Update & Kimberly's address

We had to say goodbye to a few of our missionaries as they returned home with honor this week. What a great group of missionaries -- we're going to miss them. (The man in the back right is Brother Calabrese who is our Stake Patriarch and right-hand man in the office. He volunteers his time to help with apartments, helps us work through Italian red tape, translates official documents, and so much more.)

I just had to add a couple of pictures from this transfer that require a bit of explanation. The missionaries are very busy, especially when they are getting ready to go home, so they might not have had the time or money for a haircut. (They usually cut each others' hair to save both time and money.)

Such was the case with this wonderful missionary who also served as a branch president in Olbia. He was so busy that we decided he deserved a little trim before meeting his parents at the airport.

These three Italian missionaries also served as branch presidents during their time here. The Elder in the middle is one of President Acerson's assistants and will be with us one more transfer.


The other two have something wonderful to look forward to when they get home: going to the temple in Spain with this sweet family who was in the branch where they each took a turn as their branch president. Just look at these beautiful children! In order to go to the temple, this little family had to take the overnight boat from Sardegna with their two small children, go to their separate embassies to get their visas and other documents in order (because they are from different countries in South America), and finally come to the mission home for their temple recommend interviews. They had not eaten all day so we were able to feed them and take them to the train to catch the boat that night. Such sacrifices. We pray for a temple here in Italy daily.

Here's a picture of our new group of missionaries! The three missionaries from the United States served with Kimberly (now known as Sorella Acerson) in the Missionary Training Center. The other two are Italians, and all of them are great! We're going to love serving with them.

Sorella Acerson's new companion is Sorella Sheffield and she is currently seving in the beautiful city of Como just north of Milan. (President Acerson is jealous as he always wanted to serve there!) Letters and packages can be sent to:

Sorella Acerson
Italy Milan Mission
Via Gramsci, 13/4
20090 Opera (MI),
ITALIA

(The address is also listed at the right under her picture in case you need to find it again quickly and don't want to scroll through the entire blog to find this message again.)

Also, Happy Birthday to Aersta! Thanks for all you do for us and for being such a sweet daughter-in-law.

Scott just returned from Sicily where he played (and won) volleyball, Marianne is diligently studying, and Stephanie and I took one of her new friends and the friend's mother with us as we visited Paestum, a well-preserved Greek city at the southern end of our mission. (We'll share more pictures on Paestum soon.)

President is in Milan for meetings (no, he's not going to see Kimberly while he's there) and we continue to miss all those who aren't with us.

Looking forward to church tomorrow. The talks and lessons are always so powerful and uplifting here. We have great members and they always show us a lot of love. Have a great Sabbath day!

A special day indeed

Thirty-five years ago on this day, my father was in the University of Utah hospital. He was finally "out of the woods" as they say, after having had encephalitis (a virus that causes inflammation of the brain), being in a coma which left him paralyzed and unable to speak, and pneumonia which collapsed one of his lungs. After a few months there, he was moved to the hospital in Moab in a long-term care situation. He was able to communicate only by blinking his eyes as we went through an alphabet chart and wrote down each letter, spelling the things he wanted to say. One day, we noticed one of his fingers was moving. Excited about the possibility of more improvement he was sent back to the University of Utah hospital for physical and speech therapy.

When my father contracted this virus, my mother was expecting, but neither she nor my father knew it at the time. When she realized she was expecting, she tried to hide it from my father so he wouldn't worry about her and the baby. There was already much to worry about. They had six other children back at home, including my sister who was born with cerebral palsy. My older brother was a senior in high school and was left to run the business as best he could. Of course, we had help from many people who took us in and brought us meals when we returned home. My mom and dad had helped many people through the years and now it was their turn to be helped.

Now, back to where I started this story. Thirty-five years ago on this day, it was my father's birthday. Of course he now knew about the baby that was to be born. As he worked hard to improve his speech and physical movement at the U of U hospital, my mother was at home in Moab and decided that she wanted to give him a very special birthday present. She had an appointment with the doctor and he said the baby was ready to come. He gave her a dose of pitocin to start labor, she came home to feed Debbie, and then went to the hospital with her best friend, Sister Raymond, to give birth to her new baby girl.

And that's the story of how my sweet sister, Ellen, came to be born on my father's birthday.

She has been such a blessing to our family. She was born eight years after the next-to-the-last child and brought joy into an otherwise difficult time. She and dad had a special bond. As dad improved, he was able to ride in an electric wheelchair. As a little girl, Ellen would sit on the wooden desk that was strapped onto the wheelchair, we would pull dad's arm around her, and off they would go. When dad needed the radio turned on or a pen or any number of things, she would climb up onto his feet, then pull herself up onto his desk and reach whatever it was he needed. When she got too big for the desk, she rode on the back of the wheelchair. Sometimes, she could understand what he was saying when no one else could.

Life has, indeed, been different for her, but let's face it, she never had to go to work with him and throw rocks out of a new road he was making, drive the loader back and forth across a dam that he was building to compact the dirt, or drive a backhoe down from a mountain work site when she was 12 years old! (Yes, I'm talking about me, but I wouldn't give up those experiences for anything -- they taught me how to work hard, to take pride in a job well done, and that I can, literally, do anything. Those things have come in handy throughout my life. Thanks Dad. You're the best and I love you.)

Even though Ellen was the baby of the family, she also learned to work hard and has a great deal of compassion for others. She has a beautiful family (with a husband and four children), volunteers at school, community, and church events, and is always looking for ways to better herself and make life easier for others. Thanks for all you do, Ellen. We love you.

Also born 14 years ago on this day is our nephew Zackery. He is a great young man and we are very proud of him. Happy Birthday Zackery!

One additional note: Also on this day 185 years ago in 1823, a heavenly messenger named Moroni appeared to a 17-year-old boy named Joseph Smith and told him that God had a work for him to do. That work was to restore the gospel of Jesus Christ as it was when Christ was on the earth. He was told of an ancient record that he would translate that is now known as "The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ." That book tells us of the importance of faith in Jesus Christ, repentance, baptism by immersion for the remission of sins, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end. It tells us of Christ's atonement where He gave His life for each and every person on this earth so that they could overcome physical and spiritual death. It is called the plan of salvation, the plan of redemption, the plan of happiness. It is this plan that reassures me that my father and sister, Debbie, will be made whole after this life. It is the gospel of Jesus Christ. Thanks Dad, for raising me with the knowledge of this gospel and for being a great example of service, strength, and love. Happy Birthday.

Italian Schools

From time to time, I will be writing a Culture Note that helps you understand a little more about the Italian culture.

This past Monday, the Italian schools started. (Our children go to a Catholic, English-speaking, International School which started at the end of July.) The Italians start late in the year, but then don't get out until the middle of June (and some still have exams after that!). I noticed that the school year actually coincides quite nicely with the hot weather at the beaches. In fact, I found it interesting that the weather didn't cool off until this last weekend, just before school started. Coincidence? I don't think so!

Another thing that's interesting about Italian school is that they go six days a week. Yes, that means Saturday as well. The nice thing is that some of the days are shorter so the children go to school until around 1:00 p.m. and then go home for pranzo (a three-hour period for lunch, rest, and family time).

The Saturday night before they return to school, they stay up all night long. (like our New Year's Eve parties). They call this "notte bianca" or white night.

This weekend there seems to be a lot of city celebrations and fireworks have been going off for a while now. Welcome back to school!

Meet Artan and Jonathan

Artan (pronounced Ar-tahn) is from Albania. He was the Albanian and Italian weight-lifting champion at around age 18 but was not able to go to the Olympics at that time because of visa problems. He is now a world-class hair stylist and loves making people feel good about themselves. He had been meeting with the elders and coming to church for several months, but taking things slowly ("piano, piano" is what they say) until his sister died, leaving behind a husband and two young daughters. Artan returned to Albania to assist with the funeral and tried to tell his relatives what the missionaries had been teaching him: that there was life after death and that they would see her again. Because religion was banned in their country for many years, people there don't usually believe in God and, as he put it, his family "thought he was crazy." They said, "No, there is no such thing. It's over. She's gone."

It really made Artan think about the things he had been taught and he realized that he believed they were true. He came back a changed man and told the missionaries that he wanted to learn everything -- and he wanted them to move along more quickly.

A young man named Jonathan was getting baptized within a couple of weeks and one Sunday Artan and I were talking about it as I was preparing Sunday dinner at the mission home. I asked Artan, "So when are you getting baptized Artan?" (knowing that he hadn't decided). He said, "You pick the day, Sister Acerson, and I will get baptized." I was so surprised that I just said, "Oh, no, I shouldn't choose the date! You should talk to the missionaries and set the date with them." He continued to ask me to choose the day and so I suggested he get baptized with Jonathan. It actually worked out better to have it the week after Jonathan's baptism, and so it was. He asked President Acerson to baptize him, but President encouraged him to have one of the missionaries or members do it. When he found out that our son Scott, who holds the office of a Priest, could actually perform a baptism, he asked him to do it.

But first, we had Jonathan's baptism. Jonathan is from the Philippines (and yes, he really is that happy!). His baptism just happened to be scheduled for the night when we had new missionaries come into the mission, so we decided to have them attend a baptism their first night in Rome, Italy!

It was an amazing experience. The spirit was very strong and I remember watching Artan after the baptism as he wiped tears from his eyes and expressed his sadness that this opportunity was something that would be very difficult to bring to his family. He was especially sad because he knew he could be a positive influence on his nieces who lost their mother, but that it would be very difficult to convince the adults in their lives of that fact.

One of the most tender moments on this mission for me personally happened as we sang the closing song, "I Am a Child of God" in Italian. The love that I felt from my Heavenly Father was overpowering as I sang the words that were no longer just unfamiliar words in Italian, but words and phrases whose meaning was crystal clear to me and held such profound meaning. Because of the way the words are translated, they are a little different in Italian:

Guidami, aiutami, cammina insiema a me;
dimmi quel che devo far
per ritornare a Te.

Guide me, help me, walk together with me
Tell me that which I must do
So I can return to You.

What a beautiful song as we sing with the knowledge that we are truly a child of God and can ask Him for guidance and help as we make our way back to Him.

A week later, we returned to the church for Artan's baptism. Elder Johnson (our area president at the time) and his wife were visiting our mission and were able to attend. It was Scott's first baptism and he wanted it to be special for Artan so he memorized and said the baptismal prayer in Italian.



That was in May 2008. I have been anxious to tell you this story ever since. But because of the advantage of time passing, I have new news to tell you. Both Artan and Jonathan have received the Aaronic priesthood, have blessed and passed the sacrament, participated in blessing the sick, and have given talks in church. Jonathan is preparing to go on a mission and Artan continues to try to have a positive influence on his family in Albania and gives countless hours of service to the missionaries and others, mostly by giving them free haircuts! (The picture below is of Artan after he gave two of our sisters "makeovers" the night before they went home!)

When my sister came to Italy, we were not in town to receive her and wouldn't return until the next morning. Knowing that the train station would be a bit scary at midnight, I asked Artan if he could meet her and walk her and her luggage to the mission home and let her in. Artan is always willing to help others in need.

In fact, what finally prompted me to write this story was because I got a call tonight from Artan who was traveling on a train with his mother, his cousin, and the cousin's wife. He has been visiting in Albania for the past few weeks and he decided to bring them to Italy on their way to Greece. They needed a ride from the train station in the morning and a place to stay for a couple of days so of course, I said yes. It will be a great opportunity for us to do something nice for Artan and help his family understand why this gospel is so important to him. Wish me luck as they don't speak English or Italian and I don't speak Albanian. Could someone tell my next-door-neighbor and returned-from-Albania missionary Nelson Radmall that he is desparately needed here?

All our love from Rome.

A New Year

I love it when school starts each fall. It feels more like a "new year" than it does even in January. We're get back on a schedule of sorts (even if that schedule includes late nights filled with homework), the weather cools off so you can feel like getting outside for some exercise, and I get the urge to set goals and try and improve myself. I like that I don't feel the pressure of making (and failing) New Year's resolutions; those set in September seem to last longer for me because I want to do it not because someone said you should do it.

This fall takes on a whole new meaning as well because it marks the second year of our mission. I said something to my mom like, "Well, in two years. . . ." and she said, "You mean one year and ten months!" Wow. I can't even say we have two years left! It's going so very fast.

What have I done? Is it a solid year's worth? Didn't I hope to have more of the language learned by now? Will it take an entire three years to be able to really communicate the words of my heart in Italian -- only to have to go home? Have I shared my feelings enough about the Savior of the world who gave His life so that we might have a second, and a third, and. . . well . . . many chances to turn our life around? Have I shown enough love? Have I done any good? And is this how our missionaries feel? Two years is an awful long time (especially for those parents who are waiting), but the missionaries always say it's too short. I guess I'd better get to work!

In an attempt to do better, I've spent the day reorganizing our website and blog so that I can start communicating better with family and friends. (Thank you, Elder Aycock for giving me the tools.) I'm afraid those family members and friends (you!) have probably given up on me, but I'm really going to try to do better. It's hard because you can always feel guilty about something you're doing or not doing, but this is important and it's just another way that I can share my feelings about why we're here. So I'll try to make it a priority (along with helping the children, cooking for missionaries, and preparing talks). I just have to remember to say "yes" and the Lord will provide a way.

As a bit of a family update, Scott, Marianne, and Stephanie returned mid-August after spending two months in Utah and have been back in school for two weeks. Mark is working at the hospital and waiting for medical school interviews while Aersta is finishing up her last semester at BYU and working at a pre-school. Kimberly is in the Missionary Training Center (MTC) and anxiously waiting to fly to Milan to start the "real" part of her mission next week. Lisa is busy studying at BYU so she can become a teacher and is finally able to room with her very best friend! We miss the older children but feel so blessed to have the younger ones here with us.

President Acerson is traveling a lot so he can train, interview, and love the missionaries and members. We have our three-month conference coming up this week followed by transfers next week where we lose eight wonderful missionaries but welcome five equally wonderful missionaries into our mission. Two of those coming are Italians (yeah!) and three are missionaries who have just spent two months with Kimberly in the MTC! It will be fun to see them (and find out how many "crazy mother stories" Kimberly has shared with them!)

We finally got rain this past weekend. What a relief. It now feels a bit more like fall. From a summer full of hot days to a blessed cool one in less than 12 hours. I can't say it enough: What a relief. Especially for our missionaries!

We had an incredible Sunday School lesson today. Our teacher is one of the best. She talked about the importance of prophets and the importance of listening to the prophet. I'm excited for General Conference in three weeks, when we get to "listen to a prophet's voice." I love that we have someone to look to to give us the loving advice and direction that we would get from our Father in Heaven. I love the gentle and direct reminders to love, forgive, repent, and prepare for the second coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ. I remember hearing from a general authority who came to speak at a stake conference years ago. He said, "In Biblical times, the people stoned the prophets and apostles; today, we just ignore them." Sometimes they tell us things that are hard to hear. Why do you think they crucified Jesus Christ? Whey did they kill the apostles and many others who were sent to warn the people? Because they told them that they needed to change; that the things they were choosing would bring them unhappiness, pain, and spiritual death. It's so amazing to see those who have changed; who have given up things in their life to follow Jesus Christ. It's an incredible transformation and I feel blessed to see the process and the beautiful results with those who join the church here in Italy.

One last thing: This summer my sister, Ellen, and a couple of our friends, Pam and Andre came to visit while the children were in Utah. We had told them that the best time to come would be during interviews because they could travel with us to see the missionaries and would end up seeing a bit more of Italy. We had a wonderful time and it was great to have them. My sister, Ellen, has a blog (also listed as a link at the top of my blog) where she talks about the trip and has posted many beautiful pictures of Italy and some of the missionaries we saw along the way. Please note that she's still in the process of adding more entries, so keep checking back. One of the things she said that's worth noting was that it was so good for her to be able to come and see the missionaries here before she sends her own son out in three to four years. She was so thrilled to see that the missionaries absolutely love their missions. They work hard and are happy and love to serve and share the gospel. She said that because of their example, she won't have any problem sending Andrew out when the time comes. (Yeah, we'll see. :-)

Now, enough of the "update." Next time, I will be sharing some stories from our missionaries and posting some pictures of them so you can see how wonderful they are. They work hard and you parents who may be reading this can be very pleased with their efforts. We appreciate the love and support you give them and us during this time.

All our love,
Sorella Acerson