Getting to Rome

Disclaimer: This blog is intended to keep family and friends updated on what is happening with our family in Italy. It is not sponsored by nor is intended to be representative of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We simply wanted to have a way to communicate more easily with friends and family. We will not mention specific missionaries or more personal situations in order to protect the privacy of others, but hope to share some general stories from time to time. Enjoy!

——————————————————————-

Siamo qui! We are here! We have been here for almost three weeks now, so it’s about time we try to catch up!

The internet was not working for the first week (fortunately we have Mark here to be our computer expert fix-it guy) but now all is working well and we even have our webcam hooked up so the kids can stay in touch with family and friends! The downside, however, is that between Jeff and the six kids, I haven’t been able to spend much time on it!

This week the kids have been at a youth camp (like youth conference, but on a beach in Pisa) with the Florence District. The older kids have been helping with the camp and have taught some of the workshops, including a dance workshop by Mark and Kimberly. Jeff and I have been in Napoli for interviews and are now at home doing some of the interviews with the Rome missionaries. This Sunday we will attend church in Pistoia and be in Firenze (Florence) and Pisa for interviews. The kids will be able to do some sightseeing while we are there.

But let’s back up a little.

We got here late Saturday night after a seven-hour layover in Barcelona. Look in the Gallery to see pictures of the kids sleeping in the Barcelona airport. They were a bit tired. We actually had a few tense moments at the airport because we had taken each child as they woke up down to get their borading passes, but when Lisa, the last one, went down, they said it was too late and that the flight was closed. They were actually in line in time, but there was a huge group before them and it took too long. (There was never a line before when checking in the other kids.) When we realized that after the seven-hour wait in that airport that we might not be able to leave (or have to leave Lisa there until the next flight out in the morning), and Jeff was trying to negotiate at the gate, I said to the children, “Pray kids.” Each of them dropped their heads and prayed and miraculously they let us on at the very last minute. We were also lucky to get all of our 18 pieces of luggage. The group of missionaries who had arrived 10 days before us had about 30 pieces lost and didn’t get the last piece until just before we got there!

Pres. and Sis. Rhien’s picked us up and whisked us to our new home. They were all moved out and staying with another couple until they flew out on Monday morning. The kids picked out their rooms (Stephanie and Lisa are sharing, Kimberly and Marianne and sharing, and the boys are up in the missionary bunk room sharing) and tried to get somewhat unpacked.

Sunday morning, the Rhiens took Jeff (from now on referred to as Pres. Acerson) to Napoli where they were joining two branches. The kids and I went to church and met some wonderful missionaries who translated for us. In subsequent meetings, we’ve given up the headphones that they use for the translation to visitors and trying to get as much out of the meetings as possible. However, the sister missionaries help the girls out in Primary and Young Women and the elders help Scott out in Priesthood. They are so good to us! That first week was Fast Sunday and they had a little time in Relief Society for testimonies, so I waited until the end and then got up and told the sisters a little about our family and bore my testimony in Italian! They were all so encouraging and smiling and I could tell they were happy that I had tried — even though I’m sure I was slaughtering their beautiful language!

After Pres. Acerson returned with the Rhien’s, we were going to cook some pasta and have some salad, but some visitors showed up. It was Bro. and Sis. Calabrese and his family. Bro. Calabrese is a retired military man who is Italian and is something of a miracle worker. We hear great things about his volunteer services to the mission and how he is able to get many things done for the mission and the missionaries. They didn’t want to sit down, but instead visited just inside the front door. After a few minutes, he opened the door and showed us a surprise . . . all the missionaries in the Rome area were in our front yard singing “The Hymn of Rome” which was the mission song when they used to have them. It was so sweet and tender and moving and we all shed tears as they sang for the Rhiens who were leaving and for our family as they welcomed us to Rome. It was our first meeting with most of them and we were so moved by their appearance there — especially when you realize that many of them had to come on public transportation that took at least an hour or more to get there. What a special welcome to our mission. You can see a picture of them in our photo Gallery.

The Rhiens left Monday morning after a quick walking tour of the neighborhood, showing us where to get gas, where to get groceries, and many other things that I promptly forgot and am slowly remembering as I need them.

That Tuesday was our first Zone Conference and it was here in Rome. All the missionaries were warm and accepting and look healthy and happy. We then flew to Sardegna on Thursday to meet with about 18 missionaries serving there. We were met by the zone leaders at the airport with a cute sign that said, “President Acerson and HUGE family.” What a beautiful island with warm and open people. We met a few people who were investigators and a mother of an Italian elder who is serving a mission right now. At the airport we met an absolutely beautiful family with a great spirit. They had two beautiful children, a seven-year-old boy and a one-year-old girl. The girl was quite taken with Stephanie and we loved getting acquainted. We hope to follow up and send the missionaries to them.

On Saturday, we had all of the district presidencies and other church leaders at our home for a Mission Council meeting. Sis. Helquist, who is serving in the office with her husband (and who have been so wonderful and helpful through this transition) and I made an American dinner for them. We had roast pork, mashed potatoes and gravy, roasted vegetables, salad, homemade rolls, and fruit salad for dessert. They all loved it and we have had the favor returned in Napoli where two of the men and their families took us out for world-famous pizza — as a matter of fact, that’s where pizza was invented — after the Napoli Zone Conference. It was good to know what great people we’ll be working with over the next three years. You’ll find their picture on the gallery as well. (I am still trying to figure out what the error messages mean when I’m trying to upload these pictures!)

On Monday we drove 3+ hours to Firenze (Florence) for Zone Conference there, drove home that night, then drove to Napoli (about 3 hrs. as well in the opposite direction) for a Zone Conference the next day. The kids had to get up early both days and were to bed very late as well, but they were troopers and we didn’t hear a complaint out of any of them. They listened to the first zone conference, but then during parts of subsequent conferences, Kimberly taught them Italian. They of course listened to the testimonies of the departing missionaries and enjoying each zone’s special musical number and at each zone conference, we enjoyed sandwiches or pizza with them at lunch and the whole family got to know the missionaries a little better.

After a busy preparation day getting stocked up with groceries (everything here comes in very small quantities making it interesting to feed a family of eight!), getting kids signed up at school, doing a lot of paper work, and finding some hangers so we could finish getting unpacked, we started traveling again for interviews.

This is a great time for us to really get to know each missionary. I wasn’t able to go back to the island, but Pres. Acerson went for two days and then stayed on Sunday to speak in church. There were a couple of investigators there, so hopefully his talk on gaining a testimony helped them in some way. During interviews, I get to wait with the missionaries and ask them about their families, look at pictures, and then I have them tell me about the work in each of their areas, their investigators, and recent baptisms. They are very excited to share their stories and we’ve loved getting to know them.

Like I said before, the kids are at a camp now and we were at Napoli for interviews this past Tues. and Thurs. Since Wed. was our preparation day (my birthday) and Thursday was our anniversary, we decided to go to Sorrento near the Amalfi Coast and relax for the day. It is beautiful there and we got some badly-needed rest. We are now recharged for the next three years and ready to go again.

We love all of you and are grateful for your support, emails, and prayers. We hope this gives you a small taste of what it’s like out here serving the Lord and the good people in Italy. We will try to keep you updated from time to time — I hope it will be weekly, but no promises, as time is unpredictable.

We love you!