Sassari, Sardinia - 5/16/2012

Caro Famiglia,

            Yet another E-mail. Not much to say and not much time to say it either. I love you all and was glad for the opportunity we had to talk this last Sunday. It was so nice to see all you faces again. This week has been good and the work is going well. This Monday we got a new investigator named Salim. He's from Kenya and is full of energy. I honestly think he can talk and run around in circles for hours and never get tired. One of the sweetest Africans I have ever met. He used to be a tour guide in Kenya and is now studying at the university here on tourism. He told me that if I ever go to Kenya he will give me a free savanna tour and we can just hang out haha. As for the others I told you all everything Sunday so there isn't much else to report on. I promise I'll have more to write next week. Love you all again and miss you. Have a great week everyone and stay awesome. I miss you all so much. 

 

           Con amore,  Anziano Kyle Hill

Sassari, Sardinia - 5/9/2012

Caro famiglia ed amici,

               So this week was slow. We have been in Cagliari all week for zone conference and just got back tonight after spending P-day there. I’m sending you a bunch of pics from it. We went to a place called Devil's Saddle. You can Google it. It was a way sweet hike. We got up at 4:30 in the morning so we could see the sunrise over the mountains =) It was beautiful. And you can see the whole city of Cagliari from there! It was really great. There are some cool old 15th century Spanish towers we climbed too. Also I ate this cheese called "worm cheese" It is the only thing Sardegna is really famous for haha. It's this illegal cheese that literal is filled with these little worms that jump everywhere. Every missionary that comes here apparently has to eat it, so we got our shot. It tasted like gorgonzola mixed with ammonia cleaners and del scorcho hot sauce, so it was disgusting. And all the little worms jump around in your mouth too. Way gross. But it was one of those things you just gotta do if you come to Sardegna. 

              I'm very excited for our Skype call this Sunday. Anziano Lacey plans on talking to his family at 2:00 pm Sunday afternoon here. That's 5 in the morning for you guys but I guess his family just really loves him. If you guys want me to come on an hour later I can. Just know I'll be here logged on at 5 Sunday morning your time.

            I'll actually be on the internet tomorrow morning because with traveling today and stuff I'm really rushed right now and still have to email my mission pres. so respond tomorrow. And we can discuss it still.

           Work is going fantastic here. Got a new investigator named Javier. He is really cool and basically wants to get baptized as soon as he can because he has this girlfriend in Brazil whose a member and told him to prepare himself to marry her in the temple, so he found us, not us him haha. He is really awesome. Everyone else is really the same. I'll have more info next week on all these guys. It's just been hard to see people this week.

              I love you and miss you all. Talk to you all Sunday =)

                        Con amore, Anziano Kyle Hill

Sassari, Sardinia - 5/2/2012

Dear Family and friends,

        So this week I’m not quite sure what to recount to you guys. A funny story, yesterday we went out with Maurizio and his ex-girlfriend. Maurizio left for Cagliari today so we sent them an awesome referral with a baptismal date. So last night we were with them when all the sudden Maurizio had to leave and we were left there with his ex-girlfriend and some of her friends. This is where it got kinda awkward and we had to escape because we started talking about America and music then one of them invited me and Anziano Lacey to go to a Blink 182 concert with them in Milan! Hotel room with a two incredibly attractive 20 year old Italian girls at a blink 182 concert? GET THEE HENCE SATAN!! YOU HAVE NO POWER HERE!!! At least that’s what I said in my head. We politely told them thank you for the offer and that we have a responsibility as missionaries to not do things like that. Invited them to English course and got outta there. I helped a blind guy cross the street this week. All of our investigators are doing great. We spent a lot of time this week at people’s fields doing service. This Saturday was spent in the huge citrus orchard at the Mastino's house. Grandma Nancy would be proud of me. We picked so many oranges and lemons. I found myself secluded for a second in the huge orchard by a little stream so  thought it would nice moment to have a Joseph Smith sacred grove moment so I knelt down to pray for a second and all the sudden heard a noise and looked up to see a white figure walking through the trees toward me. I was scared at first and then just felt awkward and strange as I looked to see Anziano Lacey looking at me through the trees with a look of serious concern. I scrambled back up and put my gloves on and told him that I was ... praying haha. I think he thinks I'm weird. Oh well =P what can I do. 3 transfers are more than enough for two guys to spend together. It is odd in our mission that we have been together so long and that I have been here so long. The average for us is about 3-4 transfers so 4-5 and a half months per city. I am pretty sure I'm gone after this but it is true that Pres. Kelly is a bit of a risk taker and a little unpredictable. We'll see what happens. I love our mission pres. He is so inspired and we have a zone conf. in Cagliari next week so we'll see him soon. 

      So about the phone call home. Yes it is next week. I'll give you all the details next Wednesday because I'm not sure if I'll call Sunday or Saturday. This time I just want family though. Close family. Grandmas are free to come because they weren't there last time but as for now just you guys and them. It was a little crazy last time so maybe next Christmas everybody but for now just Mom, Dad, Mike, Scott, and Kristin. I don't want to offend anyone, it's not that I don't want to talk to everyone. It's just I want some more time to talk to my mommy on mother’s day =) I miss her. 

     Well I love you all and hope you all have a great week. Miss you e vi voglio bene ci vediamo fra poco.

         Con amore, Kyle

Sassari, Sardinia - 4/26/2012

Dear Family,

            Sorry it has taken me so long to write you. It was a holiday here in Italy yesterday so everything was closed. I gotta make this E-mail fast though. Yesterday they celebrated the "Day of Liberation". It’s a celebration of their liberation from fascism by the Americans during World War 2. I think it's funny because the Italians dug that hole and put themselves in it. We Americans saved them from themselves! But I guess here in Italy they are always looking for excuses to try and create a holiday. There was also a huge communist sardo independence parade yesterday. There are a lot of commies here with the red flags with sickle and hammers and everything. There is a large movement here in Sardegna for independence from Italy. A bit of a communist revolution too. So we tried our best being easily recognized as Americans to avoid ALL OF THAT haha.

              As for the work here things are going fantastic. Couldn't be going better in fact. Adhemar told us the funniest stories last Tuesday about his Adventures in Bolivia. He says when he goes back there I need to come down and we can adventure together fighting off anacondas with sling shots and shovels and swimming through crocodile infested rivers. He is hilarious and I love him to death. He is also progressing quite a bit. We taught him the Word of Wisdom and he was way down for it. Enoch also learned the Word of Wisdom this week and is more than willing to follow it. Things with Maurizio are going well as for teaching but his situation at home seems to be getting much more difficult. He may have to move to Cagliari with-in the next few weeks. We hope he stays so we can see his baptism but if he has to go that’s what the Lord wants and our awesome companions there can teach him. 

          I saw the video of mike drumming and it pretty much blew my MIND!!! View here... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--XqW7YPv7c   Snap he is getting so GOOD!!! When I get home we totally need to jam Mike! It makes me sad to see all my little siblings getting old =(  They are all so close to me and I don't want them to grow up! I still want to get home and be able to take both Mike and Scott in a wrestling match!

          So that’s about it cuz I gotta go. Have a great week and I love you all! VI VOGLIO TROPPO BENE!!! UN ABBRACCIO A VOI!!! 

Con amore,  Anziano Kyle Hill