I wanna know...have you ever seen the rain?

Cari Miei!
 
I hope this letter finds you all well.
 
It's been a good week here in Prato. Sunday...what a glorious day. It rained here in Prato for the first
time in 4 months. And when it rains, it pours. It really came down and there was even a thunderstorm...but it only lasted from about 7:30 to 11:30 and then the sky was cloudless. But...It cleared out the air...of everything. IT took all the heat out of the air, it took out most ALL of the humidity, also all of the gunky air that is here in Prato (The garbage here stinks really badly in some places) So it was just a miraculous day, and ever since then, It has been very nice weather. It feels like a cool fall day at times....SOOOOO nice. I don't have to shower 3 times a day now... This was probably the best thing that has happened (Temporarily) in a LONG LONG LONG time.
 
This week has been really good. We set a Baptismal Date and it is exciting. Also there is an Investigator here in Prato.  She has been meeting with the missionaries for months now, she really really wants to get baptized and comes in church every single week and is basically a member, so things should work well.  Anziano Frustaci and I planned out some P-days for his last transfer, this week we are staying in Prato and taking care of some business. For week 2 of the transfer we are going to Sienna, week 3 we are going to Firenze again to see the last of some things he wants to see, and then we might go to Cinque Terre with Anziani Sanders and Gibbons in Pistoia. They want to go and they want us to come with them. So I might head back for round 2....but, we will see. Also we are going to go to Pisa for one P-Day, It is a required Pic to take....OH, also, this week I discovered a really good Gelato place on the other side of our apartment building. Also we have a pizzeria that I really like across the street from us, and they are finally back from vacation. So....it will be a good week. I bought a USB and am collecting a lot of music from other missionaries, and Also I obtained 17 Miracles and The Emma Smith Movie...I'm also going to try a few new cooking things and I agreed to try and go running in the morning with Anziano Frustaci...I told him I would try it for a week and then we would see....
 
This transfer we are going to SYL (Speak Your Language) for the first, third, and fifth week. So we are currently in the thick of things here. We speak all Italian all the time. It is actually really fun.
I'm learning a lot of new words and also, thankfully, at the level where we can just chat about things, so it's not super boring. I finished the Book of Mormon out loud in Italian about a month ago actually, and so now I'm chewing through other materials in Italian and trying to eat up every bit of Italian that I can. I am not really sure why I want to learn the language so well. One of the benefits of being sent exactly where you wanted to go on your mission and learning the one language that you wanted to learn more than any other I guess...I still can't believe I got called here. I am so lucky....
 
Miss you all,
 Hope to hear from you soon
 And In case I don't see ya, Good afternoon and Good night!
 
Love,
 Anziano Memmott

Catching up

Ok, the post will contain 3 seperate parts of his letters. I have dated them according to the date I recieved them. sorry again for getting so behind.

8/8/2012

We had interviews this week with President; He answered a few questions I had so that was really good. He is a really wise man. Anziano Frustaci is a really good companion and keeps me working hard. There have been several times this week where I didn't know what to say and he came in and saved me.

Time is going to fast and I'm really really happy to be here in Prato
and just serving a mission in General. President Wolfgramm asked me in
my interview how I felt my mission was going. I responded with many
answers, but the sum of it being that my Mission means everything to
me. And it really does. So glad to be here, learning and growing and
helping others.

Today we woke up at 5 in the morning to catch a 3 hour train to Cinque Terre. (Pictures will be sent) It is hands down the prettiest place I’ve ever been. I really don't think there is anything in the world that will be cooler to see or more beautiful. So here’s the 411 on how it works. there are 5 little villages, terraces...or terre...they are about 5 minutes apart from each other in train. But there is a really really cool and beautiful hike that you can take that takes you from 1 to the next...it takes you about 5 hours to do the hikes/see a bit of each terre/stop and breathe it in.
I had no idea that the hike would be that difficult though...from the 3rd city to the 4th city and the 4th to the 5th....those are some demanding hikes...you basically climb huge steps for about 15 minutes straight...but you get the most ridiculous view I've ever seen in my life....absolutely unequivocal to anything I can describe....I have the pictures but they don't do it justice, not even a bit. And the whole time, you are on the cost. The sea there is just SOOO blue. Just
really really really pretty.

8/15/2012

Cari Miei,
 
I live on the sun...fact. It is SSSSSSSSSSSSOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
hot.....I cannot find words adequate enough to describe how hot it is right
now in Prato....Yesterday was probably the hottest day I’ve ever lived
through in my life. I had a free sweat going on while I slept and woke
up with my sheets all nasty and they even had salt stains on
them....And I had a fan directly on me the whole night at the highest
setting...SOOOOOOOOOOOOO hot....at least for this Utah boy who hasn’t
know such a hot humid climate in all his life.
Also it’s August and that makes things really slow. Because all of Italy shuts down in August.
Everyone goes on a month long vacation and nobody is around...This
makes it hard to work...because nobody is home, the ward is about
twice as small for a month and just the mentality of August in Italy
gets to you and makes things hard. BUT! We are keeping busy, and at
least we usually don’t have to do TOO much finding work outside in the
heat. We mostly have appointments with our investigators in the Church
which we keep nice and cool. (It also has a water cooler) and or in
their houses or at the houses of Less actives, new converts, or
members. We are finally starting to get to know a few of the members
here in Prato a little better and I can see some good relationships
beginning to develop. To be honest we haven’t really met half the ward
because they have been in vacation since we got here. The Branch
President was here the first Sunday we got here then left for Vacation
and gets back this Sunday....So we have done the whole transfer
without him....and half the ward. So we hope things will get more
lively (and a bit cooler) as we head into September.
Well, I hope that everyone has enjoyed the last bit of summer...I
begin to see like Jacob of old °° that the time passed away with us,
and also our lives passed away like as it were unto us a dream°°  Time
is going so quickly, one day comes and then it’s gone so fast. I hope
that you all never let a day pass away without prayer and scripture
study... Please take the time to pray as a family, each of you as
able... I love you all and hope that you are all doing well.
 
8/22/2012

Cari Miei!
 
Hope that this E-Mail finds you all well, Also! I hope you got my postcards!
 
This week has been kind of a slow week...
 
We have been making progress with our investigators.  
 

Beautiful Italy

This Picture is of Dustin in an extremely beautiful place. He is currently serving in Prato which is in the Florence area of Italy. He has been to Florence and Siena on splits and has seen some amazing sites. He has sent several postcards lately of the places he visits and I am working on scanning them in so I can post them. I miss him so much. Sorry to all for the large gap in posting. Life happens and it has been a bit crazy lately. I wanted to get this picture on, but I am posting later tonight with a large post that sums up the last three weeks of his letters.

little red corvette

Cari Miei,
 
Good News! I got a new bike! It is very nice. It's very sturdy, nice tires, nice brake, even has a functioning light (Tail-light and Headlight) And the best part about it, (as said the Bike salesman) ...it’s red. Ha-ha I admit it is a very stylin bike. But he told me that the best part about it is that it is red, because if someone is stealing my bike, I will be able to "See it from a distance, and know that they are stealing my bike. “Everyone Else's bike is black and grey but yours will stick out, you will know when someone is taking your bike." He didn't mention however that it being red would stop it from being stolen, only alert me to when they were stealing it...ha-ha Italians.
 Anyhow, the week has been good; I did 2 scambi with Anziano Sanders who goes home in 9 weeks and Anziano Reusch who goes home in 3. Anziano Frustaci also goes home in 9 weeks, so as you can see I'm surrounded by dying missionaries....It can be hard to focus myself sometimes. However, the work is going really well here in Prato, we have a couple baptismal dates and hopefully they will come through.  Not too much to say, things are really good here in Toscana, I ate the best pizza I’ve had since coming here yesterday in Firenze. It's still REALLY hot...I'm very tan; I will probably never be this tan in my
life...ever again...ever. And yeah. I'm healthy and happy and missing you all still. Today we are going to run some chores in Prato and then see what there is to see here at Prato. Hopefully, if I’m not too
tempted to sleep, I can write some letters to people.
 Love you all and I really loved getting the pictures from everyone, really loved hearing from you all and hope this letter finds you all well.
 Love,
 Anziano Memmott.