Hello everyone! This week I thought I'd do something a little different. Instead of writing about my week, I thought y'all would enjoy a little review of my year. Tomorrow makes ONE YEAR as a missionary. Crazy huh?
One year ago I entered the Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah. It was nice to get back to the dry Utah air and those beautiful Wasatch mountains. I spent six weeks there while learning Italian, meeting new people, and figuring out what it means to be a missionary. I'd be a liar if I said I wasn't scared. Thankfully my district there (the nine other missionaries I went to class with) was amazing and each one of them touched my life and helped me to truly become a missionary. My companion, Anz. Mata'u, became a good friend of mine as we both struggled, learned, and succeeded together.
Then it was off to Milano. That plane ride took forever. In reality it was only about 20ish hours, but I got off the plane already feeling like I'd served two years. I remember that first day in Italy as clear as I remember my own name. It was cold and rainy (e.g. exactly how it is as I'm writing this). Our first stop was the church where we unloaded our stuff and then we headed off to an Italian restaurant where I had my first Italian lasagna. Che buona! Then it was off to the hotel. To this day, I think that was the best night's sleep I've ever had. The next day I was paired with my trainer Anz. Miller and then it was off to my first city: Pesaro.
Pesaro was everything I imagined when I thought of Italy. It was old, green, and a bit eclectic. The streets in the center of the city were made of cobblestone, there was usually a man in the piazza playing an accordion, and around lunch time the city smelled amazing! In the morning we woke to the smell of sea-side air and the markets were filled with freshly caught fish and merchants spitting non-sensical Italian phrases back and forth. On a good day, the sun hit that sea just right and the water dazzled as it crashed up against the face of the hills. The branch of the church there was composed of only fifteen members, but I loved seeing their faith despite the difficulties they may have had. My first few weeks as a missionary, to be honest, were incredibly hard. I was surrounded by a language I didn't really understand or speak. I missed my family and my friends and adjusting to the missionary schedule took quite an effort. I spent a lot of time on my knees praying for help and a lot of time on my feet working as hard as I could. I learned soon that it all depends on me. If I work hard and put my whole soul into what I'm doing, I'm happy doing it, no matter what the outcome may be. "Piano piano" as the Italians say, step by step, I learned how to communicate what I needed to say and do what I needed to do. About three months into my stay in Pesaro, my trainer was transferred away and I in turn was asked to train a new missionary, Anz. Valentine. Being as young as I was, it was as much of a learning experience for me as it was for him. At many points it came down to "sink or swim." I learned how to communicate, I learned how to talk to random strangers, and I learned how to be a missionary who cares. Anz. Valentine was very good at all of those things. I miss him a lot. Together we did a lot of finding, a lot of teaching, and near the end of our companionship we saw a wonderful Italian man step into the waters of baptism and change his life for the better.
After about six months, my time there came to an end and I was transferred to Milano. Our chapel was in a part of the city called Cimiano. When I walked into church that first day, I was shocked by the amount of people. 150+ members was quite a contrast compared to those fifteen in Pesaro. I spent a few weeks working with Anz. Polson and Stewart, and then my new companion arrived fresh off the plane from Utah. I had the blessing of training Anz. Parker and helping him get his start. I realized very quickly that he had a good heart and a growing testimony. We served together for just about four months. At the start of our companionship, we started off with pretty much nothing in an area neither of us knew very well. We decided to hit the pavement and talk to as many people as we could. Though the language was difficult for Anz. Parker at first, he pushed ahead and didn't let that stop him. We taught a lot of different people from a lot of different backgrounds. We worked a lot with the members of the ward and gained good relationships with them. Anz. Parker was very good at letting people know how much he cared. He taught me a lot about that. Together I feel that we accomplished a great deal, even if the outward results may not immediately show it. That's one thing about missionary work: the fruits of our efforts are rarely visible. It's so rewarding though. In November, we were able to see a wonderful man from Nepal be baptized. This man has become a very dear friend of mine and I'm so grateful to have played a little part in his conversion to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Anz. Parker and I also spent Christmas together. Christmas in Italy was amazing, however different it may have been. We went caroling with our district quite often near the Duomo and we took it upon ourselves to spread as much Christmas cheer as we could. In Milano, I developed many good friendships that I miss already.
Then it was off to Bergamo with Anz. Hansen. Being a zone leader comes with extra responsibilities and an even higher standard of perfection. I'm grateful for it though because it pushes me to work even harder and care a lot more about the work I'm doing and the people in my care. I love the city of Bergamo, even though I've only been here a few short weeks. It is a beautiful city with a faithful branch of about 40 members. Much of the city has been preserved in it's original design and so I enjoy the old style of architecture and just the older "feel" of the city in general. Part of the city, named Città Alta, is built up in the mountain. From the top, you can see the entire valley spread out below. We are again teaching many people from many different backgrounds, mainly Bolivian, Ghanian, and Italian. I love the work here and there's always something to keep us busy. With Anz. Hansen I've learned how to "spice up" my work a little bit, for lack of a better term. We've been doing our best to think out of the box and come up with new ways to find and teach God's children.
Thanks for sticking through this ridiculously long, slightly sappily-written email. I hope this will give you at least a taste of the work I've been doing and the things I've been experiencing. I look forward to another year in Italy working for the Lord. It's not easy, that's for sure. It's definitely worth it though.
I think one of the most common questions I get in letters/emails is "How is your Italian coming?" So I figured I'd end by writing a bit in Italian, just for kicks.
Sto molto felice di poter servire come missionario della Chiesa di Gesù Cristo dei Santi degli Ultimi Giorni. Ho imparato un sacco di cose in merito alla vita, alla religione, a Dio, all'essere cristiano, e all'essere una persona in generale. Ringrazio ognuno di voi per il vostro sostegno. Questa missione sarebbe impossibile senza di voi. La mia testimonianza è cresciuta straordinariamente in quest'anno e spero di poterla vedere crescere anche di più nel prossimo anno. La mia testimonianza più grande è che Dio è il nostro Padre. Egli ci ama in un modo che non capiremo mai in questa vita, ma con un'amore che è vero. Questa chiesa di cui io sono un rappresentante è veramente la chiesa di Gesù Cristo nuovamente stabilito sulla terra. Contenute in essa sono tutte le cose di cui abbiamo bisogno per avere la felicità per sempre come una famiglia. So con tutto il mio cuore che Dio è mio Padre e che lui vuole che ognuno di noi ritorni a Lui.
I love you all. Thank you again for your support and encouragement. Love, Anziano Simcox
