Buon Giorno from the fashion capital of the world! I suppose you could call it that, although some of this "fashion" is a tad questionable. Milano is definitely different than anything I've ever seen. It's a city, but at the same time it's not, at least in the sense that an American would think of a city. Skyscrapers don't exist. Almost every building is an apartment building with businesses underneath. It smells like a city though, for whatever that's worth. There are lots of people though, many of whom are waiting for a message that will change their lives.
My companions (yes I meant that to be plural) are Anziani Polson and Stewart. Anziano Polson is one transfer ahead of me and Anziano Stewart is two behind me, so we're a decently young companionship. I wouldn't know what a more expereinced companionship would be like because I've never been in one! Although I'm not a new missionary anymore! This is the start of my fifth transfer! Time flies. "Why are you in three?" you may be asking. I don't know. The rumor is that I'm supposed to have a companion that for some reason or other is not here right now. From what we've heard he should be coming in three weeks. When I got here in Milano, every other missionary had heard that except for me. Hmmm... Ah well! That'll get figured out eventually. For now, though, I'm here in Milano and I love it!
Milano to Pesaro was a big change. I went from a small branch of fifteen to a thriving ward of 150. In this ward though, there are about 600 other members who for one reason or the other are less-active. As you can see, we have our work cut out for us! Our job is to reach out to these people with love and discover what might be holding them back from partaking of the blessings of the Gospel.
As I said at the beginning, this city is filled with people. That's the other difference between here and Pesaro. Pesare was a smaller seaside city with lots of space. Milano... is not. There are so many people and no space to breathe. For those who know me well, you might know that "Austin Simcox + city" can be a very entertaining combination. Here's a list of things I've learned about city life in the past few days.
-How to stand on the subway and not fall over.
-What it means to "mind the gap."
-Busses will arrive when they darn well feel like it and not a second earlier.
-The people standing by the cathedral offering bird seed are much more interested in your wallet than in the birds.
-The same goes for the nice man at the train station offering to carry your suitcases.
-That puddle on the ground is anything but water. Walk around it in order to avoid finding out.
Hopefully that helps some of you for your next adventure to the city.
To finish I want to share an experience we had. We had an appointment with someone at the church, but he cancelled it. Instead, we offered to come to his house instead. He was a little reluctant at first, but finally agreed. He lives in a run-down part of the city in a tiny beat up apartment. When we walked into the apartment, it was pitch black. He told us he left the lights off because he didn't have the money to pay for the electricity. We sat down at the table and read the Book of Mormon by the light of a single candle. Although there may not have been much physical light, the room was glowing with spiritual light. He loved reading with us and talking with us and I could feel his strong testimony of the Savior. This reinforced my testimony that aside from whatever earthly obstacles we may have, we can find strength in our testimonies and live in this imperfect world.
'Til next time, Anziano Simcox
No comments:
Post a Comment