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Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Fwd: Well, a week.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Fwd: surprises
From: Benjamin Jolley <benjamin.jolley@myldsmail.net>
Date: Wed, Apr 20, 2011 at 3:16 AM
Subject: surprises
dear family,
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Thursday, March 31, 2011
Fwd: Investigators that progress!
From: Benjamin Jolley
Date: Wed, Mar 30, 2011 at 7:02 AM
Subject: Investigators that progress!
This week, for the first time since I've been in Pesaro, we had some progressing investigators! Yay!!! They are the Peruvian family that we taught for the first time on my birthday. Julio Manuel, and Mary, his wife.
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Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Fwd: A long week. But awesome.
From: Benjamin Jolley
Date: Wed, Mar 23, 2011 at 7:11 AM
Subject: A long week. But awesome
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Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Fwd: What a week
From: Benjamin Jolley <benjamin.jolley@myldsmail.net>
Date: Wed, Mar 9, 2011 at 3:39 AM
Subject: What a week
My dearest family,
This week has been quite the week. We taught Maurizio two or three
times, and when it became clear he only wanted to talk with us, not
quit smoking or be baptized, we dropped him. Our Ward Mission Leader
has started us off on a great start to our ward mission plan. (read
branch where I write ward.) We have gone by half of our members and
asked them to write a list of their friends that could be interested
in the gospel. Then we asked them to fix a date by which they will
invite their friends to hear the gospel. two of them said by the end
of this week, and the rest by the end of the month. exciting? I think
so.
On Thursday, we had a Leadership Training Meeting, in which we talked
about faith, and several rule changes, the most important of which is
that our email time has been reduced by one hour. Meaning we have an
hour. and we can email immediate family and the mission president
only. So all of you not immediate family members that email me, this
is the last week. I would appreciate your letters. they are absolutely
still allowed. We also discussed memorization of the scriptures to use
in teaching and a teaching technique called teach to find. maybe ask
the missionaries near you if they do it. It's a very effective finding
technique. in essence it is this.
1. teach a principle (45 seconds)
2. ask a question (10 seconds)
3. bear testimony (30 seconds)
4. companion bears testimony
5. companion teaches a principle
6. etc.
Very effective. and cool. We're trying to put it in practice. It's
tough, though.
Friday, we acquired a bicycle, and we did a lot of casa, and then
passed by two of our members. It was a long day. We've done a LOT of
casa.
Saturday, we got in three times doing casa, but to people who weren't
interested in us coming back. We also taught Alberto, a new convert,
and dropped Maurizio. not a very cool day.
Sunday, we had a good testimony meeting and sunday school. I liked
when our ward mission leader bore testimony that the members need to
invite people to hear the gospel, and also talked about an experience
we had friday night. I stopped a man on the street, asking him what he
thought happened at death. He then asked me who I was, I explained,
and he yelled at me. I was very proud of myself for remaining
perfectly calm in the face of a man that was rather... angry. We did a
lot of casa that evening, and my companion kinda broke down near the
end. We hadn't gotten in after 3 hours, and he just sat down. We
talked, and then we knocked a few more doors, finding a really cool
contact and some really old people who didn't understand that we
weren't catholic. oh well. Luca is a cool guy.
Monday, we had a good district meeting and then the Zone Leaders,
Anziani Duersch and West did a blitz with us. (a scambio with both of
us in Pesaro). I went with Anziano West and we taught an excellent
lesson to Nerina, our contact from the week before, who commited to
coming to church and reading the book of mormon and praying about it.
Her son, Marco commited to reading the book of mormon, and he
introduced us to his girlfriend. When Valentina, his girlfriend,
showed up, he was super excited. Nerina said "He hasn't seen her in a
week, he's excited", Anziano West and I both said "It's been about a
year for us." I thought that was a funny moment. We then did a bit of
casa and strada and found 7 or 8 new contacts, which was great. That
evening, I cooked some gingersnaps, and was very pleased with them. in
other news, I'm very pleased with my cooking skills. I'm awesome at
cooking now. Though I would very much appreciate a few recipies. Like
for the various cookies mom makes, and maybe like tuna casserole or
something.
Tuesday, Anziano Russo and I went out and worked a lot. I was very
pleased with myself in some of the stuff I did that I would not have
done before. such as, talking to a girl of about my age, and getting
her phone number for another time, walking into a house when it looks
like they're going to let us in anyways. etc. It was a cool day. The
Zone leaders left us with a powerful talk by Gene R. Cook titled
"Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ". It's crazy.
Today, we shopped. and studied. and now I'm down to crunch time on
email. I love you!
Anziano Benjamin Jolley
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Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Fwd: going a little crazy
From: Benjamin Jolley
Date: Wed, Mar 2, 2011 at 8:14 AM
Subject: going a little craz
Dear family,
Well, I'm in Pesaro. Since many of you asked, I'll describe in detail
our trip here. I went to Milano from Merate Thursday morning, where we
met up with the other trainers, and we went to Milano 2, where the new
missionaries were all waiting. We had an EXCELLENT trainer meeting,
getting our new missionaries just super excited about life, and then
we were paired up, one at a time. The 4 companionships that were
whitewashing, the assistents before saying who it was asked the
trainers (including me) if they'd ever been to their city. "Anziano
Jolley, have you ever been to Pesaro?" "nope, not in my life"
"Someone's in for an adventure, and they might be russian. Anziano
Russo from Sacramento California hops up and gives me a big hug. we
get our things together, and we get on a train at 3:30 to Bologna,
getting there at 6:30 PM, and then another train to Pesaro arriving at
8:37 where our Branch Mission Leader picked us up in his car and drove
us to the apartment. We arrive, unpack a little, and don't find ANY
information about the city. we find some lasagna in the fridge, throw
it in the oven, and I get a call from one of the former inhabitants of
the city. He explains to me where to find things of importance, where
the church is, and a little about our members. Also he transmits a
VERY negative attitude about the city. "It's tiny! you can't work
there!" "Have you ever been to Merate?" "no, why? because it's a tenth
the size of this city." "wow. suddenly 100,000 people seems like a
lot." Come to find out that we have... 0 investigators. ZERO.
wonderful. well... casa here we come. at least there's a lot to do
here. It's the biggest city I've served in, so... all good.
Friday, we wake up, study, do our groceries, I pay for both of us in
the largest spesa I've EVER made. 55 euro. wow. ouch. Then we go home,
plan, which mostly means that we discuss what our transfer goal is. I
ask Anziano Russo how many baptisms he wants to see this transfer. He
says 10. I say... wow. That's going to take a lot of work. It's
possible I guess, but... wow. The whole mission got 25 baptisms last
transfer. He says, let's do it. I say... wow, ok... that's intense. I
think what are they teaching them in the MTC these days? all right,
since I have no idea what to expect, that's our goal for the transfer.
We eat the rest of the lasagna and I realize that this kid doesn't eat
as much as Anziano Ballif. not even close to close. So we go out, and
we do some casa and some 10 inviti. I'm doing some of my best work my
whole mission, and he's following. We get in once doing casa. We give
out three book of Mormons, and get 2 potential investigators. The
other one isn't from Pesaro. So then we go home, tired like crazy, and
somehow we don't get lost. Thank you navigation skills.
Saturday, we go out and we do a lot more casa. We get a call from
Alberto, a New convert, he wants to meet us in the church at 7. phew.
I was not looking forward to casa all day. We go crazy on casa, and...
don't find anyone. ouch. But we teach Alberto, and he's a SOLID guy.
Sunday, we show up to church, and it's branch conference. By the way,
we have 15 active members here. 4 new converts and 15 less actives.
Small branch. This ain't piemonte. Or Lombardia. We're part of the
Rimini district. not even a stake. wow. Anyways, we get a new branch
president and our current branch president is now our branch mission
leader. We go out after a delicious lunch (My cooking skills are
awesome now.) and casa like crazy. We get in at the last door to a
psychological house... for minor cases. We talk with the caretaker and
one of the patients, who is apparently an ex-investigator.
Monday, we hit the casa, and then we go to start Anz. Russo's permesso
process. Then we meet with Maurizio, the psychological case.
Apparently he's been taught everything, he just won't give up
cigarettes. so we set a return appointment with him. and ask him to
come to church and read and pray. he says he will. We go out and do
more casa. niente
Tuesday, we go do some more casa, and then we eat lunch, once again
cooked by me. then we go look for bikes in a store because only one
works. Also, we go do some casa, and Anz. Russo starts to get a little
discouraged. We say a prayer, and find two potential investigators
about 20 years old. exciting! At 6, we meet with our new DLM (branch
mission leader) who has a plan all worked up for how we're going to
get referrals out of our members. we call half of them and get
appointments for every evening this week. WOOT! then we teach english,
and go home.
Today, we wake up, study, do our shopping and then go on a quest to
find an internet point. we eventually find this library that uses IE2
and windows me and I start this email. we have a lovely city. and....
that's my week.
Training is interesting. The kid barely speaks italian at all. He's
far too similar to me in that he doesn't like to plan lessons. uh oh.
It's going to be an interesting transfer. I'm a little stressed, but
mostly just happy. I'm in a city again. that gives us SO many
possibilities. we live way on the periphery of the city though. by the
way, my address is
Anziano Benjamin Jolley
Strada di Borgheria, 15
61100 Pesaro (PU)
The fact that we have only 2 investigators is driving me a little
crazy. we need a lot of prayers. We're working ourselves like crazy.
hopefully we start to find people this week. we're not going to see 10
baptisms this transfer if we don't (goodness that's a lot.)
I love you all!
Anziano Benjamin Jolley
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Saturday, February 26, 2011
Fwd: transfers
From: Benjamin Jolley
Date: Wed, Feb 23, 2011 at 3:22 AM
Subject: transfers
My dear family, transfer calls have come again. I'm off to the south of the mission, to Pesaro, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. I'm whitewashing (both of the missionaries there were transferred out), and I'm training a new missionary. That's intimidating. Especially knowing that 3 other cities are doing the same thing, and the other 3 trainer/whitewashers were Zone Leaders this transfer. This is my address, I think:
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