Week 59 - Rome 3, Italy

Amici e Famiglia,

This week on Monday after emailing we went to a church called Saint John's (San Giovanni). It was pretty impressive and we saw a statue of Saint Phillip curb stomping a dragon.  Then we went to Piazza del Popolo (plaza of the people) for a quick gelato (helado) break.  We visited a great Filipino family in another city that day and ate some delicious food and watched a small clip in Tagalog as part of our spiritual thought. The next day we went to Rome 2 at Piazza Carnaro for DDM. Afterwards we had a few lessons and English course. The next day we had some lessons. The day after that we had a few lessons and English course. On Friday we planned and had a few lessons on Saturday we had a few lessons and ate at a member's home. It was amazing, we had tomatoes filled with rice, olive oil and garlic potatoes, green bean stuff, and then steak strips with spinach and mushrooms.  It hurt running to catch the bus later that night.  The next day on Sunday we went to church and then had a few lessons. In the evening we went to another meal appointment and had the interesting but delicious potato, cheese sauce, and hard boiled egg dish and then grilled sausage and other meat and gelato. And all of these meals were accompanied by lots of Coca Cola.  Today we played soccer and now I am very burnt. This week we will probably have a baptism so it should be both exciting and very busy.

Anziano Blazzard

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Week 58 - Roma 3, Italia

Famiglia e Amici,

It was another busy week. On Monday after emailing we went bowling ... yeah, I don't know why ... it is not like we are in Rome or something. Anyways I was horrible at it as usual. Then we went to a FHE with an investigator put on by the senior couple. We ate delicious brownies at the end which was my favorite part.  The next day we went to the mission office to start an exchange. I was with my old comp Anz. Durham.  We went and got pizza at a shopping center near the temple site and then taught a few lessons and had English course. The next day we taught a few lessons and had lunch with our favorite Peruvian family before the scambio ended.  Then we had some other lessons and ate with another family. On Thursday we had a few lessons and English course. The day
after we had planning and a few more lessons. On Saturday we went to the Rome 1 church at Battistini for a baptism because the baptizee wanted Palazzo to give a talk.  Then we rushed back for our own baptism in Rome 3. It went super well and afterwards we had a talent night where some a member's amateur band played, we had an eating contest, and a crazy lady read a poem with some nature music in the background.  We also had senior couple perform some opera music.... very impressive. Yesterday we went to church. We did the confirmation and then had a few lessons and ate dinner with a family.  Today we will probably go to San Giovanni's.

Anziano Blazzard

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Week 57 - Roma 3, Italia

Amici e Famiglia,

This week was really great.  On Monday after emailing we went to Saint Paul's Basilica.  It is a really cool church that has the chains that Paul broke in prison, his tomb, a thing that says "Exalted in the Celestial Kingdom," and a baptistery with a font and a wall that has the inscription "Baptisms for the dead."  Getting the picture of the chains was a little tough because I had to lean over a man who was praying to them.

Then we went and saw this little pyramid thing.  Afterwards we took a 45 minute train to Cisterna di Latina where we had to stand the entire way sweating profusely because of the press.  We ate delicious Chinese food made by a Philippine member and then shared a message with him and his family.  The next day we had DDM and then a few lessons and English course.  Wednesday we had 4 lessons and also ate at a member's home and taught a lesson to the nonmember friends. The next day we had 4 lessons again and English course.  Friday we planned and then did a scambio with the elders in our own house.

After the scambio ended on Saturday we had dinner with our favorite Peruvian family.  We had rice stuff and then chicken and fries.  I also probably drank a liter of Coke myself.  The long walk home in sweltering heat was fun with that bloated stomach. On Sunday we got recruited to teach the youth Sunday school class.  There were Philippines, Americans, and Italians so it was a little hard to understand each other.  They also were too shy to talk so it was pretty painful.



After church we had to plan a training we are doing around the zone and then we went to the park and met up with some members and their nonmember friends.  I was invited to coffee once and wine twice so they were curious when I politely declined.  We shared some things about the church and when we left they gave us a ton of extra food.  Anz. Palazzo also handed out a bunch of American candy he had received from home to the Italian kids and they loved it.  Today we did the shopping and almost broke down the door because our key didn't work.  Then the other elders came home and their key worked just fine.  Today we will go to Saint John's church.  Auguri to Derek and Gabby!!!

Anziano Blazzard

Week 56 - Roma 3, Italia

Amici e Famiglia,

It was a really crazy week in Rome full of meetings. On Monday we went to see a bunch of old stuff like the Trevi fountain and the Spanish steps. After that we got some delicious gelato. Then we had a family home evening with an investigator and member family. We ate some good food. The next day we had capi conference and went to the mission office for it. To save time and money the rest of the zone leaders and sister training leaders joined us via Skype. Then we went to a ward BBQ at a park and taught a lesson and made a bunch of new friends with some friends of the members.  And we got some good chow.  Then we had another lesson and English course.

The next day we had a few lessons in the morning and then I went to Ladispoli with Anz. Trejo on a train for an exchange. We talked some people about the restoration and the Book of Mormon on the street and then went to a member's home for a meal appointment.  Was good.  The next morning we did some more work and then headed back to Rome.  Then we had a lesson and English course. Afterwards we had some pizza to celebrate the going away of a sister who finally got the docs to go to her mission in Mozambique. Friday was zone conference. We talked about getting out of your
comfort zone for our training.  It went well.  Then we had a few lessons. On Saturday we had a lesson and then a baptism. The service went really well.  The next day he was confirmed in church and given the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands by one who holds priesthood authority.  Then we went to our favorite Peruvian family's house for a meal and lesson.  Today we will be going S. Paul's Basilica.  It also is really starting to get hot here in Rome and we have no AC.



Anziano Blazzard

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Week 55 - Rome, Italy

Amici e Famiglia,

It has been a little crazy of a week leaving Bari and coming to Rome.  Things aren't settling down either this week as we have capi conference and zone conference. We have to prepare a lot of things for zone conference and write up a training for the missionaries.  Anyways last monday we did email, ate a pizza with raw ham on it, and then went to the park to play basketball and football.  Then we had a few lessons down in a park and I bought my train ticket for Rome.  The next day we had our final district meeting before transfers and then we had a bunch of lessons and English course.  The next day we had a few lessons and I packed my bags.  We also started teaching this family of 7.  The next day we had a lesson and then we went to the train station with the senior couple in their car.  While there one of my investigators showed up and gave me a bunch of chocolate for the trip.  We then left at 1 and we arrived at 5 in Rome.  I met up with my companion Anz. Palazzo (awesome guy that went to BYU, is from Texas, and worked at a gym beforehand) and then we took the metro (subway) to our area which is southeast Rome (Torre Maura).  We then went to the church which is an old jail (I will have to take pictures next time I go).  The next day we planned and then went to Termini in the middle of Rome to meet up with some return missionaries who had served in Rome 3 for lunch.  They had met in the mission and then gotten married afterwards.  I ate this pasta stuff and then we went to the mission office to go to an ipad training.  They gave us ipads and instructed us on how to train our zones how to set them up.  We then went to a lesson and had a meal with a family.  We had Peruvian food which consisted of potatoes and cheese sauce stuff, chicken and rice, and then gelato.  It was really good. The next day we went to the church to do a lesson with a guy that will probably be baptized this week.  Then we had correlation, went to a baptism, and had another lesson.  The next day we went to church and then afterwards drove with a member out into the country south of Rome to give a lady the sacrament. Afterwards we ate lunch and finish some planning and prepared our zone conference training.  Today we will go around the city and I will try to take some pictures.


Anz. Blazzard