April 8, 2009

Ciao tutti!
So another change of plans...I'm in Prato! I'm still with Sister Millis, though. This whole transfer has been strange and confusing. But I love Prato and am excited to be here! Prato means meadow, and it's absolutely gorgeous! It's a cute little Tuscan town with small, windy cobblestone streets, gorgeous vineyards, and rolling Tuscan hills. There are fields of flowers everywhere. I love it! It took me awhile to understand the Tuscan accent, though. Every region in Italy has a different accent. When I first got here, I had no idea what they were saying! My district here is a lot of fun. There are 4 elders here. They made me "Welcome to Prato" cinnamon rolls. My only complaint about Prato is that there are massive rats here! They are about the size of a large cat, and they have huge long tails. And they are everywhere! And those who know me know I HATE rats!!! I freak out everytime I see one, and Sister Millis just laughs at me! Our apartment is gorgeous, though! It's the nicest one in the mission. We have a huge balcony, where we do language study in the sun. It's gorgeous spring weather here!
Last Wednesday I left Rome to come to Prato. I had to ride the train by myself, which was really strange, since I literally haven't spent a second alone in 7 months! I wasn't worried about anything happening, but I was worried about how I was going to switch trains with all my luggage. It was a really stressful day with everything going on, and I was praying to find someone to help me with my luggage. I got up to use the bathroom in the next train car over, and I saw 2 elders! They were traveling to Pisa to do some stuff for their visa. I was able to sit with them the whole way and they carried my luggage for me. Some might call it a coincidence, but I heard once that a coincidence is a small miracle in which the Lord chooses to remain anonymous. I know the Lord's hand was in that. The elder had his appointment for his visa set 6 months ago for that exact day that I was leaving. And off all the hundreds of trains each day that go from Rome to Florence, we both ended up on the same one. I was very grateful for that little tender mercy from my Heavenly Father!
General Conference was amazing! It's always so wonderful to hear the Prophet and Apostles, and other Church leaders. I always love conference. Unfortunately in Italy we don't get to watch the Sunday afternoon session, but I'm excited to read it later. We had a few investigators who came to a session, and they loved it.
I'm having fun getting to know the members here and our investigators. Last night we went with the branch president, elders, and a few members to a less active sister's house to sing hymns to her and invite her to come back to Church. The Spirit was so strong, and she bore her testimony at the end! She said she'll come back to Church! The members are so great and so willing to help with missionary work. I love the members here! They make so many sacrifices and dedicate themselves so much, even though it's incredibly inconvenient for them. They are amazing!
I love my mission so much! I know I say that every week, but every week it becomes more meaningful to me. There truly are no words to describe the mission experience. It's incredible!
I love you all! Thanks for your prayers and your support! Buona settimana! Buona Pasqua!
Vi voglio bene!
Sorella Hawkey