Lovely Heart, Lovely Place

Wonderful thing for Friday, 30 Jan:  Earnest, an earnest young man from Nigeria, and Elders Sorensen and Beaulac, the earnest young missionaries who are teaching him.  They asked us if we would go along to add our experiences and testimonies.  We always like to do that.  Earnest lives out in the Florence countryside; before now, he had met the elders at the nearest train station, and they had shared their discussions on a park bench nearby.

 Yesterday was COLD and raining, so it was a good thing we were in a car; however, it took several phone calls and false starts before we finally found Earnest.  He lives in a house with twenty other immigrants, not all of them from Nigeria.  Apparently, Misericordia, a charitable organization, houses them.  Random people were coming in and out the whole time we were talking, but everyone was cordial.  The furnishings were sparse; one of us sat on a seat taken out of a car.  

We read the Ten Commandments together, one by one, taking turns, and we discussed each one, particularly the law of the Sabbath and the law of chastity.  The commandment Earnest remembered best, initially, was, "honor thy father and they mother."   I asked him how he felt about his family.  His face was full of tenderness.  He said they were not rich, but his parents did all they could to care for and teach their family.   He acknowledged that he misses his family.  

He came here to find a better life - so far, that has not occurred; currently he has no job.  Perhaps Misericordia puts them out in the countryside because of the seasonal farm work - there are olive trees and vineyards everywhere.   We talked about how he might come to church; on Sundays, the buses don't run in that quarter.  It's several miles to the train station, where he walked before, to meet the elders.  If he had a bike, maybe...  He agreed to keep the commandments we discussed, and to read a chapter in The Book of Mormon. 

 There was a sweet spirit there.  Perhaps we will accompany them the next time as well.

Fun thing:  HOW DID WE GET THE INCREDIBLE PRIVILEGE OF LIVING HERE?!?!  The drive in the countryside was so indescribably gorgeous, even in January!  Imagine in the spring and summer.  Rolling hills, olive trees and vineyards, villas and villages.  Beauty, beauty everywhere.  Do these people know how amazing this is, or do they think everyone lives in the midst of such visual riches?