Christmas with the Gibbs Family

What a wonderful Christmas we had this year. It was a quiet day surrounded by friends. Crystal Gibbs invited us and the Caserta missionaries to come over for the day.

As you can see, Crystal invited us for breakfast. She made Aebleskivers. They are Danish pancake balls; and they are S-O-O-O-O good!! She cooked them in coconut oil instead of corn oil which added a fantastic flavor to them. Thanks Crystal, I think this has just become a Christmas tradition in our household.

The Gibbs have 3 great kids. Noah is 8, Alex is 2 and Samantha is 9 months. 

Eric is currently deployed and Crystal is fantastic at "keeping the home fires burning".

Eric, we miss you and know you miss being home with the family; but they are doing well and are anxious for your return.

Noah, being a typical 8 year old boy full of energy, spent most of the morning outside with his friends; but we had a great time with Crystal, Alex and Samantha while he was gone.

Even the Elder's found time to play and enjoy themselves.

It's great that no matter where you go there are always others there to share the important times of your life. Time where you spend loving, laughing and lifting each other. 

We hope you all had a great Christmas. But then, how could it be anything other than "great" since we have the best gift of all, the life and atonement of Jesus Christ, which makes it possible for us to repent and continue improving and growing like our Savior and our Father in Heaven. After all . . . that is the plan; for all of us to return to him. 

( PS - this is not the house of a missionary - it is the house of a Relief Society President)

We pray that the Lord blesses you this coming year as you face the challenges, blessings and trials which the Lord sees fit to come across your path; as he molds you to become worthy to return home to him. 

Get Wisdom, Get Understanding

I laid in bed last night feeling I had left something out of my blog. I realized it was incomplete because I had left out the text of the message of the Plan of Salvation. For my kids, all of you should have PEACH MY GOSPEL in your homes. It is a good resource for Family Home Evenings. For those of you who do not have Peach My Gospel and are interested on what the pictures mean, here is a link to the text.

http://broadcast.lds.org/Missionary/PreachMyGospel___07_03-2_PlanOfSalvation__36617_eng_007.pdf

A few years ago our son, Jason, was reading Proverbs and telling us how much he loved it. I have to admit I have not read Proverbs since I was a teenager. At that time it did not seem very interesting to me. However, I am now in that part of my studies of the Old Testament. I now see what Jason was talking about. I love it too.

Yesterday I was reading Chapter 4. I love the guideline for the flow of our spiritual progress:

• v-1 - "Here, ye children, the instructions of a father, and attend to KNOW UNDERSTANDING." First we must  gain knowledge. But knowledge is not enough.
• v-4 - "He taught me also, and said unto me, Let thine heart retain my words: KEEP MY COMMANDMENTS." Knowledge is strengthened and explained as we keep his commandments. It is then that we gain _______________
• v-5 - "Get WISDOM, get understanding." We can only gain wisdom by experience or by the teachings of the Holy Ghost.. Wisdom is knowing why and how knowledge effects us. 

As we follow this pattern; what is the blessing that the Lord wants us to achieve?

• v-12 - "When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straightened (NOT DISTRESSED); and when thou runnest, thou shalt NOT STUMBLE."
• v-13 - "Take fast, hold of instructions; let her not go; keep her; for she is thy LIFE."
• v-18 - "But the path of the just is as the shining LIGHT, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.

Everything goes back to the Plan of Salvation. Why are we here? Does my life here have a meaning other than the few years I'm here? How does my life here effect my life with God? 

As I ponder the answer to these questions my heart swells as if it will burst; my love for my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ becomes so strong that there is nothing they can ask that I will not do. I know who I am. I know why I'm here. And I know where I'm going. 

I encourage each of you to ponder on this and then do as the Lord says will bring us life and light; that is to get knowledge, obey his commandments and you will be blessed with wisdom and (eternal) life and light.

I know these things are true. I have put them to the test and the Lord has blessed me beyond measure. This is my testimony, that He lives and loves us. I say these thing in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

PLAN OF SALVATION - for you

Some of my children have asked me to send them my PLAN OF SALVATION kit that I showed on the blog "I am thankful for my experience in Italy". I thought I would post it online in case anyone else wanted it for their use.

I got the idea from one of the missionaries, Elder Bradford. His sister had created one for him that was in Italian. I love to play with Photoshop Elements, probably to much, so here is what I came up with. It is not professional and you can tell it it made by an amateur, but I had fun doing it and the families we teach seem to like it.

You will most definitely want to be sure to print the pages out at 8.5"X11" in order for the dimensions to be correct.

Be sure to watch out for shadows, like with the arrows and the title scroll.

Also, I use clear contact laminate in order to make the spirits. I start by cutting the boy and girl out including the background (the boy's blue background and the girl's pink background). Then I fold the contact laminate to it's self and scotch tape the boy or girl to the laminate. That way I can cut out the person and the spirit at the same time and they will be the correct proportions.

I like to make more than one set of spirits; that way there will be spirits in the pre-earth when the boy or girl are born to the earth.

When I'm explaining the plan of salvation to people, I will put the body under the "RIP" to signify the burial of the body while the spirit goes to the spirit world.

I would love to hear how your teaching goes and any suggestions for making the kit better.

Have Fun!

Art Linkletter was right . . .

Kids say the darn'est things!

Here is a picture of Derek & Valerie’s family. David is the oldest, he turned 6 last week; Cheyenne is next, she will be 5 in early January; and Emily was born 4 days before we went to the MTC to start our mission, she just turned 1 late August. Not that I’m prejudice, but, what a cute family!

Valerie was talking to us today and telling stories about the children.

It seems, Cheyenne is quite the little housekeeper.

Valerie was lying on the couch and Cheyenne brought Emily to her, and in the "I think I am quite grown-up" voice said, "Here, watch your baby! I'm trying to do the laundry!!!!"

I am thankful for my experience in Italy.

The weather this fall has been absolutely WONDERFUL! It has only rained a few times; but, when it rains it POURS! Last year, after, Halloween, it was rainy and cold and rainy and cold. Luckily this year it has been very warm, for fall that is, during the day and relatively cool at night. We are grateful because it has been very helpful with our utility bill. We only run our heaters at night and in the morning when we take a shower. During the day we open the windows because it is warmer outside than it is inside.

Since everyone lives in such close proximity to each other, their houses are made to be as fire resistant as possible. They do not use wood in the construction of their homes; instead they use clay or concrete blocks. They do not use insulation or sheet rock either; they plaster the inside walls and put a skim coat of mortar on the outside. Even the paint is a white-wash which makes wiping the walls impossible without taking the paint off. They do not use carpeting, but all the floors have tile everywhere. Our window casings and sills as well as the door jams are marble. This gives the home a lot of character but it really keeps the outside temperature, whether hot or cold, transmitted to the inside of the house.

Our central heat is furnished by radiators on the walls. These are fed by a gas boiler (hot water heater). My mom and aunt will understand the advantages and disadvantages, but for those of us who have grown up with central heat/air conditioning, we are at a loss. In our apartment, thanks to the previous missionaries, we also have heat/air conditioning units in the living room and our bedroom. We also use small space heaters in the two bathrooms.

We have a built in control that helps us reserve our electricity; our electric meter. We can only run two appliances at a time. If we run a third, it flips our meter and the electricity to the apartment is shut off. When that happens we have to go downstairs and flip the switch to turn it back on. What a pain! (I can see the Drapers laughing right now.) But, I'm glad since electricity is very expensive and this helps us keep our costs down. So it turns out to be a blessing in disguise.

I can see why older people are usually wiser than younger people, at least that is how it was for me when I was younger. I'm finding that I become wiser as my experiences increase. I am so grateful for the experiences I have had here on my mission. My eyes have been opened to a way of life that has changed me. I am open to learn not only the way other people do what they do, but also to ask myself why and how does this knowledge help me become a better person.

I see that I have grown spiritually while on my mission. I think a lot of this growth is because I have been totally focused on the gospel of Jesus Christ and the Plan of Salvation. As I study to learn the truth of the gospel in such depth as I have not done so before and as I teach others, the Lord also is teaching me. He is opening up my mind to the things of eternity. I have always said to my children, "it doesn't have eternal consequences". I am learning a deeper meaning to that phrase. Some of the things I thought were essential to have or to do don't seem as important as before. I am learning to do with less and I am perfectly happy and content.

And I'm still alive!

Another part of Italy that has penetrated our lives is the cost and availability of some foods. Milk, cheese and meat are extremely expensive so they are used as condiments or sparingly used to flavor the food. The bulk of their meal is pasta and rice and lots and lots of fruits and vegetables.

Where have I heard this before????

. . . The order and will of God in the temporal salvation of all saints in the last days . . . a principle with a promise . . . all wholesome herbs God hath ordained for the constitution, nature and use of man - . . . every fruit in the season thereof . . . flesh of the beast and of the fowls of the air, I, the Lord, have ordained for the use of man with thanksgiving; nevertheless they are to be used sparingly . . . All grain is ordained for the use of man . . . to be the staff of life . . . that which yieldeth fruit, whether in the ground or above the ground . . . And all saints who remember to keep and do these sayings, walk in obedience to the commandments, shall receive health . . .

I hope to come back a wiser and healthier person.

I LOVE being on a mission! Words cannot describe the joy of missionary work. How great it is for the youth of our church to have this experience at the beginning of their adult life where they now have such spiritual strength and a lot more wisdom as to the importance of decisions that will affect their eternal life.

We too have grown tremendously in the last year. A year! A year? We can't believe it's been a whole year since we have left our loved ones at home, yet at the same time it feels like we have been here our entire lives and will grow old and die here (don't worry kids, the Church is sending us our return ticket).

It has been very fascinating to view others and their relationship with God and their observance in their religion. Granted this is a highly populated area of Catholicism where the religion has been a major force for centuries, but as I look at others I reflect on my relationship with God and my observance of my religion. Do I go to church just to go to church or for appearances to others; is my worship truly worship where I am focused on my Father in Heaven and my Savior Jesus Christ, to show gratitude for the blessings in my life, to renew my covenants with the partaking of the sacrament with real intent, to learn what I should learn, to serve as He would serve? I think this is a constant concept we must ponder on and continually work at if we are to become the people of God, a Zion people.

This is what I am learning as a missionary. To be a truly righteous daughter of God, and show my gratitude by doing the things He would have me do; to take upon me his name and do his will:

• To love God with all my heart, might, mind and soul;
• To love my neighbor as myself.

This is what I am learning to do to a greater degree than ever before and I love the feeling of joy and peace I receive by doing this.

Herculaneum

A few weeks ago we visited the ruins of Herculaneum. Here are some pictures we took and some things we thought you might find interesting.

Herculaneum was a small town (the urban area was equivalent to about 1/3rd of the area of Pompeii - Population 4,000-5,000). It was situated on the furthest slopes of Vesuvius between 2 rivers overlooking the sea.

Here are some views of the past and present. The city of Ercolano is built over the ruins. In both pictures, the new city begins at the yellow buildings.

In 63 A.D., this town was abruptly interrupted by a disastrous earthquake which devastated not only Herculaneum, but the entire Campania region (by the way, we live in the Campania region). The town suffered serious damage.

The earthquake was only prelude to a far worse catastrophe. On August 24, 79 A.D., the town, still undergoing repairs from the earthquake damage, was engulfed by a huge river of boiling mud and debris produced by the terrifying eruption of the volcano; penetrating every home, every street, every building, every square, everything in its path.

The eruption of 79 A.D. radically altered the lay of the land; by raising it over 20 meters (over 65 feet). As Pompeii was destroyed by lava, ash and white-hot rock, Herculaneum was destroyed by a huge river of mud and debris; thereby preserving items such as tables, chairs, beds, etc.

The walls you see here were the western border of the city. The water of the Mediterranean Sea would come up to these walls.

Another difference from the fate of Pompeii was that the population of Herculaneum probably had time to escape towards the sea. However, for most of the fugitives, the attempt to reach safety failed because of a violent tidal wave preventing them from fleeing the catastrophe.

Historically, Herculaneum had Greek orgins. The Greeks of Neapolis ruled Herculaneum from the 6th century B.C.

Between the 2nd and 1st centuries B.C., Herculaneum was one of the Campanian towns which fought against Roman domination. But in 89 B.C. the town of Herculaneum was forced to yield to Rome.

The Greek influence is seen through out the town, from the architecture and construction of it's buildings to the layout of the city (main roads running north-south and the secondary ones running east-west; built at right angles in a strictly regular pattern).

Look closely at the column which has damage to it. This is a special glimpse inside the making of their columns. We were surprised to see the structural base of the column (or center) was brick with a covering of decorative concrete or marble.

Interesting!

Their walls were build with bricks and then covered with a thick layer of plaster. If you look closely you will see different types of bricks used and laid out in different patterns. The plaster would then be decoratively covered.

The homes were built around an open courtyard. The walkways around the courtyard was left open on the ground level.

The size of the homes and the lavishness in which they were build and decorated, says much about the inhabitants who lived here.

This particular home is the largest one found; some if it is unable to be excavated because of the town above it. If you look closely you should be able to see the stairway on the right in the back.

What surprised us the most was the way in which they handled their sewer and water delivery. Herculaneum had an underground sewage system as opposed to Pompeii's open sewer, the streets. Each home in Herculaneum had their sewage piped to the main line under the streets; which dumped into the bay.

This picture shows the pipes they used to deliver the water to the houses. They are made of lead.

Iron was used in the structural support for the building as well. We found iron, as shown in these two pictures, in the ceiling and side walls. There was even an iron I-Beam in the wall of the men's gymnasium.

As shown in the picture above, the Greek influence is no more prevalent than in the homes. Each home had an area for worship of their Gods. They had these sacellums (some were small as above and some were large as shown to the right) where the statues of their Gods would reside.

What fascinates me is the likeness the Catholic's sanctuary, which they have for their statues that are placed at several of the homes, to the sacellums of the Greeks.

The floors of the homes were lavish and intricate. Here is a picture of the floor in one of the rooms of the men's gymnasium. Imagine laying each of these tiles!

If you look carefully you can see that the floor has dropped. There is a step in the upper left-hand corner. Originally there was no step; it was one level floor.

The white tiles in this home are laid out in a certain pattern. Although they are not florescent, they could be seen at night to help those walking around know where to walk.

Some homes had wells. This opening was marred by the rope used to draw the water. That is what these marks are from. Originally the opening was smooth and round.

There were some businesses in Herculaneum. Those businesses were support for the residence. There were laundries and food establishments and whatever other business that were needed to support the residents at the time. Here is a picture of a food establishment that was uncovered in the excavation.

That was our venture into the past at Herculaneum. We only explored about 1/3rd of what was there. We Hope you liked our short tour.

We send all our love to our family and friends. We think of you always.

Elder and Sister Warner

Kids are so smart these days!!!

I was just talking to Emily about her new baby's blessing, which was today, and she told me Makayla knows her alphabet. That's not such a big deal except for the fact that Makayla is only 2 1/2 years old. Children now days just blow me away!

Here is a picture of Emily's children:
Artie, Makayla (they call her Kayla), Samuel (they call him Sammy)

Cute Vehicles

I cannot believe it has been 3 weeks since I have posted to the blog! Where does the time go??

Everything seems to be going well at home. The babies are growing. Emily is a year old now and I am on my second year of birthday presents. Emma was baptized last month, Audrey will be baptized in November, Kameron and Aric will be ordained to the Aaronic Priesthood this next year and 3 babies have been blessed and one more in on the way. Why did everyone wait until we decided to go on a mission to get pregnant? Life is just not fair!!!

But we love our work. We love the gospel of Jesus Christ and spending our entire time focused on that, except when talking to family, is such a spiritual high. We work hard and are very busy. We each have duties in the local branch. Dad is the branch clerk and I teach a primary class. I also take care of a bulletin board that's theme changes each month. It is really stretching my creativity (and for a "bean-counter like me that is quite a challenge). I use a program called Photoshop Elements. Luckily a sister in the branch, Jennifer Merkley, has been gracious enough to help me learn the program and has been a big influence in a lot of the creative concepts. She is going back to the states in a month and I will miss her smiling jovial personality very much.

We also teach an Institute class on Thursdays nights and Dad volunteers at the Chaplain's office on Tuesday & Friday mornings. I visit the sisters when I can and we will be starting an Italian class, of course taught by our full-time missionaries who are very fluent in the language. That class will be at the home of one of the members.

In this post I wanted to share some of the more interesting vehicles we see on the roads here. Notice I did not say cars, because as you will see they are not at all what we would see on our roads in the US.

I loved this car on the left. It was parked at the base. It has character.

The yellow car is owned by our neighbors across the street. We see quite a lot of these cars around. It reminds me of the car Tom Selleck was driving in the movie 3 Men and a Little Girl. It is very, very, very small.

This next vehicle is something I would never in my wildest imagination (now remember I am a bean-counter) think could be used for a vehicle. A rototiller???

We have seen several, over 10, of these on the streets. I need to get one of these for Derek.

Well, that's it for now. We hope all is well with our family and friends wherever you are.

I would love to hear from you so feel free to leave a post.

Bye for now,
Mom

Today was a good day! I LOVE Sundays. I Love focusing my time on missionary work. It is so uplifting. Oh, there are days and times when I am frustrated but I remind myself that all will be accomplished in the Lord's time. I just need to be ready, willing and able to do as He will when the time comes.

We have finished our Temple Prep class. We were teaching one of the military members who is very excited to be going to the temple soon. He was baptized a little over a year ago. His wife is state-side and he will be joining her soon. It would be great to be able to go to the temple with him but that is not to be.

We will be starting up an Institute class within the next few weeks. We are waiting for one of the students to return. She is a teacher and went to visit her family for the summer. We expect her back within a week or two since school starts soon.

It is so amazing that when you spend your time thinking, praying and serving others your troubles seem to melt away. We are currently providing a very unique service for a neighbor of the younger missionaries. We are "dog sitting". His name is Chico (key-ko). He is very well behaved and once he became familiar with where he was to go to the bathroom, he has actually been very pleasant. Elder Warner is getting somewhat attached but I will be glad to be back to less hair floating around our apartment.

One of the ways we help the military member is to help out with "callings" (duties) within the local Branch. Elder Warner is the Branch Clerk and I am teaching a Primary class. I LOVE teaching primary. I have 3 boys (American) and 1 girl (Italian). The girl does not speak or understand English so one of the younger missionaries comes with her to Primary to translate. As a matter of fact she is the only Italian in the entire Primary.

We are loving our mission and are so glad we chose to serve. There is no blessing that can compare with full-time service for the Lord. I hear of some couples who come to their mission just to go home within a few weeks because it was not what they were expecting. In Primary I am teaching about the Church History. When I compare the struggles the early saints went through compared to our small health issues and dog hair, there is no comparison. If I want the blessings they received, quitting is not an option. We just press forward, pray and keep our eyes and hearts open to revelation from the Lord.

Remember: "I the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise." Doctrine & Covenants 82:10

There is no greater work aside from being a parent that produces such growth and peace and blessings.

We miss all of you and wish you well. All our love, Elder & Sister Warner

Weekend in Roma. 2009 08 07-08



Well, this weekend we went to Roma to visit Elder & Sister Pearson, who are leaving for home in about 3 weeks. One of the many blessings of serving a mission is meeting such great people. Elder & Sister Pearson work in the mission office. It is not a glamorous job, they would be the first to tell you, but it is critical, they would also be the first to agree. Elder & Sister Pearson have been a great help to us, especially in the transition when we arrived.

We wish them well on their return to their family.



Friday night they took us to Piazza Veneaia where we saw the Monumento Nazionale a Vittorio Emanuele II. This was built between 1885 & 1911 to commemorate the unification of Italy under King Vittorio Emanuele II of Savoy. They were doing some work on the left side of the building. If you look closely, you can see the scaffolding.

This same Piazza also has the Palazzo Venezia. From the middle door on the second floor, is where Moussilini would address the people of Roma.


From the Piazza Veneaia we walked down the street to the Colosseum. The entrance to the Metro is just across the street. From there, we went home for the night.

Saturday we went to the prison which held Peter & Paul prisioner before being killed. Unfortunately it was closed for repair. However, we did take a video of what we could see of the Roman Forum. The Via Sacra (Sacred Way) was used for religious and triumphal processions led to the "Forum Romanum" which was the center of political, religious, commercial and judicial life in ancient Rome.

My camera does not have sound but the video turned out pretty good.

I could not get the video to load so I added it to "YouTube". Here is the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0syA-v8bQU

What fascinates us with what we have seen here in Italy is that we have walked where people walked centuries ago. That blows our mind. First in Pompeii and now in Roma.

I hope you enjoy the pictures.

Senior Missionary Conference

Wednesday, the 22nd, we went to Rome for a special conference. President Acerson, our Mission President, held a conference for the Senior Missionaries in the Rome Italy Mission. Currently there are 5 couples serving. There are two office couples, a proselyting couple from Pisa and a support couple from Battipaglia as well as us.

We had a great time associating with other missionaries our age, which is quite a change for us. We spend most of our time with the younger missionaries. What great people we have working and serving the Lord. Each couple has made great sacrifices to be be here but each of us are dedicated to helping share the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is such a great feeling when you see the light in another person's eyes as they learn and understand the purpose of why there are here at this time and what a great prospect awaits them as they embrace the way of the Lord.

Wednesday night, before conference officially started, we went out to eat (at my FAVORITE place) at the Kebab place by where Elder & Sister Pearson live in Roma. To say we LOVE their kebabs is quite the understatement. We had such a great time talking about the gospel.

Thursday we went to the Mission Home, this is where the Mission President and his family live. The house itself has quite a history. It was built by Mussolini for one of his daughters. It is not as big as you would think but compared to the normal house that Italians live in it larger than most houses.

We went on a short excursion today to the Basilica San Paulo. It was breathtaking. There is so much marble. There is such a wide variety of marble, in color and streaking. There was one marble that was a cream color with red veins running through it. It looked as if the marble was bleeding. There was green, gold, brown, white, black, rust and orange marble. The ceiling was magnificent with gold leaf detailing. Fantastic!

Unfortunately my camera was not working so I do not have any pictures. However, we will be going back and when we do, I will post the pictures for you.

Remember the gospel is true. As we work and follow the in the path of our Savior, our spirits will grow and our hearts will be full.

We love you all and miss you terribly. Only 366 days left (one year and one day) until we come home. Boy where does the time go?