Planning a Glorious, Yet Ironic Return to Italy #kiddingnotkidding

"We had a trip to Italy booked for last April that got wiped out because of COVID," lamented Ron. "I guess we'll try again next year."

"Let me know if you need a sidekick. #kiddingnotkidding," I responded via our Facebook message thread.

"You guys should come too!" Ron replied.

And that set the table for a return trip to a country and a people I love. It's a "return trip" because Ron Smith and I first met in Italy four decades earlier when we both served as missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 

For those not familiar with how the mission process works, prospective missionaries go through a couple of interviews with church leadership and then fill out paperwork to let church headquarters know about a desire to serve. Then, the wait is on to receive notification where the missionary will be assigned for 18 months to two years, on their own dime. I received my mission call on April 8, 1982. 

Living in Italy, learning the language, working with the people, spreading the gospel, experiencing the culture, enjoying the scenic history and the food. Oh man, the food! 

It was a life-shaping experience, so to have the opportunity to return would be incredible. And to share it with Lori and Ron and April. What could be better?!

We shared emails, texts and phone calls to determine when to leave and where to visit. We divided up housing and transportation responsibilities, planned what to carry in our backpacks and purchased our airline tickets. 

It was getting real. And exciting! To give Lori a glimpse of what Italy would be like, I went to dig out a box of Italian memorabilia. After I pulled it out, I realized much of what I brought home wasn't there. Several picture books from the Puglia and Sicily weren't there. Neither were my Italian Bible, Book of Mormon, hymnal and some other things. I couldn't find them in the crawl space either. That's when I realized they did not survive our house fire five years earlier. Geez, another unrealized loss. Such a bummer! What I did find was an old calendar that showed I was transferred from Siracusa to Catania on April 12, 1983. Catania is where I met Ron, who had just arrived from the United States, and where we became missionary companions.  

1983 Zone Conference in Catania - Ron is sitting in the center of the front row with me on his right

Baptism Day for Fratello Rizzo

Ron and I party it up with the rest of the city's residents as Catania qualifies for Serie A, Italy's top soccer division

Ironically enough, despite not deliberately planning to do so, it turns out Lori and I would meet up with Ron and April in our shared Rome Airbnb on the afternoon of April 12, 2023, 40 years to the day when Ron and I first met in Italy. Bring it!