First Letter From Italy!!

Hello all

I loved getting all of your emails. It was so nice to hear about what is going on and to hear your testimonies.I am getting used to using an italian keyboard they look a little different but I like it! After I called you I had a wonderful flight to London and then we got on the plane to Rome.


When we arrived all our luggage arrived with us but Sorella Buckley lost one suitcase. We were trying to help her figure out how it was lost in transit. WE learned it was on another flight from London that was delayed and would arrive in 30 minutes. By then we had been there for an hour. We thought we should send some people through customs so our missionpresident would know we arrrived and so he would not worry we had missed our flight! In the end only S. Buckley, S. Bradford, and A. Bryant and Robinson waited and the rest of us went through to tell the mission president.

They just put us in the mission vans then and President Kelly waited for the other four. I was with S. Christiansen. One of the bus drivers was a member who just went to the temple in Switzerland with his family!! And the other was his friend who actually was not a member of the church so S. Christiansen and I were able to ride with him and learn about his life. He spoke English but we asked him to speak Italian to us. It was wonderful and he gave us a tour of Rome because we were all in the front. As soon as we left the autostrada and I began to see the graffiti and the people I got so excited! I realized that i am in Italy!! I actually made it :) Then we rounded a bend and the Colosseum was right there in the middle of the road along with other ruins!!! It was amazing:) He also told us of some smaller but beautiful cathedrals that we have to visit. When we went around the Palazza with the fountain of Mosè I almost cried. I know mom and I always talked of seeing that and I loved to be able to see finally.

Eventually we arrived at the mission offices and a church building in Rome. It was just stuck in the wall old and surrounded by Graffitti but It was still a chapel :) We met up with all the other missionaries and we walked to the mission home! I just walked with my mouth gaping or smiling it switched. We passed little shops- all the shops are little. We passed by a butchery with the meat sitting in the window and a man came out saying "Buona Sera"! It made the Anziani night:) Everyone had little dogs everywhere, I was not expecting that.. When We got to the mission home we took pictures which you received in an email and We had some food and then we sat down to watch a slide show of all the areas in the mission and receive our calls

And NOW... the moment you are waiting for .... My first area is .... BARI LIBERTà!!!!! 

When I read that I started to cry finally because my first area was Bari, where my parents met!! My companion Sorella Bradford is going to Ragusa in Sicilia. That night I got all ready because I was leaving at 7:15 we were the first group.. Another anziano , A. Hurlburt also got assigned to Bari my same ward and area Libertà so he came with us. We left that morning and went to the Stazione where we met the Sorella coming she is Bari poggiofranco rione (ward) but we live in the same house. She is a convert of a little over 2 years and she is from Las Vegas. The Anziano that came with Hurlburt aslso was being transfered to Poggiofranco. A. Zgaini. He is from Albania but he already spoke Italian before the mission. He has the cooolest story about how he became active again in the church and decided to serve a mission.  My companion is Sorella Comollo she is from Salt lake citry and her father is from Torino. She is the sweetest sister I have ever met. SHe is so kind to me and very patient. 

We arrived and we ran back to the house actually I forgot to tell you S. Comollo and I have a car!!! I come to italy plannig to walk everywhere and Bari libertà has a car :) S. Wagoner from Las vegas her companion S. Piccirillo is italian from San Remo area. But we got home and then we already had appointments that day. We have investigators!! I thought we would just be doing strada all day :) We drove to our wards chapel. It is new and white and gorgeous. We did strada to one of our appointments. I loved it!!! I loved talking with all the italians and they are all so nice even when they say no. That might just be because I do not understand everything they say but they seem very nice :) My first lesson in Italy was to Eleonor who is 7 year old Yes!!!! Her family is already members, the petroni family, and her parents wanted her to have the mission lessons before she was baptized. We thought it is a good idea because we learn how to teach simply and we build trust with the members. Eleonor turned 8 monday and we are teaching her tomorrow about the Gospel of Christ meaning faith in Jesus Christ, repentence, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost and enduring to the end. WE taught her last time about the Plan of salvation.

After this we did strada while we walked back to the church. We had a lesson with Antonio at the church and we talked about prayer and answering some of his questions. He is very intellectual. He doesnt want to pray about the BOM until he knows its true. He also expects a big sign I think like Paul or alma the younger. We tried to focus on the need to act, I compared it to the woman in the Bible with the issue of blood. She had tried everything and she needed to be healed. But to be healed she had to act!! She decided with faith and she grabbed the Saviors robes. Just like that I told him we need to act with faith and pray. But we have a lesson planned about answers to prayers next time we see him. After the lesson with Antonio we have english course at the church. it actually is a great finding device here. There were a lot of members but also their nonmember friends and people we meet during strada. There was at least 20 people there and we broke up the class with A. Larsen and A. Hurlburt. They teach the basic class and we teach the advanced. I love my companion she comes up with the best ideas. That day for the first time she thought to read the restoration pamphlet together in groups so that they could practice pronounciation. I felt the spirit so strong as they read it and tried to pronounce it in English. It was wonderful!!

I love all the members here! there are tons! Bari had a stake before Rome actually. And we have 2 big wards. It is amazing how converted the people are they sacrifice so much, they fulfill callings. they go to the temple in Switzerland, many of their children raised in the church are going on missions or getting back. I love it! We actually have Young Single Adults, and a primary and everything! Forza Italia! They fulfill there visiting teaching it is beautiful. Saturday we went with the Bishops wife and her VT companion to visit teach a New convert Aisha. Aisha is from Africa and cant speak Italian and not much English but she has a lot of faith. Her husband Albert was baptized a year ago and she was Baptized in August. We went a long to translate for the Visiting teachers. WE have a lot of members and lessons with Africans and other immigrants. It is so wonderful. We have BOM in our house in 14 or more different languages.

I loved General Conference - we got to see all the sessions!! When the prophet anounced the lowering of missionary age requirements the entire english room (mostly missionaries) cheered. It is so cool. One of the member's friends who moved to American Fork their daughter was filling out her papers with the bishop same day! There is a sister in the poggioframco ward who is going to Milan on a mission. her name is Carmen and she leaves in 2 weeks. She is so happy and loud, I love her. Church, especially general conference, was insane afterwards. All the italians were yelling at each other greeting each other and being loud. I loved it !!! They are so loud and loving. They always make a joke with my name. They meet me and they say "non tardi, presto!" It is so cute.

We went and shopping they have an Aldis here!!!! It is called Alter Discount and you put 1 € in a cart to release instead of a quarter. And they have non brand stuff. We went and got some stuff on Friday and I just keep saying " like Aldis" I had to explain it my companion she being from Utah but I loved it. I tried real mozzarella, gelato, and also Fanta which is different in Europe but also delicious.

Also my first night they took me to get panzarotti which you can only really get in Bari. It is a pizza folded over and deep fried!! SOOO GOOD.

We have had so many wonderful experiences. Our investigators, one Giovanni he came to Conference (Antonio did too) and they loved it. Pray especially for Giovanni he is having a hard time with the Word of Wisdom especially coffee and he has had 2 prior baptismal dates but they always fall through and then he disappears. He is looking for work and homeless right now so pray for him, antonio. leo (I dont know if he wants to see us anymore), Mike, Genaro, Pino Bray, and Fratello Viani.

Mike is from Ghana - we met him on Monday. He doesn't speak English really at all and he had some questions we think he talked to some Jehovah's Witness (there are tons of testimone di Geova in Bari. Every person we meet asks us if we are them and we see at least 6 couples a day!). Well we asked at district meeting what language they speak in Ghana because maybe we would have a BOM in his language. They speak Twi. I have never heard of that language. Before we left i searched all of our books of Mormon and I could not find Twi I gave up but then I saw there were 3 more on another shelf and the first one I picked up was Twi. I got so excited and we took the bus to meet him at the station. He was a bit late. And was talking with us. When we found a bench I gave him the BOM and he got soo excited! He kept saying, " my language. My language!" It was so beautiful. We read a verse or two in the BOM and we had him read to us in Twi and we asked him to read the BOM and pray we explained a prayer very simply and asked him if he would take the steps toward baptism. He said yes and that he would read the BOM by next week! :) We pointed out that that is not a requirement of baptism but still a good thing:) I have never seen someone so excited to have the BOM before ever!

Also Fratello Viani is the father of the bishop and his wife was baptized 2 years ago. We are teaching him and trying to help him see the need of the gospel. He pretty much is a member already :)

I have to go please pray for these people. I see miracles every day thousands and thousands. God's hand is in our lives - it is wonderful. I love you

Sorella preston