Cosenza Regional Work

Cari Amici e Famiglia,

This week we traveled a lot.  On Tuesday we had mission leadership council via Skype which was pretty neat but afterwards we went to Fratelli la Bufala which is a nice pizza place where we got some pizzas to go.  There were cheaper than in Rome which I was happy to discover.  Then we got some gelato and ate it in the lounge area outside on comfy couches under the beautiful autumn sunshine.  On the way there we met a guy who wanted to show (off) us some of his English tattoos.  I unfortunately had to tell him you don't say "I love the life" but rather "I love life."  His expression of unbelief and regret was priceless and a strong testimony builder for me.  Also this week we helped a member and his elderly (though by how hard she worked you wouldn't think it) mother harvest some olives in a village in the mountains called Rose.  It was cool to learn how to harvest olives by shaking them or beating them out of the trees with a branch shaking machine or some long sticks.  They then would fall onto some nets that were laid around the trees.  Then you had to pick out some of the sticks and other rubbish that fell out of the trees with the olives before gathering them into sacks to take to the oil pressing machines.

Another day we went to a place called Saracena to visit some members. One of the older guys there had lived in Argentina and was converted there.  He became a bishop and was there to see the 1000th stake of the church organized.  That city was also very beautiful and as well as being precariously perched on the side of a cliff.  On the way back we stopped in a city called Castrovillari where a branch used to exist to buy some stuff at a store that imports goods from around he world.
I got some mike and Ike's, skittles, and some sprees and man were they good.  I also found Mountain Dew right next to our house in Cosenza but I am trying not to drink pop so much these days so I haven't gotten some yet.  Today we went to get my other pair of church shoes whose soles have been destroyed since my time in Bari from the shoe repair guy.  He really loves the fact that we preach the gospel being such young guys who could be doing other things and so he did it for free.  He did an amazing job and they look better than they did originally.  We also went to visit the castle in old Cosenza but it is closed on Mondays and open every other day of the week.  It was a hard hike up there, too.  We saw some painting though of a massacre of the the Waldenses who were a group of Protestants (and I think some of my ancestors were in this group) in the Piedmont region of Italy.
Apparently some order was given by the Catholic church in Cosenza to go kill them.  Interesting stuff.  Besides that the work is going pretty well and we are having some success.

Anziano Blazzard

Cosenza y Panzerotti

Cari Amici e Famiglia,

This week I traveled to Cosenza and it was an abnormally smooth and tranquil transfer for me.  No sweating, no running, and no starving (office gave us breakfast and lunch bags).  Before the 5 hour train ride down to Calabria it was a little more hectic running to say goodbye to all the homies in Rome 3 and eating tons of their food. When I left I was a little unsure of how things would be when I got off the train in Cosenza because every time I said I was going there people would be like "ohhhh I'm sorry."

Anyways Anziano Borner, my new comp, was waiting at the station for me in Paola and after getting all my stuff off the train and saying goodbye to the other missionaries heading to Sicily we took another quick train to Cosenza. When in Cosenza we got on a bus to go home because the station is quite a ways away from our apartment.  While we were waiting another bus showed up that we thought may have been better so my comp got off while I waited with my luggage to check it out.  Then my bus takes off without him and I halfheartedly (because they never stop) shout, Aspetta! (Wait!)  Luckily he stopped when he saw my comp running the bus down.  It would have been interesting wandering a unknown city without a phone and all my luggage for who knows how long.  Then we stopped at home (big and pretty nice though it was not clean enough for me) before heading to the church for some lessons and English course.  While at the church and for our last lesson of the night a member walks in carrying some food for us...  And believe it or not she had fresh panzerotti!!!! (folded over fried pizza that I ate not enough of while in Bari).  All my doubts about how the last leg of my mission being spent miserably vanished and I actually began to weep a
little.  I knew everything was going to be okay.  And I have found that there are many good things about Cosenza.  There is a Lidl (amazing German grocery store), a Zara, an H&M, and many other cool stores all in this clean, well kept city.  It reminds me of earlier in my mission in Sicily with all the good food and beautiful classic Italian cities.  There aren't a ton of members but they are strong and kind.  The work is also really good and we have some very cool and interesting investigators.    I really do look forward to all the new experiences and people that will come with this area.

Anziano Blazzard

Last Week in Roma 3

Cari Amici e Famiglia,

This last week was kind of a blur.  We had a bunch of lessons and had to prepare people for some baptisms on Sunday.  We were also a little sick and one morning we just kind of slept.  It turned out to be a good idea because now I feel almost at one hundred percent.  It was either that or the high quality Chinese food we ate at a buffet Saturday.  We helped out with a move also on Saturday.  On Sunday we had two baptisms of Na and E and they went very well. The service went well and the spirit was strong.  Later we went to our favorite Colombian family's home for dinner and to celebrate Anz. Holbrook's birthday.  The food was good.  Today we happened to see my aunt and uncle and their family near Termini.  We then proceeded to get some good gelato near the Spanish steps...Sorry for the short email.  Oh also I got transferred to Cosenza in the region of Calabria.  I will be with Anziano Borner who is from McCall and probably ran against me in track.  It is a small branch in the last

district of Italy.  That only makes sense if you're Mormon.

Anziano Blazzard

Concrete Evidence

Cari Amici e Famiglia,

It was a great week for us in Rome.  We were able to get a lot of work done (we will have a baptism next Sunday) and meet some new people (guy showed up in church wanting to be baptized).  On Tuesday we did a scambio (exchange) with Rome 6.  I had a younger missionary with me (2 years younger in age and new as a missionary) but he was very impressive in teaching and speaking the language.  All of our plans fell through but luckily I was able to get some other appointments scheduled.  I feel like a secretary a lot as a missionary because of all the phone calls and arrangements we make.  Talking on the phone was one thing I hated before the mission  but now I'm pretty used to it.  After the scambio I started sniffling a lot and having an itchy throat.  No it didn't get worse but unfortunately I still have a stuffy nose many days later.  I think it is due to the humidity and the temperature going up and down so much.  This week we also helped a lady mix and pour some concrete.  It was interesting to learn how to mix concrete by hand (or by shovel) but I think I will stick to calling somebody in the future to do the work.  I guess I was a little loopy from being sick and I walked on an edge of the concrete right when we finished.... Oops.

On Sunday we were invited by the American family to eat lunch at their house and so that I could access a military site with a card reader and my card.  It was pretty nice to eat some good
burgers and baked beans with American drinks bought at the base (I confiscated the Mountain Dew too).  The family is really cool.  Today we chilled and played volleyball at the beach in Ostia with some missionaries and one of our members.  I also got pooped on by a bird for the first time in my life.

Anziano Blazzard