This was a very busy week in the mission. President Allen's 64th birthday was Thursday and Sisters Allen and Hoopes decided that an appropriate birthday gift for him would be that every missionary spends at least 4 hours thoroughly cleaning their apartment. So emails were sent out, with checklists and reminders, and we assume that most missionaries were obedient. We also knew, but not for very long, that Elder Jeffrey R. Holland and Sister Holland would be in Italy this weekend and they would speak at a special combined stake (both of them, Milano East and West) conference, a single adult fireside, held in Como, and a special conference for our just our missionaries. Over the past year both Elders Christofferson and Bednar have been here, but not all of the missionaries were able to attend, including one of the assistants to the president, Anziano Santoro, who has been very vocal about it. So President Allen decided to invite every missionary to a two hour conference on Sunday afternoon in Milano. Of course, everyone was ecstatic. Also, twice a year, before each general conference, all missionary apartments are to be inspected by their respective senior couples for cleanliness, so this week was a good time for Myrna and I to do that, with general conference coming up, and thorough cleaning just done.
On Monday, Myrna and I went to the endodontist in Milano, where he spent two hours doing root canals on three roots of one of Myrna's molars. I have pix, but promised Myrna I would not post any. She has to go back on Sept. 30th for more work, and a porcelain crown. It has not been too painful for her and we feel it has been a tender mercy.
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When Elder Christofferson came a few months ago, President Dibb made a big deal about getting our apostolic haircuts, which the young elders needed, so early this week Myrna and I went in for ours (we also had one when Elder Christofferson came). The lady who has been doing Myrna's was not there, so the owner of the shop, who probably only knows one woman's style, did Myrna's. (I didn't promise not to post this pix.) Their "wash boy" cut mine, and did a fine job.
Then, at 7:0 am on his birthday, we all went over to the Mission home and had a surprise breakfast that Myrna put together for those of us who work in the office. (The bowl in the foreground came from the ceramics factory we visited last week.) The Anziani were in their work clothes, for apartment cleaning day.
Everyone seemed delighted, even if not fully awake, with Myrna's breakfast casserole, one with and one without bacon (we have a vegetarian amongst us). She also made mini muffins, zucchini and banana, which were delicious.
On Friday evening we went to Piacenza to check out two missionary apartments. They were all basically fine, because they had just been cleaned, more than usual. We also made countless trips to grocery stores this week to buy all the things to feed all 200 of our missionaries after Sunday afternoon's special conference with Elder Holland, for which they all came fasting.
Of course, I never pass by an opportunity to check out a pipe organ at a nearby church which we pass by all the time on our trips around to check apartments, etc. Myrna usually waits, patiently, sometimes outside.
Walking with a couple of sister missionaries to their apartment building, in a nice part of Modena (think basalmic vinegar). The elder's there is also nice, but in a not so nice part of town.
This sister's apartment was immaculate, as are most sisters' (One missionary said he has never cleaned a toilet in his life, asking Myrna how.) This is the sister's study area. They have three bedrooms and two bathrooms, and is bigger than our apartment.
In Emilia Romana the sisters live on this street, called Don Zeferino Jodi,
They are three short blocks from the duomo of that city of about 150,000, Emilia Romana, where they were having an open market on Saturday morning. Note the sign saying they sell vestiti per cani, or clothes for dogs. Italians love their dogs. Jan will fit in really well here.
I also saw the antique organ in the duomo, at the end of the piazza, which was impressive, and must have worked, because I did not see an electronic counterfeit.
One thing I noticed in this old church is that the large candles along the sides of the church had not been replaced with electric candles, as so many have been.
These old candles had been recently used to light the entire church, as can be seen from the wax dripping from the listing candle, hard to take a clear pix of because of the dim lighting. It would be cool to attend a service illuminated by candles, as they all were centuries ago.
And right next door to the last church, was another, with another antique pipe organ.
In the crypt, below the main altar, they were getting ready for a Saturday noon mass, and may be using this old pump organ. Again, this is below ground, but people were gathering, and we did not stick around, having an appointment for an apartment inspection.
While I was in the church, Myrna was checking out things in the open market, worrying about fixing sack lunches for Sunday afternoon for 200 fasting missionaries.
We came home and went to our nearby COOP grocery store, where we had pre-ordered 200 rolls. They had to bake them on Saturday afternoon specially for us, so they would be relatively fresh for Sunday afternoon. We took them home, sliced them (rolls in Italy, including hamburger buns, never come sliced) and individually wrapped them. On top are a few slices of gluten free bread for our missionaries who can't eat gluten. (We seem to have a lot with dietary restrictions, which we must take into account when making these mills.)
And then put together 200 packets of sliced cooked ham and cheese (Gouda and Emental), and got them refrigerated quickly. We borrowed coolers from a guy in our ward to who caters, to transport the perishables to the stake center. The sack lunch menu included a panino (Italian sandwich with ham and cheese), an apple, bag of potato chips, and a 1/2 liter of water, (We actually bought Oreo cookies, but forgot to take them.)
On the way to the stake center this morning, we saw a beautiful rainbow, which I was able to snap a pix of while driving. Not much traffic on a Sunday morning, while Italians are generally still in bed.
The stake center parking lot was fairly empty, we got there 90 minutes early, just to be sure.
And so were able to watch Elder Holland help his wife out of President Allen's van.
Also to the delight of missionaries, who were beginning to arrive.
While we were waiting, one of the sister missionaries showed me a picture she had drawn, with colored pencils, of the apostle Peter.
After the afternoon meeting, which was just for missionaries, Myrna and I put out the lunches and the other senior couples assisted us help the 200 missionaries fill their sack lunch bags as they left to meet their trains to get back to their respective cities, some having to travel up to 5 hours.
I will also post a few paragraphs of some of what Elder Holland said to us. He also gave a beautiful apostolic blessing at the end of this talk in the morning session, which at least 800 members attended. Missionaries were asked to sit in the overflow rooms, to allow members and sit in the chapel. Of course, we all fit really well in the chapel for the session just for missionaries. A picture was taken afterward of the entire mission, but Myrna and I snuck out to get the lunches ready, so we won't be in any of them this time--we were last time.
These are some of my notes from today:
In the morning session, Elder Holland and Sister Holland told of her diagnosis 18 months ago of a disease, which they said the LDS doctors, with tears in their eyes, said they could do nothing about, and suggested they get the family together one last time. However, after priesthood blessings, she lived, which was a miracle, and also because it was not her time to go. Elder Holland promised her she could go anywhere in the world, and she said she would like to take a vacation to Italy. So after attending a world conference in London, where they stayed in Windsor Castle, they came to the Como are of Italy, where their granddaughter served as a full-time missionary. (The story he old in conference about a missionary being spat upon by a man in a park, happened there, to his granddaughter.) They had a couple of private (along with a body guard) days at a nice hotel on the lake.
Elder Holland then told a story about a young man from Idaho, raised in the Church by good parents. He became disillusioned and left on his motorcycle to live in New York, where he got tattoos, took drugs and led a wicked life. After many years, he became more depressed and moved to California, living with other bikers. One of whom had two large, vicious rottweiler dogs, who were kept on chains just long enough to keep them from going out the gate. One day, the man, who had been gone from home 20 years and whose parents probably thought was dead, was sitting on the porch, when two missionaries came to the gate. The dogs snarled and jumped at them, scaring them, and the missionaries ran away, but the man could see they were talking with each other down the street. Then the missionaries came back, and the dogs lunged at them again, but they talked softly to the dogs, who turned around and went back and laid down. The man was so impressed he let the missionaries in and talked with them, knowing full-well who they were and why they were there. He began with “small talk,” asking where they were from. One was from the east coast and the other from Idaho. He asked where, and when the missionary told him, he asked about a man, asking the missionary if he knew that man. The missionary said he did, it was his father. The tattooed man said he was also this man’s son. This missionary was born about the time the man left home, and had no idea the missionary was his little brother. Elder Holland said this story has a happy ending, as all will, eventually, because the tattooed man was recently sealed in the Idaho Falls temple.
Elder Holland said Heavenly Father knows all of his children and keeps close watch over us, although all of our problems are not resolved immediately, nor in the way we think they could or should be, at least at first. Faith is the first principle of the Gospel. He said the dumbest, most stupid, thing we can do is to “jump ship,” especially when there is a storm.
At the beginning of our missionary meeting, President Kent Allen began with a short talk about when he was around 14, he attended a fathers and son’s outing with his father, near Salmon, Idaho. He and other boys were exploring a cave, when the men in camp were talking amongst themselves. They wanted the boys to come down for dinner. Kent’s father said he would just call to his son, and he would come, and the other men bet that he wouldn’t. When Kent herd his father, he told the other boys they should go, but they tried to convince him they were having too much fun and he could pretend he didn’t hear his father, but he went anyway. Kent’s father won the bet. He then reinforced the law of obedience, which Elder Holland then capitalized on.
Elder Holland said his mission to England was the most significant thing that has defined his life, forever, remarking that he had no family history of missionary service. He said that from a doctrinal standpoint, there isn’t anything more important than going on a mission, being obedient, and then marrying and raising a righteous family, which is just a continuation of obedience. Then the blessings will come. Having the Spirit is in direct proportion to obedience, and every good thing depends on that.
He said that being a full time missionary for two years, or 18 months for young women, is the only time in your life that you get to be apostolic, as a full-time calling, because a missionary is a special witness for Christ, which is what an Apostle is.
Elder Holland talked about missionaries who go home and leave the Church, saying that is the dumbest, most stupid thing, anyone could ever do (he seems to like these two words and uses them very forcefully). He said he has interviewed many who have left the Church, and he knows of none who have continued to be obedient, who have been reading the Book of Mormon, paying tithing, going to the temple, etc.
He then told the missionaries that they need to help everyone they meet have a spiritual experience, and gave them examples of how to do it. He said that 40% of people who join the Church say they knew the Church was true when they first saw the missionaries. He used John 3, 4, 5 & 6, as examples of Jesus’ teachings, to everyone from Nicodemus (Jewish equivalent of an apostle to a common prostitute) telling the missionaries not to be judgmental. He also talked about how hard missionary work is, saying salvation is not a cheap experience, it was brought about by a broken heart.
Perhaps Myrna will also write up her notes. I am sure they will be better and more complete than mine.
Ciao for now.
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