Precious memories in special seasons!

What a special treat to have President and Sister Walker in our home for lunch with our besties, the Castellanos! The Walkers brought three of their children and the most beautiful spirit into our home. We rearranged our furniture and borrowed a table from the Church in Castellamare, and had a wonderful family lunch all together! We were absolutely thrilled our kids could meet them. The timing was just perfect. They are the kindest people, with so much love for the Gospel, for missionary work, and for all the missionaries. It is a true joy to serve our final mission season together with them! We feel of their love and great support! Can you believe, we only have 6 1/2 months of missionary service left!

We were so looking forward to meeting the Walkers in person and felt so badly to have missed Zone Conference in Napoli the day before. Thank goodness the Castellanos could take care of all the food and set up. We had made arrangements long before with our daughter Francesca's dearest friend Francesca Zennaro (from her mission days outside of Venice) to meet that day in Rome, tour temple square and St Paul's Cathedral.

After lunch the Walkers headed back to Rome, and Sorella Castellano began to work her magic. Francesca had been searching for a relative in Cliff's Italian family line for about five years; her name is Maria Grazia di Antonio. The miracle worker she is, Beth has connected and attached sources in Ancestry and Family Search for an overwhelming amount of people in the Montagnoli family line. Both Francesca and Beth have had strong impressions that these people wanted their temple work done. We were thrilled for Francesca and Beth to meet in person and for Beth to show her what she had done. More miracles about this to come in the next posts!

After everything wrapped up that afternoon, the Castellanos called to tell us there was a medieval festival in their little town, Santa Maria della Carità, and we should come join them.

Cliff, Rhett and Avi hurried right over!

As you can tell by these pictures, it was something you'd see in a movie!

They all loved it! Avi's favorite part was during a donkey race, when they came around the corner, and one of the riders had fallen off his donkey and was chasing it!

It was definitely a highlight and a favorite boys' outing!

Our next stop was Sorrento for a picnic!

Sorrento is so charming, has fantastic views, great restaurants, fun shopping, and is the gateway port to visit all the islands and cities along the coast.

We had to snap this photo. Cliff has this same classic mint Vespa, and I have the red one, except with a black seat and no helmet carrier. No, we did not bring them. And after Miranda's Vespa crash, I don't think I'd ever rent one to drive in this area.

This is our favorite Amalfi Coast spot to view Positano. We discovered it on our first long drive home from Church in Salerno. You know how when you see something so magnificent that takes your breath away, you want to share it with the people closest to you? We have tried on several occasions to FaceTime from this spot, but we never were able to be successful. So, today was the day!

They all loved it as much as we do, and that made us so very happy!

It's a WOW spot, for sure!

Avi loved the fresh squeezed orange granita, which is my favorite. It was toasty hot and made him very happy - which made his nonna very happy!

Are you catching the theme of this post? We are all VERY HAPPY!!!

We snapped so many favorite photos in this spot!

You get to see them all!

Greatest mommy-daughter moment! Note my portable air conditioner?! It has literally saved me. Some people ask why I am wearing headphones. When I tell them it's a fan, they think it is genius! Thank you Costco!

Another of our highlights was enjoying observing all of the Mullins crew, as they discovered their favorite things and fell in love with this beautiful area. It was Francesca and Rhett's first time here, and the kids had never been out of the country. Now they have the cutest kid passports and endless wonderful photos and memories!

We took them to the Grotta dello Smeraldo, which they loved!

We stopped all along the way to capture the beauty and preserve the memories.

We had so many precious moments, like this one.

And this one.

I love how you can see everyone's personalities through their pictures.

Could our grandchildren be any cuter? Yes, are biased, but they are so adorable!

As we typically do in Amalfi (there is no parking, ever) Cliff, the kids and I waited in the two cars, and Francesca and Rhett ran in to discover the little town and go into the famous Church.

They loved it!

And then it was time to head home for Napolitano pizza!

Luckily, they opened a Sorbillos (famous, authentic, certified Napolitano pizza) in the fancy new mall over by the touristy side of Pompei. It's actually in Torre Annunziata and is called the Maxi Mall. It did not disappoint!

Then we called a day after watching the fountain light show, that the kids really enjoyed.

Time was going by much too quickly! We couldn't believe we were in our last days. We headed the next day to the port of Pozzuoli to take the ferry over to the island of Ischia. Of course, we had to stop first for gelato! The Apostle Paul actually landed in Pozzuoli (anciently called Putesoli) and taught there for 7 days. Acts 28:13-14. "And from thence we fetched and came to Rhegium: and after one day the south wind blew, and we came the next day to Puteoli: Where we found brethren, and were desired to tarry with them seven days: and so we went toward Rome." https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/nt/acts/28?lang=eng

We promised Avi he could drive (not literally) the car onto a boat while he was in Italy. Francesca drove her rental car; we left ours in Pozzuoli and walked on.

The plan, which worked perfectly, was to all take the magnificent ferry ride together to Ischia, then Rhett and Francesca drove off the boat to have a love trip for a couple of days, and we sailed back to Pozzuoli. We never got off the boat.

The views and the water were spectacular!

Everyone loved it, and once again, we were all so happy! That really was the theme of this trip.

The special moments were abundant, and all our souls were filled!

This pic of Francesca may be my favorite one of the whole trip!

We were also surprised at how well the kids handled the extreme heat.

We decided on the ferry ride back to Pozzuoli to stay inside. It was a good, safe choice.

In ode to Wild Kratts, the next day we headed back to Pozzuoli with the kids to go to the zoo.

It's really a great one!

We loved watching the Jaguars play/fight.

The monkeys were our other favorite. One truly engaged and played with Avi!

Avi loves wildlife; he knows the names of every creature, where they live, and how they fit into the animal kingdom. He was in heaven!

Then it was time to make Avi's vacation dreams come true. He made a list of things he wanted to do while his parents were on their "love trip."

Build a fort. Go to the park. Puzzle time. Go to get pizza. Movie night.

One by one, we checked everything off the list!

Kudos to Cliff for his excellent innovation and fort-making skills!

We were in "nonni" (grandparent) heaven!

The kids were great, and we were smothered with hugs and kisses and relished all the snuggles and precious time together.

Wild Kratz was a vacation highlight!

They loved the pizza; how could you not?

And Avi even made a giant snake, longer than he and his nonno combined!

We currently love our snake decor and all the memories that go with it!

Meanwhile Rhett and Francesca had a wonderful love trip.

They explored Ischia. They loved the Aragon Castle.

HISTORY: Ischia's history began with prehistoric settlements, followed by Greek colonization in the 8th century BC when it was known as Pithecusa and became a key trade center known for its metalworking and pottery.The island, which is volcanically active, later experienced shifts in control by Cumae, Romans, Normans, and Aragonese, eventually becoming a popular resort destination known for its thermal spas, a legacy dating back to the Roman era. 

It's truly a majestic island, with spectacular water and sunsets.

Sadly, both Francesca and Rhett caught the cold Cliff had caught from someone he helped who was sick. Cliff only gets sick for a hot second, while the rest of us actually feel sick and need to rest and recover. They pushed through and still had a wonderful time.

Then one by one, everyone else caught it.

In the morning, Rhett and Francesca loaded up on Dayquill and toured the Pompei ruins, which they found absolutely fascinating! (We definitely need to go.) They have recently made remarkable discoveries. It's an ongoing archeology site; only 1/4 of it has been excavated. In the early evening, Rhett, Franesca and Cliff hiked Mt. Vesuvius.

They said it was amazing - even though it was toasty hot!

On Sunday we went to Church in Castellamare. I always lead the singing when I'm there, and Avi was so cute, coming up to hug me. The members love meeting our family; we love it too!

Both twins had their turn getting sick, but were over it in two days. I didn't mind all the loves and snuggles!

They melt our hearts, and we love them so much!

The Castellanos knew everyone had been sick, and they so very kindly brought over homemade sauce and meatballs and flowers to brighten our day. We love them so much! The food was so incredibly delicious! (Sadly, this bug was pretty contagious. The last night Avi got it, then after they left I got it. Then first Sorella Castellano, then Anziano Castellano got sick later in the week.)

On our last day, we headed into Castellamare for one last walk on Lungo Mare.

We shared yummy graffe.

And we shed a few tears.

It was really hard to prepare to say goodbye.

But, because we know our "why?" and they know it and felt it while being here, we were able to authentically and joyfully enjoy our last precious moments, knowing we would only be apart for another short season!

We chased the sunset.

Took lots of final photos.

And Cliff tried to help Avi catch a lizard and a fish.

They had no luck, but Avi did love the cool, black volcanic rocks, and took a few home to show his first grade class for back to school show and tell.

Letti played I spy...

And the sun set on our spectacular two weeks of unforgettable, precious memories!

Dropping them off at the Naples airport was actually harder than saying goodbye when we left on our mission. That said, we were energized and felt refocused for this next, final stretch of our mission. As I was in the temple a few days later, I found myself sitting in the celestial room praying, thanking Heavenly Father for the gift of having both of our daughters and their families come visit us this summer. I prayed that we would be guided and inspired in all that was next in our missionary efforts. And I kind of started to apologize for being on vacation with my family. That is when I felt a very strong, WAIT, STOP, DON'T APOLOGIZE in my heart. I felt a little shocked. I then received the most beautiful personal revelation. The very clear impression that came into my mind was, "These precious moments and experiences with your family here in Italy were part of WHY you were sent on your mission at this time. It was the plan all along, for the benefit of your family." That heavenly message filled my soul!

This experience reminded me of a quote from our Prophet, President Russell M. Nelson. "My beloved brothers and sisters, I plead with you to increase your spiritual capacity to receive revelation...Choose to do the spiritual work required to enjoy the gift of the Holy Ghost and hear the voice of the Spirit more frequently and more clearly." I felt blessed to know how to receive personal revelation, which fortified me and gave me peace that day.

Cliff and I know we are supposed to serving here in Italy at this specific time - even for reasons we may not now know. Our assignment is to help the young adults of the Church know how to Come unto Christ and be perfected in Him. In 2018 in General Conference, President Nelson said, "Our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ, will perform some of His mightiest works between now and when He comes again. We will see miraculous indications that God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, preside over this Church in majesty and glory. But in coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting, and constant influence of the Holy Ghost."

We pray that all will desire to heed the words of our dear Prophet. We testify that President Nelson presides over the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints with priesthood power and authority from our Savior Jesus Christ. We will all be blessed as we follow him.

We love and sustain him. And we love you!

Sorella and Anziano Montagnoli

Martha and Cliff

Nonna and Nonno