Pictures

Austin's Apartment

It's kind of a weird angle, but it works. We just used the self-timers on our cameras. Hah! Anziano Garcia is on the left and Anziano Miller is in the middle.

Piano, Piano 4/17/13

Time is so weird on the mission. Sometimes an hour takes five minutes, but then sometimes five minutes takes an hour. The days are long, the weeks are short, the days are short, the weeks are long... I know it doesn't make sense to me either.

Te best way I can describe this week is like something out of those cheesy Mormon comedies about missionaries. I always thought those were so kooky, but I promise they're actually just as accurate. It was a week full of crazy people, laughs, miracles, trials, phillipinos, and even a soundtrack (I'll get to that part in a bit).

We slept in Ancona every night this past week, but we went to Pesaro almost every day. It's 47 minutes each way by train. Yes, I do have the train schedule memorized, thank you very much. We couldn't sleep in Pesaro because our apartment was being painted and repaired by a man named Ugo Pino Taco. Yes, that really is his name. You can't make this stuff up. He's actually really nice and he did a great job painting our apartment. But, he and his friend slept in our beds and didn't wash their sheets or do the dishes. That part, I was not happy about. Customer service here in Italy is... uhh... different.

Phillipinos. We taught a family from the Phillipines. We brought one of the members of the Ancona branch, Fratello Aranas, who speaks T'galic (not sure how to spell that). The parents could speak T'galic, English, and Italian, so the lesson kept switching between the three languages. I was so confused because I don't know T'galic, Italian is still a challenge, and I'm not sure about English either... It was a good lesson though, from what I felt.

That's one lesson I've learned. Because understanding is a challenge sometimes, I've learned to listen more. Though I can't always understand the words, I can usually understand their meaning, if that makes sense. I can feel. It's weird. The trick to learning another language is to not think about what the words mean, but to listen for the intent. I'm to the point where I can listen and understand, but not be able to translate it into English. You have to learn how to not think in English, but to think in Italian. It sounds crazy, but it's working. I feel my understanding growing and my ability to speak also. "Piano piano," as the Italians say. It means "step by step." I use it all the time.

As to the soundtrack, we taught a Nigerian man named Joseph. He's a street performer, so he brought his guitar with him to our lesson. He played a "Gospel" song that he wrote. It was kind of weird, but it was cool to listen to and watch him perform. The lesson took forever because he took a long time to tune his guitar. At first I thought he met with us just so he could have someone help him tune his guitar. That's what it seemed like at first! It turned out to be a decent lesson though. Randomly he would go off on a tangent about something that had nothing to do with anything, but when we got him focused, it was really good.

Gyldena keeps progressing. She is still looking for an answer, but she is frustrated that she's not finding one. We promised her it would come eventually. She's hoping to come to church this week. Her original baptism was planned for next Saturday, but she won't be ready by then.

We got ahold of Claudio. We have a lesson planned with him and his family next week.

Maura is looking forward to her baptism, but she is still struggling with having faith. She wants to be baptized because she feels it's right, but she doesn't know why. We told her that's what faith is: sometimes you have to take a few steps in the dark until you see the light. It's amazing to see her light grow. Her baptism is planned for May 4th.

Anziano Miller and Anziano Garcia are hanging in there. All three of us are very different people, so that leads to some interesting group dynamics. We're doing our best to maintain our unity though. 

The gelato continues to be delicious, as does the pizza. Sorella Tariffa, a member in our branch makes this cool pasta/pizza thing. It's baked spaghetti that's folded into the shape of a pizza and you eat it with your hands. It's crazy, but it's awesome. My cooking skills are increasing drastically. It's awesome. I'm learning new things and being brave. I really love cooking though. We take turns for lunch. We each make two meals a week and then on Wednesday we go out. In the States, dinner is always a big production and lunch is usually lighter. In Italy, it's the other way around. Lunch is a big deal. Everything in the city closes down between 1 and 4 so everyone can eat and sleep. It's crazy. We're actually not allowed to knock on doors then because people get really mad if you disturb them during that time. I haven't gained any weight yet though! I've heard the horror stories and Im not going to let it happen to me. Hang in there skinny boy metabolism!

Next week is the fifth week of the transfer. In our mission, that means that every junior companion becomes the senior companion for a week. So that means that starting Monday, it's my responsibility to make phone calls (in Italian, yikes), make the final decisions on planning, lead us around the city, etc. I'll let you know how it goes! I'm actually excited about it. It'll be a nice change and I'm sure I'll learn a ton!

Thank you for the prayers, the letters, and the love. 

Vi voglio bene,

Anziano Simcox

The picture is a shot of Ancona from the top of the hill. Crazy huh? I love it.

Ciao di nuovo da Italia!

The work continues. For the past week, Anz. Garcia stayed in Ancona with the Anziani from Ravenna while their apartment was getting fixed. This meant that Anz. Miller and I had Pesaro to ourselves for a whole week! It was so nice to not have to travel back and forth. We're back in a tri-companionship now for another three weeks probably. Ah well! Every day is an adventure.

So since I stayed in Pesaro this week, this letter will all be about Pesaro. We have six investigators right now: Gyldena, Claudio, Maura, Iryna, Natlya, and Celestina. We also have Carmine. He's been investigating the church for about a year now, but he likes to do things at his own pace. We don't teach him anymore, but he comes to church every week. He'll set a baptismal date when he's ready.

---Gyldena is 23 years old and a student at one of the local universities. Our lessons with her take forever because she always asks so many questions. That's a good thing though. She's a bit skeptical, but she really is looking for truth. She has a baptismal date for April 27th, but she won't be ready by then because she hasn't been to church yet. We're looking forward to continuing to work with her.

---Claudio is a father who has cancer. He has strong faith in God. He is interested in learning more about the church, but we haven't been able to get ahold of him since our first lesson... We're hoping we can get back in contact with him.

---Maura is the woman who let us in when we were going door-to-door. That never happens. Usually people just close the door when they see us (or hang up on us since most of them are apartment buzzers). We can tell she's experienced a lot of pain in her life. She has somewhat of a belief in God, but doesn't believe He loves us or that we need Him. Slowly she's started to gain some faith. She told us that she wants to believe and she has set a baptismal date for May 11th. That was such a miracle. I honestly lacked faith, but this is something she really wants to strive for.

---Iryna is Ukrainian, but she speaks very good Italian. She thinks the Book of Mormon can be helpful, but sees no need for it, saying that the Bible is basta (enough). For some reason though, she keeps setting up appointments with us! We're hoping to see her progress. During her second lesson, she brought her friend Natalya with her. She is also Ukrainian and has similar beliefs. We have an appointment with both of them on Sunday.

---Celestina stopped us on the street. She is from Nigeria, but speaks very good Italian and English. She's met with missionaries twice before; once in Nigeria and once while she was living in Napoli (Naples). We gave her a Book of Mormon in English and she says she is going to read it.

Primavera (Spring) is arriving in Italy. The sun is shining and the rain is coming. The other day it was actually raining while the sun was out. I felt right at home. Haha. We are allowed to proselyte without suit jackets now! Everyone got really excited about that.

Food... Yum. I had pizza today. It's soooooo good. There's pizzerias on every street. There's so many different toppings and so many different ways to make it. You know how in the States pepperoni is the main topping? It's a lie. They have one kind of pizza that has pepperoni on it, but they're called salami instead and they're much smaller. That's one of the less popular kinds. Usually it's salsiccia (sausage, and I mean really good, fresh sausage) or margherita (tomatoes and mozzerella). The tomatoes here are unlike anything I've ever tasted. I don't even know how to describe it. I was never a huge fan of tomatoes, but I absolutely love them now. This is good, because tomatoes are on everything. Italians really do eat a lot of pasta. In the grocery store there's a whole aisle of just pasta on both sides. Another one of my favorite things are called piadinas. The piadina bread itself is like a tortilla, but much thicker and made with a different kind of flour. Then you fill it with meat and vegetables and sauces and mmmmmmmm. We eat one every P-day night. I'm looking forward to it.

I'd say that one of the hardest parts of missionary work is being with a companion 24/7. Not that I don't love Anz. Miller and Garcia, but I was never the kind of person that liked to be around people constantly. I like time to myself too, but that doesn't exist out in the mission field. That was a rough adjustment, but I'm growing to love it. The three of us are very different people. Anz. Garcia is quieter and kind of messy sometimes. Anz. Miller is very energetic, but also very military. Everything he does has to be perfect. The apartment is 100% clean 100% of the time or else| I'm the scared little greenie I guess. Hah! We all have different things to bring to the table though and I'm looking forward to growing our companionship.

Now it's time for your Italian lesson for the day. The word paese means country. What we didn't know is that it also means village or town. Anz. Miller and I went for the longest time thinking that Pesaro was surrounding by a bunch of little countries. The Italians love to exploit that on Americans, much to our NOT enjoyment. I'm starting to understand things more and more. The best thing to do is to talk and listen as much as I can. I noticed that as I get to know a person better, it's much easier to understand them. When I first meet someone, I usually don't understand them, but as I meet with them more often I can understand them. For example, the Tariffa family. They're one of our three active families in the branch. Fratello (Brother) Tariffa is from Napoli (Naples) so he has a thick accent. The first time I met him I didn't understand a word he said, but now I can understand him most of the time. It's actually really cool as I talk with people more and more and realize that my understanding is growing.

Italians love to try to be American. It's really kind of funny. There's a type of bread at the grocery store called "American Classic." The sad part is that I buy it... I've seen more American flags than Italian flags. Italians do love their culture, but they don't care much for their politics. Most Italians know a couple of English phrases that they like to say. Every Tuesday night in Pesaro we teach English. It's actually really fun. Two women, Roberta and Donatella, have been coming now for ten years! They're fluent in Italian, but they come because they love meeting the Anziani and practicing their English. They have no interest in the Church, but they love coming to English class.

OH! And how can I forget gelato. At first, I thought it was just overhyped. It's not. It's. So. Good. Wow. I don't know why exactly, but it's fantastic. There's any flavor you can think of. I had Nutella flavored gelato. Nutella! Wow. Tonight we're getting some. :)

Missionary work is hard, as I've said before and as I'll probably say again. It's so worth it to see people bettering their lives. It's hard to be away from all of you wonderful people, but your letters and emails make my day. I love all of you! Vi voglio bene.

'Til next time, Anziano Simcox

P.S. I'm sorry I don't have any pictures this week. I left my camera at the church. I'll try to do double next week!

Buon Giorno everyone!

I hope everyone's doing alright back in the States. Things are coming along here in Italy. My language skills continue to develop. The best way to learn how to swim is to be pushed into the water right? My companion gave me this analogy:

Your first transfer (six weeks) in the mission is like this: Imagine you're on a diving board. You're lying down, blindfolded, and your hands and feet are tied together. Now imagine that someone picks you up, throws you in, and tells you to untie yourself and swim. There's someone standing on the side with scissors, but you have to work for it.

Yah, that analogy didn't make me feel any better. BUT, I continue to learn how to swim. Like I said, being thrown into a country of Italian speakers has helped me learn faster than anything else. At the moment, I listen as much as I understand and put in my two cents (in Euro of course) whenever I understand enough to speak up. It's challenging, but it's very rewarding. Every day I feel myself getting better.

I think I said in my last letter how we are in a tri-companionship with Anz. Garcia and we're covering both Ancona and Pesaro areas. To give you an example of how far away these two cities are, that would be like three missionaries covering everything from Columbus to Zanesville. Yah. Our travel expenses have been nuts, but thankfully that's all reimbursible (wow... try to spell that word...). Right now though, Anz. Garcia is back in Ancona with the Ravenna elders for nine days so Anz. Miller and I have Pesaro all to ourselves. It's been nice to stay in one place for this long! I've been moving around almost every day we've been here. I love public transportation as much as the next guy, but come on...

Pasqua (Easter) was also spent mostly on the trains... We slept in Ancona, but we had to get on the train to Pesaro for church, then back, then back to Pesaro again to stay the night. It was nice though. We had dinner with la Famiglia Frulla in Ancona. So. Much. Food. I was stuffed. She made this awesome lasagna. It had some sort of cream inside. She said what it was, but I haven't learned food names in Italian yet so I couldn't tell you. Then we had breaded lamb, salad, and bread.

Since I'm talking about food: The fruit here in Italy is amazing. All of it is fresh and most of it is grown in or around Pesaro. It just tastes so much better. I'm not sure completely how to describe it. My favorite are le arancione. They're blood oranges, but they're a thousand times better than any you would find in the States. They're grown in the volcanic ash of Sicily. Yah that's right. They're fantastic. As to the pizza, it continues to stay fantastic. Tonight, I'm having gelato for the first time. I'll try to get a picture in next week's letter.

Ok, now people. We have four investigators here in Pesaro, and several more in Ancona. In Pesaro we have Gyldena, Claudio, Iryna, and Maura. We had our second lesson with Gyldena yesterday. She is coming along well. She has a lot of questions and talks a lot. We brought Sorella Tariffa along (a member of our branch) and she really helped to answer her questions. I'm not sure of everything she said to her, but it must've been good because Gyldena set a baptismal date for April 27th! Claudio is one of my favorite people that I've met. He has a very strong faith in God. He's in his mid 40s and he has cancer. He has two sons I believe, and they live with their mother. He's interested in learning more about how to grow closer to his family and to God. We are, of course, more than happy to help him with that. Iryna is a difficult one. She's very stubborn, but she wants to keep meeting with us. She wants to learn more, but she's not willing to take steps to further her knowledge. Maura, on the other hand, just straight up scares me. We were going door to door a couple nights ago, and she actually let us in! Anz. Miller has been here for almost four months now and that was the first time he's been let into a house. I could understand maybe 10% of what she said. From what Anz. Miller explained to me afterwards, she let us in because she loves learning about religions. She herself though has somewhat of a belief in God, but doesn't believe that we are His children and that He loves us. She is a very nice woman, but she creeps me out, partly because I can't understand what she says and the other part because her conversations are all over the place.

Here's the miracle story though. In Ancona, we are teaching a man named Khan. He is a Muslim from Pakistan. He speaks some Italian, but he speaks very good English, so we teach him in English. Here's how we met him. We were walking down the street on our way to another appointment. A man was walking past us, so Anz. Miller stopped him and we tried to talk to him. It turns out though that he couldn't speak much Italian or English, so we just gave him our card and went on our way. We got to where we were supposed to have our appointment and found out we'd been given a fake address. About ten minutes later we got a call from a man named Khan. He said that we had run into his friend on the street. He said his friend couldn't speak Italian or English, but that he'd be willing to translate for us. We all agreed to meet at the train station. We waited for a while, but his friend never showed up. Khan said he was still interested in learning, so he came along with us to another appointment we had scheduled with a man named Lorenz. Lorenz wasn't very accepting, but Khan really enjoyed it. He said he wants to study as many religions as possible and find "What is new? What is good? I read, then I ask questions." He's awesome to talk to, but our time with him may be short. He found work in Switzerland, so he might be leaving next week. Either way, he'll be hooked up with the missionaries up there.

Whew. So there's my update for this week. Missionary work is hard. Being with a companion 24/7 is hard. It's so rewarding though when you can see the difference you're making in someone's life... or not see it. The reward is that I'm leaving someone's life in better shape than when I found it, whether or not they welcome us into their house, or accept baptism, or read the Book of Mormon. My first goal is to improve the life of everyone I come into contact with.

Until next time,

-Anziano Simcox

The picture is a picture of the view outside of our apartment window. It looks a lot cooler in real life, but hey. Also, I'm going to Firenze (Florence) next week for a zone conference. I'll try to get some pictures.