Mission tour: Elder Engbjerg

Today we had a mission conference of sorts, with all the missionaries except from Sicily all present from 9am - 3pm, probably 120+ in number. It's powerful to see all of them together, and especially to hear them sing hymns! For them it's really fun to see old companions and friends from all over, quite a joyous gathering. We really enjoyed having two "sons" stay with us overnight, Anziani Bazan and Allen:

My wife's tuna casserole when they arrived last night was well received, but far too much even for two hungry missionaries, so I took most of it down to the 9 sisters staying below us. It apparently disappeared quickly and completely. One sister told us that she had already brushed her teeth, but the wonderful smell forced her to eat again!

Our visiting authority was Elder Engbjerg (basically unpronounceable in English :-), newly called member of the Seventy from Copenhagen, along with his wife. They gave some wonderfully inspirational and motivational talks, with great stories. He also gave some study recommendations, including 3 Nephi 26:12-21, and reminded all the missionaries to tell and show their companion that they love them each day. We also have some very talented musicians among the young missionaries, including two amazing four-part quartets, who sang for us. At lunch they served large American-style hamburgers, and everyone loved visiting time:

After the conference, we drove across downtown Rome to the Institute campus and opened up by 4pm. It was quite chilly all day, but Ugo had shown me how to turn on the radiators at the Institute, so I did that and things warmed up nicely.

In the evening the young missionaries taught their free English classes, and the online English Book of Mormon class is now running on its own with the teacher at home. We had an Institute leader council conference call, reviewing how the Halloween party went and planning for upcoming activities. We got home at a reasonable hour and are quite tired from getting up so early to be across town by 8am.

One quote today that really resonated with me, apparently from Teddie Roosevelt, is "comparison is the thief of joy". In other words, we become unhappy most often when we try to compare ourselves with others instead of just appreciating what we have.