A Visit to Sardegna

This was written over a period of a couple of weeks, so fair warning – it’s pretty long!

Describing Italy is like trying to describe your family. Each member of the family has the same genetic code, has been raised in the same environment (although our older children accuse me of being much kinder and gentler while raising the younger children!) and they all ate, for the most part, the same type of food. However, they are very different and each one is very much an individual even though they’re in the same family!

That’s how I feel about Italy. Each region is different and has its own characteristics, but each region and city, like each child in a family, is beautiful in their own way.

One of those unique and beautiful places is the island of Sardegna (sometimes spelled Sardinia on the map, but pronounced Sar-dayn-ya) where Pres. Acerson and I just returned from a four-day stay.

To get there and back, we boarded a ship at Civitavecchia (Chee-veet-ah-veck-ia) about an hour and a half from Rome. They drop the back end of the ship onto the dock and use it as a ramp to load everything from large semi trucks carrying all kinds of goods and fuel to smaller cars like ours. We got out of our car, walked into a hallway with a reception desk, and checked into our small but comfortable cabin with four bunks and a small bathroom for the night. The ship left at 11:00 p.m. and we had to be ready to drive our car off the ship at 6:30 a.m. the next morning.

During our time in Sardegna, we visited the missionaries in their apartments (six apartments in four cities) and had our first District Conference in Cagliari (pronounced Cah-yiar-ee). We so much enjoyed seeing the missionaries where they lived, and in most cases, were able to see the church buildings where they met. Just as enjoyable as seeing our missionaries, was meeting the members, the investigators, and the absolutely amazing church leaders in Sardegna. They are kind, loving, and humble men and women. With the help of talented members who speak English and Italian, I was able to hear very powerful and spiritual talks and trainings given by members and leaders who really understand and live the gospel of Jesus Christ. I was able to give some of my talks in Italian and very much appreciated the help of a translator for the rest.

One of the saddest moments of my mission, however, was on this island when I realized that one of our church buildings stands nearly empty because the members had offended one another and left the church. President Acerson wants us to be positive at all times, but this one really got to me and I feel I need to write about it because I think we can all learn from it. First, our missionaries work so hard to bring new people into the church. We certainly need to hang on to the members we have. It certainly gives me pause and makes me think about some of the careless things I have done and said that could offend someone enough that they might feel uncomfortable in coming to worship in the same building with me. No wonder one of the central themes of our religion is to “love one another.�? It’s certainly something to be watchful and careful of.

In a picture on the bulletin board of that church, I saw happy children whose parents no longer attend. What will happen to those children – to those families? On Sunday at District Conference, I spoke about the hundreds of members on the island who need to be loved and healed and who need help remembering the importance of having the gospel in their lives. Not just for a short time, but for ever.

On a happier note, the members and investigators who were there were fun-loving and beautiful people. Pres. Acerson and I were invited to stay at the Branch President’s home in one of the cities during our stay. What good people. They took such good care of us, even giving us their own bed!

After District Conference, we were asked to stick around so we could visit with the members and share the food that they brought for the missionaries and for those who had to travel long distances. When they set up the tables and chairs for nearly a hundred people, I was sure that they wouldn’t have enough food for everyone! How could they? The church had a very tiny kitchen with a mini oven, refrigerator, and sink, and only room after that for a small table and I knew there wasn’t room enough for the food it would take to feed everyone. But the miracle of the Italians was at work!

First, they pulled out a large, bakery-size flour sack that held six or seven giant loaves of Italian bread. Taking turns (because it’s such hard bread) the men cut it up and passed it out to everyone. Next, the women brought out a cart loaded with pans full of lasagna. I still doubted if it would be enough and took a small piece. Soon, they were giving out seconds. I don’t know how they did it. I politely thanked them for the delicious lasagna dinner, only to see the men bringing out another cart with pans of thinly-sliced pork roast in a yummy sauce and a huge bowl of parslied potatoes, cooked Sardegnian style. Next, pears and apples were handed out. Oftentimes in Italian meals, fruit is the final course. But to my surprise, they came out with several different types of “dolci�? or “sweets�? which were different kinds of desserts and cookies, again made Sardegnian style.

The district president, President Sanna, and several other men never sat down. Several of our missionaries joined in and helped quite a bit in serving and cleaning up as well. Their parents would be proud of them.

At the end of our trip, we took five members and investigators with us on the three-hour drive from one end of the island to the other so they wouldn’t have to ride the train that took much longer. As we took the last woman home, she asked us if we would come up and visit for a few minutes as our ship didn’t leave for another three hours or so. Of course, typical of Italians, no sooner did we enter the door to her home, than she was pulling food out of her freezer and refrigerator and creating a three-course meal! But that’s how it usually goes here. They are so loving and giving and generous with all that they have and feel that it is a blessing to be able to share with others.

We have been asked by several people if we were able to watch General Conference. We watched a couple of sessions live and others just a few hours later because of the time difference. We watched in a room at the church in English while the Italians watched it in the chapel in Italian. What a blessing it was to hear all the great talks and messages. My brother, Paul and his wife Mary were visiting for a few days with some of their friends and they were able to see a session with us and then we had a couple who are investigators come with us Sunday night.

As far as our family goes, here’s an update on what’s been going on. Mark just had his first medical school interview at the University of Utah. We’ll hope and pray for good news in April when they notify all the students of their decision. If you know anyone who could put in a good word, well, it couldn’t hurt. He’s dating a sweet, talented, and beautiful girl whose family is taking good care of Mark while we’re gone. Mark will be finished with BYU with a major in chemistry in April.

Kimberly has changed her major to social work. She has already earned her minor in ballroom dance and has done her prerequisites for the dental hygiene program that she hopes to enter someday. In addition to her class load, she teaches two ballroom dance classes and just returned from a 10-day tour through Arizona (where she found herself staying at one of our missionary’s grandparent’s home!). She was given the foxtrot solo this year and will go to China in June. After that, she wants to serve a mission, finish her social work degree, and then go on to dental hygiene school. She’s a great young woman who will end up changing the world in her own big way and we miss being there to assist her in accomplishing all that she has on her plate.

Lisa is enjoying her time here in Italy with us. She helps with the meals for the missionaries, washes piles and piles of dishes, and has gone teaching with the sister missionaries a couple of times. She is the biggest help, however, in helping Scott with his homework! She’s such a smarty and has really helped Scott understand how to improve his writing and other English skills and stays up for hours helping him understand difficult math concepts. She has also been a great help in cooking and caring for Scott, Marianne, and Stephanie while we’re out of town for zone conferences and interviews. When we first visited the children’s school, she told the headmistress that she wanted to be an elementary school teacher, so the headmistress invited her to come in and volunteer in any class she wanted anytime. Lisa now helps at the school Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays, in the early childhood center, kindergarten, and first grade. She gets a lot of questions from other teachers curious about our religion and is doing her own type of missionary work there.

Scott is doing well in school in spite of the difficult and heavy homework load. He has friends at school, but they don’t live close enough to come over and play, so there are fewer distractions from homework. Thinking about it though, he and Stephanie usually come up with something anyway! Those two are quite the pair. They play basketball together and Stephanie’s elated if she can beat him in a game of “horse.�? They play on the computer, watch a DVD, or play with the cat. Scott enjoys the missionaries, says the sacramental prayer in Italian, and loves to get out and do things. Scott plays basketball for fun at school and will soon try out for the school’s basketball team. We’ll keep you posted!

Marianne is adjusting to things a little more each day, although she still prefers to stay home and read. She’s reading the “Twilight�? series for the third time now, so if anyone has a good book to suggest, we’ll go and find it at the few English bookstores around here. I think she uses books, like her mom did at her age, as a bit of an escape from reality. She is doing well in school and wishes her Italian class moved a little faster, so that’s encouraging. She enjoys talking to her friends via email and webcam and loves it when I make American food. She has found out what it feels like to be on the “outside�? of a group of friends, which I’m sure will heighten her awareness of others – something she’s always been sensitive to. We are very proud of her willingness to be here in spite of the challenges she faces as a teenager living in a different country.

Stephanie is a happy girl. She loves being with her family, playing with her cat, and helping in the kitchen. She has a great deal of homework each night, usually not going to bed until 11:00 p.m. or later. Her English homework alone takes two to three hours with several writing assignments each night, but I’m sure it will pay off in making her a great writer someday! She can often be heard humming or whistling church hymns and is now practicing a flute in addition to the piano. She not phased by much and skips happily through life. She has made several friends at school and even decided that if she was to do missionary work with them, that she would have to go to their homes to play so their parents could see that she was a good girl and would hopefully let their daughters come to church with her. (Those of you who know her, know how huge this was for her.)

We are all looking forward to having Mark and Kimberly join us at Christmas – quite possibly the last time we’ll all be together for quite some time.

Well, enough for now. I’ll be posting another entry soon about my adventures at the Questura along with a developing missionary story!