Sardegna Zone Conference - July

July 5-6, 2013


The Italy Rome Mission is huge.  We have to fly to three of our Zone Conferences because they are held on an island.  Sardegna is one of those zones.

We landed in Sardegna and met another group of wonderful missionaries.  It is such a privilege to be associated with them.  We have some of the brightest and most prepared missionaries serving in our mission.  It makes me felice (happy).

The missionaries look forward to Zone Conference.  They love seeing old companions and renewing friendships.  I wish I could say the only reason they look forward to it is because they want to be taught by the spirit while they are there, but I'm pretty realistic and realize the joy of seeing someone with whom you've shared some pretty spiritual experiences is a powerful emotion.

It's rewarding to see how the missionaries take charge.  Everything is organized and they conduct, prepare the lunch, and some help teach.  This is a great training field for them.  Their testimonies are strong and they have a desire to teach about the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Sometimes I wonder what we did to deserve to be here.  It is a joyful experience.

The missionaries enjoy singing while they are waiting for interviews with Pres. Waddoups.

The Branch President helped with lunch and brought bread with pecorino cheese spread.  Yum!

Rome Zone Conference - July 2013

July 2, 2013

This was our first Zone Conference and we didn't really know what to expect, but when the Lord is guiding the work, everything falls into place.  It went well.  We love meeting the missionaries and are feeling so blessed to be part of this great work.

Miscellaneous Picture

This post is for parents who might be checking in to see if they can see their son or daughter.

Happy Birthday or Buon Compleanno

Hectic Miracle

July 1, 2013

Today was hectic!  Michael had interviews at the mission office.  I stayed at the villa because they were supposed to deliver our belongings that had been shipped six weeks ago.  Michael said he would be back before they came.  The scheduled delivery time was between 10:00 am and noon.  At 9:00 am the doorbell rang.  It wasn't the movers; it was a group of workers who were coming to make some repairs on the villa.  Nobody told me they were coming.  They didn't speak English and I didn't speak Italian.  That was fun.  They needed a key to one of the doors and I didn't have a clue where it would be.  In the middle of all that confusion, the movers showed up at 9:15 am.  Again, they didn't speak English and I didn't speak Italian.  I have a new cell phone, but for some reason it wasn't working and I was unable to call anyone for assistance.  As if in answer to my prayers, Elder and Sister Steurer dropped by the villa.  He speaks fluent Italian and was able to find what the workers needed and gave directions to the movers.  Everything was under control by the time Michael showed up.  I told Elder Steurer he was my miracle for the day!

Now we just have a really big mess at the villa with boxes everywhere.  (At least we have them, and that is another miracle because Italians are notorious for going on strike.  I've heard of former mission presidents who didn't get their shipment until months later.  We are blessed.)

Delayed Success

June 30, 2013

Bp Celestini of the Rome 2nd Ward taught the combined Relief Society/Priesthood lesson.  He started out talking about how Moroni had written to people in the future that he didn't know and never would know, but he felt it important that he record his thoughts and experiences.

He told of a young missionary who never had a baptism and thought he hadn't had a very successful mission.  One day he and his companion were walking through the park and a young boy who was there with his mother, fell and hurt his leg.  The two missionaries hurriedly offered their assistance and helped the little boy and got him back in his carriage.  The mother seemed very grateful and the missionaries gave her a pass along card. 

Twenty two years later, the missionary was sitting in church and heard a man bearing his testimony of how years earlier two Mormon missionaries had helped him after he had hurt his leg in the park.  He never saw the missionaries who helped him again, but that experience had planted a seed in his heart.  He always remembered that act of kindness.  Since that time, he had joined the church.

The original missionary now knew how successful he had been as a young missionary even though it didn't seem like it at the time.