Week 12.... I Believe

sheesh, another quick week.

it was a good one. despite my super close buddies getting transferred out of our area and apartment, it was fun. on saturday, my birthday, these guys made it one to remember. first off, they went and bought fake ray ban glasses to casually make fun of the ones i had bought...it was hilarious haha. they made some amazing food and dolce, and we finished it off with some Napoletanna pizza for dinner...my favorite :) i feel bad because we ended up staying up til like 11:30 talking and laughing about random stuff, so we were pretty tired the next day. but hey, it was my birthday..

anyway, we had some interesting experiences this last week, some were bad, some were good. I think i'm going to just ignore the bad ones and talk about a good one or two. so, one lesson we had with this 21 year old couple on wednesday went great. their names are Guido and Flori. it was our first lesson with them. they are soo sick, they speak good english too. they are both studying to be doctors, and Guido is a professional Sailor...so sick! anyway, we talked about our message and such, but we asked them why they wanted to meet with us and what they wanted to get out of our lessons. she said, "well, you're so happy, i can tell. and you're especially happy when you talk about your church. so i guess i want to know why you guys are so happy all the time...if that makes sense" lets just say from there, the lesson went swimmingly haha. they asked so many great questions and the spirit was definitely there testifying of the truth. we met some pretty cool people while finding and have high hopes, as usual. oh, almost forgot, we got a baptismal date for Guido and Flori! it's on pace for may 23rd!

man, I truly do love it out here. it's honestly pretty tough and tiring to be a full time missionary, but it is totally worth it. just seeing the happiness our message brings makes it all worth it. It's a huge learning experience for me out here, and it would take me forever to tell you everything i have learned so far. generally speaking, one of the biggest things i have grown to learn, is that God knows and loves all of us individually. He created us, He knows us perfectly. He knows exactly how we feel in every situation, and He will always be there for us. however, he does require that we ask for help when we need it. i have learned many times, that He does in fact hear our prayers, and He will answer them, as long as we are listening with real intent. dont give up no matter how hard it gets, because He is always there, especially when we think He isnt. I have perfect knowledge of this, and it brings me peace knowing so.

I love you all so much.

anziano blaise

Week 11, General Conference and Pasqua/Pasquetta ..

well...hello everyone,

let me first start off by saying how awesome these past few days have been. so much has happened this last week, I think i only have time to talk about the past couple days.

as you all know, general conference was this weekend, which is basically christmas here in the mission haha, its so sick. we went to the church to watch it since we dont have a tv. and since we're 8 hours ahead of Utah, we had to watch it at odd times kinda. but it was so sweet.

on saturday night, we watched the saturday morning session of conference, and it was sweet. tons of focus on families and marriage and the whole eternal aspect, which truly is amazing to think about. we bought a bunch of snacks to bring to the church to snack on during our GEN CONF MARATHON lol. the next day on sunday, we got to the church around 9am to watch the saturday afternoon session, and our 75 year old romanian friend Gheorge Bob showed up to join us. after that, he had to go home to make food. then, we watched priesthood session, twice. one time in italian and another time in english (long story). then we snacked for a bit before we started the sunday morning session at 6pm our time. and upon starting it, a member named Vincenzo comes in to join. Not sure if i have talked about him previously, but he is quite the character. he's mentally unstable, and talks at very high volume and nonstop. so, during conference, he would often talk, usually to himself, and took a total of 200 selfies at least, with the computer screen in the background. all in all it was an interesting experience.

despite the disturbances, i really took a lot from this conference. it helped me to come to the realization of many things such as the importance of family, and the atonement. the atonement is a broad subject, but one thing i felt was repeated, luckily, was the fact that we must MOVE ON from our mistakes. Heavenly Father cares about who we are, not what we WERE. He sent His only begotten son to this earth, so that the burden of sin may be lightened so much, even completely off our shoulders. through His atonement, we can not only become clean and happy again, but we can forget our mistakes and, like God, remember them no more. it truly is the best gift, along with eternal families of course.

monday was sweet. other than deep cleaning in the apartment, it was Pasquetta, which literally means little Easter, in Italy. and it is a huge holiday. so, we went to this Italian family in our ward the Bruno's house. we had a 6 hour pranzo, then went back. it was so much fun. everyone was just laughing and having a great time the whole 6 hours. we had 6 courses of food followed by some amazing desserts, yes more than one dessert. the Italians are so loving and I love it. as soon as the found out I was american they just always called me "Anziano Americano!" and they thought it was so cool that i spoke english (even though italian is way cooler)

anyway, once we got back from this feast, we had about 30 minutes of proseltying time. i was bummed we had to do it, but it was whatever, so we said our prayers and went out. let me tell you, we saw a total of 3 people the entire time, stopped all of them, and only one was willing to talk with us. i felt prompted to ask if he believed in God, he said no and that he was agnostic. long story short, 10 minutes later, we have each other's phone numbers and an appointment to meet with this 16 year old named Gabrielle this week to explain how to know if God exists and how to enjoy the happiness that this brings into our lives. if anything, it was just a reminder to never give up. even if it seems like nothing will get done and its pointless to go out and proselyte, its not. the Lord works in mysterious ways, and obviously knew we would go out finding, and put this guy in our path for a reason. i look forward to find out what this reason is, and to encounter many more miracles similar to this one throughout my mission. i'm so blessed to be out here in Italy, and I wouldnt trade it for the world. i love you all so much, and think and pray for you every day. God bless

love, 

anziano blaise

here's part of napoli and mt. vesuvius

got some glasses, lol not prescription

so yeah, that thing im eating is gelato..i dont wanna even explain how good it was cuz you will all cry from jealousy ;)

Week 10 , Alma 26:27

well guys, this week was awesome, overall.

It is honestly crazy how fast time flies out here, and all i hear is that it will keep going by faster every transfer. It was a busy week, but mostly for the better. some highlights:

Had my first Pranzo with an investigator and his fam! this guy is awesome and so is his family. his name is Massimo, and he is a dentist. he is probably in his late 40's if I were to guess, and he has 3 kids. the oldest, Marco, is 20 and super cool. they have an 18 year old daughter who is cool too but i forgot her name. and they have a 9 year old named Alessandro who is super legit at soccer, of course. and the wife is sooo nice and an amazing cook. Mamma Mia...that food was "in gamba" which basically means "on point" in english. it was funny because they offered us wine while we were waiting for food to be done, and so we ended up talking about the word of wisdom and why we dont drink wine. and they honestly respected us a ton, it was cool. they had so many questions about our church, and we answered all of them throughout pranzo. they also told us they wanted to take us somewhere some P day because they said that we're fun to hang out with I guess...so yeah these people are soo sick. and Massimo is pretty dark, so I think he's Sicilian, which is awesome. and then, after pranzo, we taught a long lesson about the restoration of the church. it went pretty well. they had great questions and are eager to learn more. they committed to read the book of mormon and to pray to know if it is true. and we explained to them how that, if the book is true, that it means that this church is in fact the RESTORED church of Jesus Christ here on the Earth. and the best part was, they didnt speak much slang or dialect, so i understood about 95% of what they said! it was so refreshing to here actual italian haha.

Another brief story. another investigator, Larissa, we met with on saturday morning. the lesson went super well. she's 20 years old and atheist. however, she is very open for discussion and is open to new ideas and beliefs. so, we ended up talking about the book of mormon, the restoration, and the plan of salvation as well (my favorite lesson). she is super cool, honestly. and she speaks pretty decent english. anyway, after the KILLER lesson, she also committed to read from the book of mormon, but she wasnt sure about praying. its something we will have to work with her on, but its tough seeing as she doesnt even know if God exists. so, I told her she should pray, just simply to ask God if He exists, and she said she would. so we will see how that went when we meet next. but the best part is she came to church yesterday! we sat with her and explained to her what was going on and she asked a lot of questions, which was good. and she had to leave right at 10 in order to get to work, so she missed the last 10 minutes of sacrament meeting, oh well. but we texted her last night asking how she HONESTLY liked it, and she said she loved it! she likes how it doesnt feel like a church really, she said it feels more like a family with common beliefs. I loved her answer. I love families and I love this Gospel because of the family-oriented core.

Guys, aside from all the amazing times this week, it was tough. we got cancelled on several times, got rejected, had a couple weird and rough lessons, but theres always light at the end of the tunnel. I was pretty discouraged on wednesday because of the lack of success we were having overall after all of our efforts. then, I actually remembered a scripture I read while back in the MTC. it is in Alma 26:27. it says, "now when our hearts were depressed and we were about to turn back, behold, the Lord comforted us, and said, "Go amongst thy brethren, the Lamanites(Italians), and bear with patience thine afflictions, and I will give unto you success."

This really struck me. I decided that I wasnt going to give up and throw in the towel. I immediately said a quick prayer in the other room, asking for help and guidance. immediately after, i felt like calling 3 potential investigators that werent answering us the whole week. surprisingly enough, they all answered their phones. 2 of them were Larissa and Massimo, who we met with and had AMAZING lessons and have great expectations and hopes for them. another was Rodriguez, who we set an indefinite appointment with him this week!

If anyone can learn anything from this, its that the scriptures  can help us today. they may have been written thousands of years ago, but they reveal truths, that are still true today. and more importantly, promises from God. I decided to call upon one of those promises, and it worked. I know God is there, and that He hears our prayers, and answers them IF we have faith that He will. I know He loves us all more than we can comprehend. I am so grateful to be under His watchful eye and to do His work every day. I love it out here. great experiences every day. dont give up guys, no matter what it may be. God is there, especially when we think He isnt. Pray always. Obey the commandments. Have Faith. Repent daily. Love one another. all of these things will bring nothing but peace and pure joy into your life. I love you all so much and pray for you all every day and night. Miss you guys.

God be with you til we meet again,

Anziano Blaise

Week 9 Caserta,Italy

I lost track of what week this is. all i know, is that the weeks go by exponentially faster haha. this week was nothing crazy, but quite busy. my comp and I had many appointments and lots of finding to do. we visited some less active members and new converts, as well as our progressing investigator: Fiorenza.

Good news is, she is planning on getting baptized April 11th! such a great day to be baptized...lol. also, these awesome 18 year olds named Dennis and Daniel, new converts, are working with us a lot. theyre both Albanian, but speak perfect italian and very good english. we give each other tips with the languages. we plan on going on splits with them this week to give them more prep for their missions in the future, as well as help us cover more ground. they are awesome guys, and we hope to use their fellowshipping to our advantage. they plan on bringing some buddies to english course this week, so we will see where this goes. also, two main potential investigators, Rodriguez (from Dominican Republic) and this guy Massimo (from Sicily) are looking pretty awesome. we hope to meet this week, and challenge them to baptism. and hopefully, baptize their families as well. we are seeing progress slowly but steadily out here in Caserta. it's tough because there arent many people out here, but anything is possible.

My italian is making baby steps each and every day, and I couldnt be more grateful. my comp is forcing me to be in charge of the phone this week...yikes. its really hard to understand italians on the phone, so wish me luck! we also casually got some more "Nap"/Nappoletanna pizza twice this week. man this stuff is incredible. we also had mission conference on friday in rome and it was sweeeet. learned a lot actually. 

in essence, i learned to never give up, and never bail out on an opportunity, whether i think it will work or not. just because you get rejected doesnt mean you did anything wrong! some people just arent ready to hear the Gospel quite yet, and thats ok. however, on the street this week, i stopped some pretty sketchy looking people, which we usually dont, but some of them turned out to be pretty awesome, so i definitely will not miss out on stopping anyone from now on. we set up a couple appointments and a couple people want some Books of Mormon, but other than that, this week has kinda just been a fun and uneventful one haha.

I learn every day things I need to improve on. but I also learn we cant get down on ourselves for our faults and weaknesses. one of my favorite scriptures, Ether 12:27, tells us how God gives us weaknesses solely for our own GROWTH. now i know that sounds crazy, but as we discover our weaknesses, humble ourselves because of them, and turn to the Lord completely for help; He actually promises us that He will make these weaknesses become STRENGTHS...thats amazing. Im still learning this concept, but I cant wait to take use of this in my life.

I truly love this work, and I love everything this brings into my life and the change it has on others' lives. Love you all. Until next week

Love

Anz. Blaise

ps. from Tami... Carter lost his camera charger so there aren't any pics from him this week.  I took this off of the mission blog from Friday! Thank goodness Sister Waddoups is on top of it and takes pictures.  I'm ordering him a new charger asap, I have to see pictures weekly... (:

Mission Conference Rome East/Napoli/Sardegna March 20th (Carter is on far left back!)

Week 8 Italy

well guys, just like that, another week has passed-

this week has been slightly weird but pretty solid. I could go on forever about what happened, but I dont have that long. essentially, we got stood up about 5 times this week for appointments, and 3-4 of them were investigators...ugh. but that's just a part of the mission I guess! I'm starting to quickly learn that there is endless amounts of rejection out here in the mission field, especially in the south of Italy...hahaha it's so awesome here though.

I dont know how or why this happens, but I often forget I'm out here. like I'll just be walking down the street talking to people in italian, and then step back and realize what I'm doing- I'm in the prettiest country on earth with the coolest people ever and the only "job" I have right now is to talk about this amazing church with people. I guess you can say I'm pretty lucky/blessed. 

this week I ate some more pizza that is insanely good, and has some mozzarella di bufala. it's essentially mozzarella cheese made with buffalo milk, and it is AMAZING.

on the other hand, we finally got a baptismal date with this woman named Fiorenza (assuming she can keep away from the cigarettes). I'm so excited. It's so awesome watching people turn their life around and make a change for the better. I can see the difference like night and day from when we first taught this woman, to now. she's fatigued from quitting smoking cold turkey, but she says she somehow feels happier, more at peace, and closer to God. this isn't just a blessing of not smoking, but it's also a blessing we can all get from striving to strengthen our relationship with Him. it's so easy too! all we must do is pray every day, and often. ask for help with our problems. actively seek to help others. live in harmony with God's plan and commandments. and most importantly, always strive to become like Jesus Christ, and develop Christlike attributes. this is what I'm trying to do, and I can see such a difference in my life. I can honestly say, at this exact moment as I type, that I am BY FAR the happiest I have ever been...and I know that it is no coincidence that this is at the same time that I spend all my time spreading this wonderful Gospel. this Gospel blesses lives, it changes lives; not just the people you share it with, but yourself as well, as you share it. I find that every time I open my mouth to share it, whether I get rejected or not, I feel my own testimony strengthen actually. I'm beyond blessed to be out here, and to be out here with the coolest missionaries of Italy. We are constantly having a good time and it's so fun to be a missionary. as I learn to not let the "failures" get to me, I learn that we cant help it if people accept this Gospel or not in this life. all we can do is give them the opportunity to hear it, and if we do that, then we are doing our job.

I apologize for any spelling or grammar mistakes, as well as for the shortness of my letters; for I am still getting used to these wacky italian keyboards and what not haha. quick summary of a cool story- my comp and our district leader went out to take care of something that the president needed to be done, so we went on a scambia (exchange), and so it was me and Anziano Scott. I love this guy, but he and I know about the same amount of Italian, and understand about the same amount. so let's just say I was a little nervous to talk to people on the street for the next few hours...but we did it. it was weird, we had like 6 good convos and actually got a guy to commit to coming to church and meeting with us. not sure which companionship will take this guy (assuming he follows through) but it was just cool to experience how much God can help His missionaries, when we truly need it.

I love you all and promise I will try to include more and more as the weeks go on. I just want to make sure I email all of my peeps :)

Love you all,

Anziano Blaise

ps....we are a 20 minute train ride from the town of napoli, but we are in the napoli zone.

our town is called caserta and its like the brentwood of italy. it is quiet but cool, i like it a lot.

my comps name is Graham Maxwell Pingree and he is about 1 month older than me and 7 inches taller than me

Our apartment

Yummy salami and cheese

My companion Elder Pingree eating the BEST pizza!

Week 7 ITALY!

hey guys, dont have much time unfortunately, but here we go....

this week was AMAZING. tough, but fun and worth it. I had the opportunity to have pizza at Sorbillo's the best place in napoli, and napoli is the best place in the world for pizza! so you can say i'm loving the food here. also, the place i'm in is a little ghetto, but beautiful. the people here are very interesting but i just love them to death haha they're awesome. there are some americans here because there is a base nearby. we only have a few investigators right now and none with a baptism date. if we can help Fiorenza and Nerina to stop smoking then i think they will be baptized shortly after! my companion is so awesome. he is hilarious and super helpful and nice. he is 6'8" and plays bball for BYU. today we played zone soccer in napoli on a turf field and it was sooo fun. we walk soo much every day but its great. the church building is super small, like really small, and a 20 minute walk from the apartment. i live with another companionship and we honestly have so much fun hangin together it's great. real quick i just wanted to describe the people here. first off, they speak a different dialect here in Napoli area so its tough to understand them, but its coming along. also, they ALL talk with their hands and are so passionate when they talk. when it feels like they're mad at you or yelling at you, they're not. its hilarious. and the kids all walk around during the day and love coming up and talking to us. they thinks its super cool that we're american. they always tell me something in italian and ask me to say it in english, its funny. they all have the classic italian soccer player haircuts too and its sweet haha. they have so much fluxuation in their tone of voice here too, it is such a beautiful language. and everyone we meet is either catholic or atheist, so its tough, but we've gotten like 20 phone numbers just from finding people on the street! unfortunately, no referrals though because, well, its italy haha. some lazy people here, but gotta love them. we had stake conference on saturday and sunday but it was in Sardegna so we just watched it on TV at the chapel. they asked me to speak in church next sunday though haha, for 15 minutes or more, in ITALIAN ughh. well guys, pray for me, because it's gonna be interesting haha. i also think its funny that every car here is small and everyone walks around talking very loud and 15 year olds walk around smoking because theres no law against it...frustrating but oh well. its really cool talking to people in another language though about the church, and not only have them understand you, but feel the truthfulness of your words when you bear testimony. I wish I had more time to explain some stories, but you'll just have to trust me when I say the little success we have makes up for all the failures. it's so awesome to be here, i am so blessed. I wouldn't pick any other place. I know these are gonna be some tough couple of years, but I also know it will bring myself, and everyone else I come into contact with, joy in their life. I've seen it already! Seeing people smile as we talk about how God loves them or how families can be forever is such a great experience. True happiness is showing others happiness. Italian is coming along. tough to understand the dialects and how fast they speak, but i'm progressing, that's what matters.

well guys, I have to go. just know that this is the best thing that's ever happened to me, and sometimes I just sit back and realize i'm in Italy and i'm doing some fun and awesome things. love it. love you all and miss you all. God be with you til we meet again.

Anziano Blaise

Anziano Blaise opening up his "Golden Envelope"!  This tells him where his first assignment is and companion.

Week 6 Anziano Blaise arrived in Rome!

This is Tami writing...

Our Anziano arrived in Rome early last Wednesday morning, Rome time.  I received an early wonderful 5 am email from President and Sister Waddoups, informing us of his safe arrival and these three pictures.

We were  able to talk with Carter on the phone prior to his take off from the SLC airport.  He sounded great, it was wonderful to hear his voice and hear his excitement and enthusiasm. We are looking forward to our Skype time with him on Mother's Day.

Carter in front of the Rome, Italy LDS Temple that expected to be complete in 2016

Missionaries that traveled with Carter to Rome in front of Quartiere Montesacro

Carter with Mission President and Sister Waddoups in front of the Rome Mission Home, "Quartiere Montesacro"

Snow at the Provo MTC just before leaving