One year flown by!

As we celebrate our year anniversary as full-time missionaries, our hearts are full of thousands of memories, many tender feelings, and immense gratitude for the blessing of this amazing missionary experience in Southern Italy!

We divide up our time serving missionaries and GANS (YSAs). These wonderful young servants of the Lord inspire us; we are impressed with their great courage, their devotion to God, and their heart-filled, genuine love for others.

At our in-person district meeting, we counsel together, lift and inspire one another, and we discuss the best ways to utilize our time and skills as we invite others to "Come unto Christ and be perfected in Him." - Moroni 10:32

The Castellanos bring great insight, as they were adult converts to the Church.

We continually learn from them; they are great examples and devoted disciples of Jesus Christ.

We love occasionally teaching with missionaries. You may recall reading about Alessio, who was baptized this summer. His parents were in town, and they invited all of us to dinner - which we enjoyed on their roof top terrace.

They treated us like royalty and filled us not only with delicious food, but more importantly, with so much love. This was a farewell dinner of sorts, as Alessio has gone to Perugia to spend quality time assisting his parents, in their older age.

All of us miss him so much already! As you can see from the photos - he fits right in with our incredible GANS (YSAs). The kitchen in Napoli has needed a good cleaning for some time now, and we loved watching everyone jump right in and quickly get the job done!

After our service project, we taught Institute. Everyone is excited for our new class, "Teachings and Doctrine of the Book of Mormon."

A funny, not so funny event occurred as we headed out. Our key would not open the large doors of the garage where we always park our car. After a few calls, we learned the owner of the garage had changed the lock. I may have paid the 125 euro cab ride home, but Cliff never would - so we walked to the train station. We bought tickets for one train, waited, then discovered it was cancelled.

Then we bought tickets for a different train and waited.

That train took us to the Pompei ruins station, where our kind, wonderful neighbors Monica and Irineau (from Brazil) came and picked us up after 11 pm. These wonderful angel friends also drove us back to Napoli early Sunday morning, where we waited until someone came to open the garage. We were able to attend Church meetings in Napoli, then quickly drove down to Salerno to the ward get-together to welcome the lovely Zaira home from her mission!

Zaira is absolutely darling, and we are so excited to have her be part of our GANS (YSA) group!

Each transfer (6 weeks) we inspect the missionary apartments in Campania. We typically give them notice, instructions and challenges. We were heading to Pozzuoli to take these elders a water filter, and we called and asked if we could do a "surprise!" inspection while we were already there. Most missionaries would really scramble in this situation, but not these incredible elders! We were so over the moon happy to find everything so clean and in order!

We thought we'd thrown in this hilarious pic of the Napoli elders' microscopic elevator!

With some love and instruction, we worked together getting this kitchen in Napoli "Martha clean." We will go back in the next little bit to help get this apartment in a better spot.

We were so thrilled inspecting the sisters' apartment in Castellamare!

They really got in, dejunked, reorganized, and deep cleaned all their spaces.

We were thrilled to take them on their dream p-day - which consisted of an Amalfi coast experience, making cookies, and watching an episode of The Chosen.

We dropped them off at the ferry in Sorrento, then headed to Amalfi to meet them. We stopped in the Piazza di Sant'Antonio Abbate for a quick picture and to peak inside the cathedral.

It is a stop on the Jubilee Year of Hope pilgrimage.

These blue dawn flowers covered the Amalfi Coast.

The old style cinque cento fiats are making a comeback, and seeing them totally brings us back to our mission days in the late 80's.

Notice the bumper to bumper traffic. Because everyone seemed to be driving the Amalfi Coast that day, we ended up arriving at the same time as the sisters' ferry.

Cliff stayed in the car while I ran the sisters into the town to look around. You can never find parking in Amalfi.

Sorella Barcellos was so happy to find this soccer jersey.

Our next stop was the perfect picnic spot!

We found some public benches by a quaint restaurant built into the cliff, and had the best picnic ever!

Everything about it was dreamy!

We loved being able to provide these fabulous missionaries with such a memorable experience!

We have the blessing of spending quite a bit of time with the Castellamare sisters. One thing we always notice is their diligence; they are masters at using their time effectively and wisely. They are obedient, kind and loving, and they know how to work!

We loved showing them a few of our favorite spots along the Amalfi Coast.

I'll also add that being away from our two lovely daughters pulls at our heart strings; but, somehow- having these sisters to love fills a gap.

When I became a nonna (grandmother), I found a new love of cars. This is a real life version of one of the many red exotic cars I love to race with Avi. Over the past years, Cliff has looked up the price on the real ones - and asked if I really wanted one. So far, I'm fine just taking pictures!

We love taking people to our favorite spot that overlooks Positano.

It's hard to believe we actually live in this area.

Our final stop was home to make cookies. We had to move pretty quickly to accomplish everything!

Sorella Barcellos is the master of chocolate chip cookies, and our first package went to Monica and Irineau to thank them for saving us when our car was locked in the garage in Napoli. This is actually our parking lot; our apartment entrance is behind Monica's shoulder, next to the Gelo Convenienza sign. (It's a fresh and frozen fish store.) They live in the apartment above us.

Irineau is the counselor in the Castellamare branch presidency. They bring such a great light into the branch. They are the kindest couple, and we all love them so very much!

The words of the hymn, "How Great thou Art" ran through our minds as the sun set on our dream p-day. What grand, majestic creations are around every corner!

The most magnificent site we are blessed to visit so often is the Rome Temple.

Each time we walk in the Visitor's Center and see the Christus, we are so moved. We feel the great love of our Savior, and we receive confirmation that He is indeed our personal Redeemer. We feel the rush and necessity to prepare ourselves for His return, and we understand with deeper meaning the power of His gospel and the importance of making sacred covenants and receiving saving ordinances in the Temple.

This was a very particular temple visit - one that we will cherish forever. One of our GANS (YSA), Anna, was in Rome for various objectives. She offered to help us with proxy work for Cliff's Italian ancestors. We each had many special experiences that filled us with love, understanding, and testimony - down to the core, as we felt these ancestors also were preparing for the Savior to return. I personally had never felt the spirit of Elijah so strongly. In Malachi 4, verses 5-6 it says, "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord: And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers..." Our hearts were all turned to these relatives; they were not just names on a paper. We felt them with us, directing us. We have quite a team of angels working on Cliff's Italian line! Our extended family in America, the Castellanos, ourselves and our GANS (YSAs) are bonded together with great spiritual momentum in this great work of salvation! We love it!

The old testament prophecy of "turning hearts to their fathers" was part of the restoration of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. The ancient prophet Elijah appeared to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery in the Kirtland Temple in 1836 and restored the keys of the sealing power. This crucial authority allows for families to be sealed together for eternity.

Something really clicked in me on this temple trip. I always pray in the celestial room and ask what Heavenly Father would have me know. In answer to my prayer, my soul understood the teachings of our Prophet, President Russell M. Nelson on a different level. "The blessings of the temple contribute to the gathering of Israel on both sides of the veil and help prepare a people to ready the world for the Lord's second coming". These deceased family members are preparing and want to be ready. I knew it; I felt it, and it changed something in me.

One of the reasons we were in Rome was to attend a BYU Pathway/English Connect training. Anna was asked to be part of a focus group, since she is enrolled in English Connect. Our dear friend Henry Kosak from Berlin conducted it; he is such an inspiring person and completely warms our hearts. We made some special connections, which were very tender. We loved meeting his team from Salt Lake. This quote from President Russell M. Nelson embodies their purpose: "Education is the difference between wishing you could help other people and being able to help them."

We were so inspired by the scope of the BYU Pathway team, as they were traveling in Europe, opening doors for members and non members to increase their educational possibilities. In the words of President Russell M. Nelson,"Education is yours to obtain. No one else can fain it for you. Wherever you are, develop a deep desire to learn."

One thing we love when we are in Rome is connecting. Often, we are recognized by our tags - people who see us and ask, "By chance, are you the parents of Sorella Montagnoli who served in the Milan mission?" We either meet people who know and love our daughter Francesca, or Lucia; both served in Milano. This time it was Francesca, who served with the lovely Sorella Polumbo, who now lives in Sicily.

Before I went to bed, I felt like I needed to carefully go through all of the temple ordinances we were working on and make sure I had done things correctly. We were staying in the Temple Hostel, so I stayed up late and spread everything out on the bed. Sure enough, I had a duplicate, who had also been incorrectly attached in Cliff's family tree. (Sorella Castellano has since helped me fix the error.) That understanding changed what I did the following day, and the way it all turned out was one of my all time temple highlights, as I did proxy work for Anna Montagnoli.

It was a testimony of the importance of listening to the still small voice and following it. The experience reminded me of 1 Kings 19:11 in the Old Testament that reads, "And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake: And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice."

Another reason we were in Rome was to plan/prepare/understand what help we can provide to two of our amazing GANS (YSAs) Josy and Taylor - who are getting married next month. (I am thrilled to work on a wedding while we are here; it makes me feel like me!)

We met at the reception/luncheon venue, which we will have set up when they arrive after being sealed in the Rome temple. We mapped it all out - the placement of all decor, tables, etc. It's a beautiful location, and we are so thrilled to offer them a service with which we are very well acquainted!

We had several GANS (YSAs) who went down to the GANS Center in Rome with our Institute Coordinator Giorgia. As we followed Giorgia's car (bright blue) through the ancient walls of Rome, it was one of those pinch me moments of, "Yes, we really live here!"

We were laughing and had to snap a pic as we followed Giorgia through these doors where we parked.

Henry did another presentation on BYU Pathway/English Connect with the YSA gathered in Rome, and we wanted to make sure we learned everything possible!

We hope that in the coming day, we can have a GANS (YSA) center like this in Napoli! It's so nice, because they can cook, have a comfortable place to gather, and a spot for Institute classes.

It's very close to Piazza della Repubblica in downtown Rome, which is also close to the train station.

We were back in Campania a few days, doing more apartment inspections - enjoying time with our wonderful missionaries!

Then we headed back to Rome for an Institute training.

It was so fun to see Ettore, our dear friend from Bari, who actually introduced us on July 24, 1989! He and his sister Lucia came to visit me in Utah after my mission, and Ettore invited Cliff to my grandmother's house, for a "welcome party" for him and Lucia. Ettore is the Europe Area Central Seminaries and Institute Regional Director. We always tell Ettore he is responsible for our beautiful life together!

We also loved seeing Alessandra, our dearest friend from Rome. She was one of my young women when we lived in Rome in 2009/2010 and is so dear to our hearts. Alessandra went way above and beyond to include Francesca and Lucia in everything; her love and efforts made all the difference in their teenage experience living in Italy. She was giving part of the training, and she was magnificent! We are so proud of her!

We also had to include this photo with Giorgia. She is such a gifted teacher and leader and has become our dearest friend! I want to be like her when I grow up! After the training, luckily, we had no obstacles driving home from Rome - which allowed us to have time to bake brownies, lemon cupcakes, and chocolate chip cookies before we went to bed.

We woke up, drove into Castellamare to speak in Sacrament Meeting, picked up our goodies, then headed to Napoli, arriving just in time for Dulanka and Fillipo's baptisms!

Dulanka is our newest GANS and we just love him! He emanates so much kindness and goodness. He was searching for truth and actually contacted the missionaries.

Dulanka's lovely cousin has also been attending Church and lessons and will be baptized soon. We are so happy for them and loved welcoming them into our Church family. Most of the members stayed for his baptism, then brought finger-foods to share as we mingled afterward.

We stayed through the afternoon to help classy Ylenia and Roberta decorate for Ylenia's homecoming tribute. Isn't she stunning - with her beautiful dress that matches her themed decor?

We love it that Heavenly Father uses all of our skills and talents to bless others. I'm always happy to decorate, and Cliff is always so good to help - especially when it comes to hanging things no one else can reach.

Ylenia served in the Lyon France Mission, and we absolutely loved her slideshow presentation of her areas, her companions, the friends she taught, and the places she lived. We could feel the depth of her love for others, for the Savior, and for her mission. No doubt she was a great blessing to countless people. Serving a mission is such a defining experience. It stretches you, molds you, challenges you, and gives you the greatest joys and most memorable moments. Cliff and I tie every great blessing in our lives back to our decisions as young adults to serve missions.

We were so happy that our GANS (YSAs) we love so much came to support Ylenia and the Caputo family.

Even a fluffy little dog came to her welcome home party!

Yesterday we had the opportunity to meet Alessio's sister Antonella and her fiancé. It was truly special that Alessio's father encouraged her to meet with us. She was very touched by the message and testimonies of Sorella Barcellos and Sorella Williams. It is always beautiful when you see others recognize truth - whether it come from scriptures, inspired quotes of prophets, or personal testimony. We sincerely hope that she has a desire to find hope, peace, and comfort in her interactions with the scriptures and the missionaries.

Speaking of missions, we include this photo of our beautiful daughters and their good husbands, who have been so blessed by their missionary service as young adults. Now they are knee deep in the parenting season of life. We often ask our missionaries to remember their WHY? - and at times we also ask ourselves. We taught our children to put the Lord first, and we strongly believe in practicing what we preach. As the tables have turned, and they are now cheering us on in our missionary service, we want to thank you, Francesca & Rhett and Lucia & Patrick and our five precious grandchildren for sacrificing your time with us, so we could follow promptings of the "still small voice" and serve in Italy at this time. Thank you for trusting us and for trusting the will of the Lord. We know this is where we are supposed to be at this time.

We miss you like crazy, but we absolutely love the memories we have of you and the kids in our little apartment here in Pompei. Thank you for coming to visit us!

It is hard to miss out on special moments, like birthdays and the first day of school, but we are so grateful for FaceTime and technology!

Thank you for making the time to stay connected; we love walking to school with you and Luke (Lucia) and eating breakfast and driving to school with you (Francesca) and the kids.

We miss our adorable Molly, the cutest paw patrol character ever!

This picture embodies our WHY? Luke FaceTimed us on kindergarten picture day. He purposefully selected what he wore. He's wearing the angel Moroni tie that we bought for the grandsons, dads, and Cliff. In his words, "Nonna, look at me, I look like a missionary, just like nonno." Luke knows we are living what we believe; he and Avi taught us the song!

I Will be what I Believe

Living in this world with change all around

But with the prophets' words, I'll stand on solid ground

Even though it's still hard, with questions that arise

Everyday, I will say

I'll have faith like brother Joseph and the strength of the pioneers

I'll be brave as a stripling warrior and like Nephi persevere

I will spread God's love to all I know and serve

I will plead with my Father on my knees, I will be what I believe

We are as the army of Helaman

We have been taught in our youth

And we will be the Lord's missionaries to bring the world his truth

We will be what we believe! We love you, our dearest family and friends -

Sorella and Anziano Montagnoli

Nonna and Nonno

Martha and Cliff