The Little Things the Make Time Pass:

(They're called gears)

Oh hey..hmmm it's another Pday already. Seems like I have to type out
another email about all the wonderful things I've done in Italy
recently. Well, for starters, I taught lessons. We watched Meet the
Mormons with Ester and her mother, that was great. We taught Ting the
full lesson on the Gospel, again with the help of Ester. Ester teaches
as much as we do.
We had a heap of cancelled lessons, which is normal, and we had a lot
of scheduled appointments disappear or lost after endless phone calls
without answers. That's also normal.
It's getting hot...nowhere near as bad as last year, so I have no
complaints. I can still sleep with my bedcovers on, so it's not
unbearable...obviously.

But all in all, I am doing fine! A pinched nerve in my neck has been
my only setback, I just have to ignore. This week was transfers, so
Anziano Sean Penfold in our district was moved to Modena, I believe,
and in came Anziano Lott to Vercelli. Both he, and my companion, are
in their last transfers. Both will be 'dying' this transfer, and both
Anziano Carnahan and I will be 'killing' them...which means we will
both probably do at least another transfer here after they go! (Unless
they still close this area in Novara)

Tonight, Jake, our American friend is beginning a book reading
tutorial class to help teach English to Italians. Since we don't have
an English class running here in Novara, he's asked us to join and
participate (for free)'and it should help our missionary work by a
lot. The class will be reading Tom Sawyer. If you want to join...uh,
come to Novara.

Now here's the uplifting spiritual part! These are the things I've
read, and brief summaries:
John 1:1-14. Who can deny that Jesus Christ is the light and the life?
What a great passage.

Malachi 3:6. For he is the same! Mormon 9:9, there's no shadow of a changing?
If God never changes, than neither does the gospel, and neither does scripture!

2 Nephi 29:8-9. God's work is not yet finished, and never will be in
your lifetime. Learn all that you can from the witnesses that He
lives! (Everything)

Benché sono timido e non parlo molto, io ho una testimonianza! So
sicuramente che Gesù Cristo è l'unico genico figlio del nostro Padre
Celeste, e loro ci amano più che comprenderemmo mai. Il Libro di
Mormon è un libro di scritture sacre, è stato scritto per nostro
benessere spirituale. Queste cose sono fatti a me, e loro rendo qui
nel nome di Gesù Cristo..Amen

--Anziano Benge

Novara is -———-

You can fill in the blank or come to understand that I meant 'blank'.
As in, Novara is blank. Or flat, or empty. Every time I see the alps
in the far off distance it reminds me. Ok, it's not totally empty, but
I feel as though I know it like the back of my hand. It's just a very
simple place.

On Sunday, we had a dinner with an inactive American who lives in
Galliate. We ate fajitas.
Fajitas don't exist here, so it surely was a treat. It was more of a
dinner party, with several associates and students of this member (he
served a mission here long ago, and now teaches English). We had to
teach all the Italians how to make fajitas. They didn't understand
that you used your hands, and that the veggies and meat were supposed
to be all mixed together in the tortilla. We met some interesting
people, like Maryke from South Africa, and Serena from the
Illinois/Missouri border; who were both our age. As well as two
Italians who were our age, Marco and Martina, I think. They played
guitar, and I got to play some after we ate our gelato dessert. I
haven't played guitar forever! Yikes

Monday to Tuesday I had an exchange with Anziano Penfold in
Vercelli. We had a few lessons, but he also showed me the nearly
completed chapel that they're building. It's in a distant location
that almost makes me angry; it's already extremely difficult to get
people to come to church, not to mention ourselves. Now, the new
church, which will open in September or July, is a twenty minute walk
from the station, and no buses that go near it. Rain, or boiling sun,
the suited missionaries of Novara and their nervous investigators are
going to have to take the costly 20 minute train ride and then walk 20
minutes to get to church. Just to get wifi on Pday, it will take
Novara Anziani over an hour there, and an hour back...making iPad
services for emailing defunct. It will be better to go to Internet
points and pay to use computers, like we did my first transfer in
Italy.
I think of this, and realize it's such a small sacrifice compared
to what others might have to do, I'll try not to complain, as I've
already done too much.
I love this as it is, and know the church is true.

Vi voglio tanto bene
--Anziano Benge
-1- Galliate
-2- Vercelli, alps in the distance

I should probably change something up.

One of the worst things about missionary work in Novara is that you
fall into a boring habit every week. You always leave the house at the
same time to always do finding at the exact same park, because it's
the only place people exist. We always teach the same people Friday at
4. We always teach the same people Thursday nights. Church, institute
where no one comes. Pday, where it costs us too much to go anywhere,
we don't have wifi...
The thing I can see to fix this would be passing inactive members in
distant lands, but again, the problem is we don't have money, AND all
the missionaries before us were the same as bored, so they've already
compiled a list of what inactive members don't want to see us (half of
them), and which ones don't live at the address anymore (the other
half).
Sorry, I feel as though there is nothing else to remark to you.
Everything is progressing slowly, but fine.
Shoutout to Sister Liz Surace who just left on her mission to the SLC
temple, she'll be in the MTC. Also thanks to Endurance, the most
faithful Nigerian member in the stake. Thanks to Victor Sponton, who
always knows when our nights are open, and invites us to Burger King
or homemade food with non members. Much thanks to Ester Celgie, the
most recent convert here; she is extremely faithful, makes our
missionary work so much easier, and is the best friend anyone could
have.

Vi voglio tanto bene!!

--Anziano Benge

I'm trying not to be bored

Dear, Adatti Vernici Schioccati
This email will send when I get wifi. That may take a while as:
-Novara has no wifi in it.
-We didn't make it to the church
-Tomorrow we have to go to Brescia for my companion's Permesso.

He's in his 14th transfer, and yet he still has to go apply for a new
one though he'll be home in three months. This is Italian/mission
beauracracy. Anziano Jaques, from Boise, he draws and is a really fun
guy.

We're making the best out of Novara. It's not bad, we're just...alone
out here. If Italy was like the USA, Novara is like the city: Grand
Island. Never heard of it? It's because it is in Nebraska, and that's
how I am beginning to feel. It is just the Italian Midwest, lest
spunk, more dowdiness. I'm not complaining, I'm just putting it how it
is; I'd LIKE to leave sometime in the future, but I'm also not going
to escape...unless I start melting. I could stay here for a long time
and have no problem with that.

We teach a lot of inactives. We taught a guy named Gian Luca in
Vigevano; the first time we'd met him (Anz. Young and I) we gave him a
Book of Mormon. As we met him this second time, he'd already read to 1
Nefi chapter 20. We're definitely sticking with this guy, whenever we
can get out there!!

I've done some reflecting, and I partially consider myself able to
write some in Italian, so enjoy this poem I made for you:

-Or sono; Mi parse così
Or sei; Le tue vestigia ne seguì
Fiamma vivissima, il tuo sorriso fu
Il sacro fuoco guida, e mi pigli tu
Or sono; Mi parse un secolo
Or sei, non mai troppo lontano
Incendio baldanzoso, l'amore sempre c'è
-Mi butto nei braci, il motivo—? Ardevo per te

Anyway, I'm gonna go na
Love,
--Anziano Benge

No time at all...and niente

Transfers
I have nothing to say , and no time to say it. We saw Anziano Young
off, my new companion will be Anziano Jaques, but he comes in tomorrow
from Bolzano so I know nothing about him. I spent 2 weeks with Anz.
Young here in Novara, and he's a good guy! Now he's gone, but we had
good work! Our week has been finding, and member passbys, and saying
goodbye.
I'll be in Vercelli with Anziano Penfold and Anziano Carnahan until
tomorrow, but now I've got to go... We'll hear from each other!

--Anziano Benge
(Arona, a beautiful lake city)

Novara, the Italian China

The covered hall to the castle in Vigevano

The view from the castle's hall (Vigevano)

This email title is not in reference to our Chinese investigator Ting,
who is taking the lessons. She is from near Shanghai, kinda. And has
lived here for a few years and has started saying prayers, it's
awesome.
No, really the title is because this area in Piemonte (Piedmont), is
packed with rice paddies and more rice paddies. On trains, we just see
blue sky on the ground as well as upwards. It's cool, but it also
makes Novara the highest population for mosquitos ever. Darn
My companion is Anziano Young, he is from Bountiful UT and totally did
the theater program at Woods Cross High school. We already sing around
the town, except I don't remember English or lyrics. He has really
really bad allergies, but it only uses like 50 tissues a day and
doesn't stop the work. Hopefully it gets better in summer or he's
going to have a hard summer, poor guy. I'm his 4th companion and this
is his first city still. His last two companions both were moved to
the office, so I really hope it doesn't happen to me as well.
We have Ting as our progressing investigator, everyone else are
inactive, and of course we do 6 hours of finding everyday. Yeah.
Novara is nice, nothing compared to Firenze, I wish I hadn't been
transferred but it wasn't my choice. I've seen Mortara (it's ugly) and
the awesome village of Vigevano (awesome castle and piazza there).
That's it for now!!

--Anziano Benge
(The only thing in Novara is outside our window)

Always Space Transfers

--Anziano Benge

Surprise surprise, I was told Sunday that I am leaving (at noon
today), luckily I had given my testimony because I wasn't told until
after sacrament. I had two days to say goodbye to everyone and pack.
No more Firenze, no more Toscana, and exactly like when I came to
Florence, I'm replacing the Elder who is going into the office.
Apparently whenever the train a new Office Elder early, I'm supposed
to go clean up whatever city they're leaving.
My new city: Novara, for those who have never heard of it (most of
you), it borders my first area of Lampugnano on the west, but is in
Piedmont and is the second largest city in Piedmont after Turin. Also,
I hear, that there is literally nothing there. Who knows, it doesn't
even have it's own ward, and I'll have to go to Vercelli every Sunday
on train.
My new companion will be Anziano Young, he's been there for four
transfers so he might only stay these last two weeks. He's the trainee
of Anziano Taylor, the Zone Leader here in Firenze. I'm not way
excited, and I hate being thrown around, but I'm going in with a good
attitude. Apparently there are some nice lakes to visit, and Aosta (A
city I want to open) is in my zone, and so is the Matterhorn..so,
yeah!
I said goodbye to Mauro, the wonderful man who was baptized soon after
I arrived. I said goodbye to Austin and Iyke, my Nigerian brothers. To
Malu and Paolo, who hopefully will be baptized this summer, and she
gave me two really nice expensive pens (and a kilo of fresh Parmigiano
to take with me). I will miss Firenze!!! I will miss Bishop Ferrini,
Isaac Tatsap (mission leader), Fratello Riccardo Brighella (we helped
him optimize his new smartphone with accessibility for his 96%
blindness), Sorella Letizia Boschi, Fratello Rich Rodgers, the Mulkay
twins, Richard Boakye from Ghana, Jerry and Patrick as well, Luigi,
Alex, 'crazy' Roberto Romagna, Alessandro e Manuela, Felix, and
everyone!!
We had a successful week, we taught, we set a baptism date with Felix
(who just moved from the Reggio missionari to us). We worked hard, and
we stopped weirdo agnostics on the street. There was a soccer game
yesterday 3-on-3 in a tiny court, Missionaries versus ragazzi (some
boys that had made fun of the other Elders). I didn't play, because
I'm terrible and it wouldn't have been fair, but I taught 3 watching
children the gospel and they accepted it and brought pamphlets to
their parents. The game's deal was, if the 'Americans' win ten points
first, then they were allowed to teach the Italian teens the first
lesson; if the Italians won, then the Americans would buy kebap for
them all. We won 10-7 fair and square. Anziano Taylor and Anziano
Pesci will teach them this coming Saturday.
Last Friday we were near centro to teach a lesson, then we stumbled
into 20 carabinieri with riot shields, and another handful with gas
masks and suits. We got ourselves away, and found out that ISIS was
doing a demonstration parade thing. Nothing bad happened, other than
we had to cancel our lesson.
That's all for now! I love the mission!
(The banks of Parco Cascine from Viadotto del'Indiano)