What an amazing week here in Napoli! 

We started off the week with a scambio (exchange). This time, I went with Anziano Ruiz, and it was a blast! He has a great work ethic, and just loves talking to people, which taught me a lot. While finding also we ran across Castle St. Elmo! Which is a huge castle, that has an amazing view! We were able to teach the restauration to a lady who is from northern Italy. She pointed out to us that she felt the spirit which was way cool and does not happen very often. 

On Sunday after church we had around 5 hours to do some finding, which happens pretty frequently. We went to couple different places, all of which we were lucky enough to meet people who had some interest in the gospel. We decided to walk down this really busy road and, within seconds, we were stopped by people that wanted to talk about the gospel. It  was a couple of people from another church wanting to convert us, rather then allow us to share with them the fulness of the gospel. It was okay though, we kept it positive. After all, we are all trying to make the world a better place. I was disappointed that they didn't want to learn more of our message.  Out of nowhere, a lady randomly walks up behind us and asks if we are the missionaries. Of course, we respond with huge smiles, assuming she's a member from northern Italy on vacation.  It was the exact opposite, she knew the missionaries from the past and had learned about the power of priesthood blessings. She then asked if we would be able to give her mother who is in a hospital a blessing. We, of course, we said yes!  We, then were able to offer a priesthood blessing. 

This experience kind of leads into what I would like to share this week with you all. One of the most important things we tell investigators is that the priesthood, the power to act in Gods name, was restored! It is what separates us from all other religions. There is good in every religion and good people striving to make the world a better place, but because of the full restoration of the gospel, we also have the power given from God. What a blessing it is to be able to have this priesthood on the earth, never to be taken again. We can feel that power every day in our lives as well, and I am so grateful for this wonderful oppurtunity I have to share the message and blessing that come from my membership in Gods church.I hope we can all see how blessed we are to see this!

For p day we went to Amalfi which is just another city on the coast of Amalfi. Oh my goodness it was just absolutely gorgeous. That drive along the coast is just absolutely breath taking. Anyways love you guys, hope you guys have a good week!

Anziano Andersen 🚀
Romans 1: 15&16    🌍

Miracles are cool and so is the weather!

The mission has it's ups and downs, and apparantly the weather does too. At the begining of this week it was hot, and I mean HOT. Were talking 100 degrees with a lot of humidity, haha. Then on Thursday it just dropped. It felt so amazing to not be constantly sweating, haha.  I'm definitely looking forward to fall!   We've had an incredible week, that was just filled with lessons. We have one of our investigators who has an interview for her baptism this Wednesday! If it goes good she will be baptized on Saturday. We have definetly seen a lot of miracles this week, and without the hand of the Lord none of it would have been possible. 

This week I would like to talk about families! We've focused on families latley and it's made me have a better appreciation for mine. Especially the fact that I can be with them for eternity! In the Proclamation to the Family it says "The divine plan of happiness enables family relationships to be perpetuated beyond the grave. Sacred ordinances and covenants available in holy temples make it possible for individuals to return to the presence of God and for families to be united eternally." It's so amazing that our Father in heaven has made this possible for us, and I am so grateful for that! I hope everyone has a good week this week! Love you all!

  

Anziano Andersen 🚀
Romans 1: 15&16    🌍

Heat, Pizza and miracles....

Besides just eating a ton of pizza and the heat (it feels like we're walking on the sun, but swimming at the same time, haha.), we've had some really cool stuff happen!! The work has just absolutly exploded! We've seen so many blessings this week. We were able to meet with a lot of people, and the lessons all went really well, especially considering that it's August and everyone goes on vacation in August.  We are really excited to see what happens this transfer. Anziano Lamoureux is such a good guy. It is incredible how much charity he has. He is a great example of how a missionary should love the people and the people he is serving with. 

In Matthew 7:7-8 it says "7 ¶ Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: 8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened." We will always receive an answer but first we must diligently seek it out first. Many times we are guided to the scripture or a quote or a feeling we get after diligently searching!  We may get our answers right away and it may take time, but I know He always answers....

Thanks for all the support! Love all of you guys. Have a good week!

Anziano Andersen 🚀
Romans 1: 15&16    🌍

Well, we got our transfer calls!! 

Sadly, Anziano Fryer found his way out of Napoli. We had a fun transfer together and worked hard!! Towards the begining of the week we had some lessons and just did the normal missionary stuff then Wednesday I watched him pack. Thursday, we spent the day at the train station, sending missionaries off, sending them in the right direction, and welcoming our new ones. Thursday afternoon I met my new companion! His name is Anziano Lamouruex. He is from Utah as well. He is a good missionary and wants to work hard, which is always good to see!! I have a feeling we are going to do great things together! 

For pday we headed to the American base, which is always a favorite for an American missionary to get a little taste of home. I promise I will have some cool pictures here pretty soon!!

Today I want to share a scripture that has really motivated me through my mission. It is powerful but at the same time short. Paul in motivation to the saints in Rome states "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth". This gospel isn't something we should be embarrassed to share with others! It is our salvation, and sometimes they just don't know where to look! I encourage everyone to share the gospel with some one who is not fortunute enough to have it their life! Thanks for all the support, I couldn't do it with out you guys! 

Anziano Andersen 🚀
Romans 1: 15&16    🌍

Transfers Gia! We are already receiving our transfer calls. This transfer just flew by for me! This week we did a ton of finding, which is always good. We received a referral from Brindisi, so that was cool haha! I brought a little Brindisi with me haha! Last Monday night we had a family home eveing, and that was a blast. We are going to do another one tonight and that will be exciting! Then on Wednesday we went to our branch mission leaders house and had some good classic American food! He is a good guy! He has an amazing view from his home. The work here has started to pick up a little, even though it's the summer so that's good. Then for pday we played zone calcio (soccer)! Which is always a favorite for me! It was really hot though haha, but always worth it!

This week I have had the opportunity to teach some one who does not understand or even know, the life and mission of Jesus Christ and what He did for us. Because of this, I was able to study more about his earthly ministry. Towards the end of His ministry He did what no other man could, and that was suffer for all of the sins of mankind. James Talmage in regards to the Atonement said “In some manner, actual and terribly real though to man incomprehensible, the Savior took upon Himself the burden of the sins of mankind from Adam to the end of the world” Thanks to Jesus Christ and the atonement, every one can receive a remission of there sins, no one is exempt. I am so grateful for this, that even when I feel I am at my lowest or I have gone to where I think there is no possible return, there is. To be able to share this wonderful gift with people who don't know about it, is incredible, and I am so thankful for that. I hope everyone can take a minute and recognize the atonement in your lives and then share that with someone else! I love you all, and thankyou for all the support you have given me. Hope you guys have a great week! 

Anziano Andersen 🚀
Romans 1: 15&16    🌍

Time has just flown by.....

I feel like it's going a little too fast, haha, so I am soaking up every minute of it. We had most of our lessons fall through this week, it can be a bit discouraging, but it's okay; new week, fresh start. Sunday was a good day, though. It was our one and only lesson, and it was awesome! The guy we had a lesson with is from Africa.  A recently returned missionary also joined us for that lesson. This lesson with this returned missionary was so cool! He brought such a strong spirit with him! He was able to connect instantly with this guy, and it was amazing to watch. He is going to be a great member to work with, I am very excited. Then for pday we just got together and played some games and did some shopping. It was fun. 

Lately I have been able to really appreciate the scriptures and how much they help us stay on the right track back to our Heavenly Father. In 2 Nephi 28:30 it says "For behold, thus saith the Lord God: I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little..." He gives it to us so that we can continue to learn and grow. Just enough to allow us to gain the knowledge to find happiness and return and live with Him once again. 

Anziano Andersen 🚀
Romans 1: 15&16    🌍

Baptisms, Goodbyes and the Atonement

June 5th....
Well to start out this week we have some good news. Our investigator is ready for baptism and we will be holding the baptism this Saturday! It took a lot of work to get there, but he is so ready.   The Atonement is an amazing gift. The wonderful thing about the Atonement is that it isn't just for sinners! It's for you, me and everyone around us. It can help us with the pain we feel when we have lost a loved one, or someone who doesn't think they are good enough for the people around them. If we just put our faith in the Lord he will make our burdens light, no matter what your going through. Use it! Thanks for all your love and support!! Hope everyone has a good week!

Anziano Andersen 🚀

Romans 1: 15&16    🌍

June 12th....
Well this was such a cool week! So much happened!! So first this week we had a scambio (we switch companions for a day) with the Anziani from Lecce. I was able to go with Anziano Jensen. He is a good guy and has a great testimony. Then later in the week we got some haircuts. On Sunday we were able to go over to a members house for a pranzo appointment, and it's been since we have had one so my stomach wasn't ready for it. Haha it was a lot of food but miraculously I made it through.  These people are so generous when it comes to meal appointments! But the highlight of the week was definitely our investigators baptism! Wow was that so exciting. He is such a good guy and has a strong testimony. Haha the font was pretty cold though. After we got out I asked him how he felt and he said "I feel really good, like a new person, but I am also really cold". Haha I agreed and we had a good laugh.

After the baptism our investigator said something really interesting. He said "I want to tell others about the gospel now so they can see the light that I see". He had never felt the gospel in his life, and now that he has, and he realizes what a blessing it is, he wants to share that with others. Just like Enos he felt " I began to feel a desire for the welfare of my brethren" (9). I think the more we become converted the the gospel, the more we want to share it with other people. I have definitely noticed that lately in my life. This week try and look for someone who doesn't have the gospel in there lives and share with them the "light" that we feel everyday in life! 

I feel like he is the reason I've stayed in Brindisi, it will be so hard to leave everyone I've met. I've made some lifelong friends and  I've been taught by some of the best people ever. Thanks for all the love and support! Have a good week everyone. 

Anziano Andersen 🚀

Romans 1: 15&16    🌍

June 19th...I've been Transferred!

Anziano Fryer and I

I’m now in Napoli and its awesome! Wow, it's been a fun week! It is definitely a lot different from Brindisi! I think I am starting to get the hang of it! My companion Anziano Fryer is awesome, I love serving with him. This will be a fun transfer. The members here are so fun too! This Saturday we had an activity to try and bring out the less actives and investigators. We  just wanted to have some fun, and share a spiritual thought at the end. It was cool to see how the members interacted with the less actives and our investigators.

We have an investigator we are working with right now and he is awesome. I think this week we are going to be able to have some really good lessons with him, and hopefully get a baptismal date set! We’ll see. We’ve also had a solid amount of finding this week. Here you have so many different places to find, so it's actually pretty fun haha. Hopefully we'll be able to find someone interested in the gospel here pretty soon.

This week our district has been trying to focus on charity. In Moroni 7:47 it says  "But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him." Charity is the pure love of Christ! When we try and have that pure love of Christ we strive to obey the commandments of God and you start feel a greater love for the people around you. I have definitely seen a difference when I try and do my best to have charity. I am a lot more happier and willing to help out others in anyway possible! Thanks again for the Happy Birthday wishes! Hope everyone has a fantastic week! Love you all!

Anziano Andersen 🚀

Romans 1: 15&16    🌍