FIRST WEEK IN MILAN

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE! AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY CORY AND RIVER!! Exactly one month until I can talk to you again on the phone...wahooo, get pumped! Crazy that it has only been a week since I talked to you at the airport. This week has seemed sooo long. A WEEK AGO I WAS SURROUNDED BY SISTERS DROWNING IN THEIR LONG FLOWY SKIRTS AND WELL FED BY THE DAILY HAMBURGERS PROVIDED AT THE MTC (don't get me wrong, I loved them all and everyone there was guaranteed happier than the people here)...NOW, I'M PRETTY SURE WE ARE THE ONLY PEOPLE IN OUR ZONE (POSSIBLY THIS ENTIRE CITY) THAT ARE NOT MODELS. NOT EVEN EXAGGERATING THAT MUCH...YESTERDAY WALKING FOR ABOUT 5 MINUTES DOWN ONE ROAD THAT IS A BLOCK FROM OUR STREET THERE WERE AT LEAST 12 GIRLS THAT PASSED US THAT WERE HOLDING MODELING PORTFOLIOS OF SORTS AND FOR SURE LOOKED LIKE MODELS. LUCKILY (in a way) SINCE THE SISTER HERE BEFORE ME WAS TRUNKY AND MY COMPANION WAS SICK FOR THE PAST 2 WEEKS WE DIDN'T HAVE MANY APPOINTMENTS THIS PAST WEEK AND SO I HAVEN'T BEEN FED MUCH YET AND DON'T FEEL TOO BAD ABOUT MYSELF WHEN WALKING BY THE MODELS.

WE HAVE OUR FIRST DINNER APPOINTMENT WITH A MEMBER TONIGHT THOUGH! ITS ABOUT TIME I TRY SOME REAL ITALIAN FOOD. WE HAD PIZZA TWO DAYS AGO THAT WE BOUGHT FROM A PIZZERIA RUN BY EGYPTIANS (SO I'M NOT REALLY SURE IF THAT COUNTS AS ITALIAN FOOD).

THERE ARE SOOO MANY EGYPTIANS HERE. I PROBABLY HAVE TALKED TO MORE SOUTH AMERICANS AND MIDDLE EASTERNERS (ESPECIALLY EGYPTIANS) HERE THAN REAL ITALIANS AND EVERY TIME I DO I GET SOOO FRUSTRATED THAT I CAN'T SPEAK SPANISH OR ARABIC ANYMORE AND AM MORE CAPABLE OF SPEAKING IN ITALIAN WHICH I HAVE ONLY STUDIED FOR 9 WEEKS. UNFORTUNATELY MY COMPANION TELLS THEM ALL THAT I HAVE STUDIED ARABIC AND SPANISH SO I JUST FEEL STUPID WHEN I TRY SPITTING OUT ONE WORD AT A TIME. PROBABLY ONLY A FOURTH (IF THAT) OF THE WARD IS ACTUALLY ITALIAN. AND WHEN WE DO CAZA (DOOR TO DOOR CONTACTING) THE ONLY ONES THAT HAVE OPENED THEIR DOORS FOR US ARE THE SOUTH AMERICANS OR MUSLIMS FROM AFRICA. WE'VE HAD TO DO QUITE A BIT OF DOOR TO DOOR AND STREET CONTACTING BECAUSE OF THE FACT THAT WE DON'T HAVE MANY APPOINTMENTS THIS WEEK.

THE FIRST TWO DAYS I STARTED OUT REALLY PUMPED ABOUT CONTACTING...ON THE AIRPLANE FROM FRANKFURT I SPENT ABOUT 2 HRS TALKING TO SOME CRAZY MAN WHO WAS GOING TO ROMANIA TO GET HIS GIRLFRIEND OUT OF JAIL. TURNS OUT HE HAD GONE TO CHURCH A FEW TIMES YEARS AGO AND HAD READ THE BOOK OF MORMON AND WAS INTERESTED IN GETTING BACK INTO IT AND FINDING OUT MORE SO I GAVE HIM A NEW BOM. I TALKED TO A FEW OTHER PEOPLE BUT I DIDN'T END UP REALLY INVITING THEM TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE CHURCH (A TREND I AM TRYING TO CHANGE. I am too good at talking to everyone about themselves and never quite get around to fulfilling my purpose as a missionary and inviting them to come unto Christ).

WHEN I FIRST GOT TO MILAN MY PRESIDENT AND HIS WIFE PICKED ME UP AND BROUGHT ME BACK TO THEIR HOUSE WHERE I IMMEDIATELY HAD AN INTERVIEW WITH THE PRESIDENT, A RUNDOWN OF WHAT I HAVE TO DO TO GET MY RESIDENCE CARD HERE AND HOW TO TAKE CARE OF FINANCES BY THE JENSENS IN THE OFFICE (WHO GAVE ME A BIG HUG RIGHT AWAY AND SAID HI TO ME FROM YOU TWO), THEN MET THE TWO MISSIONARIES WHO HAD ARRIVED FROM THE SPAIN MTC THE DAY BEFORE(THEY BOTH LIVE IN ITALY SO THEY DIDN'T HAVE TO LEARN ITALIAN AT PROVO. THEY SAID THERE ARE ONLY LIKE 6 PEOPLE AT THE SPAIN MTC NOW...WAS IT LIKE THAT WHEN CRUST WAS THERE??), THEN WE WERE SHIPPED OFF TO THE DUOMO WITH THE ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT. THIS WAS ACTUALLY REALLY FUN...I WAS PARTNERS WITH THE ITALIAN SISTER SO I JUST PICKED RANDOM PEOPLE TO START TALKING TO THEN SHE'D CARRY ON THE CONVERSATION ONCE I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND WHAT WAS GOING ON ANYMORE. WE ACTUALLY WEREN'T ABLE TO GIVE OUT ANY BOMS BUT WE GOT A LOT OF PEOPLE TO TAKE BROCHURES. WE ALSO TALKED TO PEOPLE ON THE WAY TO AND FROM THE DUOMO ON THE METRO...IT WAS AWESOME AND GOT ME SOO EXCITED TO DO THIS FOR A YEAR AND A HALF...

THE SISTER AND I STAYED AT A HOTEL THAT NIGHT THEN IN THE MORNING HAD A MEETING WHERE WE FOUND OUT WHAT CITIES WE WERE GOING TO AND WHO OUR COMPANIONS WERE. LUCKILY, SINCE I WAS THE MINORITY AS THE ONLY ENGLISH SPEAKER, THEY DID THE WHOLE MEETING IN ITALIAN ALTHOUGH THEY NORMALLY DO IT IN ENGLISH. THEY ALL APOLOGIZED AND ASKED ME ABOUT 20 MILLION TIMES IF I NEEDED TRANSLATION... I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY I HAVE TO BEG PEOPLE WHO ARE SUPPOSED TO BE HELPING ME LEARN ITALIAN TO SPEAK ITALIAN TO ME. AT THIS MEETING I MET THE REST OF THE OFFICE CREW AND GOT POP'S NOTE (THANKS POP!!).

AFTER THE MEETING WE HEADED OFF FOR OUR APARTMENT! IT IS IN SUCH A NEAT AREA (AS YOU CAN PROBABLY TELL FROM GOOGLEMAPS). IT'S ABOUT 1 BLOCK FROM CORSO BUENOS AIRES WHICH APPARENTLY IS ONE OF THE MOST FAMOUS SHOPPING STREETS IN MILAN?? WE CAN ALSO SEE THE TOP OF THE DUOMO FROM OUR FRONT DOOR. INCREDIBLE! I'D CHECK OUT THE MAP TO LET YOU KNOW IF YOU GOT THE RIGHT APARTMENT BUILDING...BUT I AM NOT ALLOWED TO USE ANY SIGHTS BESIDES MYLDS.ORG. NATURALLY, I PROBABLY WOULD HAVE DEEMED MAPQUEST OK BUT I AM PRETTY SURE I HAVE BEEN PAIRED WITH THE COMPANION I HAVE SO THAT I DON'T EVER SUCCUMB TO MY NATURAL SELF. SHE IS ABOUT AS OBEDIENT AS CAN BE AND MAKES SURE THAT I AM TOO. KIND OF AN ADJUSTMENT FROM MY FUN LOVING, OUTGOING, ENJOY LIFE AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE COMPANIONS THAT I HAD AT THE MTC BUT, I SUPPOSE IT WILL BE GOOD FOR ME. SHE IS EASY ENOUGH TO BE WITH, THOUGH, AND FROM WHAT SHE SAYS EVEN THOUGH I'M A GREENIE I'M A BIG IMPROVEMENT FROM HER OTHER COMPANIONS WHO HAD MULTIPLE MONTHS TO GO AND WERE ALREADY PRETTY TRUNKIE.

I AM DEFINITELY HAVING TO LEARN THOUGH HOW TO BE HAPPY AND FIND JOY WITHOUT LAUGHING AND JOKING AROUND AS MUCH AS I LIKE TO BECAUSE WHEN I AM NOT HAPPY, I'M NOT A VERY GOOD MISSIONARY. LIKE I SAID, THE FIRST TWO DAYS WERE AWESOME AND I LITERALLY TOOK TO HEART THE TALK TO EVERYONE YOU COME ACROSS STUFF THAT WE HAD BEEN TAUGHT AT THE MTC...I'D GET ALL FRANTIC ANYTIME I ENTERED A PUBLIC AREA BECAUSE THERE WERE SO MANY PEOPLE AROUND ME TO TEACH AND NOT ENOUGH TIME. SO I'D JUST START A RANDOM CONVO AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. AFTER THE FIRST FEW DAYS OF THIS, THOUGH, I GOT ALL SELF CONSCIOUS AND FELT LIKE I WAS INTERFERING WITH OUR PLANS AND SUCH BECAUSE MY COMPANION WASN'T REALLY TALKING TO ANYONE, UNLESS IT WAS TO STEER MY CONVERSATION AWAY FROM WHATEVER IT WAS I WAS TALKING ABOUT AND TOWARDS THE GOSPEL (WHICH I REALLY APPRECIATED AND LIKE I SAID, I REALLY NEED TO LEARN HOW TO DO THIS MYSELF). SHE LATER EXPLAINED IN A CONVERSATION THAT SHE TRIES TO FOLLOW THE SPIRIT TO KNOW WHO TO TALK TO AND I STARTED FEELING USELESS BECAUSE I HAD JUST BEEN TALKING TO WHOEVER ABOUT WHATEVER.

YESTERDAY NIGHT, THOUGH, AND THIS MORNING WE HAD SOME INCREDIBLE EXPERIENCES THAT GOT ME SUPER EXCITED FOR MISSIONARY WORK AGAIN AND READY TO JUST BE ENTHUSIASTIC AND TRY MY BEST EVEN IF I WASN'T DOING IT PERFECTLY RIGHT BECAUSE I CAN JUST IMPROVE ALONG THE WAY (ANSWERS TO POP'S QUESTION). BASICALLY LIKE 10 MIRACLES IN A ROW...I WANNA TELL YOU ALL ABOUT IT BUT MY COMPANION IS LEANING OVER AND TELLING ME I NEED TO STOP WRITING YOU AND WRITE MY LETTER TO THE PRESIDENT BEFORE OUR 2 HOURS ARE UP SO MY SUMMARY IS THAT WE FOUND 3 INVESTIGATORS, HAD 2 REALLY GOOD SPONTANEOUS LESSONS WITH PREVIOUS INVESTIGATORS WHO SHOWED UP AT THE CHURCH LOOKING FOR US, AND A REALLY GOOD ENGLISH LESSON (TEACHING LANGUAGES IS SOMETHING I AM ACTUALLY GOOD AT). THEN I HAD AN AMAZING PERSONAL STUDY THIS MORNING.

I DON'T THINK I HAVE ANSWERED ALL OF YOUR QUESTIONS...THE MOST IMPORTANT ANSWER, THOUGH, IS THAT I DON'T BUY BREAD AT THE FRANKFURT AIRPORT BUT OH MY GOSH THE BREAD AND CHEESES HERE ARE INCREDIBLE. TODAY FOR LUNCH I MADE PESTO BREAD WITH FRESH PESTO FROM GENOVA AND AMAZING WHOLE GRAIN BREAD. THEN I MADE A SALAD WITH THE BEST PARMESAN EVER, BROCCOLI, SUPER SWEET TOMATOES AND VINEGAR...SOOOO GOOOD!

OK, REALLY GOTTA GO.

MUCH LOVE,
L