feeding the hunger

Wonderful thing for Tuesday, 20 January:  If you've seen the photo on Facebook that I posted today, you know we were at Il Cipollotto last night, the pizzeria owned by Elton Sejko's mom and stepdad, to celebrate his return from the Italy Rome mission.  We didn't know him before he left, of course; in fact before he left he wasn't in the Prato ward - in fact, there wasn't a Prato ward;  there were the Prato branch and the Pistoia branch.  Elton departed from Pistoia.  So not a lot of ward members know him yet, but we are glad to know him.  There was a great spirit there, as the younger Bagnis and Marco and Elisa Ionna, his former branch president and wife, joined us and the sister missionaries to be with him and his mom for this celebration.  We'd have loved to see his younger brother Ardian, one of our favorite never- present GANS, there as well, but he was out and about.   Elton seemed just as a freshly returned missionary ought to seem, glad to be among other members of the church, a little uncomfortable in regular clothes, red-faced when the conversation turned to possible girlfriends.  Above all, happy to talk about his wonderful experiences and the love he felt for the people he served and served with.  Our job is to be his support as he transfers all those wonderful experiences, feelings and personal growth into his daily life as a rank and file member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  It will be a privilege and a joy to do so - and to stick with Ardian as well.

Fun thing:  In the afternoon, we went for what I believe is at least the fourth time to call on a couple of young men who have not been active members of the church for years.  Their dad, who lives in the US, is anxious for them to have the experience of tasting of the sweetness of the Restored Gospel.   Each time we have gone by, they have either not been home, or there has been some reason we could not get past the doorbell on the bottom floor of the building.   Yesterday, the person who answered the ring and with whom we spoke through the intercom, upon discovering who we were, informed us that he was just the neighbor who had come to feed the cat, and when asked when the others would be home, replied that he had no idea.  We thought this a rather clever ruse - but it won't stop us from going by again, perhaps today.  Maybe the cat is still hungry.