CHRISTMAS PHONE CALL

ALL THAT I CAN SAY IS.....IT WAS WONDERFUL!

What a treat it was to have Robert call us Christmas morning. He is doing great!
His Italian is great too....it was so neat to hear him speak in his native language and to hear the happiness and joy in his voice as he shared some of his experiences with us.

One thing that he said that made us laugh...he said to me..."mom, do you know that when you speak Italian you sound funny (meaning different from Italians)? My reply was..."have you heard yourself speak in Italian?"... It least I can say that I wasn't born there and I'm not Italian...but it sure did make us chuckle!

Robert loves Alessandria, and the members there have treated him so well...We are so thankful to each one of them for watching over him during his service there. Between Christmas Eve and Christmas Day they have 4 lunch/dinner invitations and also watched a few Disney movies on Christmas Day with a member.

Robert and Anz Weller also had the opportunity to go to midnight mass on Christmas Eve (something that I remember doing as a missionary). He was very surprised at the traditions, etc..that they do there. One comment he made was that the incense would make him high if he had to smell them all the time. (Same thought I had when I went). However he made the comment that it was good to see what others believe and practice.

He also expressed his feelings about Eliana.....she has set a baptismal date several times now..but has never followed through. Mainly because of her difficulty with the word or wisdom...she hasn't been able to give up cigarettes. From what he said, she has a few problems in her life and when she gets stressed out she smokes. Robert finally said that he asked her...look..when you smoke do you feel better, do your problems go away or are they solved? of course the answer to all the questions was no...so then he told her that if she tried something new and would put her faith in the Lord that maybe things would actually work out better for her, and her family. I was very impressed with that.

Robert loved his Christmas packages and presents! But his comment has been all along that Christmas isn't about the presents. It's about the Savior.

He sends his warmest Christmas wishes to each one of you..and wishes you all a wonderful new year. He expressed his love and appreciation to all his friends who are writing to him and their support while he is serving the Lord.

Now let the countdown begin for Mother's Day...and who knows..Maybe we can Skpe!!!