Here I am again, absolutely amazed that a week has already passed since I was told I was being transferred. The life of a missionary is always exciting. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! Last Sunday while I was still in Milan, we all as missionaries had the opportunity to give a talk in church, which was my first time doing that in Italy, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Anziano Ritchie gave a beautiful talk about feeding sheep and we all sang Come thou fount of every blessing in Italian, with me as the resident soloist. It is my favorite song, so I didn't mind. Last week we had zone conferences and Tuesday we went to Modena for the Firenze and Bologna zones and we had a terrific time. The Wolfgramms like to put on a Christmas Pageant, so while the "actors" were getting ready, I lead everyone else in an array of Christmas carols, actions included, and we had a marvelous time. When we did Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer one of the anziani said we needed reindeer, which I thought a brilliant idea, so I ran with it. I cast my reindeer and the anziani volunteered President Wolfgramm to be Rudolph, which suits as it is his middle name, and the whole thing was hysterical. I had a really good time. Wednesday after discovering that I was being transferred I made up my mind to get all of the other orders done for the zone conferences for the next two days and I almost succeeded. Sorella Burgoyne was amazed and I was satisfied, because I didn't want them to have to do it all without me. I felt alright about being transferred, but I was a little overwhelmed. President Wolfgramm gave me a blessing and I was very grateful to have that peace of mind. I am so grateful for the priesthood and the knowledge that the Lord is directing his work here. Thursday was zone conference in Verona and our companion switch. I again helped prepare things and lead the music and afterward did a musical number of Oh Holy Night with my amazing former trainer Sorella Jacobson. The whole thing was great, though saying goodbye to my office family was really difficult. I am glad I was able to be a part of it even for just a little while.Thursday evening I arrived here in Pordenone with bells on, excited, as always, to meet new people and get to work. It has been an adventure and I have loved it. I have met so many interesting and loveable people and we are working really hard. I am becoming more comfortable on a bicycle in Italy and I love it more and more. Christmas eve we went to Midnight mass which was more than interesting. It was an experience I am glad I had. The best part was that here in Pordenone they have a choir and a live orchestra through it all. The music was amazing and I learned a lot I didn't know about this Italian Catholic tradition. Christmas was delightful. we went to a member's house, ate far too much food, and listened to opera for hours. Good opera. Maria Callas and Giacomo Lauri Volpi. Needless to say, I was perfectly contented. Monday night we had family home evening with the American ward at the Herndon's and it was amazing. One of the member's friends gave the spiritual thought and it was absolutely beautiful. Shaylee, the member, then invited her to take the missionary lessons and we are teaching her tonight. She is so ready and to have the kind of support and familiarity she already has will be such a help. She is amazing and I am so excited to be able to teach her how much Heavenly Father loves her, when I know she needs it so much. The family home evening and everything that happened was an absolute miracle. It really was. And the Spirit was so strong, it is inexpressible. Francesco, an investigator Sorella Sloan calls our "resident Catholic" who likes to share as much about the catholic church as we do about ours, taught me a bit of Friulano, which is a dialect in this region. He said that when saying goodbye, instead of ciao, they say "mandi" which means " in the hands of God." That is what I would like to leave with you this week. I just want to remind you that you are always in the hands of our Heavenly Father. He is with you. He knows you. He is aware of your worries and struggles and he will heal you. I know that. I know it because I have experienced it. When you feel you aren't strong enough, look to Him. He is my strength and refuge and eternal friend. He can be yours as well. I hope you all set some terrific goals for this new year and remember to enjoy living, laugh a lot, and smile when things get rough. Laughter really is my favorite medicine for a weary heart. BOUN CAPODANNO! Talk to you next year! Much love!
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