This is way better than going to Hollywood

Buon Compleanno Anziano Burton

Thank you, as always, for the wonderful email, Mom.  I always feel so loved when I open up my inbox.

Unfortunately, I won't be seeing the famous Ferraran Balloon Festival.  I thought I would be staying here for a really long time, what with there being a new Mission President with unpredictable transfer methods.  Instead, I got the call this week: I'm being transferred.

After only a month and half in Ferrara, I'm going away.  Though the work here is hard and the city is small, I've already fallen in love with Ferrara and I'm sad to leave it.  We had wonderful visits with a few members this week and even gave a Book of Mormon to a young, interested girl who stopped us in the streets.  She has an LDS friend who lives in Washington, D.C., and has been looking for missionaries in her city for a while.  Orbits!

Anziano Marin is getting transferred, too.  That means two new missionaries here in Ferrara, which will actually be really helpful, I think.  And guess who's coming?  Anziano Chipman, my last companion, with his trainee!  He's the perfect missionary for this job, and I couldn't be more excited for him and for Ferrara.  Good things ahead for this historic town.

And me?  Where am I going?  Well, I'll give you a hint: But soft what light through yonder window breaks?  It is the east, and Juliet is the sun!

I'll head out tomorrow.  My suitcases are really heavy, but it's a worthy haul.  My new companion in Anziano Peterburg who's entering his 3rd Transfer.  That means I'm a senior companion for the first time.  Yikes.  We'll be living in four, and the other companionship is Anziano MODUGNO (hahaaa!) and his trainee who will enter Italy today.  It'll be so good to live with one of my best Italian friends again, and now that the language has clicked I'm sure I'll learn a ton from him.

I think I accidentally sent a picture of the Ferraran McDonald's last week.  I meant to send this one: 

Thanks again for the birthday cards!  I sent home a bunch of mail, so I hope it reaches all its intended recipients.  I went to Bologna, had amazing seafood, and bought a birthday tie in Centro.  I'm attaching a bunch of other pictures we snapped over there.  For the rest of my life I'll get to say that I spent my 20th birthday in Bologna, Italy.

And I'll spend the next month and half of my life--at least--in fair Verona, where we lay our scene...

Amore a tutti,

Anziano Burton

(Remember freaking out with me at BYU when we found Verona in my mission?  Well, now Aud's at BYU, and I'm going to Verona!  This is way better than going to Hollywood.  Haha!  The next email you get from me will be from Verona!  WOW!  Ciao ciao ciao!)