First week in Italy

Salve!

   Well I'm sitting here in the tiny Ward building on the 3rd floor of a palazzo here in Piacenza, with my new companion Anziano Nielson.  Piacenza is a medium sized city about an hour southeast of Milano, and it's the most amazing place in the world.  I just love it here.  It's crazy to think that it's only been a week since I talked to you last, but so much has changed.  There's so much to write.

   We arrived in Milan at approximately 9 am and met up with President and Sister Wolfgramm and the APs, Anziano Gray and Mangrum.  First thing the assistents did was give us all these huge man-bear hugs, almost as if we were trying to tackle each other.  It reminded me of football ha, and we give each other hugs like that every time we see each other.  It kinda makes your head rattle.  Anyways the day went kinda like I said it would... but it was twice as amazing as I thought it would be.  We went straight from the airport to the Milano Due Chapel to drop off everyone's bags and then we were going straight to the Duomo.  
As we're about to walk  up the stairs into the piazza Anziano Gray turns to us and just says, "Get ready..."    Holy cow.  Sacra mooca.  That thing is amazing.  It literally is one of the greatest things man has ever created. 
     I'm now serving in Piacenza with my trainer Anziano Nielson.  He grew up in St. George and went to Dixie High.  He also played football and was a running back so we have some good things to talk about.  He's very awesome and I learn so much from him.  Here in Piacenza you do a lot of casa in casa, or door knocking.  I can't even count how many doors I've had slammed in my face.  But I don't get why some missionaries get so discouraged by it.... it think it's pretty hilarious ha.  Maybe not that they're rejecting this wonderful message.  But the fact that they will take the time to buzz you in down stairs and unlock the 7 locks they have on their doors just to open and close the door once they see these two American boys in white shirts and ties.   
      After going door to door for so long and encountering all sorts of miserable, angry, lonely people, all I wanted to do was teach a family.  It's interesting to see how much one can appreciate a strong, united loving family when they see how alone and sad others can be.  So we knocked on the door and this time Anziano Bolnick says, "Okay you've got this one."  This man opens the door and puts his hands on the shoulders of his beautiful little girl who is standing there with him.  We introduce ourselves and I tell him that we would like to share with them a wonderful message concerning the family and how we can find happiness.  He was so kind and warm and invited us into his home without and a second thought (that is very rare I've come to realize).  We sat down with him and his family and talked briefly about who they were and what they believed.  We asked them what their greatest hope was for their family, and they replied that they wanted to have health and happiness and to live together.  They were just perfect.  We were able to teach them about the Restoration and Joseph Smith and they seemed so open and happy.  We left them a book of Mormon and an invitation to attend church on Sunday.  As we were teaching, the little girl just sat there and listened so intently (also correcting her father's italian here and there).  She just smiled and I thought right then and there how important this is for all of us.  I felt such hope and love for this family and for all of us here on the earth.  I was certainly blessed by my Heavenly Father.