Well................ another week has come and gone.
Saturday morning, after I made a gigantic batch of brownies for Marias baptism that night, we went to go do some house. We chose an apt building and when it came to Slla Riffaldis turn, she knocked and a young girl let us in and we met her mother, Jenny- they are from the Philippines and had just moved. They came to church the next day with us, and on Monday we taught the Restoration and invited Jenny to be baptized and she accepted. She is incredible!
Maria cancelled her baptism. Roberto found out that she was going to be baptized and flipped and so Maria wants to wait till he returns. The Zone Leaders put some unnecessary pressure on us, implying that if she werent baptized that night, we lacked faith or that we didnt try hard enough. We spoke with her and left at ease, so we are happy with how things are going. There are things we feel that we can help Maria work on. In the meantime, the zone leaders have been told to let companionships make and reach their own goals. Amen.
On Sunday night the assistants asked us what wed done that day. S Riffaldi replied "We went to a discoteca". They laughed and then changed the subject........its true. We spent Sunday afternoon at a restaurant\disco. It was a Peruvian festa of a member in our ward; we got 12 new contacts this week and half was from that festa! So it wasnt time wasted- but we did eat way too much.
We are finding mail at our home address- I can see how that applies to missionaries far from the mission home, but I would ask that you send mail to the Mission Office. Its less likely to get lost, and theres no need to get mail everyday. We pass the office often enough ;)
Grazie for the emails, letters, and prayers. Its a wonderful thing to know that I am not alone and never have to be. Christ suffered all so that he know how to succor his children- what reason we have to be at peace.
Sorella Urban
Monday, September 27, 2010
Saturday, September 18, 2010
This is Sorella Urban reporting
This will be short and Ill try to make it sweet ;)
Anthony, the Elders investigator, was baptized on Wednesday. To celebrate, I made brownies for the refreshment. Seeing that I didnt have enought butter, I substituted with peanut butter. It was a hit. At 10;30 that night, the Elders recieved a phone call from Anthonys Dad, Peter, who is not a member. Anthony is super allergic to peanuts, so they went over to him and he was basically paralyzed and struggling to breathe. They gave him a blessing and within a minute, he was doing better. OOps. Ooops. The youth in the church have given me a nickname, "Joey Killer".
I feel terrible, but listening to Peters testimony on the miracle made me think "Hey, maybe it was inspiration to add the PB! The Lord used the opportunity to show forth His power in the conversion process of Peter". So, now I dont feel so bad.
Marias getting baptized this Saturday. Keep your fingers crossed- thinks always come up that she cant make it to her appointments...............
Lenora- Elder Giorgino doesnt leave the MTC till October. Itd be really nice for him to recieve a package (hint hint).
Elder Ballard, Rasband, Causse, and Bishop Edgley made a quick surprise visit to Rome on Monday. The Rome Zone got together and they all spoke with the 20 of us on Monday afternoon, and gave us tips to what we can do better. Its incredible having a modern Apostle walk where Paul and Peter walked. That night, they met with members at the stake conference building. It was like a breath of fresh air to see Carla, Zia, Robe, and lots of other familiar faces. Elder Ballard encouraged the members to work and help the missionaries. Yay!
Sorella Askew is still alive and breathing ;) She reminds me ALOT of Joni! She has the prettiest eyes- one is green and ones brown. She already speaks Italian incredibly well and is super friendly and talkative. She is also a question machine- for which Im grateful to have Sorella Riffaldi because I definitely dont know all the answers to Italian grammar.
We have made a transfer vision, and we have set high goals. This transfer is going to be hard but with the potential of being incredible. There is alot to improve on, and its good having Sorella Askew.
For Pday, we are going to the colosseum and st. Peters, and then to the amazing Ottaviano pastry shop ;)
Thank you for your prayers- I sure need them.
Sorella Urban
Anthony, the Elders investigator, was baptized on Wednesday. To celebrate, I made brownies for the refreshment. Seeing that I didnt have enought butter, I substituted with peanut butter. It was a hit. At 10;30 that night, the Elders recieved a phone call from Anthonys Dad, Peter, who is not a member. Anthony is super allergic to peanuts, so they went over to him and he was basically paralyzed and struggling to breathe. They gave him a blessing and within a minute, he was doing better. OOps. Ooops. The youth in the church have given me a nickname, "Joey Killer".
I feel terrible, but listening to Peters testimony on the miracle made me think "Hey, maybe it was inspiration to add the PB! The Lord used the opportunity to show forth His power in the conversion process of Peter". So, now I dont feel so bad.
Marias getting baptized this Saturday. Keep your fingers crossed- thinks always come up that she cant make it to her appointments...............
Lenora- Elder Giorgino doesnt leave the MTC till October. Itd be really nice for him to recieve a package (hint hint).
Elder Ballard, Rasband, Causse, and Bishop Edgley made a quick surprise visit to Rome on Monday. The Rome Zone got together and they all spoke with the 20 of us on Monday afternoon, and gave us tips to what we can do better. Its incredible having a modern Apostle walk where Paul and Peter walked. That night, they met with members at the stake conference building. It was like a breath of fresh air to see Carla, Zia, Robe, and lots of other familiar faces. Elder Ballard encouraged the members to work and help the missionaries. Yay!
Sorella Askew is still alive and breathing ;) She reminds me ALOT of Joni! She has the prettiest eyes- one is green and ones brown. She already speaks Italian incredibly well and is super friendly and talkative. She is also a question machine- for which Im grateful to have Sorella Riffaldi because I definitely dont know all the answers to Italian grammar.
We have made a transfer vision, and we have set high goals. This transfer is going to be hard but with the potential of being incredible. There is alot to improve on, and its good having Sorella Askew.
For Pday, we are going to the colosseum and st. Peters, and then to the amazing Ottaviano pastry shop ;)
Thank you for your prayers- I sure need them.
Sorella Urban
Friday, September 10, 2010
Transfer 5
Sorella Riffaldi and I are staying together for this next transfer! We were expecting a call from President last Saturday but it never came...so we called the Assistants and they said that in our case, we had to wait for Pres to tell us. Did that make us anxious! We went over to the Villa to help Slla Kelly organize the death closet (when missionaries leave, they dump basically everything there of the clothes they dont want to take back) and she told us that we would be staying together. We squealed and hugged, and then she said "What do you think about a threesome?"
Sorella Riffaldi didnt have the best experience having 2 American companions while she was at the MTC in Spain, so shes a little nervous about "losing" me to another companion, especially an American.
She wanted to know our thoughts, and we shared with her some pros and cons of being in a threesome, but we were open and willing for whatever President felt was best.
He called us on Monday morning and asked if he could meet with me in the church, so we went and it was a scary moment when Pres closed the door behind me and SRs green face disappeared. The Assistants got her to believe that she was going away, which was very likely.
In short, Sorella Askew from Utah, is joining us tomorrow morning for a 5 week transfer. She has been in Italy for 6 weeks- this will be a good opportunity for SR to work on her English and for S Askew to continue learning Italian. I am:
curious- to see what a threesome will be like.
anxious- bc SR is MOST likely leaving me next transfer
worried- that SR wont take it well if S Askew eats the cheesecake I make. (SR hoards it- she even labels the aluminum foil cover with "Dont touch- private property".
happy- because its definitely going to be different.
We have moved things around to accomodate an extra body- the hours spent in the morning studying will be a little crowded, but that will just help us get to know eachother better ;)
Nelson was baptized and confirmed this past weekend! We only had one member from Rome 2 show up at his baptism. Although we were few in number, there was an incredible spirit there. Sorella Riffaldi did well on reading her written talk in English :) Im so proud of her. I feel like Mushu (from Mulan) seeing his "baby all grown up". Right before his baptism, the missionaries sang Abide with me tis eventide- Nelson had tears streaming down his face. He shared his testimony and could only repeat how happy he was that the missionaries taught him to pray. What an incredible blessing to be a part of seeing the changes for good that the gospel brings in someones life.
He is a member in Rome 1 now, but he called us yesterday, asking when hed see us again. The Anziani from R1 gave us permission to keep seeing him, and we are happy to oblige; I guess it can be considered "sharing" him. Hes just too good for one companionship to enjoy.
Last week I wrote that Bro Allen from the Missionary Department spoke with us at a fireside held at the Villa. One promise he made us was that each companionship had someone in their area book that could be baptized on Saturday, (Sept 4th (Buon Compleanno Papa!). Afterwards, we went through our area book and searched the people who had already been taught all the lessons and been to church at least 3 times. There was Jackie- we called her wanting to set up an appt with her (we call her every night, she is the one who lives with her boyfriend but cant stand him, and has asked us to pester her bc shes too lazy to be good and read\pray on her own free will) and before we could even say anything, she told us that shes going through a rough time right now and that she doesnt want us to contact her anymore, but that she will contact US when she is ready. ;(
We already knew that Maria didnt want to be baptized till after Roberto (her fiance) returns from his trip in a couple of months. Then, on the 2nd, the Zone Leaders called and asked how our work towards the "promised baptism" was coming. We told them that we had tried, but it really boils down to free agency. They encouraged us to keep trying and looking.
When we got off the phone with them, we felt a strong urge to call Maria and read her a verse from Mosiah about baptism. SR called her and shared the verse with her and Maria felt so good and we really felt the spirit strongly. SR asked her to consider getting baptized on Saturday. Maria really wanted to but she wasnt sure, bs shes torn between the love she has for God and the love she has for Roberto. We met with her the next morning, Friday, and she said that she was going to meet with Roberto right after our appt to talk to him about the idea of being baptized earlier. Very long story short, she talked to him and he said that "You can do whatever you want, but Im not happy with it. You should wait for me, but........you can do what you want" so thats exactly what she did. "Ok, I want to get baptized, so thats what Ill do". We were ECSTATIC.
THEN........she bumped into a ward member, and he told her that she shouldnt rush into baptism and that she could do it later this month, so she thought that was better in order to have time to invite people to her baptism. (why do some members get in the middle of things?!) so her baptism was set and announced in church for the 19th, but yesterday we met with her and got it changed to the 18th. We dont like the idea of having her wait a week to be confirmed.
When we met with her yesterday, the assistants lent us the car and we found Cappena (the city) without getting lost. It was incredible, but most incredible was that we finally met and talked with her mom, who adores missionaries and would get baptized if she werent "so old". She finds it hard to cross the barrier of tradition.
Marias family has so much potential. I compare her to Mom- Its my dream to teach and see an Italian family baptized, like Im returning the favor done by the Anziani who, so many years ago, found Mom and her family through door-to-door.
We left at 18:30 to get home in time for our dinner appt- we invited an office couple, the Burts, over for gnocchi alla gorgonzola, but .....SR took a wrong exit, and we got lost. Now, this isnt any normal "lost". We were lost for 2 1\2 hours. (Yes, we had to cancel dinner). It was incredible how incapable we were of finding our way home. It was like we had a shield over our eyes and couldnt use even the most basic sense of direction to orient ourselves.
Finally, we rolled down the window at this one stoplight and we asked a man on a motorino to point us in the direction of either Fidene, Porta di Roma, or Piazza Sempione (3 landmarks where we know where we are). He looked at his watch and then said, "Follow me" and for the next half hour, we followed him to Porta di Roma. We couldnt believe that he, who never having met us, would be willing to take the time and gas to help us find our way. It was incredible. The entire time we were following him we were saying "This man is wonderful. Its no coincidence that we got lost tonight. We were supposed to meet him". He gave us his card and he got our phone number, and we want to go see him tomorrow and take him a joyful message alone with some brownies. Incredible how the Lord puts people in our path.
Well. The Burts are coming over in a few minutes, so we need to sprint down the hill home. Thank you for your letters. Thank you for your prayers and support.
Sempre avanti!
Sorella Urban
Sorella Riffaldi didnt have the best experience having 2 American companions while she was at the MTC in Spain, so shes a little nervous about "losing" me to another companion, especially an American.
She wanted to know our thoughts, and we shared with her some pros and cons of being in a threesome, but we were open and willing for whatever President felt was best.
He called us on Monday morning and asked if he could meet with me in the church, so we went and it was a scary moment when Pres closed the door behind me and SRs green face disappeared. The Assistants got her to believe that she was going away, which was very likely.
In short, Sorella Askew from Utah, is joining us tomorrow morning for a 5 week transfer. She has been in Italy for 6 weeks- this will be a good opportunity for SR to work on her English and for S Askew to continue learning Italian. I am:
curious- to see what a threesome will be like.
anxious- bc SR is MOST likely leaving me next transfer
worried- that SR wont take it well if S Askew eats the cheesecake I make. (SR hoards it- she even labels the aluminum foil cover with "Dont touch- private property".
happy- because its definitely going to be different.
We have moved things around to accomodate an extra body- the hours spent in the morning studying will be a little crowded, but that will just help us get to know eachother better ;)
Nelson was baptized and confirmed this past weekend! We only had one member from Rome 2 show up at his baptism. Although we were few in number, there was an incredible spirit there. Sorella Riffaldi did well on reading her written talk in English :) Im so proud of her. I feel like Mushu (from Mulan) seeing his "baby all grown up". Right before his baptism, the missionaries sang Abide with me tis eventide- Nelson had tears streaming down his face. He shared his testimony and could only repeat how happy he was that the missionaries taught him to pray. What an incredible blessing to be a part of seeing the changes for good that the gospel brings in someones life.
He is a member in Rome 1 now, but he called us yesterday, asking when hed see us again. The Anziani from R1 gave us permission to keep seeing him, and we are happy to oblige; I guess it can be considered "sharing" him. Hes just too good for one companionship to enjoy.
Last week I wrote that Bro Allen from the Missionary Department spoke with us at a fireside held at the Villa. One promise he made us was that each companionship had someone in their area book that could be baptized on Saturday, (Sept 4th (Buon Compleanno Papa!). Afterwards, we went through our area book and searched the people who had already been taught all the lessons and been to church at least 3 times. There was Jackie- we called her wanting to set up an appt with her (we call her every night, she is the one who lives with her boyfriend but cant stand him, and has asked us to pester her bc shes too lazy to be good and read\pray on her own free will) and before we could even say anything, she told us that shes going through a rough time right now and that she doesnt want us to contact her anymore, but that she will contact US when she is ready. ;(
We already knew that Maria didnt want to be baptized till after Roberto (her fiance) returns from his trip in a couple of months. Then, on the 2nd, the Zone Leaders called and asked how our work towards the "promised baptism" was coming. We told them that we had tried, but it really boils down to free agency. They encouraged us to keep trying and looking.
When we got off the phone with them, we felt a strong urge to call Maria and read her a verse from Mosiah about baptism. SR called her and shared the verse with her and Maria felt so good and we really felt the spirit strongly. SR asked her to consider getting baptized on Saturday. Maria really wanted to but she wasnt sure, bs shes torn between the love she has for God and the love she has for Roberto. We met with her the next morning, Friday, and she said that she was going to meet with Roberto right after our appt to talk to him about the idea of being baptized earlier. Very long story short, she talked to him and he said that "You can do whatever you want, but Im not happy with it. You should wait for me, but........you can do what you want" so thats exactly what she did. "Ok, I want to get baptized, so thats what Ill do". We were ECSTATIC.
THEN........she bumped into a ward member, and he told her that she shouldnt rush into baptism and that she could do it later this month, so she thought that was better in order to have time to invite people to her baptism. (why do some members get in the middle of things?!) so her baptism was set and announced in church for the 19th, but yesterday we met with her and got it changed to the 18th. We dont like the idea of having her wait a week to be confirmed.
When we met with her yesterday, the assistants lent us the car and we found Cappena (the city) without getting lost. It was incredible, but most incredible was that we finally met and talked with her mom, who adores missionaries and would get baptized if she werent "so old". She finds it hard to cross the barrier of tradition.
Marias family has so much potential. I compare her to Mom- Its my dream to teach and see an Italian family baptized, like Im returning the favor done by the Anziani who, so many years ago, found Mom and her family through door-to-door.
We left at 18:30 to get home in time for our dinner appt- we invited an office couple, the Burts, over for gnocchi alla gorgonzola, but .....SR took a wrong exit, and we got lost. Now, this isnt any normal "lost". We were lost for 2 1\2 hours. (Yes, we had to cancel dinner). It was incredible how incapable we were of finding our way home. It was like we had a shield over our eyes and couldnt use even the most basic sense of direction to orient ourselves.
Finally, we rolled down the window at this one stoplight and we asked a man on a motorino to point us in the direction of either Fidene, Porta di Roma, or Piazza Sempione (3 landmarks where we know where we are). He looked at his watch and then said, "Follow me" and for the next half hour, we followed him to Porta di Roma. We couldnt believe that he, who never having met us, would be willing to take the time and gas to help us find our way. It was incredible. The entire time we were following him we were saying "This man is wonderful. Its no coincidence that we got lost tonight. We were supposed to meet him". He gave us his card and he got our phone number, and we want to go see him tomorrow and take him a joyful message alone with some brownies. Incredible how the Lord puts people in our path.
Well. The Burts are coming over in a few minutes, so we need to sprint down the hill home. Thank you for your letters. Thank you for your prayers and support.
Sempre avanti!
Sorella Urban
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
September!
Being a missionary entails a variety of responsiblities, including decorating your companions planner. Sorella Riffaldi stripped me of mine and snuck in the kitchen to work her magic, and Im very happy with what she did with it. Seeing that we are eating a lot of yogurt this tranfer, she glued (theres this fly thats been driving us up the wall, and SR smacked it and it started buzzing around on her keyboard, and I handed her my planner and she finished it off. We horrayed victoriously and the few people in here started laughing. Im glad we are entertaining to some) the lid of a strawberry yogurt onto the front cover, and on the back she taped a section of map of the vatican city, where we got lost last pday.
Because decorating someones planner is not to be taken lightly, I cut pieces of a photocopy of our faces (NOO....we do NOT photocopy our faces at the Mission Office!) and my smashed nose and her swollen mouth fit nicely into a heartshaped front cover. I will have to send a picture.
The best thing about the week is that Nelsons getting baptized on Saturday!!! Sorella Riffaldi is practicing praying in English, and little by little, she adds in a new phrase here and there. We both will be giving talks at his baptism in English- we both hope not to butcher it.
Maria, the 20 who wants to marry Roberto (36) against her parents wishes, disappeared. We called and called and got super nervous- its never a good thing when someone preparing for baptism falls off the edge of the earth. We recieved a text from her late Saturday night, saying that she wasnt responding to our phonecalls because shes going through a rough time. Agh ;( We had never been out to her house because she lives out in the middle of nowhere, but we decided that it was time to go find her since she wasnt coming to us. We left Monday after district meeting, and we had sketchy directions- a train and a few buses later, we were instructed to walk "down down" to get to her apartment complex. Down translates to DOWN. It was the steepest, longest hill Ive ever seen. But, that didnt Sorella Riffaldi from spotting some ripe figs (having long legs comes with a price- I had to be the one to jump the pokey bush to reach up into the sticky brances for some figs) and I was picking some blackberries when SR screamed and raced away. She said "mouse mouse!" so I parted the bush and there was a giant rat. What mouse? Shed have been closer if shed said "cat". Id have sent it home to Lenora but it probably would have put up a struggle; there is a smashed rat on the sidewalk near our house, and every day it gets flatter and less hairy- its almost fossilized. Maybe I can peel that off the sidewalk and use it to patch a hole in our bathroom wall- its definitely stiff enough.
Where was I?
Oh! So, we came up to the apartment complex and before we even started looking at all the house names, I saw someoneo outside on a balcony- it was Maria! She spotted us and started at us, shocked. Then she ran inside and opened the door. She was so happy to see us- Roberto wanted a "break" and a combination of health problems has dampered her spirits, and she didnt want us to see her sad. She offered a beautiful opening prayer, thanking Heavenly Father for answering her request- that morning, shed asked Him to give her a sign that He loved her, and then we showed up- without knowing how to find her, etc. ;) We spent some time visiting with her, and then she took us on a tour of the city, Cappena. Its a beautiful little town- I dont know how I could ever be happy living back in Provo after seeing all the fantastic places others live in- crowded apartment buildings that teeter on the side of a canyon- every day would be an adventure, never knowing if your house would still be there after you returned from shopping.
At the end of Pday last week, we had the car so we went to Prima Porta to see Carolina, whos 16 and ready for baptism but doesnt see the need for it bc she was baptized when she was 5. We jumped over the fence like we usually do, and then at her door we heard lots of noise and laughter coming from inside. We rang and I was tempted to smash my face up close to the peep hole to give someone a pleasant surprise when they looked out, but I managed to control myself. The dog started barking and I saw that someone was looking at us from inside bc the little sunlight dot went dark.....stayed dark....no door opening.....and then it went back to light....but still no noise or answer from within. We rang again and I called Carolinas cell a few times, but she didnt pick up. It made us feel a little rubbed in the dirt, like wed been prese in giro (made fun of). All we could do was head back to the car and leave. We saw her yesterday, and she said that no one was home. Hmmm. Still.
We had guests this week! The Marcuccis are a senior couple from Colorado. They arrived a few weeks ago and theyve been called here as proselyting missionaries- while they learn the langauge, theyll be working in the office and along with us missionaries. They had to come over to check our apartment, so we invited them over for lunch on Friday, and it was funny how stressful it was prepare for guests. Id put away all of the extra utensils and plates bc its just us two- we had to hunt for four chairs and enough nutella cups to serve us. If Sorella Riffaldi is learning one thing from me, its to experience with cooking. Shes never strayed from a recipe before, so Im helping her discover the delights of throwing in randome ingredients and the suspense of how itll turn out. Its never a good idea to experiment when expecting company, so we did ;) And it turned out quite well! (We just made pasta with a sauce that we added random things to it, like sausuage rolls from a Philippino member and sugo from Sorella Salsiccia). They checked the house to make sure it was safe, and installed a carbon monoxide detector. We have a few shelves that are loose on their hinges, but it was easily fixed when I whipped out my Gerber. (Thanks Tommy!)
Oh! We had a sleepover on Sunday night with the Rome 1 Sorelle from Ladispoli. Brother and Sister Allen are here in Rome on vacation; Bro Allen is the head of the Missionary Department, and he spoke at the MTC while I was there. The Rome Zone is super lucky bc we were the only ones that were invited to the Villa (where President lives). It was more like a question\answer thing. It was amazing. I walked out of there wishing I could start the mission over. Theres so much work to be done and so much to improve on! He made us some astounding promises which we are striving to work towards- its all conditional. Sorella Riffaldi and I have a renewed determination to do better. We have about 10 days together- on Sunday, we will find out what changes the next transfer will bring. ay ay ay. I know that whatever happens will be good. I didnt want to leave Firenze or Sorella Nelson, but now I couldnt have asked for it to have been different. Whatever comes will bring its blessings and trials, and something to learn and master.
Sorella Jones and Buckholtz were probably hoping for a fun time together, but we got home with little time to spare, and the next morning, I had to prepare for the training I was giving and we had to write letters to the President, etc, so......I dont think they had too much fun being with us. Maybe theyll ask the Rome 3 sorelle to use their home next time. haha. One good thing was that we werent bothered by mosquitoes that night- they were all in the other room with our company!
We are teaching a new investigator, Yolanda. Shes a contact from the Assistents- we met with her on Friday and she is so nice. Shes from Equador and she is here alone, working to tirare avanti la famiglia...pull the family forward. She went with us to a baptism on Saturday, and she remembers that her parents were baptized into the Mormon church. !!! Its always a wonderful thing when the investigator has a friend or family member whos a member. We are excited about her potential.
The church bells are ringing and the Anziani will be here soon to do email, so we need to free up the computers. Im learning lots and hoping to remember it all, and at least apply a small percentage of it into my life. Journals are priceless. Are you keeping a journal? If not, start today.
Sorella Urban
Because decorating someones planner is not to be taken lightly, I cut pieces of a photocopy of our faces (NOO....we do NOT photocopy our faces at the Mission Office!) and my smashed nose and her swollen mouth fit nicely into a heartshaped front cover. I will have to send a picture.
The best thing about the week is that Nelsons getting baptized on Saturday!!! Sorella Riffaldi is practicing praying in English, and little by little, she adds in a new phrase here and there. We both will be giving talks at his baptism in English- we both hope not to butcher it.
Maria, the 20 who wants to marry Roberto (36) against her parents wishes, disappeared. We called and called and got super nervous- its never a good thing when someone preparing for baptism falls off the edge of the earth. We recieved a text from her late Saturday night, saying that she wasnt responding to our phonecalls because shes going through a rough time. Agh ;( We had never been out to her house because she lives out in the middle of nowhere, but we decided that it was time to go find her since she wasnt coming to us. We left Monday after district meeting, and we had sketchy directions- a train and a few buses later, we were instructed to walk "down down" to get to her apartment complex. Down translates to DOWN. It was the steepest, longest hill Ive ever seen. But, that didnt Sorella Riffaldi from spotting some ripe figs (having long legs comes with a price- I had to be the one to jump the pokey bush to reach up into the sticky brances for some figs) and I was picking some blackberries when SR screamed and raced away. She said "mouse mouse!" so I parted the bush and there was a giant rat. What mouse? Shed have been closer if shed said "cat". Id have sent it home to Lenora but it probably would have put up a struggle; there is a smashed rat on the sidewalk near our house, and every day it gets flatter and less hairy- its almost fossilized. Maybe I can peel that off the sidewalk and use it to patch a hole in our bathroom wall- its definitely stiff enough.
Where was I?
Oh! So, we came up to the apartment complex and before we even started looking at all the house names, I saw someoneo outside on a balcony- it was Maria! She spotted us and started at us, shocked. Then she ran inside and opened the door. She was so happy to see us- Roberto wanted a "break" and a combination of health problems has dampered her spirits, and she didnt want us to see her sad. She offered a beautiful opening prayer, thanking Heavenly Father for answering her request- that morning, shed asked Him to give her a sign that He loved her, and then we showed up- without knowing how to find her, etc. ;) We spent some time visiting with her, and then she took us on a tour of the city, Cappena. Its a beautiful little town- I dont know how I could ever be happy living back in Provo after seeing all the fantastic places others live in- crowded apartment buildings that teeter on the side of a canyon- every day would be an adventure, never knowing if your house would still be there after you returned from shopping.
At the end of Pday last week, we had the car so we went to Prima Porta to see Carolina, whos 16 and ready for baptism but doesnt see the need for it bc she was baptized when she was 5. We jumped over the fence like we usually do, and then at her door we heard lots of noise and laughter coming from inside. We rang and I was tempted to smash my face up close to the peep hole to give someone a pleasant surprise when they looked out, but I managed to control myself. The dog started barking and I saw that someone was looking at us from inside bc the little sunlight dot went dark.....stayed dark....no door opening.....and then it went back to light....but still no noise or answer from within. We rang again and I called Carolinas cell a few times, but she didnt pick up. It made us feel a little rubbed in the dirt, like wed been prese in giro (made fun of). All we could do was head back to the car and leave. We saw her yesterday, and she said that no one was home. Hmmm. Still.
We had guests this week! The Marcuccis are a senior couple from Colorado. They arrived a few weeks ago and theyve been called here as proselyting missionaries- while they learn the langauge, theyll be working in the office and along with us missionaries. They had to come over to check our apartment, so we invited them over for lunch on Friday, and it was funny how stressful it was prepare for guests. Id put away all of the extra utensils and plates bc its just us two- we had to hunt for four chairs and enough nutella cups to serve us. If Sorella Riffaldi is learning one thing from me, its to experience with cooking. Shes never strayed from a recipe before, so Im helping her discover the delights of throwing in randome ingredients and the suspense of how itll turn out. Its never a good idea to experiment when expecting company, so we did ;) And it turned out quite well! (We just made pasta with a sauce that we added random things to it, like sausuage rolls from a Philippino member and sugo from Sorella Salsiccia). They checked the house to make sure it was safe, and installed a carbon monoxide detector. We have a few shelves that are loose on their hinges, but it was easily fixed when I whipped out my Gerber. (Thanks Tommy!)
Oh! We had a sleepover on Sunday night with the Rome 1 Sorelle from Ladispoli. Brother and Sister Allen are here in Rome on vacation; Bro Allen is the head of the Missionary Department, and he spoke at the MTC while I was there. The Rome Zone is super lucky bc we were the only ones that were invited to the Villa (where President lives). It was more like a question\answer thing. It was amazing. I walked out of there wishing I could start the mission over. Theres so much work to be done and so much to improve on! He made us some astounding promises which we are striving to work towards- its all conditional. Sorella Riffaldi and I have a renewed determination to do better. We have about 10 days together- on Sunday, we will find out what changes the next transfer will bring. ay ay ay. I know that whatever happens will be good. I didnt want to leave Firenze or Sorella Nelson, but now I couldnt have asked for it to have been different. Whatever comes will bring its blessings and trials, and something to learn and master.
Sorella Jones and Buckholtz were probably hoping for a fun time together, but we got home with little time to spare, and the next morning, I had to prepare for the training I was giving and we had to write letters to the President, etc, so......I dont think they had too much fun being with us. Maybe theyll ask the Rome 3 sorelle to use their home next time. haha. One good thing was that we werent bothered by mosquitoes that night- they were all in the other room with our company!
We are teaching a new investigator, Yolanda. Shes a contact from the Assistents- we met with her on Friday and she is so nice. Shes from Equador and she is here alone, working to tirare avanti la famiglia...pull the family forward. She went with us to a baptism on Saturday, and she remembers that her parents were baptized into the Mormon church. !!! Its always a wonderful thing when the investigator has a friend or family member whos a member. We are excited about her potential.
The church bells are ringing and the Anziani will be here soon to do email, so we need to free up the computers. Im learning lots and hoping to remember it all, and at least apply a small percentage of it into my life. Journals are priceless. Are you keeping a journal? If not, start today.
Sorella Urban
Friday, August 27, 2010
Augusts almost over :O
Hm. Its the first time in a long time that we actually arent on the run. It feels.....good :) And quite foreign.
Where to start up? Last pday, after we wrote emails, we met up Anziano Hale and Anziano Mickelsen and we went parked the car and took the metro to the colosseum. Anziano Hale had a list of places we could walk to and see, so we followed him and we passed the prison of St. Peter (I seriously need to read up on the history of Rome...when was Peter in Rome? haha, joking!) and we spent some time looking for the ...First Church of Rome (how do I still not remember what its called after I asked a million people for directions to it?!)
Its incredible. Its SO easy to stop someone to talk about religion, but its incredibly hard to stop someone to ask if theyd take a picture of us\ ask directions. We were standing there, dumbfounded at our inability to single someone out and ask them. Anz Hale finally threw up his hands and said "We are missionaries! Stopping people is what we do best!" Slla Riffaldi mentioned that we should stop a Chinese bc they take good pictures, so I did and she is right! Chinese are capable to taking pictures. Remember that next time you need someone to snap a shot.
Of the dozen people we asked for directions to the church, not one of them repeated directions that we heard from someone previous. It was hilarious. We almost forgot we were aiming to arrive somewhere- we started stopping people just to see what directions they would come up with. After walking through Circo Massimo (I told Anz Mickelsen that theyd played the Olympics there, and for the next 5 minutes he had a confused look on his face, and then I asked him what was bothering him, and he asked "What year were the Olympics here?" Ha. I didnt think Id had to mention that the Olympics of old were held there, not anytime recently. Maybe hed be interested in joining me in a Roman history class).
SO. We never found the church, and we ran out of time, so that is what we are doing today. In an hour, we are meeting up with them and, this time, Anz Hale thinks he knows where to go. I dont care if we ever arrive or not, being lost is just as fun.
What can I report about the week? Sorella Riffaldi sat on a passenger.
We had hopped onto a bus and it immediately started going, so Sorella Riffaldi caught herself imbalanced, and I think the following 60 minutes were really just 15 seconds: I put up my hand to press against her back to help her regain her balance and stand straight, but the movement of the bus aided her in taking a turn and plopping into the lap of a middle-aged woman. Turns out, she didnt have a sense of humor. Which made it even more funny for us. We sat beside her and, THANKFULLY, she recieved a phonecall which hopefully drowned out our hysterical giggles. Her lack of humor didnt help the situation.
We ate worms! I cant really call it worm cheese, because the majority of the worms were on the outside of the cheese, but we integrated them both when we took a bite of cheese and licked up a few worms simultaneously. Its actually pretty good cheese; just a little strong, so bread would have been better to have with it. The worms JUMP. If we are made of hinges, they are made up of springs. The Anziani bought a 5 kilo circle of it, and they gave us the rest......we have 4 kilos of worm cheese on our kitchen table. If youre asking yourself "What are they going to do with that much worm cheese?", rest assured that we are asking ourselves the exact same question. Rather, you should be asking yourself "What would I do with that much worm cheese?", and please write me any ideas that come to mind.
Ive thought about sending slices of it around the world...but Im not sure if the worms would survive being in syran (sp?) wrap for that long. Tell me if youre willing to risk it, and Ill be happy to send some your way :)
The other day, we were on our way to a nearby city for some appts, and Slla Riffaldi asked me to pull over when she spotted a pasture with some donkeys. I pulled over and took a picture of her posing with a donkey behind her, and then we leaned in to see how the picture turned out. Apparently, while I was snapping the pic, the donkey had inched forward so that only his rear was visible beside SRs face (she was leaning out of the window, facing me with the camera) and hed started pooping. Thank goodness I was driving. I dont think SR would have managed driving with how hard she was laughing. It WAS pretty funny.
Speaking of unexpected surprises.....after some inquiry about a GPS, the Assistants and the Senior missionaries told us it wasnt even worth asking President about a GPS because he would say no. In my weekly letter to Pres Kelly, I casually questioned if the mission had ever considered getting a GPS for the car. Guess what? Pres Kelly, a few days later, approached the Assistents and told them to keep an eye out for a good GPS to add to the car. Voila! Sometimes its as simple as asking :)
Nelson. Nelson. He lives in the Roma 1 area, but wed obtained permission to have him baptized into our ward because of how international the ward is; at district meeting on Monday, we decided to pass him off to the Roma 1 Anziani. Its just been something on our minds lately, and we feel good about having him go to where he should be going, even if that means that we would stop teaching him. Yesterday, we met with him at Battistini and walked with him to where the Roma 1 chapel is, and there he met Anziano Busico and Catalano. He always agrees to whatever we say, but I know that he wishes he could continue coming to R2, even thoughs its so much farther for him to travel. Nelson is such a good and sincere man. We will still be able to attend his baptism, and for that Im very grateful. In fact, hes asked SR and I to give the talks in English; I thought SR was about to cancel his baptismal date. Shes freaking out- shes started to pray in English and she thinks shes doomed. Ha. Shes learning quickly that it takes practice and effort to get good at something.
Because we were in the area, I wanted to show the Elders where Zio (my uncle) works. We went to the magazzino and he wasnt here, but as I was picking up a few pinoli (pine nuts), he arrived! Im glad he met the Elders, and invited them to return when they want, so they will take him up on that.
Claires dislike for me seems to mount by the minute ;( Its a little hard to try to serve someone when they make you feel belittled and useless. I sometimes feel like confronting her about it and asking what I may have done to make her feel this way about me, but I have a feeling that itd get us nowhere. I know itll be hard to go visit her when Sorella Riffaldi leaves- she may not even want me to come over with my new companion till I get transferred, but Im forcing myself to put in the effort of serving her, even when my hearts not completely into it.
Theres a shimmer of hope though, that Im not the only person someone has something against: at English class on Thursday, I was starting the class and I covered SRs nametag and asked the group to tell us what her name was. Patrizia, an older woman who wed seen just once before, said "I dont know her name and I havent bothered learning it because I dont like her". She gave a whole shpeel and there I was, waiting for her to start laughing and say "Ha, I got you! Im just joking!" but it never came, ....I stared intently at her face, waiting for it ....waiting for it....any moment now....but it never came. I started laughing and I turned to SR and I said "I have a feeling that Patrizia is simply being very honest right now", and Patrizia amened and vigorously nodded her head. Well. Now Im not the only one finding it hard to love someone.
Im grateful that there is someone who loves me unconditionally, who is always willing to give me chance after chance, even after messing up on the same thing over and over again. Its a little daunting just thinking of how much there is to improve on. All and everything comes from His infinite atonement. I know that while he was bleeding in the garden, he thought of each and every one of us, and at how much we needed him to go through with it. I know that the faith we had in him helped him bear the pain, and today he helps us bear ours. Its comforting the promise that we will never be tried beyond what we are able. How different my attitude would be if I always had this perspective.
Buona settimana,
Sorella Urban
Where to start up? Last pday, after we wrote emails, we met up Anziano Hale and Anziano Mickelsen and we went parked the car and took the metro to the colosseum. Anziano Hale had a list of places we could walk to and see, so we followed him and we passed the prison of St. Peter (I seriously need to read up on the history of Rome...when was Peter in Rome? haha, joking!) and we spent some time looking for the ...First Church of Rome (how do I still not remember what its called after I asked a million people for directions to it?!)
Its incredible. Its SO easy to stop someone to talk about religion, but its incredibly hard to stop someone to ask if theyd take a picture of us\ ask directions. We were standing there, dumbfounded at our inability to single someone out and ask them. Anz Hale finally threw up his hands and said "We are missionaries! Stopping people is what we do best!" Slla Riffaldi mentioned that we should stop a Chinese bc they take good pictures, so I did and she is right! Chinese are capable to taking pictures. Remember that next time you need someone to snap a shot.
Of the dozen people we asked for directions to the church, not one of them repeated directions that we heard from someone previous. It was hilarious. We almost forgot we were aiming to arrive somewhere- we started stopping people just to see what directions they would come up with. After walking through Circo Massimo (I told Anz Mickelsen that theyd played the Olympics there, and for the next 5 minutes he had a confused look on his face, and then I asked him what was bothering him, and he asked "What year were the Olympics here?" Ha. I didnt think Id had to mention that the Olympics of old were held there, not anytime recently. Maybe hed be interested in joining me in a Roman history class).
SO. We never found the church, and we ran out of time, so that is what we are doing today. In an hour, we are meeting up with them and, this time, Anz Hale thinks he knows where to go. I dont care if we ever arrive or not, being lost is just as fun.
What can I report about the week? Sorella Riffaldi sat on a passenger.
We had hopped onto a bus and it immediately started going, so Sorella Riffaldi caught herself imbalanced, and I think the following 60 minutes were really just 15 seconds: I put up my hand to press against her back to help her regain her balance and stand straight, but the movement of the bus aided her in taking a turn and plopping into the lap of a middle-aged woman. Turns out, she didnt have a sense of humor. Which made it even more funny for us. We sat beside her and, THANKFULLY, she recieved a phonecall which hopefully drowned out our hysterical giggles. Her lack of humor didnt help the situation.
We ate worms! I cant really call it worm cheese, because the majority of the worms were on the outside of the cheese, but we integrated them both when we took a bite of cheese and licked up a few worms simultaneously. Its actually pretty good cheese; just a little strong, so bread would have been better to have with it. The worms JUMP. If we are made of hinges, they are made up of springs. The Anziani bought a 5 kilo circle of it, and they gave us the rest......we have 4 kilos of worm cheese on our kitchen table. If youre asking yourself "What are they going to do with that much worm cheese?", rest assured that we are asking ourselves the exact same question. Rather, you should be asking yourself "What would I do with that much worm cheese?", and please write me any ideas that come to mind.
Ive thought about sending slices of it around the world...but Im not sure if the worms would survive being in syran (sp?) wrap for that long. Tell me if youre willing to risk it, and Ill be happy to send some your way :)
The other day, we were on our way to a nearby city for some appts, and Slla Riffaldi asked me to pull over when she spotted a pasture with some donkeys. I pulled over and took a picture of her posing with a donkey behind her, and then we leaned in to see how the picture turned out. Apparently, while I was snapping the pic, the donkey had inched forward so that only his rear was visible beside SRs face (she was leaning out of the window, facing me with the camera) and hed started pooping. Thank goodness I was driving. I dont think SR would have managed driving with how hard she was laughing. It WAS pretty funny.
Speaking of unexpected surprises.....after some inquiry about a GPS, the Assistants and the Senior missionaries told us it wasnt even worth asking President about a GPS because he would say no. In my weekly letter to Pres Kelly, I casually questioned if the mission had ever considered getting a GPS for the car. Guess what? Pres Kelly, a few days later, approached the Assistents and told them to keep an eye out for a good GPS to add to the car. Voila! Sometimes its as simple as asking :)
Nelson. Nelson. He lives in the Roma 1 area, but wed obtained permission to have him baptized into our ward because of how international the ward is; at district meeting on Monday, we decided to pass him off to the Roma 1 Anziani. Its just been something on our minds lately, and we feel good about having him go to where he should be going, even if that means that we would stop teaching him. Yesterday, we met with him at Battistini and walked with him to where the Roma 1 chapel is, and there he met Anziano Busico and Catalano. He always agrees to whatever we say, but I know that he wishes he could continue coming to R2, even thoughs its so much farther for him to travel. Nelson is such a good and sincere man. We will still be able to attend his baptism, and for that Im very grateful. In fact, hes asked SR and I to give the talks in English; I thought SR was about to cancel his baptismal date. Shes freaking out- shes started to pray in English and she thinks shes doomed. Ha. Shes learning quickly that it takes practice and effort to get good at something.
Because we were in the area, I wanted to show the Elders where Zio (my uncle) works. We went to the magazzino and he wasnt here, but as I was picking up a few pinoli (pine nuts), he arrived! Im glad he met the Elders, and invited them to return when they want, so they will take him up on that.
Claires dislike for me seems to mount by the minute ;( Its a little hard to try to serve someone when they make you feel belittled and useless. I sometimes feel like confronting her about it and asking what I may have done to make her feel this way about me, but I have a feeling that itd get us nowhere. I know itll be hard to go visit her when Sorella Riffaldi leaves- she may not even want me to come over with my new companion till I get transferred, but Im forcing myself to put in the effort of serving her, even when my hearts not completely into it.
Theres a shimmer of hope though, that Im not the only person someone has something against: at English class on Thursday, I was starting the class and I covered SRs nametag and asked the group to tell us what her name was. Patrizia, an older woman who wed seen just once before, said "I dont know her name and I havent bothered learning it because I dont like her". She gave a whole shpeel and there I was, waiting for her to start laughing and say "Ha, I got you! Im just joking!" but it never came, ....I stared intently at her face, waiting for it ....waiting for it....any moment now....but it never came. I started laughing and I turned to SR and I said "I have a feeling that Patrizia is simply being very honest right now", and Patrizia amened and vigorously nodded her head. Well. Now Im not the only one finding it hard to love someone.
Im grateful that there is someone who loves me unconditionally, who is always willing to give me chance after chance, even after messing up on the same thing over and over again. Its a little daunting just thinking of how much there is to improve on. All and everything comes from His infinite atonement. I know that while he was bleeding in the garden, he thought of each and every one of us, and at how much we needed him to go through with it. I know that the faith we had in him helped him bear the pain, and today he helps us bear ours. Its comforting the promise that we will never be tried beyond what we are able. How different my attitude would be if I always had this perspective.
Buona settimana,
Sorella Urban
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Rome is still standing
Rome is still standing, and the car still runs------I know that question was on all of your minds, so you can now breath, relax, and peacefully read the rest of the email (which wont be long bc we need to book it).
I can drive stick shift! I dont think Brett, Tommy, or Debora would ever believe it, but its true :) Sorella Riffaldi drew a giant "P" and stuck it on our backshield to let others know to have patience bc Im learning. (P means beginners, although it does stand for patience) :)
This week. This week. Has FLOWN BY. I almost feel guilty being on the internet bc it does not feel like its already Wednesday. Wow. Mother- a recipe for cheesecake? (I mean, an EASY recipe for cheesecake? Its something SR wants to try)... I have now resorted to just making yogurt cakes for treats to take people- If I remember correctly...no, I cant remember. Ill send the recipe next week.
Nelsons getting baptized!!!!!!! Hes the man from the Philippines who was at Beths house; we went there to teach her, and he was there fixing a fan and he listened in, so we invited him to hear the lessons and hes the most faithful in attending church and coming to english class. Anziano Hale and Anziano Mickelsen taught him last week because we werent able to make it, and they set a date for Sept 11!! They called to tell us and we immediately called Nelson and asked if he could change it to the 4th; that way itll happen before transfers and SR will be sure to see it. We are so happy! We taught him several commandments yesterday- he just has to give up some wine which isnt a problem for him. Hes SO ready.
Maria wanted to set a date last week in the presence of her finace, but something with her stomach is wrong so we havent been able to meet with her all week....
All the missionaries were to spend the 14, Ferragosto (a holiday) in their apartments cleaning EVERYTHING. We did it thursday bc we managed to get some appts for the 14- We started cleaning at 6:30 am and finished towards 6:30 pm. I noticed some mold in the shower so I scrubbed it and called Elder Burt, in the office; he gave me permission to buy some chaulk and a gun. We ventured out and looked for a ferraments, where we bought the supplies. Grandpa- thanks for all the times you asked if I wanted to help you do odds and ends in the garden. I remember a few years ago when there was a leak in the wood box out front in the middle of the roses- you just wrapped tephlon tape (is that whats its called?) around it and it did the job....SO, when we saw that our washer machine leaks, I knew what we needed! We bought tephlon tape and it did the job. Sorella Riffaldi is amazed at how I knew these things- I didnt let her in on the fact that Im, in general, quite clueless, but I feed off of the knowledge of others to make myself appear smart. It works!
The assistants have been in Sardegna for the past few days and they are returning tonight, with an item of high importance--- WORM CHEESE! I didnt know it existed till Richard Madsen, who served here, told me about it- we are getting it tonight and having a ceremony of eating live worms. I will definitely take pictures and try to capture the experience next time I write. Last night, at a members home (the Zapatas) they made us rice alla cocacola (rather than putting in water to cook rice, you put in coke to give it a sweeter taste) and they added all sorts of vegetables and meat, including LOTS of mini octopus legs (arms?). They looked like lizard tails- I tried chewing my first- it wasnt pleasant, so I sent the next dozen down whole. I know Im blessed in this aspect. I usually cant swallow pills on the first attempt, and there I was sending down pen-size octopus legs without choking or making a scene.
We know the worms will be bouncing in our mouths, but I think Ill be able to send them down whole too.
This week we went to see Patrizia, a middle-aged woman who lives at a phsychiatric house. Id never met her prior to going, but she calls an average of 3 times a day to ask when we were going to visit her. SR had been once and it took all day to get out there, but seeing that we had the car, we went and it turned out to be better than I imagined. We sat on a bench and read 3 Nefi 17 together, and the chapter became alot more real to me. There we were, surrounded by people with "afflictions" and while we took reading the story, it really made me wonder at how wonderful it must have been to have been there and to witness Christ heal the sick and bless the children. I dont think Ill ever read that story again without thinking back to sitting there with Patrizia. I can just hope and try to be better at treating everyone as who they are- children of God, who have just as much divine potential as I do. We are in this together; lets all try a little harder at extending a hand of relief to those whose "arms hang low". It is in the service of others that we really find what matters most.
Sandras left for Peru for a month; we already miss her. She was a little nervous to go bc her brother was planning on baptizing her....oops. Check that off the list! :) He might be shocked for a minute, but Im sure he will be happy for her.
Well, besides eating octopus, worms, driving past moms exit (Terni...not really moms exit but close enought), and OH! We found someone in the area book, Jackie, who had a bap date last year but cancelled it bc she didnt want to move out from her boyfriends place. Well, we met with her yesterday and wed jokingly planned on convincing her to either break up or get married- she said herself that she could happily head home, pack up her bags, and walk out the door. Apparently, shes been with him for a year but only bc shes lonely- she doesnt care for him in any way and wants to tell him the truth, but shes afraid that hed fall back into depression if she did, so she is going to wait till she has her ticket for Peru, tell him shes gone, and head out the door..........uh....like thats not going to crush him? Oh dear. Well. Not how we expected things, but we have some work to do with her. How important it is to be honest with others- it would save everyone alot of heartbreak and anguish. ayay. times up- SR wants to see some sights in Rome, so we are going to pick up Anz Hale and Mickelsen and go to the colosseum and a few places where Paul and Peter preached.
Con affetto, and buona settimana
Slla Urban :)
I can drive stick shift! I dont think Brett, Tommy, or Debora would ever believe it, but its true :) Sorella Riffaldi drew a giant "P" and stuck it on our backshield to let others know to have patience bc Im learning. (P means beginners, although it does stand for patience) :)
This week. This week. Has FLOWN BY. I almost feel guilty being on the internet bc it does not feel like its already Wednesday. Wow. Mother- a recipe for cheesecake? (I mean, an EASY recipe for cheesecake? Its something SR wants to try)... I have now resorted to just making yogurt cakes for treats to take people- If I remember correctly...no, I cant remember. Ill send the recipe next week.
Nelsons getting baptized!!!!!!! Hes the man from the Philippines who was at Beths house; we went there to teach her, and he was there fixing a fan and he listened in, so we invited him to hear the lessons and hes the most faithful in attending church and coming to english class. Anziano Hale and Anziano Mickelsen taught him last week because we werent able to make it, and they set a date for Sept 11!! They called to tell us and we immediately called Nelson and asked if he could change it to the 4th; that way itll happen before transfers and SR will be sure to see it. We are so happy! We taught him several commandments yesterday- he just has to give up some wine which isnt a problem for him. Hes SO ready.
Maria wanted to set a date last week in the presence of her finace, but something with her stomach is wrong so we havent been able to meet with her all week....
All the missionaries were to spend the 14, Ferragosto (a holiday) in their apartments cleaning EVERYTHING. We did it thursday bc we managed to get some appts for the 14- We started cleaning at 6:30 am and finished towards 6:30 pm. I noticed some mold in the shower so I scrubbed it and called Elder Burt, in the office; he gave me permission to buy some chaulk and a gun. We ventured out and looked for a ferraments, where we bought the supplies. Grandpa- thanks for all the times you asked if I wanted to help you do odds and ends in the garden. I remember a few years ago when there was a leak in the wood box out front in the middle of the roses- you just wrapped tephlon tape (is that whats its called?) around it and it did the job....SO, when we saw that our washer machine leaks, I knew what we needed! We bought tephlon tape and it did the job. Sorella Riffaldi is amazed at how I knew these things- I didnt let her in on the fact that Im, in general, quite clueless, but I feed off of the knowledge of others to make myself appear smart. It works!
The assistants have been in Sardegna for the past few days and they are returning tonight, with an item of high importance--- WORM CHEESE! I didnt know it existed till Richard Madsen, who served here, told me about it- we are getting it tonight and having a ceremony of eating live worms. I will definitely take pictures and try to capture the experience next time I write. Last night, at a members home (the Zapatas) they made us rice alla cocacola (rather than putting in water to cook rice, you put in coke to give it a sweeter taste) and they added all sorts of vegetables and meat, including LOTS of mini octopus legs (arms?). They looked like lizard tails- I tried chewing my first- it wasnt pleasant, so I sent the next dozen down whole. I know Im blessed in this aspect. I usually cant swallow pills on the first attempt, and there I was sending down pen-size octopus legs without choking or making a scene.
We know the worms will be bouncing in our mouths, but I think Ill be able to send them down whole too.
This week we went to see Patrizia, a middle-aged woman who lives at a phsychiatric house. Id never met her prior to going, but she calls an average of 3 times a day to ask when we were going to visit her. SR had been once and it took all day to get out there, but seeing that we had the car, we went and it turned out to be better than I imagined. We sat on a bench and read 3 Nefi 17 together, and the chapter became alot more real to me. There we were, surrounded by people with "afflictions" and while we took reading the story, it really made me wonder at how wonderful it must have been to have been there and to witness Christ heal the sick and bless the children. I dont think Ill ever read that story again without thinking back to sitting there with Patrizia. I can just hope and try to be better at treating everyone as who they are- children of God, who have just as much divine potential as I do. We are in this together; lets all try a little harder at extending a hand of relief to those whose "arms hang low". It is in the service of others that we really find what matters most.
Sandras left for Peru for a month; we already miss her. She was a little nervous to go bc her brother was planning on baptizing her....oops. Check that off the list! :) He might be shocked for a minute, but Im sure he will be happy for her.
Well, besides eating octopus, worms, driving past moms exit (Terni...not really moms exit but close enought), and OH! We found someone in the area book, Jackie, who had a bap date last year but cancelled it bc she didnt want to move out from her boyfriends place. Well, we met with her yesterday and wed jokingly planned on convincing her to either break up or get married- she said herself that she could happily head home, pack up her bags, and walk out the door. Apparently, shes been with him for a year but only bc shes lonely- she doesnt care for him in any way and wants to tell him the truth, but shes afraid that hed fall back into depression if she did, so she is going to wait till she has her ticket for Peru, tell him shes gone, and head out the door..........uh....like thats not going to crush him? Oh dear. Well. Not how we expected things, but we have some work to do with her. How important it is to be honest with others- it would save everyone alot of heartbreak and anguish. ayay. times up- SR wants to see some sights in Rome, so we are going to pick up Anz Hale and Mickelsen and go to the colosseum and a few places where Paul and Peter preached.
Con affetto, and buona settimana
Slla Urban :)
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Letters and Packages
August 13, 2010
Dear Missionary Families,
We know that missionaries love to receive emails, letters and packages from home. We realize how important it is for missionaries to feel loved and remembered. However, the recent combination of the Rome and Catania missions has made delivering packages to your missionary more difficult and time consuming. The logistics involved are very challenging.
For this reason, we have the following recommendations. (With Christmas shopping season not that far away, we think this information is especially important.)
1. The most efficient way to send letters and packages to your missionary is to send them directly to him or her at the apartment in which your missionary is currently living (see address below) instead of to the mission office. Quite a few parents are already doing this with good results. The reliability of the mail varies from city to city. You might want to start by sending a letter directly to your missionary's current address. If he or she receives it in a timely way, you could then try sending a package.
2. If you mail a package directly to your missionary, it is best to do it early in the transfer cycle. Our next three transfers are scheduled for September 10th, October 15th and December 3rd. You should try to mail packages at least four weeks before the next transfer date.
3. A great alternative is to put money on your missionary's debit card. Many missionaries have commented on how much they enjoy this type of gift. This way, your missionary can choose his or her own gift from you, without any of the expenses and risks associated with mailing.
4. If you decide to send a package, please consider using a large padded envelope rather than a box. They come through the mail as letters. They are more likely to be delivered quickly without additional charges. Also, keep these guidelines in mind: The sender is required to make an honest declaration of the total cost of the items contained. Once your package arrives in Italy, an importing tax is often tagged on if the total declared exceeds $49 and if the description of items says: shoes, medication, vitamins, cosmetics, soap, deodorant, lotion, toothpaste or dental items. This is just a partial list of items that seem to accrue a customs tax. These fees are sometimes quite exorbitant and exceed the value of the items sent.
5. If you feel you need to send a box to the mission office, please remember that smaller boxes are easier for us to deliver.
Thank you for carefully considering these guidelines. Please share these guidelines with any extended family and friends who might be sending packages to your missionary.
We love your missionaries and are grateful for the privilege of working with them.
Best personal regards,
President and Sister Kelly
Italy Rome Mission
Urban/Riffaldi
Via Incisa in Val d’Arno, 9
00138 Roma, Italia
Dear Missionary Families,
We know that missionaries love to receive emails, letters and packages from home. We realize how important it is for missionaries to feel loved and remembered. However, the recent combination of the Rome and Catania missions has made delivering packages to your missionary more difficult and time consuming. The logistics involved are very challenging.
For this reason, we have the following recommendations. (With Christmas shopping season not that far away, we think this information is especially important.)
1. The most efficient way to send letters and packages to your missionary is to send them directly to him or her at the apartment in which your missionary is currently living (see address below) instead of to the mission office. Quite a few parents are already doing this with good results. The reliability of the mail varies from city to city. You might want to start by sending a letter directly to your missionary's current address. If he or she receives it in a timely way, you could then try sending a package.
2. If you mail a package directly to your missionary, it is best to do it early in the transfer cycle. Our next three transfers are scheduled for September 10th, October 15th and December 3rd. You should try to mail packages at least four weeks before the next transfer date.
3. A great alternative is to put money on your missionary's debit card. Many missionaries have commented on how much they enjoy this type of gift. This way, your missionary can choose his or her own gift from you, without any of the expenses and risks associated with mailing.
4. If you decide to send a package, please consider using a large padded envelope rather than a box. They come through the mail as letters. They are more likely to be delivered quickly without additional charges. Also, keep these guidelines in mind: The sender is required to make an honest declaration of the total cost of the items contained. Once your package arrives in Italy, an importing tax is often tagged on if the total declared exceeds $49 and if the description of items says: shoes, medication, vitamins, cosmetics, soap, deodorant, lotion, toothpaste or dental items. This is just a partial list of items that seem to accrue a customs tax. These fees are sometimes quite exorbitant and exceed the value of the items sent.
5. If you feel you need to send a box to the mission office, please remember that smaller boxes are easier for us to deliver.
Thank you for carefully considering these guidelines. Please share these guidelines with any extended family and friends who might be sending packages to your missionary.
We love your missionaries and are grateful for the privilege of working with them.
Best personal regards,
President and Sister Kelly
Italy Rome Mission
Urban/Riffaldi
Via Incisa in Val d’Arno, 9
00138 Roma, Italia
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