Che Bella Vita: August 2017

August 25, 2017

This past week we said farewell to our dear friends the Guercio’s. In a very short period of time we developed a great love for one another. That happens when you are jointly involved in the service of our Lord. The Spirit binds you together for always. Recently we received an email from my precious sister Sharon. In it she stated that each morning when she wakes up, she lays in bed counting her many blessings, we, her family being one of them. I responded to her email with the following:

P.S. One of the precious principles we embrace as a church is that families can be eternal. I know of no other church that teaches that. Anyway, that means you and I will be together as brother and sister forever! I am very excited about that and it gives me great comfort.

For all of us that is great news! We CAN be together forever. As Sorella Knies and I labor together in Italy, that simple but most precious truth becomes ever more clear and sure. We are children of a loving Heavenly Father which makes us all family. That family did not just start in this life and it surely does not end when this mortal life ends. Thank you Jesus for that promise.

Sorella Knies and I celebrated our 43^rd anniversary of saying “I do”. We really splurged for this one. We bought a pony-tail palm for our apartment and a deep fryer. They don’t have much fried food here in Rome and we miss it. So, what do you do? You buy a fryer and make your own. We turned the lights down low (that is a must because, if you use too many electric appliances at the same time it will blow the electric circuit for the entire apartment which has happened 3 times) turned on the electric fryer and deep fried homemade French-fries and chicken strips. The only thing missing was onion powder, as they must not use that in their cooking here because you can’t find it. Other than that, they tasted just like home!

Speaking of home, this past week Sorella Knies was having “a sinking spell” thinking of home. As she was lamenting a bit, she experienced an ah-ha moment. That “ah-ha” was that missions are not meant to be easy, but hard and as our daughter Sarah has taught us, “we can do hard things with the Lord.” That was a spiritual boost for both of us and we are back on track loving life and loving the work we are engaged in.

Sorella Knies and I are primarily engaged in supporting the 190 +/- young missionaries located in the Italy Rome Mission. Wow they are amazing! They have a very structured schedule. They get up early every morning and work late into the evening. Then go to bed and start all over again the next day. All of that with the most positive attitude you can imagine. They do have a P-day (preparation day) which is sort of like a day off. On that day, Monday, they prepare for the coming week and some, much to the chagrin of Sorella Knies, play football or soccer. I say chagrin because she invariably receives calls the night of P-day with twisted ankles, abrasions and even broken bones. She survives and so do they. We stay extremely busy, hopefully “making a difference”.

We continue to make our weekly excursions out in the countryside, visiting castles and old villages captured in the pictures below. The past week we visited Campo Imperatore Hotel which is on top of a mountain that you get there by using a sky-tram. The significance of that hotel is that it the location where Benito Mussolini was held captive at in 1943 and was rescued by the Nazi’s. It was called the Gran Sasso Raid where Hitler, himself ordered the raid which sent in several glidders containing 200 men that overwhelmed the forces holding Mussolini and they were given a choice. Release him to the Germans or die. They chose the former and he was freed and taken to Germany, continuing to lead in Northern Italy until the end of the war when he was again captured and ultimately killed. In his history it reveals that he contemplated, at the beginning of the war, aligning himself with the Allies, France and England. He chose to align himself with the Germans because he saw the Allies as “dying” countries. He chose poorly.

Well that’s it for now. Till next time, ciao, ciao!

One of the many castles...amazing!

Continued, different castle

Our shadow as we traveled on the sky-tram up to Campo Imperatore Hotel

Sister Thacker was petrified at the height!

Standing in front of the hotel

In the lobby of the hotel where Mussolini was being held

The plateau where the gliders landed

Our Tom-Tom took us down this road which was barricaded for some time. Only 20 miles out of the way. Happens frequently, but you can't live without a navigation system. Amazing technology.

While Katy/Houston got hammered with rain, this area is in a drought. This is basically a drain for the lake it supports. You can see that the water is no where even close.

They don't suffer from hurricanes, but this is from recent earthquakes.

A colleseum 2000 years old located 50 miles from Rome. You have to have population concentration to support the need of one of these. Walking around these structures imagining what they were thinking and doing so long ago!

Grape orchards everywhere.

Another castle. You may tire of seeing them, but I DON"T!

Post 10 & 11

If you read nothing else on this post, please read the final paragraph as it is a witness of God’s love for us.

Last week was a whirlwind! It was “transfer week” which is where our missionaries move from one area to another area within the mission as directed by the Mission President. We are responsible for all the logistics relating to this travel. We worked almost every night until 8:00 and one night until 10:00. Though we worked long hours it was very gratifying as we had the opportunity to say farewell to 15 missionaries that had completed their 18 or 24-month mission and then welcomed 19 new missionaries. One of our other responsibilities is to help serve and clean up dinner for both the outgoing and incoming missionaries on different days. It is customary at the end of the evening to have what we call a testimony meeting for the outgoing missionaries to give them a chance to bear witness of what they have learned on their mission. They are truly wonderful meetings, as we get to hear their various stories and experiences and observe the growth that has taken place in their lives, especially regarding their testimonies of Christ, as they served Him by serving their fellowman. Through that service, they have felt His approval and His ever-loving presence. The outgoing missionaries, now a mere 20-21 years old, show such maturity, calmness and peace that far surpasses their peers. Then we get to observe the incoming missionaries, so full of excitement, enthusiasm and a bit of trepidation, ready to proclaim to the world their testimonies of Christ and bring others unto Him. Being with them, you can’t help but to get caught up in their excitement.

We also had a wonderful visit from Sarah Kelley and her sister last week. Unfortunately, they came during transfer week, so we were unable to spend much time with them, but we did have a few precious moments together. They also brought us some badly needed “goodies” from home. Thank you both for your kindness and effort in coming to see us. We loved it!

On Friday, Sorella Knies completed her 4 weeks of Italian. She is far from fluent, but much improved. Our tutor, Sorella Peterson encouraged me to introduce myself to one person per day and explain in Italian that “I am learning Italian, would they help me to practice”. In all cases the “local’s” are more than willing to accommodate, but after I stumble through the questions, they break in to a 2-minute answer without pausing for a breath. I nod my head as if to say I understand what they are saying and then ask the next simple question and get the same type of response. I am not sure what they are thinking, since they respond as if I have spoken Italian all my life and clearly I have not and don’t speak it now! Anyway, we are trying and hopefully the Lord will answer our prayers for “the gift of tongues”.

This week has been much calmer. It gave both Sorella Knies and I the opportunity to “catch up” on other things we are responsible for. It is now Saturday and we are headed back to Rome with the Guercio’s after a 3-day trip inspecting apartments in Foggia, Bari, Lecce, Brindisi and Cratone. That is covering a lot of country, almost to the “toe of the boot” and back. Sorella Knies and I were in a separate car and first inspected the Foggia apartments and on our way to Bari to meet up with the Guercio’s and the Thacker’s drove through the small town of Stornara, which is where my father’s airfield and living quarters were located during World War II. The airfield is now gone, but we were able to stand in the very place that my father and so many others like him lived and flew out of, to battle for and ultimately win the very freedom the WORLD enjoys today. Thank you, Dad, and all of the “GREATEST GENERATION” for the sacrifices you all made! We are forever in your debt. To be able to find and visit that location has been on my bucket list for decades!

In addition to that amazing opportunity to visit my father’s airfield, we also had an experience in Bari that AGAIN testified of Our Father in Heaven’s love for us and THE FACT that He cares about even “little things”. When we first arrived at the apartment in Bari, Sorella Knies needed to immediately access the internet to be able to take care of her “nursing stuff” as we had been without internet connection for over 9 hours and she had several pressing matters that needed her attention. She was understandably “stressed” and we were having difficulty accessing the internet. She and I of course, being technology challenged, were of no help while Sorella and Anziano Guercio worked feverishly trying to make the connection. Anziano Thacker also joined in the effort and added his assistance. At one point when I observed Sorella Knies’ sadness and anxiety I whispered to Anziano Thacker, “we need to get this connection immediately as Sorella Knies is really concerned about several of the missionaries that need her care.” He disappeared and then reappeared and went up to the modem and made a few adjustments and said, “its working now” and Sorella Knies was immediately able to access the internet and take care of “her business”. When asked what he had done and how he knew what to do, he responded with a very humble answer. He said that when he saw the desperate look on Sorella Knies’ face, he left and said a prayer to Heavenly Father and explained to Him that she needed His help, and asked for His guidance in helping him to know what to do. He finished his short prayer and went up to the modem, made a few “tweaks” and opened a small, previously unnoticed door on the modem that revealed a switch that he then turned on as directed by the Spirit and it began working immediately. He stated that he didn’t have a clue what to do, but the Spirit did and he just followed it. How thankful I am that he thought to pray and then to follow the promptings he received. Again, testimony that God hears and answers our prayers because HE LOVES US and desires to bless us. What a precious “tender mercy.”

Well, that’s it for now. Ciao, ciao!

Noi ti amiamo così tanto,

Anziano e Sorella Knies

Egyptian Obelisk, from the 13th century B.C. taken and brought to Rome

and erected in Piazza del Popolo in the year 1589