Pordenone transfer 12

Heather Hastings		Nov 18 (3 days ago)

Welcome to Pordenone! The city of fog and cold and more fog. The journey here was long. We went to bed Wednesday night at midnight. Then I caught the 9am train on Thursday with Sorella Pavich (old companion) and got to Milano around 11am. Ate lunch. Waited at transfer circles at the station. We finally left for Bologna at 3pm, we got there at 4:30pm. We took a train then from Bologna to Mestre from 6:30pm to 8:30pm (traveled with Sorella Burgess) Then I finally met my new companion and we got home to Pordenone around 11pm and made it bed before midnight... All with my luggage by myself. I'm fragile. My bags are heavy. I've had. Mysterious bruises all over for a week. Hopefully I'll be ready for the next trip :)

So anyways... Here is my new address if you want it. I feel right at home. Actually, I feel like I'm on vacation or a business trip for four weeks. So strange. I'll send apartment pictures next week. Did you know my trainer Sorella Carter served in this city? Yeah, cool stuff. 

Via Riccardo Selvatico 23, 33170 Pordenone Italia 

So we are over two wards here. There is the Italian Ward, average and normal. And then there is the military Ward-only Americans. Um, sacrament meeting in English? I don't like it! There is an air force base here and a lot of members just got home from Afghanistan so that's very interesting. Americans are so much different than Italians... I don't know how to do missionary work with Americans... it's so... Simple! We'll see how that goes. I felt so weird on Sunday. The Italians had me bare testimony is sacrament. The Americans didn't even announce me. Weird weird weird! 

We have no one to teach here. Why do I keep falling into these cities? We hit a record low on my mission. The week I arrived we had one lesson taught for the numbers. So far this week we already have more than that. We hopefully have an investigator who could get baptized, Nelly. She is from Congo. We actually had a really good lesson with her yesterday and I am confident that we can help her progress. She is searching for truth. Saturday we were out doing finding, and we ran into a refugee camp on a park... So that was interesting. I'll get a picture one day if it's not too sketchy. But don't worry, I'm totally safe. 

Monday we had zone conference! It was really good and solid. We didn't get any new trainings, no new rules. Just talking about missionary work and we did some good study of the scriptures. We talked about the prophecies of Isaiah. We listened to Handel's Messiah music. We talked about our iPads. We did some role plays about teaching with videos. And we ate a delicious thanksgiving dinner for lunch. And then... The moment came... That as tradition for our mission, as missionaries go home we give our "dying testimony" and so it touched me as my turn. I'm not gonna take my tag off ok? I'm just gonna stay a missionary. I love what I do! And I am just grateful for the people in my life that God speaks sent to help me out. 

My new companion is Sorella Pulli. She 20 and in her seventh transfer. She is from Huntington Utah. She's funny! The first night I arrived she told me that I was an answer to her prayers, so I hope that's the case. She is a hard worker and just great. I am also serving with an Anziano I served with at the beginning of the mission in Milano... It's weird to see missionaries grow up and change. It's also really cool.

Today we went to Venezia (Venice) for pday. It's a really expensive city and we didn't have much time or money, but I enjoyed it. I soaked it in. It's beautiful. Italy is home. Isn't life great?

We also got to watch the broadcast last night with Anziano Ballard. That was cool. Here we teach English class Wednesday night and also we teach Italian Thursday night. Some good stuff.

The church is true and it always will be! One really strange thing I also recognized at the conference with the zone is my whole mission I have almost always been the oldest. That's been interesting, because all growing up I was always the youngest. Good opportunities to learn and grown, no? 

Have a fabulous week. Take care of yourselves. Do what you know is right.

Vi voglio bene a tutti!

Sorella Hastings Love and Be Loved

End of transfer 11, begin transfer 12

Heather Hastings	7:19 AM (10 hours ago)
In first Nephi chapter three verse seven Nephi, the Son of Lehi whose family traveled to the Americas from Jerusalem, says unto to his father "I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded." Can you guess why I say that? Last night while meeting with some members we had a conversation about this. How is it that Nephi can say something like that while his brothers are In total doubt? What is the difference?  Faith. Well, transfer calls came. If you hadn't guessed it... I'm getting transferred. It's been a rough few days. Collegno may be a tough area but I love the members and we're working with some great people right now. We were supposed to have a baptism in four weeks! I'm sure that will happen for sure. I've got four weeks left and now I'm supposed to go to a new city without enough time to even get to know the people. But you know what? I saw it coming. From like week two of this transfer I have been seeing all of the potentials and the people I've met. Like seriously, I have seen everybody I know! On buses, on the street, at the store. Heavenly Father gave me a heads up with that one. And I have become impatient with Collegno, and a lot of things aren't going super smooth. So perhaps it is for the best. I know that God has his plan, and that President is inspired... This I do not doubt. And so I'll go and I'll do and we'll all have a great time. I've always wanted to go to Pordenone. I hear there is an American military base there. I also that I will be like an hour away from Venice! So, ya know, any last minute requests from Venice??? Tomorrow morning I take the 9:06am train to Milano with Sorella Pavich. I wait at Milano and travel with Sorella Burgess to Mestre. Then I get my new comp Sorella Pulli and go to Pordenone. You should look up the route for fun. A good five hours at least in train. The complete opposite side of Italia. Well we aren't supposed to really eat dinner with members because it takes too long, but there is one family that we give the exception. The Tribastone family. They are converts to the church and they take such great care of us. We were over at their house last week and then last night to say goodbye. It's like saying goodbye to a mother you don't but you'll hope to see again. I hate goodbyes. There're awful. She just kept hugging me and wouldn't let go. I am going to miss that family. And there was Sorella Cappa at church. And Sorella Miele. They all knew about mom and her surgery. I told them about the family at home. So they always ask, how's the family? How is your mom feeling? Is she better yet? They come to appointments and they help us teach. They tell their friends all about the church even if they don't listen. They give us rides. And then there's the Petrarulo family. He always makes fun of our American accents. And then the Furia family, Antonio and his long sermons. Her yummy pizza. I love them. How does it happen? I feel like I'm going home now! We'll do this all over again in just a short time. Alright. I'm done moping...  I really am excited though. I haven't started packing yet because we have been full of appointments! Today we have three lessons... Then tonight we teach English class and have wars council. Wish me luck eh? Anyways, Michela has a bap date. She's going strong. She is excited. She accepted to love the law of tithing, the word of wisdom and chastity. Easy! She's a miracle, it's amazing. We had a really awesome lesson with her and a member on Saturday. Members help so much. My big Miracle this week: We were riding the bus and I looked over at a lady, she looked at me. We said ciao and it started a whole conversation. We didn't have time to get her number but we gave her ours. THEN about an hour later the phone rings, and it was her. She said that she wants to go church. Well, we have church tomorrow I said. And we talked and set it up and organized for her to come with her daughter. So Sunday morning on the way to church, they were running late, which was making us late. Had we continued to wait for the bus we would have been late. A member miraculously drives by and gives us all a ride to church, we make it in perfect time, they stay for the whole thing, and it just went so well. Unfortunately this lady will be moving back to her country but we can send the missionaries to her there! Lilliana is her name. She is from another country and is looking for work. It's just a really bad, sad situation for her. I can't imagine what it would be like. But she is so sweet, we saw her this morning because she wanted to say goodbye to me even though we only met once or twice. We hope for good things for her. We took a picture I had on my camera from a selfie the Anziani took... And we had a cake made with their faces on it! They loved it. It was great. Anziano Smith is going home this week so we had a "rebirth" party for him. You have to be a missionary to understand that. Fun times. I'm gonna miss him. I'm gonna miss our little district. It's been good. We also met with Ibissim on Sunday. She has been coming to English class and she's so awesome! We taught her the restoration. She liked it. She took the Book of Mormon. She kind of reminds me of Ziva from the show NCIS. I hope we can hook her up with our less active ward mission leader Gabrielle. She's 18 and comes from a Muslim family, but her parents didn't teach her the religion so she's kind of on her own.  What else do you want to know? Did you know that Italians hate leftovers?? They'll make you eat all the food on the table so they don't have to keep it. At the beginning of the mission I loved leftovers. Now I've gotten to the point where we just eat all of it at home if we make too much. I'm becoming Italian. We never heard back from Alven. Pretty sure she is ignoring us.  Today we are going to make Pizza with Luciana Sassi. I don't know what else to say. I love being a missionary. Maybe sometimes we miss the family, we get tired, we have strange pains for who knows why, we meet strange people, we eat so much food (it's really become a gift) and we miss buses and just travel everywhere but, it's the greatest adventure ever. So worth it. Changing people's lives by the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Eternal peace, eternal happiness. Doesn't that sound wonderful?  Here's your second scripture of the day. Charity. How can you be more charitable this week? Moroni 7 46 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, if ye have not charity, ye are nothing, for charity never faileth. Wherefore, cleave unto charity, which is the greatest of all, for all things must fail-- 47 But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him. Vi voglio bene!!! Sorella Hastings