Hi family, I love you all. Congrats to Abby and Ukiah, the thai food looked REAL good...and so did you ;) and good luck with finals to Zoe. Are finals soon? Did I already wish you good luck on them? Cant remember.
Well, the cammineto we planned was a big success...In a very humbling way. After spending hours on the slideshow we pulled it up on Giuseppes computer and the file type wouldnt read. Well, luckily I had saved all the pictures so then I threw them in Windows Movie Maker with the song and got it all exported just in time. When we watched it it almost made me cry even...I have it saved on my iPod so Ill have to take it public when I get back. Then everytime I pulled up a picture or a video it wouldnt go full screen (because I got put in charge of the technical directing) and Giuseppe would be in the background waving his hands trying to show me what I needed to do. Mamma mia, his computer did not run like the ones I am used to, I feel like I am going to have to relearn everything when I come back. And then, I had the Restoration movie queued up where it needed to be, but when I opened the other videos they replaced it. So I had to hurry and open it and find the right place and then...it was in English.
So Anz. Reyes begins translating. And I didnt know whether I wanted to die or just bust up laughing. And then we had a clip of Pres Monson and I paused it at the end, so that his picture would still be up there, but he had his mouth open kind of awkwardly and it was just a series of misfortune.
But at the end we got a few really sincere comments from people who really felt the spirit of the message. And that, is why we need the spirit when we are doing the Lords work, because we cannot trust in the arm of flesh...or technology to help us out.
And I sort of saw it coming, because I have yet to have a successful audiovisual production at any point in my life.
Sunday we had lunch with the bishops family. He is soooo hilarious. Theyre nephew Christian just left on a mission for Washington so they were asking us all about the MTC and McDonalds and making fun of him in an American accent. Saying, "Sono Anziano Mongelli, andiamo a McDonalds." and they are like, at least he knows the word for McDonalds. Bruttle, but funny for us. Also, Vescovo got a kick out of talking about Pres. Monsons last address where he said, "every temple performs the same functions, but the Rome temple..."
Also on Sunday Slla Spagnoletti started singing when she saw us, "Piccole! Piccole!" (essentially, "little ones!") She is the best.
Yesterday in English course we listened to the song There Can Be Miracles and talked about miracles and at first everyone was like, "it has to be surprising, supernatural, unexplainable" and then Frank goes, "it has to be something from God." and LinoPino (not his name really) said, I was reading in the Gospel and the part where Christ heals someone and forgives his sin, but the real miracle was that he healed the sins. It really hit me. And we had a really neat discussion about what a miracle really is.
Then this guy comes up to me after class and says, "Congratulations, really. This was my first time and there will be others because I enjoyed it." And this other guy who has an accent that can only be described as a British Valley Girl was new two. We keep getting new people and it is exciting.
Before that we had a hilarious corralation meeting where Fllo Curci said, "some members talk a lot, I cant think of any right now, but..." and we all stared at him.
Antonias baptisimal interview will be this weekend unless she goes out of town for Pasqua. We were going through the questions with her and she was like, "how about you just write down the answers for me" haha! We told her we cant write down the answers because they are all about how she feels and her testimony. She makes us laugh so much and always comes to church looking so sharp. All the members are in love with her and so are we. Her family doesnt support her all the much and thinks shes crazy but she is strong because she knows its true.
So tomorrow is Sacred Thursday and in these parts Easter is actually a week long, which is pretty exciting, apparently there are some crazy processions around here, but not so much in Bari itself. Friday we are having a display of Giuseppe (Sorella Jenkins Giuseppe) art he has done of Christ life and his final week. It should be really good. We hope people come. Pubblicita is not our wards strong spot.
HE Lives!! Christ is Risen and guides us today just like has in past days. He loves us.
I LOVE YOU ALL
BUONA PASQUA,
Sorella Laws
p.s.
for those of you who missed it...
Every temple is a house of God, filling the same functions and with identical blessings and ordinances. The Rome Italy Temple, uniquely, is being built in one of the most historic locations in the world, a city where the ancient Apostles Peter and Paul preached the gospel of Christ and where each was martyred.
Last October, as we gathered on a lovely pastoral site in the northeast corner of Rome, it was my opportunity to offer a prayer of dedication as we prepared to break the ground. I felt impressed to call upon Italian senator Lucio Malan and Rome’s vice-mayor Giuseppe Ciardi to be among the first to turn a shovelful of earth. Each had been a part of the decision to allow us to build a temple in their city.
The day was overcast but warm, and although rain threatened, not more than a drop or two fell. As the magnificent choir sang in Italian the beautiful strains of “The Spirit of God,” one felt as though heaven and earth were joined in a glorious hymn of praise and gratitude to Almighty God. Tears could not be restrained.
In a coming day, the faithful in this, the Eternal City, will receive ordinances eternal in nature in a holy house of God.
I express my undying gratitude to my Heavenly Father for the temple now being built in Rome and for all of our temples, wherever they are. Each one stands as a beacon to the world, an expression of our testimony that God, our Eternal Father, lives, that He desires to bless us and, indeed, to bless His sons and daughters of all generations. Each of our temples is an expression of our testimony that life beyond the grave is as real and as certain as is our life here on earth. I so testify.
My beloved brothers and sisters, may we make whatever sacrifices are necessary to attend the temple and to have the spirit of the temple in our hearts and in our homes. May we follow in the footsteps of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who made the ultimate sacrifice for us, that we might have eternal life and exaltation in our Heavenly Father’s kingdom. This is my sincere prayer, and I offer it in the name of our Savior, Jesus Christ the Lord, amen.
I want to add my own testimony that God has a perfect plan for us in which we can make covenants with him that last not only for this life but on through the eternities. We promise to follow him and he endows us with his power. This is why we build temples and this is why we baptize. God needs us to do our part so he can bless us.
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