Feb. 27-2013

I'll probably say this phrase many many more times over the course of the rest of my mission, but here goes. This was the most interesting week in the mission yet. The work was a little bit slower, but there have been a few really bright moments and some strange circumstances. First off that young man came to church again this week! We talked to him about what we do and we start teaching him next week because he has tons of stuff to do during the week and sunday is his only free day. Of course I still remember how to play the piano. The ward had me preform part of Clair de lune for a party they had. 

Now they have me learning a Chopin piece.

Now for the interesting part of the week. 

Yesterday at english course we decided to split up the spiritual thought at the end because the class is getting so big. I bore my testimony and read the passage from ether 12:6 about the trial of your faith. And some of the younger people asked me for a Book of Mormon. Next time I see them in English course I will invite them to church this sunday. I had sort of given up hope on getting young people to church in the last two transfers and now all of the sudden there are all these kids showing interest in the church. Just goes to show there are no real stereotypes in missionary work. The gospel is for everyone regardless of age, gender or anything else you can classify a person with. 

Thanks for sending the music. I should have just brought it all with me when I went into the MTC. I never thought I would have the chance to use it all to bless the ward. Luckily I remembered enough of some of it to add to the parties they have.

Haha yeah the blond hair is way different than anyone here. No one in southern Italy has blond hair. Everyone thinks he is the American until we both talk. Speaking of my piano could you send me a picture of it?  I just called the assistants to get permission to use photo bucket. They didn't answer so I guess I will just have to wait for a bit. I still need to print some at the end of every companionship because we make "dedicas" in this mission. We print off the good pictures from the transfers and put them in a book to give to our companions to remember all the good times. 

Anyways thanks for all the uplifting thoughts. I'm doing my best out here , I'm sure you already know. I'm hit by the humbling fact almost every day that I'm incapable in and of myself to do this work, especially right now seeing how little time I've been out here. In Ether 12:27 it talks about the way I feel.  I know that you pray for me and I can feel that strength to do more that I am capable of coming from the Lord. You are right I've grown alot already, but there are still things to learn, people to bring to the gospel, and Italian to learn.

Love Anziano Antonio Faggioli 

Ciao Tutti Feb,20, 2013

Ciao tutti!!

Well I just want to start off by saying I've seen a couple  of miracles this week. It started out slow with the work. We needed to do a bunch of finding this week to build back up our teaching base. At the end of a really long day we decided that it was time to go get a pizza from the pizzeria below our house. We went in ordered our pizza didn't really talk  to anyone and left real quick because it was super crowded. The next day we went through some old numbers and found a family that let us come see them and we invited them to come to church. Then at church on sunday we taught a lesson to another one of our investigators that we can only see once a week. (we teach the gospel principles class 2nd hour) At the end of the class some random young man walks into the room. We had never met him before or anything. We talked to him and asked him why he came to church that day and he said "I saw you guys at the pizzeria the other day and felt like I should learn more about your church" He gave us his number and we are going to start teaching him on sunday. I was shocked. We didn't talk to anyone, leave anything, and it was at the end of a hard day of finding in which we didn't find anyone. For me that is just proof that this is the lords work. There is nothing I did to get that young man to come to church. The lord made it happen somehow. There was also that family in church this week. 
Anziano Liccioli and I have been getting along great. He is a really good missionary. He doesn't let me cook really, but that's okay I will just have to learn in some other transfers. I would teach him how to make Worcestershire burgers, but Worcestershire doesn't exist here. Speaking of american food peanut butter is 4 euro for 200g. Today for P-day we are going to play basketball. I'm really excited I don't get much exercise except in the mornings. And even then it's a 30 min run and we run slow because Anziano Liccioli is convinced running slow burns more fat. Haha. 

Vi voglio bene
Anziano Antonio Faggioli 

Feb. 13, 2013 Happy Valentines Day tomorrow

Happy Valentines Day, tomorrow.

My companion is from Pordonone and I forgot to mention in the last email that he knows Emilia. His name is Simone. Small world huh? Anyways he speaks a little english and is trying to learn so we speak english in the house and Italian outside. Not quite 100% Italian, but pretty close. We are getting along great. The only thing is, as I am sure you know, Italians are very particular about their food so... he doesn't let me cook. Not really a big deal. I get to relax at lunch time and eat good Italian made food. 

       You will never guess what the branch got this week. Pianoforte a coda (grand piano.) I wish I would have brought all my LDS sheet music. A member knows a concert pianist that didn't have a place to put here piano so we opened up the church for storage and now I have a grand piano to practice with. I was so excited when I saw it. If possible I'm sure one of those big yellow envelopes would make it in the mail. 

        Transfers were fun. I went up to Bari and spent the day there with the Anziani. Harris went all the way to rome that day so I had to wait for my new comp to come in before I could go back to Brindisi. It was so much fun. They showed me around the market and took me to see all the cool places in Bari. 

        Thanks for all the info. There isn't to much happening in Brindisi right now. Finding is hard right now because it's cold and rainy here and people don't go out when the weather is like this. 

Anyways until next week Vi voglio Bene
Love Anziano Anziano Faggioli

Letter from Brindisi Feburary 6, 2013

  Well I think I might have miss lead you all about transfers. I knew I wasn't going anywhere this transfer, but I will leave next transfer. There is still big news about this round of transfers though. As you all know Anziano Harris is going home to get the Iphone 5 this transfer and I am staying here in Brindisi with..... A NATIVE ITALIAN. His name is Anziano Liccioli. He came into the field at the same time as me and doesn't speak a word of English. I am really excited needless to say. The missionaries that get native companions learn really really fast. It will be a really interesting transfer here. He is from Venice so I will learn to understand northern accents really well. So what do you think about that?

      Since this was the last week for Anziano Harris most the members wanted us to come have lunch with them. There was so much pasta. I had so much good food. They eat a lot of weird seafood down here in the south also. Our members are the coolest down here. If we go to church when you guys come to pick me up we have to arrange to be in Brindisi on a Sunday so you can meet them all. 

      I was a little sick last week, but I am feeling better now. Last p-day we didn't do anything because I wasn' feeling well so I don't have any pictures to send home this week. Anziano Harris is leaving all his pictures on the computer so I will have more pictures of myself to send home. 

       The work this week was the same as last week. We visited some people, got some people reading the book of Mormon, but no one is really coming to church yet so We will need to focus on keeping the Sabbath day holy with our investigators. I'm not sure how teaching Africans is going to go with my new companion because most of them don't speak Italian. On the other hand it will be a great blessing to have an Italian for our Italian investigators. Oh another cool thing, one of our investigators is Anziano Licciolis Aunt. So he will get to see his aunt every once in a while. 

Sorry to disappoint you all on the transfer. I meant I get transferred next transfer. 

Love Anziano Faggioli