Travel Days and a Phone Call Home

Six weeks in the MTC were busy and productive, and seemed to go by quickly.  From emails we had with David, it seemed like he had a good experience in the Mission Training Center.  His district of 7 people were very strong and supportive people.  They all spent a lot of time learning and teaching together (and eating meals of course). They got to know each other and became good friends.

The morning of August 5 arrived, and it was the beginning of the Travel Marathon!  The missionaries going to Rome, Italy took another flight path, so the Milan missionaries said goodbye to them.  Then all 21 missionaries, who were headed for Milan, luggage and bags in tow, went to the Salt Lake City airport for the first leg of the journey.  British Airways flight #1827 took them from Salt Lake City to Chicago.

Then David was able to call home!  We waited awhile since his flight into Chicago was delayed a little. But he called, actually as he was boarding plane number two.  He said it had gone smoothly so far, and he would miss his instructors at the MTC.

His second flight, British Airways #294, took them all night into London, and the third flight went from London to Milan.  They arrived in Milan August 6.

Our friends Darsi and Mike Dowling have a son Blake who was just finishing his mission in Milan.  They went to pick him up and to visit Italy, and they knew David would be coming the same week Blake was leaving.  They knew, from Blake's experience, that the brand new missionaries went to the center of Milan on their first day there.  So Mike and Darsi looked for David, and found him!  They surprised us with a photo from the first day there.  Now it's on the laptop as the background photo.  Love it!

Downtown Milano, right next to the Duomo

I also got a phone call from another missionary, in the mission office in the afternoon of the 6th.  They said our son had arrived, safe and sound, and that they would eat dinner (all 21 of the new missionaries!) in the mission home, and stay at a nearby hotel that night.  Then, the next day -- 7th -- they would head to their apartments and get to work :)

David's 1st area is Udine, just northeast of Venice.  His companion is Anziano Andersen.  There are 4 missionaries in Udine, and they are all in the same apartment.  No sisters (sorellas) are there right now.