July 31, 2013

My beloved brothers and sisters,

Can't believe it's second transfer! Feels like I just got here, and everybody tells me it just speeds up once I'm done training.

Highlights- Taught E. ["golden" investigator] Word of Wisdom, Law of Chastity, and did the practice baptism interview all in 45 minutes. And he did his real one yesterday, so excited for his baptism!

Ran into a woman street contacting a while ago, and she gave us her address. We stop by, and her uncle doesn't let us in. We pass by again a couple days later, the uncle is busy. So we don't see her for a while and we're debating about whether it's worth trying again, and we run into her again on the street, actually she sees us and calls us over, and we set up an appointment. So we go to the appointment, and she's not there, but her uncle is. But he lets us in and turns out to be really cool. Doesn't want to say a prayer at the beginning, and then volunteers to say a prayer at the end. And then we taught her later too, so it all works out in the Lord's time and in the Lord's way. I love miracles like that.

Cool view walking home one night

Temperature hit 40 a couple days this week, but we were mostly inside for lunch or teaching a lesson at the church at the hottest parts of the day. But just walking to the church was bad, and then when we came out of the church after teaching 2 or 3 lessons at 5:30 and it's still 35°, I can't imagine what it felt like.

Saw a unicyler on a 6 foot unicyle, juggling clubs in the middle of the street. But not a street festival, and a fairly busy street. He was just doing his thing and cars were lined up and honking at him, and even when he dropped 2, he balanced the one on his chin, which is really hard on the ground, let alone a unicyle. So he was really good, just funny because I have no idea what he was trying to accomplish. Nobody was going to pay him for holding them up, but at least I was impressed.

And after I wrote that experience in my journal I wrote "And just ate a pound of ice cream. Good night." Just another spiritually uplifting thought from the life and times of Anziano Berg.

And I also learned that David Nibly, the actor in the best 2 years and plays Alvin in "Joseph Smith:the prophet of the restoration" served in Merate for 13 months of his mission.

Stephano just got his call to Denver Colorado, so he came with us for a full day of missionary work including all the studies in the morning, which was really cool. Unfortunately this is the first day after a week of 30-40° that it decides to rain, and so we walked in the rain for a good portion of the day doing strada and casa a casa (tracting and door to door, literally house to house) But he's going to get days like that in Denver too, so overall good day.

And ate my first kebap here, the same as a Donair, when we were on Scambios [companion exchanges]. And taste the same, yummy and extremely unhealthy. But kebaps are pretty big here, along with pizza places every block. I don't know how they all stay in business. And pasta you buy in restaurants or there's a whole aisle and a bit devoted to the different kinds of noodles, let alone the sauces and meat and cheese to go with it. Never realized there was so many ways to make pasta.

Sorry it wasn't really spiritual this week, I like to include a little bit but want to finish up a little early to catch the train to Milano, we're going to hang out there and play some basketball and possibly go to the bone castle. Thanks for all the support and letters.

Cordially yours, Anziano "Awesome Socks" Berg (copied from Brian)