Flight here: our pilot was silly, I don't know, we sat on the runway taking off and landing forever so we got to the airport late. Just the way things happened, mi collega and I were waiting for phones and i let her go first, then I had no time to call. Everyone else was on the phones and got to call home... except for me. I am sorry. Whatever. You will just look forward, family, to hearing from me at Christmas when I can actually speak Italian well :) it's good. all things happen for a purpose, right?

Well on the end of flight from Chicago to London I got sick! My ailly tummy. We landed in Milan and walked off the tarmac to the airport, then I threw up. I through up again on the bus to the church where we met as missionaries. I threw up again at the church. then I threw up again just before dinner. Mama mia, what am I going to do with my stomach? Now, adesso, I am well and feel great! I think i actually slept through the night last night. I have good energy today so that's a blessing :)

We stayed in a lovely hotel that night and got to go out to dinner. The restaurant was nice, but the food was cosi cosi. Salad first, then pizza, then a huge piece of lasanga, then ice cream. i was so tired and still felt sick, but it was good. We met our collegi the next day after some training. What they did was have the trainer walk up and introduce, then call my name. I knew when she walked up that I would be her child. and here we are. Sorella Carter! From Boston, has been here for one year, pretty much speaks perfect Italian and is super-duper crazy, but awesome and very patient with my lack of understanding the lingua. She's so great.

I have fallen asleep every day here! Yesterday, we went to visit a member to make a family mission plan with. Italians... talk... SO MUCH and SO fast. It was So hard to stay awake! I could not understand her, and I felt really bad. But I survived, thankfully :)

What do you want to know every week? I could tell so much.

Oh, I am in Milano, in Lampugnano! There are two other sets of elders in our area, making three sets of missionaries in the ward. The ward is huge for here. We have a baptism date set! She is so sweet; Mercedes.  OK: so there are lots of foreigners here. Ghanaians, Filipinos (which mean English lessons) Romanians, other Africans and lots of South Americans, and occasionally we meet an Italian ;) we got fed rice, plantains and eggs this week. I thought I was in Italy? Ha, it's funny, but the work is good. We have so many people we need to follow up with. I feel like our mission goals are really low, and I want them to be higher, so I'm going to see what I can do to boost the work. 

Everyone in Italy smokes and drinks coffee. Well, instead of coffee the members drink Orzo. Nasty stuff. with sugar though, itàs managable to swallow.

August: vacation month. It is true, this town is empty! So crazy. I will send a photo of a sign that says they are closed until Augusto 25. Fare augost, or something, is the 15 of august and everything is closed, including the metro and buses. Friday will be a fun day, but luckily we have new missionary training so that will take most the day.

They rarely cut the grass here, and they don't plant it. It all just grows naturally grass like and green and wild. Pretty, though. In Milano, there are no houses. I have not seen one. Apartments, tall and wide and big everywhere! Security here is big too. A gate to the complex, a gate for each individual building, and you turn the key on our door four times because there are four locks. Have no fear, our home is safe. Oh, and I am not on bikes! If I'm going to get fat it will probably happen in these next few weeks. 

The first transfer for verdini (greenies) is 12 weeks. Probably, I will be here for these first two transfer and one following. That's just my guess.

I now know why they call tomatoes a fruit. They are so delicious here! I am eating a small margharita pizza as I type. It's delicious! So, something to adjust to. We do not have dinner here. We have to eat as we go if we want. As a result, I am always so hungry... we'll work on that. We have lunch at 1 and then have an hour of lingua study and additional companion study while all the Italians are home from work napping. Here, we do not SYL but we LYL. Live your language, meaning we can parle italiano outside and in public and speak English at home.

Sunday... was exhausting! I understood what the lessons were about, like the priesthood and charity. But I couldn’t really understand what they were saying. Then we went to lunch with a member and taught here hopeless friends. Her boyfriend is in the mafia, she drinks and smokes and hates to go out in public, she cries all the time and just has no hope for life! So sad. It was hard, because she spoke fast and unclearly and I couldn't really understand her, but I wanted to help her. I tried, my collega tried. It was interesting.

Well, I think that's about it. Please send me mail!!!! A missionary with mail is a happy missionary :) if you send packages throw some pictures of Mary on them, for fun.

The gift of tongues is real. My collega says I am so awesome, and after I bore testimony in church on Sunday the Anziani were impressed at how well I did. The members compliment me and everyone helps me with what to say, they don't get offended. It’s great. I don't usually see at first how well I can speak, but after a lesson or something I'll realize, wow, the spirit was totally just helping me. It is so hard and I wish I could speak English. In fact, even in English it is hard to speak. That was one of my fears coming- what if I get in a lesson and have nothing to say. Well, I can smile and I do, and bare testimony, but it's still hard, ya know? 

If anyone has tips on how to brave, how to talk to strangers and puts words in my mouth... I'm working on it. 

Really, I am well. This was a long week but I am adjusting, I am blessed and I love it here. Different than expected, and much similar to Paris actually. It's a good place.

Ci vediamo!

Vi voglio bene,

Sorella Hastings =)

Love and Be Loved