More than emails from Italy!

How exciting is to receive a package fromKayla!? She sent chocolate and Jaisha's birthday present (pink Italian leather wallet) I just had to take a picture of it! But I must say the funnest thing to receive are the pictures! She looks great and she is in a really big city. I didn't realize just how big. I will share some of her letter and try to add pictures too. Just couldn't resist sharing the food comments!

there is NO ranch dressing, the ketchup is very sweet, no jello, no marshmellows, no cool whip, no cottage cheese (but they have a BILLION types of cheese!) the mayonaise is really different and is really good! They put it on fries mainly and meats. I really miss peanut butter, so if you could slip some my way, that would be awesome! Their yougurt is like a smoothie and is really good. Their milk comes in two ways, either in a box that can last for nearly a year on the shelf (i still can't figure that one out and choose to ignore it, they call it poo milk in the mission!) or really fresh and goes bad in a few days! I claim allergies with eggplant and found something new about that. Alot of the women here go balk and one theory is that the eggplant causes it! Yeah! so SOOOOO not eating it!!!!

Here is my big story for this week! Are you ready?? I went on what we call scambi (it means change, but its kinda slang, and its like exchanges) I went to GENOVA! Mom, if there is a place where we are all going to live someday, this is it!! Its beautiful! Truly! There is a port and a big duomo (catherdral) and it was just beautiful! Palm trees! I was there 2 days and then I came back to Torino. I was there with S. Harris and we taught this family and the Spirit was so strong! S. Harris said that it was finally a break through! She was worried that they would have to drop this family and focus on others because they weren't progressing, but then this happened and bam! We were going to go somewhere else, but we got a prompting not to and to go here instead and I'm so glad we did! Sorry if i'm not spelling right, but my hands are so cold! Its freezing here! We had Napoli Pizza with two investigators and the city had such a good feeling

Lessons with a member always goes better, so if the missionaries haven't asked you yet, ask them. I would just flat out PASS OUT with joy if a member did that! The spirit is so much stronger and the lessons go so much smoother with that one or two extra testimonies! We had a member lesson just a couple of days ago with Luz and she agreed to follow the word of wisdom and opened up alot more! Our member was davide, a return missionary and it was amazing! Our lesson this morning went smoother and she is trusting us and really working hard! Progress is sometimes slow, but it is progress and that is all that matters! She agreed to follow the law of chastity. I was a little worried about teaching that, but when I bore my testimony tears just flowed and it went so well and the Spirit was so strong! I knew with all my heart that this commandment is of God and that when we obey it our self worth sky rockets and the love we feel is limitless!

My Italian is coming along great! Thanks to my Heavenly Father He is so merciful! I don't remember if I told you or not, but every so often I meet someone who speaks Englis and I get to talk about the gospel that way! its such a tender mercy! We try to speak Italian all of the time, but sometimes I just miss English! That's when Heavenly Father helps me.

I could go on and on with the sharing, but I better quit. The pictures are of her companion who is from California and the statue of satan and his fallen angels.

Thanksgiving

Just a quick thought about this years Thanksgiving. This year was a special one for Grandma, and all but three grandkids were able to attend. Kayla of course being in Italy!! Three grandsons just couldn't make it:( It was so fun seeing everyone, because it had been a very long time and my children couldn't remember a couple of their cousins. Family is so precious that we really should try harder to get together at least once a year. Granny is going to be 89 in Feb. and she is really doing good. Funny thing about families, you love them so much, but life just seems to get in the way of really spending time together. Enjoy just a few pictures, believe me when I say there were SO many taken, Jay just laughed at my camera crazy family!

Christmas for Kayla

Just in case anyone wants to send something to Kayla, I thought I better share this information from her Mission Pres.

All Christmas packages must be delivered to the mission office by December 1, to insure delivery to the missionary.

Due to customs regulations Christmas package delivery to missionaries can be expensive and complicated. Our recommendation is that instead of sending a large package, send something small and then put money into your missionary’s personal account so that he or she can purchase a gift here.

Beware that the Italian government often charges an import fee of 25% or more of the value of the package. You should be cautious when writing in the value and contents of anything you send. Packages are randomly stopped for inspection, but are targeted if they look suspicious. For example, if the value declared is too low compared with its list of contents. Italian customs will not accept zero as a value, so assign a reasonable value to letters, pictures, CD’s, etc. Our experience is that Italian customs will usually stop and inspect packages when “missionary supplies” is listed as the contents.
It is our experience that items sent in a padded envelope are seldom stopped or have a customs fee charged for them. When the phrase “dalla famiglia” is added at the end of the list of items, packages also are less likely to be stopped. This phrase means that the contents are “from the family” rather than having been purchased via mail order.

It is important to note that missionaries are required to pay from their own funds all duty and import fees for packages they receive. At times these fees can exceed the value of the package.

Send packages or hard copy mail to:

(Missionary’s FULL Name)
Missione Italiana di Milan
Via A. Gramsci 13/4
20090 Opera (MI) Italy

I guess the mail there is not real reliable so maybe any letters that are sent need to just go to the mission home and let them get them to her. Still no pictures to share with you! But will post more of her last letter next.