The Work Continues!

Hello Beautiful family and friends!

I love you all so much and I want you to know that everything here is going well. We have had a crazy week this week and Piacenza is popping like crazy!

A bit after my last e-mail... Actually now that I think of it, it was the day after just after English class, we found out that Anziano Edwards was being tranfered to Udine to train and we would be recieving Anziano Iacovelli from Alaska to come and be our third companion. He rocks! I am learning so much from him language and missionary wise. I get along really well because he reminds me of a lot of people back home.

Let's see what else has happened....

On Wednesday, We went to Verona for Zone conference which was really good. It was cool to see Verona in the Sun this time. I recived a lot of letters there and that was really awesome. We taught English classs after and then recived a surprise call from President, telling us that Anziano Edwards was going to be transerred.

On Thursday, we had 6 missionaries at our appartment for lunch. Anziano Thompson, Edwards, Icovelli, Tanner (Anziano Iacovelli's companion who I met in the MTC) and the senior missionaries from Verona. It was kind of crazy. We changed companions and got to work.

On Friday we had a lot of appoinments and then a dinner appointment with the Morriggi's. We had Tacos! I dismissed the thought of eating one of those for the next two years. We taught the Plan of Salvation to Fratello Morriggi who is not a member of the Church, but want's to know more about the church and began attending at his wife's insistance. It was a really spiritual lesson. At the end he prayed out loud for the first time in 55 years. 

On Saturday, we had lessons and finding.

On Sunday, we went to Church and then had a visit with Sorella Libé. She has always had basically a candy shop waiting for us, including a cake. She cut us all liberal slices and when it came to me I asked for a pezzitino (little piece) and she said "You eat almost nothing and you just keep getting thinner and thinner. You need to enjoy life some or soon you will just blow away! Also if you become skinny, you will also become UGLY!" She cut me a really fat piece and brought it to me asking "Is that small enough for you? I can make it bigger because honestly you eat almost nothing!" I just shut my mouth and ate the cake.

On Monday, we had scambi and I hosted and taught a lesson in French to a Morroccan man. That was really crazy because my French really has become much worse, but we were able to understand each other and he understood both of my other companions when they spoke really slow Italian. It was really cool. Also I was able to find my way to the house of one of our contacts using a map and memory and help from others--I felt proud of myself for knowing a city in a foreign country. It was really fun.

Yesterday, We had a really cool lesson with a sister in our branch who is giving her first talk tomorrow and we were able to calm her stress down and help her breathe.

Today we went to a castle and got a tour of it by its owner.

This week has been really wonderful and I am feeling closer and closer to God and feeling honored to do His work. I love the people here. The work of a missionary is hard, but there is nothing like it! I hope that this e-mail finds everyone in great health and happiness and in the Love of God!

Hugs!

Anziano John Colin Cook

Early Preparation Day this Week! Snow in Italy!

Sorry for the earliness of this e-mail. We have had snow storms all around the nothern regions of Italy and the zone meeting that we were supposed to have with President and Sister Wolfgramm in Verona has been moved to tomorrow. So we have P-day today.

What an insane week we have had! Let's see what there is to tell you...

After our P-day in Bobbio, we made our apartment 3 person friendly and cleaned and got ready for our third companion, Anziano Edwards! He rocks and is a super great missionary.And we get along with him super well.

On Thursday we made sure that our apartment was spotless got ready for the blitz with the Cappi (zone leaders). On Thursday night and Friday morning, we had 5 elders in our appartment! It was really cool to have 5 missionaries in Piacenza covering turf and talking to people and telling them about the Savior and his Restored Gospel! We have been learning to get really creative with finding because we have 3 elders and we are learning to use this opportunity dynamically.

We have had the usual... Finding work and lessons.... That is the bulk of our work here. Though recently we have had a lot of success and there are a few stories to tell you...

So the other day, we went to visit Marco, one of our friends who works at a gelateria in centro (he used to come to English class so he gives the missionaries free gelato) and we had a really profound spiritual conversation with him. He has a peace and a sense of enlightenment about him. I love it. He works all the time and is extremly busy so we can't meet as we would like but we come by to talk to him at the gelateria. Also the free gelato doesn't hurt...

Also during our lesson with Osas, John and Fred, we had a really good lesson. They rock! I found out that Osas and Fred want me to baptize them and I will get the chance to confirm John. It has been so awesome to see them progress and grow and get closer to the Lord. The light in their eyes has changed and brightened. It is awesome. Yesterday we sang songs together and switched between Nigerian Hymns and Primary Hymns. It was cool. They seem like friends and brothers. 

Yesterday, we did a lot of finding work in the snow and actually talked to alot of people. I should definitely not complain about the snow since I have friends serving in Russia and Finland. 

Today we cleaned and shopped and wrote letters and Anziano Thompson napped.

That's our week. I love you all! 

Cut My Own Hair for the First Time!

Wow! I can barely believe that my first transfer is coming to an end! I has been really great and I have grown and improved in so many areas and I so grateful to the Lord for all the help he has given me and I only hope that I can grow to be the servant that he needs me to be. I have grown to adore Piacenza and its inhabitants. It is like a home away from home and a family that I never thought I would have.

Well Anziano Thompson and I have had an amazing and busy week and there is some pretty wild news that I have to impart. I am pretty excited!

Lets see. Where do I start?

I'll start with a misadventure... I cut my own hair for the first time... lets just say that I would fit in pretty well in a Buddhist monastary (hair wise). It is evident to me from the thin patches I discovered that baldness in an unavoidable fate for me, but I hope to prolong that fate as long as possible. The hats that Mom sent me could not have come at a more perfect time because you never realize with a full head of hair how cold the world is.

We have been doing a lot of finding work and visiting our less actives and new converts. That has been really fun. We visited a lady named Yvonne from New York who has lived in Italy for 30 or more years (she was even married here) she showed us her old year book. That was trippy and I made me think that one day I will be old and grey and 2010 will have been a distant memery for the world and maybe I will show people in their 20's and they will handle it like an ancient record.

History is a crazy thing. I live in a city that was first settled 218 years before the Savior walked the Earth and I walk in buildings that have all probably seen more sunshine than the country I came from.

We had a meeting with Osas and John to give them Baptismal Calendars that basically help them prepare for their baptismal date and their friend Fred (who has been coming to lessons a little bit and has been coming to Church) seemed a bit offended. And when we asked why, He asked us where his baptismal calendar was. We told Him that we didn't know that he wanted to be baptized... and he looked at us like we dropped from Mars and he said "Of course I want to baptized. I wouldn't continue to study with you if I didn't like it and know it was true!" Anziano Thompson and I were shocked! It was awesome! So now we have 4 baptismal dates. 

We did scambio again and I went to Reggio Emilia and that really rocked amazingly. Anziano Collins and I were soooo busy and we were going around town with lessons and talking to people and I havn't felt so satisfyingly tired in a while. Also we made a really good luch of tortellini, spinach, zucchini, eggplant, and panna (cream). It was good.

Anziano Thompson had his birthday on the second of February. That was really fun. President Taina (our branch president) had us and Cinzia over to celebrate. We had Polenta and (I shudder to say...) horse stew, Coffee free Tiramisù (which Cinzia insists is blasphemy) and we watched the Testaments film which rocked.

We went to Church on Sunday and afterwards, we went to lunch with the Moriggi family. I don't think that I can say that I have eaten more in my entire life. Seriously. We had a really good pasta thing that Sorella Morrigi gave us a Mount Everest sized helping of. and I thought that was enough. No its not. After that she pulled out steak and fries. Anziano Thompson leans over and says "I think I am going to puke." The food was good but there was so much. Later, She pulled out apple pie (or the Italian equivolent). We fasted the next day.

Yesterday, I had my appointment with the Questura (Italian Immigration Police) to be fingerprinted. That was really fun. It was a surreal experience. I dont think that I ever thought that I would be fingerprinted for anything or experience the unique feeling that comes from it. Miracle though: We parked our bikes and looked up to see none other than Willy (a less active who we lost contact with because he lost his phone or changed his number!). And later that night we were doing casa and found a lady named Patience. She was amazing. I hope that we get to teach her more.

Just so you know. I don't think that America is the melting pot any more. It's Italy for sure. I have met people from all over the place from New York, to Ecuador, to Ghana and everywhere in between. (For example we met a Sri Lankan lady while doing casa last night and her upstairs neighbors didn't understand us because they were Russian).

Today, for P-day we finally went to Bobbio. Think picturesque Italian town in the mountains and you've got it. It is a super quiet sleepy place (or at least today it was becasue we were there in Prime Siesta time) We walked down by the river and explored a Cathedral and a castle.

Now for the news. I saved it for last because there is no pleasure like keeping people in suspense. Seriously. I wish I could see all of your faces right now.........

Okay. We got our transfer calls.... and.... We aren't getting transfered, but Somebody is getting transferred to Piacenza, named Anziano Edwards. That's right... we are going to be triplets! Yay! We get him tomorrow and the cappi are going to be blitzing us. Tomorrow will be crazy!!!!!

Okay I think that is everything that I can think of. I love you all! You rock like crazy!

Love,

Anziano Cook

Vi Voglio Benne!

Well, another beautiful day in Piacenza! We are almost to the end of my first transfer in the field and I can hardly belive it! I got some letters the other day at the Disrict Meeting in Reggio. And all of the letters are responded to! Yay! There will be more because there are always letters to write.

Today our plan was to go to Bobbio, which is a paesino (I think the word translates to suburb or town) close to Piacenza but we ended up cleaning and writing letters and resting instead because the weather was pretty gloomy today. Lately in Piacenza, there has been your typical winter weather, foggy and grey and rainy/snowy. It is fun though because it makes me think of home. The fog here is really thick and heavy and riding through it, you actually get wet. 

This week, has been awesome! We have 3 baptism dates for the 23rd! Yay! Osas, John and Cinzia are all on date and they are making a lot of progress which is awesome to see. I love to see people drawing nearer to Christ. We are going to be giving our area a little bit of a face lift and going through our area book to find more to teach and help.

President and Sorella Wolfgramm visited last District meeting and that was really great. Sorella Wolfgramm is so great and has a lot of insights. It was fun to translate for her because she doesn't speak much Italian. 

Speaking of translating, Church has become much easier to understand because of Osas and John who don't speak much Italian either. Sunday was a great day! Osas and John came to Church for the first time and we went to meet them in Piazza Cavalli which is like three steps away from our church building and to our surprise and happiness, they brought a friend with them!! I was so happy to see that! Now their friend comes to lessons with them and he too is making a lot of progress.

We have been doing a lot of finding work as always and it has had some pretty awesome succeses. 

Let's see. There hasn't been a whole lot else. Anziano Thompson and I are getting along great. 

We are doing scambio again on Friday. This time I am going to Reggio with our district leader, Anziano Collins so that should be really cool. 

Okay Vi voglio benne (I love you all Literally I want good for you)

Love,

Anziano Cook