Amazing Food, Snow and Finally some Pictures!

These are taken from our apartment window

 

Just outside our apartment.

I think I brought some of Utah with me to Italy! It snowed here in Brindisi, which is not normal at all. One of our investigators told us the last time it snowed like this was 7 yeasts ago. Haha it was good to see it, but all of the Italians freaked out because they haven't seen snow in a long time. Which made it hard to find people. The language is crazy! Everyone speaks so fast! I feel bad because my trainer has to teach most of the lessons and has to answer all of the questions. The Italian will come though, it'll just take time!! 

Hot Chocolate

I try new food here every day, and it just keeps getting better. Their hot chocolate is a lot different then ours too, but it's soo good!! 

 

I'm lucky to have gotten such a hard
working Comp. Elder Vrska.

I went with one of the zone leaders in Bari for a day and did some work over there and that was fun. Bari is a pretty big city compared to Brindisi, but I love Brindisi. It rained a ton this week again. I am starting to wonder if I am in Italy or England lol. I am also learning how to cook some way good pasta! They say that if the sauce doesn't cook longer then 4 hours then it's not a good red sauce! Crazy right?! Then on Wednesday we were walking home to go eat lunch and we hear this old lady yell "America!" so we turned around and started talking to her. Haha, so we told her why we were here and what we were doing and she agreed to meet with us. It was awesome! Then one of our less actives was asking if he could get an arabic Book of Mormon. We thought it was kind of weird, but we got him one anyways and invited him to come to church. Unfortunately he didn't show up. I also forgot to mention I had a talk last week! It went pretty well. The branch is really small so this probably won't be the only time!

      

On Thursday we invited one of our investigators to church, and of course, with the spirit telling him he needed to go to church, he agreed! So on Friday we decided to call him to see how he was doing. But his phone went straight to voice mail. We just thought his phone was off or something like that. So we continued to call him throughout the next couple of days. Still no luck. We thought he dropped us, we were so sad. He was making so much progress, so we couldn't figure out why he would just stop meeting with us. Then, 15 minutes into church, HE WALKS IN!!! I almost went crazy, in the middle of sacrament. He stayed the whole time and enjoyed church. It was so cool to see him there! 

      Then of course we got fritta on Friday for "Fritta Friday".  Friday was a long day so a Fritta was just the thing to raise our spirits!! On sunday we got invited over for a lunch appointment! We had some awesome pasta, with a rague sauce. And then the classic potatoes and meet after. I was so full, I think they had to roll me put off there! 

Bari Zone Soccer!

Then the zone got a little soccer game going on p-day! Oh my days, it was so crazy! I don't think I realize how much I really missed it until we started playing! It felt good to get out and play again! Thank you guys for all support! Love ya!!

PS Thanks to my mom's friend Nikki that lives in Bari, I was able to get the necessary connector to down load some pictures from my camera!

    

                    

               Have I mentioned amazing and fresh the food is here?  

Lecce (about 45 from Brindisi)

The rest are pictures I took in Rome.

   

Just a really cool car....

Much Love and prayers,       

Anziano Andersen⛷⚽

Christmas, Farewell MTC and Hello Italy..... 

 Final Week at the MTC and First Week in Italy:

Opening Christmas early! Don't tell my Mom!

Wow what an eventful week! I'll start from the begining. Christmas was Sunday and that was a pretty fun Christmas, it wasn't quite the same, because we weren't with our families. But I can't complain because it was a great day. It was awesome to talk to the family, I was a bit worried it would make me homesick, but you were all so encouraging and it only made me more excited! I love you guys! We had Elder Oaks and his family come, they did a big musical performance. David Archuleta also came and did a musical thing as well. It was really cool!  Then the whole MTC had sacrament together and Elder Oaks bore his testimony; it was way powerful. It was a great last Sunday at the MTC.

Thanks to everyone who sent me packages! It was so fun to get them and I'm grateful to you all!  

     Then came the packing. Wow, it was a struggle to get below 50 pounds on my bags! Through hard work and much praying it was accomplished, or at least enough to make it past the airport people without being too heavy. 

With Hillary Kendrick

Then we woke up bright and early at 3:30 to head out. The flight was awesome!!! We flew over these mountain ranges and it was the most beautiful thing ever. 

  


Italy is legit!! Rome is absolutely gorgeous, I loved it there! Everyone had plants on their windows and the streets are tiny there. It was cool. And the Coliseum is amazing. It's huge!! And then we went to the Catholic cathedral and those things are insane. They are so cool!! So much history. All of Rome really, just full of history. The temple is an awesome temple!  I loved meeting President and Sister Pickerd they were really cool! 

President and Sister Pickerd

Italy Rome Temple

Rome had an underground spring. So they have like all these water stations all over. You know how we have like carbonated water? Yeah well that's all they drink here. It's way gross. But it's all natural, yep they get it from a spring. Crazy right? I never knew carbonated water could be natural, but it is. 

So you guys want to know where I am? Brindisi!! Just below Bari, so it's in the Bari zone. Haha, not gonna lie I was disappointed when I first saw it because it looked like a bunch of just white apartment buildings, which is terrible for finding. When my trainer and I got here we had this investigator show us around. Haha weird that an investigator showed us around right?? He's a great guy! He took us to the center which is pretty much exactly like City Creek. It's actually a beautiful city and great people. We can do some good finding there! 

This Sunday we had only 14 people including us and the Branch Presidency at church. Haha and I had to introduce my self, which wasn't terrible. Their are usually about 20-30 people there, but since last night was New years Eve, not a whole lot of people came. Oh and I have never slept so good. Haha, I'm not lying, it goes by so quick though. It feels like I close my eyes then my alarm goes off.  

My comp, Anziano Vrska, is legit; we have a lot in common. I was worried at first because he only has two transfers left and so I thought he was gonna be really trunky. He's a hard worker and works to the last minute! It's great, I lucked out! 

I had my first lunch appointment. Wow, I could not understand a word they said. But that was the best pasta I have ever had. No joke. I thought I liked it before I'd left, oh no, I love it now!  My comp is a way good chef (he learned from members and an Italian comp he had) so he's gonna teach me how to cook! I hope I'll learn from members too. The bread hear is so good. Everything is really fresh. It's great. Except I can't find my frozen chicken breasts. I just have to buy them fresh and cook them. And they are a lot smaller because they aren't pumped with stuff, oh my-lanta, that pasta was to die for, Wow! 

Tell everyone I appreciate their emails and I pray for you all everyday! Sorry, no pictures from Brindisi, I've got to figure out how to get them on my tablet. Hopefully next week!

Anziano Andersen