Gesù & Gelato: Wayyyy Up I Feel Blessed

Buongiorno tutti!

Living in Italy is like living on cloud 9, there's no other way to put it. I have to keep pinching myself and remembering that I'm in ITALY!! Sorella Hess and I are constantly reminding each other how blessed we are. After every single thing we do or see: "WOW, we're so blessed" or "Italy's the best." È la verità!!

This week, we've been putting an emphasis on spreading the Christmas spirit through the video "Sii Una Luce" (Light the World). Almost every person we show the video to has the same response: "Come Gesù Cristo ha fatto e come noi possiamo fare". Meaning that Jesus Christ helped, loved, and served everyone and we can too :) I know that as we strive to serve others, even if it's just smiling at someone, it will make a difference in their lives and ours!

I recently experienced my first Italian panino (sandwich). It was so yum. The bread here is unbelievable, you would love it Cade. Oh and the cheese!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yum. That's the best way I can put it. Some things you just have to experience. Also did I mention that the fruit in Italy is the best I've ever eaten in my whole life?! The pears are so juicy you have to stand over the sink and eat them so they don't drip all over your clothes. And the kiwi is so soft and delicious that you just eat it with a spoon. :) While we were in our fruit store the other day, I thought I heard a familiar sound coming from their radio...we listened for a sec and sure enough-----SAM HUNT singing Take Your Time. Sorella Hess and I were lowkey freaking out oh my goodness it took everything in us to not start singing and dancing around the store. Actually, I think we did. The people working were like, "You guys understand the words of this song?" well yes, the song is in english and we speak english :)

On Wednesday morning at 5 am we woke up to a phone call from the Anziani... apparently they had just gotten a phone call from the police who said: "Is this the Mormons? Your church just got robbed". We were all pretty shaken up by it but decided to throw some clothes on and run down (literally run) to the church and check it out. Sure enough, when we got there all the lights were on and the police were standing outside to inform us that the TV, computer, and a wheelchair had been stolen.... honestly, that's probably all there was to steal. So our district followed the police down to the Questura to fill out an incident report. Somehow they found all of our stolen stuff in a street nearby and associated it with our church?? Still doesn't make sense to any of us. The TV is really broken, but we wheeled all the stuff back to the church in the wheelchair hahaha good times. Don't worry, they changed the locks and installed a camera.

After all this went down, Sorella Hess and I went home and got ready then we had to go BACK to the Questura for my Permesso di soggiorno (permission to stay in Italy) appointment. That was quite the adventure too...we waited for a good three hours before anything actually happened. Then when they called my name, "Eliza", we had no idea they were referring to me so the lady starting yelling at us. I got put in a group with 4 other people to go get fingerprints in a different building and the lady told Sorella Hess she couldn't come with!! Separation anxiety is a real thing. I was gone for about 45 minutes and came back realizing I know ZERO Italian haha. Va bene.

From pranzo Thursday to pranzo Friday I got to go on scambio (exchange/split) to Pozzuoli! Mamma Mia it is SO gorgeous. My temporary companion was Sorella Crandell and we had a blast. (She probably got sick of hearing me say how pretty everything in Pozzuoli is..). We did a little bit of finding during sunset on the Pozzuoli Lungomare (pictures attached) and it felt really unfair that I got to do finding in such a picturesque city. But I enjoyed every minute of it, soaking it all in and taking lots of pictures :) Sorella Crandell and I had a pranzo appointment on Friday with a member of the Pozzuoli ward! My first pranzo appointment and wow it was quite the cultural experience. To start, the family lives right on the ocean with an incredible view. We had fried fish and shrimp which apparently you don't use utensils to eat.... it was actually a lot of fun and the food was incredible. Can't wait to do another scambio in Pozzuoli in a couple weeks!!

Lunch

Pozzuoli, Italy

Sorella Hess and I have discovered our new "favorite" method of transportation, diciamo. Bikes. 2 of the Anziani in our district have bikes so we've been borrowing them to visit people who live far from us but not far enough to take a bus or train. I don't think I've ever laughed so hard in my life we just have so much fun on those things! For starters, they're way too big for us and super ghetto. Then add a skirt into the mix and it's a very interesting combination. On Saturday night I somehow managed to run into a pole and ended up sprawled all over the street with a bunch of Italians looking down on me. I couldn't get up because I couldn't stop laughing. Oh fun times. And I have a cute bruise as a souvenir!

Today for pday we got to go to the Amalfi coast! It was so beautiful. Some pictures attached, the rest will be on my blog sorellacarleyneuberger.blogspot.com :)

Amalfi Coast

As I mentioned in a previous email, our zone set a goal for each companionship to give out one Book of Mormon each day of December. We wrapped and bowed all of ours and it has been so much fun "gifting" the Book of Mormon! When we tell people we have a gift for them they are SO excited. I know that the Book of Mormon truly is a gift that our Heavenly Father has provided us with so we can recieves comfort and revelation through the words of the prophets. I am thankful for the Book of Mormon and that happiness it brings to my life and the happiness that comes from sharing it with others. I love my Savior, I love Caserta, and I love being a missionary.

Hope everyone has a great week! Vi voglio bene!!

XOXO,
Sorella Carley Neuberger
Via Caduti Sul Lavoro 3
Caserta CE 81100 Italia