Remember, I'm still me...

Getting info out of this kid has always been a challenge. This week we only received a few very short, but sweet emails. A line in Mackenzie's email said it all...."remember I'm still me."

         

Mackenzie,                                                          

Chica???? no way that is crazy, not gonna lie I got a little emotional when I read that! Dude I miss you too. The work is hard but rewarding. When things are hard kenz fall to your knees and find strength through your Father in Heaven and your Savior Jesus Christ. Mackenzie I promise you it will work. If I have learned anything since I have been gone it's that through them you can be strengthened, no doubt. I miss you, I wish I had more time but I haven't  even written mom yet... Hahahaha remember I'm still me, but I Love being a missionary!

 love you!!

-Elder Guzzo

MOM hi. okay so I don't have very much time but this has been a much better week, no doubt. ha this sunday me and elder pula had to give a talk in sacrament meeting last minute. haha got to love being a missionary! ahhhh that picture of Zoi and Mackenzie about killed me. Is that my baby sister cheering at a high school game? I'm going to die. I haven't been gone that long but they already look so different and Zoi looks so old! Tell Ty and Zoi I love them and miss them and will write them both handwritten letters soon! ah mom I know this week's letter was totally weak I'm sorry!! next week will be much better I promise. I just want you to know I'm learning so much out here, about the gospel and about myself! I love being a missionary! I miss you and everyone but I love it!!

          bye!!

         -Elder Guzzo

sup dad? k so we invited neal and ging to baptism (I was the one who asked them) No lie, asking someone to take that huge step and be baptized is the most amazing experience ever. When you ask someone to do that, the spirit is so strong. After that lesson I knew I was supposed to be here! so cool. But NICE, I'm stoked to hear if you pass your test, the mma scene is surprisingly big out here so its nice to be able to have that connection with people! Doing much better this week. When things get hard, I have learned to go to my knees and find strength through my Savior Jesus Christ. love you man!

         -Elder Guzzo

Rainy Days ☔

HELLO  FAMILY!

so this past week has been very up and down for me, the rain out here is unbeliebable. one minute it can be sunny and the next its like a freaking tropical rainstorm. It can get super cold as well so when we are out riding our bikes in the rain its really not that fun at all. hahah mom im glad we decided to go get that rain coat the day before i left. that idea was most definitley inspired. k so we are commiting neil and ging that phillipeno couple to baptism today. i am so excited! i hope they say yes with all my heart. we found 2 new investigators this week as well, this 17 year old girl from sudan. she is so sweet and so accepting to our message. So the work is going pretty good! hopefully next week I'll be able to have a baptism scheduled but we will see!

 

This week was no doubt the hardest week so far. riding our bikes and getting dumped on is one of the most discouraging things ever, especially wherever we are riding to most of the time no one answers or they just blow us off. Had my first experience of a little persecution this week. hahah this car full of punk my age kids cruse by calling us every name in the book.. it was very hard for me to keep my cool but elder pula just laughed and smiled at them. i was blown away how he was just so chill, so i learned a lot from him right then.

 

Mom- i miss you a lot. this has been the most homesick week of my life. Im so sorry for being such a butthead over the years and i would do anyrthing for one of your hugs right about now. i love you!

 

So yeah im gonna send some pics through as well i made chicken wings! ahahah my district LOVED them hahaha and i took osme pics of our little flat and my bed and our study area and just fun stuff like that! I love you guys! this gospel is the truest thing on the earth. I know it with all my heart.

 

-Elder Guzzo

Singing at Firesides :)

8.11.13

[ I asked him a few specific questions in my email and he went straight to answering them! Finally :)]

Okay so the teaching is going good, not great but good. we are teaching this phillipeno family the couple is Neil and Ging they are so close to being baptized its crazy! they told us in our last lesson that they believe the book of mormon is true but they come from a strong catholic family and they are having a hard time commiting because of them! we will get them soon though. we also do a lot of work with less active members! we do a lot of finding as well! This mission isnt a baptizing mission its a finding mission for sure! we spend most of our day looking for people and its hard no one wants to change and everyone is jus so content with their lives its frustrating.

Elder pula and i sang in this stake fireside last night hahah it was awesome! yesterday was such a good day! we were fasting for new investigators and were having no luck. with like 20 minutes left in our fast we knock on this door and this guy let us in right away! it was so awesome. we taught him a lesson and he said the closing prayer which qualifies him as a new investigator! it was perfect. he was definitely prepared by the Lord to hear our message, the spirit was so strong during that lesson. Elder pula and i were so close to committing him to baptism right then and there because it was just going so well. but we held off and set another appointment for next weeek and we will most likely ask him to be baptized then!

I am having a lot of fun. Not going to lie, this week was hard. its been raining a ton and we were riding out bikes and tracting in the rain and i got a little sick. im fine, but yeah it was tough.

i miss you guys and i think aboout all of you all the time! i cant belive how fast its going. some days it feels like i have been gone forever but then somedays it feels like its going so fast! but i love what i am doing and there is no place I would rather be!

I made chicken wings this week! hahah i was able to find franks red hot after three different grocery store trips haha! my district loved them!

 

How are you momma? some nights I'll just sit and flip through that photo album and think about you. brett told me i wouldnt appreciate everything your mom does for you until your mission. and he was right! I seriously miss you a lot! I love you so much!

tell the fam i say hi and love them!

 

God be with you till we meet again.

-Elder Guzzo

Living in Merriwa

Hello Hello! so australia is so crazy! it is very warm here even though its winter time.. the other elders say summer is miserably hot so im not looking forward to that! My trainer is so great. Elder Pula! he is samoan and is from Aukland New Zealand! haha he is a crack up. He seriously says the most outragous things but its already starting to rub off on me! ha my area that I'm in is cool, its basically New Zealand our entire ward is maori. I love it! they are so nice and they feed us all the time! since thursday we have been fed every single night which has been nice! umm we dont have a car so that is a bummer we walk a lot and ride our bikes. you guys would die if you saw me on my bike.. just picture the biggest dork missionary with their helmet on! ha thats me! umm the email situation is BS we only get one hour to write home so that sucks. uhh what else, oh I went tracting for the first time thursday and it went pretty well acutally! Elder Pula is so good at it he just has a way of talking to people and then next thing we know we are sitting in their living room bearing testimony! hahaha. the Aussies are not that nice but the polys are so its a good thing they are EVERYWHERE out here! the sisters that are in our area are both from samoa and so Elder Pula and the sisters just speak samoan all day so basically after these two transfers of training I'll be fluent in samoan hahah! ah what else... I dont even know but I love what I am doing! being out in the field was not at all what I was expecting but its great! umm the left side of the road thing is for sure crazy. when we are riding out biking I almost died because I'm so used to the right side hahah jk i didnt almost die mom. I hope you got that picture of me and Elder Pula being gangsters on out way to do some service! I'll start taking more but those were the only two I have taken so far. How is everyone? girls camp looked like a blast I love both of those pictures so thanks for sending those! i LOVE you. I really do miss you a lot the homesickness is starting to kick in.. but I'm good! its just crazy. Tell everyone I love them and all that good stuff!

FAAAA (bye in samoan)

Love you mom.

-Elder Guzzo

He's Arrived!!

7.31.13

momma. I'm sitting here in president lindseys house! I am in perth! ah the Lindseys are so great they are the sweetest people ever. Australia has been awesome so far! Tomorrow I meet my trainer and then go to my first area! it all starts tomorrow. my p day is this monday so probably sunday home! 

I love you so much I really didn't get time to read that entire email but we were supposed to hop on and at least say we made it and are good! have fun at girls camp! I love you so much mom, thanks for everything!