Venezia, Flu, Angel of the Week

(note from Mom: I asked him if he needed us to send anything...)

NEED ANYTHING? No, not really...I have everything I need and I travel light.  I'll pick up stuff here and there when other missionaries leave behind things (I think I'm going to get a pair of shoes and a tie from Anziano Andersen, as he doesn't want to buy another suitcase), especially since I have an entire half-suitcase empty.  I'll just pick up things here in Italia as I need them.

UPLIFTING MESSAGES. We can download church magazine articles when we have Internet, so we can do it at the church and it gets stored on the phone.  We also ended up with the church magazines Liahona and Ensign, but I'm not sure who gave us those.  We can watch Mormon Messages when we have Internet.  My recommendation is to watch Hope of God's Light; it's super-cool.

Favorite scripture...Ether 15:31 is probably not a good one...

Venizia in the rain

Mormon 9: 19-20 is pretty good.  Just to keep in mind that people don't see miracles because they're not looking for them.

VENEZIA. We went to Venezia (Venice) again, so here are myself and Anziano Andersen in a plaza.  A very nice plaza.

in the plaza, Venice

 The other picture is of a tower, in this little town we ended up in after dark.  The town was creepy after dark, but I saw the moon through the tower, so that was cool.

moon through the tower

artwork in the ceiling

Venice canal in the drizzle

some people come prepared with umbrellas

Venezia has buildings on an enormous scale.  Just standing there, you feel small.  It was raining this time unfortunately, but I always carry an umbrella here, so that's all right.  There were still people who came out of the woodwork offering to sell umbrellas and ponchos to tourists, so there was plenty of cheap raingear to go around.

This is a tower with a golden something on top.  Maybe someday it will be an Angel Moroni.  That would be really cool: a Venice, Italy temple.

golden statue on top

We got on a wrong train back from Venice, so ended up in a small town waiting for the right one.  As it turned out, we walked for a bit looking for food or an Internet point, but we found a gym-like building where some older ladies were playing Bocci-Ball.  The more you know...they play it here.  It looked rather slow, like a mix of Ski-ball and Shuffleboard.  But they were having fun, so that's what's important.

Bocci-Ball

FLU. A story from two weeks ago: after writing one week, I got sick: basic flu -- coughing for 2-3 days, runny nose for 2-3 days, generally tired.  But it passed really quickly, didn't interfere with any work or anything.  Just thought I'd mention it, so you'd know that I won't get sick for the rest of the winter.  Glad that's out of the way.

MEETINGS. I can listen to General Conference, and in English.  Our broadcasts are also on Saturday and Sunday, but starting at 4 p.m. (I think) and carrying on through Sunday evening.  They get broadcast at the church.

At district meeting (weekly meeting in Pordenone with us and a few other anziani and sorelle), we sang hymn #286 in English, which I had never heard before, but was very nice.  So there are probably lots of "hidden treasure" hymns in the book.

We go to Missionary "Correlation" meeting with the Ward Mission Leader each Sunday and keep him up-to-date on the people we're visiting.  I have been to one Ward Council meeting, since that's all they've had during the time I've been here.  It's maybe the second one they've had since Anziano Andersen has been here.

More on the incoming packages...one is in Italy, I just have to pick it up from the package office because we weren't home when they came by.  The other I think is also in town but I'm not positive.  It has been back and forth cool and hot, and did not rain much this week.

That is super-cool that you got to see a shark up close!  I'd love to go scuba-diving again when I get back.

ANGEL OF THE WEEK (note from Mom: last letter I sent a story about God working through "angels," usually kind people around us....)  I usually do some of my grocery shopping on the way to district meeting, since there's a bigger grocery store in Pordenone.  So on the way back from District Meeting, the plastic bag ripped, pretty close to home.  As I pulled over and ran back to it, a nice man helped me pick up the food and gave me a better bag to carry it in.  He was Italian but had lived in Canada for a year, so he spoke English too.  It was very kind and I really appreciated it.

Miss you, but I'm having fun here and doing good work!

Love, Anziano Whitesell