Week 4 Already

Salve Padre!

            This week has not been the best. My companion after 4 weeks of physical therapy is getting surgery today. I have fallen behind in class with learning Italian and it’s near impossible to catch up to where the rest of the class is at because I’ve missed 8 classes in the last few weeks visiting the doctor because of my companion. My companion Anziano Malloy pulled a (Drew Benson Move) and wrecked racing motocross 2 weeks before he came to the MTC ruining his shoulder. He thought it would get better but they did an MRI this last Monday and he had torn and separated his shoulder socket and he is missing bones in there that chipped off when he wrecked. Thankfully the Branch President requested that Anziano Christensen one of the Idaho Falls boys go with him to the surgery so I don’t have to miss class for the 6 hours they will be gone today at the hospital. We are all hoping the best for him and we are not sure what will happen. He has talked with the district president (manager of the MTC) and he says that he might go home but they are playing it by ear. I gave my first priestood blessing last night to him and I was a great opportunity to use the priestood for the first time giving a blessing. It has been a really difficult 4 weeks, but somehow I continue to see blessings and see the Lord helping me along. I have been putting in overtime studying to catch up to the rest of the class but it hasn’t quite got me there.

            Our district loves to play calcio(soccer) against the Brits here ha-ha. Those English think they are so darn good at calcio but Team USA (Italian District 33C) handed it to them the other day showing the cocky Brits that us Americans can take them in their own game. It’s been nice to finally get outside and enjoy the nice weather. It’s been rather hot here though. It’s usually hotter than 90's here every day and the wind never blows... EVER. It’s nice, but I do miss the Idaho breeze.

            I got everyone’s packages this week! Thanks so much for all the goods. Mail is like the most exciting thing in the week ha-ha and every missionary loves getting letters.

            MOM yes I would like to vote. If you could send that to me it would be fantastic.

I have not seen Austin Madsen yet, but I saw Jordan Bateman, and I finally saw Drake on Sunday-took me a week to find him.

I love all you guys and hope everything is going well with you. The MTC is hard, but the harder things are in life the better you will become. It’s such a blessing to be in a place where you don’t have to worry about the outside world. I wouldn’t trade anything is this entire world for being here because it is that GOOD.

Arrivaderci

Anziano Benson