March 26, 2014

Ciao tutti!

Well it's a quick email today!

A couple of days ago, we met with an investigator to share a quick spiritual message.  This particular investigator has been investigating the church for several months.  He has had all of the lessons, been to church about twenty times, and studied Gospel Principles.  Recently we have been trying to get him to focus on the Book of Mormon and prayer.  He has been doing it and we have been seeing some growth finally.  But in this particular meeting, he was telling us about how he already knows pretty much everything.  So I asked him, "Why don't you get baptized?"  His answer wasn't exactly, "Ok let's do it tomorrow", but he simply told me that he wasn't ready.  This may not seem like a big step, but he has been very against baptism and this anwer shows that he has been thinking about it and the Spirit has been working on his heart.  He only lacks two things before he can get baptized.  Once he has those things taken care of, I think he'll be ready to go.

I love you all!  Thank you soo much for all of the prayers!  I really appreciate it!  Ciao!

-Anziano Cody Petterborg

March 19, 2014

Ciao tutti!

Well it was a pretty good week.  We didn't have a lot of big things happen but I feel like we got a solid week of work in.  We had St. Patricks day this week!  I've got a picture attached of the Anziani in my district with our green ties.  Yep finally got the memory card working again!

So last P-Day we spent at Cinque Terre.  In fact we spent all day today there as well.  It's so beautiful!  I'll see about attaching a picture of that as well.

I don't have a specific miracle to report.  But I have been noticing a small change in the work in Livorno.  I think it shows a little bit in our numbers.  We are getting more lessons packed into a week and we are finding more investigators.  I feel as a companionship, we are really starting to get things down and starting to see the work move a little bit finally.  We are getting our investigators to keep their commitments and helping them to recognize the spirit more.

Well love you all!  Thank you for your prayers!  Ci sentiamo la prossima settimana!  Ciao!

-Anziano Cody Petterborg

March 12, 2014

I've gotta keep this one short.  For those of you who normally receive emails personally, sorry...I am totally out of time!

This week we went to see a less active that had told us that we could return in a couple of days.  When we returned for the appointment, her husband who is not a member, sat down to listen.  He participated well in the lesson.  When we had finished the lesson, Anziano Pinnock asked them if there was anything we could do for them.  The husband told us that he couldn't think of anything, but the wife spoke up and asked us if the next time we come, we could bring a lesson about how to strengthen their marriage.  I guess they have been having a rough patch.  We see this as an opportunity to teach the husband and let him see the blessings of this gospel and how his family and marriage can be strengthened through the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Love you all!  Ciao!

-Anziano Cody Petterborg

March 5, 2014

Ciao tutti!
March already?  I thought we just started February!  Time is going soo fast!  Today I got me a green tie in Florence, so I'm ready for this month :)

Well I haven't done a lot of stuff for P-Day lately.  But today we went to Florence to show my new companion around a little.  It was a good time.

This week we were finally able to see an investigator that we hadn't seen for a while.  We had a great lesson with her about reading and praying.  At the end of the lesson, we invited her to church.  It was hard for her to get up in the morning, but we asked if she would come if we walked with her and she accepted.  In the morning, we went to her house and then walked back to the church with her.  During sacrament meeting, she told me how she felt so close to everyone and how she felt good.  After church, she told me how much she wanted to thank us and everyone in the branch for the amazing experience she had had.  She came back the next day for our FHE that we do every week.  She expressed how much she didn't want to leave when it was over.  When someone asked her why, her reply was "C'è il Signore."  The church building is truthfully a house of the Lord and everyone that comes there will feel of the beautiful spirit that is there. 

I can feel some more miracles coming on this week!  Thank you for your prayers!  Love you all!  Ciao!

-Anziano Cody Petterborg

February 26, 2014

Ciao tutti!

Well it's all good here in Livorno!  Things are kind of slow but things are moving.  It sounds like they found us an apartment in Livorno and fra poco we will be living back in Livorno!  It will be nice to be living in the city that I'm supposed to be working in.

A couple of days ago we went to one of the new investigators that we found last week.  She couldn't see us for very long but we explained the Book of Mormon and commited her to read it.  We also got a return appointment for next Saturday.  I hope that we can stay a little longer and explain the message of the restoration.  She is a really sweet lady from Santo Domingo.  Maybe I'll learn me some Spanish  ;)

Well not much else is going on.  Sorry for the short email this week.  We'll make things happen this week so that I have stuff to talk about next week!  Love you all!  Ciao!

-Anziano Cody Petterborg

February 19, 2014

Ciao tutti!

Well another great week here in Livorno.  Transfers have come!  Anziano Scott is going to Udine and I am left here to take care of Livorno.  I am receiving a companion named Anziano Pinnock.  I'm headed into my 7th transfer!  Whew...time sure flies.

Today for P Day we went to Cinque Terre!  It was beautiful!!  Amazing!  One of the most beautiful things I've ever seen.  Unfortunately we only saw two of the five cities, because it began to rain on us big time.  It hit us in mid-hike.  Within minutes, the trails were being flowed over with water!  We got out of there as fast as we could, but we got drenched anyway.  We rode the train back to Pisa really wet.  But it was a great P Day!

This week, our branch mission leader went with us again to do finding.  This time however we were also accompanied by one of the branch missionaries.  So we were able to do splits. The miracles that we saw were amazing!  The number of people that stopped to talk to us was staggering. We got 3 new investigators and several new contacts just in one evening.  I think that Anziano Scott and I were kind of stuck in a rut and Heavenly Father showed us a new way to do this work.  He blesses you when you exercise some faith and try somthing new. I'm grateful for great members who are so willing to help us out.

Well I better be on my way.  Sorry I didn't get a picture...my USB has been acting funny.  Love you all!  Ciao!

-Anziano Cody Petterborg

February 12, 2014

Woo...I'm old now!  Yep today is my birthday.  I spent the day moving stuff out of our old apartment...but I had pizza for lunch and I will have brownies tonight to celebrate.  It's been a good birthday.

Well we're still traveling back and forth between Pisa and Livorno.  It sounds like we'll be doing it for the next couple of weeks until they can find us a new apartment in Livorno.  Guess I'll just have to brush up on my train contacting.  Haha in fact, the other day we gave it a try.  Just being nice, my companion asked a lady where she was going.  Bluntly she asked, "Why are you asking?"  Then she got up and changed seats.  Well that didn't go so well haha.  We'll have to give it another try I guess.

In the past couple of weeks, our branch mission leader and ward missionaries have been planning to do a fast for the missionaries so that we could find new investigators.  They also planned to go out with us a couple of times to do finding work.  Last sunday, we did this fast.  While we were out working that afternoon, our branch mission leader gave us a call and asked if he could go out and work with us on whatever it was that we were doing.  We were just doing street finding, but he accepted to come with us.  Usually we never find anybody that will listen to us, but this time, we got the number of a young woman who wants to come a take a look at our church!  We also found a man who talked to us for a long time and agreed to see us again next week.  The way to finding new investigators is through the members.  If all members were to help us out just a little like our branch mission leader did, the work would really pick up the pace.  We are considering a new strategy to finding here in Livorno.

Well I better be on my way!  Love you all!  Vi voglio tanto bene!  Ciao!

-Anziano Cody Petterborg

So the members in Livorno go to the temple in Switzerland.  Apparently, they go for a a couple days at a time and they have places to sleep up there.  Kind of interesting.  It will be super convenient when they get Rome finished up.  When they need books, usually the branch orders in bulk and passes them out that way.  If they need something specific, they can go online or they can talk to the ward librarian who can order it for them.  That's how we get members scriptures and stuff.

They haven't found us an appartment yet but I had an interview with President Dibb the other day and he told me that I really shouln't expect a new apartment for a while...probably not until next transfer.  So I'm going to be traveling back and forth for a little while.

Unfortunately we haven't seen our less active deaf member for a while...we've had a mixture of some bad weather and difficult circumstaces with traveling back and forth...but it's always cool to meet with her.