The Amazing Race

For those of you who aren't members of the church that I am a missionary for, we just had a worldwide conference that we call General Conference. I'm not going to talk a lot about it in my email because it's an accumulated 10 hours over the period of two days that consists of a living prophet speaking to all the people of the world about anything and everything they feel inspired to discuss by the Lord. I urge all of you to watch it even if you're not religious because I know you will receive answers to any questions that you may have about who we are, why we're here, where we came from before and where we are going after this life. 

Pizza's eaten: 28

Gelato Io ho mangiato: 17

Books of Mormon (not eaten): 44 

Sections:

1. Tourists 

2. My first miracle 

3. My Scambio

4. GYPSIES

5. Pictures I choose to include (feel free to request certain ones as I'm very ok with taking pictures)

Tourists

     One thing you all need to know about Italy is that it's very popular with every country. Not just America. I went to Pompeii last week on Monday after I sent out all my emails. On our way back from Pompeii after a few hours of wandering ruins and supermalls and a very screwy train schedule which I'd rather not remember but consisted of us being stuck in the middle of nowhere for about two hours before the train decided that it was going to show up 2 hours late. 

     The stop after we got on the train, literally 50 German students who were on a trip with their class from high school got on. They all spoke really good English so it was fun because everyone could talk to one another. The stop before I got off (one hour later) a fight broke out in the other end of the train car I was in. Some very angry women and a man that was around her size were throwing punches and some nasty Italian words at on another. This lady got off with us on the next train stop and her boyfriend had to grab her by her hair to keep her from umping back onto the train with a hefty rock to finish the guy off. I don't know how it started but there were plenty of cameras going so I'm sure it'll crop up somewhere. 

     I've also helped tourists during the week find their Air BnB's and we've had a few great conversations with them. Last night it was an Anna from Georgia. Not the state, the country. I kid you not. It's near Germany and Switzerland and places similar to that. Anyhow, she took a card and said she would look into general conference because it interested her. Tourists are so fun. 

My First Miracle 

     In this church we believe in the gift of tongues. Basically that means we will be aided in understanding, learning and speaking any tongue that Heavenly Father sees fit for us to learn or have need of through our effort to learn it and when you don't know what to say, he gives you the words in the very hour that you need them. This happened to me last Wednesday. We stopped a group of ragazzacci (it translates literally to Bad Boys but means punks) and we started talking to them. I have mentioned the Napoletano dialect before and it still is a bunch of crazy and nightmares to me but it's all that these boys spoke. 

     The thing is, I didn't realize or even notice that was all they were speaking. They would say something and I had the answer or a response for them. Occasionally I wouldn't understand a word or two but that is normal for me. We ended up getting two kids that had serious interest in what we knew and they are still talking to us through an app called WhatsApp which is what they use to talk down here. 

     Anyhow, after an hour of talking with them and after we had left them to go home, my companion turned to me and told me how he was having a heck of a hard time keeping up with what they were saying because it was all in Napoletano. Told him I was sure it wasn't because I was having a full conversation with the two he wasn't talking with and then gave him the number I got from them. He told me all he heard coming from the two kids I was talking to was straight dialect and how I understood it was beyond him. The church is true, and the book is blue. That's all I have to say about that. 

My Scambio 

     Alright. The Amazing Race I mentioned in my title. Here it is. Every day we are issued a challenge by one of the two missionary companionships in zone leader positions. The challenges can be anything and we have to send a picture of some random thing after we complete the challenge. Whatever that may be. The first day it was a picture of us heel clicking. Etc, there are no rules for this. Well, I exchanged companions with the Napoli Zone Leaders on Friday and I stayed in Napoli with them. 

     The challenge for that day was to make a delicious lunch for your companion and then send a picture of it to the group chat we have. I made four Vietnamese sandwiches because we were joining the zone leaders for lunch and I offered to cook. They made corn dogs as a side dish and that's what we ate. They live on the seventh floor of an eight floor apartment and they have a party elevator. 10 cents a ride. You get around that by hitting the box you would put the coin in and it thinks you paid.

     I pet a parrot that scambio and ate a whole loaf of bread. The things that happen on a mission are really just awesome.

GYPSIES

     On the way back from my scambio with Anziano Haws, I was stopped by a gypsy. She was walking with a guy and we were walking towards each other when she looked me in the eyes, held the stare and her hand out. She looked like she was 20 and not in any desperate state. I'm not allowed to give money away like that as a missionary and in the moment I was just confused. 

     She just held her hand out and didn't say a word. I tried to move past but she stepped in front of me. This happened for a few seconds before I asked her what she wanted in English without at least a lot of annoyance in my voice. She just continued to stare and hold her hand out and never said anything. I pushed past her and went back to the apartment. Most gypsies are from Romania and they all act like this one but they usually use more words.

     The day after this thing happened again but with two kids. They offered their hands for a handshake so I gave them mine. Then they clamped onto my hand and started asking very loudly for "1 monies please! 1 monies!" after I wrested my hand back from them I went to a members house to watch the General Conference morning session at 6 in the afternoon. Hooray for being 8 hours ahead 😁😁

Pictures

1. Graffiti in a train tunnel for their favorite Italian actor. I don't know who he is. 

2. Anziano Haws and me 20 minutes before gypsies takes place

3. Seafood pasta made for us by a member. Yes that's a whole crab. There were many.

4. Me 2 minutes before I had to get this bike on a train that barely had room for me.

5. Anziano Haws and IK. We teach IK how to read and then he asks us gospel questions. He's learning to read because he wants to read the book of Mormon.