January 28, 2009

Ciao tutti!
I have great news!! I'm staying in La Spezia!!! I'm so excited!!! And I'm getting an Italian companion, too! I'm really excited. Her name is Sorella Mura and she's from Cagliari, on the island of Sardegna. I've met her once and she's awesome. I'm so excited! We got to Livorno Monday night. Sorella Jones left for Rome yesterday morning, so I've been with the 2 sisters here. Tomorrow morning I pick up my new companion and head back to La Spezia! We get the transfer calls Monday mornings during our district meeting. President Margheriti (the branch president) called three times during the meeting to find out if we had received our calls yet. He's so great! He loves the missionaries so much! He cried when he said bye to Sorella Jones.
This past week has been great! Last week for PDay we went to Monterosso and Corniglia, the final 2 of the Cinque Terre that we hadn't been to yet. Monterosso is amazing! It's so beautiful! I seriously can't wait to bring you back! Today we're going to try to go to Pisa if we have time. It's only about a 15 minute train ride from Livorno, so hopefully we can make it. I want to see the tower! Livorno is beautiful. It's right along the ocean. There's an American military base 20 minutes out of town and there is an American family in the branch here. We went to their house yesterday, and I got to have a root beer! It was so good!!
So my embarassing/funny story for this week....I burned myself on the oven the other day on the back of my hand. So we're teaching Rita a lesson the other day about the Plan of Salvation. We were talking about the 3 kingdoms of glory, and she asked us if we believe in hell. Then she noticed the burn on my hand and asked me how I got it. I tried to say that I burned myself on the oven. Unfortunately, the word for oven is very close to another word, and I accidentally said that I got burned in hell. She gave me a really funny look, and then said, "Do you mean the oven?" Good times learning another language!
Another funny story. There's a McDonals at La Spezia, and they recently added a drive through. No one here knows what that means, so they have a huge billboard in front with pictures showing how it works. They are so confused! They don't understand why anyone would be so lazy that they can't even get out of their car to get food. It's pretty funny. Also, last night at english class here in Livorno, the class was asking me where I'm from. I said Arizona, and they asked which city. When I said Yuma, they all knew where Yuma was! Apparently there is a comic here in Italy that's all about this guy who lives in Yuma and Tucson. Weird!
Elisabeth and Presciella are progressing and doing well! They happily accept any commitments we extend, participate in the lessons, and ask tons of questions. They're great! Elisabeth has a huge crush on one of the elders, and it's really funny! He's getting transfered tomorrow, though. Hopefully she still comes to church even after he leaves! Joanna and Carla aren't really progressing, but they still enjoy the lessons and love the sisters. We're trying to help them see that the lessons are more than just nice spiritual thoughts we're giving, but something that they need to apply in their lives. They are such an amazing family!
Sunday night, the mom of a lady in our branch passed away. Monday morning all 6 of us missionaries went to the mortuary to see if there was anything we could do. Italian mortuaries are kinda creepy! By law, when anyone dies they have to wait at least 48 hours before putting them in a casket. They have a superstition that some people come back to life once put in the casket, and try to get out, but are already buried and no one notices. So they wait at least 2 full days to make sure they're really dead. The mortuary is a long hallway with tons of rooms along the sides with huge windows. The people who have passed away are placed on a bed right on the other side of the window. So instead of a viewing during the funeral, everyone comes to the mortuary and walks down this huge dark hallway full of dead people. It's a little creepy! But it was a great experience. Sorella Bellu, the one who lost her mom, is the only member in her family. It was so great to see how much peace she had knowing the Plan of Salvation. She even gave a Book of Mormon to her aunt and taught a whole lesson on the gospel. It was awesome!
I am so grateful for this opportunity to serve a mission. There truly aren't words to describe how great it is! I'm so excited for my new companion, and to keep the work going in La Spezia!
Vi voglio bene!
Sorella Hawkey