And I said, Have a very Merry Christmas and to all a Buona Vita

Dear Family and Friends,

Courage is being scared to death, and then saddling up anyways.

Really Nice restaurant we ate at the first day.

View from our apartment.  It gets
really foggy here sometimes.

Thank y'all for the gifts and for the love this Christmas season, it's meant so much to me. I will officially say that my diet has lived a good life and has died an even better life. While in Italy I'll probably be eating quite a bit of sweets. It was funny when I Skyped home, I gave off a discouraged vibe, which was more of a (I love my family and miss home and seeing them is getting me a little sad inside). Kind of funny, but know that most days Im doing really good and life is getting a lot better. It was really nice talking and seeing y'all. 

Today I cleaned the mold out of my bathroom and by my bed, that was a new fun experience.

Jacob Gridley would be a novelty over here, no one has blonde hair unless they've dyed it that way. 

In Alessandria you only see buildings
around you, and roads are often
like this.

Some saying I say over here that are Italian are.. Senza Paura.. Which means without fear.. it's really funny haha.. Ganzo.. neat.. Veloce.. Fast.. When I'm leaving some where and some people I might say.. Buona vita.. (in some form) meaning I hope you have a good life.. I try to make up a little bit for my lack of language with emphasizing and using the words I do know and use passion in what I say.

People don't really talk to us on the streets due to a number of factors.. Its cold out.. A lot of people already talk to them on the streets and they all just want their money.. which kind of makes sense why they automatically don't want to talk to us.. (Though I don't want and wouldn't accept any money anyways haha).. they're frustrated with religion which I get from talking to some of the other missionaries about.. it just makes doing things quite a bit more difficult over here.

In Centro trying to talk to some people

We visited a man in a psychiatric hospital two days ago. The story behind that is.. his sister almost tried to kill him with a knife.. and he's really stressed so he checked himself in to the hospital.. he's not actually crazy just having some troubles. Hes really interested in the gospel though and Anziano Taylor and Wilson have set up a Baptism date with him.

We then had family night right out side the door of a members apartment, since there was no old enough male present. It was really funny and good. The language is slowly coming. I found the humor in it haha

Picture from the MTC with our
teacher Fratello Hinz.

.
On Sundays we do family night with the Ganz, which means the young single adults. Kind of a cool name, but during this afterwords we eat dinner and play Foosball, and I have a little bit of skills from back in the day haha, anyways they take it pretty serious and I do as well haha, but I beat a native twenty six year old guy here 10-9 anyways that's kind of fun. Hes the ward mission leader Martin. Really cool guy, we played chess and monopoly on Christmas, as we stayed over there house for lunch and Skype. He beat me once at chess then I beat him.. Anziano Wilson Rovini all of us.. He has some major luck dagnab it. How do you beat someone that lands on all the of the properties and two of the people you cant talk to that well and are super shrewd traders..  

Anziano Lewis

We have four Anziano in Alessandria all in the same building in two separate apartments. Which is really nice and cool, Anziano Lewis and I slept over at the other Anziani apartment Christmas Eve and Christmas which was super fun. We watched the testament (which is the only LDS film I really don't like.. Legacy I really like etc) but we turned off the sound and made up the voices for them making the movie so much better than it is.. it was a good time. 

Chinese Salon place haha.

The scripture that I tried to give and I'll give again Alma 36:27. Another scripture that's really good. Is Exodus 14:14 which basically says I will fight for you so be patient. Its short and really nice. I've found in the old testament often if you are obedient and do what the Lord asks he helps you in this life. I know that this is true and I've seen it in my own life, I challenge y'all to try finding this out for your self or to keep trying it. I know that it makes a difference. 

On that note I saw the picture you put with my plaque. I got a picture of it where my lips were weird and I looked like the Joker. Can we maybe please change the picture.. haha kind of funny, but I'd rather not be too much like the Joker in this life and that picture might jinx me. 

Anziano Lewis got his hair cut today at a Chinese Salon place. It was soooo funny the music and what not going on there.

Milan Centro Cathedral.  Yes
Uncle Russell I got to go :)

We aren't having too much success at the moment, but I'm optimistic and I believe things will get better soon.
I like the people that we meet on the street that aren't too busy or closed minded to talk to us, even if we have different opinions and we just leave in peace or something. Those type of people are generally nicer etc, and I think it's good to be like that generally. Maybe it's just comes back to the basic treating people decently I'm not sure, but this principle is good.

A big Christmas tree by said Cathedral.

We had dinner sort of last night with a Filipino family. (There are a lot of Filipino members here as basic knowledge for you.) He served a mission quite a few years ago, he married his wife who he met at seminary and university. He has a son named Moroni, who's going to school here. This guy watched his son while his wife worked because no one else can watch him during the day. He's looking for work either while his son is at school or at night. This guy loved missionary work and has been living it even now. He's an extremely patient and loving man, who for me was an extremely good example for me. He helped me gain more perspective. There are a lot of good examples out here in Italy and a lot of bad, I've been noticing them and hopefully I'll change myself to a better person and maybe they'll just plain rub off on me.

Alessandria. Kind of how it is.
The bricks move under us as we bike
which is fun.

I've been kind of having a hard time sort of pouting and feeling bad about the situation, but I feel so much better now and ready to lock and load. I can't communicate super well or anything yet, but I have a desire to help this people as I can and I'm going to fake it till I make it which is generally a good thing to do in life. If you don't like to read the Book of Mormon, or go to church.. fake it till you make it. If you don't like to run but want to run fake it till you make it. The desire and being good at things generally come after time of trying and doing that something.

Alps. I have seen the Alps! (Sorry if
you can't see in this picture, but they
are there if you look hard!  haha)

I challenge y'all to fake it till ya make it (about something good), it'll hopefully work and do wonders for you. 

I hope y'all have had a very marvelous Christmas and New Year. I'm praying for y'all and I know everything will eventually work out.

(If you can guess or know what these quotes etc are coming from you'll win major brownie points from me. (Generally they are movies.))

I'm your huckleberry.

With Love,  Anziano Gridley