Ringing in 2014!!

We are slowly getting accustomed to the Italian eating schedule.  We made it to 8:30 p.m. for our New Year's Eve "Cenone", which means "giant dinner".  And that it was!  All the YSAs came to dinner dressed in their finest gowns and suits, some even in tuxes and ball gowns.  It was great fun to see them all decked out for a night of celebration.  Our giant dinner lasted from 8:30 p.m. until about 10:30, and the big dance didn't even start until 11:15 p.m.

We went down to the main auditorium that the YSAs in charge had converted, with lots of hard work, into a dance venue worthy of this big celebration.  All four of our Siena YSAs were there, and we snapped a few pictures of them before the witching hour came.

Jessica, Simone, Anthony and Bianka

With the "Ancients" added

Tripping the light fantastic!

While there are surely some who people raised their eyebrows about such a gathering, given the time, distance, and cost of the event, it is immensely valuable to have these events where 150 or more of the future leaders of the Church can get together and understand that they are not alone in their struggles and challenges to live a Christ-centered life, amidst the worldliness that surrounds them everyday.  We are sure that our four or five active YSAs in Siena wonder, at times, if it is worth it.  When they have the chance to rub shoulders with others from all over Italy who are working hard to live the gospel, they realize that it is well worth the price.

Plus, these events give our YSAs the chance to meet other members who might, given the right set of circumstances, be their future eternal companion.  It is so important that we do all we can to assist these wonderful YSAs find someone they can go the temple with, someone who will assist them in formulating eternal family units.  We hope that a few of them found some possibilities on this front as well.

Apparently the grand ball lasted until 4:30 a.m.; however we made it only until 12:05 a.m.  We then bid goodnight to our young friends, and crashed.  We must say that this is probably the first time in many years that we actually remained awake until the ringing in of the New Year.

Earlier that day we had some spare time in the afternoon, so we walked around the small mountain town of San Zeno da Montagna.  While we were walking, the other senior missionary couple, Italians who now live in Arizona and are serving in the south of Italy (in the Rome Mission), drove by and invited us to explore the small towns down near Lake Garda.  We drove with them and had an enjoyable "passagiata" with them.  Here are a few pictures we took that afternoon.

The Italians put nativity scenes in everything! This is in a motorcycle.

Elder and Sister Franceschini who took us on the outing, and President Fiorella of the Florence District

Even though we were tired after the New Year's Eve festivities, some of our YSAs who closed down the dance at 4:30 a.m. were exhausted.  Some were able to roll out of bed and make it to breakfast; and most of them made it to the closing meeting where our mission president and his wife spoke.  Darryl got to take two different car loads of YSAs to a train station about 45 minutes away from the conference site, before loading up the car with three of our four Siena YSAs for the long trip back to Siena.

Jessica and Bianki wanted to stop in Verona on the way back to see Juliet's balcony. Bonnie told them  that Presidente Lee would be happy to take them to Verona.   Darryl tried to tell them that Shakespeare invented the story and there really were no Romeos or Juliets in Verona and that it really wasn't Juliet's balcony; but they wanted to go anyway.  So we stopped in Verona about 4:00 pm, visited the Roman arena where they now hold outdoor opera performances in the summer, and made our way to Juliet's balcony.  The small streets were packed with people, since it was a holiday, January 1, 2014.  We finally made it to the little alley that is dedicated to Shakespeare's fictional play of the star-crossed lovers.  The pictures below depict what we saw.

Bonnie with our three YSAs

The Arena of Verona

The ancient Arena with a modern twist!

Juliet's "Balcony"

People stick their gum on the wall, and write their names on it.   Why??

And the letters to Juliet hanging on the Christmas tree.

Everyone wants their pictures taken with Juliet, and they feel the need to feel?!?  Again, why?

On Saturday we were asked by the mission president to go to Pisa to interview an investigator who was preparing for baptism.  It was a cold and rainy day, but we decided to take a more direct, yet scenic route to Pisa (as opposed to the longer route on the freeways and toll roads) and see some of the countryside.  The Toscana is even beautiful in the dead of winter. 

We stopped for a few minutes in the hilltop town of Volterra, famous for its alabaster work.  Here are a few pictures we took of this old, medieval city.

Before heading over to the Pisa chapel for the interview, we thought we would stop by and see Sister Filomena LaVecchia.  Sister Mena was one of the first persons Darryl had the privilege of baptizing into the Church some 40 years ago.  We had a great visit with Mena, her son Dominco, and her second husband, Bruno.  Even though Sister Mena may be taking a break from full activity in the Church, she remembers with great fondness her spiritual journey and the wonderful friends she has made in the Church.  We hope that someday she will find her way back to the fold and enjoy, once again, the blessings she can receive among the Saints.

 

Bonnie, Mena and Bruno

Darryl, Bonnie, Mena and Bruno

Darryl's interview went well, and a young man from Nigeria will enter the waters of baptism next week.  We hope that he will grow and progress in the gospel, and will be one of the many Melchizedek priesthood holders that we need to turn this district into a stake.   

On Sunday, even though we had less than 30 people at Church, we had a wonderful fast and testimony meeting.  The elders are teaching a family, and they came to most of the three-hour block.  The mom got up in our testimony meeting and shared her feelings with the branch, and it was a very touching moment.  We hope that they will feel the converting power of the Spirit and decide to unite themselves with this small band of Saints in this part of the Lord's vineyard.

Yesterday we began our quarterly assignment to inspect seven of the young missionaries apartments in our part of the mission.  We went to five apartments, three in Florence and two in San Giovanni, and took out the white gloves.  Darryl felt that the apartments were just fine, but Bonnie found ways to help them improve their cleaning and the general appearance of their living quarters.  We took our tools and fixed some things, got a list of items they needed, and enjoyed our time with the missionaries as they engaged in this more menial side of their missionary experience.

All in all, we have started out 2014 on the run, with high hopes for a great year!  The financial crisis in Italy is grave, but we are dedicated to trying to help our members find good jobs and progress along the path of self-sufficiency.

We wish you all a Happy New Year!