Doing my best

There's a lot I could write about this week, but since I want to include some pictures, I'll keep it short.

I'm about to enter my 10th transfer.  In the mission, Transfer Age matters a lot, and a missionary in their 10th is officially "old".  That's scary.  We only serve 16 total.  10/16... gross.

But let's not think about that.  Let's look at what's in store for me here in my 10th Transfer.  I'll still be here in Ancona, but I won't be with Anziano T anymore.  In fact, we're going to Milano tomorrow... to pick up my new greenie!  President called me on Monday.  I'll be training again!

What a privilege

F'naaaaaaaa, we're so busy. Okay, I'm gonna type fast:

Monday, Tuesday, and today are all taken up by one word: MOVING. Which is awesome. I'm not sure I talked about it yet, but the apartment we were living in here in Ancona is a tiny, old thing tucked into a corner riddled with filth and cockroaches. Anziano H the clean-freak of the apartment (who I love), did a good job at making the place at least halfway livable for the time we've been there, but now we're moving, and we've been moving for two days already. There's a lot to do.

 

It's all just so much fun

Yay Audrey!  Called to serve among the descendents of the Lamanites.  That is amazingly fun, and Spanish will serve her for the rest of her life.  Congratulations, and prepare well!

This week was a good week.  I'm in a super happy mood and just feel really loved.  I'm getting to know the members better, they're giving referrals that we get to go visit, and I'm contemplating a lot about what all has happened in my first year in Italy.  That's right, one year ago today I was in a plane headed across the ocean.  A lot has happened, and while I can easily pick out little details from all across the board, it's great to look back and consider this first year a really positive experience.  I've grown a lot, and I just have more to learn.

Good Ideas

I feel like there's so much to write, so I'll just dive in and hope it makes sense:

Ancona is a port city, and the port is its coolest feature in my opinion.  It's so massively huge, and when viewed from up high--like by the duomo--it's pretty awe inspiring.  I can hardly believe we've built such gigantic boats and cranes and platforms for how amazing small we are in comparison.  Makes me think of how much a little guy like me can affect the world, for good or for bad.  What you do matters.

No Matter Where

It's amazing that it's already March.  On the 20th I'll hit my year-in-Italy mark.  I remember snippets of my first days here, walking through the Centro of Milan, riding my first train across the country to Padova... wow.  Weird to think that was a whole year ago.  It goes so fast.

Ancona is treating me well.  We're having some really interesting experiences here.  We ate at an old Italian couple's this week for dinner.  The wife had dear missionary friends about 20 years ago, and now she sees us about once a week.  She's had some really tough experiences, losing children to freak accidents, but she still believes strongly in God and his goodness.  She's the first Catholic I've ever met here who actually loves God the Father and doesn't think He's out to destroy mankind.  Beautiful to see such love in people.

Really, really

I'm sorry in advance, looking at this computer screen in this dim room has given me a really bad headache.  Or maybe it's the dramatic change in altitude from Verona to Ancona.  I'll just catch you up on how things are going.

It was really, really hard to leave Verona.  I've never been so sad in my life.  Even two or three days into the work here in Ancona, my mind would sometimes drift back to the faces of the friends I left behind and I'd start to tear up.  But by praying for comfort and working to keep my mind on my assignment here, things have been going better.

Hallmarked

That's wonderful that you got to see a baptism in our ward!!  Wow, how cool to think it happens back in Pasco, too.  Ha!  It's always so exciting and beautiful here.  Good to know the missionaries are doing their job back home.  Verona is the highest baptizing Stake in this mission.  I got to see several during my six months here.  There's a special spirit at a baptismal service.

My time here in Verona has been long and wonderful, hallmarked by a number of meaningful experiences.  One of them happened just this last week.  Our ward mission leader is one of my best friends in this ward.  He and I have been talking about putting on a missionary concert for a while.  Right when we finally got started nailing down the specifics, his foster/soon-to-be-adopted baby son got very, very sick.  All of that family's time was taken up caring for this poor infant, and the weight of the concert fell on me.  Fratello G said we could either cancel it or put it in my hands.  Of course I took the challenge.