Buon giorno famiglia!!
I'm definitely a few days late this week.. Let's just say I have yet to find the internet point in this new city!! Where to start off... It feels as if it's a been a month since I was last at Napoli!! Hard but rewarding week.. My new city is beautiful and I am still trying to get used to it being a normal city.. Due to the fact that Napoli was chaos for a few months of my life, this city is wonderful and smaller, but still a city.. There has been so much that has happened in this last week.. From the move to the arrival to the Zone Conference we had yesterday with our Area Seventy in Elder Causse'.. I don't have much time because we have to leave to go out into the countryside for an appointment.. My new companion is great and we're working through this language barrier like Wyatt through the defensive secondary.. I'm really enjoying it here to tell you the truth.. A very hard week that has resulted with me seeing my best friend in the world Anziano Dugdale yesterday at the Zone Conference.. From when I entered the mission I had not seen anybody from my district and had always wondered how they were.. Wish I could express how much it meant to get a big hug from that stud yesterday.. Anyway.. For the Branch here at Brindisi.. This situation is going to be a test.. There are about 10 members and all are retired.. They are all really great and nice, just tired!! I love each of them and our first Sunday here was Fast and Testimony Meeting and again my own testimony was strengthened by the Spirit of the Lord to dwell in all places of the world.. Having talked with President Kelly yesterday about this area here at Brindisi there is definitely a change that needs to be made and my companion and I are doing all we can to help that change take place.. My companion is fun to be with.. The cultures are so different!! So many little things we do differently!! It's a learning experience for both of us, in which patience is being developed in every step.. I love him dearly and we are having a lot of fun as we work on this part of the vineyard for the Lord.. My first day here included of gathering olives in a TRUE olive garden.. Many hours we spent doing that, unfortunately.. However there will be a bottle of oil that I hand-picked that I can hopefully send your way!! Everything sounds great at home, I'm happy that all of you are happy.. This Christmas will definitely be one to remember.. I ask all of you to prepare for these people at Brindisi.. Pray for that soul that we can find and I promise that we will do our best to find them.. This city is rich with history, being that it is where the Appian Way exits into the Adriatic Sea and is called the Roman Gate to the East.. From Mussolini monuments to an incredible country side of olive trees I couldn't be more excited to be here.. Change is change and it takes patience and diligently striving forward as President Uchtdorf explains.. I suppose you all are wondering why I am writing on Saturday also, rather than Wednesday.. Well, turns out that we had planned on our regular schedule for our preparation day, however on our way out of the house we received a call from a member of the Church.. She is from Texas and lives clear out in the country with her husband, who is from Whales.. Anyway, their electricity had been out for almost two days and neither of them speak Italian and cannot talk with the company to get it turned back on.. After a few hours of trying to "explain" to the power company the situation we decided it would be best if we just go out to their small little farm house and try to solve it ourselves.. For the watered down version, the very moment that we stepped foot into her small little barracks in the fields the light turned back on and all things regained order.. She expressed to us her thanks and to her it was a miracle! I don't why I felt so inclined to share this story with all of you today, perhaps because I have wondered for this last week if what we have been doing is our absolute best and not just good.. I learned from this experience that nothing can turn out badly when we just drop all of our plans when the occasion arises and just serve.. It was a testimony to me that although we may have important things to do in our lives and that we all have a schedule to maintain, there's another agenda that we need to pay our attention to at times and that's the prompting of the Spirit to serve others.. I challenge us all in this Holiday Season to find an opportunity to drop everything that we have that seems important to us and "go out into the countryside to find someone in need of your help".. I love you all, thank you so much for all you do and for your letters!! Untill next week, arrivederci!!
Con tutto del mio cuore...
Anziano Gatchell
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