What A WEEEEEEK!!!

February 22, 2014

Back to Milano!

WHAT A WEEEEEEKKK!

Anziani Steving, Benson, Bendezu

I got transferred on Sunday evening to the office here in Opera/Milano to be the Secretary. The last 2 transfers I will be here in the office. I don't think that was what I expected; actually I didn't see it coming at all. I had planned out my week in Muggio already and was planning to leave on Thursday. Nope! I didn’t even get to go to church in Muggio with the ward. I just got transferred so fast I didn't even get my bags all packed! I just threw it all in the car pretty much and somehow, not surprised, I lost some slacks and they were my favorite kind! I'm still mad about it! Oh well. My new P-day is now Saturday.

Anyway, the transfers for all the missionaries was really crazy. Usually you get trained when you get to the office and well I didn’t get that. They just said here you go! And gave me the computer and started to fill up my to do list with random tasks that I had no idea how to do. The missionary who was in the office before me was a physics major and a math mathematician genius so he created all these super crazy formulas, calculations, of like who knows what on the excel spreadsheets that I have no idea still how to work. In fact before I knew that I was coming here I was thinking man it would be nice to know how to use a computer when I get home. Wish granted! But I didn't think about this! This is much more rigorous and intense than I thought! But that’s alright when I get home I will know all there is to know about word and excel if you need anything haha. Projects anyone?

Lake Como

I’m really tired. Let’s just say it was not an easy change. It was actually a frustrating week and I still have a headache from all the hours of staring at a monitor. From 8:00-10:00 PM one day I was answering calls and fixing stuff on the computer. Arranging things and changing the stuff for transfers. I basically crashed mentally after a few days and finally we got all the new missionaries here and to their cities. The amount of things I have had to learn in like a matter of 24 hours was way more than I could handle and there were some mistakes and some frustration with transfers and departures for going home missionaries. We had dinners, lunches, runs to airport 4 times new missionary pair ups and I had to reorganize the mission roster of who is in what city. Like I know who is where? I just got here Sunday night! Anyways I am just the do whatever they tell me guy but hey I got my own car and computer. That’s cool. And we get to hang with President Dibb and the assistants all day. Baptisms will be tough because we are white washing the city.  It’s a new area for us. Should be a lot of fun and baptism should be pretty possible. We just have less time though because we are here in the office until 5:00 every day. So little time!! But it will be all good.

Well we have a car and I am the designated driver. Pretty cool. Italy is terrifying though. I fear for my life every time that I get in that screaming metal death trap. People do not drive like they do in Idaho! Not to mention that the roads make no sense AT ALL!!  I have taken so many wrong turns even with the GPS! And when I do actually follow tom tom there is always road construction and we don't even end up on the same road because there are no detours because it’s not possible here! Everything is too old and they can’t make a temporary road because there is no space haha. I don't even know how you are supposed to drive a Ferrari here because there are no straight roads! There are a few speed limit signs but you don't need them because none of the roads are straight for more than 100 yards. You can’t possibly exceed 30 MPH!

My New Comps in Como

I  have 2 comps here. We are in 3. Anziano Steving is from Idaho Falls and Anziano Bendezu was trained by my son, Anziano Heaton! He is a really cool dude. He is from Rome. He is Peruvian and his family moved here when he was like 5 or 6 so he has grown up here and is practically a native. My whole mission I have wanted an Italian... close enough. We live across the hall from the mission office here in Opera. It’s like 15 min south of Milan in some small suburbs. It’s a really small quiet place with no stores haha. All is well.

Well that was my week and I’m really tired so I’m going to take a nap. Tell everyone hello for me!

Anziano Benson