well... one day we were strugging to sleep while enduring the oppressive heat, and the next... we are enjoying the cool breezes that seem to find ther way through every open door and window.
Monday is the day we enjoy lunch and district Meting with the elders and sisters. I was out earlier that morning to gather food for the traditional weekly meal and chose to stop at our favorite fruttivendolo. It's been fun to watch their offerings gradually change as different things come into season. We have tried many new things... some only once... others of which we don't know how we will live without. Monday I was after fixings for a salad, along with the usual bag of peaches. The day was warm but pleasant... almost cool. Strangely, the cooler weather brought out some of the smells of Italy that I had not experienced in thirty years. Have you ever had a smell play that sweet trick on your mind? As I reached out for a handful of miniature tomatoes, a slight breeze delivered a nostalgic perfume. Suddenly I was transported back to Palermo as a junior companion, shopping for our noon meal. I just stood there for a minute, enjoying the journey.
And in fact, we did travel to Palermo last week. It was fun to visit familiar streets. We found a family we baptized thirty years ago. They were as warm as ever and invited us back for dinner the next time we are in town. Slowly, as the friendship rebuilds, we will invite them back to Church.
We also spent a wonderful pranzo with the other senier couple - the Norths. It was good to exchange ideas and experiences about the same work we are doing on opposite sides of the island of Sicily.
As we left their house, I heard the electronic navigator announce that we were turning on to Via Serra di Falco. Suddenly I knew exactly where we were. I looked up to find us directly in front of 156, the Abbate family's home. They were baptized, I believe, June 8, 1980. At the time they were a family of four, but have since grown to six. They now live in Verona, but we have maintained contact... a friendship that most assuredly existed before any of us came to earth. Michael stopped the car and I leaped out to take a picture of this special house, the place where I, as a missionary, learned much more about conversion than I shared. I love them dearly.
Tomorrow Junae starts Italian public school. Today we enjoyed clothes shopping together. Her backpack is loaded and she has written a list of Italian questions she can ask in case the Italian she has already learned isn't enough. I am so proud of her! This grand adventure surely would have been too large for me to attempt at her age.
You will do great, Junae... and when your children ask you about fifth grade, will you have a story to tell!
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Changing Season
From Michael...
My appreciation and love for you and you support grows every day. I hope
you are all well and happy.
The summer months are winding down and the evidence is everywhere: more cars on the road as people return to their jobs, more businesses open, slightly
cooler temperatures, very tanned people everywhere, fewer loud parties
running into the morning hours in the neighborhood, tomatoes on sale, and
more.
The work here is ever present and ever pleasant. Always someone to talk to
and somewhere to go, and something to do. We have so many roles to fill, I
often worry about doing any of them well.
The sister missionaries referred the elders to an apartment of male refugees
from Nigeria. Stanley and Emanuele showed interest from the first day, and
we left a Book of Mormon. Their mother tongue is still a mystery to me,
English is second and Italian is third; since our elders are from Peru and
speak perfect Spanish and near perfect Italian, I teach. Any refugee will
have a tough time getting a job here, and they are no exception. Stanley
was an electrician back home, but the vocational training to qualify here
would begin clear back to a middle school diploma. Because of this, he and
his friends take on menial labor jobs with long hours and low pay. Even if
he were certified, the competition for the few skill jobs available would be
daunting- not much different than any other country. The fallout of this is
fewer opportunities to teach them. We'll see how it goes. Others contacts
come and go as our lives intertwine and the butterfly effect reaches around
the world.
GA application accepted! We got an email two days ago indicating our
application process for a Young Single Adult center was approved and we are
full steam ahead. The first center on the east side of Sicily will be in
the biggest city here, Catania. This means a greater focus on the program
and some extra funding from the area center in Frankfort. We are hopeful
that we can progress one or more of our other five cities (Siracusa, Ragusa,
Gela, Messina) to the point of lift-off in the next year.
Junae begins school Wednesday. All our practice, encouragement, exposure
and hopes for her culminate here. She will do fine; it is nearly a force of
nature as she cannot go too long without talking to SOMEONE! She really is
understanding nearly everything, which means our secrets now actually have
to be whispered.
Institute begins the first week of October. Old Testament lesson plans are
developing. I am excited for my learning curve and know all involved will
benefit. Well, I will anyway.
Patti begins seminary Thursday. White knuckles time for both of us as the
year really begins in earnest and our schedules lock into a fairly constant
routine.
First day of school in this zone. The walls of buildings echo even small
sounds here as in other parts of the city, and here in this city as in other
cities. There may be a Cosa Nostra secret combination in Italy, but in
familial matters there are no secrets. Right now I am listening, against my
will, to a hot and lively conversation between a teen age daughter and her
mother about what will be worn today. A pan is dropped, a door slams, then
quiet. Something was resolved, and peace returns. Somewhere down the
street a worker begins his labors tapping on something in an even rhythm
interrupted every so often by a rest and comment to a coworker. We love
Italians and Italy! And we love this work.
My appreciation and love for you and you support grows every day. I hope
you are all well and happy.
The summer months are winding down and the evidence is everywhere: more cars on the road as people return to their jobs, more businesses open, slightly
cooler temperatures, very tanned people everywhere, fewer loud parties
running into the morning hours in the neighborhood, tomatoes on sale, and
more.
The work here is ever present and ever pleasant. Always someone to talk to
and somewhere to go, and something to do. We have so many roles to fill, I
often worry about doing any of them well.
The sister missionaries referred the elders to an apartment of male refugees
from Nigeria. Stanley and Emanuele showed interest from the first day, and
we left a Book of Mormon. Their mother tongue is still a mystery to me,
English is second and Italian is third; since our elders are from Peru and
speak perfect Spanish and near perfect Italian, I teach. Any refugee will
have a tough time getting a job here, and they are no exception. Stanley
was an electrician back home, but the vocational training to qualify here
would begin clear back to a middle school diploma. Because of this, he and
his friends take on menial labor jobs with long hours and low pay. Even if
he were certified, the competition for the few skill jobs available would be
daunting- not much different than any other country. The fallout of this is
fewer opportunities to teach them. We'll see how it goes. Others contacts
come and go as our lives intertwine and the butterfly effect reaches around
the world.
GA application accepted! We got an email two days ago indicating our
application process for a Young Single Adult center was approved and we are
full steam ahead. The first center on the east side of Sicily will be in
the biggest city here, Catania. This means a greater focus on the program
and some extra funding from the area center in Frankfort. We are hopeful
that we can progress one or more of our other five cities (Siracusa, Ragusa,
Gela, Messina) to the point of lift-off in the next year.
Junae begins school Wednesday. All our practice, encouragement, exposure
and hopes for her culminate here. She will do fine; it is nearly a force of
nature as she cannot go too long without talking to SOMEONE! She really is
understanding nearly everything, which means our secrets now actually have
to be whispered.
Institute begins the first week of October. Old Testament lesson plans are
developing. I am excited for my learning curve and know all involved will
benefit. Well, I will anyway.
Patti begins seminary Thursday. White knuckles time for both of us as the
year really begins in earnest and our schedules lock into a fairly constant
routine.
First day of school in this zone. The walls of buildings echo even small
sounds here as in other parts of the city, and here in this city as in other
cities. There may be a Cosa Nostra secret combination in Italy, but in
familial matters there are no secrets. Right now I am listening, against my
will, to a hot and lively conversation between a teen age daughter and her
mother about what will be worn today. A pan is dropped, a door slams, then
quiet. Something was resolved, and peace returns. Somewhere down the
street a worker begins his labors tapping on something in an even rhythm
interrupted every so often by a rest and comment to a coworker. We love
Italians and Italy! And we love this work.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)