Our oldest son, Mark, just graduated from BYU in chemistry and was married this past week to the beautiful Aersta Hellewell (now Acerson). The kids and I were able to go back to Utah for the wedding, but President Acerson stayed with the missionaries here in Italy. It was a beautiful day and we soaked up every minute of it! We loved being with family and friends as we celebrated one of the most special and rewarding days of a parent’s life—seeing a child married in the temple for eternity. Congratulations on your “happily ever after” you two. We’re so happy for you as you start your new family!Once we arrived in Utah, we visited the dentist for a checkup, the bishop for temple recommends, the Mt. Timpanogos Temple with cousins and friends for baptisms, and the mall for pants and shoes. Our oldest daughter, Kimberly had already done the shopping for food storage items that would be taken back to Italy and she and my sisters had new clothes waiting in the closet for me to try on. How thoughtful! In fact, Kimberly, Jennifer, and Ellen had done quite a bit to prepare for our trip home and we very much appreciated it.
The wedding, luncheon, and reception were held the next day with many friends, relatives, and some returned missionaries (Zeller, Hansen, Anderson, and Boynton). A friend and colleague from our WordPerfect days, Joel Shore, even flew in from BOSTON to see us. I was absolutely speechless to think of the effort that he and others made to be there. Thank you to all of you. It was wonderful to see such good friends. My favorite part? Dancing with Mark and having him tell me thank you for all that we had done for him in his life and for helping him get to this point. We love you Mark. Another favorite? Seeing that he and Aersta are absolutely and positively in love and knowing that it will help them get through the many bumps that will be along life’s road.The next day was Mother’s Day and both of our parents were at the house. We had a lot of food (most of it brought by loving neighbors) and a lot of visitors – including returned missionaries (Shallbetter, Corry, and Glenn); neighbors; my tutor, Matt; relatives; and friends. It was good to see all of you!
Early the next morning we were back on a plane—without Lisa. We are still trying to adjust to life without her. It will be hard. She was such a help to all of us and we will have to learn to do homework without her! We also miss her quick wit and sense of adventure. She will be continuing her schooling at BYU this summer as she works toward being an elementary school teacher—something she loved doing here as she volunteered at the kids’ school three days a week.
As for Kimberly, we are anxiously awaiting her mission call! Her application went in last week so it should be back soon. She is attending spring term at BYU, trying to get as many classes in as possible before her ballroom dance tour to China and mission. We’ll let you know when we know!
Scott, Marianne, and Stephanie are trying to catch up in school after missing four days. They are also counting down the days when they will return to Utah for grandparent visits, camp, EFY, youth conference, Lindon Days, etc. They will be there for two months and Pres. Acerson and I plan to visit as many branches as possible in that time.
A fun missionary story: Scott was recently inducted into the National Honor Society. I would never miss such an event, but was already committed to going to Sardegna with President and the rest of the family for interviews and their district conference. We decided to ask the assistants if they would go to support him. The people at the school thought that they were perhaps his big brothers, but the missionaries set them straight. They impressed the school’s administration and teachers so much that the next day, Lisa was asked if she would marry either one of them “because they were such good young men!” She laughed and said no, that she already had a young man who was serving in the Philippines but assured them that all of our missionaries are “good young men” just like them.
I was happy that the people at the school as well as parents of Scott’s friends were able to meet them and find out exactly who missionaries are: outstanding young men and women who work hard, have high morals, and are there by their own choice to bring others to Christ.
Speaking of high morals: we had the sisters from the Rome Zone here today for a special sisters’ luncheon and meeting and were told a story about a 19-year-old young woman who had recently joined the church. She loves the “For the Strength of Youth” booklet that gives standards and guidelines to the youth of the church and said she wished that all the youth in Italy had the booklet. She then turned the tables on the sister missionaries and asked them for a commitment: she asked them to promise to always dress modestly and to keep their bodies pure after their missions.
We continue as a family and as a mission to teach others about the gospel of Jesus Christ. We want people everywhere to know that they are a child of God and that he is anxious to hear from them and willing to bless them.
I was with some of our elders yesterday during preparation day. As we walked through the streets and rode the subway to do some errands, it was heartening to see people who wondered who these fine young men were and would listen to them and ask questions. After feeling the love that these missionaries had for them, several offered to write down their phone number or other contact information so they could find out more.
Several of our friends have the Book of Mormon and are reading it. Some have attended church and/or listened to the General Conference broadcast. Some have chosen to be baptized. What a wonderful experience we are able to participate in!
We love you all and thank you for your prayers and support for us and our missionaries.
