BAPTISM

Hey everyone!!!

This might have been one of the busiest weeks of my mission but it was GOOD! Anziano Minnoch and I had a baptism for Austin last Friday night and the Sisters had a baptism for a woman named Loredana on Saturday! Lots of members 2 of our investigators came to the baptisms and they really enjoyed it. Salvatore, someone we having been teaching for a little while, told me he is looking forward to be baptized this October. I'm looking forward to it too. 

 

Baptism for Austin

 

Such a great night!

Transfer calls are this weekend but me and Anziano Minnoch are certain we will stay with each other in Bologna which I'm super happy about. It doesn't get better than Bologna. 

 

We are teaching two people in the library.

 

This awesome week started with going up to Venice on Wednesday and Thursday to do an exchange with the elders up there. We had an appointment that was in Chioggia which is literally a costal city. It was the first time ever seeing an Italian beach!!! There were actually tiny rideable waves haha. Right when we got to back to Bologna, we went straight to work getting ready for the 2 baptisms. Everything worked out so great in the end and the spirit was so strong. 

 

Chioggia Beach - I didn't go on the sand, as tempting as it was.

 

 

 

It makes me pretty darn happy to see the effect the mission can have on another peoples lives. Missionary work in general can seriously change someone's life and yours as well. If you had a bunch of cookies you would want to share them with someone else wouldn't you?! The only difference is this is way better than any cookie. It is awesome to have this chance to be a missionary 24/7 because there aren't too many things out in the world that are as fulfilling as this. I know it is true and I am happy to give 2 years to help people know it as well. Nothing makes me happier. I love you all!

PS:  I hope everyone enjoys watching conference this weekend! I can't wait.
 

 

Me doing some missionary work on the bus

 

Sisters got this picture of me talking to a guy on the bus.

 

Elder Holland

Ciao cari amici!

Venice

 Mamma mia this week was a whirlwind and one that I'll never forget. We travelled so much and got tons of things done! It's great serving with Anziano Minnoch. We are having such a good time here in Bologna! We took a trip up to Venice for Pday today and it was super fun as always.

 

Pizza next to the Venetian Canal

 

Beautiful Venice

President Allen and his wife came here to teach with us and interview Austin for his baptism this Friday! The Allens are honestly the best. 

The sisters passed us 2 awesome people that we are now teaching. One guy is from Peru and the other is from Persia. I'm excited to see how things go with them.

 

On Sunday the whole Milano mission traveled to Milan to meet Elder Holland, one of the 12 apostles. Before the meeting began he shook all of our hands which was so cool. He didn't stand up at the pulpit to talk to us, instead he walked around which made it a much more spiritual and personal experience.

 He touched a lot on the importance of obedience and having the spirit in our efforts to find people. He said that obedience isn't just the first law of Heaven, but also the first law of everything. One thing he said about the spirit was "You can't see the spirit but you can see the effect. You can't see wind but you can see it shake the leaves." That is so true. You can't really describe what the spirit looks like but you know it's there and you can see it positively effect people's lives. The spirit is real and obedience allows it to be more present in our lives. 

Gelato with Jerry

 

My trainer and my trainee.  It's the whole family!

 

Part of the August 2015 MTC zone!

 

It is the most awesome thing in the world to teach people and see them turn their lives around. I love how this gospel doesn't just give people the hope to become better, it actually provides a way for people to become the best. 

  

I love you all so much! Ciao!!

  

-Anziano Hogan 

Miracle, Happy, hard work=joy

 Cari Miei!!
 

Cat cup with cat = nothing better!

 

 I hope everyone is doing well and happy to be back at school! Today school starts for all the kids here in Bologna. Honestly, life couldn't be better in the best city of Italy. Anziano Minnoch and I are having so much fun working hard and enjoying the great work we are doing. You would all laugh at how much pasta, pizza, and gelato we eat almost everyday haha.

 I'm actually relieved summer is over because everybody's normal life routine is back into swing so it will make missionary work a bit less challenging.

 This last week was busy, fun, and full of great experiences. Last Thursday we had a new missionary training in Milano which was super fun. I really genuinely respect and love President and Sister
Allen for so many reasons. They really are some of the nicest and most loving people.

On Sunday, one of the coolest miracles happened to our district. A woman and her husband came to church for the first time in a little while. The wife said she had been taught everything by missionaries a few years ago and wants to be baptized. It was a pretty cool miracle for the sisters, our district, and the ward! That means we will be having 2 baptisms as a district on the 24th of September!

New missionary training

 

 We are teaching a guy named Max, who had been taught by the missionaries in Bologna 3 years ago. He found us on the street and he told us that he knows the church is true and the Book of Mormon is something that has changed his life. What is interesting is that he used to be a catholic priest. We will see him again this week and we are excited to see what happens.

 I read something really nice in the scriptures this morning in Alma 31. While Alma and the other missionaries were trying to teach about Jesus Christ they ran into lots of challenges. Despite these trials, "Lord provided for them that they should hunger not, neither should they thirst; yea, and he also gave them strength, that they should suffer no manner of afflictions, save it were swallowed up in the joy of Christ." I really liked how it said that their afflictions we "swallowed up in the joy of Christ." To me that just means when we are in the service of others, doing the work of the Savior, our worries and problems become less burdensome. I've seen that countless times in the mission! I love you all and hope you have the best week!

All you can eat sushi!

 Ps. This Sunday we get to meet Elder Holland and I am so excited!!!!!!!

How could I refuse to buy this shirt?

 

Shoes I'm going to buy

GREAT WEEK!

Hey everybody,

Gelato with Austin!  He is getting baptized this month!

Post power hour gelato

Gelato with Jerry (a member)

 Like most of the weeks here in the mission, this one was great. I seriously mean it when I say, I would not want to be in any other place doing any other thing than what I'm doing right now. It's the best. Anziano Minnoch and I have been doing lots of busy work each day which makes us crash hard each night, which is the goal.

 A super cool miracle happened last Wednesday night when one of our investigators, Austin, told us that he was ready to be baptized. We have been teaching him for a while and he is seriously one of the most humble, kind, spiritual guys ever. His baptism is for the 24th of September! I've leaned that humility plays a huge part in the conversion of the people we teach. We see lots of times that the humble seek for the truth more often than those who are prideful.

While we were walking in downtown Bologna and this Italian guy waved at us so we turned around and talked to him. It turns out he was taught by the missionaries years ago and wants to meet with us again! His name is Max and we will teach him this Friday.

I am really grateful for the mission. I remember a testimony given by a missionary several months ago who said "the mission is really the most selfish thing we could do because of all the blessing we receive in return." I know that sounds weird but it's actually true. To some people, the mission can seem like a long grueling 2 years of selfless work for other people but really it is 2 years for us to learn, grow, and be happier than we have ever been before. The key to being happy is being selfless. Helping other people and seeing them become happy through your own efforts brings the best feeling in the world. I know I've definitely already received a lot more in return than what I have given. This church is true and I love this!

After a good lesson with Salvatore, one of our investigators

The California missionaries  ha ha

The August 2015 MTC crew (just some of us)

A training meeting with President and his wife.

 Love,
Anziano Hogan

Ps. Elder Holland is coming to speak to us in 2 weeks!

Following the Spirit

Ciao cari amici e famiglia,

Venezia Zone

 

 I can't believe that August is over and everyone is starting school again! People here are coming back from long vacations and things are getting back to normal which will only benefit the work even more.

 Miracles never cease in this city and they do happen everywhere as long as we look for them and rely on the spirit to lead us into the right direction.

 It's been 2 weeks so far with Anziano Minnoch and it's great to see him progressing and learning as a new missionary. He's a great kid. I feel like I was in his spot just yesterday! I have been trying set a good example for him and teach him all the things that I've learned in the mission, especially that hard work will only bless him and bring him the highest levels of joy.

 

Me and Anziano Minnoch

 I feel that joy in the mission a lot, especially when I am able to see the fruits of the hard work that we put in.

 As for the great that happened this week, Awni, one of our investigators, came to church finally and he enjoyed it a lot! We found a Peruvian man named Pedro while we were on the bus Saturday night. He is very humble and wants to see us again.

 We did a district "power hour" competition on Monday night. For some reason we were just getting no success to the point where we hit the hour, we were exhausted and about ready to finish up. It was right at this point when I saw the nicest family walk by with 2 little kids. I truly felt the spirit tell me to go and talk to them so we did and they really loved us and our message. We taught them about how the gospel can bless their family and how they can live together forever!

 In the end we prayed and the whole family stood up from the bench and the spirit was so strong. We will call them and I pray that we can see them again. It was a really nice experience and a sweet tender mercy.

 Even when we are exhausted, tired, or about to give up, we can't forget the power of the spirit. We always need to be ready for it because it will lead us to do great things. I thank Heavenly Father each day for the opportunity to come back and continue this mission that has not only blessed me, but others as well. This church is true, and it is the  best gift we could ever give someone. I I love you all, good luck at school and everything!

Post power hour gelato

 

 
love

-Anziano Hogan

Training, Greeny Fire

Ciao carri!

Crazy, fun, and exciting week here in Bologna. Just to let you all know we are totally fine and okay from the earthquake that hit last night.
 

I am lucky enough to train Anziano Minnoch from Seattle Washington!

 

The other day, I traveled to Milano to meet my new companion who is Anziano Minnoch from Seattle, Washington! Him and I have had an absolute blast together in these last 7 days and I am so excited for the next 12 weeks together here in Bologna!! Training brings a lot of responsibility but it also brings a load of fun and something we call "greeny Fire". He has it and we have been working really hard. It's really interesting being with someone who is brand new in the mission because it feels like I was in his spot just yesterday.

 

Anziano Thomson and me!!!!

 Like always, miracles have been happening here and I've seen that this work has been moving forward and it always will. While doing finding, we met a guy from the Philippines who is actually a member. He didn't know where the church was so we told him and invited him and he came! It was the first time in a very long time for him. We also found 2 new people who we will meet with again this Saturday. This week we got an online referral from a lady who wanted a Book of Mormon whose house was literally across the street from our church. It all seemed too good to be true but she exists and we taught her about the Book of Mormon and gave here a copy. The sisters will be teaching her next week. A lady that me and my last companion found just accepted a baptismal invite from the sisters!! Also, our investigator, Salvatore, came to church for the 2nd time last Sunday and he seemed to enjoy it!

In action!

 These next few weeks will be really nice because lots of people will be returning from vacation and we will have much more to do!  I also heard there is a less active member who has 9 cats... I think I know who we are visiting this coming week.


9 Cats!!

 



 I love this work so much. The time of the mission is so valuable and it goes by too quick. Lately I have been studying the importance of humility. It is not something that we can just acquire right away, rather it's something we need to grow. Humility is submitting ourselves to the Lord and trusting in him more than ourselves. Alma shows such a great example of this in Alma 26:12 "Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things; yea, behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever."

Barrel Chip

 

We found a Mexican food restaurant!!

 I love you all so much! Missionary work is the best!

 -Anziano Hogan

Gelato! (as usual)

 

The church flooded :( but we were inspired to go check it out and we saved it from bad water damage.

Training...and good things happening

Hey everybody!

 

(our district...and I'm smiling in this one)

 This was a great week. I received some pretty big news on Friday as I was making some pasta. President Allen called me and asked me to train a missionary here in Bologna! I really look forward to training someone here this city. That means I will be here in Bologna for 13 more weeks which will make a total of about 6 months here! I wouldn't want to spend 1/4 of my mission anywhere else.

We saw some really great things this week. Anziano McPherson and I tried out very best to reach our goal of 21 lessons and we almost made it! We taught 18 people this week after hours of finding and hard work. He told me that 18 is his mission record and that this last week was the most productive week of his entire mission! Pretty honored to play a role in that.

 

Anziano MacPherson and me!

Sunday was a really cool miracle day. Our investigator, Salvo, called us in the morning asking if he could come to church with us. We rode our bikes to his house and took the bus with him and he stayed for all 3 hours of church! Also, a girl who we found in the park this week actually came to church which was super sweet. Later that day we were on the bus and I felt inspired to talk to this Philippino family about the gospel. They were so nice to us and they gave us their phone number and we will hopefully meet with them this week! Following the spirit is one of the greatest things we can do and it will lead us to miracles.

It was really embarrassing on Monday when I accidentally hit a pole with my bike and broke the wheel. Everything got fixed the next day and I was back in business in no time. We had an amazing dinner at a members house on Tuesday night which was so great! They had a really nice piano and a super overweight cat which are 2 things I really like haha. I shared one of my favorite scriptures, Alma 7:23 which talks about always being humble, patient, diligent etc... It's really a scripture we should all try to live by!

 Guys the mission really is a great experience. I will never forget the people I have met and the experiences I have made. I always look forward to making more memories and helping more people. I've seen over and over again that we can become better and better each day if we set good goals, go out, and DO. It's the DO part that people miss.

Ward activity

 

All you can eat Bologna foods!!!

 Luckily we have the gospel and a loving Heavenly Father to help us along the way. I know that what I am doing and what I am teaching is 100% true, otherwise I would be out here. I've seen the lives of people change literally from sad and depressed to happy and grateful.

 It's a wonderful thing. I miss and love you all!



Our Piazza!!! Belissimo!  I'm so happy to stay here for 3 more mths!

 -Anziano Hogan