Week 73: The negative side of moves

 Hello hello!

Another week in the bridge. Maybe the last time you'll hear that??! Maybe not. I'm very nervous for transfers. I had interviews with President and he was dropping hints for both sides it was wack.

In covid news: I had my first Covid test this week! We helped some people with a move and a guy living at the house tested positive. So 8 of us missionaries had to get tested. Easiest decision of my life was going throat instead of nose. I tested negative dont worry! 

We helped another person w a move after a panic text, but they were furniture hoarders it seemed. We got there and their whole backyard was covered in furniture just randomly thrown outside. It was quite the unorganized overwhelming experience. He kept giving us random things w no order, so the truck had the most unusable dead space possible. I felt bad when we left. 

Taylor's baptism happened and was amazing! Her now husband and returned member (we call it returning but he's now returned) was able to baptize her! We taught them both equally and consistently over the last 6 months! Huge pro to being here so long! I saw him quit smoking, them quit drugs, get married and come back to church fully! Their change is incredible and I'm so thankful to be a part of it! Taylor was found through randomly messaging people on fb asking if they want to learn more! She did, she has, and here we are! The baptism was beautiful and I was able to speak at it! Their whole story is a huge miracle!!

I tried goose jerky and it was bad. 

But a member got us ribs and it was good. We had a lucky meal week of popeyes, then $60- I got burgers w a gift card a different member gave us, then lots of ribs! Back to back to back. Maybe I wanna stay here longer? Jk. 

I asked President Keung how we can know if our will and desires are aligned with God's. How we can know we aren't praying in vain for something over and over. He pretty much said my will is aligned and if the things I want dont  harm someone, then they usually are aligned. But I have to be patient. Heavenly Father wants us to have everything. Wants us to be blessed and wants the best for us. But He has different timing. So we can be diligent and faithful in prayer for something, but the third element that I always forget is patience. Patience is needed and the blessings we ask for will come. More blessings than we can imagine will come. We just have to be patient. So it is with transfers, missions, family, and life in general. I'll be faithful and diligent in all that I do and all the work I put in. But also patient. Trusting in God is trusting His timing. 

Hope you all have a great week!

Love, 

Elder Fiore

Ribs

Goose

Move

Taylor's baptism!!!

Me- I made that tie with Rachael! She wasn't happy about it in the moment but now look where it got her. On the weekly. Eternal perspective.

and some extras!

Week 72: New year, new me, new people, new p-day

 Oh my goodness! P day already! It felt like such a short week! That's because it was 😎.

Our p days are permanently moved to... Monday! Hence why the email is today! When I first found out p day in this mission was Wednesday I cried and said I wasn't going back out bcs of how much it sucked. In the end it was fine  I got used to it, even ended up liking it! And now its Monday anyway! So another adjustment! It'll be chill. Monday has pros, so does Wednesday. Both have cons. That's life.

Happy new year everyone! Can't believe it's 2021! Obviously 2020 was not as anyone expected and I'm glad it's over. But in the end, I quite liked 2020. It was meant to be my full mission year.(dark year we say) but I ended up having that 2 month break at home which was fun. Still 2020 had sooo many ups and downs. Trials and amazing times. Unexpected moments left, right and centre. Now 2021 is here! The year I finish my mission, start school and create more amazing memories. And endure more hard trials! I'm excited for a new year! 

So this week flew by in itself and then being short helped. We helped with a couple of moves, found a couple new people to teach (one was from messaging people on facebook! I messaged him early October and we met up this week!). We also had some member visits! We had one where there was a 10 second lag the whole time on their end bcs they were at their farm in rural Saskatchewan! So that made it hard but fun. My lag questions kept interrupting them haha.

Not much to talk about being decently locked up, with holidays and a short week! But I am pretty ready for a change coming up on 7 months in this area! That'll come soon hopefully. If you talk to my mission president, tell him I'd like a transfer. I'd ask but I don't wanna jinx it.

Hope everyone has a great start to 2021! Set some goals now! They're more likely to be kept if set at the new year (10x more likely apparently (schmale, 2020)).

It's in each small goal that we become more like how we want to be and like Jesus Christ!

Love ,

Elder Fiore 

-Lesson with other elders!!! 

-Free panago pizza covid style! 

-You can submit photos to uhaul to put on their trucks, so we figured it would be sneaky to have missionaries on one. So we are gonna submit that one to get free ads hopefully! And I wanna be famous! My idea ;). And it's good for the blog.

- my christmas package from my dad finally came. Exceeded expectations and was worth the wait! (Technically happened last week I thjnk)

- new shirt. Walmarts hype. Now I match some others.

- Christ! 

and some extras!

Week 71: Tech is Clutch!

 Merry Christmas!!!

Glad that's over.

Just kidding it was good! But I am glad it was my last Christmas on my mission! I looked to this moment a lot last year and wanted to be here! And here we are! 

Christmas was probably different for all this year, but I hope we were able to enjoy it as much as possible within these circumstances and that everyone had a great time. Our Christmas was insanely chill. 

Christmas eve day was spent delivering cards to members, picking up gifts for sister Campbell and wrapping them (her package didn't come so she had nothing. Her companion's mom ordered stuff for curbside pickup for her that we were able to get and wrap! We then dropped it off at her door as a surprise!) I also was able to call home for my family's christmas eve program , and lastly, we had some meetings over zoom as a zone and mission for Christmas! It was fun. 

Christmas day was so chill. Our mission pres knew there's no point trying to work since we can't enter homes or do visits or anything really, so he said just chill and talk w family. So that's what we did all day. We were able to call home to open gifts with people back home, and talked all day. We also did a district call to open gifts! Having wifi and technology here is an incredible blessing that I am so so grateful for. In the day we also dropped off some cards, saw some members at a church, met up w our mission president and watched a virtual mission talent show! So overall it was a pretty good Christmas but still sad being away from home and family! 

The rest of the week was slow since people don't really want to meet in between christmas and new years. It's the no routine chill time so it has been an apartment bound struggle! But we made it through! Just some long days! Also everything being over tech definitely doesn't help! 

I've really been trying to think that it's not about results but consistent effort. Then God will do the rest and control results.  I'm trying to do what's in my control consistently trying my best and then hopefully results will come. Even if the results are different from what I want. When we work hard and give things our all, results may not be success in the outcome we go for, but maybe self growth, or being an example, or helping someone else. We don't always choose what comes, but we choose our effort and are blessed for that! 

Happy new year everyone. Talk to you next year! Haha classic. 

Love,

Elder Fiore 

Linking up w pres christmas day. That's my new fleece

Christmas with the Renauds

Christmas eve dinner (tbh we didn't eat this but ordered pizza and got cheese. Traditions are important)

Mission zoom in our matching shirts we got from a missionary's mom(hope she's rich)

Christmas day view! It's a tradition now. We did the same in Tahiti

Nana Elfie Muhu Muhu

District christmas eve

Christmas eve family zoom!

I added a bunch extra too!