{Survived}
14 years ago
Sunday, May 17, 2009
For all the grandness, it is all about show and not so much about comfort. We sure live a different lifestyle nowadays.
We have decided that Napoli is not our favorite spot in Italy. It is a dirty city and the air quality is horrible as they constantly burn their garbage, making the air smell smoky and you never really see the sun. Between the garbage everywhere and the graffiti, Italy leaves something to be desired in cleanliness. We are grateful we live in Rome. There is more to see here and the air and water are much cleaner.
We are sitting in on investigator’s discussions, trying to understand the Italian, and bearing testimony to the truthfulness of the gospel occasionally when the spirit guides us that direction. The work we are doing here is absorbing and varied, and that keeps life interesting. The gospel of Jesus Christ is true! We love to be working for the Lord in his vineyard.
We have decided that Napoli is not our favorite spot in Italy. It is a dirty city and the air quality is horrible as they constantly burn their garbage, making the air smell smoky and you never really see the sun. Between the garbage everywhere and the graffiti, Italy leaves something to be desired in cleanliness. We are grateful we live in Rome. There is more to see here and the air and water are much cleaner.
We are sitting in on investigator’s discussions, trying to understand the Italian, and bearing testimony to the truthfulness of the gospel occasionally when the spirit guides us that direction. The work we are doing here is absorbing and varied, and that keeps life interesting. The gospel of Jesus Christ is true! We love to be working for the Lord in his vineyard.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY
Happy Mother’s Day to all the great mother’s out there!
Being a mother is a rewarding calling, and you are all doing a great job!
This week has been a very spiritual, very busy, very incredible week:
Monday we attended a great DDM – a meeting for all the missionaries in our district. The spirit of cooperation, learning, and love was very strong there.
Tuesday we enjoyed Rome Zone Conference. We were in charge of the luncheon part of the conference. There we heard from our mission president and his wife. The assistants were in charge and had a great teaching segment. As they spoke, I listened, took notes, and wrote this poem.
Trust in the Lord
Trust in the Lord!
Difficult? No – necessary:
A needful necessity
To know He is there.
He cares about us,
Truly, totally,
Unconditionally, amazingly.
Awake! Recognize His remarkable love.
Turn to the Savior.
His atonement is individual.
At one with Christ
For one – me! Incredible!
This mission is touching our lives for good. Our family members are being blessed. We love the Lord! You will never be sorry for following our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Wednesday we had received permission to take Sister Bennion and Sister Cheesman to Tivoli on their P-day to see that beautiful place. Sister Bennion goes home next transfer and she had never been there. We were grateful the president allowed us to take the sisters for this outing. We had such a great time with them.
Thursday an LDS couple from Kansas named the Littlewood’s visited the mission. Laurel and Michael wanted to see the temple site. As we took them there, we realized the gate was open as a worker was cutting grass there. We were able to onto the property and walk around. There is a fig tree, many olive trees, and umbrella pines. The temple site is on a rise of ground that will be very visible from the Porta de Roma mall and the GRA, a huge freeway that circles Rome. The Littlewood’s stayed with us on Thursday and Friday nights. Thursday night we took them to downtown Rome and saw Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps, and the Coliseum at dusk. We got some great pictures of these famous places lit up at night.
Friday we had a mini miracle in finding a referral that Elder Herrick had been looking for. Two numbers on his phone number had been transposed. It would have been easy to just say we couldn’t find the paper again with the referral on it. However, we looked and looked and finally did find the information we needed. Elder Herrick told me tonight they had been able to get a hold of him, and he is excited to have the missionaries come and deliver their message.
Saturday we went with Gesseppi, our Italian friend to the Borghese Museum in downtown Rome. He got us in free and we truly had the VIP treatment. This Museum is by far the most incredible museum we have seen. The sculptures and paintings inside are beyond compare. We were not able to take any pictures but we enjoyed it tremendously. It is mind-boggling what a true artist can do with a large block of marble.
Then, we attended the adult session of our Stake Conference in the evening. Elder Gerald Caussa – a native of France is now a seventy. He was speaking broken English, and being translated into Italian. At the end he said: “The future is as bright as our faith!”
Happy Mother’s Day to all the great mother’s out there!
Being a mother is a rewarding calling, and you are all doing a great job!
This week has been a very spiritual, very busy, very incredible week:
Monday we attended a great DDM – a meeting for all the missionaries in our district. The spirit of cooperation, learning, and love was very strong there.
Tuesday we enjoyed Rome Zone Conference. We were in charge of the luncheon part of the conference. There we heard from our mission president and his wife. The assistants were in charge and had a great teaching segment. As they spoke, I listened, took notes, and wrote this poem.
Trust in the Lord
Trust in the Lord!
Difficult? No – necessary:
A needful necessity
To know He is there.
He cares about us,
Truly, totally,
Unconditionally, amazingly.
Awake! Recognize His remarkable love.
Turn to the Savior.
His atonement is individual.
At one with Christ
For one – me! Incredible!
This mission is touching our lives for good. Our family members are being blessed. We love the Lord! You will never be sorry for following our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Wednesday we had received permission to take Sister Bennion and Sister Cheesman to Tivoli on their P-day to see that beautiful place. Sister Bennion goes home next transfer and she had never been there. We were grateful the president allowed us to take the sisters for this outing. We had such a great time with them.
Thursday an LDS couple from Kansas named the Littlewood’s visited the mission. Laurel and Michael wanted to see the temple site. As we took them there, we realized the gate was open as a worker was cutting grass there. We were able to onto the property and walk around. There is a fig tree, many olive trees, and umbrella pines. The temple site is on a rise of ground that will be very visible from the Porta de Roma mall and the GRA, a huge freeway that circles Rome. The Littlewood’s stayed with us on Thursday and Friday nights. Thursday night we took them to downtown Rome and saw Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps, and the Coliseum at dusk. We got some great pictures of these famous places lit up at night.
Friday we had a mini miracle in finding a referral that Elder Herrick had been looking for. Two numbers on his phone number had been transposed. It would have been easy to just say we couldn’t find the paper again with the referral on it. However, we looked and looked and finally did find the information we needed. Elder Herrick told me tonight they had been able to get a hold of him, and he is excited to have the missionaries come and deliver their message.
Saturday we went with Gesseppi, our Italian friend to the Borghese Museum in downtown Rome. He got us in free and we truly had the VIP treatment. This Museum is by far the most incredible museum we have seen. The sculptures and paintings inside are beyond compare. We were not able to take any pictures but we enjoyed it tremendously. It is mind-boggling what a true artist can do with a large block of marble.
Then, we attended the adult session of our Stake Conference in the evening. Elder Gerald Caussa – a native of France is now a seventy. He was speaking broken English, and being translated into Italian. At the end he said: “The future is as bright as our faith!”
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Homemade Ravioli
Sorella Bennion and Sorella Cheesman wanted to make ravioli with a Chinese investigator we had all met at English class. We offered to have the missionaries cook the dinner and then teach a lesson to Lei Fon in our home. What a fun evening, and even though we only had a very poor rolling pin to use, we made delicious pasta. Some of the ravioli were filled with a spinach and cheese concoction, and some were filled with sautéed garlic, onion, and ham. We all helped with the preparation, cooking and definitely the eating. After the meal, the missionaries showed the DVD “Finding Happiness” on our computer, since we have no TV. Lei Fon was so excited to recognize Hong Kong in the DVD. We listened to it in Mandarin and then in English. The English version was filmed in the US. The church is so awesome! “It” cares about all people everywhere and encourages people of every language to find happiness and joy in the truth that the gospel of Jesus Christ teaches.
Friday was a holiday in Italy, similar to our Labor Day in the US and Canada. We finished up some work in the office, then went to eat Kabobs – so delicious – with the Pearson’s. A large pork roast is slow cooked on a vertical rotisserie. When someone orders a Kabob, the outside cooked meat is shaved off thin, served with lettuce, tomato, cabbage (green and purple) and hot sauce. In the afternoon, we had the day free so we visited Borghese Park for the first time. That is where the best museum in Rome is situated. We didn’t go into the museum, it was much too busy a day, but we walked around in the park and people watched while we practiced our Italian on each other. We are back to trying to study 2 hours a day. If determination means anything, we may get this yet. Even with what we know, it’s fun to be able to read signs, pick out familiar words in conversation, and make fools of ourselves trying to say something meaningful.
Saturday we had the car! Yeah! So, we headed north from Rome to Lake Bracciano, which we could see on the map. We ended up driving around the lake – which is quite large, but we got side-tracked as usual and ended up at Lake Martigano. There we hiked and sat in our chairs and people watched. It was a fun, relaxing day.
Friday was a holiday in Italy, similar to our Labor Day in the US and Canada. We finished up some work in the office, then went to eat Kabobs – so delicious – with the Pearson’s. A large pork roast is slow cooked on a vertical rotisserie. When someone orders a Kabob, the outside cooked meat is shaved off thin, served with lettuce, tomato, cabbage (green and purple) and hot sauce. In the afternoon, we had the day free so we visited Borghese Park for the first time. That is where the best museum in Rome is situated. We didn’t go into the museum, it was much too busy a day, but we walked around in the park and people watched while we practiced our Italian on each other. We are back to trying to study 2 hours a day. If determination means anything, we may get this yet. Even with what we know, it’s fun to be able to read signs, pick out familiar words in conversation, and make fools of ourselves trying to say something meaningful.
Saturday we had the car! Yeah! So, we headed north from Rome to Lake Bracciano, which we could see on the map. We ended up driving around the lake – which is quite large, but we got side-tracked as usual and ended up at Lake Martigano. There we hiked and sat in our chairs and people watched. It was a fun, relaxing day.
Several members of the L’Aquila Branch, where the earthquake struck so hard, attended our ward today in Rome. The first sister to bear her testimony said: “I promise not to cry but it will be hard.” Then she started to cry. She had lost her home in the earthquake. They have been living in a tent city in L’Aquila. “Jesus Christ is our Savior. I love to nourish my soul with His teachings. Nothing is more important than my testimony of Jesus Christ and my family.” Several others added their testimonies that they had learned much through this terrible earthquake. In just a few hours, there was sustaining help from the church and the people of Italy. They bore pure testimony of the Savior.
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