We have been home teaching the Friolo family for about the past six months. Davide is a counselor in the bishopric. They have three children, a daughter, Allison, going on a mission, a 10 year old son, Michael, and an 8 year old, Ashley (she asked me to sing a special number for her recent baptism). Davide is a native Italian, from down south, and she is from Equador. They speak both Spanish and Italian at home. Her parents have been living with them for several years. Davide is an air conditioning technician, who works for the high priest group leader (Giuseppe Angiulli), who used to be the bishop. Davide installed the new air conditioner in our apartment this summer. We go to their apartment, in San Giuliano Milanese, monthly and invited them to our apartment for dinner, having had a great time together. (I have previously written about them and their ambitious plans.) Their plans have been that as soon as their daughter gets her mission call they are moving to Los Angeles, California. They wanted to get the two younger kids in school (a little late now.) The mission call finally came on Thursday, but Allison waited to open the envelope until after the block of church meetings today. The entire ward stayed, actually some young adults from other wards came too.
Allison stood at the pulpit, opened the call and read it out loud for the first time. It was, as you can imagine, an emotional experience, but she wanted to share this with the entire ward. She was called to the France Lyon Mission. She will report to the MTC in Spain, mid January, leaving from LA, (maybe they will change it to the Provo MTC) before going to France.
Everyone congratulated and had their pictures taken with Allison, including us. Anyway, the entire family, including her, are moving to Los Angeles, California, next Monday. There is a ward going-away party for the family on Friday evening. Her mother's parents are moving back to Equador tomorrow (interesting, they are active and endowed) and her father's parents came to church today from Bari, in southern Italy, (they are not members) but will travel with them to the temple in Switzerland, where she will receive her endowment on Thursday. The entire family bore their testimonies in church today. This is a significant time in the life of this faithful Italian pioneer family. I couldn't help but think a little bit about how it may have been in the late 1800s when European pioneers migrated to Zion, saying adeù to the "old country" for ever.
(I am also a little anxious for little Michael, who is so sweet, for a 10 year old boy. They will be attending a Spanish speaking ward in Los Angeles and he will probably be lumped in with the Mexican kids at school. I hope he doesn't get in with bad kids/gangs. I can even hear them teasing him about his Italian name, which sounds like "bean" in Spanish, and his Italian accent, yet fluent Spanish. I just hope he learns English fast and well.)
This week we also celebrated a couple of birthdays for office anziani.
LFor last Sunday (made on Sat.) Myrna made Cafe Riò sweet pork, etc., for Anziano Alexis Barragon, from West Valley (close to Kristin), and on Friday she made it again (at his request) for Anziano Noah Anderson, who is from Washington state. Both turned 20 this week. Above is a pix of Anziano Anderson (right) with the cake Myrna made, with his comp. Anziano Scoggin (left). One of our previous office missionaries, now a zone leader in Como, along with a missionary in his zone, apparently ate poorly cooked chicken and got a good case of nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Myrna has been nursing them, over the phone, for the past few days, including, as I type this. Myrna just said "bananas are a good choice..."
Yes, they are. Have a banana!
Ciao for now
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