In the park.

June 28, 2009

Sunday!  Church was so great.  Viola didn’t tell anyone I was going to be there so it was a big surprise for a lot of people.  I said hello to as many as I could between classes but mostly I just watched because I don’t really care if they remember me, I care more that I see them well and that they are still strong.  It’s interesting how it works because since this was my last area of my mission and I was most effective as a missionary and confident in the language I feel like I grew closer to the people here than in any other city.  The people in this ward are so amazing!  A lot of them are from the south of Italy, mostly from Naples, and it was so cool to hear them speak in dialect again and speak Italian with their southern accent.  I saw so many of my good friends.  I was really happy to see the young women.  I didn’t realize how good of friends they had been because they all remembered me.  During relief society we had a lesson about virtue.  It’s interesting to see how much this ward has grown.  They were actually a branch when I was here and have just recently become a ward.  It’s also interesting to see how different the members are here than the members from the Milano ward. 

It was also great to see the church building again.  A long time ago the building was a villa that belonged to one of the cardinals of the catholic church here in Como.  I think it might have been empty for a long time before the church bought it.  Now its completely redone inside with a sacrament room and classrooms.  It's a great building because there are still figures of the Virgin Mary etched on the outside wall.  And there are two roman arches that frame the front entrance. 

After church we came home and had lunch.  Vivana had a friend from the ward over and they played while Viola and I took naps.  Later in the evening we went to a park where a bunch of members get together Sunday evenings and bring desserts to share with each other.  Their kids play in the grass and the young women catch up on each other’s lives.  All the girls are excited because they’re leaving for girl’s camp tomorrow.  I had my camera out and took a few pictures because they were all so cute just sitting on the park benches and talking.  I asked to take a few pictures of the girls and they totally got into it and wanted me to take lots. 

I got a few good shots but unfortunately I left my usb cable in Milano so I can’t download them onto my computer until I get back to Milano next week.