Helarius & Diana

We were asked by the young missionaries to teach Diana the lessons while they teach her husband Helarius.  They speak their native dialect to each other, she speaks English and he speaks French/Italian.  It has been a great blessing to teach her, she is truly a spirit ready for more truth in her life. She fasts each Monday to thank God for her birth, she was born on a Monday.   She asked during one lesson what it meant in the Sunday program to "Redeem the dead". A future lesson we moved up to the present.  Yesterday Helarius was baptized in the local Italian ward.  He said when he was baptized he heard a door open and many voices saying "Gracia".  Isn't that beautiful?  They ward planned a dinner afterward so they could all meet them and welcome  them into the ward. They are going to be in the Italian ward that meets in the same building as the English ward, but in the early morning time slot.  We went with them today (Diana has been attending the English speaking ward and learning the gospel with our lessons).  The Italian ward has been very accepting and friendly to them, inviting them to many ward functions and member  homes for meals.  The Venice Stake President of Northeast Italy is in that ward, and has been by to visit them in their home.  The first picture is Elders Aillon and White, who were transfered the week before the baptism.  The last picture is the President and Mrs. Chiesurin and the new sister missionaries.  Today we went with Diana to the Italian ward Sacrament meeting.  It was so beautiful.  During the Sacrament there wasn't a noise, whisper or sound.  The young women spoke and sang and gave beautiful messages.  One spoke of turning off "Satan's sermon's" and another said life can't be fully enjoyed unless we take advantage of opportunities for service each day.  Beautiful young women isolated by their values in a world of hard choices.

Some of the Lord's elect children

We have been teaching some wonderful children in our ward here in Pordenone Italy, Venice Stake.  First there is Charlie, he and his sister Mimi came in August to join their father and new stepmother. He is almost nine years old.  The children have been living with their grandparents in Honduras for the past four years. Blake and Carrie Smith, who were both missionaries in Guatemala have been helping us by teaching him in Spanish.  It is so amazing to watch them give him a concept and then his parents to reinforce teaching him in Spanish. His father was baptized in September, but it is beautiful to watch him teaching his children. As soon as Charlie is convinced we won't baptize him by "sprinkling" he will be baptized.   

We have also been teaching Brady who is ten years old.  He has a very outgoing happy spirit and is fun to teach.  His family has been inactive for most of his life, but he stayed with a family in the ward this summer for a month and attended church with them.  His father is now bringing him to church and getting ready to baptize him December 15th. Brady is dressed in the red costume. The other little boy is Samuel Adams who's mom is a member but father is not.  He is very supportive of his family and often attends Sacrament meeting with them.

Brady's father has had a back problem throughout the summer and they had a phantom lawn mower (looking somewhat like a certain Anziano Martin) that they say helped them to feel loved and missed, and helped to soften their hearts about Brady receiving lessons.

When we first arrived we tried everyway we could to get in to visit the Brandley family.  They have two children that have not been baptized.  Patrick is 9 and Summer just turned 12.  We finally told their father if he decided he wanted the church's help raising his family to please call.  Last month the mother, Tracy came to church and now they have asked us teach the children, preparing them for baptism. They are very sharp kids and very open to the lessons. Their mother was the volunteer of the year hear at Aviano AFB.  She has volunteered 20-40 hours a week in the Pediatric ward of the hospital, and was just hired full time.  Quite a special lady.

One of the benefits of teaching children is all the kids that  come to say "Hi" while we volunteer at the base Elementary school library.  The children we teach, the ward children, and even some little friends we have met at the laundromat and school come up for cheerful "Hello's".

October was a beautiful month in Northern Italy.  We visited an Olive farm and bought some olive oil. It is near the mountain close by, and a beautiful farm of olive trees on the mountain side. I was standing waiting some of the people with us, and a lady came up and popped one of these in her mouth, and told me to eat one.??? I'm not big on eating what I don't recognize, but I did it, what a surprise!  It was furry and prickly, and bland in flavor....any ideas what they are?

We took a p-day to go to Trieste looking for Roman ruins.  It is a beautiful ancient town on the border with Croatia, and a big shipping town. This is a view from across the Adriatic Sea. I've included the Roman road we went town, being led by our Tomtom.  We barely got back up!  True test for our little Ford Fiesta and the driver!










This is the road, it leads up to the gate of the fortress, you can feel pretty sorry for those horses coming home after a battle and facing that road. Can you see the blocks of granite that form the road?  It's held up for hundreds of years! It was probably a deterent to the conquerors.  This area was forever being conquered, taken over by every faction in Europe and across the sea.

Well here is picture of Elder Martin after volunteering at the base chapel, on his way to the elementary school library to volunteer.  It is fun to see the kids so anxious to get books, following the rules, and trying so hard to be quiet.  When member kids come in they always come up for a hug, good kids.  

Our ward had a weinie roast Halloween Party/Trunk or Treat.  You probably wondered how we got Michael Phelps to come?  He just showed up looking for Elder Martin Hot Dogs.  He cooked them for hours that night.  Even though we decorated our trunk, we had to leave before they got to that part of the fun.  Our fun was watching the Italians as we drove wonder why these two mature people had a ghost painted in their back window.