May 21, 2014

MIRACLES!!!!

Ciao Tutti!

Well this last week was really great! Last Saturday we ended up having a Lot of success and the miracles just keep seeming to continue :) We talked to a BUNCH of people and ended up having 4 lessons Saturday and got 2 new phone numbers! It was really great i am so happy! 

So we had our first District Meeting which went really well! We are going to stay working with the members and trying to do exchanges and getting refferals from them if we can :) This sunday one of our investigators came to church and she REALLY enjoyed it. She texted us afterwards saying how she had such a good feeling while she was there. She has also been reading the book or mormon often and praying as well so i am really happy for her. When you see one of your investigators make progress, feel the spirit in their life and want to make a change it is the BEST feeling in the world. i am so glad that i got to stay here another transfer i absolutely love the people here.

well, this sunday i will be giving a talk in church about how small and simple things become big which is one of my favorite scriptures in the Book of Mormon so i am super excited for that :) Wish me good luck!

Ok well my time is almost up, thanks for the emails and updates! Vi voglio tantissimo bene! Buona settimana! Ciao:)

May 14, 2014

TRANSFERS!!!!

Ciao cari miei,

To start off i just want to say how great it was to see you guys for "il Giorno delle Madre" :) It was so nice to be able to talk to all of you guys! To Mom, Grandma, Granna, and all of my Aunts i hope you all had a wonderful Mother's Day!! 

Well, we got our transfer calls yesterday and i am going to...... STAY IN LUGANO!!!!!!!!!! :):):):):):) I am soo excited to stay here another transfer it is going to be so great! I am going to be District Leader and my new companion will be Anziano Salvatori! He is from Pescara (east of Rome) and I have already seen and talked to him a couple times, he is such a cool guy! I am SUPER excited to serve with him! My recent companion, Anziano Oz is getting transfered to Torino, which is where i have always wanted to serve since i got into the mission so i am very excited for him! It's really a bummer though because he and I have really had a GREAT time together and i have learned a lot from him. He is a great missionary to say the least. The ward here is really going to miss him as well, but im sure they are going to welcome in Anziano Salvatori with arms wide open :)

The work here in Lugano has been about the same for the past couple weeks. The people here seem very closed to the topic of religion but I am positive that there are people out there who Heavenly Father is preparing and helping to have a change of heart and meet with us missionaries :) 

So mom you asked me to give a little spiritual thought for the Sunny Mesa Ward so i'll share something that i have come to learn here on the mission:

I really love the Scripture Either 12:27 which says, "And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them". 

A lot of times we are quick to point out the pridefulness in others and, in doing so, we tend to oversee the lack of humility in ourselves. I have been very blessed here on the mission because I have been given the opportunity to serve with and meet many humble missionaries. I really look up to each one of them because they have learned to utilize the teachings of Either 12:27 in their life and have made weak things become evidently strong unto them enough for others to see and admire. My invite to all of you back at home base is to apply this scripture to you, have faith, and act in a way that will turn your weaknesses into your "forte".

Ciao Tutti, vi voglio benone! Statemi bene!

 

Anziano Delgado

 

May 7, 2014

ANOTHER GOOD WEEK

 

Buon Giorno tutti quanti! 

Well this week really has flown by! We are preparing to do a skit for a talent show that our ward is putting on... its on saturday and we still havent decided on what to do haha It is going to be pretty interesting :) Well the work is picking up a little bit now! We made about 120 calls to people that the missionaries in the past have contacted and out of all 120 we got 3 that are willing to meet and talk with us. It's not a huge number but its a lot more than we have been getting so i consider it a big success! Tomorrow we are also supposed to be having FHE with a member family and their refferals for us so wish us luck :)

Also, one of our investigators (the lady who was having depression problems) is feeling a lot better and things in her life like medical issues and money problems are really starting to go her way! She is coming to meet us tomorrow to take a little tour of the chapel before coming sunday, so we are very excited for that :) 

Things are going good and i am absolutely loving it here in the mission. Its hard to imagine that almost an entire year has gone by since i began the mission. I sure have had the chance to learn a lot about many things, spiritually and in the real world, but there is still a whole year of more things to learn and i cant wait! I really just dont want this next year to go by as fast as this year has. I feel like i still have so much more to do and so many more people to talk to here in Europe about this gospel before i come home. Well, i better get to it then :)

Well, thats my week! Thanks for all of the updates on life back in the US, i cant wait to hear from you next week! Vi voglio un sacco di bene! Buona settimana! Ciao ciao :)

-Anziano Delgado

 

 

April 30, 2014

NEW APARTMENT IN SWITZERLAND

Buon Giorno Cari!

Ciao! Thanks for the emails and updates, especially Glenn's mission update i would love to keep on receiving those! Sounds like he is having a great time and seeing a lot of miracles! I'm glad to hear Dallin really likes the Italian shirt i got him, that's a huge relief ha. I'm also very proud of Missy getting the "Golden Scholar" award, way to go Sis!! 

Well we have finally moved apartments, and now i no longer feel like an illegal immigrant jumping the border into Switzerland every day haha. It is a GORGEOUS apartment with a park right outside the front door and its likea 10 minute walk to church on sunday :) Its kind of a bitter sweet though... now that we live in Switzerland i am most likely going to get transfered out since i dont have a European Passport :( It actually makes me pretty sad because i was really connecting and making strong relationships/friendships with the members here and i really dont want to have to leave only after serving 2 transfers with them. Its super tough. 

Well the work here is still going pretty slow finding wise, but this week we had a few lessons with members here in Lugano Switzerland and even though they werent with any investigators they were all very spiritual and uplifting! A few of the member families even have some referrals for us! We are going to have a family home evening next thursday with one of the member families and their non member friends :) 

Well thats pretty much it, thanks for all of your thoughts and prayers you guys are the best! Vi voglio benissimo! 

Much love, 

Anziano Delgado

 

 

 

April 23, 2014

CIAOOO

Ciao come state? Thanks for all of the updates, especially the one about Dallin tearin it up on the baseball field! Good job big D you da best! Im very happy to hear that grandma is doing better, that is a major relief! Im also glad Dad is doing well, im glad that Uncle Jeff and the missionary there were able to give him a blessing. Lately we also have been giving quite a few blessings here in Switzerland. 

We had a very different experience this easter sunday after church. We recieved a call from the Milano office telling us about a member in utah, who's sister lives here in our area of Switzerland very close to Bellinzona, has been going through a very difficult time in her life and is considering commiting suicide. So the member living in utah asked if my companion and I could go over to her sisters house and give her a blessing, of course we said yes. When we got there it was very peaceful and the lady (about 55 or so yrs old) was very sweet and loving and open with her emotions about the things that she has been going through lately. i dont think i should go into detail but ill just say that she is definitly one of the strongest people i have ever met in my life for going through all of the things she has. So we talked to her about our religion, said a prayer for the spirit to be there and after about an hour and a half of talking we gave her a blessing. She said that she felt much better and couldnt stop thanking us for the pass by (she is such a sweet lady i was really sad that we had to leave her house but it was getting soo late). Before we left she also said that she would enjoy coming to church this next sunday and so we gave her a Plan of Salvation pamphlet to read and it had the directions of our church on the back and told her to call us anytime she needed anything.

Well that was pretty much the highlight of this week. I wish i could end this email with good news but unfortunately i have to include that our two golden investigators asked us for a little break from the lessons. they are having a very hard time quitting smoking and the father is really worried about a very messy situation he is in right now. But keep praying for them because they are awesome and i really dont want to give up on 'em. thanks!

Allora, vi voglio tantissimo bene tutti quanti e non vedo l'ora di vedervi di nuovo! (Well, i love you all very much and i cant wait to see you all agian!).

Ciao tutti!

p.s.- one more round of applause for my stud brother Dallin!!!

Much love, 
Anziano Delgado

April 16, 2014

NEW WEEK

 

Ciao Cari! Thanks for all the updates and photos! Im glad Dallin enjoyed his Birthday present! Hope you had a great Birthday D!! Wow Melissa looks great i hope she had a good fun time at prom! Ah im jealous that you guys get to see the easter pageant and i dont... they are having some carnivals here and all that fun stuff but im not sure if they are doing any cool shows about the life of jesus unfortunately. 

Well, this week has been the usual. We got to teach our really great investigators once and we wanted to teach them again but the husband has been feeling very sick with the medication he takes so we'll see how it goes. This transfer, like i said in the emails before, we are really going to work a lot with the members and bring them with us to more lessons/door to door and finding work. We just had interviews with President Dibb and he had the same idea so we are very excited to see how it plays out :)

Well sorry for such the short email but today we have planned to go on a little bit of a hiking trip so ill catch up with you all next week! Vi voglio bene!

April 9, 2014 Pictures from Lugano and Milan

April 9, 2014

GREAT WEEK :)

 

Ciao tutti, buon dí! I'm glad you guys got my package and i really hope dalling likes what i got him. I can't believe Flashy girl is gone.... i cant hold back the tears when i think about it. She was, and will always be, the best dog in the world. 

Well im glad you guys had a good time watching General Conference! I watched it all in Italian this time since i can understand all of it and get in a good language study as well lol. I totally agree with you dad, i absolutely loved President Uchtdorfs talk on being grateful. I feel like a lot of the time i over look all of the blessings that i have been given in my life and it really helped open my eyes a bit more. I absolutely love General Conference, i feel like we are so blessed to have the opportunity to watch Heavenly Fathers Apostles and Prophet 2 times a year all over the world. We are very blessed.

 I am super excited because our 2 prime investigators watched both the womens conference and general conference (im not sure about the priesthood one but i wouldnt doubt it). They didnt come to the church to watch it with us because they live a good ways away but they went over to a members house that lives pretty near by and watched it together with them! :) 

Ok so mom asked me what we have been doing lately just like on a regular day so here it goes: Every day we get up and work out a little, eat, shower, study and get out the door to catch the train to Lugano at 10am. then we arrive in lugano around 10:35 and start doing street prosyliting or park prosyliting until 1:00. Then we head to the church here in Lugano and eat food which we make or that the members have brought us. then we do language study till 3. After that we try to do some pass bys if we have any and make some calls to set up appointments. and then at 6 we do house knocking and we finish that around 8 and then get back on the train and head home! (It seems like the same routine over and over again but to me everyday is way different than the last). We just had a zone conference this monday which was great and we are really going to work harder on member pass by's and try to motivate them to do a bit more. We have about 20 member missionaries and so we really are going to try and get them involved a lot more. Also, next monday we have interviews with President Dibb which shouldn't take too long because its just right in Como.

Well, this week we are planning on seeing our two prime investigators and hopefully sunday they will come to church again! Well wish us good luck with these two investigators! Vi voglio bene! Ciao cari miei!!

April 2, 2014

TRANSFERS!!!!

 

Ciao Tutti!

Well looks like i am staying another transfer in Lugano with Anziano Oz! I am sooo happy to stay i was pretty nervous that they were going to transfer me out. It is the BEST here. My companion and i get along great so i am very glad we get to do another 6 weeks together. Well thanks for all of the photos they are all so great! Wow that is crazy that so many people are getting married! Sammy's soon-to-be husband looks like a stud. He is the BYU's volleyball captain or something like that right? Well cool beans, thanks for the updates!

To answer a few questions, yes there are about 10 people in this ward that speak fluent english but only 4 or 5 are american. they either bring us food to the church, where we eat every day, or we go to their house on sunday. We have food from members about 3-4 times a week (The ward here is amazing).

Here in Lugano we are kind of at a stand still with the work. We havent lost or gained any investigators. We have really been focusing on less active member pass bys but nobody is ever home or the addresses are super old or never existed in the first place and our area is huge so sometimes just to go visit one house takes an hour or 2 on a train there and back (the only downside about the Lugano area). But we are still working with the amazing couple who came to church this last sunday and had a good time. The wife still smokes but she says that she is getting better and better. The problem is that neither of them work and so they are always just sitting at home with nothing to do or get there mind off smoking. We are planning on getting them baptized the first saturday of May. Please pray for them so that they can overcome their trials :)

Oh and thanks for the mp3 ill see what i can do with the voice recordings and what not. Also, i sent dallins birthday package in the mail today but i am not sure when it will arrive to you guys because i just did the normal delivery not the express. im guessing it will be 12-15 days... boh. 

Well that is pretty much it, thanks for all of your thoughts and prayers i love you all so much and cant wait to hear from you next week!