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Last Day with Pres. Curtis |
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Here's the latest addition to the Batman collection - we were going to leave it with the missionaries after doing scambi, but it seemed a little harsh.
July 2 2001 - Well, it's hard to believe it, but today is the last day of President Curtis' mission. Pres. Jensen arrives this afternoon and we (the office staff) have been running around and super-busy these last few days.
This last week was crazy - we didn't get a chance the whole week to do any ricerca in our own city. We started off w/ 2 Zone Conferences. One in La Spezia and one in Modena. In between we worked w/ the missionaries in Modena. Then we returned Wednesday to do the weekly report, while in the office we were assigned to head to Vicenza and help a member move some stuff from his house to the missionary's apartment. We did that all morning, fortunately the member's wife made us a great lunch (Sis. Pina) - at that point we had the furgone (or van) and so we took IT on scambi instead of the Punto. Elder Strieby (great secretary that he is) had foreseen this and loaded us up w/ stuff to take to the cities we'd be visiting and also Bologna that we were going to pass through on the way back.
That afternoon we headed to Mantova and had a really cool experience doing scambi there. That night we went to Parma... got a little lost and got to the Elder's apartment right before 10:30. We then had a good day in Parma and were just about to head back home (stopping in Bologna to deliver the Sisters' bedframes) - when the biggest rain storm ever burst out of the heavens. We got quite wet, but were still on our way out. We got in the furgone and took the sopping wet keys out to put in the ignition. In the furgone, though, there is a high tech security system which requires an electronic key before the mechanical kill switch will turn off. I placed the electronic key to its receptor pad and the little red kill switch indicator remained on. I tried again... still on.
The rain was intensifying outside of the van and the quick tapping of rain against sheet metal resounded in our ears. We tried again and again, but to no avail. Finally Elder Ditto suggested we say a prayer. After the prayer we tried again... still nothing. We waited a few seconds and I tried again. The light clicked off. Success! The Lord loves us.
So we started our journey through the second world-wide flood. It was slow going but we finally broke free... just in time to hit a traffic jam about 10 minutes outside Bologna. We were stuck for 2 hours before seeing the cause: A huge wreck between a Diesel and a Mini-van. They were both completely shredded. It really made my stomach wretch to imagine such a serious accident. By then it was 10:40 so we stopped and stayed the night w/ the Bologna Elders. What a surprise for them!
The next morning we took the beds to the Sisters and came home. Pres. kept us busy for the rest of the weekend and now we are all nervous about the new M.P.
Last night we threw an ice-cream party for the Curtis family. (They have traditionally thrown one whenever an office staffer leaves the office, so we turned the tables on them.) It was fun. Usually at the end of the party pres. Curtis will ask the members of his family to say something about the departing member and they will say all kinds of cool things. At their party I asked each of the office staffers to say something about the Curtis family. It was cool and I think they really appreciated it. I will really miss their family. They have been a great example of how a family can really be united and dedicated to the Lord and find real happiness.
Anz. Ditto and I put together an addestramento on how to involve investigators more in the learning process. We made up an imaginary game "Flexi-ball" and I tried to explain it to A. Ditto, but not in a very involving way. It went well and I think it was helpul to the missionaries. Besides, it was a whole lot of fun. (SLINGER/HEXOGRAPHER)
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