Napoli! Transfer 9 Week 4!

A trip to Rome, Birthday fun, a baptism and apartment moving!

So many unexpected things have happened this week but the Lord is most definitely in the details and watches over us!

On Monday we were told that Sister Pickerd has been diagnosed with early stage Breast Cancer and on Tuesday President and a Sister Pickerd flew to Utah for surgery at the Huntsman Cancer Institute. It was caught early and they are very hopeful! Please keep them in your prayers. President Pickerd will return shortly after the surgery and Sister Pickerd will return as soon as she is permitted by the doctors. In the mean time we have been assigned an interim President, President Euvart who presided over the Milan mission back in the 1980's. He and his wife are from France and are wonderful people!

We had a Family Home Evening planned on Monday night with a less active couple which didn't go as planned... Her whole extended family are members and so it turned into half the neighborhood at the house and we didn't get to really do much of a Family Home Evening but we got to eat, we shared a message and had to catch the Subway home!

We also found out on Monday that we would be traveling to Rome on Tuesday... Anziano Perfili had an appointment months ago to get his fingerprints done for his Permesso but skipped it to go to Zone Conference. They have since learned that's not a good idea... Anyway they never answer the phone so the Office told us to come to Rome and go in person and try to get it done. So we took a train  early in the morning to Rome and went to Ostia. We waited there for like half an hour and then Anziano Perfili tried to talk to them and they gave him an appointment for the end of the month. So we have to go back again. So I spent all of my birthday on trains and waiting in immigration offices and walking all over Rome! Italy is becoming so touristy... on the way to Rome we sat across from a couple from Western Australia 🇦🇺 , we helped some lost Americans while in Rome, came back and our train was full of people visiting from Asia. When we got back it was just in time for English Course! They all sang Happy Birthday to me which was really nice and then it being the Fourth of July we went to Burgerking so we could have burgers  haha  

Wednesday we started an exchange with the Elders from Castellammare. Remember Anziano Haws from when I was in Crotone? He was my district leader there and now he's here in the Napoli zone! We went to their District Meeting in the morning and then all went to McDonalds... another Independence Day celebration... After that we started our exchange. I worked with Anziano Hansen who is from Idaho/Utah. He's a great kid, we had a lot of fun! We did a lot of finding and then went white Boarding with the other Anziani. Anziano Pesci called us at like 10 and said that our District Meeting was cancelled and that we had to come and help them move into their new apartment last minute. So when you move out in Italy you take literally everything. Including the kitchen sink. Light fixtures, kitchen cabinets, literally everything. The other Anziani we're moving in to a new apartment and the office decided last minute that the Assistants would be driving the mission van down with a whole kitchen in it so it could be installed. So we got everything moved in and then they said "While they're here with the van we might as well take your fridge and beds from the old apartment" well the Anziani had nothing packed because they weren't expecting to move. So this week has been kind of crazy. Our apartment has turned into a 6 man house... 

That was the end of our exchange more or less, we went and picked up Anziano Perfili from Castellammare and were able to participate in a Priesthood Blessing and then turned around and got home just in time. 

Friday we weekly planned and I made Roasted chickens and mashed potatoes for lunch for everyone, it was so good! Then we had three appointments set up for the afternoon. One by one we went to the Church and they didn't show up... it was kind of disappointing but we got to do some great finding. We went to this little kind of ghetto park and taught the Restoration a few times to a couple groups of college aged kids. Both groups were currently smoking pot but were actually super interested and listened. We got some phone numbers and it went pretty well! 

Saturday one of our English Course Students had her final High School exam. In Italy you choose which High School you want to go to based on what you want to study like in High School. Nicoletta goes to a Linguistics school and so her final oral exam includes all of her teachers sitting in a panel and she goes from one to another and has an oral exam. There's also a spectator spot and she invited us to come because part of the test would be about English. It was super interesting and she did really well! We had given her a "For the Strength of Youth" wallet fold thing and it was in her textbook. One of her teachers took it out and started reading it and then soon half the panel was reading about the Church's standards for youth! It was so funny! Then at the end the teacher stuck it under her phone and didn't put it back! She kept it! Our English Course Students are doing missionary work! 

We had a short DDM afterwards and got pizza  AGAIN! 

In the afternoon we had Israel's baptism! He is Anziano Pesci's and Anziano Smith's investigator and President and Sister Euvard as well as the Assistants came down from Rome to see it. It was really great! Israel chose the Branch President to baptize him which was a really big step in bridging he gap between the Italians and the refugees. President got real emotional and the spirit was super strong. We don't have a baptismal font here so we go to the ocean but it's July so you can't find a single piece of beach without people... so we had a very public baptism with so many people in speedos and bikinis watching Israel get baptized! Kinda awkward but everyone came up and talked to us afterwards which was really cool! 

Sunday was great! Anziano and Sorella Hyde are the Senior Couple here and hey both served here in Napoli 45 years ago! Anziano Hyde was able to get into contact with someone he baptized way back then as a young missionary and he came to Church today! He was super cool and he said it felt like he had never left! It was great to have him back and a super great experience for the Hydes! 

That was the week! We're headed to Positano today for P-Day! It's supposed to be super beautiful! I'm excited! I hope you all have a great week! 

Love,

Elder Jacob Bellucci