Pavlov’s Little Mouse

Endurance:
After a rough couple days in terms of eating, I woke up Saturday morning determined to do something about it. I put on my running shoes, and told Anziano Zanini to do likewise. We left, and I started running, a 5K course in mind. Though Anziano Zanini didn't quite make the whole thing running, he did his best, and I took advantage of mental fortitude gained in hours and miles of finding, and ran, ran, and ran. I ended up finishing in about 24 minutes, which isn't the fastest I've ever run, nor was it the pedestrian 31:45 I clocked in my first Cross Country race, freshman year #2ndtoLastButNotLast  Felt good to be running again, though my legs were especially appreciative of the "rest," Sunday provided. Look for more running adventures in the coming week, as I build up an endurance, long lost due to apathy. Speaking of long-lost Endurance, guess who showed up to church on Sunday?! Yup, Endurance strolled in, smiling, and ready to be spiritually fed. Things are looking up for this brother, and his desire to finish this race with a sprint!

New People to Teach=Gelato:
As Pavlov did long ago, so Anziano Toronto is psychologically conditioning his subject. As our finding has begun paying dividends, we've begun "celebrating success," as only Palermitano missionaries know how, Brioscià (basically the OG ice cream sandwich). As Anziano Zanini learns to stop, teach, and help others coming unto Christ, Anziano Toronto is rewarding his efforts with love, gelato, and the idea that we should be doing this out of charity, not only out of love for pistacchio crema and white chocolate!

Soaked at Mondello:
We picked the wrong day to play beach volleyball as gale force winds, and stinging rain relentlessly pelted us. We did get points however, for perseverance, as the sun showed a bit of his face through clouds, and we managed to make a game out of it! Italy Rome Missionaries are undeterred, even if all Italians think we're nuts. They might be right😁🤷‍♂️

Thomas and Mahmuod:
These wonderful brothers, from Ghana, and Libya respectively, were absolute miracles this week. Thomas came up to us as we did a street gesso this week, and asked for a Bible. We told him we had something even better, and gave him a Book of Mormon, and a restoration lesson full of restored truths. Mahmoud was waiting for us as we walked past him in Palermo's Piazza della Vergogna. He was happy to hear us out and even happier to receive an invitation to church! As we stood up to leave, he asked if we had anything for him to read. Laughing, I said of course. Another Book of Mormon given, and another child of God found and shown the way this week! Wouldn't change where I am for all the world!

Last highlight, abbreviated for sake of time...
▪Seeing La Famiglia Rochira, of Catania fame. Boy did I miss Luciano hugs, and Sorella Rochira's motherly love.

All my love from paradise in Palermo,

Anziano Toronto II ❤🇮🇹

Love You to Pieces!

Not an exceptional week, with little to report as far as new news, but just know I love you both, and appreciate your diligence in letters as I near the end, even If I struggle to make it reciprocal! I'll have a more in depth general conference analysis next week, and hopefully some successes to report. I'd appreciate prayers on behalf of those looking for the truth in Palermo, that we'll be able to find them, cause they've been hiding the last few weeks! I dedicate my two zone calcio goals to dad, as it was he who was the youth soccer king, (If I remember right, you gave up piano for it). Don"t worry about shortcomings in that regard, I've played more soccer and piano in the last two years of my life, than in the 18 years previous, yet I still can't profess more than modest mediocrity in the both of them! Oh well, I've got time to perfect the piano, and I don't know how much my eternal salvation depends on the goals i may or may not score during future BYU soccer intramurals!

Again, love the two of you to pieces!

Anziano Toronto II 🇮🇹

Coming Full Circle

Carissimi,

200 years ago, in 1818, Giuseppe Taranto, a little toddler at the time, waddled off of a boat into the beautiful Sicilian seaport, Palermo. He would spend nearly all his youth in the city, and it shaped him into the man who would one day accept the gospel, and change generations, and generations of Taranto children.

Flash forward to Thursday, 20 Sept. 2018, when his great-great-great grandson stepped off of a plane, blinking under the Sicilian sun, and reclaimed his place on pride rock. I was beyond excited to come back to my Sicilian home, and am positive when he's not working on his family members on the other side, he's walking the streets he knows so well right next to Anziano Zanini and I.

Anziano Zanini, my wonderful new missionary, fresh from the MTC, hails from Rio di Janeiro, Brazil, which means I have the chance to help him learn both English and Italian. Luckily, he's already a wizard at both, so I don't have to do too much in that regard!

We're serving in the Palermo 2 Ward, and Palermo 3 International branch, which means we have a lot of work to do, members to know, and area to cover, but we're already getting started, and it's already been a blast!

Un saluto caloroso dalla Patria,

Vi voglio bene,

Anziano Toronto II ❤🇮🇹

C'est la Vie!

Used up my email time today trying (albeit rather unsuccessfully), to find out what I want to do with my life post mission, and what major I want to head into. Got a better idea of what I'm looking for, but I just can't dedicate the time necessary... c'est la vie! Had a much better week in a lot of ways, and we're starting to pick up a little momentum, (hopefully like our cougars!), and we'll be right back on the grind this week!

Love you, wish I could write more, but I tried to be an adult... still welcoming any advice in that regard! :)

All my best on this Labor Day!

ATII

3rd Time's the Charm, (Speriamo)!

Carissimi,

The beauty of Napoli is without equal, incomparable even... It's dirty, but full of character, dangerous, but the people are full of charity, don't even get me started on the pizza, I could write a masters thesis on the pros and cons of thick vs. thin crust, and margherita vs. diavola. The only thing Napoli doesn't know how to do is fix an ingrown toenail. 6 weeks after seeking reprieve, a second time, from what can only be qualified as a minor annoyance, the annoyance was back in full force. It took a well placed kick during zone calcio that changed his previously white sock red around the toe, for Anziano Toronto to humble himself enough to seek professional help. Luckily, Dottore Federico had a podiatrist studio directly beneath our apartment, and Friday he was able to squeeze me into his schedule. What followed were some of the most painful minutes of my life, complete with gritting of teeth and squeezing my shoe, but eventually he got it all out. As he was cleaning things up, he asked us what we were doing, who we were, and why we spoke Italian, and we got to teach the restoration, albeit a shortened, concentrated version. As he was opening up my toe a little bit, his heart was being opened a little bit, and hopefully the seed planted in that hole will grow, mature, and give fruit with time!

When I wasn't relishing my painless toe, I was knee deep in zone conference preparation and execution. There were, as always, addestramenti to prepare, missionaries to connect with, panzerotti to eat, and fun to be had! The theme of the conference was love, and developing more of it, something that I certainly can work on, and will be working on for the rest of my mission and life. Sorella Pickerd spoke of love for our companions, and building them up. It reminded me of the oft taught, "You are as strong as the weakest member of the Toronto family, and putting your family down only does the same to you." President Pickerd spoke of the Lord, our love for him, and even more importantly, his love for us, and his children. Lastly we spoke and taught about love for the Italian people. While they are stubborn and unyielding in the traditions of their fathers, they are God's children, and my love for them needs to reflect the love their Savior had for them when he suffered for them. We pointed them to the temple, and the missionaries and members who had sacrificed so much to fill it, on both sides of the veil. I shared of the sacrifices made by Giuseppe Taranto, and the temple he gave everything he had to build. How grateful I am for an Italian heritage, the Italian blood that flows through my veins, (diluted as it is), and the love I have developed for the people among which I have been called to labor!

Misc:
Alberobello, also known as hobbitown, was our p-day destination this morning. We enjoyed trullo after trullo, and fought the crowds to see this wonderful, quaint Italian town. Definitely worth the trip, 11/10 would recommend!

Nicola and Giovanni took some steps forward this week, so that's super exciting. Giovanni, in short is an ex-investigator who would've been baptized had it not been for cigarettes, yet in the few years since he has met with missionaries, a desire to pursue a Michael Jackson impersonation career required him to give up his vice, and he has not touched them ever since. He's already received a testimony in the past, and is looking to reignite that fire once again. Nicola was found by the sisters, and is actively working towards baptism. This was his second Sunday in church, and he is well on his way to taking the next step on the covenant path!

Still grinding, looking for more friends to teach, but that's missionary work in a nutshell!

Love each of you, and I love Bari! Sweet is the work in the Lord's vineyard!

Anziano Toronto II

Inspire Me!

Mamma e Papà,

I suppose asking your forgiveness is a poor way to start an email, but I just lack so much desire to write about the common goings on. There have been few weeks of my mission in which I've worked harder, than in this last week. I loved it, and this week I'll do the same, with pleasure. It's been a lot of fun cruising up and down Bari's streets, ringing citofoni, stopping my Italian brothers and sisters, though it's been less fun as none of them want to "come and see." There's someone out there for us, I'm sure of it, and we're going to go find them!

Dad, I thought about your questions, and I noticed connections to Bruce R. McConkie's my missionary commission. Looking to apply the principles in my missionary work and thereafter!

Mom, loved your talk. I don't think it's a coincidence that you cited Elder Jeffery R. Holland's "For Times of Trouble," just hours after I cited the exact same quote in a talk on the Gospel of Jesus Christ here in Bari. That is my least favorite Satanic suckerpunch, and I love knowing I can change, and can do it quickly.

I need inspiration my friends! I know you've noticed the decline of my emails, and although I desire to give you good news and updates, I just don't have much to write about besides my studies, finding, and missionary life in general. Pray that I get sent to train in a couple of weeks, that my emails might have substance.

I love both of you, and wish I could give you better, and the moment I find people to teach, things will get better!

Inspire me!

La Bellezza dell'Italia 🇮🇹

We all know you just skip down to the pics anyways... figured I'd save you the trouble and just send you some nice ones without an epistle to pore over.

Anziano Toronto

Hear of Anziano Toronto's adventures for the week at the following link:

https://soundcloud.com/user-565039128/voice-003-1