One Year Has Whizzed By!

Things didn't really slow down much after we got back from our trip to the Swiss temple.  First we had transfers and one of our elders, Elder Reese, was transferred to Modena as their District Leader.  We got an elder from Modena here in Siena, Elder Warnick.  Elder Warnick comes from Utah, and has a little more than a year under his belt as a missionary.  He speaks the language well, and will be a great addition to our small team.

Elder Warnick joining Elder Garner in Siena

Siena hosted a gathering of all the young men and young women from the western half of our Stake.  They took a few hours to see the sights around Siena, and then came back to our building for a workshop on the importance of families and family history.  Then they all gathered in our foyer area for a late dinner before heading back to their respective cities.

September is also the last month of the third quarter, and one of our assignments is to inspect the apartments of all the young missionaries living in Siena, Florence and Montevarchi.  It takes a bit of time to drive to all these places and inspect each apartment, making repairs as we go.  However, we were able to complete this assignment and Darryl only made one sister missionary cry throughout the whole process.  That must be counted as a success!

We also were privileged to celebrate the 15th birthday of our only teacher in our Aaronic Priesthood.  We had dinner with this wonderful family, and helped Davide eat his cake, after all the fireworks, of course.

Davide and his flaming cake!

The Rotelli family, the rock of our small branch

Earlier in the day we drove out to the countryside in hopes of visiting a garden of an old, feudal estate that survived the ravages of World War II.  On our way we enjoyed the extensive vineyards throughout this region, now teeming with ripe grapes.  The weather has turned, and the leaves are turning with it.  We were able to capture a few shots of the beauty of this harvest time.  We did find the gardens, but we decided to save a full tour for another day, as the rains and cold descended upon us.

That day was very rainy and cold, and we must have been out in the elements too long, because both of us came down with some kind of virus.  It took a few days to work through the weakness and malaise that accompanied the bug, but we are finally back on our feet.

This last Sunday, one of our sister missionaries who just finished her mission, Sister Roth, came back through Siena with her Mom, sister and aunt, as she took a few weeks to travel around before flying home.  It was great to see her, and to feed her and her Mom and aunt one of her final meals here in Italy.

Sister Roth and Bonnie, Aunt Carlsson and Mom Linda

Last night, as on every Monday evening, we held a Family Home Evening at our little chapel for those members, missionaries and investigators who want to participate.  Bonnie is in charge of this event, and she always does a great job preparing a spiritual lesson, with great activities, and wonderful refreshments.  She is feeling a bit more comfortable each week speaking Italian with our wonderful members!

Bonnie teaching at FHE

Enjoying a game of Uno with the missionaries, a member and an investigator

Today is September 30, 2014.  Exactly one year ago today we walked through the doors at the MTC to begin this missionary experience.  We can't believe that a full year has already sped by!  We have experienced and learned so much and we are trying our best to be of service to the members, missionaries and investigators in our small region of the Lord's vineyard. 

On this "anniversary" of sorts, we each wanted to share a few things that we have learned as we have walked this path together.

Darryl - Probably the most important thing that I have learned is more a driving home of what my Grandma taught me when I was just a kid.  She always told me that "every kettle must sit on its own bottom".  That is the great truth of the Lord's gift of personal agency.  Everyone must choose the path he or she will take, and must decide if and when to make course corrections along the way.  Those of us who love and accompany that person, as a parent, a leader, a friend, a ward member, can be a great help and influence, and it is always incumbent on us to be a good example, to teach correct doctrine, to encourage and, when appropriate, to point out that a wrong path has been chosen and to try to show the way to the correct path.  However, when push comes to shove, only the knowing, heart-felt and sincere personal choice of that person will determine the path taken.  That is the Lord's plan.  Thus, if we want to be sure that we are making the correct choices in our own personal journeys, we must keep our eyes fixed on the goal and our hands tightly around the guides that will lead us to whatever our ultimate goal is.  And, as the saying of an early English theologian (that we had on our refrigerator for at least the last 20 years) goes, "If we haven't chosen the Kingdom of God as our goal in life, it will, in the end, make no difference what we have chosen in its stead."

Bonnie - God prepares us for those things He asks us to do, and He will help us accomplish what we are asked if we truly have faith in Him and diligently do our part.   The Lord knows our potential; He knows what we can do. As our young zone leaders taught us, "He sees more in us than we see in ourselves."  He will continue to ask more of us, because He knows we are capable.  Our growing may be painful, it may stretch us to "our" limits and beyond.  God (and others whom he has directed) will always be encouraging us and perhaps even demanding just a little more of us.  But we have to be willing to be diligent and obedient.  (That gift of agency comes into play once more!) 

God loves each of His children.  He is waiting and wanting to help us.  He wants to bless us. Many times I have seen a glimpse of how much Heavenly Father loves a specific person here in Italy. We have been prompted to help when we couldn't have known the need.  He will direct us through promptings of the Holy Spirit if we let Him, and if we follow those promptings we can become better people, better servants, better followers.  

We close this first year of our mission with hope that we have done some good, and with the resolve to continue in His service and to listen to His promptings in all that we do.

Off to the Swiss Temple with our Branch

We spent the week before our branch trip to the Swiss temple visiting members and getting things ready for our great adventure to the temple.  The day before we departed for the temple Elder and Sister Keefer, a senior couple serving in this mission and working as military relations missionaries up north, together with two of their friends from home, came to our branch for Sunday services.  After they walked around beautiful Siena for a few hours, they came to our home for an early dinner.  It was good to catch up on some of the things happening back in the States.

Bright and early Monday morning, we loaded up our little Meriva and started on our long journey to the temple, picking up our Relief Society President and another sister on the way.

We then met up with the Rotelli family from our branch outside of Florence, and we caravanned together to the temple.  In Como, just before the Swiss border, we met up with a family from the Livorno ward who was going to the temple for the first time.  We all drove through Switzerland together, arriving in Zollikofen at about 7:30 p.m. 

The temple at dawn

We had our challenges on our way up, with one of our sisters falling and cutting open a gash above her eye before we even got started.  We asked her if we should take her to the Emergency Room to get it looked at.  She declared with unwavering resolve that we weren't going anywhere except to the temple, and that is exactly what we did.  One car in our group (not us) was involved in a small fender-bender as we entered Switzerland, which required us to wait for the police and lose about two hours of time there.  We hit lots of traffic, but we finally arrived safely, and we were blessed to be at the Lord's house.

We had the unique privilege on Tuesday morning to go with this couple from Livorno and help them during their first endowment session.  Shortly after the session, we all went to the sealing room where this great couple was sealed together for time and all eternity by proper Priesthood authority.  Then their two sons, one 12 and one 6, came into the sealing room all dressed in white.  These two boys were then sealed to their parents for time and all eternity.

The Aniello Family after their sealing

It was a very long journey for this couple to get the temple.  They have a unique story.  They were converted to the gospel about ten years ago, but because of the crazy Italian divorce laws and other related circumstances, they couldn't be baptized.  They attended church regularly during these years as they worked on ironing out all the problems.  A number of miracles happened in their lives that resolved the issues, and they were baptized about two years ago.  Now they have completed the necessary Priesthood ordinances that will bind their family together for eternity, depending always on their faithfulness.  What a joyful experience!!

Everyone except Sisters Feri and Nigi

Even Darryl got to be in a picture!

We were at the temple for three full days, and part of another.  We were able to do a number of endowment sessions (some in Italian and some in French), sealings for some relatives of our great Relief Society President and for other members of our branch, baptisms for the dead with a young man from our branch and the 12-year-old from the Livorno family, and also some initiatory work.  It was wonderful to immerse ourselves in the spirit of the temple during this special week.

We returned to Siena late Friday evening, and then turned around the very next day to drive our sister missionaries and one of their investigators who has accepted a baptismal date, to a baptism in Florence.

In church today many of our members who went on this special temple trip had the opportunity to share their experiences with the branch during sacrament meeting.  A strong spirit of Elijah was present as they spoke.

As we learn in the events preceding King Benjamin's address to his people, everyone was gathered together at the temple as extended families, with the doors of their tents opened and facing the temple from where King Benjamin would speak.  We should all learn two great principles from these few verses.  First, it is the family unit that is essential and eternal, and second, we must be directed and focused on the eternal things of the gospel, and especially the temple, as we travel this road we call earth life.  If we do so, we can be together forever as families.  What a great blessing that is!

Sisters Andromidas and Remund, Bonnie, Elders Reese and Garner

This week is transfer week, and one of our elders, Elder Reese, will be leaving us and heading off to Modena.  So we had all the missionaries over for lunch today to do some missionary coordination, and to thank Elder Reese for his service here.  We love all the missionaries that we are privileged to work with, and we hope that we can touch their lives and help them as they continue to serve in this great work!

Summer is Ending, Fall is Coming!

When we planned the timing of our mission, we gathered all the available information about the possible completion of the Italy Rome temple, and we tried to time our mission to be in Italy during that historic time.  However, the best-laid plans sometime fail, and we are sad that we won't still be serving our mission when the Rome temple is completed.  The church has not yet announced a firm date for the completion of the temple, but we have heard from very good sources that the temple will not be completed until at least the fall of 2015, and maybe later.  We are sad that we won't still be missionaries at that time, but it will just give us another great excuse to come to this beautiful country one more time!!

Speaking of temples, until the Rome temple is completed, Italy is still in the Swiss Temple district.  And our stake just held a temple trip for our youth, ages 12-13.  (Those 14 and over were attending an all-Italy EFY event during the same week.)  We were so pleased to help our newly activated Francesca get ready to attend the temple with youth from our stake.  It was a great step for both mother and daughter as they said goodbye in Firenze.  Francesca had many wonderful experiences during this week at the temple, and she made some great new friends among the youth of the church.

Francesca meeting her stake leader

Lucy and Francesca, before the bus took off for the Swiss temple

We held our weekly Family Home Evening for those members that live close by, and we had a good turnout, with our missionaries and their investigators.  Thanks to Darryl's "Coke" (as in Coca-Cola) habit, which he is trying to break, we had 10 empty plastic bottles which we labeled with various vices, and we used oranges to bowl and try to eliminate these vices from our lives.  Much fun was had by all.

Last week, on P-Day, the sisters wanted to visit Montepulchiano.  So they made an appointment to visit a member family that lives nearby at 6 pm, when P-Day ends, and they convinced us to take them out a few hours earlier so they could visit some of the beautiful hill towns in that region.   We were happy to oblige.

On our drive through that region, we saw this beautiful field of sunflowers, and we had to stop.  The word for "sunflower" in Italian is "girasole", which literally translated means "turn to the sun". 

Sisters Andromidas and Remund in a field of sunflowers

It was a beautiful day, and we took some beautiful shots of the Tuscan countryside.

Montepulchiano on the hill

Flowers growing in ceramic shoes outside a shoe store

On Saturday, August 30, our oldest grandchild, Lena, was baptized.  It was bittersweet not being at the baptism of our eldest grandchild, but we know we are where we are supposed to be at this time.  But thanks to modern technology and a kind bishop, we were able to "attend" the baptism via Skype.  We are so proud of Lena and her decision to open the gate and start down that straight and narrow path that will lead her to eternal life with her wonderful family.

Our sweet Lena!!

We had a Zone Conference on Monday, September 1, in Firenze, for both the Firenze and Rimini zones.  We had about 60 missionaries there, as well as our Mission President and his wife, and the Assistants.  Bonnie was in charge of the luncheon for this hungry army of God.  She prepared a wonderful meal (with a little help from Darryl).  She decided to give them an even better version of Subway's famous meatball sub, together with a fresh green salad with all the fixin's, and bowls of fresh fruit.  What this entailed, of course, was a visit to all the bakeries in Siena (or at least Darryl thought so) to make sure she found just the right bread, and a day-long assembly line in our small kitchen of mixing the right proportions of beef and pork, veggies and spices, and frying the meatballs to get the right sear, and then baking them in a home-made sauce to keep them moist.

A car full of food for a hungry army of God

The chef and her assistant

The missionaries were filled with food and fun!

After all the work, including a fully-loaded car with all the goodies, and a trip to Firenze, the meal was a big hit!  All the missionaries loved it!!

While we were preparing the physical feast, the missionaries were enjoying a spiritual feast, which included the mandatory role-plays.  Here we have our Siena missionaries doing their role-plays during Zone Conference.

Elders Garner and Reese doing a role play

Sisters Remund and Andromidas doing the same

After the conference, we all gathered for the obligatory zone picture.  It is fun to watch the missionaries interact as they get together and renew old friendships and talk about their work.

Notice all the cameras sitting precariously on the fence

The Firenze Zone

We continue to work with our less-active members, visiting them in their homes and encouraging them to rekindle the fire of testimony that once burned in their hearts.  We are teaching a 74-year-old woman (a former Relief Society President in her branch up north) and her 40-year-old daughter.  They live about 45 minutes outside of Siena, and there is absolutely no bus service on Sundays between their little town and Siena.  Since they have no car, they can't come to church.  So we, together with our missionaries, are taking the church to them as we remind them of basic gospel principles and encourage life changes that will bless their lives.

Summer is drawing to a close, and with it the grapes are ripening and the countryside is getting ready for the harvest.

And we are working hard to hasten the work in the Lord's vineyard, and gather in those who have open minds and searching hearts.  For the time is close at hand that the Lord will gather in the sheaves unto himself for the final time.  May we all be part of that work, and not "sleep through the restoration"!