Further up and further in

I think we go in ever-ascending cycles throughout life, learning the same principles over and over, but on ever deepening levels.

I was a "kid missionary" once - I served in the "Italy South Mission", even here in Naples, forty? years ago.  I was out there on the street, opening my mouth, keeping the rules, hoping to share what I felt - and still do feel - to be my greatest possession, my happiest truth.

Somehow, though, finding myself again in a similar position over the last couple of weeks, there on the sidewalk outside the main employment office, or circulating among groups of parents waiting for the children to exit a school, hoping to offer them an opportunity to achieve "autosufficienza" - self-reliance - with a possible next step of receiving the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ, it all seemed kind of the same but completely different.

(Taken outside one of the schools where were handing out invitations to the self-reliance seminar.  I found these two little girls with their arms around each other irresistible.)

Here's why:  I've been losing myself.  Or perhaps, more accurately, letting go of my self.  The self that sees things and people in a certain way, that has expectations based on...I don't know, experiences, personal filters and perceptions, fears, doubts.  There is a sense of safety in the vision we build for ourselves out of known experiences, out of what people we trust have told us, perhaps out of what people we fear have told us.  Letting go of that safety, letting myself be vulnerable, storing up instead treasure through the simple things - prayer, scripture study, partaking of the Sacrament...service - trusting that "in the very moment" I will have what I need to say given to me...I'll say it:  it takes courage.  It takes trust.  Faith.

The awareness of a larger world - a MUCH larger world - than the one I hold on to is growing in me.  I'm getting lost in it.  But what I'm finding...ah, what I'm finding.

Love this place, love this work, love this process.  Maybe I'm beginning "to fly up, and to know the meaning of kindness and love", as Blaine had inscribed on my wedding ring (re:  Richard Bach, Jonathan Livingston Seagull).  It's a cycle that goes on and on, deeper and deeper, "further up and further in" (C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity and The Last Battle).  If I dare hope that it is true at all, I have to give credit to the Great Creator of that larger world, my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Here's what we've been sharing - 1500+ invitations in two weeks:

https://www.lds.org/topics/pef-self-reliance/manuals-and-videos?lang=eng&old=true

And now some photos.  I'm going to put an album of the Royal Palace of Caserta on Facebook, but I'll include a couple here as well.

The latest in senior missionary fashion.  We went to paint some furniture in one of the elders' apartments.  I didn't know my help would be needed so I hadn't brought clothes.   We improvised with a sheet and tape.

This was taken about six weeks ago.  I like it.  Sorella Crandell is in Rome now.

The current sister missionaries here in Pozzuoli, Sorella Fielding from Utah and Sorella Bellomo from northern Italy.  This is our apartment; they came to take showers because their plumbing was broken!

Buying chairs for the elders in IKEA.  Lots of cheese from Anziano Hyde.

In Prato they didn't make that big of a deal of Carnevale; judging from this display in the toy store next to the church building in Naples, I'd say Carnevale is going to be a big deal.

This is Angelo, an artisan who makes ceramics with Napoli themes.  TVB means Ti Voglio Bene, or I Love You.  He graciously gifted us a ceramic "cornucopia" with peperoncini - little red peppers - in it.  It's a symbol of good luck.

Always have to put in the view from Pozzuoli.  It's a marvel everyday.

We took a rare "P day" (preparation day, the young missionaries take one every Monday, but we usually just take a day off every now and then, maybe watch a movie every couple of weeks) and went to the Royal Palace of Caserta with the Williams, another missionary couple, last week.  Very big.  Lots of rooms.  Huge gardens.  I couldn't help asking, What was all the fuss about?  I'm a hopeless plebeian, I guess.

On our horse-and-buggy ride around the grounds, we saw this "play house" used by the royal offspring.

Huge waterway, used for fishing as well as sight seeing.  Dolphins and a sea monster.

Queen Linda and King Blaine

Royal consorts the Williams of Colorado...or was it Arizona?

Lots of fascinating ceilings.

Very ornate place.  Obviously.

Joachim Murat's bed.  He did not live here; his furniture was brought here to show period furniture.

I like the whimsy.

Okay, this was all my camera would do.  You'll have to check it out on wikipedia for the size of the thing.  It was patterned after Versailles but is actually bigger.  I am sorry to say it is not well maintained; I don't know what they do with the 12 euros they charge everyone, but I don't think they use it to keep the place clean.  All those Murano glass rococo chandeliers coated with grime.  Sheesh.  More on FB, ciao for now!

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.