Duomo, Messages, and Chocolate Galore

(**Side note from Mom: the rest of the family was in Dubai for the week of February break, so we told David about some Muslim customs we were learning.)

Hey!

ISLAM EDUCATION.  I love how you guys are getting another perspective of Muslim people.  We have a decent number of Muslims here in Italy, immigrants from Morocco or Tunis, or from Egypt.  Mainly people I wouldn't usually walk up to on the street, from outward appearance.  But when we do, sometimes it goes well, and sometimes they just tell us about how the Quran is all anyone needs, and we just say thank you and keep walking.

There is also a large language barrier, since for the most part, "they" don't speak Italian very well.  But there are a few standard jobs that the Pakistanis and Iranians have here: Internet Cafes for one.  The man downstairs at this place that we come to each week has a couple of translated phrases from the Quran on his wall, next to the prices.  They're mainly nice people, though, I'm sure.

FERRARA SIGHTS.

Anziano Robinson

We went to the Duomo in Ferrara today.

 It was a really beautiful building, with frescoes on the walls and ceiling, and statues of saints throughout.

 There was an alcove next to many of the saints, and Jesus, and Mary, and Padre Pio.

CHOCOLATE EXPO.  We were in town over Valentine's Day (obviously), and there was a large Chocolate Expo in Centro.

 They had things made of chocolate -- owls,

shoes, small motorcycles (to go on a coffee table),

nuts, bolts,

wrenches (the nuts and bolts had working ridges!).

And then of course, chocolate in bite-sized form.

 So I got many chocolates for me to eat, and I ate them.

One had 'pepperocino' on it, which I first thought was peppermint.  Nothing wrong with that.  Then Anziano Robinson points out, "That's HOT pepper, like hot tamales!"  Still, good! :)  And then there were a few caramel or vanilla based.

(Side note from Mom: a "Ward" is a congregation, with a Bishop + 2 counselors for leaders.  A "Branch" is a very small congregation, with a Branch President + 2 counselors for leaders.  In Ferrara, the church is very small, numbers-wise.  Ferrara has a branch with a Branch President.)

SHARING MESSAGES.  We are involved in the Home Teaching here in Ferrara.  ("Home Teaching" is like it sounds, when you visit someone in their home, and share an inspirational or spiritual message.)  We home-taught the Branch President last week.  Our companion, the Ward mission leader, did most of the talking.  Not because "I don't speak Italian," but because most of the chit-chat was in Italian, and they spoke faster than we (as missionaries) usually do.  But, the message and interaction went well.  And Sorella Cataluddi (the Branch President's wife, or "First Lady," ha) made hot chocolate.  It was delicious: thick and rich!  Mmmmmm!

CHANGE FOR A DAY. I did a companion exchange this past Monday with the greenie (new missionary) from Bologna.  It was cool to be able to talk to him, share some advice (today is my 1/3 mark, did you know?), and see his enthusiasm for everything.  He also had his wide-eyed "I'm in Italy" expression, looking around at everything.  It was lots of fun.

For service, we went to a food kitchen around 7:30 in the morning to help prepare and serve breakfast to the homeless/unemployed.  It was coffee, tea, pastries/bread, and fruit.  Nothing fancy, but the people were grateful, so that was cool.  The mission president said we could do that every 2 or 3 weeks.

I uploaded a TON of pictures to dropbox.  My favorites include our silhouettes, a model of a castle, the chocolates from the expo, and my half-melted ice cream cone.

Love you!
Anziano Whitesell

Castles, Gratitude and Speaking in Church

Hello!

CASTELLO di SAN MICHELE.  I'll start off with today, actually the past 2 hours, we went to the castello here in Ferrara.  The "Castello Estense" or "castello di San Michele" - "St. Michael's Castle" is a moated medieval castle in the center of Ferrara.  (Side note from Mom: I'm excited that he went, so I won't complain to him that he did not send a photo!  I will include one from the Internet.)

St. Michael's Castle

aerial view of Ferrara

I had forgotten how much fun museums can be, so there I was, reading everything.  The pictures/artwork came with captions in Italian and English.  I was able to read both, the Italian being much slower, but because of time I just read them in English.  So I learned about the development of Ferrara, some of the feudal history with the dukes and marquises and popes.  The whole city is laid out very nicely from an aerial view.

So it showed how that came about, from reclaiming area A, then area B, then cultivating area C, and building, etc.  There are frescoes on the walls and ceilings of the living quarters -- might think about that for your room, hmmm?  Then there was an art exhibit in the last several rooms, which was comparatively boring.

SPEAKING IN CHURCH.  This week at church, I think we had about 10 people in attendance.  (Side note: members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints go to church for 3 hours each Sunday.  One hour is Sacrament Meeting, where we partake of the Sacrament, then listen to inspirational messages about the scriptures or other teachings of Jesus Christ.  The other two hours are Sunday School-type classes, discussing and learning scriptures and gospel principles.)  So, funny story: we go through the first 2 hours no problem: Priesthood and Gospel Doctrine.

Third hour comes around -- Sacrament Meeting, with the sacrament and then typically 2 or 3 speakers.  (They try to go right up until the hour with ending, so if speakers have short talks, the Branch President or Bishop gets up and gives a few closing thoughts).  The Branch President is checking over details for the Sacrament Meeting: who's passing the sacrament, who's speaking, interval hymn, etc.  Around 11;15 the sacrament finishes and the first speaker gets up.  She finishes about 11:22.  There are 2 speakers planned.  I was the second one.  So the interval hymn goes until about 11:26.  I get up, and give my talk about continuing revelation by President Eyring (talks can be based on General Conference Talks).

I had my notes down, a few scriptures prepared, and had read the talk so I knew what stories were inside.  When I sat down, it was 11:46 -- I talked for 20 minutes!  I had not planned on a 20-minute talk, but since there wasn't anybody else after me, I had to stretch -- I talked long enough that the Branch President didn't have to fill in at the end.  Yay, me! :)

GRATITUDE.  This week, I was thankful for getting into a house.  The missionaries here all know it's extremely rare to get into a house when you're going door-to-door.  But a nice Nigerian lady let us in, and we explained a bit of the Restoration, and she made an appointment for us to come back next week.  That's the 4th time I've been invited in.  So that was a neat occurrence.

MUSIC. Nice to hear about Kara improving on piano.  I've emailed her about how much I miss piano, now that I only infrequently play it.  So, back to basics when I get back!  I still have most of my songs in muscle memory.  And I can sight read music slowly, so with a couple of play-throughs, I can play the basic songs (0 sharps, 1 sharp, 1 flat) alright.

Love you!
Anziano Whitesell

Dinners, Doors, and Count Your Blessings

Hello Dad, Hello Mom!

I read a General Conference talk (or something) that came to mind, about "Your Life is Now." They talk about living your life always, and not saying "When I 'm in college, then my life will begin," or "when I have a job or am married or have kids, then my life will begin." We should always live in the now.  Not in a hedonistic sense, but always magnifying whatever calling we have the blessing of filling right now.

HELPING WHERE WE ARE.  There's a Preach My Gospel passage that talks about being a blessing, not a burden, to the Bishop.  You two seem like that, and I get to be that help, here in tiny Ferrara.  Our Bishop called us the other day and asked if we could go "home teaching" (visit a family or individual in their home, with an inspirational message) with him on the 17th to a less-active member of the congregation.  So of course we say yes.

We don't get invited over for dinner quite as much as the stateside elders. but hopefully we still bring a good message.  Anziano Fabiano got a couple of messages from stateside missionaries.  One story was, "We rang 15 doorbells, and nobody let us in, so I stormed off and waited in the car for 20 minutes."
Our Italian response was, more or less: "Try 1500 doors without getting in, and forget about the car :/ "  Some people.

Another group made it their transfer goal to get a dinner appointment every night of the transfer.  And they did.  We all have our burdens to bear--

DIFFERENT PERSONALITIES.  Your missionary comp sounds similar to mine, Dad.  Anziano Robinson and I are somewhat classic representatives of our respective areas.  I'm all "educated" and more closed and formal; he's more outgoing, doesn't care about grammar/speaking correctly (more out west: he's from Utah).  Still smart, but in a different way from me.  He actually is a skater, and looks exactly like our younger ex-cousin Zak when he's wearing a beanie.

MULTI-CULTURAL EXPERIENCES.  "Strange" moment from last week: we ran into 2 Romanians on the street.  The lady spoke Italian to us (both speak Italian), and the man, who was out of it on medication, spoke in broken English.  They talked to us and asked for a Book of Mormon.  So on Sunday, we went to their apartment and gave them one in Romanian.

They invited us in and when we got to their flat, there was another Romanian, a Ukrainian woman, and 2 Albanians waiting for us to teach about the message of Jesus Christ.

So with some language difficulties (they spoke broken Italian), we attempted to explain the Restoration of the Gospel.  It went meh, about 2.5/5.  They got that the Book of Mormon is important, but they didn't seem to grasp "So, are you the Orthodox Church? Or the Catholics?"
"No," we just explained, "we're the church that Jesus Christ created."  "Oh, so the Catholics?" No we're different.  "You're not Jehovah's Witnesses, are you?"  "No we're not them."  But they want us back, and we'll bring a book of Mormon in Albanian too.

GOOD FOOD. Anziano Robinson cooks pretty well.  He has a vomit-reaction to the texture of fruit for most of his life, so his recipes don't have that.  But he makes lazagna.

And he made me realize I could make grilled cheese sandwiches as a snack in the evenings.  Brilliant.  On another note, I made coffee cake for district meeting, and they LOVED it!  3 people asked me for the recipe. So kudos to whoever came up with that recipe.

OUTINGS.  Yes, we need to do things on Pday.  Starting next week, either a castle or a museum here or in Bologna.  It takes some energy to get over the inertia of "I can just sit in the apartment today," but you guys were always saying, "Let's go on a hike," or "Let's go to Boston," so I suppose I have a history of doing things on weekends.

BLESSINGS.  Great News: Bettina from my old ward was baptized on the 25th! She said the hiccup with the baptism date that fell through (when I was still there) ended up being for the best.  It made her evaluate whether this was actually something she believed.  But she was baptized the 25th, and probably confirmed this past Sunday.  Happy Day!

And I got your letter.  Thank you!  I always love stories from Conference, and the Liahona magazines.

Love you, and have a great week!
Anziano Whitesell

Perspective, Fond Memories and Sushi

Hello!  Me again.

My new companion is Anziano Robinson.  He's a nice, outgoing, super-energetic person.

CHANGE IN PERSPECTIVE.  Anziano Robinson came here not having heard anything negative about Ferrara (some may say it's kind of slow and discouraging, with not many people who want to talk about religion).  The mission president told him, "Ferrara is what you make of it."

So he's putting to good use all of his experience and new ideas and trying to revamp the work here.  And it's worked nicely for me -- I can see a difference in the way I work.  I feel better about our tracting (looking for people who are interested in the gospel message), and it's much more enjoyable.

Last transfer (6 week block), in retrospect, was much less enjoyable because it's easy but not productive to bemoan one's circumstances (it being slow and/or a little boring sometimes).  He is in his 7th transfer, and I'm in my 5th.  Admittedly, with our personalities and interests, we probably wouldn't be friends outside the mission.  But I'm really glad he's my companion now.  He is digging me (and helping me dig myself) out of the "slow-work depression" that I got last transfer.  These are good things :)

RUSSIAN BOOK OF MORMON.  This week we were walking around, and a Russian woman walked up to us and asked about the Christ video (Finding Faith in Christ).  So we went this morning and gave her a copy of that, and the Book of Mormon in Russian.

SUSHI.  In Bologna two weeks ago for P-Day (Preparation-Day: laundry, errands, etc. Day), being in Italy, we got sushi!  I hadn't been to a sushi place before, and it was really good.  Not Italian, but good.

NEW ENGLAND SNOWSTORMS.  So, the media is still drumming up business by claiming the snowstorms are getting bigger and bigger?  No surprise there.  But you've been in Massachusetts for awhile now.  Surely you can handle yourselves :P

I haven't had any snow here, except a couple of weeks ago when it sprinkled a bit.  But it was gone within 24 hours.  Don't hurt yourself shoveling.  Maybe use the Steneris snowblower when it's available?

REMINISCING.  I don't think the Ponds (the family who lived in our house before us) realized what a blessing it would be for us to live in that house.  Yes, there are downsides, but it's been mostly positive.

You said they chose us (they got two offers on the house at the same time, and they let us buy it) mainly because we had kids in our family, and they liked the idea of having another family (us) in their neighborhood.  I'm very grateful for that, as I think about the good experiences we had in that neighborhood and the good people there.  Did you host Santa this year?  I don't believe I asked, even though it was a month ago.

Have a great week!
Anziano Whitesell

Persevering, Candy Stash and Juggling

Hello!

Bologna Zone

NEW COMPANION. If you recall, my companion Anziano Mata'u finishes his mission tomorrow.  We made guesses on how people would shift around for this next "transfer" (6-week block).  It turns out my new companion, Anziano Robinson, is going into his 7th transfer, so 2 above me (I am now going into my 5th transfer). The one thing I've heard about Anziano Robinson is "he's really Christlike." That is quite a compliment.

We'll be out here on our own, still going over to Bologna for District Meeting each week.

The work here is still pretty slow.  We walk and talk and walk and talk and talk and walk, and ogni tanto troviamo qualcuno che vuole ascoltarci. ("until we find someone who wants to listen").

So we have "potentials" (people who MIGHT be interested in the Gospel of Jesus Christ) to call and hope they pick up the phone, and we have 2 less-actives that we work with regularly.  So the work goes on.

KEEPING FAITH STRONG.  Some of the inspirational talks I read in the Ensign (church magazine) talk about the seemingly small things you can do to keep your own faith strong.  Studying the scriptures, going to church each week, going to the temple, and continuing Family Home Evening can help you remember and sustain your beliefs.  ("Family Home Evening" is simply gathering with your family each week, spending time together and discussing or learning gospel principles.)

Ferrara District

From Anziano Mata'u I've learned about how to Persevere, rather than Endure.  Those 2 verbs bring to mind some very different images...persevering seems to be more active, like you are moving ahead with goals and trying.  Maybe enduring seems more like you are just "getting through" what is happening to you.

Collected Candy Stash

JUGGLING CLUB PAYS OFF.  One thing I was thankful for: We were walking through the park because it was a nice-ish day outside.  There were two college kids there, who were juggling with rings and clubs.  So we went over and talked to them, and I showed one of them how to work with clubs, and I did all right with the rings, and I learned a bit of poi.
 And we talked to them about what we do as missionaries and left them with pamphlets (about the Restoration of the Gospel).  But that was a lot of fun.

Anziano Mata'u

CANDY STASH. I also just took an inventory of the candy/food I've accumulated so far.  It was just sitting in the suitcase, and I got some from Anziano Mata'u's mother.  We ate about half of it this past week, so there's not quite that much right now.

Also...I present Anziano Mata'u.

Ciao!  Love, Anziano Whitesell

Focus Time, Good Examples, Italian Treats

Hello!

STUDY GOALS.  I need to have more focused personal studies (that's one of my goals this week) so I'll be more effective.  Because if we don't have any lessons planned, "personal study" turns into "Read the Book of Mormon for a bit, then read the Liahona (church magazine) for a bit."  So I'm looking at activities from Preach My Gospel, and taking some notes/doing topical studies of Book of Mormon and Bible topics.  These include faith, repentance, and prayer, just as examples.

I'm trying to study/take notes in a format that could easily become a lesson for Family Home Evening.  (Family Home Evening is one night a week where the family can discuss & learn about a gospel principle and spend time together.)

I have used the scripture from 1 Kings 19 as an example of the Holy Spirit before.  Also from 3 Nephi 11 where there is a voice after the destruction that "pierced them" and they had to listen several times to hear it.

I got a letter from home in the mailbox...I believe it took 4-5 days from the postmark to get here.

BOLOGNA. We go to Bologna every week for District Meeting.  I've walked around it a bit on 'exchanges,' (we have a different companion for a day) where I've ended up in Bologna.  Actually, we're going there today and seeing if they have good Saldi sales on scarves or ties.

ANZIANO MATA'U.  I'm learning charity from my companion.  He's very friendly, even when people "shut us down" (refuse to talk to us).  He only has a week left, but he's doing well with not looking forward to it too much, or preoccupying himself about it.

I did pack those silk pants.  And I know other missionaries use Under Armor to keep warm.  So far I'm doing pretty good, and it's a warmish spell right now, so it's not particularly unpleasant.

DISCOVERING ITALIAN TREATS.  Your idea of going to different bakeries was a good one.  I think you meant bread, but we went to a couple of cafes with window displays and ordered little pastries from there.  They were really good.

Have a good week!

Love, Anziano Whitesell

Christmas Packages, Motivation and Ice Cream

Hello Mother and Father--

CHRISTMAS GIFTS. I finally got some packages and Christmas cards!  The packages were postmarked December 2, but we only had our zone meeting this past Monday.  Thank you for the Christmas scripture chase!  That was funny.  I guessed most of them, except the teddy bear soap (thought it would be hand sanitizer), and one or two others.

I also mentioned sending Twizzlers or candy...black licorice would be nice instead.  I know: "Eeewww, black licorice, you're weird," but I like it.
 No need to rush, though, since I just barely received a package.

WARDROBE UPGRADE. There's a nation-wide sale in Italy called Saldi (Italian for sale) during January-February, and a smaller one in August where everything gets knocked down 50% or more, so I think I'll get a few ties and at some point an Italian suit during those times.  I'm going to come back so classy...

MISSIONARY GOALS.  My most important priority as a missionary is to "Invite others to come unto Christ."  That's the first part of the missionary purpose.  So whether that's helping other missionaries be better, baptizing people into the church, or explaining the gospel message to others, I can be an example of Christ and share his gospel.

GRATITUDE.  I'm thankful for ice cream.  The gelato in Italy is famous (i.e. Italian ice), so as missionaries we go get ice cream every so often.  Some people get it every other day, some people get it occasionally (me).  It's thick, sugary goodness.

MY MOTIVATION.  I spend a lot of time with the Ensign/Liahona (church magazine) reading conference talks and uplifting stories.  It helps me keep in mind that missionary work isn't just for missionaries.  Some of President Uchtdorf's talks are really good. (Well, all of them are good, but some stand out to me more than others.)  I was reading Forget-Me-Not and Hope of God's Light, and they're really uplifting.  Then President Eyring had one talk about Priesthood role models that I really liked.

I'm also trying to work more on having the Holy Ghost with me as I teach.  I know he's there when I teach, but I have trouble identifying him as I tract.  So there's a section in Preach My Gospel about the Spirit of the Lord that I'm reading and applying, and I'm studying the scriptures that accompany it.

I had heard from Sister Shearer that Tessa was back; that's great that you can see missionaries coming and going from the home ward (congregation).  I sort of forget about people after they've gone, until they come back.  Obviously it's different if it's your family, but it's still nice to see a before-and-after of other members of the ward.

COMPANION EXCHANGE. I did a companion exchange Monday-Tuesday (I do them every week, since my companion is District Leader). In an "exchange," my companion--the District Leader--goes with another missionary to train and help him some, and that day I work with the other missionary of that pair.  The Elder I was with was psyched to get some work done, as his companion was one of those less-enthusiastic missionaries.  I don't know quite what I'd do if my companion didn't get up until 8 in the morning, or if he didn't have any motivation.  We'll see.  It could happen.

We're still going-going-going.  My companion is dying (don't worry: it just means he's going home!) this transfer.  His countdown is at 15 or so days left, so he's trying not to think too hard about it.  He's really motivated and doesn't want to leave, which is nice -- I don't have to struggle to get him to work.

Love, Anziano Whitesell