5 June 2016

Today was a televised conference instead of regular church. The meeting was held in two of the three chapels in Milano, with two stakes represented.  We went with the office elders to the Cimiano building, which isn't the building we usually attend.  They drove us to the Rogerado station and we took the metro, having to change trains at Centrale, and then we walked the block to the chapel, getting there about 10 minutes early. We left 90 minutes early to get there on time. The meeting began with a half hour of stake business, a hymn, prayer, sustaining of three new high counselors and other stake business. The stake president of the east stake (we are in the west stake) gave a 20 minute talk and it was excellent. I had never heard him before.  He talked about getting things for "free" which are worth about what you pay, He spoke of being in a business meeting where his associates wanted to change their way of doing business to make more money, except it was dishonest, which he helped them realize and not do. Then the meeting from Salt Lake City began.  Elder Christofferson, an apostle, who came here in March was the presiding authority, along with the presiding bishop and young women president, who all spoke.  They all spoke in English and there was Italian translation, from Salt Lake, so you could barely hear the English. Sister Bonnie Oscarson speaks relatively fast and her female translator had to speak quite fast to keep up with her. Bishop Caussé, who is French, spoke in English and spoke about temples, and how Europe is getting more, including the one in Rome. He did not specifically say when it would be completed (no one is speculating), only that it would be a great blessing to the people here and they should be preparing to use it, including doing family history.  Elder Christofferson spoke last about coming to Europe in March, including his seeing DaVinci's last supper in Milano and his meetings with us (in the same chapel where we went today). Then he transitioned into the atonement and how we need to make it a more significant part of our lives. It was an inspired talk specifically for the saints in Europe, which he obviously understands very well now.  All in all, it was a very inspiring conference, and was very specific to the needs of the saints in Italy, much more so than general conference. The chapel was full, as I suspect the other one was.  It is so inspiring to see Italian families with their little children, the men with white shirts and garments underneath (it was warm today, they didn't turn on the air conditioning, but opened the windows--the chapel is on the second floor--and a pleasant breeze was blowing, so there weren't many coats).  While waiting for the missionaries to finish chatting (for 45 minutes) before we could leave, I watched a young Italian family get ready to walk home.  Their little boy, about 3 or 4 years old, had a scooter he was going to ride home, and his parents helped each other put his helmet on, he was really cute, as well as was his sister, in a stroller. I thought that the Church should have videoed this family, it was so inspiring to see the future of the Church in Italy.

We came home with the elders and had the last of the lasagna I made the other day. Then, I had an appointment to play an organ at 3 pm at an old church, about 9 minutes south of here.  We were there at 3 and the door opened, we were cordially greeted and we climbed up the creaky wooden stairs to the organ, which was behind the high altar.  The organ was from the 1800s, and has not been restored.  It is a little off in some of the less-used stops, but I enjoyed playing it.  Myrna recorded me.


This old organ had something (to the left in the pix) I have not seen many times.  A gauge which shows how many stops are pulled.

The pedal board was short (no heel-toe playing needed) and had fewer notes than modern pedal boards, and only one manual, which can be divided between upper and lower voices. It is very traditional Italian, and I played some Italian organ music I have downloaded, by Frescobaldi and Vivaldi, who both inspired Bach. Their music plays beautifully on this kind of pipe organ.

Anyway, it was an inspiring and fun Sunday. We came back home, read from the scriptures together, and then came back down to the office, where I am typing this.  Myrna is now in with the president and Sister Dibb, and one of the office elders, trying to figure out how to do the baptism reports in a more timely manner, which Myrna is just beginning to be responsible for.  She will have it whipped into shape in no time, I am sure. She is very diligent in her callings and I enjoy working next to her every day.