computer

Some of you may have wondered if we are still here in Italy since I haven't posted this week. The reality is that my computer has given me problems since we got here, and yesterday I had to have the motherboard replaced. I haven't had access to my computer for a couple of weeks. I hope having my computer fixed will get me caught up with some of the tasks that have suffered during this time. I don't know how I made it without a computer in the past!

On Wednesday, we woke up at 3:30 am because our bed was shaking. Within minutes, one of our elders called. The elders were fine, but given Italy's history with earthquakes, it was a bit frightening. The second big tremor came an hour later. We were able to quickly figure out that our missionaries were fine, except for one apartment where they were still sleeping and we were unable to contact them until it was a little later. We are saddened by the loss of life here in Italy, but are deeply grateful for the protection of our missionaries and members.

A week and a half ago, President and I had the pleasure of attending church in a different part of Rome. We later visited the home of the bishop. Here are our missionaries and the bishop and his wife.

This last weekend, we traveled to Malta, where we spoke for the branch conference, and where we met with our missionaries and members. President was able to do temple recommend interviews. In Malta, they speak English and Maltese. It was very beautiful, and I can see why people come here to vacation. It was a little different from Italy--one of the elders said he felt like he was in Jerusalem. We were able to visit with two different families in their homes. One family was Maltese, the other was British. We loved trying to understand the cultures and food of each family. The gospel truly makes the world small.

Finally, a real treat this week happened when President was over at the stake center when he ran into the son of my dear mission companion from Modena. He brought him over to the villa for a few minutes, and I was able to show him where his mother and I met for district meeting years ago. I was also able to tell him what a great missionary his mother was. I am glad he came to Rome!

Temple Visit

This week, we went over to the temple site and took some pictures through the fence where they have opened up a small window. We love this building and look forward to the day when it will bless the lives of the Saints here in Italy.

Farewell

This week, we said goodbye to these two wonderful elders. We will miss them. Good luck Anziani!

Temple

We always take our new missionaries to the Rome Temple as our first stop after we pick them up. Here is our group on August 16, 2016.

Newcomers

We were blessed with 14 wonderful new missionaries last week! They arrived on time, had a great time seeing local attractions, and talked to everyone they met. They are a very talented group, and we are honored to serve with them.

Conferences

This week, we started our week in Catania with the wonderful Catania Zone! I was pretty excited when we got a referal before zone conference while walking along the shoreline from a man who was Valdesi from Piemonte--where my ancestors came from.

After Catania, we went to Palermo. The senior couple there took us to the top of a hill where we could see the entire city.  The view of the sea was incredible. Afterwards, we met with our wonderful elders and sisters.

We flew from Palermo to Sardegna and met with the great elders and sisters there. They are so enthusiastic about this work. We love the chapel there because it truly shows us the growth in Italy.

Finally, after zone conference, President was able to meet with an investigator he had taught many years ago. We enjoyed a delightful dinner with A and his wife.

On Saturday, we flew to Crotone, which is on the coast of southern Italy. We ate lunch with our 4 wonderful missionaries and then President went out with the elders and I went out with the sisters for a wonderful evening of missionary work. Most of the city had a party on the street in front of our hotel that night. We attended church Sunday with the wonderful members!

From Taranto, we drove to Napoli. The hillsides were beautiful as we drove north. In Napoli, I had so many memories flood back from the 9 months that I served there. I tried to figure out how to take a picture of the chapel there that would show former missionaries how beautiful it is, but I couldn't capture it. It is near the train station. It is large and both the Pozzuoli and Napoli are meeting in the building while renovations are being done in Pozzuoli. Here is our zone in the chapel of this great building.

From Bari, we drove to the beautiful city of Taranto. We had a hotel right by the sea. There is a great chapel there where we met for Zone Conference. What great elders and sisters serve with us in the Taranto Zone!

We started out last week by visiting the beautiful city of Bari. We love our senior couple and missionaries who are serving there.