Buona Domenica!!

Ciao everyone, what a sweet week I had here in Italy. This past Tuesday, me and my companion started a trip that lasted until Saturday monring. On Tuesday we left Rome to head out to Bari, and on the way out there, President Kelly gave us permission to stop by Foggia!!!!! It was sweet, i got to see some of the members and it was a lot of fun, we were only there for about 20 minutes, then we hit the road again to Bari, when we got there we started an exchange with 2 awesome missionaries, one has been in the mission for about a year and the other is brand new. The exchange went really well, we got to teach lessons and teach english class and we ended up setting a baptismal date! Then on Wednesday we went with them and another companionship to a city called Matera, a really beautiful city that looks like its made out of rock, and apparatly the crusifiction of Christ in "The Passion of Christ" was filmed there, boh.. i dont know if its true. It was really hot though. Its getting to that time of the year when Italy surpasses the heat of the Arizona desert (just because its so stinkin humid). then that evening President Kelly started the interviews for zone confernce and he got about 10 missionaries done. We were there getting things organized, and we had to do a lot of transporting of other missionaries. On Thursday we had the actual zone conference and we were in about 40 missionaries. It was really sweet. Before the conference, we had to go and pick up the sisters who are serving in Taranto at the Bari station, and when we got there, and picked the sisters up, the car wouldnt start, and we sat there for about 30 minutes and then it started, it was really weird (we obviously said a prayer that it would start up and im sure God had something to do with it starting) so we did get to the conference in time. After it ended, you would never believe where we got to go to do our last exchange... Crotone! It was really cool, we got there at about 9, so we didnt have time to go out and do any work that evening, but in the morning we went to see Margherita to have a new convert lesson with her and she about had a heart attack when she saw i was there, it was really special to see her again. She's preparing to go to the temple in November too. We also passed by Vincenzo, who got baptized after i left and he's grown so much. It was a lot of fun, we did some good work, and at luch time we had to leave and start our 5 hour drive up to Caserta because we didnt have enough time to get to Rome, and I got to see my boy Anziano Ginolfi and he's such a stud, he really is one of the best missionaries i know. And yesterday moning we drove back up here to Rome, and last night we had an activity at a member's house, and this family invited a ton of non-members and we got to talk with a lot of people and get their numbers. It was sweet because some members from Terni came too. 

Today the vision i had in Terni almost 2 years ago is about to come true... At 4:30 this afternoon, a special meeting is going to be held for us (Rome 2) and Terni at the stake center. Rome 2 is going to split, there is going to be a Rome 5th ward, so Rome 2 is going to be a little smaller. But, Terni, my birthcity is going to be made a WARD!!!!!! Finally these incredible memebers are going to get the chapel they've worked so hard to earn. Honestly, our of all my cities Terni and Rome 2 have really understood the principle of member-missionary work, and they've acted upon the knowledge they have, and i feel like that is a big reason why this area of italy is receiving such incredible blessings. Anyways, i'm just totally excited for it today.

This next week we're busy as well, we have a zone conference in Napoli tomorrow and on Thursday we have the zone conference here in Rome, and i'll be giving my "dying" testimony there. It'll be pretty cool because when i got to Terni, my first zone conference i gave my "birth" testimony from the same pulpit. It's going to be sad, but fun at the same time. I still get to be a missionary for about a month!!! I'm pushin to the end. 

Love you all,

Anziano Lane