Week 29 - Trapani, Sicily, Italy

Amici e Famiglia,

Busy Week.  On Monday, we had P-Day and a FHE with some nonmembers present.  We also were fed some delicious pizzas (salmon, parmesan eggplant, and salame.)  Tuesday, we attempted to have lesson in the morning which fell through and then we took a bus to Palermo for our interviews. Interviews went well and then we walked around Palermo for some food.  We made a stop at the missionary famous tie cave where a man recognized us and told us to follow him through a series of rooms deeper and deeper into the building until we walked into a large garage/room full of boxes of ties.  I found two that I liked and paid 8 euro in total.  Pretty cheap. Then we found the shop with the Bomba arancini... really big arancini (fried rice balls with a meat ragu sauce inside.)  Then we met back up at the church with the other missionaries who invited us to go to another Arancini shop.  I still had some hunger, so I agreed and ended up buying a delicious sweet pork one.   Then, we went to the Palermo 1 apartment to sleep (6th floor without an elevator.)  That house was a really terrible choice in apartment.  I tried to sleep on a cheap air mattress and rough and obviously too cheap sheets.  Twas a long light.  Zone Conference the next day was really good.  Lots of good messages.  Then we took a bus back to Trapani and had just enough time to make the long walk home.  We saw one guy on the street and I decided to talk to him since we had been doing lots of role-playing during the conference earlier.  He wasn't really interested but he actually stopped (it's a rare occurrence) and we had a good conversation.  The next day (Thanksgiving!) we tried again to meet with that same investigator from Tuesday and it failed.  Then we were fed some homemade pizza at a member's home before our English course. After it ended, the member's began their karaoke party.  There were lots of nonmember friends and some donuts.  I got up and sang a few songs too.  Basically a bunch of old music that I don't know.  Friday, we planned and then had two good lessons in the evening with some investigating families.  The next day, we were picked up by our Branch President and drove to Enna (or Pergusa) for Stake Conference (all of Sicily) with two other passengers besides my companion.  My companion got the "hump" there and I got it back (my poor sedere.)  It was a great meeting (at some college) and I saw lots of friends from Ragusa and other missionaries from the Catania zone.  We arrived late that night and I ordered some pizza for the birthday.  The next day we arose early at 5 to be picked up at 6 to be taken to the launching point of the branch bus (they call the buses Pullman's strangely enough.)  It was a long trip to Catania for the General Session of Stake Conference at the Sheraton Hotel.  Another great meeting and chance to see all my friends from the other side of the island.  The Stake President is really good here.  This week should be pretty good and transfer calls will be Saturday.  Have a great week errbody.

Anziano Blazzard