Our dearest friends, Brothers and Sisters:

We had a wonderful but trying week this past week.  Our new, good friends, the Guercio’s spent the week on the island of Sardenia inspecting apartments, which left us behind to “mind the store” while they were away.  We “tried” to implement the things they have taught us and were successful on some things and not so successful on others. They will be gone in less than two months, so we need to get going as soon as possible to “stand on our own”. 

One of the things we did, was to drive from Rome which is on the eastern side of Italy to Pescara which is on the western side of Italy.  It is about a 2.5-hour drive to our first apartment and we have 6 apartments to inspect.  The purpose of inspections is first and foremost making sure that the residences of our missionaries are safe and a place they can feel at home.  We also inspect them to make sure they are taking care of them and keeping them clean.  Remember, these are 18 and 19-year-old men and women, many of whom have never been away from home longer than one week at scout camp.  Sorella Knies and I have already grown to love all of the missionaries we have come to know and look forward to meeting and loving others. 

In our first journey which started early Tuesday morning we used a Tom-Tom (GPS travel locator) to navigate our travel.  Everyone, including locals use the Tom-Tom to get around because, as I have said before, the streets are like a bowl of spaghetti noodles, which go everywhere, but nowhere.  We affectionately refer to the Tom-Tom as “Tommy-Boy”.  Well Tommy-Boy got us to our first appointment perfectly and even a bit ahead of schedule.  We were so excited and now a bit more confident.  Not so fast!  We finished our inspection of our first apartments and then programed Tommy-Boy for the next location.  It said we would be there in approximately 1 ½ hours which was what I expected.  We drove through amazingly beautiful countryside and gloried in the beauty that God has created for man to enjoy.  After about 1 ½ hours I asked Sorella Knies how long Tommy-Boy said we had to go.  She turned pale and said, “he says we still have another 1 ½ hours!  We had no clue where we were nor what had gone wrong.  We exercised a little faith and continued on.  For a while we were out of cell coverage so we couldn’t even call for help.  Eventually we were able to call the Anziani we were going to visit and explained what had just happened.  They didn’t have a clue where we were either, when suddenly we looked up and a policeman was in the road motioning for us to pull over.  My heart SUNK!  He couldn’t speak English and I couldn’t speak Italian.  What a dilemma!  Well since the Anziano was on the phone I was able to get him to speak to the policeman and found out generally where we were and the Anziano advised me how to reprogram Tommy-Boy and got us back on the road.  The further good news is that the policeman was just checking to make sure we had our international driver’s license and we were then on our way.  That proved to be a very “tender mercy of the Lord”.  In spite of getting lost, we saw some beautiful scenery, and had our testimonies strengthened regarding the Lord’s sincere love for us.  Not a bad trade off.  Below you will see pictures of a magnificent sunflower field that Sorella Knies and I stopped at while “lost”.  She calls sunflowers “happy flowers” because they look SO HAPPY.  I think so too. 

On our P-Day we rode the train to Assisi and gloried in the beauty of the town that St. Francis of Assisi was born, lived, taught and died.  The church they built in his honor in the year 1252 was spectacular.  He is also buried within the church under its altar.  Continue to be amazed at these really “old” structures, their beauty and their architectural engineering!     

During our recent zone conference, Sister Pickerd led the mission in a training about “Having a sense of Urgency without anxiety.”  We all experience anxiety in our lives at one time or another often worrying needlessly.  She offered the following, as well as many more, as ways to manage stress and anxiety and I believe her suggestions can help us all in our daily lives.  Some of them are as follows:

·         Pray often

·         Listen to uplifting and inspiring music

·         Have effective planning and make lists putting important things first. Plan, have a backup plan, and a backup to the backup plan.

·         Lay it aside for a while

·         Serve others who have needs

·         Reflect on Christ

·         Sing

·         Reflect on good times, positive things that have happened that day

·         SMILE

·         Express gratitude—make a gratitude list

·         Recognize what you are doing that is right

·         Have faith

·         Unmet expectations cause stress—so discuss expectations and determine if you are being realistic

·         Keep it in perspective-don’t blow it up bigger than it deserves

Finally, she quoted Elder LeGrand Richards, the author of A Marvelous Work and a Wonder, “For Every worry under the sun there is a remedy or there is none; if there is a remedy hurry and find it. If there is none never mind it.”  GREAT COUNSEL FOR US ALL!

We miss you all but are very much enjoying this opportunity to serve.  Till next time, Ciao, Ciao!

With love,

Sorella and Anziano Knies

My precious wife and her "happy flowers"

Standing together in front of one of many breath taking views!

Temple of Minerva constructed the year 1st century BC which was originally a Pagan Temple.

Because this was a Pagan Temple they offered sacrifices and this is one of the several drains for the blood runoff.

Around 900 AD the Temple was converted to a Christian Church

A typical view of small streets between the ancient buildings that are still in use today.

Another view with Sorella Knies walking down it.

The Church in Assisi dedicated to and build 2 years after the death of St. Francis.  Amazingly the main floor was finished in only 2 years.  It is magnificent!  

This is the dungeon that St. Francis was imprisoned in by his father because of his faith. 

A statue in front of one of the cathedrals depicting a lion eating the head of a Christian in representation of the martyrdom of the Christians.

The decorations of beautiful flowers adorn many of the houses and makes Sorella Knies very happy each time she sees them.

If we look happy, it is because we really are!

Again!

Week 5 and 6

We completed transfer week today, (Friday June 16^th) and it has been BUSY!!!  That is why we are combining two weeks.  We have been getting home late each night because of various responsibilities and we have been so tired that we just crashed into bed!  We shipped home 17 missionaries and brought in 18 new ones.  We served the outgoing missionaries dinner at the President’s house (called The Villa) on Monday night and afterwards had a wonderful meeting where each one of them bore testimonies of Christ that they have gained while on their mission.  It was a Spirit filled meeting and one that we were so very glad to be a part of.  I told President and Sister Pickerd that I would be proud to have any one of them as my son or daughter.  The experiences they gained over the past 18-24 months have made them far more mature than their peers back home. 

We then woke up at 5:30 a.m. the next morning and took them to the airport for their flight home, then waited around until the next “batch” arrived.  They are all young and very eager to get to work, but very apprehensive about what lies ahead.  They were kept busy all day long, not allowing them to sleep until that night to help them adjust to the jet-lag.   We then helped feed them on Tuesday night and then again on Wednesday for lunch.  It is wonderful just being around them and feeling their enthusiasm and excitement.  We pray for them daily.   

Yesterday they were all put on planes, trains and buses taking them to their various assignments throughout middle and southern Italy, Sardinia and Malta.  Anziano Guercio did an amazing job on arranging all the travel and it came off without a hitch…almost!  There was one exception that was not the fault of Anziano Guercio. The train tickets, like airplane tickets are purchased with a seat assignment, which does have a purpose, which purpose two Sister Missionaries were about to discover the hard way.   These two sweet missionaries were told by someone on the train that they could sit anywhere they wanted to.   Unfortunately, that was not good advice.  When the train stopped at “the toe of the boot”, it splits in two, one going one direction and the other in the opposite direction.  Well, needless to say, they ended up hundreds of kilometers away in the wrong spot. As we were closing up at the office around 6:30, ready to head home, we received a frantic call from those Sisters explaining what had just happened and not knowing what to do.  So, we unpacked our bags and went to work booking tickets to get them to their assigned location and arranged overnight lodging so that they could wake up early the next morning and finish their travel.  This time to the proper destination.  I believe they will never make that mistake again! 

Over the past two weeks we have had visits from additional friends of our children (the Christensen’s and Davis’, both from Arizona and friends of Sarah) and the Moser’s, the Sister and Brother-in-law of our dear friend back in Katy, Lori Adelman. All came unexpectedly and all brought with them good wishes and love.  The Davis’s even delivered a sack of “goodies” that had been prepared by Sarah of items near impossible to come by in Italy.

After almost 4 weeks of frustration, we finally got the internet this past week.  Anziano Thacker and Anziano Melling showed off their I-T and Italian speaking skills to get it done.  It is essential for Sorella Knies, as she depends on it for information in fulfilling her calling as Mission Nurse.  During our time without internet, she would oft times receive calls at night with varying needs that she was unable to complete the outcome, until the next day at the office when she would then have access to the internet.  Sorella Knies breathed a “sigh of relief” and Anziano Knies breathed an even greater “sigh of relief” because…(I’ll let you fill in the blank).

Took an AMAZING road trip this past Saturday to the city of Ostia.  It is an ancient city that dates to the 4^th century B.C.   It was a huge and thriving city that went extinct when the river changed its course, the inhabitants moved and then was completely covered with mud.  The mud proved to be a blessing as it preserved the city as the pictures below reveal. 

We are all settled in, loving the work and looking forward to each day with great anticipation.  Thank you for your thoughts and prayers.

Till next time...Ciao!

Tastes sooooo good!

Roadway (2000 years old) going through Ostia.

Ostia Theater which is still in use today.

The city was sprawling! It must have been a very busy place 2000 years ago.

We have our earbuds in as we listened to Rick Steves guided tour.

The mill.

My girlfriend with the theatre in the background, which is in amazingly good shape.

I will let you figure this one out for yourself and your 19 best friends???

On top of one of the many apartments which were as high as 5 stories.

We keep telling you...as Sorella Knies says, "you can't make this stuff up!"  This is a parked car in the middle of the street.  Cars travel in all 4 directions around it!

The Davis'

The Christensens

The Mosers

Week 4

Our dearest friends and family,

Hard to believe that we have now completed almost one month of our mission, with two weeks of it in the mission field.  It is still a “whirlwind” but we are finally settling in.  It is amazing how busy the Senior Couples are with all of their assigned responsibilities.  As we are being introduced to our responsibilities we feel like we are drinking from a fire hose, not because the Guercio’s are piling it on us, but instead we are observing the volume of work they are doing and know that we need to learn it all in a relatively short period of time. 

This week we had surprise visitors which came “out of nowhere”!  We were working at the office and a knock on the door revealed Brother and Sister Bill Tate from our Stake back home.   We had a wonderful visit including a hamburger lunch.  Brother Tate shared that on his mission he was miserably homesick the first couple of months and would have given anything for a visitor from back home, so he wanted to be that visitor for us.  It was a delightful surprise!  Thank you, Brother and Sister Tate. 

We have now been driving for a week and by the grace of Our Father in Heaven we have made it without any incidents, but every day we give thanks for our safe delivery and don’t take anything for granted!  I KNOW that even after 18 months I will never stop being amazed at how they drive! 

Next week is transfer week and we will be having one of the largest number of outgoing and incoming missionaries they have ever had.  What that means is that Anziano Guercio will be “patiently” working with Anziano Knies to train him in the exercise.  Anziano Guercio stated that during transfer week many times he works late-late-late each night until the work is done.  Little sleep, but Anziano Knies does well on limited sleep.  6 months of waking up at 4 or 4:30 Monday through Saturday, training will do that to you.  Isn’t that right Baby (Alden).    

Sorella Knies is staying majorly busy, but enjoying the work immensely!  I never cease to be amazed at what a wonderful nurse she is and how lovingly she provides care.  The Lord really is in this work and we feel His presence and promptings daily. 

Our P-Day (day off) is Saturday and we again spent the day in the car with the Guercio’s and Thacker’s driving through the country.  We stumbled on the Monastero San Benedetto, a monastery that was started in the 9^th century.  It was amazing.  Below are pictures of it and other sites we visited. 

All is well here in Italy.  Till next time…Ciao!

Love

Fred and Cynthia

 Eric Johnson where are you when I needed you to help me build our dresser?  There were a total of 345 individual parts!  Got it constructed, now will it last 18 months?

This is a picture of our clothes dryer!  The clothes come out fresh but stiff, where's the fabric softener!

The hills are alive...

Typical view of city in the country.

Monastero San Benedetto - from the road looking up.  We stumbled on this monastery on our P-day drive.  First construction started in 900 A.D.

Close up view.  Note the construction utilizing the mountain as walls, floors and ceilings.

Fresco painted in the year 1300, still very vivid!

Looking down from a perch at Sorella Knies in a room covered with Frescos 

Inside architecture was amazing considering the year constructed...or not!   

Beautiful statue of Mary in a room carved into the side of the mountain.