessen
I hope everyone is doing well back home. I hope that everyone is
healthy and happy. Here are a few of the goodies that took place last
week over here in Italy.
We have this investigator named Giuseppe. Giuseppe is a young guy that
lives here in Bari. He is 25 years old and has a job. We met him back
in July and he came to the baptismal service of the Musicco family.
Giuseppe is a good guy, and we can tell that he is searching for
something more. We met with him last Monday evening and it went really
well. We didn't really get into The Restoration or the Plan of
Salvation, instead we talked about the Hope that Jesus Christ offers
us. He had many questions about why do we have to suffer? Why are
there children who starve? Why are so many people without homes and
shelter? Why is there so much death? We talked about that for a good
hour or so and finally we came to a conclusion. We talked about that
unfortunately in this world there are those who suffer, there are
those who have no roof over their head, their are those who are hungry
and would do anything for a few ounces of food....but in the Book of
Mormon we learn that "the Lord hath comforted His people, and will
have mercy upon the afflicted." We bore testimony that Jesus Christ
loves us, and that He will one day put an end to all of this
suffering, all of this hurt and all of this pain that we feel
ourselves as well as all of the pain we see on the tv or hear on the
radio. He will win, and put an end to the destruction, heartbreak and
pain. Sadly, that will be the last lesson that we will have with
Giuseppe. We found out that he lives in the other missionaries area,
so this week we will be passing him off to the other elders. After our
lesson with Giuseppe, we went and visited Sister Magno. Sister Magno
is the little old sister who went up to the temple in Switzerland, and
on returning home discovered that her son had passed onto the next
phase of the eternal plan of salvation. It was incredible to look at
her, and see just how peaceful that she really was. She was calm and
collected. She didn't shed a tear, she just smiled. We were asked to
carry a disassembled piece of furniture down the flights of stairs and
we happily did just that. I was sweating like a pig on Auction Day at
the Box Elder County Fair and Rodeo, but it went well. We were happy
to perform such a small act of service, for a sweet little old sister
of our ward who is overcoming such a hard trial.
Tuesday, we got outside got after some tracting done. We went to our
Miracle Park and started opening our mouths. We asked Heavenly Father
to guide us to those who would receive us, got out of the car and
headed into the park. In an hour, we were lucky enough to sit down and
talk with three different people about Jesus Christ and His gospel
which has been restored in the Latter-days. One of these people that
we met was a younger lady, probably 30 years old. She was pushing a
small child that was confined to a wheelchair. The little guy is named
Roberto. We showed her a video about Jesus Christ, and as the video
was playing I couldn't help but stare at Roberto. His little arms had
no movement. His legs were completely still. He didn't say a word, but
he didn't have to. I just looked at him with tears in my eyes and I
could feel just how perfectly our Savior loves him. Roberto is
perfect. He is truly without spot. I thought once again about the
Eternal Plan of Salvation and how we will live again, with a perfect
and immortal body. In that day, I hope to somehow run into Roberto
once again and in that moment I will tell him thank you. In that day,
he will no longer be confined to that wheelchair. His arms will be
strong, and his legs will be powerful. In that day, he will not only
have a perfect spirit, which he already has, but he will also have a
perfect body. It was a powerful moment for me. Tuesday evening we
heading out to Trani to visit with the Musicco Family, as well as
Lucia and Marianna who are preparing for their baptisms. Our lesson
went well, and we were able to meet the husband of Lucia. He seems
like a pretty solid guy, and we are going to start meeting with them
as a family, which we are excited about.
Wednesday we were able to take a Road Trip up to Rome from Bari. It
was awesome. Italy is simply beautiful. We were able to get onto the
military base and get ourselves a little taste of home. It was
awesome. We arrived in Rome and received a new car. That evening we
were invited to stay at the Villa, or our mission home, with President
Pickerd.
Thursday we had the opportunity to be with 2 general authorities.
President Kearon, the Area President of Europe, and Elder Sabin, of
the 70, came to visit our mission. Holy smokes, it was incredible. We
were all able to shake their hands and look them in the eyes. Those
men are powerful. They just carry a spirit about them that is unlike
any other. They are so powerful, but yet so humble and show so much
love. They shared many wise thoughts and impressions, and we all came
away uplifted from the conference. Thursday evening, I had a temple
recommend interview with President Pickerd. President Pickerd was also
a general authority, and so I was excited for the opportunity. He gave
me to big compliments during that interview, which had me in tears. I
was surprised at how well he knew me, and my life...even when we had
never talked about those things previously. It was a spiritually
uplifting experience, and I will always remember that interview with
President Pickerd. What a man!
Friday Morning, all of the zone leaders and sister training leaders in
our mission had the privilege of having another conference with
President Kearon and Elder Sabin. Once again, we were uplifted and
blessed by their presence. The thing that really stuck out to me about
these two disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ was that they are human.
They laughed, they joked around, but they were themselves. They didn't
change who they were, just because they were called as general
authorities. I will be sharing some of the thoughts and things that I
took away from the conference at the end of this here email. In short,
it was an experience that I will never forget. It was a pleasure to be
amongst two general authorities. Friday evening we took another road
trip back down to Bari in our new car. In Rome we got stuck in traffic
and ended up traveling a total of 2 kilometers in an hour. Yeah, that
was fun.
Saturday we got home and got right back to it. We met with a less
active who is having some trouble smoking and that went really well.
We talked about how the Savior gives us strength, when we are trying
to change. He is super humble, and came to church yesterday which was
neat. Saturday evening we met with the Musicco family again and it was
strange. It was a difficult environment to teach in. Their were little
kids running, screaming and climbing all over everything. Nobody
really wanted to pay attention, and I wanted to scissor kick a few of
the little kids...but we talked about how they need to be built upon
the Book of Mormon. It was alright, and Lucia and Marianna are excited
for their upcoming baptisms.
To close out my email today, I would like to share a thought that
President Kearon shared with us. He asked us how our morning prayers
are. He asked us how we prayed. In the mission field many missionaries
kneel to pray in the morning, but many kneel on their bed. Not going
to lie, I am one of those missionaries who kneels on his bed in the
morning. President Kearon said something along the lines of, "Climb
down onto the floor and feel the cool chill in the your knees." It was
a simple suggestion, but since I've kneeled on the floor instead of on
my bed and it has truly made a big difference. So this week, I would
invite you all to climb down onto the floor and feel the cool chill in
your knees when you pray.
This week has been a good one, a really good. It has been a very
spiritually uplifting week, full of powerful experiences. Being in
front of 2 general authorities, well actually 3 counting President
Pickerd, was a wonderful experience. I was able to shake each of their
hands and look them right into the eye. They thanked me for my
service, and I thank them for theirs. It was powerful! I love you all
so much friends and family. I'm grateful for Italy, the Italian people
and these experiences. I'm grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who
sent His Son Jesus Christ to pay the price for our salvation. I'm
grateful for men who are called by that Son, to lead, to bless and to
guide us here upon the earth in these latter days. I'm grateful for a
powerful and loving mission president who has taught me more than he
will ever know. I'm grateful for all of you and for the love and
support each of you send my way. I wish you all a happy and safe week.
I'm praying for you all! Be strong and keep the faith.
Peace be the Journey,
Elder JarDee Nessen
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