Christmas with the Palermo Zone

Decembre 20, 2016

I love these people!  We are blessed to have 4 daughters and 22 sons right now here in Palermo.  Let me tell you a tiny bit about each one.

Front Row - left to right

Sorella Ferre is one of our newest missionaries and she loves vegetables!  She is not afraid to share her testimony in Italian and she loves being a missionary.

Sorella Carver is our Sister Training Leader and is so sweet and humble.  She is kind and patience and gracious.

Sorella Bonzo is a great Italian speaker, she says she is not normal bubbly and friendly but she is super friendly. She is always seeing the good in everything.

Sorella Frogley is brave, strong, and a goer.  She is tall and beautiful and will not let pain or a concussion stop her.  We met Sorella Frogley in the MTC and were instant friends, we are so grateful to be in Palermo with her.

Anziano Carroll has been with us since day 1, first in Palermo 2nd Ward and now in Mistretta.  He loves to cook, shop, and make us laugh. 

Anziano Larrain is our resident Italian, he is Palermo 1's District Leader and super humble.  He is a fast learner of English and is very dedicated to serving our Heavenly Father.

Anziano Mercado is going home in a week, he is Palermo 2's District Leader.  He is very kind and gracious.  Anziano Mercado would do anything for you and is a good listener.

Anziano Melling likes to say to me "Oh, Ellen" because that is what he says to his grandma.  He loves gelato, he is a gentleman.  When he sees a need he takes care of it without hesitation.

Back Row - left to right


Anziano Grizzell (not pictured even though we could see him in the camera lens - so sad) is just nice.  We are so glad to have him back in the Palermo Zone.  Anziano Grizzell is very dedicated to serving the Lord and others. 

Anziano Souwan is your quiet funny guy.  He is dedicated to serving his Heavenly Father and is very, very patient. We say he has a compassionate heart.

Anziano Bertoldo is a great trainer.  He is kind and very conscientious.  He is a very dedicated servant of the gospel and very obedient.

Anziano Adepoju is a real blessing to Palermo.  He has a very humble story with his conversion.  He is following his mom because she said "wherever you find yourself, find yourself near God."

Anziano Drenk is another of our newest missionaries.  He has learned you are on a mission to serve others and he loves to serve others.

Anziano Lancaster is your straight man.  He makes a great pasta and knows how to work very, very hard.

Anziano Campbell knows that by being your best self you are helping share the gospel.  He is willing to go and do whatever he is asked.

Anziano Blocker is one of our Zone Leaders.  He has a powerful testimony of Christ and that Christ loves us.  He is a great leader and knows how to share the love of God with others.

Anziano Kolsen has one of the most amazing voices we have ever heard. He is always showing his gratitude and likes the word amazing.

Anziano Alexander is courageous.  His family background is hard but let's just say grandparents are important.  He is the tallest person I have been next to and is not afraid to tell you he loves you. 

Anziano Bowers is a great companion.  He is aware of needs and knows how to make you feel like you are great.  He is very helpful and knows a lot.

Anziano Saffer is from Sweden.  He is really smart.  He knows the most important things in the world are Christ and family and is glad to be sharing about both here in Italy.

Anziano Jensen gives bone breaking hugs. He is strong in his words and his deeds.  We are glad to have him back in the Palermo Zone.

Anziano Rusch is quiet, humble, and dedicated.  He is a fantastic pianist!  He also knows how to sweep the floor really, really good!

Anziano Garrett is our long lost cousin.  He is Craig's cousin's grandson that we didn't know before the mission.  Anziano Garrett is really, really sweet and kind.  He is very valiant and Agrigento's great District Leader.

Anziano Peterson has learned that a mission is hard but worth it.  He is grateful that he is no longer the youngest missionary in the zone.  He is super, super nice.

Anziano McKenna is our other fearless Zone Leader.  Anziano McKenna leaves for home in a week and we will be sad to see him go.  Anziano McKenna has served his Heavenly Father well on this mission and is strong to the very end.

Anziano Strong is the last of our greenies.  He is becoming strong like his name.  Anziano is a hard worker too and really wants to serve well.

" Keep your ties hi and your spirit higher!" A little more of their true self.

Love ya all.

Novembre 2016 Happenings in our Missionary Life

Novembre 2016

Here are a few random pictures taken during the month of Novembre. Just a little insight into our missionary life at that time.

Yup we are still together and still smiling.

Sometimes you just got to run even if it is raining.  I stayed home, dry, and warm.

Sunday evenings sometimes find us wandering down to the Palermo harbor.  It was a beautiful, calm day in Palermo.

Regular morning commute at the Albert Einstein Piazza roundabout.  Chances are that black card on the left went straight and the other black car on the right went left.

First time or primo drivers have a homemade P in their window to alert or warn you or ask for your patience with them.

Occasionally we take a missionary companionship to Monreale for an appointment or some less active finding.  And sometimes you find a pretty cool looking monument.

Novembre was our turn to take our 10 hour Italian Culture Class to qualify for our permesso.  The permesso allows for us to live in Italy while on our mission.  The Culture Class teaches about the government, our rights, and the regulations in Italy.  Our class was at this school in Bagheria with this on the wall.  It is honoring Judge Falcone, who was killed years ago by the Mafia.

The City of Enna on the top of the mountain in the middle of Sicily, one foggy morning.

On our drive through the center of Sicily to the Ikea store in Catania to pick up missionary dressers, tables, and chairs.

As we near Catania there are lots of citrus trees.  Right now oranges and clementines are plentiful. Catania is about a 2 1/2 hour drive from Palermo, on the other side of the Sicily.

Sicily grows a lot of fruits and vegetables.  I am not sure what this farmer has planned for this field.  Right now green cauliflower (which they call broccoli), broccoli, and artichokes are in season.

We taught the GANS the human knot game and it has become a favorite regular at FHE.

Probably the busiest place in Palermo in the summer is Mondello because of the ocean and beaches, but in November they are pretty vacant.  We took a Saturday evening drive there and enjoyed a walk along the shoreline.

Usually the Mediterranean is very calm but the rare storm brought a few waves this afternoon.  This was taken in Ficarazzi, east of Palermo a few miles.  We went to visit a member and was a little early.

The open market and Macelleria (butcher) shop is quite an experience and sight.  I can't tell if those are goats or sheep, but yeah.

And a delicious quattro pizza - sausage, cheese, tomato, and margherita - to finish it all off.

How did you spend your Saturday?

Decembre 17, 2016

One of our responsibilities as a senior couple missionary here in the Great Rome Italy Mission is missionary apartment inspections.  Now the apartment inspections have 2 to 3 purposes; 1 is to check on cleanliness of the apartments, 2 is to see what repairs or needs each apartment has, and 3 it develops a repore with the missionaries so if there is a need they can feel comfortable asking us. 

Our painting gang: Anziani Lancaster, Bowers, Strong, and Souwan

We have been lucky most of the apartments have been fairly clean.  I did have to show once how to clean a toilet and another time how to defrost a freezer.  But otherwise, the missionaries want clean apartments and do their best regularly.

Now when it comes to repairs and needs of the apartments those range from needing a new stove or microwave to towels to leaking toilets to new pillows or blankets to plastering walls and painting to utensils (shall we say 1 fork to the apartment) to space heaters and study chairs to dressers to pots and pans and so forth.  The desire is so that the missionaries have a safe, comfort, and clean apartment. 

Most apartments are basic with tile or marble flooring throughout, a simple kitchen with a stove, sink (no dishwashers or garbage disposals here,) basic cupboards, basic table and chairs.  Each bedroom has 2 to 4 twin beds depending on how many missionaries live in the apartment.  Each missionary companionship should have a dresser and wardrobe between them plus their own study chair and desk.  Each apartment should have a bookshelf or two for missionary supplies and Book of Mormons.  Also a basic washing machine and at least 2 drying racks (no dryers.) All apartments have a shower, some have a tub, a sink, toilet and bidet (quite popular in the Italian homes.) A lot of apartments have leaking toilets or sinks.  Craig has fixed 1 or 2 but Italian plumbing is a bit different than US so we need to find a good plumber in each city.

One of our joys in the apartment inspections is providing the missionaries with what is lacking; a new desk or study chair is pure Christmas or birthday to them.  Even a couple of new towels is the best; the missionaries are always so grateful.  Today though we were able to help paint 2 rooms in the missionaries apartment in Caltanissetta.

Sanding and pastering

The Caltanissetta apartment is unique in that church is held in their apartment.  Every Sunday evening the 9 to 11 members come for Sunday School, Primary, and Sacrament Meeting.  The Anzania there conduct the meetings, teach Sunday School, and give a talk at least every other week.  The children's mothers teach Primary. 

Anziano Lancaster got a little grayer

The ceiling needed a little more tender care

So the main room is the chapel and Sunday School room and one other room is the Primary classroom.  Their chapel needed painting and that is where we came in.  We grabbed the Bagheria Anziani with us and drove the 2 hours to Caltanisetta and went to work.

Anziano Souwan and Craig doing the details

Anziano Lancester finishing up the upper details

These missionaries worked hard.  There was some plastering that needed to be done, walls sanded and washed, and lots of painting of 11 feet walls.  Yup, not the usual 8 feet you find in the US but 11 feet walls and don't forget the ceilings too. 

The Primary room, broom handles help reach the ceiling

Anziani Strong, Bowers, and Souwan hard at work

We choose a nice simple blue called Igloo and Anziani Bowers referred to it as a celestial color.  Plastic was laid down and painting took place for about 6 hours with a nice pasta pranzo break in between.

Good thing we had stepladders

We look forward to hearing what the members have to say tomorrow with their new chapel.

From Beige to Celestial Blue

While I am here I wanted to introduce you to one of our missionaries: Anziano Souwan!

Anziano Souwan may have something on his nose

Anziano Souwan has about 8 weeks left on his mission, he is training Anziano Strong right now in Bagheria.  Anziano Souwan is the only active member of his family.  His parents divorced when his was 12 and the whole family became inactive. 

He started to attend seminary as a freshman because of a cute young lady but he didn't attend church.  A couple of years later his nonmember friend noticed he wasn't dating the young lady and asked if he could date her.  Anziano Souwan said the whole school knew he and she were members of the church and the only ones at their school.  The nonmember friend a little later said he wanted to be baptized and Anziano Souwan asked him why.  The friend started to ask him questions he didn't have the answer to.  The next day the missionaries "happened" to knock on the friend's door and he said he wanted to be baptized.  The missionaries taught his friend and he sat in during the discussions and because his friend needed to attend church he started to attend with him and now that he had a friend at church he became active.  His friend was baptized and is attending BYUI.  Anziano Souwan attended college in Georgia and his YA branch president helped him become an Elder and encouraged him to serve a mission. 

And now here he is blessing Italy with his compassionate, patience heart. His goal is to help Bagheria become a stake, they only have about 5,000 people to baptize.  We think he is the greatest just like the rest of our missionaries and so grateful to serve with him.

Caltanessetta lights up well but I wish the overhead lights would have been on

Caltinessetta Christmas lights

Christmas Caroling at Its Finest

Decembre 12, 2016

From the beginning of our planning activities with the Young Adults we had the desire to go caroling.  When Craig and I discovered that there was a home for the elderly just around the corner from us we hoped that would be the place to go.  With the approval of the manager we set up one of our Friday night Family Home Evenings there.

The group enjoyed singing with us

First we let everyone know to be to our home by 6:30 and after a couple of run through songs with everyone - Tu Scendi Dalle Stella, a traditional Italian Christmas song and Jingle Bells, a very American song - we were off.


After interrupting the bingo game and before 8:00 pm dinner, we assembled ourselves with YA and missionaries alike and began to sing.



Craig distributed to the residents of the home the words of the songs also and it was delightful to see them singing along with our group.  The staff was so kind and enjoyed the experience too.

Candy Canes were shared

After all the songs, our group mingled with the everyone and new friendships were kindled.  With my weak Italian I just did what I do best and went around hugging everyone.

Finally the evening was called to a close and everyone came back to our home for a light but Garrett family traditional Christmas breakfast of cinnamon rolls and orange juice.  We supplemented it also with an egg, sausage, and vegetable casserole. After baking 6 dozen cinnamon rolls, we had just enough to go around.

The following Sunday, the missionaries and Young Adults took their singing to the streets of Palermo.  We gathered at Teatro Politeamo and sang the same songs along with many Christmas hymns for just over an hour. 

The people loved it!  Many sat or stood for the entire time to listen.  We are far from professional but I think it was the whole spirit of the moment.

I love this picture of this couple cuddling

The YA and missionaries were able to share their testimonies of Christmas through song and a few bystanders wanted to know who we were and what we were all about.

John, Carolina, me, and Elder Melling

Palermo lights up well for Christmas and we are glad to share The Light of the World with them.

Sorelle Carver and Ferre

Christmas Lights on Liberta