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.

Tasting the fruit

Hmm...I think I'm just going to post photos and talk about them...

  Elders Berger and Silver got matching ties and had to show them off.

Every Tuesday and Thursday in both the Napoli and the Pozzuoli branch, a free English class takes place.  The missionaries do it as a service - and it's also true that several baptisms have occurred by this means.  The above is obviously a special Halloween English class, at Pozzuoli.  The very American looking treats are thanks to the branch president's wife, Becky Trimble.  Over the top!

Wednesday we celebrated Anna's birthday (the one on the left) with her friend Antonella, who has been studying the Church for awhile, at Gilda's house.  Gilda was here when we were here back in the day, 43 years ago - and she is one of the most gracious people you will ever meet.
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A baptism in the ocean.  I love this photo.  The newly baptized member is Fabian, second from left.  He was baptized by Elder Gay, to his right.  The ones on the outside, Elder Spencer and Elder Ridd, were witnesses.  Afterward, Fabian gave Elder Ridd a big hug, lifting him off the ground - and the waves took them both down!  Since he was already soaked, Fabian then turned to Elder Spencer and slam dunked him in.  Elder Gay had already embraced Fabian, so he was spared the full douse.  It was a brisk, windy day; those elders were all chattering by the time we got back to our cars.  They didn't change till we got back to church!  It must have been an interesting sight for other people, both at the beach and on the street by the church in Naples!

 Elders Youngblood, Gay, Fabian, Elder Spencer, Fabian's friend Lucy, Elder Ridd, and those other folks.

I can't stop taking photos from the church!  But look at the sun on the sea!  It's like liquid gold.

We spoke in Sacrament Meeting at Pozzuoli Branch Sunday.  Afterward, we went with Sisters Hunter and Crandell to eat lunch with Imma and Peppe.  These are fun folks!  And Imma is a true Italian mamma - we ate pasta - don't know how they make just plane pasta and sauce so good, but it is SO good; fat sausages with oven baked potatoes and a side dish of field mushrooms and tomatoes (Blaine raved about it so much that they gave me their precious field mushrooms and told me how to make it.  They're in the freezer, I'm waiting for the opportune time); then, when we were quite satisfied and thought to have finished, along came potato croquettes (mashed potatoes formed into a tube around a piece of mozzarella, rolled in bread crumbs, and fried) fresh out of the pan, followed by arancini (rice balls with peas and ham, same process).  Oh. my. goodness.  Poor Sister Hunter is Imma's pet project; I guess she wants to fatten her up.  The rest of us took our own portions, but Imma took charge of Sister Hunter's plate herself!  After that came fruit, then cookies from the pastry shop.  We felt to roll ourselves out the door and down the stairs.  It was such a delightful time, though, they really are delightful people.

Sorella (Sister) Crandell's birthday was the 29th and Sorella Hunter's is today; in celebration I made this pear-rosemary pie with cheese crust.  We took it, along with Blaine's "famous" sandwiches and other picnic items, to the Amalfi Coast Monday, the missionaries' PDay (P for preparation, during which they have time to do touristy stuff, along with laundry, shopping, writing home, etc.).  We ate on the beach at Vietri Sul Mare, where the drive to Sorrento along the famed coast begins.  The following photos were taken on that drive, and of our picnic.

 The Mediterranean on a beautiful autumn day; Anziano Hyde thought more than once about what it would be like to be sailing.

 The three sorelle - me, Sorella Crandell and Sorella Hunter

Three sorelle and one anziano, in front of "The two brothers", a Vietri Sul Mare landmark.

IF I remember correctly, this is Amalfi...

This is ... Minore?

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This is what happens when you have to take a "shortcut" to the autostrada (freeway) from the Amalfi Coast highway.

I already posted this on FB, but it deserves a re-post.  Saw this rock that had the form of so many Madonna-and-Child images I've seen, so I brought it home and gave it its true identity.

District meeting this morning in Naples.  Blaine, Anziano Stratton, Anziano Youngblood, Anziano Ridd, Anziano Bellini, Anziano Gay and Anziano Spencer.   Book of Mormon, Alma 57:27.

Just this evening we had a lovely family home evening with a couple from Napoli Branch, and two sisters, our newly baptized sisters also from that branch, along with the 8-year-old son of one of them.  I don't know if you can get a feel from my posts of the joyful spirit that this missionary work brings, but I must tell you, it is there, and it is sweet!

Yeah, we love this place.

Glory

Wonderful thing for Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday, 9-11 February:

Pathway, what hast thou wrought with my life?  Ah well, GOOD things are coming to pass, so it's okay that I haven't had a spare minute to blog.  I guess that's the wonderful thing - good things are coming to pass!  How awesome is that.  Everywhere we go to make a presentation, enthusiasm for this program abounds.  Folks, we have a stake in Florence.  That means, all the priesthood keys to carry forward the work of the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ are here.  in Florence.  Within the next year or so, we will have a temple.  in Italy.  http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/mormonism-in-pictures-beauty-purpose-mormon-temples.      

I am reminded of the live action Peter Pan movie - I know, that's odd, give me a minute.  Peter Pan, Wendy, her brothers and the Lost Boys, are all in utmost peril on Hook's pirate ship.  Wendy is permitted a moment to say good-bye, and she takes the opportunity to present Peter with " the hidden kiss."  This changes everything.

So it is with what's happening right here, right now, at least that's how we feel about it.  A stake.  A temple.  Pathway.  This changes everything!

If there were the words to describe what it's like to be me, to be us, here, now, doing what we're doing, perhaps you would feel how...BIG it is.  The scripture that comes to mind is when the Nephites are visited by the Resurrected Savior in 3 Nephi 18; they partake of the bread and wine of the Sacrament and are "filled".  There is purpose, there is meaning, there is delight; there is heartache, there is disappointment, there are conundrums.  It's absolutely glorious.

Every now and then, in my prayers, I sneak in a little "Hallelujah!"

fun thing:

Yesterday was "P Day" for the younger missionaries.  We took one, too.  Sisters Johnson and Gregg drove over (they're the only sisters in the mission with a car) and we drove two cars to the drop off spot at the foothills of Prato on the east side and left our car.  Then we drove several miles west and parked their car near a trail head, albeit along a busy city street.  Off we went for three fun hours of minimal climbing and great views.

We saw:  a dilapidated and crumbling textile factory with scaffolding still up around a "new" part, and accompanying outbuildings; a cave; lots of olive orchards; purple daisies and smaller white daisies, both of which smelled...nice!; villas; dogs guarding villas; other hikers and bikers; a real farm, with chickens and geese, and somewhere - cows, given the sound of cow bells; at another place we saw and tried to communicate with a very stout horse and a very stout pony; blue skies - glorious after several very cold, wet, windy days...

All of this, too, was glorious.  We stopped and ate a sack lunch prepared by Blaine.  Approaching the first drop off point, he suddenly realized that he had carefully under the back seat of the sisters' car, his wallet...and his keys.  He probably doesn't want me sharing this.  Oh well!  He had planned everything perfectly, he couldn't conceive of this colossal snag having occurred.  We all hooted.

Eventually, we thought to call Andrea, who came to pick us up and take us to the sisters' car.  Blaine tried to swear her to secrecy, but we'll see how many find out about it!

I'd post a picture...but I forgot my camera.  The sisters promised to share.