Exploring other Religions

Ciao Famiglia!!! Come state?

It's going pretty well here in Pesaro.  The best thing is that I'm officially not a greenie anymore!!!! I'm not even the youngest one in my district anymore because Anziano Calton is training.  His greenie did have some problems with his visa because things got messed up.  Anyways so for the last couple of days I have been in a trio with Hepner and Calton and we have been covering both Ancona and Pesaro.  It's been crazy because we went back and forth like 4 times and it's an hour trip.  Ancona has a car though so that was nice.  And also it's fun living in three.  

This week I kind of had a couple different experiences with other religions.  I gave a Book of Mormon to a lady and then she told me that she was Buddhist, so we talked a little bit about her religion and my religion and it was cool.  Also the other day we went to this center for workers at the mensa of Ancona which we volunteer at.  Before the dinner there we found out that there was a mass so we went to it of course.  I actually really enjoyed what the Priest had to say.  He spoke about peace and it was really profound.  It was just cool to see the merit that all religions have.  

Anziano Hepner is a cool dude.  He's really funny and seems like he wants to work hard this transfer which is good.  He actually weirdly reminds me of Nathan.  It's strange. 

Our new convert sent us a message the other day saying that he has re-thought his baptism and wants a little bit of time to be left alone to reflect.  So that was pretty sad.  I just told him that we all love him and told him not to distance himself from God.  Other than that there's nothing we can do.  We got the baptism though so that's the important thing.  I'm kiiiiiidiing.

I have a lot of goals for this transfer.  One is to visit less actives more because there are a ton of them and they need us.  I just hope that we can bring at least someone back to the gregge and that they can stay there.  Italians are really bad about coming to church.  It's weird because we will meet with them and they're super open and super spiritual but then if anything inconviniences them they dip real quick.  (I know that my spelling is wafle).  

The other goal I have is to learn how to cook better instead of just eating pasta everyday haha.  I'm gonna try to branch out more so any recipes that are easy and good are always welcome.  

Anyways I think that's it for this week.  I love you guys!  Ciao.

Anziano Tagg

Week 12

Hey guys!  

Ok so it's been a pretty eventful week.  F... is a sneaky little sneaky sneak as always and avoids responding to us and L... is not much better.  But I have hope for our new potential L... who seems curious.  He said he hasn't read anything yet but that he will.  And we have regular contact with him through English class so he can never escape our clutches MUAHABABABAHAHHAHA.  

Anziano Leavitt just barely left and Anziano Hepner will replace him tonight.  Right now I'm with Anziano Calton from Ancona and because his Greenie has to visa wait for a tiny bit he will be in a trio with us and we will have to cover both Pesaro and Ancona.  It's gonna be crazy.  Especially because both areas deaperately need missionaries.  After about a week or so the new guy should get here, and Anziano Calton will go back to Ancona.  So yeah, a lot happening

This week we saw an interesting guy.  He said he could fix my comp's bike so we went over to his house.  He then showed us his creation.  It was basically a bunch of spare parts from cars, bikes, and a washing machine bolted together in a huge mass of machinery and he had put the top of a table on it to make it a table.  Then he plugged it in and a couple chains started to spin and he was like "whoooo!  I'm a genius! Who else could have done this!!??  Nobody!"  And we were like ok yeah, whatever you say.  He talked to us for sooo long about how he poured all of his frustrations into this creation and it became his life's work.  And then his 90 year-old Mom came out and told him that he talks too much.  Haha

We had an awesome time on Saturday caroling in Rimini.  We were standing under the christmas tree singing away and then these Born Again Christians came up and started yelling at us and waving signs at us that said "repent and be born again".  So I guess I gotta repent.  One of them even had a megaphone and was saying stuff about how Joseph Smith was a sinner (true) and how the Book of Mormon was false (false).  It was getting pretty crazy but then all of a sudden we decided to go ham on Joy to the World.  We started singing as loud as we could and we absolutely drown all of them out even though there weren't that many of us.  They eventually had to leave because no one could hear them.  It was a good feeling.  I felt the Spirit while they were getting wrecked.  I could definitely tell that the people could see the obvious difference between us and them.  We are here singing christmas songs and spreading joy while you are screaming in peoples faces and telling them that Christmas is a sin.  That's literally what they were saying.  That Christmas is not a Christian holiday because Jesus was not born in this time of the year.  It was a bit crazy but luckily it didn't ruin our caroling.

That's about it for this week!  I love you guys the most!  Ciao

Incredibles 2!

Ciao Famiglia!  How are you guys?

It was so great to hear from you all yesterday.  This week has been good.  Not much happened.  We are still working hard and stuffs.  Claudio told us he no longer has interested in reading or meeting anymore so that was sad.  Honestly I don't think he understood a whole lot when he read and when we would talk with him he didn't seem all there and was suuuuuper hard to understand.  But still sad to lose a potential.  

We watched the Incredibles 2 today with the district which was awesome.  Everybody loved it.  I had seen it before but it was still good the second time.  Maybe I'll be watching the third one next Christmas... They still didn't catch the Underminer so....

I wanna thank you guys a ton for the video you sent.  It was exactly what I needed haha.  You guys are the awsome-est family in the world and I love you so much.  Also thank everyone who was involved, there was some really good acting in it.  I still can't believe that you put that together it was so cool.

Well I am super tired and can't think of anything that happened this week even though c'è la roba (that's the stuff).  I'll continue to work and pray so you guys do the same.  What we have is too special not to share so go out and share it ok?

Love you guys,  ciao!

Elder Tagg

Week 11

Ciao Famiglia!  

This week has gone by so fast.  Haha

It's officially Anziano Leavitt's last P-day.  We are with the Anziani from Ancona making lasagna and playing Munchkin. All the cards are in Italian but I can understand pretty much all of them so that's good.  Wow, in like less than a week I will find out who is coming down to Pesaro to be my bottlebreaker.  I hope it's somebody cool but also I hope it's somebody that wants to work.  Haha

I miss playing Munchkin with Evan and Nikolas.  Those where good days.  There's a lot that I miss about home.  I love you guys so much.  Haha

I can't really think of what happened this week.  We went to San Marino again last P-day and went ice skating which was super fun.  I did a back flip.  Haha

As far as work goes it's still pretty slow but not bad.  English class is still poppin.  The other day I gave the pensiero spirituale (spiritual message) and I just talked about the Book of Mormon and I bore my simple testimony of it. Afterwords, instead of getting up to leave as usual, they stayed and started asking questions about it and stuffs.  We ended up briefly teaching the restoration to them and at the end we asked if anybody wanted a copy and Luigi and Zaida each took one.  It was really cool.  Luigi the other day was also asking us about our Sunday meetings and how they work.  If all goes well I will accomplish my dream and baptize someone named Luigi and my mission will be complete.  Haha

I'm super proud of Audrey for getting into Rock and Roll! (the popular school musical)  She's good'n eh?  I never did Rock and Roll but I wish I did. So it's really good that she is.  Now all she has to do is do cross country and then getoutfromwayfromroundthemboys.  Brynbo sounds fly as heck come sempre.  Tell her she's lucky to be anorexic, a lot of people wish they were. (this is in reference to an inside joke we wrote to him about.  Eliza mixed up the word anorexic for ambidextrous while eating her dinner). Haha

Ok so I've been writing this email periodically throughout the day so now we are just got back from getting gelato (so good) and we already ate the lasagna (so good).  Honestly Italy is a hard mission but being surrounded by all this amazing food makes it better.  It doesn't even have to be complicated the ingredients are just all around better here.  Even the simple things like some bread some tomatoes and some mozzarella are absolutely delicious.  Especially with a little bulimic vinegar #Brynbowords.

Well I hope you all have an awesome day! Ciao Haha.

Some pics 

1. The lasagna 

2. The albero di natale in centro

Training Finished/ Thanksgiving

Ciao Famiglia!

Wow I am almost done with my 12 weeks of training.  FREEEAAAK

These last few weeks my Italian has improved a lot.  My companion has been only speaking Italian even when it's just him and I, because he want's to take every opportunity he can get to speak the best language on the planet before he goes home.  It has helped me un sacco.  I have learned so much more in these past few weeks than ever.  It just goes to show that with some things you can study and study and study but you learn so much better just by doing.  So that's why I've decided I'm not going to study anymore.  I'm kiiiiiiding!

Wow yall's trip to Orlando sounds like it was awesome.  Lucky gooses.  Just don't have too much fun and make sure you're being fiscally responsible.  Remember who you are.  And also I can't go to sleep until you're home so don't stay out too late...  Thanks for all the pictures you sent.  It's always awesome to see pics from home.  Although it's been a while since I saw one of Flubba (aka Abby)  suspicious.  I especially liked the one of Dad with a little baffi (mustache) growing.  It looks like you're gonna have to start shaving soon Dad! So exciting.

Ok I need to ask a favor of you Maham.  Can you check and see how much momey (I meant what I wrote) I have on my personal card because I have no Idea how much money is there.  We are going to San Marino again on Saturday, and I wanted to get one of their cool watches which are usually like 40 euro.  If there's not that much on there then don't worry about it, but if you could check and tell me before Saturday that would be great and I would love you forever.

Ok to answer some of your questions;  I didn't buy a backpack it was already in the apartment.  Also it's better than a side bag.  More comfortable, more convenient and just better.  Plus with the side bag we look like Jdubs.  Plus I'm on a bike and with a bike the side bag non va!  I'll start working on that paper later I promise.  It's just a little bit hard cuz I have to go buy special stamps and I've been pretty busy.  I promise to send it though on one condition.  You have to start keeping a list of all the movies that are worth seeing when I get back.  Also tell Audrey to start keeping a list of all the new music/artists that are worth listening to when I get back.  

Speaking of movies and stuff, I get to watch a movie on Christmas.  I was thinking Bohemean Rapsody (sp? (See what I did there?)).  Speaking of Christmas and stuff Anziano Leavitt and I are preparing another musical number for the christmas season.  Were playing Silent Night.  Speaking of music and stuff, I TOTALLY messed up on the most beautiful part of that piece we played in sacrament meeting but when we sat back down sorella Leòn was bawling.  She's so funny.  Speaking of sacrament meeting and stuff, I wanted to share a little cooly cool thing that we do as a branch during the sacrament.  Since we are so tiny and the sacrament gets distributed to everybody so fast, they decided to have some time set apart at the end of everything just of silence so that there is more time to reflect.  At first it was an awkward silence but after a couple of Sindays(I meant what I wrote) I started to really love it.  It really gives me an opportunity to think about Christ and about life and about Kolob and about Flubba but mainly Christ.  I wanna invite you guys next time you take the sacrament to really think about stuffs.  

Getoutfromwayfromthemboyslaudbod

Ok that's it. I'll talk to you guys later.  Ciao!

Pics

1.  My little alberi (tree) growing

2/3.  The Thanksgiving P-day we put together