I finally feel a bit settled here after our first month.
I am not only driving, but know for the most part where I’m going and how to get there. And, if I don’t, we have a GPS in the car with us to help. However, at times she doesn’t make the best decisions for us, so we turn her off occasionally. The Rhein’s had a name for her that we couldn’t remember, but did remember that it started with “P,” so we decided to call her “Pandora.” I know where four good grocery stores are and am familiar with the most friendly people at the market where they sell the fresh produce. I even found a kind woman at a “tavola caldo” or “hot table” which is kind of like a small cafe where you can get pizza and pasta, who offered to take me to a kind of Costco for restaurants and organizations to buy in bulk. I now have 25 kg (a little more than 50 lbs.) of flour and sugar!! So now I can bake lots of rolls, cinnamon rolls, and pancakes for these missionaries and I found out how to get a membership of our own because the church is an organization here.
It’s unbelievable to me that this is truly the first time I have had to give an update of what’s been happening. It is so very busy and just as you’re finishing with one thing, the next one is looming around the corner and you have to prepare a lesson or dinners, and wash a lot of laundry! One missionary asked me if we keep the missionary hours (up at 6:30 a.m. and to bed by 10:30 p.m.). I said with a smile, “I wish!” Many times we have had four or five hour night’s sleep as we travel around for zone conferences and interviews.
So we had our first transfers! I knew from our friends who were serving a mission that this was a very busy time, but I had no idea what a tender and emotional time it would be. The departing mssionaries come in on a Tues. and have their departing interview with Pres. Acerson. They then have a final testimony meeting together in our home. What strong testimonies and tender feelings are shared. All those mixed feelings of relief at having faithfully done what they were asked to do, wanting to remain and continue to work, and yet wanting to return to their families! What amazed me the most was how much love we felt toward these missionaries that we had known such a short time — I really didn’t want to see them go! You look at these strong and experienced missionaries and wonder how the mission will survive without them!
If they have family coming to pick them up, they come right after the testimony meeting. It was so sweet to see family members be reunited with their missionaries. They are so proud of them and their service and are so very excited to see them again! After visiting a bit, we have a big traditional dinner of salad, lasagna, green beans, crusty Italian bread, and tiramisu (made with chocolate milk instead of coffee). We are joined at that dinner by the Helquists, the assistants, and Brother and Sister Calabrese. She is a beautiful and sweet woman who has raised some remarkable and talented children and is becoming a dear friend.
Some of the missionaries then stay the night and fly out early the next morning while those with family leave after dinner. We took lots of pictures and said our good-byes with promises to see each other at a future missionary reunion before taking them to the airport. We then took another trip at about noon to pick up the new missionaries. How exciting! Unfortunately, things did not go as planned and all their luggage was lost. They stood in a 3+ hour line to fill out forms, cancelling our plans for a quick tour around Rome. After we got them home, we fed them the same dinner as the night before (again, tradition) and were going to let them go to bed, but some had renewed energy and went to visit the Trevi Fountain and get their first gelato (ice cream). After a good night’s sleep and a hearty breakfast, they had an interview with Pres. Acerson, got their pictures taken, and had a couple of hours of orientation. They were then able to visit the property owned by the church where the hope is to one day build a temple of the Lord and then dedicate themselves to the missionary effort here in Italy.
When they got back, their trainers started arriving. We had lunch, the trainers received some training, and then we all met together for their “Golden Transfer” where they were matched up with their trainers and found out where they will be serving! It was a lot of fun as each set of missionaries hugged and cheered and found their new home on the map. We then sent them off with a prayer–but no luggage.
Fortunately the next week was filled with zone conferences and we were able to deliver all the luggage with the exception of one that remains lost to this day.
Now imagine this: You have just sent the missionaries off and have about 15 sets of bedding and 15 towels and many dishes to clean and put away and the assistants have you sit down with them to plan the zone conferences for a couple of days later! So you take a deep breath, start cleaning (thank goodness for all these wonderfuly children we have here — they have been a huge help!) and plan your talk/training while doing your house work. We’re loving it though. You realize just how much you have to rely on the Lord to help you and give you those moments of inspiration that will help you as you help Him.
We have seen two baptisms! The first in Rome and the other just a few days ago in Napoli. Both were very sweet. The one in Rome happened two Sundays ago. A good and humble man was taught by one of the missionaries who had just left at transfers. He decided to be baptized after the Elder left to do some traveling around Italy with his father, but wanted the missionary to come back to perform the baptism. The other Elders found him and he was there dressed in white ready to perform the baptism just a day before leaving Italy. It was so wonderful to have this Elder be able to come back and share in his joy and also to have his father be there to see some of the fruits of his son’s mission.
We were told about the other baptism at the Napoli zone conference. It was to take place that night in another chapel in Napoli. We took the assistants and a couple of the missionaries with us and found the church. She was a beautiful woman from Peru who had had some contact with the church when she was 15 and had met the missionaries now years later in Italy. Just before she was baptized, she could hardly contain her excitement and as she came up out of the water, she had such relief and joy on her face and just started crying. She hugged the branch president who had just baptized her and sobbed. There was not a dry eye in the place then or later as she bore her testimony. I wish you could have all been there to see it. It was wonderful.
I am so impressed with these missionaries and their hard work and dedication. An example: just as we had found the church, I realized that we had about an hour before the baptism and worried about getting the Elders (and us!) fed before the baptism because I knew that we would not be getting home until about midnight. As I asked them about a place to eat, they kindly and patiently looked at me and basically said, “You’re on your own because we are going to take these copies of the Book of Mormon and go out and find people to bring to the baptism.” Other missionaries said they were going to prepare a lesson about Joseph Smith and the First Vision that would be taught while the sister being baptized was getting dressed. Needless to say, I have a lot to learn from these missionaries. They work hard and don’t think about eating until they get home about 9:00 or so. They talk about the work and not about home. We know them as missionaries and yet during zone leaders conference (yesterday and this morning), I learned that they are accomplished pianists, star athletes, and extremely smart students, many with scholarships waiting for them when they get home. But we learned this from other missionaries. They don’t want to be that person right now. They have set that aside for now and want to be missionaries. They are great and we feel blessed and honored to be serving with them.
Other news of interest: Mark and Scott got to be in a parade in Pistoia! The branch pres. wife got them costumes and when we got there asked if they could join their daughters in the parade. It was Mark’s 23rd birthday that day and one that he will never forget: dressed as a prince and escorting a beautiful girl in two separate parades and was part of the “pre-show” that evening before some fun jousting games by knights on horses! Scott was a flag bearer and led the parades!
Kimberly, on the other hand, turned 21 the next week and spent it as a scullery maid mostly serving food and doing dishes during transfers. I asked her if we could make it up to her and go shopping the next day, and she said, “Mom, I’m in Italy — on my birthday! What more could I want?” What a great girl. Mark and Kimberly have returned to Utah in time to get things settled for school. Mark is completing secondary applications to medical schools (keep you fingers crossed) and Kimberly is designing a dress and learning the choreography for her solo number with the BYU Ballroom Dance team this year!
Scott and Marianne just returned from a week-long trip to the Switzerland Temple with the youth and other adults from the Rome Stake. They made some new friends, learned a little Italian, did baptisms on four different occasions, and, as Marianne put it, “Had a great spiritual experience!”
Lisa and Stephanie remained here with us and helped us clean, went to the Firenze zone conference with us, and played with the cat. (Did we mention? Callie is our new calico cat that the assistants found in the park. While tracting, they found a young boy and grandfather who were trying to give the cat away and they knew Stephanie needed a pet, so now we have an energetic 2+ month old kitten who is a lot of fun.) They have both been a great deal of help to us and Lisa is cooking some of the meals as well!
Our friends, the Magelby’s came to visit and we had a nice dinner with them the night before transfers. We really loved seeing them and having a rest after cooking all day for transfers! It was fun to have a little piece of home brought right here to Rome and we loved every second of it. I’m sure they were glad when the evening was over because I know I talked their ear off!
Coming up soon: Pres. Acerson and I will attend a Mission Pres. Seminar later this week and then I will be bringing Scott, Marianne, and Stephanie home for a couple of weeks or so to get their visas finalized. We look forward to seeing friends, relatives, helping with the storytellling festival, and shopping for hard-to-get items to bring back in our large, empty suitcases! I hope we will see many of you while we’re there.
Much love and hugs to you all!
Sorella Acerson
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Friday, July 20, 2007
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!
——————————————————————-
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!
Saturday, June 2, 2007
Leaving for Rome soon!
We are so excited to be going to Roma, Italia for three years to serve a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
For those of you have asked, Jeff and I will be entering the MTC on June 23rd. Our family will then fly out on the 28th of June and will go to England for a couple of days of meetings. We expect to be in Roma on July 1st and meet up with Kimberly who has been in Europe as part of the BYU Ballroom Dance Team Tour.
Our family will be speaking in church on June 17th, Father’s Day at 1:00 p.m. If you would like to come, the approximate address of the church is 1000 E. 100 N.
For those of you have asked, Jeff and I will be entering the MTC on June 23rd. Our family will then fly out on the 28th of June and will go to England for a couple of days of meetings. We expect to be in Roma on July 1st and meet up with Kimberly who has been in Europe as part of the BYU Ballroom Dance Team Tour.
Our family will be speaking in church on June 17th, Father’s Day at 1:00 p.m. If you would like to come, the approximate address of the church is 1000 E. 100 N.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
