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