Carissimi,
When you let a few weeks go by without writing home a substantial amount, you build up enough quality material to send out a mass email, so ... enjoy!
Making History:
In what was historical only for those who knew it was occurring, we gathered in Bari for the first Puglia Zone Conference in the history of mankind. In combining the Bari and Taranto zones at the beginning of the transfer, Anziano Baker and I were thrown a unique challenge. Overnight, we became the second largest zone in the mission, but unlike Rome West, (the largest), whose Anziani and Sorelle can be found conveniently within an hour of the city of Rome or less, our missionaries are spread out from Foggia, down to Lecce, over to Crotone, and everywhere in between. Despite the distance, and Southern Italy's inconsistent and inconvenient public transportation methods, just about everyone arrived in time to be roasted alive on the calcio field, Tuesday morning. We played on a full size field, under a brutally cloudless sky, and had the most interesting assortment of talent among the 25 Anziani and Sorelle who participated, but it ended up being just about the most fun I've ever had at a zone calcio! Though I was robbed of the game winning goal by a questionably executed tackle in the box, the only salt you could find on Anziano Toronto was the sweat covering him from head to toe. I enjoyed every second of the game, and loved getting to see some of the quieter members of the zone shine on the soccer field. After showers, (mandatory all around), we had interviews, prepared for addestramenti and musical numbers, and tried to manage the chaos that is Zone Conference.
The following morning, an early one for yours truly, as I still felt like our addestramento was missing something, and I spent an hour or so studying and praying until I felt like I had it figured out. An interesting pattern in the preparation for this addestramento was receiving guidance, "Line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little, and there a little." Of course we wanted answers immediately, but they simply didn't come. Over the week of studying, I was far more familiar with the feeling of a "stupor of thought," than with the desired "rushes of revelation." Yet, the rushes, though infrequent, came when necessary, and as we began conference I felt an assurance that we were teaching what God needed the Puglia Zone to hear.
We were taught by Presidente and Sorella Pickerd, who spoke of building our foundation upon the pillars of the doctrine of Christ, and improving our teaching abilities. We heard from the assistants who taught of the gathering of Israel and applying the scriptures to ourselves, and above all we were masterfully instructed by the Spirit.
Along the way there were a few hiccups, including lost Anziani the morning of Zone Conference, late panzerotti, spilled pineapple juice all over the kitchen floor, and a leaking water fountain, however the greatest of all the hiccups came as we began singing the Inno di Roma, (basically our mission fight song), to end the conference. 5 minutes before we sang, as President and Sister Pickerd were offering final comments and testimony, I saw Anziano Baker and Anziano Gibson slip out the side door of the chapel into the foyer. When they hadn't returned by the time we began singing, I decided to check on them, and good thing too, cause things were about to get crazy!
Weeping, Wailing, and Gnashing of Teeth:
As I stepped into the foyer, they were right outside the front door, waiting to come in, but with them was another man. I opened the door, and in they come, the man taking a few steps and collapsing onto the bench in the front hall. I look at the other Anziani and they shake their heads, just as clueless as I was. He then starts crying hysterically about "just wanting to sell his lemons," and pleading for us to buy his melons, and the like... At this point, warning bells started going off in my head, and I remembered Vescovo Valentini warning us of a man who matched this description who sometimes shows up at the church and makes a scene hoping to get money. The other Anziani had no clue and being the christlike servants they are, they grab him a cup of water, and tell him it's going to be all right. Then things turned for the worse... he made a move to enter the chapel, grabbing the handle and trying to force his way past me into Zone Conference, which I could not let happen. I stopped the attempt, and calmly told Anziano Baker to hand me the phone so that I could call the police, then he lost his mind hahahaha He ran at me and punched me a few times, while the others tried to hold him back. I begin calling the police, all the while taking the occasional bull rush and punch, and let me just make an aside here...
In Italy, there is not really a 911 number that you can call, instead, you have to memorize the different services, i.e. 112 for carabinieri, 118 for the fire department, 115 for the ambulance etc, but I couldn't for the the life of me remember which was which in the heat of the moment, and accidently called the fire department, he kindly directed me to the right number, and I made the correction. The policeman, after hearing me describe the situation gave a huge, audible sigh, and said, "Not again, you've got to be kidding me..." I wish I had been kidding, but we had a hostile gypsy on our hands
As he heard me talking with the police he began leaving, but not before getting a few more nice words and punches in... for the life of me I'll never know why he chose to physically and verbally attack, not the scrawny white kid, (forgive me Anziano Gibson), or the shorter Mexican looking kid, (forgive me Anziano Baker), but the 6' 6" giant standing in his way. I certainly cannot, nor will not ever forget taking the wrath of a gypsy in the foyer of the Bari Libertà church building, haha Zone Conference was historical on all counts!
The Aftermath:
I felt like Europe cleaning up after World War I and II as we tried to once again make our house livable. Zone Conference always takes it's toll, physically, and mentally, but the spiritual payoff makes it worth it. We've spent the last few days recovering, cleaning, finding, and serving. I especially enjoyed the chance to visit with the Valentini family Friday night, who's son, Marco, had just had his appendix removed the day before. We brought banana bread, and ended up staying a while as we visited with Vescovo, his wife, and a few of the friends Marco had invited over. We ended the night with Grazie a Lui and our testimonies for those young, impressionable youth, and hope for another opportunity to follow up on the message we shared!
Go ye Therefore, and Preach His Gospel
To close I offer a special invite to members of my family, friends on missions, companions, brothers, sisters (literal and or metaphysical), and between all of those that should include just about all of you. At zone conference our message was centered around the study and application of the Lord's missionary manual, Preach My Gospel. We invited the members of the zone to make it a priority, not just a possibility among other study options. For you missionaries, it contains God's revealed pattern for missionary work as a full time representative, for family members and friends who are already part of the church, it contains the essentials required in maintaining a testimony, for those who aren't members, start with Chapter 5, and learn what the Book of Mormon can do for you. Study, and apply it, daily, and you will see a change in your life, just as I have!
I love each of you, especially if you made it through this, another one of Anziano Toronto's Pauline Epistles, (Paul's probably more interesting, and definitely more inspired, so read him too )!
Until you open your inbox and see another inordinately long letter from yours truly!
Anziano Toronto II 🇮🇹
