Ciao!!

Hey Family and friends!

Avocados!

The Barbone Family
 

 It seems like time here in Lodi and the office moves quicker than at any other point of my life. Maybe that's just what happens when you get older in the mission, or maybe just life in general haha. Really though it was another awesome week here, as usual. Anziano Simmons and I continuing to help keep the mission afloat buying tickets, solving problems, making orders etc. It really is a team effort working with the President, Senior couples, and all other missionaries, we just play our part to help this work move forward.

Duomo

 Anziano Simmons and I, both being from Orange County, decided to buy some California-like Avocados! We ate them and we celebrated the fact that we are companions and from the same place. We did some good service this week helping members and missionaries move furniture. A family from England moved into the apartment across from us and we helped them move in. We've just been constantly trying to do service for them and they have really become good friend of ours.

A normal thing to find in Milano

 Last Sunday was pretty special because I gave a talk on the topic of the simplicity of the Gospel. It went really well! This week I was also able to finish the Book of Mormon again. I completely agree with what Joseph Smith said in the introduction that it is the "keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book.” I have learned many things from my mission, but one of the things I am most grateful for is learning for myself the meaning of what Joseph Smith said. My goal is to help others discover the same thing. I really love you all!

Have an awesome week.

Festive Week!

Hey everyone!

Anziano Thomson...my future roommate at BYU

 It was a great week full of lots of hard work and festivities. I want to thank everyone who wished me a happy birthday! This birthday was as good as a birthday could get on a mission. It started off with a super solid church meeting with some of my favorite members. When we walked into the church, this amazing member named Lilly came right up to me and said "Anziano Hogan aguri e buon compleanno!!" That made my year. She invited us over for a birthday lunch and we ate sooo much good Peruvian food. At the end, she gave me a piece of banana cake that was literally bigger than my face.

They put balloons on my desk!

The Diaz family who game me a huge lunch and I love them because they have an awesome cat!

 We had an awesome lesson later that day with a super great Filipino family we found doing passbys the other week. They all want to come back to church and the non member husband wants to start taking the lessons!  Later that night, the whole office threw me a little birthday party. Sorella Hoopes made me her special banana cream pie, which made me almost cry it was so good. It was my third cake of the day but it was so worth it.

Sorella Hoopes

As a birthday present, I got a pillow that had cats all over it, thanks to my awesome companion Anziano Simmons and the help of President's wife.

Yay!!

 On Valentine's Day, the Hoopes senior couple made biscuits and gravy and we had an office breakfast with President and his wife!

Anziano Minnoch and me!

Anziano Simmons - my great companion at the Duomo!

 I have been reflecting a ton this week on the talk given by Elder Uchtdorf "It works Wonderfully". The simple truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ sometimes can be overlooked as we focus too much on the complicated things that don't matter as much. As Elder Uchtdorf said in his talk "This beautiful gospel is so simple a child can grasp it, yet so profound and complex that it will take a lifetime--even an eternity--of study and discovery to fully understand it." We need to focus on what matters most and accept that we won't come to know everything in this life.
I know this is Gospel is true, and it sure does changes lives.

Lodi

I love you all. Have the best week.

Busier than Ever!

Ciao everyone!

An arancino!  My favorite Italian Food!

 

Pday Calcio!

 I know every single week I say it was busier than ever but this week topped all of those weeks off. Apart from our duties here in the office, we take care of the arriving new missionaries and the
departing old missionaries all within 3 days! It was so awesome greeting the new incoming fresh missionaries and seeing their excitement to serve in Italy for the next 2 years! It was also a cool
experience to compare the new missionaries who have 2 years ahead of them and the missionaries who have served for 2 years. The sisters from my MTC district were part of the going home group so that was a sad goodbye. We definitely didn't get a ton of sleep the last few days but it was such a blast. Anziano Simmons and I love the office and all its craziness. We also still cant get over the fact that we are companions and we were friends before the mission!!!

Ruiz diaz family

 

The Rodriguez Family...so awesome!

 
We had some great lessons this week and some awesome tender mercies happen. While we were at the airport, a guy came up to me and the President's wife, telling us that he printed one of the first hymn books in Italian 30 some years ago and he wants to meet with missionaries!

A family in our ward pranks every missionary that leaves the city and they accidentally got flower in the car  hahahaha...

We have some great people we are working with who should be getting baptized in a couple weeks. The office is a busy place but it's still missionary work and I love helping all the missionaries in the mission. When we go outside to do things I'm more driven to talk to more people because I love that kind of missionary work. I know that this church is true without a doubt and I love seeing it change lives! It's seriously the best, every time I read the Book of Mormon I feel SO much better. That's because the Book is true.

I love what I'm doing out here, I love where I live, I love the people. Have the best week and Happy Valentine's Day!





Transfers and Awesomeness

Hello everyone!

My new zone

It was a great week here in the office getting ready for the upcoming transfers. It is so cool how close we get to work with President Allen. I never thought I would be able to work with someone so spiritual and warm hearted as he is. We went bowling with him and everyone else in the office which was super fun.

It seems like with President's wife and the office senior couple always around, you're always able to find fresh muffins or cookies in the kitchen haha.

It is a blast with Anziano Simmons and Anderson.  Anziano Anderson has been doing a great job training me on everything I manage for the mission. It really is different from normal missionary life but we are still doing missionary work, just a different kind of missionary work.

The office is 30 minutes away from our assigned city which is a change for me but our Heavenly Father still blesses us with people to meet and people to find. Sunday is the full day we get to work there! 

Pday lunch at the president's house

On Sunday, a member in our ward who is from Peru, fed us lunch and then after, walked around the city with us to visit all the people she gave copies of the Book of Mormon to. Then we walked into an old folks home and she had us greet almost every single disabled senior there. Everyone was smiling and some were even crying at the site of 3 young missionaries smiling and greeting everyone. I have never met someone so Christlike than this member here in Lodi. We also had an. We are teaching a few awesome people from Nigeria who love the gospel and should be getting baptized soon. I really love this country and the people here. I know without a doubt that this church is true, I'm so
stoked to be out here! 

Have the best week!

Love you all!
-Anziano Hogan

The Monza Villa

Google glasses virtual tour of the Villa

Baptism and Transfer

Ciao cari!

 Mi mancate! Sono proprio felice qua.

This week Marco was baptized!!! His wife and two kids were there and the room was completely packed. It was definitely one of the most rewarding moments of my entire mission. His wife is a member from Ecuador and she was the one who originally introduced him to the church. In one of the very first lessons we had, Marco promised his wife that they would get married in the temple.

 I'm eternally grateful for the opportunity to be a part of Marcos life and baptism!

 This last Saturday I got a new assignment from President Allen to be the new mission Clerk. I will be companions with Anziano Simmons (who is from the Laguna Niguel stake!!!) and together we are basically the nerds who deal with the mission cars, charts, finances etc. We work most of the day in the office while still working with the ward of Lodi, Milano. I hear they are a killer ward with awesome families. Its definitely a huge change to my normal missionary life but I really look forward to it.

 It is sad to be leaving this place!! I feel like whichever city I go to, I join a new family and make friends that I'll never forget. I'll miss it but I have a super good excuse now to come back and visit. I
sure learned a lot here and I had a great time with Anziano Bruggeman. In this city I've learned a lot about the importance of love. It is the most powerful tool to making this world a better place and helping others become happier. I really love you all and I'm enjoying everything I doing here.

 In the office our pdays are usually Saturdays but sometimes Wednesday.
My new address is:
Via Antonio Gramsci 13/2
20090 Opera MI
Italia

Snow!!!!

Selfie on the tram!

I drew a snow cat!

Snow!

January 18, 2017

Another week in such a great part of the world. This week it snowed which was super cool! also freezing cold. I've gotten like a hundred comments from people who laugh at how I'm from California and I'm here in the cold. It's honestly so great here despite the challenges. Very often we are lead to certain places and people at just the right moments. We are always able to find tender mercies, and that is because the work we are doing is true.

 On Thursday we traveled to Pordenone to do an exchange and help them out a bit. The next day we did another exchange with the elders from Vicenza which was a blast because that's when it dumped Snow!

 In Italy there are huge sales going on right now, so Anziano Bruggeman and I used that as an excuse to buy new Italian suits. They look great by the way. We will wear them tomorrow for our zone conference and take some pictures don't worry!

 I think it's so awesome how much I learn out here. I am so grateful I have chosen to serve a mission. Unfortunately some people think that missions make us miss out on life and waste time, but it's
sort of the opposite. I've done more, seen more, and learned more than I ever would have if I were to have stayed home. I'm grateful for every moment of it. This weekend, Marco is getting baptized! He has the best little family in the world. Him and his wife want to get married in the temple next year which makes me so insanely happy. I love you all.

Anziano Hogan

Great Week(s)

 

Ciao Family and Friends!

Things continue to go pretty well for us here and we honestly are seeing lots of cool blessings. Thankfully this week was pretty mellow because we didn't have to travel for trainings or for other
miscellaneous things. We were able to focus so much more on our work, and lots of good came out of it.

Back of the boat bus

 We are trying to make this city turn into something big again. Years ago the missionary work was basically flourishing and with time and whatever the reasons may have been, its been a bit tough. We have been wanting to get a bigger English class so we ordered 5000 English class flyers that the mission office helped us design, and in just 5 days we have passed out about 700. I heard that the last time missionaries did this big of an English Class invitavate, the class size quadrupled. I'm sure it will help our missionary work out a ton so I guess we will see! Its all about being creative and doing work.

Ponte Rialto Venice

 Last Friday a cool thing happened after we had passed out a ton of flyers. We were about to head home to make calls but we felt like we should hop on a tram instead. Because of that we met two people who wanted to meet with us again. One of them is from Nigeria, and he said that he and his family would love to come to church. Super cool!

Venice sun set

 So, I wanted to share something I had reflected on a lot this week. We always teach others to be like Christ who was perfect right? Well how can we be perfect if we are far from it, being imperfect beings. Well the definition of perfect isn't just "without flaw", it is also "complete". What it really comes down to, as far as striving to be perfect, is we have to always ask ourselves if what we are doing is helping us feel complete as a person. I've definitely seen that when I am doing something wrong, I feel like a part of me is missing. So the more perfect we are striving to be, the more whole or complete we should feel. This gospel is meant for us to become happier and more successful. I am so insanely grateful for being a tool in this work.

 
It is real and it is true. Have a super awesome week!


WILLY'S LETTER FROM JANUARY 4, 2017

Venice on a boat

 

BUON ANNO!!

This marks my first email of 2017 woahhh. Seriously an awesome week we had here, just like most weeks. The days leading up to New Years were a bit slow because people must have been preparing for the big celebration. However, we still did work! On New Year's Eve we did a display in Mestre downtown which got us a couple numbers.

Murano

 As for our celebration, Anziano Bruggeman and I went to our ward New Years party and then got home around nine. We played some games and then watched the fireworks and crazy people lighting off M80s in the street. At 12am we hear Katy Perry "Roar" blasting in Mestre downtown haha.

 On Monday we drove to Verona, then to Milano for a leadership conference which was super sweet. We just discussed how we could improve the mission. On Tuesday we did 2 conferences for the Zone; one in Mestre and the other in Pordenone. All went well and everybody seemed to love it.
Today we walked around Venice and then took a boat to Murano, which is famous for its glass. I found a few cats there so I think we will be going back soon haha.

Mission Counsil

 

 In our conferences, we have been talking about how we can become better and more effective missionaries. Our mission president always says that when we do things with our hearts, we will always find success. There is a secret to success in this life, and luckily I am able to discover what that is while serving here in Italy. Love is the key, and when we put it towards the things we do and the people we serve, so much will come out of it. Jesus Christ was the perfect example of this love. I love you all and I seriously love being a missionary up here in Northern Italy. I wouldn't trade it for
anything. Have the best first week of this year!

I found a cat on the island of Murano!!  It's name is Mimi

 

The cat was so chubby!!!

 Love, Anziano Willy Hogan

Ps. If you are nice enough to send me a package, send it to my mission
home address. Letters are totally fine to be sent to the city I am
currently serving in. Love you ALL!

Buon Anno!!

Ciao a Tutti!!

Hey Everyone!! It was so awesome to talk to some of my family on Christmas!

 

 

Venice at night

 This Christmas was the best one I have ever had!  We actually did finding on Christmas because we had an open morning after the one hour of church. We found two new people on the bus to Venice and on the way back as well. Later in the day we went to Fratello Max Frani's house to Skype the family and eat the BEST dinner ever. He taught us how to make a dessert that goes back 300 years ago. We also watched Hercules for Christmas!

Christmas Eve Diner!

 Transfers came this week and I'm staying with Anziano Bruggeman for another 6 weeks in Mestre-Venice! Super glad about that! We are working so hard together and we have a baptism coming up in January for Marco.

Last week we also did a couple exchanges with missionaries from Padova and Vicenza which was super great. After knocking on what seemed like 100 doors, a University student let us in and we shared the Christmas message! They want us to come back next week! Cool miracles have been happening around Christmas time! People's hearts really do open up a little bit during this time of year.

I say this Christmas was the best one I've ever had because I have basically been celebrating Christmas for the last year and a half, so when Christmas came I was so stoked!! It's never been so clear to me, the significance of the birth of Jesus Christ. We now have New Years too!! I hope everyone makes good goals, ones that you can actually keep. I'm so grateful for my Savior Jesus Christ. I know Christmas is over but we can still be lights and examples of Him!

Buon Natale e Buon Capo D'Anno!

 Love you guys!!!

Making the 300 year old recipe of Calcionetti

 

The district!