Crotone! Transfer 5 Week 2!

Hello World!


This has been a really long and a really fast week all in one and I have
learned so much! Especially from my companion!


On Monday we went to the Africans for Dinner with the sisters and Sister
Condé was there with her family which was really cool!


Tuesday


Tuesday was kind of a weird day, we went in the morning to the
PosteItaliane... nightmare usually... and it actually wasn't too bad. We
had to wait for a little while but then everything went well. It was kind
of stressful to be the Italian speaker in the companionship but everything
got done so hopefully he will be legal in a few months. His appointment
isn't for another almost two months, so I have a little time to find the
Questura.


After the questura it was off to the Church for DDM, our first as a baby
District, we are all so young in the mission! So here is the run down.
Sorella Bonzo is the new Sister, she is almost at her year mark and the
oldest one in the District. She is companions with Sister Taylor who is one
transfer behind me. Then in Catanzaro there is Anziano Haws as District
leader with Anziano Gunnell as his companion. Haws is one transfer ahead of
me and Gunnell is one behind me with a Sister Taylor. Then there's me in my
fifth transfer and my Greenie! DDM went well, Sorella Condé and her parents
came by to say hello so that was cool and then Haws did a pretty good DDM
on Christlike Attributes, I really liked it. Then it was out to Romana's
and the Panino shop for Kebab.


The rest of the evening wasn't super productive... we practiced the Plan of
Salvation about a million times, its still kind of a struggle but we get
by. Anziano Allen is trying so hard, he works really hard and he wants to
speak so bad. It will come in time, before he knows it be will speak better
than me! Roby cancelled on us so we didn't end up teaching it but it was
good practice. English Course went well except that the old guy that always
comes tried to teach us about menopause in English. I put a stop to that
subito. Some poeple...


That's really it for the day. It's been really interesting to see how the
longer you're with your companion they get more and more comfortable with
you. Allen has just been acting more and more goofy everyday. He's a good
kid and I love him, it's just really funny to see how he comes out of his
shell more and more. I see his sister in him a lot sometimes, you can tell
that they were really close.



Wednesday


Today was a exhausting day for sure... we had great studies this morning
and I didn't forget to do anything with Anziano Allen, we read the white
handbook and everything which I am really good at forgetting... then we
headed out the door to get some things emailed to the office for permesso
paperwork and caught the bus to Cutro. When we got there it was time to
stop in at the Pasticceria and get a little pastry thing filled with creme.
They are called Graffe... apparently it is a Crotone/Cutro thing. Oh my
heck was it good! Anziano Allen liked it as well so I was happy. I want to
make sure he gets the full experience and that he loves Italy still. We
headed to the Tedesco family and we started by playing some Jenga, Riccardo
wanted to play scrabble but I talked him out of it seeing as I can barely
speak Italian and my companion would have struggled tantissimo. So Jenga it
was, I really love that game! It was a lot of fun! Then it was teach
Daniella English time which went pretty well. Anziano Allen was watching
Riccardo play on his tablet and it was probably one of the coolest things
ever. Neither one of them knew what the other one was saying but they sat
on the couch with his arm around him and watched. It was cool... lunch and
then we went to Grandpa's to pick all the oranges off the tree. Dang was
that a good idea! we shared a really cool spiritual thought on fortifying
the family with Alma 50 and then it was off to Crotone.


Baking Brownies and eating blood oranges, what a delight. Definitely one of
the highlights. Then we went to the family that Redaelli and I found and we
brought them brownies and a plan of Salvation pamphlet. It went pretty well
and the spirit was so strong but it was almost like she wouldn't let
herself feel it. It was just Teresa and we could see how much she needs the
Gospel but it's going to be tough! Anziano Allen did a great job with his
testimony and shared a lot!


Off to the D'oppido's house, Giovanni was there and so we had a good chat
with him (He served a mission in England so he speaks English really well
which I think Anziano Allen was grateful for) and then with Caterina and
Maria as well.


Thursday


Today we went to see the Africans, turns out Endurance was the only one
there which was better than usual, there usually isn't anyone there. We had
a good lesson with him and then we came to the church and made lunch with
Antonio Corabi. I just love that kid so much, I want him to serve a mission
and stay active and one day be the Branch President of this whole place!
Anziano Redaelli left a bunch of clothes so I brought them for him and we
had a lesson. We had planned to share something but he asked if we could
watch a video from mormon channel. It was actually really good, it was
about this girl who had the idea of a perfect life and eventually she began
running herself into the ground because she wasn't using Jesus Christ in
her quest to be perfect. It is interesting how Heavenly Father showed us
the things we need to see to help us. He is such a dang good kid. I
mentioned that we might be able to do a mini mission with him but that I
needed to ask President but he is super excited about it. We'll see what
President says!


Friday


This was kind of a blow day, its a holiday so there is literally no one
outside. We went and got a hair cut and spent the morning doing weekly
planning. It was Anziano Allen's first hair cut in Italy and they cut it
soooo short! It looks like a military hair cut! Poor kid... He says he
looks like John Cena but not as ripped.


We are helping this guy named Samuel Gruppo with English, he wants to go to
Canada for work so he can get out of the poverty that they have here in
Italy.. he speaks pretty well but needs to practice a lot! So because it
was a holiday and there was no one outside we decided to help him for like
two hours. It went pretty well and I learned some dialect which was
interesting! Then we went over to Sorella Zarfino's house to share a
scripture with her and try to milk out a pranzo appointment but she wasn't
feeling very well and her daughter is still sick so she didn't want to give
in.Poor Anziano Allen hasn't had a real Italian Pranzo appointment yet... I
hope this week!


Sabato!


Sorella Bonzo's Birthday! She is 20 now, I am so old... We spent most of
the morning doing 12 weeks and we sent out the papers for Anziano Allen's
permesso. Then it was off to do 12 weeks and watch my favorite TV show THE
DISTRICT! And I made some roasted chickens for Sorella Bonzo's birthday and
we made mashed potatoes and gravy and veggies. It was nice to have some
American food... we both noticed that American food keeps you fuller. Pasta
makes you full but it goes away really fast.


Branch Council forever with like no organization and a mess of people
talking but we actually got a lot done. It was a first for this branch...


Sunday!


We were almost late for church but Franco picked us up about halfway so
that was good, we made it on time. Sacrament was good, sometimes I am
amazed by how much I understand. I understand almost everything and it was
so nice to not have to teach for once, just to be able to listen and
comment. Everything went well and we had a great Sunday.


We went home and we knew that we had like no food.... so we stole some
panna from the Sorella I made gnocchi with ham and onions and garlic and
panna and it was really good. We did some language study and I decided I
want to make a better effort to study the language.  I got the language
book from the sisters so I can spend some time on actually studying. I want
to be amazing with the language, I want other missionaries and Italians to
look at me and know that I put in the effort to take on the culture and
speak the language! Here's to New Year's Goals!


Then we watched a broadcast from Puglia with a member of the first 70, it
has been completely on the self-sufficiency which is totally inapplicable
but I guess its fine. The Anziani from Catanzaro were here last night, we
are doing an exchange with them and then headed to Taranto for Zone
Conference! It should be a good week with lots of miracles!


Today we spent some time shopping this morning and thats about it for
P-day! I hope you all have a great week and always remember that Heavenly
Father and Jesus Christ are in the details. He knows you personally and
wants to help you in every righteous endeavour that you have. Have a great
week!



--
Anziano Jacob Bellucci