Palermo GANS 2016 year in review

I was invited to write a 2016 year in review of the GANS of Palermo. Since I had already completed the work it seemed worthwhile to take the record and share here also.

Palermo GANS Year in Review 2016

July 2016 - It is hot during July in Palermo and in Sicily. So hot that you want to add a little water to cool off. That's what happened with the Palermo GANS. Water and young adults together equals water balloon crazy fun with relay races, water balloon fights, and wet people.

Water and Young Adults

July also brought the Palermo Stake GANS together in Enna for a day of Relationship and Marriage Preparation workshop.

Baptisms – Guila Gandolfo

August 2016 - Every one in Italy goes on vacation in August. So the Palermo Stake GANS were invited for a mini beach vacation. Sunbathing, swimming, and rafting all day long with a little dancing and ping pong competition mixed in. There might have been a few sunburns but everyone was still smiling.

Baptisms – Raffaele Noto

September 2016 – Settling into a routine was finally happening with the GANS, Institute class every Wednesday and Family Home Evening every Friday night. Teachings and Doctrine of the Book of Mormon was the course of Institute. Family Home Evening consists of a spiritual thought or mini lesson, activity, and food – always food.

Baptisms – Papon Paul and Giorgio Romeo

October 2016 – The Italian GANS started October off just right with a trip to the Switzerland Temple for a week of saving ordinances for family. There were baptisms for the dead, endowments, and sealings all day. The evenings were full with singing, eating, trips to Bern, a fireside from the Temple Presidency, and dancing. GANS from Palermo joined GANS from all over Italy.

GANS and Switzerland Temple

October was filled with 3 more GANS activities – a BBQ, an evening of pumpkin carving, and a Halloween Dance. The BBQ involved lots of eating of meat! There was pasta, grilled vegetables, pork sausages, pork filets, and more pork. Plus a lot of volleyball!

GANS BBQ

Anziano Garrett was on a mission, a mission to find the perfect shaped pumpkins for carving into Jack-o-Lanterns. Carving Jack-o-Lanterns is a very American tradition that was introduced to the Palermo GANS for a crazy evening of fun. The GANS were delighted with their creations in their first experience in carving and lots of oohing and ahhing over lighted Jack-o-Lanterns.

The Halloween Dance was fun with costumes, a few games like wrapping the mummy, bobbing for apples, and doughnuts on a string race. Plus lots and lots of dancing.

How do you Celebrate Halloween

November 2016 - Every Family Home Evening there is a mingling activity for fun. Sometimes it is “a getting to know your neighbor game”, sometimes it is a “crazy drawing game”, and sometimes it is the “human knot game.” It really doesn't matter what the activity is as long as the group is together.

The Palermo Stake sponsored a GANS Super Saturday in Syracuse. The GANS were hosted by families in Syracuse and enjoyed an informative historical visit to the Jewish Baths.

Baptisms – Alessia Romeo, Hillary Clinton, and Carolina Gandolfo

December 2016 – We do our best to remember our Savior, Jesus Christ, and His birth in December. One way is by bringing some cheer and joy to others. The GANS participated in two activities to share their Christmas cheer with others. First, was an evening of caroling and visiting at a home for the elderly then onto the Garrett's for their traditional Christmas breakfast of cinnamon rolls and orange juice.

Christmas Caroling at its Finest

Second, was caroling for the public at Teatro Politeamo two different Sunday evenings. Both Italian and American carols were sung. There was quite a strong group of GANS and they attracted quite a large gathering of listeners.

The year ended with a Italian GANS conference to Fuggi for Capo D'Anno. Workshops, dancing, photo scavenger hunts, and exploring Fuggi were the events besides ringing in the new year.

GANS Attivita e Serata di Talenti

Marzo 27, 2017

We love our GANS! If you have been following this blog for a while you know GANS stands for giovani adulti non sposati.  Also known as single young adults. Our GANS range in age from 18 to 31.  Many of them are either still in high school or college, several have served missions for our church, and a few have jobs.

We are here to support and help the GANS in a variety of ways.  One way is to encourage them to attend Institute Classes offered every Wednesday evening.  The current class is Eternal Families taught by Fratello and Sorella A. They are fabulous teachers.

Floriana, Ginvera, and Guila

Sorella A, Antonio, Dennis, and Giorgio

Us, with brothers Antonio and Francisco

Every Friday, we sponsor Family Home Evening. During FHE a spiritual message or short lesson is shared, an activity enjoyed, and dinner is eaten. Often I will bring a treat of cookies or brownies.

We have some pretty awesome GANS

Clara and Gabriele chatting after a meal

The best part is our association one on one with these fine, valiant young people.

Anziano Garrett is helping Dennis start his mission papers

This lovely young lady is Carolina who was baptized in November

Sometimes we even invite the GANS to our home.  We had a great missionary fireside this particular Sunday.

Other times our Institute teachers let them come have a BBQ at their home where a fun computer quiz was given reviewing the Eternal Families principles was given.

Who can answer the question the fastest and be right?

Cell phones were involved

Last Friday evening, our GANS put together una Serata di Talenti - a Talent Show.  The talents were preformed by the GANS and the Missionaries and even me. My talent baking chocolate chip cookies!

Carolina and Dario were our MCs, what a great team!

Veronica has been drawing since she was tiny

Elizabeth sang beautifully for us

6 part harmony by the missionaries

Anziano Adepoju performed a magic trick

Anziano Strong showed off some of his fun animation skills - I think this is Moses

While John played Suzy sang

We got to enjoy two songs by Suzy

Dario and Gabriele performed a funny skit

Guila and her dog performed great tricks for us

I love spending time with these amazing young people.  They are the best!

The Great Palermo Zone Marzo 2017

Man o man!  You know the luckiest missionaries are sent to Palermo.  And we are those lucky missionaries.

 Right now we are serving with all these wonderful youth.  I wish you could know them too. Maybe this post will help you a bit.

Every six weeks we all come together for uplift and instruction from President and Sorella Pickerd plus either our zone leaders (ZLs) or the assistants to the President (APs)

 

 Our zone is the largest zone in the mission with 28 missionaries: 1 couple (us), 4 sorelle, and 22 anziani.  The zone is divided into 3 districts.  Two of those districts split the city of Palermo in half with an additional city that is close by.  The third district is further away and spread over 3 other cities on the island of Sicily; Agrigento, Sciacca, and Caltanissetta.

Palermo District 1

This group of dedicated missionaries serve Palermo 1st ward and the Trapani branch.

First there are our Zone Leaders - Anziano Draghi and Anziano Bentley.

Look at those smiles, you can just tell they love serving a mission.  Anziano Draghi is very thoughtful and very conscientious with his words and deeds. Anziano Bentley is quieter but he is really aware of needs and just does what is required.

Then there is our district leader, Anziano Rusche and his greenie Anziano Gibson.

Anziano Rusche leads by example.  Anziano Gibson is very dedicated to serving and studying God's words.

 Sorella Acerson and Sorella Erickson are always smiling.  They have spent time meeting their neighbors and the people who work in their neighborhood.  They really want to teach the gospel.

This is Anziano Drenk's last transfer in the Palermo 1 District but Craig and I will still see him because he is just moving to the Palermo 2 District.  Anziano Drenk serves with quietness.  But he is very wise.  Anziano Anderson will be the new district leader starting on Sunday, he is full of fun and qwerks.

And the last 2 missionaries in the Palermo 1 district are our Trapani missionaries, Anziano Melling and his greenie, Anziano Stucki.

Anziano Melling has been serving with us in Palermo district 1 since August.  He always wants to do the right thing and he loves gelato. Anziano Stucki wants to learn all he can from his trainer and also just be a great missionary.


We had a great p-day (preparation/play day) with part of this group on the island of Favignana a couple of weeks ago. It was fun riding bikes all over the place.

Sending pictures home to mom

This week after our district meeting we had a BBQ pranzo together. Grilled hamburgers and french fries, it was so good.

Then there is Palermo District 2.  This is another set of great missionaries here too.

Palermo District 2

District 2's leader is Anziano Anderson, he is serving in the Palermo 3 branch with Anziano Adepoju.

These two are baptizing machines.  Anziano Anderson is always looking to help.  He tells how the atonement has changed his life.  Anziano Adepoju is the best missionary here for the branch.  He does not hesitate to talk to anyone.  It is so awesome.

Anziano Young has impressed me because he remembered my new grandson's name and asked about him.  He really is interested in people.  Anziano DeFeo is serving his second time in the Palermo Zone.  He is great at balloon art and Italian, he should be because he is a Canadian Italian.

Anziano Strong is getting stronger ever day.  He is the only missionary I can understand because he is still learning and speaking words slower and on my limited vocabulary level.  Anziano Ponce just finished his mission and he lost himself in the service of God.

Saying goodbye to Anziano Ponce

The Palermo 2 Sorelle serve both the Palermo 2 ward and the Palermo 3 branch.  They are excited because in the next couple of weeks will be moving into an apartment closer to their area of service.

We felt on top of the world walking around the Monreale Duome rooftops

Sorella Oehler serves quietly but with love, Sorella Carver is the Sister Training Leader and she is always seeing miracles and so helpful and loving.

Anziano Covalt and Anziano Wilkey serve in the small but cute city of Mistretta.  Mistretta feels very removed from Palermo but the saints there are the best.  You know these are strong valient missionaries because they are serving here. 

Potluck lunch on a beautiful sunny day after district meeting

They made us milkshakes!!!!! Oreo and Nutella - so good, so refreshing.

Sometimes we get a little silly

Pushups for brownies - spiritual thought at a ward party

Our smallest district is the Agrigento district.  There are 6 missionaries serving in this district.

Anziano Alexander is full of enthusiasm, the tallest man in the world, and loves sushi.  He also is very, very kind.  Anziano Dickey is very positive and learning about being a missionary from Anziano Alexander.  They are serving in Agrigento in an apartment with frequent water outages. But no complaints and they have their water storage.

Anziano Christensen is from Arizona and my nephew was his Priest Quorum Advisor, he also plays the piano beautifully.  Anziano Campbell is the district leader and trainer.  Anziano Campbell just is dedicated to doing his best and serving his mission with all his heart. They are serving in the Sciacca branch.

I don't have a picture of Anziano Wright or Anziano Jorgensen, both serving in Caltanisetta.  Anziano Wright is the talker of the two and Anziano Jorgensen is the observer.  Caltanisetta just has a group, a group is so few members of the church they aren't even a branch. Church is held in the apartment of the Anziani.  So these two are giving a talk every Sunday.  Wow.

The Palermo Zone is the best.  We are so lucky to serve here, we love it.