If anyone is still reading this blog, I love you!

At the bottom of this post you I write about how every day in this mission is so amazing and  gratifying.

First, here are random photos and videos.  

I took the following photo because it felt like even the weeds along the street were celebrating Christmas.

There were (still are, because the holidays aren't over until tomorrow, Epiphany - the celebration of the visit of the Magi) several Christmas trees in the visitors center, along with a display of Nativity scenes.  Three of them were in the general area, and the rest were in the room you can just barely see on the right in the following photo.  This nativity scene, or presepe, and the one with the blue background were made by a member here in Rome - a true work of love.

This is the previous one, up close.  The holy family is on the bottom right of the house.  This nativity is of the "profane" variety, because it shows the holy family in the midst of everyday life as practiced in medieval times.

  

The following nativity is of the "sacred" variety because it isolates the holy family in order to emphasize the holy nature of the birth of the Savior.  Every detail tells a story.

Gimme a break - I know it's blurry, but it really was a charming Christmas-decorated Roman street!

This is the refrigerator in the breakroom of the visitors center, where we missionaries take our meals.

Can't say enough how much we love these darling, endearing, joyful, strong young women!

And finally, a celebration of family.  We have been so blessed to enjoy basically every Christmas of the last six years with Amy, Lawton, Abbey, Aidan, Olive and Ian.  We are feeling a little sad that this may be the last time for quite awhile, since they remain in Barcelona and we may not be back.  We loved having them here to celebrate the wonderful spirit of celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, and its attendant activities.

I adore these people!

Every week we spend six hours a day, six days a week, at the visitors center, a place where the spirit of peace and joy rests in abundance - especially, we found, during the Christmas season - supporting the most amazing, sweet, intelligent, humble, inspired young sister missionaries as they meet and share with others - people who are not members of the church as well as people who are - what makes this place so unique and joy-filled.  

Every day we work to get to know our visitors, discern their needs/desires, and share spiritual messages catered to those needs, specifically focusing on the basic message every missionary shares, of the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the points of His doctrine, and of the Restoration of His gospel in the latter days through the Prophet Joseph Smith (included in that message is an invitation to study and pray about the Book of Mormon, the proof of our message).  

We have wonderful experiences doing this.  I said we support the sisters, because we try to give them the opportunity to take the lead in these discussions.  By so doing they strengthen their own conviction, as well as learn to share the message more effectively.  Sometimes if there are more visitors than there are missionaries, we lead our own discussions.  

Because people come to the visitors center out of curiosity, or perhaps a friend has invited them to come, they are already open to what we have to share, so there are rarely experiences where contentions arise.  This is not to say that every person who walks through the door becomes an instant convert; that is not even the goal.  We are here to minister to people, to share the message and to build relationships.  So, we only go as far as people are willing to go, and we encourage them to return.  Sometimes they want to go as far as they can, sometimes they accept a copy of the Book of Mormon, sometimes they come back.  Nearly always, they leave with a positive experience. 

It's pretty fulfilling.  We just wish there were more visitors!  This will come with time.  We are happy every day.  

We use the rest of the day for study, chores, communicating with family and friends, etc.  Oh - and transportation, which can be major sometimes.  Occasionally there is an activity sponsored by the visitors center, like a concert at the church (located on the same piazza), so we usually attend those as well - a sample video is below.

We have a "Pday" every week; "P" stands for preparation.  For the young missionaries, this means cleaning and laundry, shopping, calling/writing home, sightseeing, etc.  For us, it's just time to take a break, maybe do some sightseeing.  Sometimes when family comes in we take an extra Pday by rearranging the schedules at the visitors center with the other two couples who work there.  With our normal Pday plus one, we usually borrow the director's car and take our guests to Naples, Pompeii/Herculaneum, and the Amalfi Coast.  We encouraged family to visit us especially during this mission, since it may be our last to Italy, and several have taken us up on the offer.  We have really enjoyed the visits; every time things have gone so well and everyone has had a great trip.  We feel very grateful for that.

This is a random "video" which is more of an "audio", taken with my phone, which has a cracked screen, rendering the camera lens rather filmy.  But I did it to record the birds.  The temple site is very "green", and often wildlife, particularly birds and insects (but I did see a cat walk across the back steps of the visitors center today), abound.  I was so taken with the birdsong this particular evening that I had to record it.

So - 13 months in, and it has been a dream!  We will actually be going home a month early, since the couple who is replacing us will be here at the end of April.  Visitors center training is conducted at the MTC once every six weeks, so it was either they come two weeks after our departure date - which is not doable - or four weeks before.  Ergo, we leave the first part of May.  After spending a couple of weeks in Barcelona, we will arrive back in the States sometime toward the end of May.  

Don't really want to think about all that right now...

See ya next time I see ya!  Keep the faith.

Just bits and pieces.

So don't be alarmed when I share with you that I had a heart attack on my birthday, because that's what the display on our little locker door is called.   I loved it!

Along with the birthday banner ("tanti auguri" - happy birthday)

Sorella Euvrard, our director's wife - they're second and third on the left - always makes birthday cakes for everyone.  For me it was chocolate sheet cake with fudge frosting dotted with walnuts - excellent!

Preparing to bike home after an afternoon/evening at the VC.

If you ever talk to a sister missionary on the phone, they may or may not be snacking on the other end.  Notice the three clocks.  They talk to people all over the world.

Not only were we privileged to have our son Matthew and his wife Bergen for a few days' visit, our nephew David and his wife Carrie were also in Rome for a medical conference, and were able to join us - or we them in Positano - on several occasions.  Wonderful!  Matt and David hadn't seen each other for years and years.

You can't tell it, but I believe they're standing in front of the fountain at the Pantheon.  They didn't want to to the stereotypical photo in front of Trevi.

There's a fun shop in Italy called Bartolucci, they sell wooden toys and specialize in Pinocchio.  Of course I would never have needed this when Matt or any of his siblings were little, because of course they never told lies...

When we visited St. Peter's Square with Matt and Bergen, there was preparation for the canonization of 5 saints.  Quite the doings.

This charming scene is in Trastevere, a famous neighborhood where you supposedly can see the real Rome of today.

So anyone who knows me knows I'm a Halloween grinch, but we senior couples decided to "treat" the sister missionaries, so I followed the cute idea of making a "Mormon" cemetery with cups of pumpkin "dirt" pudding.

The dear sister in charge of the Family History Center on the second floor of the VC is Rosanna Magno.  We know each other from when I was a young missionary serving in Bari in the 70s, and she and her family were investigating the Church.  They have done a marvelous work since being baptized.  She brought this picture for me to see the other day.  No wonder people used to squeeze my cheeks!  My wonderful comp was Charlotte Crandall...wonder where she is these days?

Tidbits:

Talked to a wonderful guy from England the other day.  He has left the Church in pursuit of his relationship with Jesus Christ.  Had some great stuff to share with me - I felt maybe this visit was an answer to my prayers.  If he's honestly pursuing that relationship - and I felt that he is - he'll be all right.  Good for him for coming out of his way to see what the Rome Temple site is all about.

Talked to a young couple who were interested in what was inside the temple and why they couldn't just go in.  I showed them the model of the temple, with one side cut away so you can see inside.  We talked about how it's all about eternal families.  The woman said nothing, but her eyes were wide open and I think maybe her heart was too.  

A foursome from Salt Lake City and Las Vegas came in, members of the Church - wanted to see for themselves what all the hoopla is about.  They walked around, we shared a few things with them; then we asked if they'd like to see the twelve-minute video, the one that's only shown in visitors centers, called "The Storms of Life".  It's actually a series of six videos; each begins and ends in the same way, but in the middle there's a story of a current person dealing with current storms of life, who shares personal experiences with Jesus along the way.  Often, when people who just come in with a shrug and a nonchalant "We're members" come out of that video with a whole new depth of feeling and a renewed gratitude.  That's what happened with these folks, at least with the one brother who shared just that with me.  He was deeply grateful that they had taken the time to see it.

My sister Rosemary and two of her children are coming soon.  More family with whom we can share this place, our home, and our mission.  Grateful.

Buondi`.

What I have not written I share in photos - but there is so much more...

One P Day recently (a P Day is when we take a break from our normal weekly schedule to catch up and to do the tourist thing), I took a trip to the Basilica of St. John Lateran.  It's the oldest basilica in Rome, even older than St. Peter's.  The next few photos are of the baptistry, this hexagonal building, next to the basilica:

the ceiling

I took the following photo because it shows the filled-in baptismal font.   It is shown from the outside below.

These are the huge doors into the basilica, which are hardly ever open.  One enters through a smaller door to the side.

Below is one of the side corridors.

This is the nave, the central portion of the church.  All the way down on either side, are statues of the apostles.

I thought this an interesting Madonna and Child, made of wood.

St. John Lateran is actually the sede of the bishop of Rome - i.e., the Pope.  This is the papal throne.

Moses - not the famous Michelangelo rendering, but with the same "horns" which are actually symbolic of the light of revelation.

 I thought this a lovely detail.

Here we have the Emporer Constantine in all his "splendor"... He was glorified as the savior of the Roman church.

Okay, in no particular order, the apostles:   Tradition, garnered from the 12th century tome "The Golden Legend", which gathered all extant saintlore and is still around today, provides the stories of the apostles and their deaths.  Their mode of death, whether actual or simply by tradition, is often portrayed with the person.  For example, the most gruesome, rendered very dramatically here (as are all the apostle statues in this basilica), is Bartholomew/Nathanael - skinned alive (you can see his "skin" hanging down).  Others were shown with a symbol of their ministry or career.

Philip, crucified for his testimony of the Crucifixion (and the Resurrection, let us add)

James the lesser, stoned then beaten with a club

John the Revelator, with his writing pad.  The eagle is one of the four beasts of the book of Revelations, and has come to represent John.  The other three evangelists, Mathew, Mark and Luke, have also come to be represented  by the other three beasts.

Thomas, with his carpenter's square, symbolizing his "obsession" with exactness and proof.   I think we minimize his devotion, however; he was the one, when Jesus could not be dissuaded from going to Jerusalem one last time, who said, "Let us also go, that we may die with Him."

Andrew, Peter's brother, allegedly hung on an X-shaped cross

James, who by tradition traveled in Spain to preach the gospel, is nearly always pictured in a traveling cloak and staff.  It's interesting that his death is the best documented, being the first apostle to suffer martyrdom in Jerusalem in 44 A.D.  No actual documentation of traveling in Spain...

Simon the Zealot, sawed in half

Judas Thaddeus (not Iscariot), killed with an axe

Matthew, with writing tablet and bag of money (since his career was tax collector, or publican)

Paul, though not one of the original twelve, almost always replaces Judas Iscariot.  Killed by the sword

Peter, with the keys representing divine revelation and authority from God

The portico at the entrance of St John Lateran; that's Constantine at the end.

The next photos are taken in the cloisters of St. John Lateran.  Many relics from the original church on this site are included.

The next several photos come from our visit to Viterbo, one of those hilltop medieval towns that I so enjoy.  They were getting ready for the celebration of the patron saint, Rose.  About 100 "facchini" (porters) carry this large monument, the "macchina" from its place at the main gate, to the cathedral.  The macchina is re-designed about every five years.  Here the cranes are in place to transfer it to the porters.

Again, Moses, sans the horns and with the tablets

A church dating from early Middle Ages

A castle of the ruling family in Viterbo, circa 13th century

in readiness for the festival.  beautiful real flowers!

Lots of towers

Would he pass for a facchino, do you think?

Now for some "people" photos.  Chris Fry - worked at the temple voluntarily for three months.  Lovely lady, living in Spain at the time.   When she left, she bought pizzas and fed everyone in the atrium of the patron housing complex.

When we are short on visitors at the Visitors Center, the sister missionaries do role plays, and practice teaching gospel principles that relate to the display.  The apostles in the VC are copies of those done by Bertal Thorvaldsen in the Our Lady Lutheran Church in Copenhagen.  We could share the same kinds of details I shared above from my visit to St John's, but we are not tour guides; we are missionaries.  As such, we choose to discuss with our visitors how each of us can apply the principles and lessons learned from the lives of these witnesses of the Resurrected Christ, in ways that bring us closer to knowing and serving Him.

We have a break room upstairs.  Besides using it for meals, the sisters study there - and enjoy some down time!   We love each and every one of them.

A very great pleasure was to have my sister Viki and her husband John Aaron visit with us!  What a wonderful time we had!  We took a golf-cart tour of Rome, a four-person bike around the gardens of the Villa Borghese, a quick trip to Napoli and environs, and in general spent some good quality time together, including several temple sessions.  Family is the best!

waiting for the bus...

Below, the famous Aventine Keyhole!  https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-aventine-keyhole-rome-rome-italy

our affable and knowledgeable guide, Eugene, an architectural student from Ukraine

great Rome skyline as seen from the Villa Borghese park

Piazza del Popolo from close to the same spot

Fun on a four-person bike!

The next few were taken from another favorite medieval town, this one near Naples, called Sant'Agata de' Goti.  Pristine and charming.

This was one of those meals that transcend just eating, and become an event.  That happens a lot when you combine family with travel to Naples and environs.  Bought some of the best figs ever at a fruit stand there as well.

Try getting into this city!

This photo looks out over Naples, near Castel Sant'Elmo and our favorite cameo factory, where Viki and I bought cameo pendants of the Rome temple!  We spent the night at an Airbnb right in the heart of the historic center, ate the best pizza/ice cream/street food/sfogliatelle ever, and took wonderful strolls through the old town.  Love me some Napoli!  

We took the ferry from Naples to Sorrento.  We ought to have done more photos of Sorrento.  We had fun walking the streets and taking a tram tour.

Blaine was very intrigued by this red submarine!

Stopped by the Naples Ward before we left.  English group in progress - still using the sign he made three years ago to attract participants!

As I wrote in the title - there is so much more.  Our mission is flying by, comprised of one day after another of edifcation and enlightenment.  I pray to magnify this calling!