1st week in Italy

Well I’ve been in Sircusa for about a week now. Its basically been pouring rain since the night I got here. Up until today, which had been beautiful so far. So we’ve been coming home for the Siesta and putting our suits in front of a fan until we leave again. We leave our house at around 10am our time after our studies and getting ready for the day. Southern Italy still has a Siesta so we don’t leave the house unless we have an appointment, because everyone is napping or eating. So it’s a good time to study. Then we tract or go to an appointment until 8ish when everyone eats dinner, because no one answers the door if they’re eating. Same thing at 12, they start cooking and they don’t usually answer, or they getting changed to go out to eat. Food is huge hear, Sunday night we dropped by a members house at about 8 on the way home and they right away pull out pans and start cooking us dinner. Same thing after church Sunday, everyone wants to feed us. Friday we had a dinner appointment with the Caggegi family, they fed us a typical Italian meal, pasta for the appetizer (huge bowl) meat for the main course and then 2 desserts. We don’t get that many dinner appointments which is kinds of nice because it end up take up a lot of time, and we already don’t have a lot of time to tract. Not that tracting really accomplishes a lot most day but we still need to do it. The people are patient which is great. Even then they don’t have any interest in the church they usually respect and appreciate what were doing, so they listen for a few minutes. We had a lesson Monday night with Marcello, we watched a movie with the President Hinckley and then bore testimony, he could feel the spirit strong, he ended up leaving the room because he was crying. So were going to go play soccer with him tonight and then hopefully set up a baptism to. Sunday was fantastic because it was basically a stake conference. So I got to see Tilini, which was great its strange how you can bond with some people. Our apartment is really nice, 3 bedroom, big, kitchen and a big living room. It’s a small one for Italian apartments but pretty big nonetheless. Everyone lives in apartments and they all look really ghetto from the outside, but when they open the door its sooo nice. They have the nicest furniture all real wood, marble, and paintings, etc. So Sunday will be my first real Sunday in my branch. I’m giving a 5 minute testimony-talk...I don’t know where the slash key is so I put a dash. People are over all pretty friendly. We went up to the sea Saturday night to tract which was pretty sweet, it was more like an ocean from all the wind and storms weve had. Italian is coming along slowly, eveyone has different way of speaking so sometimes its hard to understand. What’s really great is the people that yell at us or make comments are usually speaking in Sicilian dialect so we have no idea what they’re saying, so its easier just to smile and say buona serra. My companion is good, we get a long pretty decent. But because we live with another companionship it evens out. There’s a few letters waiting for me at the mission home so if it was any of you I haven read it yet, but I will get them Saturday. People don’t really paint their apartments here, usually like a cream or a white. We teach an English course every Tuesday and Thursday night at 8 to 9, which keeps us busy. Were really blessed in this mission the Siccialian lifestyle is really relaxed, and I have no idea how missionaries elsewhere tract all morning and all afternoon then all night. It’s harder then it seems to do. One older lady let us in last week, I think she was lonely more then anything but we talked to here about America and Canada for a few minutes. The food is pretty good, the pizza is good the Gelato is amazing, and its like 1.50 but a huge scoop and cone. Pizza is like 2.50 at most for a pizza the size of the hotnreadys and little Caesars. UMMM everything is good here. Everyone thinks were Testimony di Jehovah (J.W) which is a lot of the reason most people don’t listen. So we hear that a lot. People really like trying out there English with us to which is cool. The pasta is better and the fruits for sure but so far nothing like AMAZING. But were lucky some missions all they eat is beans and rice. Were a walking mission but people stop and give us rides frequently, even if they don’t know us. I asked a guy Saturday night who had the best pizza, and he was just like ummm where do you live and then he was like get in and drove us to a place by our house…apartment. I can’t believe how cold it was, that’s pretty brutal. The coldest its been here is plus 6 one night. I think Monday night. Anyways I will write more next week, this week has been a bit of a blur, and everything goes by so fast. Well I love you all,
Ti Amo
Anz, Costa