Pescara

Well I am writing you all from Pescara this week. I am here to pick up my permesso di sogorno thing and we had some extra time here before the appointment so we decided to do internet. We didn't tell the other sisters we were coming and we ran into them unexpectedly at the internet point as well as the sisters from Florence, ha ha I guess it is pick up your permesso day in Pescara!

Let's see.... what to write.... so this past week we had an appointment with a new investigator named Silvia. She is really great. I don't remember if I mentioned her last time, I probably did cause I feel like I've already recounted this story, but maybe it was just in my journal or in a letter. Anyways, she did an exchange student program to learn english and her host family was an LDS family in Ohio and now she is dating one of the sons from the family, I don't know how long ago all this happened I'd say at least 5 or 6 years, maybe more. She is 25 currently. Anyways she went to church and early morning seminary the whole time she was in the US and she said she always really liked the environment and the things she felt, although with everything in English and her still learning she didn't ever fully understand it all. She had the missionary lessons in English and has heard lots about the church from Ben, her boyfriend, but when she came back to Italy she didn't really look up the church for a few different reasons. One she didn't know it existed here, two her family is very catholic, and three she didn't have any connections or friends on the inside to encourage her to go here in Italy. Anyways her boyfriend came over to italy to get her going to church and he introduced her to us and we had an appointment this past sunday. It is crazy how much of a difference there is when you are teaching someone who is really genuinely open and interested in hearing what you have to say. I was so grateful for the gift of tongues during that appointment. Not saying that I speak amazing Italian, because by no means do I speak like the Italians, but the fact that I have learned this language well enough to communicate with native speakers is all such a blessing and a miracle from God. As we taught her I just saw more than once during the lesson, the lights going on as everything started to click, and things she had learned and been taught in English were now adding up with our Italian explanation. I really pray that all goes well with her, she is such a genuinely nice person and even with the extra influence of Ben, I feel like she really wants to do this for herself and not for him.

So random story. In the mission we have our rules, one of which is we must be home by 9 unless in an appointment then by 9:30 at the latest. And every night when we get home we have to squilo our district leader (squilo means call, let it ring once then hang up). If for anyreason we are going to be later than 9:30 we have to call our district leader and let him know and then squilo as soon as we are home, if we get home later than 10:15 the next day we have to call the mission president and explain to him why we were late and yeah, he never really is mad at you or anything, but still no one really likes to have to call the president. Anyways the other night we were at an appointment and the Elders were there as well and it went kind of late but we were gonna be alright until we got the wrong bus and ended up in the middle of no where, we got on the right bus back towards our apartment at about 9:50 but the bus driver decided to take a ten minute smoke break before pulling out. So by the time we got going we knew we'd be cutting it close. I told my companion, if we get to our bus stop before 10:15 we are totally running home. The bus pulled up to our stop at 10:13 we said goodbye to the Elders (they live across town and knew they would be late already) and then we ran. Ha ha it was so funny because the elders told us that the other people on the bus (just like 3 other people) all saw us take off and as the bus pulled away they were like “what the?” as two girls in mid calf length skirts took off sprinting around the corner. I am proud to say that we got inside our apartment and squilo-ed at 10:14 and 50 seconds.

We haven't met up with the family from Ecuador again yet, but as soon as we do I will find out what city they are from. (dan asked).

Alright it is sister Crandalls Birthday and since all us sisters are here together we are gonna go out to lunch before our appointment to pick up our permesso so I gotta go. But I love you all so much! And I love this gospel too. I really am so grateful for all the miracles the lord allows me to be apart of.