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First Week in the Office - Return to Ancona |
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April 28 2001
The first week of my office experience is officially over. My first few days were really hectic because there were new missionaries coming in and old missionaries going home. It was a big organizational mess. It was strange to see the contrast between the new, inexperienced, scared, but excited, fresh missionaries and the old, experienced, and mature returning missionaries.
It was amazing to hear the dying testimonies of the returning missionaries - I really felt the spirit and was filled w/ a desire to go out and do the work... it just makes me really appreciate the few chances we have to work outside the office.
The last few days we went on scambi in the Rimini zone. It was really great. The best part was my triumphant return to Ancona - That's right: my first city. It was so strange to walk the viale and see Piazza Cavour and Piazza Roma - to hear the Anconitano accent and to breath the humid sea air. It was almost like going back in time.
I met with Paolo Giuglierelli and that was really cool - He's the same old dark humor eccentric man w/ a great love for the Lord and a desire to do His will. I also stopped for a second or two at Sorella Campobassi's house. I explained to her that it was exactly around that table which we were at that I had one of the best spiritual experiences of my mission/life. We sang her a song and she seemed really touched - I think it made her day. She's still inactive, but you can tell she would like to come back to church.
Also, while we were in giro I remembered 2 members that had just moved in while I was there - from Siracusa. I felt like we should pass by them. We found their house and went up and knocked on the door. Surprisingly, a face I didn't recognize opened up - a young girl - she looked at us and said: "Are you from the church? Come in, Come in!" (There was a paper on the door indicating the names of the people in the house it said "Battezato": Baptised) As it turns out it wasn't the two Siracusans that I remembered, but instead a different Siracusan family.
The father was a member and his girlfriend (Soon to be wife) was a non-member - They had a small baby boy w/ them. As it turns out the father, Marzio, is there as part of the same church welfare program that the other 2 members I knew were in (Geneological Research) - Marzio is inactive (Smokes, drinks etc.) But wants to become active (Partly because to keep his job he has to come to church) This means he has to marry his girlfriend which means she can then be baptized. It was kind of a cool coincidence to find a cool Italian family just waiting there in Ancona. It's just what that city can use.
As far as work in our own city goes - Anz. West and I have set a goal to teach a family the Gospel. We have challenged a really great member family to hold a family home evening w/us before the 21st of May - We will fast w/ them this next week and pray our hearts out for them. I hope the Lord will bless us and this city with an elect family who will love and appreciate the restored Gospel.
The only frustrating thing about the office is I'm always riding shotgun - where's my license? I wanna get behind the wheel!
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