Pickpockets strike again (but not us)

Monday morning I got up early to drop off Anziani at temple by 7:15am. They had to get up even earlier to shower and dress, and they did so very quietly, which is amazing for their age. I just threw on my workout clothes and drove them. Dee was able to sleep until after 8am, which was nice because she had been up late again, as is common for her these days with all that is going on at home. We were both tired for the day.

Just after 9am I left for a shift at the temple guard house from 10am to noon. Anziano Balzotti is in charge of staffing that right now, and I was happy to help out. It was pretty easy, mostly opening and closing the gates, as well as directing visitors where to park down the street for tours. 

 

 

Driving back, I picked up Dee at the apartment, waiting while she walked to the Chinese store, then we went grocery shopping at Lidl on the way into town, arriving only a little late. Dee cancelled and re-booked her flight reservations to LA to give her another 24 hours to decide. She needs to talk with the staff at the convalescent home first to see what the plan is, before committing. President Pickerd told us that he needed to get permission from up the chain of authority another level or two because we were not going together. I told him that I prefer not to go but would do so if necessary.

In the afternoon, Chris came by, looking incredibly distressed. That morning he had been pick-pocketed on a busy subway: they got his wallet with cash, credit card, and immigration docs, as well as his smart phone. He cried and just looked miserable for the evening. It is one thing to steal from relatively well-to-do tourists, but to steal from a poor immigrant is just awful. He doesn't know what to do. We gave him some food and invited him to stay for FHE. He took a two-hour nap, then read some from the Bible to try to calm down, and he seemed to enjoy the lesson and the company, but he still looked miserable.

Dee spent time in the kitchen, cooking chicken in the crock pots for upcoming meals. She will it after it is boned and cut into bite-sized pieces. She also worked on some fudge as a trial for Wednesday night's activity -- making American sweets -- which lots of the kids are very excited about.

Some of the kids came early to play games while waiting for home evening. Dee's question of the week was, which would you prefer to give up for the rest of your life: social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc) or movies/TV (including YouTube)? Several of the kids were very torn, but most voted to give up social media. It was very fun to see everyone's reaction. My lesson was on the story of Christ with the Samaritan woman at the well in John, chapter 4. The point was that he taught and bore testimony of his divine mission to a woman, and not just a woman, but a Samaritan (hated by the Jews). And not just a Samaritan woman, but an outcast among her own people. You could not pick a less likely candidate for him to open his ministry, and so he taught us indirectly how important it is to love and reach out to others. 

For dessert Dee served her fudge, in very small pieces because it is so sweet and rich, which is not the Italian way.  The kids liked it a lot! They also enjoyed the panettone that Manuel had given us for Christmas. Then they hung around to visit and to play some games. I also let them see the Oreo fudge, but didn't serve it. It's gorgeous.

Ugo dropped by after the lesson and dessert. He is in town working as a part-time guide for a tour group from the US, which he does occasionally to make some extra money; with five kids, that is a good thing. We told him about Dee's pending trip to LA, and he was very supportive, telling her to do what she needed for her Dad and that we would make it work here.

Apparently one of the marble statues of the twelve apostles at the temple Visitors Center had its staff broken off by an American kid. We told Ugo how surprised we were at many statues here that were close enough to touch, while in the US they are always cordoned off. He said that Italians don't take young kids to see artwork; they apparently think it is a waste.