La Coppia Ellsworth: March 2023

This week we experienced our first transfers in the mission. It is a strange feeling to be saying goodbye to missionaries we have grown to love and also excited to be welcoming the new ones and realizing that everyone will move in and out but us.

We said goodbye to Sorelle Beus and Thompson in the Bari District as well Sorella Groberg and Anziano Wilding in Taranto District. We have loved working with each of them.

One of our responsibilities is helping with transfers so Wednesday and Thursday we did a lot of trips to the train station. On Thursday we had a mix up with luggage. Right as the train was ready to leave Sorella Beus realized that her backpack with all her study materials didn't make it out of the car. She was transferring to Castellammare which is about 3 hours from here. Soooooo, road trip for us!

Friday morning we got up early so we could get Sorella Beus' backpack to her early. We were there by 10:00 am. With our scheduled cleared until 7:00 pm we decided to take a little side trip to Sorrento and then we drove the Amalfi Coast. What a spectacular drive. In the summer it gets really congested and they have put restrictions on the amount of cars. But in March it isn't too crowded yet. And by too crowded I mean no traffic jams. In every town there were cars parked for at least a kilometer from the town. The Amalfi Coast is incredible and draws crowds year round, but in the summer the traffic can get backed up by 5 or 6 kilometers. It is a crazy drive full of narrow roads and hairpin turns. You are also on the edge of a cliff the entire drive. It has been rated one of the best drives in the world! We can see why! It was spectacular! We marveled as city bus drivers made the incredibly tight turns around curves in the road. That is some driving skill for sure!

The other excitement this week was Stake Conference in Taranto which is about a 90 minute drive from here. We decided to stay overnight in Taranto since we had been asked to speak in the GANS class on Saturday as well as the general session Sunday morning. The GANS class was really great because we were able to meet several of our young adults who we hadn't yet. Speaking in both meetings was nerve wracking for me but Luke handled like a champ!

The Sorella of Bari

Sorrento Coast

Amalfi Coast

The Missionary Life Continues

Liz and I continuing to adjust to missionary life and we continue to work on our Italian. I've got the advantage of having previously served as a missionary in Italy, so I have a good understanding of the language. Liz is still working hard and doing well, though it can be frustrating for her on occasion.

This past Sunday we attended church at the Taranto 1st Ward in Statte. They met in a lovely old building converted into a chapel. The members were warm and welcoming and we enjoyed seeing Sisters Groberg and Gray, the two young missionaries assigned to that ward. After the meetings, we were invited to have pranzo (lunch) with a family that lives within the ward boundaries. We were surprised to find out that they live 40 miles away, in the city of Bernalda. They had a remarkable conversion story they shared with us--and we love hearing the member's conversion stories. They then fed us a scrumptious lunch of many courses. We had fried cheese balls with fresh cheese and olives as an appetizer. The first course was a hearty serving of an amazing lasagna. By now we were pretty full. But wait, there's more! The second course was breaded fried chicken filets. I had to beg off part of my second helping of the chicken to Liz for the assist! Next was French fried potatoes. Then finally, the end was in sight. She served us some very yummy gelato, then we had our pick of pistachios and brazil nuts. In all, we were there about three hours and we such a lovely time. Our host confessed that her dream would be to be able to serve a pranzo to a dozen people each day. She also told us that when she hosted missionaries (the sisters were with us), that she felt like she was hosting the Savior. We were a little embarrassed with the comparison, but grateful for her sincere desire to serve us.

After the pranzo, we had to get home fairly quickly to host the young adults in the Bari wards to our weekly family night. We got to drive past such beautiful scenery on the way, past yet more olive groves, blossoming peach and apricot orchards, green fields with cattle grazing, mountaintop villages made of stone, and deep canyons and rolling hills. This region is Basilicata, in the instep of the Italian boot-shaped peninsula.

Then this past Wednesday, we drove up to Foggia to inspect the Elder's apartment there, then to take the Elders out on a preparation day activity of their choice. They chose well, and we headed East into the Gargano National Park. We drove up a very steep, windy road to the city of Monte Sant'Angelo, 2,600 feet above the Adriatic Sea spread out below. After stopping for a picnic lunch, we headed up to the old part of the city to see the Sanctuary of Saint Michael the Archangel. This is a very old shrine with the main chapel having been dug deep in an underground cave. As we descended down the grand staircase, it was interesting to see many of the dates carved into the soft limestone. One I noted was written in pencil by Angelo, from the city of Gifoni, dated February 1664. I considered all that had happened since that date!

After the visiting the Sanctuary, we headed back up to the top of Mount Gargano to the Castle. With Liz being such a castle buff, we had to see the castle too. And it didn't disappoint. The oldest part of the castle, the Giant's Tower, dates back to the year 979. It has bee nicely restored and you can access many parts of it, including some gloomy prison cells, and a very nicely restored principle residence that shows what it likely looked like in its heyday. The views from the wall were truly amazing, with vast views to the South over the Adriatic, and views to the North over the Umbrian Forest. It was overcast, but the clouds gave our photos great lighting and effect.

Afterward, we were able to get our Elders back to their apartment in Foggia a little after 5:00pm, so they still had some time to visit with their families before resuming missionary work. We drove home in time to attend the Poggiofranco ward council. We truly love our work here and love being missionaries in this remarkable land.