10 April 2016

On Thursday we drove to Milano for me to present a half hour training to the new missionaries and their trainers on how to use their money, and Myrna did lunch for 24. On Friday we rode the metro (subway) to Milano to the office for foreigners to get our permessi (what Myrna spends her time helping the young missionaries with.)  We had an appointment and were a half hour early, took a number and waited an hour and a half in a large room with at least 100 people and their children, etc., literally from all over the world.  When we finally got up to one of the 18 windows, our fingerprints wouldn't work on their machine so they gave us another number to wait to go in a small office in the back to have them done on a special machine.  We were the only ones in that room with the official, who after looking my name tag, asked me how our church is different from the catholic church, and I was a little hesitant to tell him much, because I didn't want him to cause problems with our permessi (if he was a good catholic offended by our church), but I think he was sincere and interested, so I told him quite a bit as he was taking both of our hands with his gloved hands fingerprinting us. When he asked if we pray to the Madonna, I told him we only pray to God in the name of Jesus, because they are different people. (He responded that makes sense.) This was all in Italian. He said they will call us within 15-20 days to get our permessi, which I hope will be easy.

Yesterday (Saturday) was our P-Day.  We got up and started cleaning the apartment and washed our clothes and car, actually like a mini-van, an Opal Meriva with a diesel engine.  It was very dirty because it rained and then dust got on it.  I drove around looking for a car wash I could see on Google maps, but apparently it has moved, so we washed it in the driveway of the mission office.  Myrna used a rag with some mild dish soap and I squirted with a hose as she washed. Took less than 10 minutes, and was easy enough we'll do it there again. The car washes take tokens and you can't buy just one, must buy about 20 euros worth, at least that is what the office missionaries told me when the asked for 20 euros from petty cash.  We have to pay for our own car washes. I also ironed my 6 white shirts.  Then I came in and was going to make salsa with the cilantro (coriandolo in Italian, which they don't use in Italian cooking) I was finally able to buy from the little fruit and veggie store around the corner,(he had to get it when he went to the big market) but the little food processor in our apartment blew a breaker in the kitchen. I turned on the beaker switches in the hallway, as the electrician informed us the last time it happened (with the microwave), but the power did not come back on.  So I came down to the office, looked up the number of the landlord (who lives in Rome, although his mother used to live in our apartment), and within about 15 minutes the electrician showed up.  He took me to the basement of the building, in which I have never been, and showed me another set of breaker boxes, and which one to throw, and then we had power.

After eating a sandwich (no salsa) we drove down to Pavia, hoping to play an old organ I saw on the country road previously, but there was no one to ask. The paroco (priest in charge) was out in front in the parking area speaking with some people.  He seemed happy to lead me inside, turned on the lights for the organ (from the altar side of the church) and we went up the narrow rickety spiral staircase to the organ loft. The church was beginning to fill with old ladies.  I threw the switch, which was a large one (like a breaker switch) on the wall going up.  The organ bellows made a loud growl as air filled the leather bellows, which could still be pumped by hand.  (Myna stayed in the car.)  The organ is similar to the one from the duomo of Brescia (antique Italian organs are all very much the same) that I play all the time on my computer, but that one has more stops, but has not been tuned for about 40 years and so at least the reed stops are pretty out of tune.  But I had a nice time, although the priest said mass needed to start in a few minutes,  although he didn't seem hurried. He said I could come back and play all I wanted, and to ask for the sacrsitano.  I took a few pix on my cell phone, which I can't get to upload, and I did not take my regular camera.

We then drove down to Pavia, where we went last Saturday, and went to the mall which has a very large supermarket called Carrrefore.  Myrna wanted to buy a barbecue, charcoal and lighter fluid, but I thought we should ask if we can light it on our balcony, although we saw the people below us with one. (We can't light candles in our apartment.)  Myrna had bought 3 geraniìum plants, with red flowers, and we planted them yesterday in the planter boxes of our bedroom balcony, which looks on to the street.  On the way home we stopped at a very large plant nursery, with more and prettier flowers than we have seen in the US, but they aren't cheap, so we didn't buy any, yet.  We went home and I finished cooking some beans (borloti, which cook like pinto) and made burros, and made enchilada sauce with some red chili powder I found at the Carrefore.  It was very red powder, but made the most yellow sauce I have made, and was a little hot, but better than no sauce.  We made 4 extra and took them down to the office elders and the APs.  Myrna also made them some brownies, which she even frosted.  We got to bed at our usual 10 pm, after reading our scriptures together, as we do every evening before we go to bed.  Yesterday we also removed the foot board from our bed and I hope my big toe on my right foot gets better, it was being pushed by the bed because I am longer than the bed.

Today we got up and went to church in Milano.  We couldn't find a place to park so we ended up parking on the sidewalk in front of the church (a member of the bishopric parked just behind us after we did).  Today was fast and testimony meeting, and was very good.  Italians do a good job with their testimonies, no one gives travelogues as they do at home. One of the American sister missionaries bore her testimony (in Italian), and Myrna was able to understand that she was grieving because a friend in the US committed suicide.  She said she has been reading the scriptures and praying and the Lord is blessing her.  This is a hard time to be young, have raging hormones and Satan is working hard on them.  Our lesson in Sunday School was on about the allegory of the olive trees from the Book of Mormon. One of the sisters, who actually lives in Opera, drew a very detailed and fairly large picture of the olive grove, including the master and servants, as described in the scripture.  Italians may not have an upper hand on understanding allegories from the scriptures, but they certainly know their olive trees. I was very impressed, I even took a pix of it with my cell phone.  For high priests, the group leader, who is a high councilor, and who has been the bishop, took me and the other former bishop (all the high priests who were there today) in with the young priests, and gave us an excellent lesson.  I am very impressed with him, he is very distinguished and has snow white hair (also wears baby blue reading glasses), I haven't seen many better in the best of wards in the US. I played the piano for priesthood meeting; they especially like "if you could hie to Kolob", which we sang today.

Tomorrow our auditor, who is from Birmingham, England, comes until Wed, for an audit of the financial records.  We haven't had one for three years; they only have them before the mission president goes home.  I am happy that my excuses will be that I haven't been here very long to have messed up very much, although I have done some dumb things, out of ignorance, although I am learning.  I have no accounting skills, and wished I could use Excel better, it would certainly make my life easier at this time.   Sorry there are no pix this week, and this is more detail than you probably wanted to read.  This has been a good week and next weekend should be interesting. We are going with the senior couples to Venice, and so I probably won't post until later in the week, because we are coming back on Sunday after we go to church here.