The Lord Will Take Care of the Rest?

May 29, 2013



At top of hike.  Lecco in Background

Ellis finally graduated huh? I bet mom and dad are glad that graduation is all over. haha. It sounds like it was a mad house there and that it was just crazy, but glad to hear that it is calming down. I got dads email and I’m starting to act more like my old man every day. He was like yeah Ellis doesn’t have a job, and I’m like what! What has she been doing, doesn’t she know that she had a hard time last summer and spent forever looking for a job. I’m not much of a teenager anymore. And I finally have to shave every day. It was cool for like a week and now it’s just annoying, but at the same time it’s about time I got some manliness. 



Elder Ramey and me on the Big Hike

Things are going well! We had 2 baptisms this week! And they were great! We are very happy and I hope that the ward will keep growing here. It wasn’t long ago that this ward was a branch. And since Anziano Ramey has been here there have been 4 baptisms which is really good, plus he reactivated some families and so now the ward is a good size. We are hoping to get some more baptisms in June; we even got some names to go with our bap date goals that we could potentially reach. In the end thought do the best and the Lord with take care of the rest? Just make sure that your best really is your best haha. You can’t be slouchy and say oh well that’s my best. No its not! Quit being lazy and really give it all you got and you would be surprised how much further you will make it.


Last pday we did an awesome hike and I think the pictures say it all. It was the most beautiful hike in the world probably. I’m not just saying that either. But man oh man did we pay the price. That was a HARD hike. Super steep, the steepest I’ve ever seen. No switchbacks at all, straight up the rock face. I was beat afterwards. I swore to myself that I would never do it again, but after a few days I might try it again haha. I say that thought while I’m in the comfort of the city, not when I’m exhausted on the face of the mountain. It was so much fun though.



Downtown Lecco

It’s been really Rainey here, about 6 of 7 days it rains and when we do get a break it just picks back up a few hours later. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so much rain in my life. Seriously it’s crazy. But I will take this rain over the heat dead august. Oh man that was pretty bad, I hope it’s not as hot as last summer. I don’t like the heat like that. I do love Lecco, but I would still like to get back down to the Toscana zone haha. I love it too much. I mean Lecco is a super beautiful city! But I would like to go back there eventually. It’s my favorite area so far. And I am getting old and have not done much time in other cities so I haven’t got a good taste of the different culture. Lecco and Busto is pretty much the same accent culture and food, but Toscana they speak way different and they have different food. I like all the variations in the language though; it’s not like in the states. Really we all speak the same except down in the south. It’s not like that here, they speak all different accents, plus the local dialect which isn’t just a change of a few words or accent, but a completely different language that has its roots from Italian, but is usually mixed with languages like French of German or whatever else is near Italy making it a little complex. But it makes for the experience and makes it all fun and interesting. I would like to study a good amount of Italian when I get home but I’m almost certain they don’t have it at BYUI, so I might transfer to Provo to better my grammar and stuff like that. They also have an Italian home in Provo, where the native Italians who go to BYU can live, RMs, and students who are taking Italian, the landlord is Italian as well, which would be the funniest thing ever. I might just finish up a year at BYUI and then transfer; I hope to have a good sum of money saved up by then as well since I will have already worked a summer and a winter. Well not much to report on here. Just another week. All is good and I’m happy to be here. Love you all and have a good week!


Anziano Benson

 

Work, Work, Work

May 22, 2013

Well not much new this week. Work work work. I’m in the middle of the grind now and I’m half way through my mission so things should be getting done. We are having good success but not as much as we would like. It’s also getting a little harder for me to stay focused and not lose faith. Man, I will not exaggerate but I am so positive that I have rang 10,000 doors. That is a big number and out of those I have entered into the homes of 4 people and taught them the gospel. 1 of 4 accepted to learn more. I after ringing all those doors I have lost faith. I said, well I’ve been out here a year and what makes any of the times I’ve prayed asking for direction to guide us to those that will accept us and never gotten in. Well I regained the faith and went out and knocked, and didn’t get in haha.  But the moral of the story is that we need to have faith no matter what. The mission is the hardest thing I’ve ever done. Just when you think all is well you fall into the natural man. It’s so easy to get distracted. I’ve forgotten normal life was like, but all I can say is that I hope is a little easier than being a missionary. 

We should be having 2 baptisms this week. 1 for sure, but maybe 2. Tomorrow is the yes or no lesson on baptism so we will see if we can work out the bumps before then! It’s great to have baptism, but I don’t know these people as well as Anziano Christiansen or Ramey so it’s not quite like the last baptism where I contacted, found, taught, invited, and baptized and confirmed the Ramirez family. Here I just showed up in the middle and got the baptism. I like to do the work and get see the reward rather than no work and get a reward. But anyways I mean I can’t complain. 2 baptims! It’s great!

Congrats on gradation Ellis. I’m very proud of you and wish I could be there! Looks like the party is over though haha. Benvenuta to the real life!

We had an ok week. It was not bad but not what we would have asked for. But that ok. We have about 4 solid gators and are trying to work with some of the members. The only problem is that the members all live really far away. But we are working it out and getting some help. The ward trusts us, but we are looking to make that trust better so that we can work together. If you want a lot of baptisms, get the ward excited about missionary work and they will hop on board right away bring miracles. The members are really awesome, they are just busy like everyone else in the world we can’t always call them up and bug them haha. I haven’t had the chance to take pictures yet. But we will try to get some this week. We are going hiking in the mountains around town for our p-day today so it should be fun. We are going to a church up on the top of the mountains. So we will be having some good fun. Happy Birthday Ellis and enjoy the freedom. Annie, stay away from dentists because if you become one I’ll never talk to you again, and the others. Carry on. Tell grandma and grandpa hello! And that I did see the scarfs! And I want one pined up on my wall so when I get home and is hanging there! Is Mckayla going this summer on the trip to Europe? Well love you and thanks for everything.

 

Anziano Benson

Patience is a virtue?

 My new address is:

Via Giacomo Leopardi 3

23900 Lecco (LC)
Italia

Well I don’t really know what to say haha. There isn’t much of anything new since we talked on mother’s day.  We have some bap dates but the little small things are getting in the way. One of 3 got terribly sick, the other the family is against her getting baptized even though she is 35, and the other one got called into work so she couldn’t make it to church on Sunday and she can’t get baptized until she comes to church 3 times.  But that ok, I’m all good with it. After a year in the mission I’ve learned a lot of patience. Patience is a virtue as they say. Well said whoever came up with that phrase?

 

Anzanio Benson, Johnson, Murphy, Ramey (companion) on Mothers day

In mission news I haven’t done any scambi lately since I’m not district leader anymore so I don’t go out with the other Elders in my district.  Anziano Johnson is the district leader here in Lecco and we are already in the same city so no scambi for us.  I have not been to a Zone Conference for awhile.  However I think we will be having a final one with president Wolfgramm before he goes home in June. There hasn’t really been much talk of the new prez but he will be here before long.  Honestly we are just busy doing our work and that’s all I think about. “Just getting her done”!!!

 

Summer is around the corner and I’m not too excited. I hate the heat. Imagine that, no wonder I like skiing. You can’t be a skier and like the summer more. It’s just not possible. I’m starting to freak out because Anziano Roisum and Droghie will be home in a July. And at that point I will only have 10 months left! That will be scary. Time sure flies out here.  However I have a lot of time left and a lot a work to do.   It sounds like it’s just a mess of activities there. Man Thank goodness your getting your seccond kid out the door! Otherwise I don’t think you could hack that much stuff anymore haha. But it’s all over now. Time to relax. I remember my senior year being super crazy, but at least you made all the mistakes on me so now the others can do it right the first time. You should push Bree. She’s going to be a pro soccer player some day you know that. She’s got the fire and now you know what you need to haha. Everything is going good here and Time is flying and I’m just trying to do my best. 

 

It sounds like things at home are. Wow, I can hardly believe that Ellis is graduating.  I remember my senior year being super crazy.  Ellis enjoy your last week of school and welcome to the real world.  Work Work Work/School School School will now by your life.  Mom, in a few months it will be down to three kids at home so maybe it will not be that crazy?  Just maybe?

 

I forgot to say it on Sunday but I love you mom and thank you so much for everything you have done for me and others. I think you raised a good son in the end, even though I was a dork at times. Have a good week and tell Grandma and Grandpa B hello.  Ellis, enjoy the moment.

 

Anzanio Benson

I Love Lecco

Beautiful Lecco

Yeah the new city is the best! I Love Lecco! It’s awesome! I finally feel at home. Busto was good, but I don’t feel too bad for getting out of there. It was time to go and I couldn’t wait any longer haha. The work here is also going really well we have ALOT to do and everything is great here. The ward is a little smaller than the one In Busto but there are about 3 times more babies and children so I feel like its Idaho or Utah where everyone has about 7 kids. That is something that you do not ever see here in Italy. Most people have or 2 kids and these people are at 4-7! It’s crazy to see this many! But keeps the old geezers awake during church.  Haha. 

So for Mothers Day we will be Skyping from 16.00-20.00 my time in Italy. I’m not sure when because we are In 4 missionaries here in Lecco so we are all going to the same house and so we will all have to work it out between us. To let you know I am living with Kaulin Johnson so if you want to call them they would probably like to know what’s up. The other missionary is Australian and his name is Anziano Murphey. I love living in 4. It’s a lot of fun, but harder to be obedient in getting to bed on time and starting studies on time. but I’ve been doing better studying and getting to bed on time at this.  I don’t know where Allison is. All that I heard is that she is down south somewhere, I think in the same zone as Riley. That’s all I got sorry. It’s really far from where I’m at so I got nothing.

If you didn’t know Juve won the Siria A. I have never in my life seen such a crazy event. The Italians went crazy! People in the streets with flags, thousands of cars honking and people going crazy and riots in the street and just absolute chaos!  I looked at my comp and said, I think Juve won? Black and white flooded the city as people went on for 3 hours celebrating and driving around with their cars plastered with Juve stuff and vuvusuellas air horns, scarf’s, photos and everything. It was nuts! We were with the stake president as when this all happened and he says to us;  Elders, soccer is a god in Italy, the people worship it haha. And he’s talking to the kid who wore his Barcelona jersey to church under his suit.

That is about it. We will talk to you on Mother’s Day.

Anziano

Benson

Lecco here I come

Man transfer calls were crazy! Usually the assistants call but I just called them and asked them were I am going haha (after 7 months in Busto it was an easy guess that I was leaving).  We usually you get a call Monday anytime after 10:00 am until 9:00 pm and they never called so I thought I was staying in Busto, but then I called them and they told me that I will be going to Lecco! I’m still in a big ward!  I’m really excited about going to Lecco.  I’m not sure if we have bikes or not but I’ll be glad to ditch the bike.   I’m sick of them.  We just broke Anziano Heatons bike the other day and so now we are on foot which is dooming yourself to being stuck in Legnano and we do not have a way to get to Busto to do the work.  We don’t have a bike shop in the area and I have been through this before because I already had this problem with Anziano Merrill and so it has been hectic trying to figure out how to get to Busto. To be honest Busto was good but it’s time to get a move on and get some other things done.  I did my time (which was forever 7 months) and well I’m ready.  My new comp will be Anziano Ramey; I think that’s how you spell it. He was Anziano Christiansen’s old comp from Idaho Falls so he gets 2 Idaho comps haha.

Anziano Heaton and Benson with Legnano Futbol Scarves

The work back in Busto is going pretty good this past week, but it’s slowed down quite a bit.  We have 2 solid investigators.  One is 20 so we are hoping he will convert and go on a mission.  He’s needed right now in the field and he’s really interested so I’m really happy about that.  Other than that I don’t have much to say, they are getting the Palio di Legnano going here, but its rather lame compared to the beauty of Siena. Kind of like American Pasta and Italian pasta, we all know one is the original and that the original just is way better even though in theory they are the same thing. I will be gone for it, but Anziano Heaton will be around for it, but it’s on Sunday so they won’t be able to see it haha. Bummer oh well.

Well I hear Lecco is a beautiful city on Lake Como but on the other side of the mountains from the city of Como.  It’s got a lake and some good work so what more could I ask for? Unfortunately I won’t be able to see Sorella Astel because they take her to Milano 2 church to meet her trainer and I just go to the Milano Centrale train station and meet with a big group and then we swap and go and that’s about it. So unless she’s in my zone I won’t be able to see her.

I will think about a time for Skype, but I will have to also work it out with my companion because his family has church as well.  I’ll let you know next week or so. Well I bet your glad mom got a job now. Things sure change fast at home, I mean holy cow Ellis is graduated!!! What in the world is going on? It will be such a different world at home.

Well good weather looks like it’s here to stay. At least it is warm.  When it rains it rains at it is 65 degrees not 33 so that’s good.

Well have a good week and hear from you guys in Lecco!

Anziano Benson