The Lord is Always WITH Us

Email: January 29, 2014

Cool news! Bologna was approved to begin building their new chaple!!!! The chuch bought land years ago, but the city council got mad because they did nothing with the land and the neighbors wanted a park so its getting build and will be noe in 2015...or so they say... I think it will be done alot later than that.....but cool non the less!

Beer is gross! Not refreshing either like the tv makes it seem! On scambio a member gave us some of here non alcoholic beer...gross. Anziano Revoredo loves it though. I could drink it, no problem, but its one of theose things you eat but would never buy for yourself....fun expericance for sure! You can all be sure I will never drink beer! :)

Cool little doctine for you to all read together.

Last verse in Mark (16:20) crossed with Jacob 5: 71-72. Notice how the Lord is working WITH them. The Lord is always  WITH us. Doing the task WITH us, He showed us the perfect example, and yet He is still willing to suffer again WITH us in any task. 

Anziano Edwards

Snow, right before it began to stick...UGH I hate the cold...hahaha

Look Not Behind Thee

January 22, 2014
The Bologna Zone transfer vision(focus) is as follows...

 

Look Not Behind Thee

 To see additional Mormon Messages videos, visit the Church's YouTube Channel

Facing the Giants

The Fellowship of the Unashamed

I am a part of the fellowship of the Unashamed. I have the Holy Spirit
Power. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has
been made. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I won't look back, let up, slow
down, back away, or be still. My past is redeemed, my present makes sense,
and my future is secure. I am finished and done with low living, sight
walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tame visions,
mundane talking, chintzy giving, and dwarfed goals.

I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits, or
popularity. I don't have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised,
regarded, or rewarded. I now live by presence, learn by faith, love by
patience, lift by prayer, and labor by power.

My pace is set, my gait is fast, my goal is Heaven, my road is narrow, my
way is rough, my companions few, my Guide is reliable, my mission is clear.
I cannot be bought, compromised, deterred, lured away, turned back, diluted,
or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the
presence of adversity, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the
pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of
mediocrity.

I won't give up, back up, let up, or shut up until I've preached up, prayed
up, paid up, stored up, and stayed up for the cause of Christ. I am a
disciple of Jesus Christ. I must go until He returns, give until I drop,
preach until all know, and work until He comes.

And when He comes to get His own, He will have no problem recognizing me. My
colors will be clear for "I am not ashamed of the Gospel, because it is the
power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.." (Romans 1:16)

By Dr. Bob Moorehead

"Normal" Missionary Week

Email: January 22, 2014

I would guess that we do not celebrate that Marin Luther king day...if we did I didnt notice it...boh.

I was able to watch one Disney animated film for Christmas, we watched Bother bear at the house of our ward mission leader. The second family we spend Christmas with. I was super fun!

I just took some time to read up about the same sex marriage on the churchs websites. I cant beleive it. The advasiry is so big and powerful! Good thing God is stonger and its all in his time. We have have the hope and faith in that. The world is nuts. Yesterday a member in Ferrara (I was on exchanges) was telling us about crazy things in the world, murders, crazy people, unjust laws, ect. It's sad. but we have the true Gospel of Christ as our foundation. How great that is! How blessed are we having the truth!

A new shopping complex by The Summit! WHOH! Crazy! it could be good though, it was a bunch of ugly dirt and junk there anyways. A busier street means we get a  stop light between us and the boulders right!? 

This past week was good. We traveled to Trento again, but this time we has success and Anz. Warnok recieved his Permesso di Soggiorno...best part is it expries in Feb! So he will have to go though ANOTHER renewal process! I just cant help but laugh at him or for him...We hope he can do the process here in Bologna....otherwise it will be a huge hassel!

I ate a bunch of sea food and it didnt bother me. I really enjoy shrimp now but clams are fairly gross. Jeffrey's mom emailed me a week or two or threeish ago and mentioned jeffrey loves sea food now, its a miralce! "...Jeffrey has learned to eat all kinds of seafood…including catching the sea food and helping to cook at clam bakes!  He never even ate tuna when he lived at home!"  

Honestly, not much happened this week...it was just "normal" which Im not sure there exsists such a week, expecialy as a missionary. 

I can't be happier and more proud to be an Edwards kid.

Ciao tutti!

Vi voglio bene!

Anziano Edwards

Transfers at the Train Station

Email: January 15, 2014

The week went good, but a bit stressful for transfers. We received transfer travel plans late so zone members and also other missionaries who were traveling though Bologna were calling us about train times and travel buddies and we had no clue about it all....assistants fault! Anyways, on Thursday, we were in the train station from 9.30 am until like 5pm, It sucked! We did chill in McDonalds for a bit though...Bologna wasnt as busy this transfer cycle, thank goodness! We only had one missionary get on the wrong train and go the wrong direction(go figure, it was an Italian too!) and then two missionaries that were traveling together went to the wrong city and so the Zone leaders in Firenze had to drive and pick them up in a city outside of Firenze called Prato. 

We have two brand new missionaries in the zone. One Anziano from Michigan and the other is a Sorella from Germany! Super cool and great missionaries. 

We visited each of our 3 districts in the zone. 2 on Mon. and 1 on tues. We presented our "zone vision" for the  new transfer. It is called Look not Behind thee. Genesis 19:17. I will send more info about it next week. 

Random question, have you seen the movie Brother Bear. Its a animated film, we watched it for Christmas as our 1 allowed animated Disney Film Pres. Dibb allowed us. It might be my new favorite movie, well at least in the top 5. You should all watch it!

Well you all have a fantastic week.

Also, that referal family whos son lives in Toole as a foreign exchange student, we went out with our bishop and his wife on sunday and had a second lesson. Went well and we will be going back again on the 2nd of Feb. Such a cool family!

I love you all tons and tons!!!! 

Ciao!

vi voglio bene!

Anziano Edwards

Trento -such a pretty city

Miracle Stories in Italy!!!

Email: January 8, 2014

Ciao tutti! Another fun filled week has passed and I am going to begin trasfer 12! I am such and anciet missionary! Indeed, all the younger missionaries seem like little kids! AHHH! I can't believe I am on the real down hill slide of my mission...the sister missionaries that were in the MTC with me are begining their last trasfer! They go home in Feb! WOAH! Crazy stuff!

Well I am staying in Bologna for a 4th trasfer as capo zona and staying with Anz. Warnock. Not much will change in the zone this trasfer, four missionaries left the zone so we will have 4 new missionaries in the zone, two of which will be brand new missionaries. One sorella and one Anziano. Fun fact, Anziano Pagano, who I 1/2 trained, is staying in Vicenza and will be training. Also, Anz. Tanner, my first trainee is going to be zone leader! All 6 of us here in Bologna are staying the same. I honestly thought I would have been trasfered out. I guess there is a reason to keep me here. 

Of the 11 zone leader companionships, they all changed except for mine and one other. There are a bunch of new zone leaders, all young too! 

Mission wide, president Dibb seems to be keeping missionaries in cities longer and not changing companions too often either. Goods and bads to that, (like everything in life). 

I am excited to stay in Bologna. The work is fairly good, there is amazing saldi (sale season), it is warm and I will not have to be on a bike in the rain and snow, the ward is full of the funnist members and si manga bene!(food is amazingly good!)

Where to begin.....

we had a baptism, a 10 and a 8 year old. Their father is American, served in Bologna, maried the girl he baptized and tey baptized there two sons last week. It was a simple and great baptism. 

We travel to north 3 hours to Trento yesterday. Anz. Warnock renewed his premesso di soggiorno there and we had to go and pick it up...he forgot to bring his origional paper work so even though it was ready to be picked up, they wouldnt give it to him....so next week sometime we have to spend another 30 Euros and go again! Whooo! NOT! Trento is a super cool city though, small quiet and just chilling up in the mountains. We had a bit of free time so we took a cable car up the mountain and over looked the city. Fun stuff. 

Monday night,  Anziano Warnock found a tie that was from his girlfriend who was sorta ish waiting for him, but got married, we we burned it....

Tuesday night we can up with a brilliant idea...put the broom on the cealing and on nose, spin around 10 times, then play tag in the apartment...that may not have been the best idea we have had...hahaha. Miracle was, nothing in the apartment broke! Although there was a bunch of chaos and such...and aftermath mess....whoops. hahaha It made me sick though...we did the same sort of thing in college and I threw-up, but this time it just made em not feel good at all. I have realized I am an old man! I get sick if i spin in a chair during companionship studies! jeez I'm old!

Miracle story!!!!! We recieved a text of a mormon.org referal which read "take my dad a Book of Mormon and tell him that his son in Salt Lake loves him" The address was in a tiny little city an hour bus ride away(on the big fast tour bus types). We ask around and some how someone knew his street, it was a tiny street! We get there and the daughter answers and the partents are gone camping....5 minutes later they come home! The family is the most warm and welcoming family ever! Turns out the 17 year old son lives in Toole as a forign exchange student, lives with a mormon family and attends church each sunday with them. The father said his son attends just for respect, but I feel he would not have sent that referal he didnt like the chruch. The mother and father are new investigators!!! Whoo!!!!!

Love you all!

Anziano Edwards

Cool graffiti 

Picture of my Zone after Zone Training Meeting
(A.J. is in the back row second from the left...in the awesome lime green tie!)

With the two kids that were baptized

Beginning process of burning the tie...

Spinning and then playing tag...who knew you could have so much fun with a Swiffer!

Trento - super pretty city!

Buon Anno!

Email: January 1, 2014

Transfers could go anyway. chissà!? I have mixed feelings. Bologna is warm, bus city, covered walk ways (perfect for a winter), but I love getting around and seeing other parts of italy. I will let you know next week!

I have no idea when we get tablets, pres. Dibb said in the late summer of 2014 probaly but who knows!?

Glad you hear you are all doing well and had some fun and safe holidays. I did as well too.
For New Years, I was in Milano for Consiglio della Missione and returned back in Bologna at 6:30pm with 4 large lugages full of missionary mail and orders(Book of Mormons, and other missionary supplies, ect.) SO much crap and heavy!
The mission rule was to be inside the apartment at 5 pm and dont go back out. Italy is nuts for nes years! A bunch of drunk partiers and just not the best missionary atmostphere. Traveling back to the apartment was a bit nuts just from the train station, just 3 bus stops away!

We watched 17 Miracles, talked and ate hot chocolate and pandoro (panattone is crapy pandoro. aka Italian sweets only availabe for the holidays)  There were very few fireworks but abunch of those little balloons of light that flot into the sky, like in the movie Tangled. That was cool.

Life is great and the missino rocks!

I felt like I should share something with you. It is from my heart and one of my best journal entires I did during personal study back in November 29th: 
"No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God" -Jesus (Luke 9:62)   I might not be even close...but...I think of hard work and being commited to the task-whatever it be. If you are willing to put your hand to the plough - begin a task-you must continue and finish. You can not look back thinking 'oh, I wish I didnt start' because its harder than what you thought. Dont look back, it just makes you discouraged. Looking back is of the natural man. He will make you second guess your decision to being the task. The Lord truly needs me to plow this work in Milan, Italy. I am afraid someone will have to force me to let go of the plough in Aug. 2014, cool part will be- I can look back at all the rows I've ploughed, all the accomplishments and hard work. I just took a quick glance back, and after 10 trasfers(only 6 left) I've done a great work I feel, and I am glad :) This is the true church of Christ. I know it!------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I pray for you all. Ilove you all to death! 2014 Will be an incedible year for all of us! Its weird to think that 24/7 of 2013, I was a missionary. I will never have another year like that. :)
Ciao cari miei! 
Anziano Edwards