c'era una volta...

Cool, I didn't know that Grandma and Grandpa were going to the temple dedication. That is nice that they get to be there. So I guess when we meet Ukrainians this week I can tell them that my grandparents are there right now. I don't know how to say Kiev so that they understand what I'm saying though. Haha. Well last week we met with some peope for a first appointment, we had met them on Lungomare one SUnday and we got permission to go to Statte to teach them because Grazia didn't really like the idea of Anziani that she doesn't know coming to her house. But we went and they were very open and very sincerely interested, and just amazing people. It was exciting. It'll be interesting down the line, they both smoke and they've got a nice little bar in their house and coffee and stuff going on so we'll have some word of wisdom stuff to deal with. And they have been together for 17 years and have four kids but they aren't married, and I don't know if ...

Haha...I know what Christy's talking about...that part when she's writing letters and says "dear john, i mean wally, work harder" or something like that... We're still struggling it out. It's rough. She thinks she's the only one having a difficult time so she likes to say things like "I feel miserable whenever I talk to you" and I dunno, I'm just kind of holding on and hoping that I'm not with her for a long time because it's just really discouraging and exhausting. Last Wednesday we met a less-active named Sorella Bargelloni. I can't figure her out. She's a returned missionary but she married a man who isn't a member and evidently told the sisters before us that she didn't come to church because her husband wouldn't let her, but she said he's fairly open it's just that he's atheist when she talked to us. But she's nice. And it was kind of nice to see a house that wasn't perfect and children t...

So this week has been pretty decent. My companion still gets frustrated and thinks that if she doesn't do everything then it isn't going to get done, but I'm trying to be more patient with her compulsive need to be in control. Last Wednesday we had a lesson on Lungomare with a little old man named Mimo. He's not a very happy person and after we tried to teach him for half an hour and he just told us a long list of how many people had done wrong things to him in his life I felt like I needed to talk to the man on the other side of him. He wasn't the happiest man either, but he was nice. Not a fan of religion because he worked in the bank with money exports and thinks all religions are just monetary organizations and not really religious. But he was very interested in hearing that God knows who he is personally and that was kind of neat. Before meeting Mimo we had been talking to a man on a bench and then an old lady from our ward came and sat next to us right as we w...

Hello family, Well, it's been a long week. It's been good. Training isn't the easiest thing I've ever done, but it'll be good. She's a great missionary, but her idea of missionary work that she received from the MTC is that you are outside knocking doors and talking to everyone on the street from 8 am to 9 pm, even on p-days. And it's a little different than that but she'd like me to just skip studies and pranzo and work all day. And that's not how it works, so she's having a hard time adjusting. Anyway, it was kind of weird to get rid of Sorella Hostetter. Thursday morning I got on a bus to Bari and we basically waited around for the new missionaries all day. We had a lesson with the Bari sorelle's investigator who is in her seventies and we taught the Word of Wisdom. She kind of freaked out because she drinks coffee and she doesn't agree that that could ever be bad for her. I don't know how she'll end up. Interesting old lady ...

Dear Brother and Sister Stevenson, Your missionary has recently been assigned to be a “New Missionary Trainer”. In this assignment she will be the companion of a newly arrived missionary. This is a very important responsibility. Trainers have a profound and lasting influence on the development of a new missionary’s attitude and habits. I am confident that Sister Stevenson will do an excellent job in this important assignment. Sister Kelly and I thank you for your faith and prayers on behalf of our mission and for all you have done to prepare such an outstanding missionary. Sincerely, Thomas E. Kelly President Italy Rome Mission