December 30, 2019

So Christmas was 5 days ago and places are still playing Christmas music. Is that the same back home? Also it's actually pretty cold now. Like 7 degrees Celsius but the wind is like ice. So yeah I'm waiting for saldi to get a nice jacket.

I'm learning guitar finally so my fingertips are badly calloused.

Domenico came to church and loved it so I just hope he'll want to go when I'm gone. He didn't even go to my ward so that's a good sign. We do have other potentials to teach right now but nothing too solid because of the holidays.

But yeah nothing much else to say. We had an old guy (91) come up to us in the store today. Since I can understand people better i could tell he was swearing like a sailor and telling us what old age does to your body. Some old people here can be pretty vulgar.

On that note! Personal revelation is super important everyone. Seriously, if you can't say you know how to pray and receive guidance from the Lord you should consider devoting some time to figure out how you personally receive revelation. Everyone is different but the need for it is consistent. Buona giornata tutti! Vi voglio bene.

December 25th, 2019

Merry Christmas!! Buon natale! Auguri!

Thank you everyone for all of the love and support. This email will be short but the message is important. Family is the greatest part of the Hollidays but they should be the center of everything year round. 

So hug your loved ones and sing a Christmas song for crying out loud! Haha

December 16, 2019

So I finally changed my phone to Italian and can actually get around on it. That's a big win for me haha.

We made a lasagna and to combat the pasta sheets sticking together we tied strings all around the kitchen. I said "Italian Christmases be like..." I'm also sure that that joke is very old now haha. 

Italians go crazy for nativities and construct their own as big and complicated as possible. I sent a picture of one at a member's house.

Our investigator Domenico bought me a guitar for Christmas after I asked to borrow one for a talent show. So I have a guitar now and am teaching myself how to play again haha. We went fishing today for pday and I caught a little fish and played a lot of guitar by the ocean which was really nice.

So yeah.... I'm staying in Statte for at least the next 7 weeks so I'll gave Christmas and new years here. It also means I still get to play guitar at the ward Talent show. I hope nobody knows how to play so I look decent. But yeah. Life as usual and the language is always better. Thank you to everyone who reads these! Vi voglio bene! Ci sentiamo! 

December 9, 2019

Life out here is feeling pretty normal now. Like it's just life and I go to work every day and have Mondays off. But only most of Monday lol. Life back home is like a distant memory at this point. Missions are weird man haha.

We're currently heading to Bari to play soccer with the whole Puglia zone. Before we play tho we're gonna check stores for any saldi sales that have started. 

We had a delayed Thanksgiving party and like 50 people came. We cooked so much food for this thing.

I'm trying to keep working out but it's honestly hard haha. I'll just grind right before I come home. 

So basically after 4 months I can finally talk to and understand everyone most of the time. I'm trying to become actually fluent like I don't have to think much while I talk. It's crazy to see how the gift of tongues works because I've met people who've lived here for like 8 years and barely understand SOME of what people say. Others get nothing and can only say ciao and grazie. I know that I wasn't any good in Spanish class either so this is honestly insane.

So even if I leave before Christmas I'll be able to go the the ward Christmas parties so that's cool. I think I miss the special Sunday though. 

Anyways that's it for now. Vi voglio bene! Ciao! 

December 2, 2019

So president sent out an email saying that we should expect to be in an area for like 6-8 months with one companion. If that's true I might be here to the end of January haha.

On another note. Thanksgiving was kinda not a thing, but the next day us and the other Anziani did our own. I'll get the pictures out as soon as possible. This Friday we're doing a big party for Thanksgiving with anyone we can invite. I'm hoping it goes well haha, italians will hear about an American holiday party and get pretty excited. Apparently they teach kids in school about Thanksgiving lol. 

I had a pesto lasagna yesterday and it was amazing Haha. I might have to ask Domenico's wife to teach me how to cook lol. 

I realize these emails aren't actually very exciting lol so I guess I need to add something more exciting. A guy we had an appointment with had a pellet gun thing and went outside and shot a bird . And no I'm not sure how legal that is here but I'm just a missionary. I thought olive trees were rare and that's why they're expensive. There's more olive trees here than any other type of tree. Like orchards on orchards of them. I guess it's because it takes forever for them to grow. Yeah that's definitely it. 

I love seeing the progression of my language skills of Italian and English meeting in the middle. Mi sono spiegato?

I think I'll speak itanglish because some Italian words are just better. Eventually people will just understand what I'm saying. 

I'm gonna raise my kids to speak Italian so they'll understand me. 

Ciao tutti! Vi voglio bene!