Anziano!

Cari Amici e Famiglia,

It was a pretty tiring but good week.  On Tuesday we got up at 3:30 in the morning so we could be nice and ready to take the bus at 4:50 to go to Taranto for zone conference.  Conference was a little long but we got some good instruction including on how to be better preach my gospel missionaries.  We had to wait a bit at the bus stop in Taranto and while waiting we talked to some people and shared the gospel and gave out some cards.  We also watched people blow 100s of euros on
gambling machines.  It really is an addiction for some people. Anyways we got on the bus at 8 something and got home before midnight. The next day we did some service and some lessons.  Service is always good for the soul and it was pretty fun too as we got to throw a recliner off the balcony.  The next few days we did some lessons and on Saturday we were enlisted to help with the LDS charities project putting together kits for refugees.  We were among the few to stay all
day (we stayed for the free lunch ;)) and afterwards we watched meet the Mormons (Conosci i Mormoni) with some members and investigators. Yesterday we went to church and had a good lunch appointment.  There also was a crazy wind storm that blew some trees down.  Today we went to the police station to renew my residence permit.  I made friends with a Pakistan guy who gave me a smaller number so I didn't have to wait so long in line.  Life is good.

Anziano Blazzard

http://romeitalymission.blogspot.com/2016/02/taranto-zone-conference-february-2016.html

Buona Settimana

Cari Amici e Famiglia,

It was a good week here in Cosenza.  We were able to get a good amount of service and member work in.  I also received my travel itinerary for when I travel home.  It will be a long day of flights from Rome to New York to Utah to Idaho.  Anyways this week on Tuesday we got a call from an unknown number who turned out to be a member from Portugal who had moved a few weeks ago to Cosenza to study at the university here.  She had been looking for the church for a while and had called the mission office in Rome and received our number.  Later we had some lessons including one with a new investigator who is making great progress and actually began to read the Book of Mormon.  Unfortunately for us and fortunately for her she got a job in England and left last Friday.  Hopefully she will continue to study with the missionaries there.  Then after we had English course and after that we are one of those famous multi-course Italian meals at a restaurant with an investigator.  I won't go into the details of every dish but it was amazing.  On Wednesday we did some service in the morning at the apartment complex of a member.  We cleaned the sidewalks and lawns of all the trash that had blown in or had been left since New Years.  As we were cleaning I occasionally looked up at the apartments around and noticed a lot of curious people wondering who we were and why we were cleaning.  One lady walked by and said, "you guys found some work, eh?"  I said that no, we weren't working but that we were doing service for an elderly lady in our church.  She was confused at the idea of free labor but impressed at the same time.  It wasn't really free labor in the end though, because we got fed a ton of food afterwards (and the lady is a great cook).  The next few days were interspersed with lessons and meal appointments.  Then on Saturday after a meal appointment in the morning with a really funny member who always responds abbastanza (he pauses for emphasis) male (rather bad) when we ask him how he is, we traveled to Sarcena with our district president to visit some members.  It was nice to get to know him better and know the district situation better as well.  On the way back we also saw two Ferraris fly by us at ludicrous speeds.  It was like we were in Need for Speed or something.  Sunday went by pretty tranquilly and today we will likely have another tranquil day.  This morning we have been helping out with the LDS Charities project by putting stickers on bags to be later filled with stuff of which a refugee would have need.  Buona Settimana!!

Anziano Blazzard

Besciamella e Arancici

Cari Amici e Famiglia,

It was a pretty good week.  As I'm writing this email we are in the process of making a delicious lasagna.  We started out by cutting up onions, carrots, and celery.  We then put some homemade olive oil in a pot and fried up the mixture.  After everything was cooked a bit, we added some ground beef and some spices like pepper and oregano.  After the meat was browned we added some Mutti sauce with added basil (really good tomato sauce brand).  We will let that cook an hour or so.  In the meantime we are hard boiling some eggs to be later cut up and distributed evenly in one of the lasagna layers.  After everything is cooked we will begin to build the lasagna.  We will put sauce down in the pan first and then put a layer of lasagna pasta pieces.  After that we will spread sauce, besciamella, and buffalo mozzarella chunks on top.  You repeat that a couple of layers and the last layer you put the everything on top and Parmesan cheese.  You then put it into the oven at 375 F and cook it with tinfoil on top for 25-35 minutes until the pasta is cooked and soft.  You then take off the tinfoil and cook it a bit until the cheese on top is browned.  It's going to be pretty good.

So back to what happened this week we ate quite a bit with members. We ate sausage, different cheeses, slices of ham rolled up with cheese in the middle, chicken fried steak, pasta with a German meat sauce, lemon breaded chicken, pizza, arancini (if you don't know what those are go back to my emails when I was in Sicily... I ate them almost everyday), diverse salads (mostly vinegar and oil ones), freshly cut strawberries, cakes, and ribs.  I probably missed some stuff. We also had some really good lessons with our investigators and members.  We met some new members we hadn't seen before when we went to Castrovillari on Saturday.  They were very nice and invited us right in to eat.  We became fast friends and gave a blessing to the old lady who lives with them who isn't a member.  She is from an Albanian village near Castrovillari and she taught us some words.  I forgot all of them.

We also met some new investigators.  One was an young ex Jehovah's witness  who was very interested in the message of the restoration.  We had a strong member with us who was also formerly
a Jehovah's Witness so it was a solid lesson.  We have high hopes. Life is good here in Italy and I hope it's good for y'all back home. Vi auguro una buona settimana!!

Anziano Packer B Blazzard

Reverse Street Contacting

Cari Amici e Famiglia,

It has been a great and exhausting week.  We are doing well as far as missionary work goes and are continuing to see miracles, including being stopped over ten times by people in one day which is a strange turn of things because that is supposed to be our job.  On Thursday we were able to get a good amount of service in cleaning up a house that was remodeled for one of the sisters in our branch.  A few days before we were going to an appointment and were stopped by some well dressed
young gentlemen who asked if we were English.  I said that no, I wasn't English, but that I spoke English and he then led us into a back room of a car dealership.  We then proceeded to help negotiate
the purchase of a Land Rover that was in Germany by translating.  On Friday we had mission leadership council via Skype and afterwards we went to eat at Fratelli La Bufala like always and we got pizzas. Afterwards we got gelato because it was nice and sunny.  Things like this are really going to make me miss Italy.  On Sunday we went to lunch at a member's house and then we spent some time with his family and saw a bunch of floats in the streets because there is a holiday here called Carnivale.  I also finished the New Testament again and have began the Book of Mormon again.  It's crazy that you can read the same stuff over and over again and still learn something new.  Have a
great week everyone!

Anziano Blazzard

Staying, Shoes, and Sense of Peace

Cari Amici e Famiglia,

To start out we got transfer calls and Anziano Borner and I are staying together a third transfer!  We were a little surprised because there were so many changes in the mission and we haven't ever done a
third transfer with a companion.  I'm happy though because it is pretty sure now that I will finish in Cosenza.  This week was pretty good.

We got some good work done both with investigators and members. After a lesson one night we went to get dinner with a member and investigator at a traditional food place on the hill.  I think I ate
the best roast chicken that I have ever eaten in my life.  It was so good.  We also went to get my shoes fixed because they were starting to smile (sole was coming off).  We went to a guy we know and talked a little bit about religious stuff because he is a big evangelist I think.  Then I mentioned my shoes and he told me immediately to give them to him.  He then glues the soles back on and stitches them up with a shoe stitcher machine.  Afterwards he gave them a nice shine. They were like new.  He then shined up my comp's shoes and with tears in his eyes he quoted the scripture, How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace;
that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!
He is an awesome guy.

Today I was saddened to hear the tragic news of my friend Brad's passing.  I pray that his family may receive comfort, strength, and peace to cope with such a big loss.  After reading the news and being overcome with grief, I began to pray and a few scriptures came to my mind.

John 14:27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

And then from the Book of Mormon Ether 12:4 Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God. These scriptures brought me a sense of peace and I know that these words are true.

Anziano Packer B Blazzard