At the end of November, we were given permission by our mission president and Europe area general authority to attend the baptism of our good friend Guilia Fontana in Lugano, Switzerland. We took the subway to the train terminal in Rome and from there took the fast train to Milano, Italy--at maximum speed the train travels nearly 200 kilometers per hour. Once we arrived in Milano, we switched trains and rode a much slower train to Lugano--it stopped at every small town or city along the way. We were meet at the station by Guilia. We walked to their beautiful home overlooking Lake Lugano. My sister, Lisa Bearnson and two of her friends, had flown in from Utah for the baptism. It was a wonderful reunion. We were also meet by another missionary couple whom we had meet at the Missionary Training Center, Elder and Sister Salatino--they are serving in the Milano Italy Mission. The time spent with the Fontana family was magical and spiritual. Guilia's baptism was an experience we will never forget. Her conversion story began several years ago but to see the light in her eyes as she accepted the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the changes Christ's love have brought into her life is truly wonderful. We meet this family when we came to Italy in April 2014 and have kept in touch with them. At that time, Guilia and I had a several hour discussion about religion--she had converted to the Buddhist religion and felt a peace with that. We had a lovely discussion as I found out about her beliefs and she about mine. She felt however, something lacking in her life and as she began her quest to find what that was, she began studying the life of Christ and realized that she needed Him in her life. We are so privileged that she invited us to share this special day with her. We were asked to sing and Vaughn was asked to give a prayer. Thank you Guilia and Pio for the loving arms of fellowship and friendship you have extended to us.
Elder Thacker, Sister Thacker, Guilia Fontana, Sister Salatino, Elder Salatino at Guilia's baptism
We had a lovely Thanksgiving, spent with the 50 young missionaries who serve in the Rome area. The couple missionaries were asked to bring a turkey, dressing, and gravy. The missionaries LOVED having a traditional Thanksgiving meal. Even the Italian missionaries loved it!!!
And then it was December! Saturdays are our P-days (preparation day) so we take advantage of that day and go exploring! The first Saturday of December we went with Elder and Sister Memmott to Tivoli, Italy. AMAZING! The villa (really a castle) was built in the 1500's for a priest who was vying to be the pope (he was never called). He built the villa and the gardens which are absolutely incredible--a definite see for anyone visiting Rome.
We also had a Christmas party that we attended in our Rome 6th Ward--I was asked to bring applesauce which I thought was a strange request. I couldn't find applesauce anywhere at the stores I go to so I went online and found a recipe and made it. I guess it wasn't what the Italians expected applesauce to be because no one ate it but we enjoyed it and the missionaries liked it. Look who showed up at the Christmas Party--Yep--Santa is here also. He's really cute!!!
Hello Santa!
Our Christmas Tree of made of Lights
On Christmas Eve, we went with Elder and Sister Memmott to Caserta, Italy which is 3 hours south of Rome. There we meet the other senior couples serving in the Rome Italy mission and the mission president and his wife for a few days of relaxation and celebration. On Christmas Eve day we went to this castle built in the 1700's for King Ferdinand--AWESOME!! For you Star Wars fans out there, it was the castle which was Princess Amidalla's (sorry on the spelling) was filmed there. We arrived too late to see the gardens which extend for 2 miles but we were amazed by the castle. Why would anyone need 1400+ rooms? There are rooms for the ladies in waiting, guardsmen, butlers, several bedrooms for the king, priest, chapels, nursery rooms, queens rooms, and 4 rooms depicting all of the seasons. Each room has not only paintings on the walls but the ceilings are painted to depict stories of midevil and Renaissance life. Check out Royal Palace in Caserta, Italy for more info on google.
Where Star Wars was filmed
Throne Room
The King's bedroom
Christmas Eve was spent with our wonderful couple missionaries as we depicted the birth of Christ through song and word. As I looked around the room at all 16 of us singing Silent Night, my heart was filled with love and gratitude for each of them--we are all far from our families but we are here in Italy to serve and love the Italian people just as Christ taught us. We are so grateful to be here in Italy. We love those whom we have meet and continue to meet. We truly have a unique opportunity to live everyday life not as a tourist but as Italians and we love it.
The Sisters with their reindeer antlers (standing) Sister Thacker, Sister Sears, Sister Waddoups
(Sitting) Sister Memmott, Sister Bullock, Sister Hansen
The sheep and the angel
Christmas Day spent at the aqueducts which are 12 miles from the castle and provided water for the gardens. What a magnificent structure. We weren't as brave as most of the rest of the group who climbed to the top of the hill--without a path I was afraid I might fall and I hadn't brought my hiking shoes! For more information google Aqueduct of Vanvitelli.
We then went to a restaurant for what we later found out was a traditional Caserta Christmas Dinner. It was served in 5 courses--not quite what we would have at home that's for sure. First course, the antipasto--bacon and ham which has been cured but not cooked, 2nd course--all types of fish from tuna to mussels to shrimp; 3rd course--minestrone soup--not what any of us expected--filled with bones, fat, and skin and sausage--also spinach. We found out it is a traditional soup for Christmas and is piglet soup. None of us ate much of it and I think we may have offended the cook! 4th course--fish--we chose cod but salmon was also on the menu--fish is one of the main dishes for Christmas here and that was obvious by the lines at the fish market near us. 5th course--a small almond biscotti (cookie). It took us over 2 hours to eat all of the courses--we had a grand time and it will certainly go down in the books as one of the most interesting Christmas meals we have ever had!
Fish platter
Minestrone Soup
Saturday morning we left with Elder and Sister Memmott to go to a Roman amphitheater ruin near Naples. Elder Memmott drove to Caserta because we cannot drive our car out of Rome. It is a law that after a certain date you have to have snow tires which makes no sense since their are palm trees all over the place! We are getting a new car in January and the mission office didn't want to put snow tires on our car for only a few weeks so if we travel outside of Rome we have to rely on the other missionaries or borrow some else's car. Back to the amphitheater--it is similar to the Collesium in Rome but on a slightly smaller scale--this held only 60,000 people! The main difference between this one and the one in Rome is that we were able to go underneath where the cages for the animals and the holding places for the slaves were--they are very well preserved. It was an eerie feeling as we walked around down there--it was difficult to imagine the horror that these people must have felt before they were taken to the arena to be killed by the lions. Actually quite humbling. Amphitheater of Capu is what you can google to find out more info.
Our last stop on Saturday was Herculaneum, a city discovered in the 1700's below Mount Vesuvius. It was a coastal town which was destroyed during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. Unlike Pompeii (which we didn't have time to go to but will at another time), this city was covered in the mud and not the ash of the volcano. Many people were fleeing the eruption and ran towards the Mediterranean Sea--they hid in caves near the shoreline and were caught by the mud and a type of tsunami effect from the sea. It is very well preserved--the city was for the Roman elite and many of the ruins have mosaics, statutes, and art work. We found it fascinating and yet a humbling experience.
This past Sunday was spent with Elder Dallin Oaks of the Council of the Twelve. He and his wife are here on vacation. He attended our sacrament meeting. What a spiritual experience to partake of the sacrament of our Lord and Savior with an apostle in attendance. His sermon in sacrament meeting was uplifting as he talked of Savior's atoning sacrifice for each and every one of us. In the afternoon, Elder Oaks spoke at a meeting just for the missionaries. He and his wife shook each of our hands and personally spoke to all of us for a few moments. Vaughn was Elder Oaks son-in-law's missionary companion many years ago so we had a couple of minutes to discuss that with him. Elder Oaks looks a little like my Dad, so I gave his hand an extra squeeze! That evening, he spoke at a meeting for all of the members in Rome and again we were spiritually feed. I had the opportunity to play the violin--a good brother in the church has loaned me a violin for the 2 years I will be here. Playing the violin for Elder Oaks brought me back to the days when I was a student at BYU and he was the president--I played for him several times during those years.
Now for a little bit about the work we are engaged in doing. We have been called to work with the Young Single Adults (called GANS here in Italy). On Monday evenings, we have family home evening--we prepare a spiritual lesson and a physical meal--we also play a game. Wednesday evening we go to an institute class taught by an Italian member of the church--we provide a meal. Thursday evening we attend BYU-Idaho Pathway--it is a program designed for church members around the world to receive their education through online courses and by attending actual classes. Elder and Sister Memmott are the missionaries who coordinate this--they are an awesome couple. Prior to their missionary service, Elder Memmott was the financial advisor for the Utah Legislature and also the financial advisor for the 2000 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake. We do not provide a meal for this evening--we are there to help where we can and sometimes we teach the institute class which is taught in English. On Friday evenings we have another institute class which Vaughn teaches in Italian. We provide a meal for this class. Many of our GANS travel for several hours by bus or the metro to attend classes which is amazing to me. Our days are spent shopping, preparing meals, and preparing lessons for the classes we teach. We also love mingling with the Italian people and going to the various little shops in our neighborhood. We have found the most amazing little pizzeria which we visit at least once a week. It is so popular that we have to take a number to be served and it is a teeny little shop!
In closing this segment of our blog, we would like to tell you about Irbiham one of our GANS. He is from Nigeria and is a refugee. He has been in Italy for several months. He fled his country because of the turmoil which is there now. Prior to coming to Italy, he was studying engineering at the university in Nigeria but because of the unrest, had to quit school. He made his way out of Nigeria and across the Mediterranean on a raft--he is one of the lucky ones who made it. Many who have fled have drowned or starved as they made their way across the Sea. When he arrived in Italy he was assigned Rome (I believe)--he lives in a refugee camp some miles from Rome. He travels 2 hours one way by bus to come to church. He looks right into my eyes and says, "Sister Thacker, I love Jesus Christ and what He has done for me." With tears in his eyes, he testifies of Christ. He speaks English very well, but because he doesn't speak Italian he can't find a job. He and I have a deal--we are both learning Italian and now he won't speak much English to me--He says we must learn together. Keep this young man in your prayers. He cannot return to Nigeria or his family. If he does he will be killed. His smile is contagious and He loves life, He loves the Lord, and he loves the Savior.
Sorry this blog was so long. There was so much I wanted to record and so much more I could have recorded. I promise I will do better in sending the blog out. May the Lord's blessings be with all of you in the coming year. We love you. We are so thankful to our Heavenly Father for the blessings he has given us and for the unique opportunity we have to serve Him whom we love in this beautiful country of Italy.
Thank you for sending beautiful pictures and testimonies. We've been touched by the young man from Nigeria. Love to you both!
ReplyDeleteGary and
Becky