Pictures from Mother's Day Call

We got to call Elder Smith yesterday--well, technically, we did a Google Plus Hangout with him. It was great! Here are a few pictures, with descriptions below each one:

Anziano Mina and Anziano Benjamin Bortolussi Smith (Mother’s Day

May 13, 2012) Siena, Italia

Our Google Hangout phone call with Benjamin in the Branch President’s

office in Siena, Italia. Here is Anziano Mina (from Sicilia) talking with us.

(Below pictures of Diana & Austin, Anziano Mina, Irene & Dave, & Kevin

in Idaho.

Benjamin looked so happy! What a joyful look as he sees us in Google hangout.

How cool to join Italy, Idaho, and Virginia into a hangout session. Anziano

Smith’s joy was the best Mother’s Day gift a mom could wish for.

Anziano Smith listening intently to his family in Virginia & Idaho.

Anziano Smith looks over at his companion asking him a question in

Italian. Benjamin’s Italian was so much better than the MTC call or last

Christmas. Apparently they speak Italian 95% of the time.

Anziano Benjamin Smith holds up one of the contratto (neighborhood

region’s) flag emblem in Siena, Italia. He hopes to see il Palio (famous

horse race held July 2 & August 16) in Siena in the main centro.

Anziano Smith turns to hear a comment from his companion Anziano

Mina. (Sitting in the Branch President’s Office in Siena, Italia.)

Google Hangout phone chat with Anziano Benjamin Bortolussi Smith on

Mother’s Day May 13, 2012.

Making a hand signal about calling someone.

Just a silly picture where Benjamin put a pirate’s eye patch and

beard on his computer image picture. Sort of a missionary disguise

image.

Sad for mom trying to say “Goodbye” but Benjamin was happy…says

he’s not homesick and wishes us well…also “HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY MOM! Ti voglio bene sempre!” (Most likely last Missionary phone call)

Siena Week 3!

Cara Famiglia,

This week has been a good one in Siena! We are working really hard and talking to a lot of people and finally seeing some fruits of our labors. The weather has been fantastic, and me and my companion get along really well together! Today we are doing P-day in Firenze with my father Anziano Kimball and his companion Anziano Warren, and the Anziani from Pisa (Anziano Mitchell my old companion! And Anziano Hardy!)

Andrea and Miwako: Andrea came to church on Sunday and liked it a lot. Miwako didn't come because she was feeling depressed. They are going through a lot of trials. Pray for them! We talked to Miwako afterwards on the phone and she said that Andrea said he feels positive energy whenever he comes to our church, so I guess he is feeling the spirit! We just have to help him recognize it and set a date for baptism. It's kind of tough meeting with them because of their schedules, but they are doing well.

Other than that we found a cool new investigator named Fernando this week. He's a Bolivian kid who's maybe 20ish, and is super interested in the Plan of Salvation and the Book of Mormon. We're seeing him for the second time tomorrow.

This last weekend we did a huge tour of the southern area of our proselyting area in the southern half of Toscana. We left Saturday morning and our first stop was in a little city an hour south of Siena where a less-active lady named Doris lives. She is Peruvian, but was baptized in Rome about 10 years ago. She was active in the church for seven years but then got married and moved to this city and it is really far for her to come on bus to make it to church so she feels bad. It was really sad, we taught her a lesson and she teared up about how she misses church and wants to come back. We are hoping to be able to find a way to help her come, since there's another member that lives an hour past her that might be able to pick her up occasionally. Unfortunately her husband who is Italian isn't a member and so isn't too big on the idea of driving her to church every Sunday, but we'll see if we can work on getting him interested in the church. We also visited a less-active lady in this tiny town right near the edge of the mission. She hadn't had any contact with the church in the 10 years she moved into Toscana from Varese. She was baptized in Varese about 30 years ago, but says she only did it because she felt sympathy for those 'American guys' and now says she doesn't believe in God because she's had too many trials. It was really a bummer to see all the unfulfilled potential and good she could have done in the church! I feel so bad for less-actives that miss out on all the blessings of service in the church. So all you who read this email go out and re-activate a less-active! They are awesome people!

This week I was really thinking about the example of Nephi in the Book of Mormon. I think he is my new favorite character from the Book of Mormon, although not because of his usual 'courage' that everyone talks about. While it is true that he was very courageous in going into physical danger to get the plates in Jerusalem, I was really impressed by his patience, charity, and long-suffering. In 1 Nephi 7 he gets tied up by his brothers for telling them the truth, and they want to kill him. After he is able to loose his bands he gives us a great example of Christian courage:

21 And it came to pass that I did frankly forgive them all that they had done, and I did exhort them that they would pray unto the Lord their God for forgiveness. And it came to pass that they did so. And after they had done praying unto the Lord we did again travel on our journey towards the tent of our father.

I was struck that he 'frankly forgave' his brothers for the horrible things they did, and instead of seeking justice he invited them to repent and used the opportunity to bring his brothers closer to God. I know that as we pray for this gift of charity we can feel our love for others increase, and I am grateful for the ultimate example of love in the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ. I know the Book of Mormon is true, and that this church is the true church of Jesus Christ. I love you all tons and tons!

-Anziano Benjamin Smith

Siena: The Greatest City in the World!

Cara Famiglia,

First off, wow about the news about Aunt Therese! [Benjamin's aunt passed away suddenly this last week.] That is super sad, I am sorry I won't be able to be there for the funeral. Give Uncle Lynn my condolences and I will be praying for them! I am really grateful for the knowledge of the Plan of Salvation, that families are truly forever.

It is a fact..that Siena is the greatest city in the world. Actually though, the city is great! It is awesome to walk around talking to people here. More news about the city: I mentioned the contradas last email, but I didn't mention how serious they are. My companion and I are fans of the Nobile Contrada dell'Oca (pronounced "oh-hah" in the Toscana accent, and meaning "the noble neighborhood of the goose"). Every year the 17 contradas of the city have two horse races that are called the Palio. Basically they make a track around the Piazza del Campo and race the horses, one for each contrada. They race every year on the 2nd of July and another the 16th of August, and the winner wins the Palio, which is basically a big piece of fabric that depicts some aspect of the Palio, Siena, and the Madonna. You can probably look up pictures of it on the internet. They have been doing these races since like 1300! So today we went to the Museum of the contrada dell'Oca, because there's an awesome member who lives in the contrada who hooked us up. Basically we learned that for the people living in the city of Siena, the Palio, and the contrada you live in, is your life. It is so intense that you get baptized twice: once for religious purposes, and then later you are baptized into the contrada for life! Everyone in the contrada knows each other, and year round they have activities, and even an organization kind of like primary/nursery that handles the kids from ages 0-16. I am looking forward to seeing the Palio.

Other than that there is the stuff that really matters, that is the missionary work. We are making really good progress with Andrea and Miwako and their 11 year old son Leo. They are awesome and are definitely going to be baptized, although we still need to set a firm date with them. They came to church on Sunday and had a good experience, and then we went to their house and taught them a really good lesson about the Gospel of Jesus Christ afterwards. They are going through some really tough trials though, so pray for them a lot!

Other than that we are working with our new converts. Bianka, who was baptized the weekend before I got here, is one of the strongest members I've ever seen! She gave a talk on Sunday and brought two friends to church! We are going to be meeting with the friends this week.

The branch is doing well! Sunday went really well considering the fact that our 2nd counselor was actually sick and couldn't make it, so we were on our own conducting and everything. But we had seven investigators in church! There are also a number of BYU students arriving, some of which speak Italian, which should really help out. Basically everything is going really well.

Today I was reflecting on the baptismal covenant found in Mosiah 18:8-10 which reads:

8 And it came to pass that he said unto them: Behold, here are the waters of Mormon (for thus were they called) and now, as ye are desirous to come into the fold of God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light;

9 Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death, that ye may be redeemed of God, and be numbered with those of the first resurrection, that ye may have eternal life—

10 Now I say unto you, if this be the desire of your hearts, what have you against being baptized in the name of the Lord, as a witness before him that ye have entered into a covenant with him, that ye will serve him and keep his commandments, that he may pour out his Spirit more abundantly upon you?

What struck me this time was thinking about how Christ lived and gave the example of the baptismal covenant. He could have used his energy to complain about the sufferings he went through or changing the circumstances around him to make his own burdens lighter, but instead he looked outward and used every moment living and dying for others. It was a reminder to me of what it really means to lose oneself in Christlike service, and I felt to remember more often the pure love of Christ that must be at the heart of everything we do. I know Christ lives and leads His church, and I know the Book of Mormon truly testifies of Him. I love you all lots and lots!

-Anziano Benjamin Smith

Siena!

Cara Famglia,

Welcome to Siena! It is pretty much the greatest city of all time history! We got here Friday afternoon, since Friday morning I had to take a detour back over to good old Torino to get my new Permesso. So now I am here in what could possibly be the prettiest city in Italy. It's divided into 16 contradas, i.e. neighborhoods, that all battle twice a year in the Palio(an awesome horse race that takes place twice a year, July 2 and August 16). The Piazza del Campo is the biggest Piazza in the city and is incredibly gorgeous, dominated by the Torre del Mangia that overlooks the city and it's surroundings. We walk everywhere, because it's way too hilly for bikes and the bus system isn't the best. Next week I will send some pictures.

The branch here is awesome! This last Sunday we had about 15 people in church, including two of our investigators. There are only one or two of the members that are active that live in the city of Siena, the rest live in little towns and villages outside. The former branch president lives in Grosseto, which is about an hour and a half drive away.

My companion is awesome, he speaks really good Italian! He is from Palermo, which is apparently about as big as Torino; there are two wards there.

Right now the work is going pretty well. There are about six new converts here in the branch, which is a pretty sizeable amount. Right now our main investigators are as follows:
-Andrea, a 45ish year old Italian man who we haven't yet taught a lesson to, but he came to church on Sunday and is a pretty cool guy
-Miwako, Andrea's Japanese wife who has two kids. She told us over the phone that she wants to be baptized, which is usually a pretty good indicator to know if someone is going to be baptized
-La Famiglia Velez, a Colombian family with a 13 year old daughter named Kimberly. Apparently the parents aren't as much interested but Kimberly reads the Book of Mormon, prays ever day, and wants to be baptized.
-Tony, a Nigerian man who is a Jehovah's Witness, yet surprisingly accepted a copy of the Book of Mormon! We should be seeing him today or tomorrow.

Other than that we are working really hard trying to find new people. The city itself is pretty small and unlike in my other cities the people have usually had some contact with the missionaries before. Pray for us to find families to teach and baptize!

Today I read again some of my favorite verses in the entire Book of Mormon in 2 Nephi 26. I was struck by verses 24 and 25 this time:

24 He doeth not anything save it be for the benefit of the world; for he loveth the world, even that he layeth down his own life that he may draw all men unto him. Wherefore, he commandeth none that they shall not partake of his salvation.

25 Behold, doth he cry unto any, saying: Depart from me? Behold, I say unto you, Nay; but he saith: Come unto me all ye ends of the earth, buy milk and honey, without money and without price.

Jesus Christ loves us so much that he gave up his mortal life so that we can come unto Him, and salvation is open for all to partake. I can testify that the Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ, who offers salvation 'without money and without price' but simply with our faith and our willingness to follow Him. I know this is His church, and that it really is the only true and living church upon the face of the whole earth. I love you all lots and lots!

-Anziano Benjamin Smith

Ciao Siena!

Cara Famiglia,

Well there is some surprise news going on, based on the fact that I'm getting transfered again! I never pictured me just doing one transfer here in Verona, but I will be packing up and moving to Siena. It is a bummer because I was just getting to really love the area and the work was getting better but oh well. My new companion will be Italian, his name is Anziano Minà, and he is from the good old city of Palermo in Sicilia. Anziano Parker will be taking my spot and he and Anziano Neff are going to tear it up here in Verona.

Well this week was good work-wise. We worked really hard and it paid off with being able to teach a lot of lessons. We are currently a little low on solid progressing investigators but things are looking up. We are hoping to set some baptismal dates within the next week here. One of our more solid investigators we are seeing is Isabella, I don't know if I've mentioned her in past emails. She's from Santo Domingo and has been here in Italy for 10+ years. We have taught her a couple times and we're going to have another lesson with her Friday night hopefully at a member's house.

Also tonight we are seeing Michael again, the really cool Brazilian kid who is interested in learning more. We've taught him twice and he accepted a baptismal invite for when he knows it's true. Tonight we're going to teach him the first half of the plan of salvation, and hoping to help him understand how important living the gospel is here on the earth and then set a baptismal date! So pray that can go well.

Well this week I would love to share a phenomenal scripture in 2 Nephi 2:27 - Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might bemiserable like unto himself.

I am a big fan of this verse because it really exemplifies the power and value of free agency and choice. I know that we are all completely and truly free to choose, and I know that the only choice that brings eternal life is the gospel of Jesus Christ. I am grateful for the Book of Mormon that contains the fulness of the everlasting gospel and that our Heavenly Father loves us. I know this church is true. I love you all a lot!

-Anziano Benjamin Smith

Learning in the Mission

Cara Famglia,

So I'm writing today because yesterday we had a zone conference! It went pretty well, we got to do an addestramento on planning and we hope it helped out. It was also cool to be able to see everyone from our group in the Verona and Mestre zones (8/10!) Today for the first time in Italy we played soccer for P-day! We played on the court at the church, they have a playing field (cement) with a goal right behind the chapel outside. We also found out that up above the church property you can walk up and have an amazing view of Verona. This is probably the prettiest chapel I've been in so far in Italy. 

Well the weather (which has been cold and rainy the past 1-2 weeks) has basically matched our investigators. Not necessarily cold, but if you define cold as not responding to phone calls or showing up at appointments than yes. Basically right now we are going crazy trying to figure out how to reach 20 lessons because unfortunately we haven't been able to hit it all transfer. Finding work is actually going pretty well in the sense that we have been able to get in knocking doors a fair amount but the people we find don't seem to stick. 

Even though the work is kind of tough right now I feel like I am learning a lot about being a better missionary. Not having a large teaching pool forces you to give an honest evaluation of what you can improve on and where you can get better. I have learned a lot about the importance and power of prayer and planning this last week, and am grateful for the lessons I'm learning that will bless me eternally. And I'm really happy!

Kind of a cool spiritual thought I realized this week that maybe you had all thought of. Basically revolving around the principle of Heavenly Father being obligated to bless us if we keep the commandments (see D&C 130), I realized that Heavenly Father not only blesses us when we keep commandments, but when we are trying to! In this sense, he blesses us with the strength to keep commandments, so he can bless us more! I don't really know if that makes sense, but it was really cool when I thought about it. I am grateful for all of your prayers and well-wishes, and I'm grateful that on Sunday we were able to celebrate the resurrection of or Savior Jesus Christ. I know that thanks to Him we can overcome any obstacle or problem, and that he can heal, strengthen, and help us through any trial. I know that this is His church, and that the Book of Mormon is true! I love you all!

-Anziano Benjamin Smith

Verona Week 4!

Cara Fam[i]glia,

This week was a pretty good week. Big news is that we finally got to take off the suit coats! It was great because it was really hot last week but now that we have the coats off it's getting colder. But it's okay, because the things that matter are going well.

This week we set a record for lessons taught in one week since I've been here, but we are still desperately needing to reach the mission goal of 20 a week (=double baptisms!) We are working really hard finding and there has been a lot of training recently about spiritually planning and executing our plans incredibly precisely to reach the goal of 20 each week. We are kind of struggling because without our investigators answering the phone it is tough to set up appointments with them. But we will do much better this week.

Unfortunately we haven't been able to see Gladis or Isaac or Emilio since the last email, but there will be more news on them next week. We had a cool miracle the other day after a miserable day full of being stood-up and lousy finding success, when we found a new Brazilian investigator named Claudio and a cool guy named Edmond afterwards. Both learned more about the restored gospel of Jesus Christ and both became new investigators! We also finally got to be able to teach Michael, the 18 year old Brazilian kid who is really searching. He is very spiritual and just needs to read the Book of Mormon and he'll know it's true. Pray for all of our investigators lots!

Conference was awesome! We got to see all the sessions except the Sunday Afternoon one, which unfortunately we never get to see, but we will read the talks when the Conference Liahona issue comes out. I really enjoyed a number of the talks, especially that of President Uchtdorf in the Priesthood Session, also the Donald L. Hallstrom talk from Saturday Morning. Money quote from the 'why' or Priesthood service talk: “We need to be constantly reminded of the eternal reasons behind the things we are commanded to do. The basic gospel principles need to be part of our life’s fabric, even if it means learning them over and over and over again. That doesn’t mean that this process should be rote or boring. Rather, when we teach the foundational principles in our homes or in Church, let the flame of enthusiasm for the gospel and the fire of testimony bring light, warmth, and joy to the hearts of those we teach.” We need to be constantly thinking about the gospel this way. It's not just a bunch of things to do, but a pattern of life that we need to seek to improve each and every day. I know that as we truly 'learn' the fundamental principles of the gospel over and over and over again we will be happier and closer to God. I know this church is true, I know the Book of Mormon is the word of God, and I know that Thomas S. Monson is a prophet called to lead the Church of Jesus Christ in these latter days. I love you all lots!

-Anziano Benjamin Smith