Week 73

Hey you guyz! 

I hope you all alive.

If not then hahanananabooboo I lived longer than you 

Ok maybe that was inappropriate.  I'm actually really sad for those people who are suffering and who have lost loved ones.  Remember to pray for those people.

Anyways this week was good!  notwithstanding the quarantine and the virus and everything, we are surviving, striving, and thriving as is the motto for our mission.  

This week we've been making progress with B.. who still has a strong desire to be baptized and to read the scriptures and change her life.  It's really amazing to see.  It's funny because we were talking with her the other day about why she has made the decision to be baptized and she said that I.. her member friend asked her one day if she had been baptized and she said yes and he said "no, you need to be baptized again you are a sinner and so you need to come to my church with me and be baptized"  Africans are such savages sometimes I love it!  She said that when he said those words she felt something inside of her that it was true.  Pretty sick.  

We have also really been working a lot with a lady named M..  She is Brazilian but has been living in Italy for like 20 years.  You guys should pray for her because she has asthma and she's really worried about this coronavirus.  She had to go to the hospital to be tested to see if she had it.  The test came back negative but today she said they wanted her to go back and do another test.  We have had 2 really good video-lessons with her and have talked about baptism.  She said that she would say yes but that she wants to be prepared first.  We invited her to pray to know if it was the right thing for her to do.  She is so great and really loves talking with us, loves reading the bible and the book of mormon.  We have been able to meet with her because of the quarantine because otherwise she works like 14 hours a day.  

But anyways that's the haps.  I'm doing well physically and spiritually.  There are hard days but we're just gonna throw a little bit of wait it out on it and a pinch of faith and hope and we'll be up and cooking once again.  

I likie that song you sent me Mom.  seems appropriate for right now seeing as how the whole world is just sitting like birds in the wilderness.  But wait does that mean we are all waiting for "El Flamo" to come and light fire to the world? 

And yeah I definitely think that you should put up a Wilber web saying 'Some Pig' in the front window of the house.  

I love you guys a lot and a lot.  I'm glad that the grills are finally taking my advice and gettingoutfromwayfromroundemboys even if it's forced upon them by the coronavirus.  Tell them I love them cuz I know they don't read my letters.  In my life story that I wrote (and finished because I ran out of paper) I put the story of when we found a sticky note in Audrey's room that had an evil to do list on it and it said something along the lines of, 

1. get revenge on drew

2. make fake money

3. sleep trick

We found out later that the "sleep trick" was just her like putting a pebble under my pillow or something.  Meno male because sleep trick could have been something a lot more sinister especially if she had already stooped to the level of fraud.  

Anyways I love you guys and pray for you.

Anziano Tagg

Week 72

Heeeeey!

So I don't even really know what to write about this week. 

Oh yeah, we got a baptismal date!

We've been continuing on with patience and trying to be diligent and keep busy.  It's been good because we actually been able to teach a lot using technology.  Some people that we never were able to set an appointment with are being taught now because we can do it easier over video call.  I think one of the many blessings of the quarantine is that it's teaching us missionaries how to use technology to do the work in a way that we have never done before.  

We were able to start teaching B who is a friend of I.  She's awesome and has already studied a lot from the Book of Mormon and learned some things that she never knew before.  She accepted our invitation to be baptized at the end of the quarantine.  So that is a real miracle and we are super duper grateful for that.  

We are keeping in good contact with our members and our investigators.  Everyone is freaked out here, but they have really come together as a community by going out on their balconies at night and singing together or shining a light into the sky.

We were teaching a member English the other night and he was giving us phrases for us to translate from Italian into English.  The last phrase that he had us translate was, "Prego ogni giorno che questo virus passi e che permetta a tutti di rivolgersi a Dio e trovare la chiesa di Gesú Cristo."  

"I pray every day that this virus passes and that it allows people to turn to God and find the church of Jesus Christ."

These Italians are being tried right now because of this situation, but I have been really astonished by their faith and their hope and their resilience.  It's what we do in times of distress that show who we really are and they have shown time and time again to me that they are truly converted.  I love them a lot.

Anyways I'm sure that things are kinda getting crazy over there as well.  Any updates?  How are the grills holding up with no school?  Are they spending all day watching TV and playing biolent bideodames?  if not then tell them that this is precious Office watching time that should go to waste with productivity.  I'm kiiiiiding.  one thing that I have realized is that you can do sooooo much in a day and I kinda regret wasting so much of my days ya know?

I love you guys and I hope you are safe and you are guudu.  Until nextime

Anziano Tagg

I'll also try to send a video that we made

practicing for Paisley

Week 71

Hey Guyzzz.  How are ya?

We out here just chillin' inside still.  It's rough, there have been days that I don't really feel like a missionary anymore.  We still try our best to do missionary work but it's not the same.  But on the bright side I have had a lot of time to reflect and ponder and meditate and levitate.  The other day I did meditation for the first time in forever.  It went actually really really well!  I was able to have a nice talk with God, and reflect on myself, on what's going on around me, and other things.  It was really good I recommend doing it.

That experience made me think of a talk that Elder Holland gave where he said, "tonight’s message is that when you have to, you can have sacred, revelatory, profoundly instructive experience with the Lord in any situation you are in. Indeed, let me say that even a little stronger: You can have sacred, revelatory, profoundly instructive experience with the Lord in the most miserable experiences of your life—in the worst settings, while enduring the most painful injustices, when facing the most insurmountable odds and opposition you have ever faced "

I'm not saying that this coronavirus is the worst most miserable thing that has ever happened to me. In fact it's not even that bad when you think about it.  But it is a little bit hard sometimes and it's comforting to know that God will talk to you even in hard times and even when you are facing more spiritual difficulties and you maybe don't feel worthy to talk to Him.  We are always worthy of God's love and it will always help us.  He might not immediately liberate you from all your trials... that has almost never been the case, but He will give you peace even and especially in those rough patches,  

Right now all of Italy is in a sort of rough patch.  The whole nation has become a "red zone" which means no travel unless it's for work, groceries, or emergency.  We get updates every couple of days that the number of infected people is rapidly increasing.  Right now I think we are somewhere around 10 or 11 thousand.  Italy needs your prayers!! I hope that everyone is fasting today for the worldwide fast for this country. 

I'm not too worried about the virus as much as I am the future of the mission and how long we're gonna stay in here.  I don't think they will close us down.  I just don't know for how long all this will continue.

BUT enough of that boring stuff!!!!

How is everything back home?  Is the virus there too, or not so much?  That's funny that E-rail went to to Hawaii without telling anyone.  You think you can just go to Hawaii E-ail!!!??   How are the grils?  Are they still in the back like they're supposed to?  I can't wait to see lil' Paisley.  I hope that she still will be fat when I get home.

I really miss you guys.  I hope that you are hangin in there like I am!  I love you.

Anziano Tagg

Pictures: We made ravioli and spetzle and Anziano Künzli and I (his name is Dominik) locked our brotherly love for each other on this bridge.  (Actually we found it like this already).

Week 70

Hey Guys!!

How is everyone doing?  Here all is well

This week was kinda like last week.  It's been hard to stay inside when I know I could be doing so much more.  But we've been trying our best to stay busy and to stay sane.  We've been able to see some miracles even from in our apartment!  Because we have had some over the phone lessons and they actually went really well!  I felt the Spirit.  So that was cool and we're gonna try to continue to do that.  We don't know when this is all gonna stop.  They even talked about the possibility of us being temporarily reassigned!  But I think that's not gonna happen they just wanna take every precaution.

I've had a lot of time so I've been reading Santi volume 2 and it's really really good!  10/10 would recommend.  I'll drop a link in the bio below.  Be sure to like and subscribe.

But yeah it's all about the early Saints and their struggles and their efforts to move West and settle the Salt Lake Valley and the rest of Utah. The early Saints definitely where not perfect.  But it has been really amazing to learn about the sacrifices they made for the kingdom of God.  compared to that all of my trials suddenly become piccole piccole.

Well I can't really think of anything else!  

I love you guys and miss you a lot

Until next week 

Anziano Tagg

Week 69

Hewo everybody!  I'm still alive.  But things around here are getting carazzy!  We are basically quarantined here in Northern Italy because the zombie apocalypse has started.  It's crazy, like a week ago was the first time we heard anything about the coronavirus and now the mission has said that we cannot go out and do missionary work given that we as missionaries have a lot of contact with a lot of different people.  

There are like 300 different confirmed cases of the virus here in Italy.  Mainly in the North.  But where we are at in Trentino and Alto Adige there is only 1 case and I'm pretty sure it's way down in Trento.  We are pretty safe I think.  But since there are different hot-spots of the virus spread throughout the mission they decided to have all of us stay close to the apartments and not to have appointments or do street contacting.  It's been crazy.  Crazy boring.  I hate staying inside.  It's been good to have some time to study and to paint (I took up a new hobby) and to write in my journal and stuff but I get bored really easily and I don't like being cooped up in the house.  They have given us some suggestions about what we can do to keep busy and stay productive inside and that is gud.  

An update came in-between the last paragraph and this one.  The missionary executive counsel in collaboration with the quorum of the 12 apostles have made the decision that our mission needs to reduce the number of missionaries in the field and so everyone that is scheduled to go home in May is instead going home now and all of the senior couples are going home.  CARAZY!!!!! so there's me, then the group that came in a transfer before me, and then anyone who came in before that is leaving.  I barely made the cut!!!!  It's really insane and it kinda has me worried about what's gonna happen in the future if things with the virus don't get better 🤮🤢

I think maybe everyone is overreacting (especially the Italians) but then again I trust the 12 apostles and you can never be too careful.

But yeah that's what's up here.  I hope everyone at home is staying safe and having fun and enjoying life!  

I have been surprised this week about how even though everything isn't going perfectly and the ride is a bit bumpy right now,  I am still really really happy.  before the quarantine we had some kinda miracles and we were able to deliver some very powerful messages of hope to people who were struggling to have hope especially in this time of disease.  

When things aren't going well, there is always always always hope.  Thanks to Jesus Christ who is the Light of the World.  So next time you lose hope remember Him.  When things were hard for Him what did He do?  He turned outwards and loved and helped His fellow man.  When He had just suffered the pains of every sin of every creature that has ever lived and ever will live, when he has just been crucified by His own people, what did He do?  He went to the spirit world and for the three days that His body was in the tomb he preached to spirits there.  (1 peter 3:18-19 which is also evidence of the spirit world in the bible).  I love Jesus Christ and His example of diligence in service and His message of hope when things get hard.  I have loved sharing that message in the mission field.  

So keep on keeping on everyone! Don't catch the virus  and have hope   

I love you guys

Anziano Tagg

We've had a lot of time to cook homemade lasagna and capelletti all from scratch we made the pasta and everything it was fun and really good.

Week 68

Ok so it's week 68 and I'm getting pretty trunky out here.

I'm kiiiiiiiiding.

I'm not getting trunky.  BUT today was a pretty chill P-day and so I had some time sit down and look at some photos and read some letters and it got me missing home a little.  So I just wanna start this email by saying how much I love and miss you guys.  I miss messing around with E-rail (Evan) on the golf golf course, playing bideodames with N-rail (Nathan), (biolent bideodames) (violent video games) swinging on the swing with Laudbod (Audrey), and beating brynbo (Eliza Bryn) at foosball.  Good times.  

And I also wanna thank Maham and Daddio for all that you guys have done for me.  Seriously.  Who I am is thanks to you and and your commitment and time and monay and faithfulness in raising me.  I love you so so so much.

Today I decided to act on president Nelson's invite to prepare ourselves for general conference by reading the account that we have of the first vision in the pearl of great price.  I KNOW that Joseph smith saw the Father, he saw the Son, and they spoke to him.  I have been reflecting on why I am grateful for that event.  What is it that has been restored that I am thankful for?  For me it keeps coming back to the plan of happiness that God has revealed to us.  I am so grateful that I can live with you goobers forever.  I love you.  And I wanna invite you to act on president Nelson's invitation.  He said, "your personal preparation is what will make this upcoming general conference not only memorable, but unforgetable.  This is a HINGE POINT IN THE HISTORY OF THE CHURCH.  AND YOUR PART IS VITAL"  close quote.  I really really like that.  The restoration is contiuous, and we play a vital role in it.  

I love the mission.  It's been the best year and a half of my life.  I love Jesus Christ so so so much.

K, bye

pics

1 me on a hike when I was pretty sick still so a sister gave me her scarf and the birthday hats were because it was Anziano Fry's birthday and underneath the birthday hat I had stashed a role of toilet paper to blow my nose with

2 a pretty bad picture of the district

3 a butiful picture