Busy but Doing Great!

March 22, 2014
Hey I am doing great!

Things have been going much smoother in the office. I am finally getting the hang of what I am doing around here. I think this week was the first week that it really hit me that my mission is almost over. It is probably the most bitter sweet feeling in the world. I really want to stay but I really don't want to stay either! I think what I like the most is the members. They are just such good people. They have become my family when I had none nearby and they sure took good care of me, and they just love the missionaries! It is really great. I’m thankful for them.

Sorry but we are very short on time today. 

Elder Benson

Historical Trip

March 15, 2013



Torre Pallice Hike

Spring!

It's here it's finally here! Spring has arrived! It has just been absolutely gorgeous this week! Sun sun sun. I think we got to like 65 degrees here and it was just fantastic. Today we made a historical trip! I don’t know how much you know about Italy but if you know anything you will know that Lorenzo Snow opened Italy to missionary work. And where did he do this? Torre Pellice (TO) Italia! So one of the perks in the office is that we get to be lab rats sometimes for the president in trying things out.

 

Torre Pellice  Site is nob on the left

In May, President will be taking a group of people up to a mountain where they dedicated the land of Italy to missionary work. And well, he had never been. So we decided to go and find out how to get there! We read the journal entries in the car on the way there (about 2.5 hours in car from Opera) and we also read the account of President Benson when he came to Italy to re-dedicate the land of Italy for the reopening of the missionary work. Both occasions took place on a rather high mountain above the tiny town of Torre Pellice in Piemonte. Wow what a p-day it was. Unfortunately after much hiking we ran into about 4-6 feet of snow in some places and were forced to turn back before reaching the very peek of the mountain where Lorenzo Snow and President Benson once stood. We tried our best to make it wading through the snow waste deep but after soaking and freezing we called it quits and came back down. We never made it to the place where the dedicatory prayers were given but we were so close and could almost see the top. But on the way up we got some just incredible views of the Italian and French Alps. I even could see some ski resorts in the distance. I hope that I will get to go back when we go in May. But we are not sure if it will be before or after I go home. However if we ever come to Italy we will go to Torre Pellice and finish that hike. I will say that it was not an easy hike. Man the Italians just make trails straight up the mountain. They don’t really know what switchbacks are. The straighter the less time right!? Not sure what they were thinking when they made this trail! Man it was a doozy. It was really great though and I would have to rank this up in the top 3 p-days of all time in Italy. It’s a must do. It was probably one of the most beautiful hikes that I have been on and well you know Idahoans, we know hiking better than some of these Italians! But I do have to say they beat us on this one. It was just fantastic. There was a little bit of smog and fog in the low valley so the pics did not turn out that great. But it was one of those first hand experiences that you have to have. I am exhausted. I will attach a file explaining the story about all the fun we had today written by a historian professor at BYU. It is great and has tons of cool pictures and facts in it including the prayers.

Well that’s all I got for today! Love you family!

 

Just Ask for The Beckham!

March 8, 2013


Well I am doing very well! Not much to report on here. It’s been a really busy week and we have done a lot, actually, a ton of overtime here in the office. But we aren’t getting paid haha. I am really enjoying the office. I like being busy, makes the time pass faster. After this experience though, I’m not sure I will want to work in an office as a living haha. Well we will see. I think that it’s crazy that next week we will be starting week 3 of the transfer! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! I don’t like this! Only 9 weeks left! Time is just flying too fast. I just got here. When you say just 9 weeks that is just not enough. Well looks like I am on the slippery slope to going to the land of never ending p day as they call it here in the mission. I’m not sure if that place exists though. People go to the other side but they never come back! Haha Anyway, we really don’t have a lot going for us as far as missionary work goes. I’m not discouraged, but just rather lost. I mean we took over an area with no investigators. There is not really anyone that we are teaching right now. We are working with a few less actives, and I’m doing all that I can.

My New HairDo

 I have to tell you something funny. So in the mission I have never gone to the barber, actually I have never been to the barber in my life! Really no joke! Mom has always cut my hair, and usually in all the apartments they have hair clippers so I just do it myself and it looks bad but who cares. Well, there are no clippers in the mission office. So I had to go get a haircut.  In the area book it had a reference for the local barber. It said "go to this address and ask for the Beckham. EURO 14." That’s all it said. I said ok! I went and did it and man am I styling now! I look just like the real Beckham! I think it might be on the border of almost non missionary appropriate and it just barley makes the cut as presidentially approved haha. This is a sweet stylin hairdo. This thing is a chick magnet! I’ve been missing out after all these years on good haircuts! Oh well.



Just ask for The Beckham!

 
Love,  Anziano Benson





Barely Presidentially Approved!





Not Enough Time

March 1, 2013

Well after week 2 in the office I still haven’t got everything figured out. There is just too much work to do and not enough time. Usually I have someone to help me learn all this but they just gave me an office chair and a computer and said go to work! I don’t really know what I’m doing but things are getting better. It will be really nice though to know all this for college. It will make life easier. The office if far from a well oiled machine. It’s usually chaos and papers flying all over and things usually never go according to plan. Copiers not working, computer updates messing up the entire Microsoft office, lost information.  We used to have 150 missionaries now we are at 250. When we do one thing it’s not easy because we do it for 250 people not just 2. Everything here is just multiplied. To do one simple email it takes forever because we have to add all the new missionaries emails  and delete the old ones. It’s just really complicated.

Well I am doing good all in all. Teaching time is short as is, and lately it usually gets cut short by office work. But I think we can have an extra hand in this. I will forward you a letter from Taylor that talks about the golden key! That is what I am shooting for. He talked to me about this and it gave me the drive to work towards the golden key. Anyways I love you all and I hope you have a good week!

 Elder Benson

What A WEEEEEEK!!!

February 22, 2014

Back to Milano!

WHAT A WEEEEEEKKK!

Anziani Steving, Benson, Bendezu

I got transferred on Sunday evening to the office here in Opera/Milano to be the Secretary. The last 2 transfers I will be here in the office. I don't think that was what I expected; actually I didn't see it coming at all. I had planned out my week in Muggio already and was planning to leave on Thursday. Nope! I didn’t even get to go to church in Muggio with the ward. I just got transferred so fast I didn't even get my bags all packed! I just threw it all in the car pretty much and somehow, not surprised, I lost some slacks and they were my favorite kind! I'm still mad about it! Oh well. My new P-day is now Saturday.

Anyway, the transfers for all the missionaries was really crazy. Usually you get trained when you get to the office and well I didn’t get that. They just said here you go! And gave me the computer and started to fill up my to do list with random tasks that I had no idea how to do. The missionary who was in the office before me was a physics major and a math mathematician genius so he created all these super crazy formulas, calculations, of like who knows what on the excel spreadsheets that I have no idea still how to work. In fact before I knew that I was coming here I was thinking man it would be nice to know how to use a computer when I get home. Wish granted! But I didn't think about this! This is much more rigorous and intense than I thought! But that’s alright when I get home I will know all there is to know about word and excel if you need anything haha. Projects anyone?

Lake Como

I’m really tired. Let’s just say it was not an easy change. It was actually a frustrating week and I still have a headache from all the hours of staring at a monitor. From 8:00-10:00 PM one day I was answering calls and fixing stuff on the computer. Arranging things and changing the stuff for transfers. I basically crashed mentally after a few days and finally we got all the new missionaries here and to their cities. The amount of things I have had to learn in like a matter of 24 hours was way more than I could handle and there were some mistakes and some frustration with transfers and departures for going home missionaries. We had dinners, lunches, runs to airport 4 times new missionary pair ups and I had to reorganize the mission roster of who is in what city. Like I know who is where? I just got here Sunday night! Anyways I am just the do whatever they tell me guy but hey I got my own car and computer. That’s cool. And we get to hang with President Dibb and the assistants all day. Baptisms will be tough because we are white washing the city.  It’s a new area for us. Should be a lot of fun and baptism should be pretty possible. We just have less time though because we are here in the office until 5:00 every day. So little time!! But it will be all good.

Well we have a car and I am the designated driver. Pretty cool. Italy is terrifying though. I fear for my life every time that I get in that screaming metal death trap. People do not drive like they do in Idaho! Not to mention that the roads make no sense AT ALL!!  I have taken so many wrong turns even with the GPS! And when I do actually follow tom tom there is always road construction and we don't even end up on the same road because there are no detours because it’s not possible here! Everything is too old and they can’t make a temporary road because there is no space haha. I don't even know how you are supposed to drive a Ferrari here because there are no straight roads! There are a few speed limit signs but you don't need them because none of the roads are straight for more than 100 yards. You can’t possibly exceed 30 MPH!

My New Comps in Como

I  have 2 comps here. We are in 3. Anziano Steving is from Idaho Falls and Anziano Bendezu was trained by my son, Anziano Heaton! He is a really cool dude. He is from Rome. He is Peruvian and his family moved here when he was like 5 or 6 so he has grown up here and is practically a native. My whole mission I have wanted an Italian... close enough. We live across the hall from the mission office here in Opera. It’s like 15 min south of Milan in some small suburbs. It’s a really small quiet place with no stores haha. All is well.

Well that was my week and I’m really tired so I’m going to take a nap. Tell everyone hello for me!

Anziano Benson

Poland!!! What???

February 12, 2013

Well, I didn’t see that one coming. I’m excited that my little sister Ellis will be serving in the Poland Warsaw Mission. I was really convinced that she was going to Rome, but unfortunately it’s not to be. But that’s ok, its Europe. Hopefully there are more members there than in Italy but I doubt it. Ellis is just fantastic! I love her to death. I sent her a good email. She will do great! In the end it’s ok if you don’t speak the language haha no one cares anyways because it’s the spirit that changes lives and they will just love her. I will have a nice talk with her when I get home though and prep her. Its mission training time!!!!!!! Get in shape (spiritually, mentally, physically!) Yeah! I can help her out with a bunch of stuff. I think Poland is really cold, so you better get her all geared up for the cold weather because I thought I came prepared for the cold and well that jacket that was supposedly water proof is a water spoof and its totally garbage. It soaks up water not repels it so make sure to send her with a rain jacket so she at least stays dry. It looks like we will have about 4 weeks all together before she leaves and I am thankful for that. Well I’m really happy for her and I hope that all will go well for her. Tell her not to stress too much. She will be an amazing missionary.

Well things are going just great here. My comp is awesome. We get along really great. I think I get along with him better than he gets along with me though haha. But that’s ok with me. I tend to take over a bit and I need to let him be in charge more but I will be handing over the reins here in about a week. Anyway, things are going great. No complaints here.

 Hmmm well I don’t have much to say and we are in a little short on time. But the baptism is confirmed this week for Friday and its all planned and ready to go. I’m really excited! Other than that we lost all of our investigators and well all we have left is 1 family of 3. The rest we have given to the other companionships of sisters and elders here. Transfers are next week. I’m really excited. I might be training, but you never know. But I hope that I get sent really far from Lombardia.  I have spent most of my mission here. Well I love you all and thank you so much mom and Dad!

Love Elder Benson

Baptism!! An Awesome Experience!!

Feruary 5, 2014

Hey well the baptism went really great this week! I was really touched from beginning to end and the spirit was so strong.  I had the privilege of baptizing D_______ and it was really an awesome experience.  I thought it was a really amazing service.

 
We are doing great and we are teaching less, but that’s partly due to baptisms. But that’s ok that’s the best way to lose lesson count is through baptism. We will be having another baptism on Feb 14! Wooooo! I’m really excited. This one is the work and result of 5 ½ months of work in Muggio. This sweet lady has been our investigator since the very first week I got to Muggio. We just love her so much.

 I’m doing just great and we had some good trainings things week with President and the assistants. Next week we are in charge of zone training. We have another meeting with President Thursday.

 

The rain still hasn’t stopped here. All my stuff smells really bad because it’s all just sopping wet. Yuck! I think it’s growing mold, honestly, but I’m not buying anything new when I’m about to come home. Maybe just a garbage sack will do the trick. We are constantly on bikes and can’t use an umbrella; just appointment to appointment on bike; appointment and then a 30 min bike ride. Then an appointment then 15 min on bike. Then lunch, and we don’t have properly functioning heaters, (that’s normal in Italy everything here is too old) so nothing dries. At first I was rather bothered by the constant rain, but lately it hasn’t been bothering me except I am even offended by my own smell. I think I’ve just gotten used to it as a fact of life. That’s Milano in the winter.

Elder Benson