Elder William Cannon Hogan: MY FIRST MEAL WITH REAL GENUINE ITALIANS!

Buongiorno Tutti!

Proprio Italioan carbonara by Sorella Benedetti! It was heaven!

I had an amazing week.

On Thursday we decided to get some super cool desk plants to liven up the apartment. We have been finding decorations so that we can get into the Christmas spirit! We definitely are continuing to make super good food for lunch. Here in Italy Pranzo(lunch) is the biggest meal of the day and that's when we make our biggest meals. We are also supposed to do language study during the lunch hours because the streets are empty during this time. It is really fun getting used to the culture and everything here.

My companion and I have been having some great success in this amazing town of Trento! We have been doing so so much finding lately because we really want to have more investigators. In the last couple weeks we have found 4 people who want to know more about the church and 3 of the are Italian! I sound surprised because it isn't very often that we get to teach Italians in Trento! We are very excited.

Some African guys Anziano Baraclough and I taught during my exchange in Bolzano

On Halloween we didn't dress up and go trick or treating haha. Instead we watched stake conference and taught some lessons haha. We also helped out at this party for disabled children. It was so much fun! My companion and I were fasting though so we couldn't eat any of the food, which was torture! Here in Italy, Halloween is really only a thing for the children. I saw only a few people dressed up and there weren't really any decorations up.

Sunday we were walking home from church and about to break our fast when a member stopped their car and picked us up and made us the best lunch in the world! It was my first meal with real genuine Italians!

Carbonara

It was amazing. She made us some proprio Italiano riso. And later in the evening, Anziano Yee and I did pass-by a non members home. It was a miracle that they let us inside and they even made us food! They also had this amazing piano and they had me play it for them. Sunday was a super great day!
On Monday and Tuesday I did another Scambio(exchange) in Bolzano with Anziano Baraclough who is from Florida. We had so much fun and we were super busy all day. We taught 4 lessons which all went great!

I have learned tons and tons of things while being here. One very important thing I have learned here is how important patience is on a mission. I have also learned that if I pray and ask Heavenly Father for either more patience, charity, or humility or any other Christlike attribute, he will almost always give me a huge test/challenge that will help me grow with the specific attribute I need help with. If I ask for more patience, he will give me a huge challenge that requires more patience than ever. I learned that that's how he strengthens us.

It's really the only way we can grow. So I've prepared myself- if I ask for charity, most likely someone or something will be put in my path, easy or hard, which will only help me grow. Missions are full of challenges- but after every challenge I look back and recognize how much I grew from it.

I love the work I am doing out here. I love working hard. The language for me is coming along! I am so grateful for this gospel. Like I say in all my emails, I see it literally change people's lives. We teach people that have no money or job, yet they have the gospel and that is everything. This church is true and I know that with out a doubt. I am so so happy to be here doing the right thing!
Ciao tutti! I love and miss you all!

-Anziano Hogan