Birthday Week!

Email: April 30, 2014

First I have to say, now I can go and do crazy things and get thrown into big boy jail....

This week I realized the importance of the family. Everything begins within the walls of a home. there is a difference between a home and a house. I am happy to say I loved everything during my life all because it was a home. Go and read the family a proclamation to the world for family home evening. Its super cool and good to read every now and again. 

We had interviews yesterday in Modena. I renewed my expired temple reccomend and its all in Italian! It expires three months after my mission. Fun fact: mission presidents cant renew them for more than three months from your relese date. I feel all fancy with it all in Itialian! 

The weather is the weirdest thing ever. It changes so quick. Its been rainy for the past few days though. 

I am scared for transfers on May 15th because us 4 elders have SO much fun together! Chances are, at least one of us get trasfered away. 

I know you all know, but I love my mission. I love you all. I have had the best 21 years ever and look forward to the future with great hopes, but yet honestly, it is the scariest thing ever! This is the true church, and I know it!

Love your favorite missionary who is beyond excited to skype home next week!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Hope you all loved the pictures! I am super excited to take my entire mission into a super long slide show and have a party with friends and family. 

Anziano Edwards! 

Going on a Hike

Excuse the Dumb Smile

At the end of the hike

I was attacked, but after a long struggle, I was indeed over powered by some Italian monster....ma ancora, io vivo. Meno male! 

It's Me!

The End!

Love through the hate and bad things

Email: April 23, 2014

Well this week has been just a simple average week as a missionary. I had distirct meeting that went well. Had church, was told to go back to my home country because Italy doesnt need me, ate some pizza, was ignored a bunch of the street, taught a lesson, did some service, had a family home evening with a member family. But even though all of this was the same as any other week, for a reason I cant put my finger on, nor explain it, this week was a good week. A better week. Honestly not sure why. All I can say that may be sufficent enough is that I love my mission. The food, the people, the country, the service, the love of others and weird as it my sound I love the hate and "bad" things that happen on a daily basis. Its just awesome!

We did service for the Caritas, we prepared and served food for the needy in Reggio Emilia. The Ward does this activity every few months and the Caritas people LOVE us....we were freaking amazing. I sliced bread and served yogurt like a mad man! haha Anziano Finnerty was at the back of the lunch room with an old Italian man named Paulo(non member, 80ish years old who has an accent that I cnat even understand)....crazy old guy...anyways, they were in charge of giving each person a "to-go bag" for dinner. Anz. Finnerty hated it as the language barier, but yet loved it as anziano finnerty couldnt help but laugh and have a good time. Giving service rocks! 

If you could all pray for Kofi that we can set a new baptimal date with him. He knows its all true just hesitates for the littlest of reasons. Grazie a voi!

A member of two years in a city called Breascia, called and ask for the church address in Reggio. She came to church with her boy friend and asked if we can begin teching him to get him baptized! His name is Samuel! We will tech him tommorrow so next week I will let you know how it all went! 

 I love you all and go an eat some pizza in memory of me becuase pizza is amazing!

Oh, the coolset miracle ever...well one of the coolest...We are in Reggio Emilia but we have a city called Parma in our area, the church as an organized branch in Parma, then its closed and they all travel to Reggio. Its gone back and forth like this for basically ever..the church in Parma was closed 5-6 years ago. Last week, we were on a bus and this lady, in her 20's came and asked us if we were Mormons. We said yup that's us! And I cant explain how much her face just lit up! She is from Peru, raised int he church and Moved to Italy 4 years ago. Her older brother moved to Italy 3 years ago. Both solid members. She went to the church in Modena once, but didnt feel accepted and she said it was her churhc, but it just felt differnet than the church in Peru. Anyways, we went and taught them a lesson the next day. They come around the corner into the kitchen table with their scriptures with the biggest smile ever!! We had a great lesson and we are going over again so the older brother can make us some real Peruvian food, I cant tell you how much I love Peruvian food....its fantastic! There was a member in Bologna who was a profes. chef and is Peruvian...best food ever!!! I love some real Itlaian food, and have never eaten such great food in my life, but South American food is just as good, a nice change I guess you can say. They are the coolest two people and their cousin who lives with them isnt a member so we will change that ;) A great happy, and sincere family! Its cool to notice that the Lord directs us each and every day. The bus she found us on was a mircale too, becuase we got on the wrong bus by accident. The Church is true and God loves you!

Anziano Edwards! 

Fishing in Bologna! Gotta love the variety of a big city like Bologna. Haha.

Pray for Progress

Email: April 16, 2014

Well my computer sucks and nothing ever responds so I will be quick. I hope you recived the email with the yellow tie attachment. I will send you the fishing in bologna picture next week. 

To r your questions, first yes dad we must go camping that first week or two before school. Ps, when does SUU start anyways...????? Mom my jaw is fine, it was sore the next day, but totally ok now. 

Ciao tutti I promise a super great email this next week. Pray that Anz. Finnerty and I can find some new investigators that can progress! 

L you all, ù

Anziano Edwards, your all time favorite!

Here is the picture of us Reggio missionaries with our yellow ties. The other missionaries were jealous of how cool we were.....hahahaha....well sorta...

Yellow Ties and Conference

Email: April 9, 2014

Well not much to say except confrence, of what I heard or saw, was fantastic!

In the church is was only broadcasted in Italian... :( I watched Sunday morning, listened to the preisthood session and the first half of Saturday afternoon. I will download the rest and listen to it all during the week. We stayed inside all day on suday, misson doctors orders ugh....Anziano Finnerty hurt his back. He is doing a lot better now :) 

The past week was normal. On Monday we went to Modena for zone training meeting. we talked a bunch about language study and reciving referals from members. All four of us anziani all wore yellow ties and we would make obvioius comments about how we were all matching. example, we all intoduced ourselfs and we all mentioned that our favoite thing about our compaion was his tie....the zone thought we were just simply stupid and rediculous, but we all thought it was the funniest thing ever. Sometimes we are stupid...but it is fantastic! This is the funnest appartment I have lived in thus far! Honestly it couldnt get better. 

Kofi is doing fantastic, and lino is progressing well. He has been exposed to antimormon crap, but we hope we have cleared up all is concerns. 

Today we went to Modena and played soccer and basketball, then ate pizza. Fun stuff i guess. My jaw feels like I just had my wisdom teeth pulled as my zone leader kicked a ball into my mouth. I forgave him dont worry!

The church is true. I love my family. Ci sentiamo!

Anziano Edwards

A member in Bologna send my an email titled "fishing in Bologna just for fun" The man is sitting on the edge of the main fountain in the middle of downtown bologna.....crazy stuff. Gotta love Italy!

Making Pasta

Our Zone. Minus one Anziani Companionship today. 

The first Italian flag, or something special like that. ..Reggio is the city where the Italian Flag was created. Cool stuff! 

Yeah, I love Anziano Finnerty. He is the best. End of Story

More Reasons to Love Italy

Email: April 2, 2014

picture (posted at bottom) is why I love Italy....the little, buy not that small, shop that has meat and cheese as far as the eye can see. Then you crack a joke and she gives you free cheese and prosciutto crudo....can you say YUM! oh! it makes my mouth water just thinking of it! 

Maybe one of the coolest things I have heard is the following statment on missonaries. 

"Worthy missionaries are perhaps the greatest group of people of the planet. No othe group of individuals commands such respect, is looked afer so sell by the Lord, or has so much potential to do good in the world today." AMEM! Whoo!! Misionary work! But I think of it as misionary fantasticness! I love it! I  have been on a spiritual high since I have gotten to Reggio nell'Emilia, but more so the past week or two. So amyn miracles and just success. The work is moving forward and it is so incedably exciting to be a part of it! 

Not sure it I have shared this by Richard G. Scott, 

"I have seen valiant missionaries brave icy wind, resist torrential rains, slosh through slippery, muddy streets, and conquer fear. Often they bear a powerful testimony, only to be rejected and roundly criticized. I have seen them struggle to communicate truth in a new language. Sometimes the listener stares in puzzled silence. Then there dawns the shattering realization that the message is not understood. But I wouldn’t change any of it, even if I could, because there are those golden moments of success that make all of the hardships worthwhile. Such rewards come when the Spirit touches a heart for eternal good because someone like you was there. To share truth in difficult circumstances is to treasure it more. When you push against the boundaries of experience into the twilight of the unknown, the Lord will strengthen you. The beauty of your eternal soul will begin to unfold."  

We all face chalenges, each is differnt from the next, and we can not compare them as we cant compare ourself to others, but the hard things in life are the best. Keep on keepin on! 

This week has been fantastic! We have found new people, and set a few baptimal dates! Kofi is for the 19th of April and Lino is for the 3 of May! Pray for them! Or rather, for me and my companion to know how to best help them progress. This lask week, we hade the highest numbers of the transfer in my companionship. The coolest thing about Lino, besides everything, is he prayed and then has teh biggest smile on and keeps touching his chest. I ask what is it? and he responds "I dont know, its someting amazing and new! I have never felt so great before!" We helped him recognice the stongest witness of the Holy Ghost I have seen in anyone and then the third lesson was in the church. We had a breif tour and loved it! Then had a lesson about the apostasy and repassed Joseph smith and a bit of the Book of Mormon. He prayed and the same thing happened! He commented on hwo weird it was and new it was for him. His churhc is great and he feels good, but not like this. He also told us that as soon as he walked int he front door, he noticed a change, go figure, in the chaple, he commented on how it was amazing and eh didnt know why. He is a bit freaked out becuase he feels so great and things are making sense to him. He said that his heart is being filled and he didnt even knowit was empty. He litteraly loves everything and goes crazy with the book of mormon! Reads it all the time! After this amsing prayer and obviously the spirit was strong, anziano Finnerty kicks me and wispers "bap invite" So we invited him to baptims and he accepted with a bit of encouragement. Reggio is so cool . I feel like I am on the clouds. 

Transfers came, The anziani in Reggio are all staying, and the sorelle are changing. Sorella Jones is leaving and I forget who is comming in her place. Still 6 missionaries in good ol Reggio! Crazy change, Piacenza became their own district, so I am district leader of just 6 instead of 10, which I like a lot better!

Confrence will be here in Reggio Emialia and I assume in Italian and Engilish...not sure....I should find that out...hahaha

Love you all!

Anziano Edwards!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Amazing Meat & Cheese Shop 

My District for the Past 6 Weeks.....We Rock!

The District. Better picture quality, don't mind the 3 on the far left....we think we are funny.....hahahaha

After 6 weeks and asking literally everyone in this city, we found a frisbee!!! Fun P-Day today! P.S. We think we are cool. Don't judge us.