Monday, 2/17/03
Tomorrow we go to Roma! Yesterday a set of missionaries met me right as I got off the train. I don't remember their names but one was from Georgia, and one was from California. Oh yes, at the train station in Castiglion when I was waiting to to to Arezzo an elderly man said something to me. I said I spoke English, and it turned out that he was from Wales and had lived in Italy for several years. He at first thought I was English but at last he understood that I was from America. He had a very thick Welsh accent even when he spoke English so I had a little trouble understanding him. He and his wife were going to Florence to meet his daughter flying in from London.
So back to church. It is in an office building right at the intersection where we were hunting for the McDonalds. I really didn't expect a translator but one of the elders did translate for me. Only they both had to teach lessons, so I was on my own for Relief Society. At first there were only two sisters there, one who taught the lesson. At first she looked at me as she spoke, as well as the other sister, but since I couldn't understand Italian she drifted to just talking at the other sister. Little by little, 4 more came in, 2 with children. The kids were really entertaining when I got bored with trying to analyze the tones of the teacher's voice.
Sunday school was better. The Elder (I knew I should've made mental pictures of their names) translated for me and the teacher actually asked me a few questions. There were about 10 in Gospel Doctrine, and the lesson was on miracles. The Elder translated again for me in sacrament. I regret to say I was very drowsy due to the sun coming in the window I was next to, and didn't get a whole lot out of it. Presidente Cascone was the main speaker. He is Italian, but he's a missionary too. Afterward, the Elders walked me back to the station because I got turned around on the way there, but I know the way now. When I got home I spent the rest of the day doing nothing more productive than reading I Capture the Castle and sleeping.
When I went to Germany (school trip when I was 16), we went to church in Switzerland. We got there right after the sacrament had been passed and sat in the back. The missionaries came back and tried to translate, but the speakers spoke a combination of high and Swiss German, which they couldn't understand. The Swiss woman I sat next to leaned over and asked me in English if I understood, and I said no. She translated the entire sacrament meeting for me. One speaker gave handouts, which was interesting. After, the branch president came over, and the missionaries gave us the sacrament. We didn't go to the other meetings. Their church building was a condensed version of our buildings, and there were probably 40 people in the branch. I love attending church in other countries; it's the same, but you can't understand anything! :)
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