Healing Toes

We had another wonderful week and it feels like time is just going faster and faster. We went to Rome last Monday for another doctor appointment. They said my toes are doing a lot better and they should be healed pretty soon. Anziano gunnell also made us cinnamon rolls and they were so good! Anziano gunnell really didn't like the fufu our friend Austin fed us ha it's just flour and water mixed together but the Africans love it.

We had some more really swag lessons with chino this past week. We taught chastity and he just loved the whole lesson. He's also really recovering from his surgery which is a miracle. We taught this lady named Giovanna with our ward mission leader and she's such a nice lady. She values the family so much and it's nice to see that our values match up on that. We had lots of people show up to church on Sunday and hope they can make it for conference this weekend.

We got to see valerio again and he introduced us to his friend giacomo. They are pretty cool guys and we got to eat dinner with them and Andrea. Ha they say they plan on coming to visit the family in America so I hope your ready mom! I never thought I'd say this but we finally had some time to go finding and it was super exciting ha. I didn't really appreciate our finding time until we didn't have lots of time to do it. I guess I've just really come to love sharing the message of the restoration with the people of Italy.

Vi voglio bene

Anziano Whiting

The district at Chicken Hut.  Whiting, Olsen, Gunnell, Anderson, Hansen, Campbell, and Martin

Emoji Pillows in Lander & Italy!

Anziano Carroll with our boy Papon who we taught together in Palermo!

Mission-wide Conference

We had another jam packed week and it looks like the work is really progressing forward. One of the highlights has to be the mission wide conference we had with President Kearon from the area presidency of Europe and his councilor Elder Sabin. They had almost all the missionaries meet together in Rome and we had the privilege of being taught by these marvelous leaders. There was a major focus on 'being the message' and not stressing. It was really helpful and it was a blast to see a lot of the old missionaries I've served with.

Our boy chino had to go to the hospital this past week to have an operation done. We were able to visit him a couple times and thankfully he's out now. We had an incredible lesson with him yesterday on the gospel of Jesus Christ and he's really searching for the truth. Andrea is still coming up clutch with referrals ha, he hasn't made lots of progress but he keeps introducing us to different people who want to learn. He introduced us to this guy named Valentino who we can hopefully start teaching this up coming week.

The cooking adventures have also continued here in L'Aquila. We got a huge thing of turkey last week from the Mensa and decided to deep fry it haha. The entire outside just turned black and burned but the inside was amazingly good, so remember that for thanksgiving this year. Something really incredible has been the power I've been able to feel recently in my prayers. It's very humbling to think that God gives us a chance to speak with him and if we really listen we are able to receive the answers to our problems. It's something incredibly simple yet highly underutilized. So say your prayers :) Vi voglio bene Anziano Whiting

Nice picture of the sun setting in L'Aquila by the hospital

MTC Group from the Conference

It's L'Aquila

We had a really busy, fun filled, exhilarating week! One of the highlights definitely had to be our meal appointment with stefano and his family, they just kept feeding Anziano gunnell haha. I felt so bad for him and I guess I just haven't taught him how to say no in Italian. He gained over 2 pounds after that one meal appointment....and we did scambio this week and I got to be with Anziano Martin again! It was really cool to be able to do a scambio with him before he leaves for America in a month or so.

We had a nice stake activity at la sorgente die fiumi in popoli. It was to introduce a genealogy program and we got our boy Andrea to come and now he's actually really interested in doing his genealogy. So it looks like will be brushing up our family history skills. Matthew is a stud muffin! He's already read over 40% of the Book of Mormon and watched multiple general conference talks. We hope he just really listens to the spirit because that's what's really going to convert him.

The members in L'Aquila are pretty incredible. There's a family from Ecuador named the custodes that loves inviting over the missionaries and they are just the nicest people ever. Our branch president is also a homie, his family comes to corso every week and helps with the gospel lessons we teach after. They have a son named Marco whose mentally handicapped but he's the nicest kid ever and loves talking with the missionaries. It looks like my toes are going to be fine as well, I mean they still look bad but they don't hurt at all.

Vi voglio bene

Anziano Whiting

Nicol, Tomarra, Io, and Stefano

The cool lake thing

The Balm of Gilead

We had another fantastic last couple days and the lord continues to bless us. My toes have been doing a lot better and it looks like I'll make a full recovery here pretty soon. There is a balm in gilead! I was given permission to walk to the church (which is thankfully right by our house) in my flip flops ha for English course and lessons. We actually had a really good lesson with a lady named Monica and her 3 children after corso and are excited for all of their progress.

Our boys chino and Laurence both made it out to church and they loved it! Translating is always a blast as well. I've gotten a lot better at it than I was at the start of the mission. The members at the Mensa keep giving us all the leftover food and it's wonderful! Ha they gave us this huge hunk of lamb this past week and it was super good. It's wonderful to have the chance to serve and give back to these people who do so much for us.

One of the miracles from last week was this guy named Matthew. He's 20 from France but is moving here and wants to take the lessons with us over Skype. He comes from a part member family but he and his parents are jehovahs witnesses. Usually we can't do much with the witnesses but Matthew really wants to learn more about our church and is opening to praying and finding out for himself about the truth. It's probably the best situation you could ask for in teaching one of the witnesses and I hope we're up for it.

Vi voglio bene!

Anziano Whiting

This is what they did to my toes.

Here's us going to English course.