Mamma Mia! Mandate Voci!

Did you seriously think I was not going to write about the Saturday Morning session of conference? C'mon.

It was exactly 5 years ago this week that I entered the MTC to go to Italy. So for exactly 5 years I have been praying for a temple in that country.

I was so surprised to have that answer finally come this weekend when President Monson announced that construction will soon begin on the Rome, Italy temple. I was shaking a little I was so happy. (A temple near Mike's hometown in Philadelphia was a very nice bonus. It couldn't have been better if Pres Monson had asked us to pick the next two ourselves. I feel like we won the temple lottery).

Anyway, I had heard rumors of how close Rome was to getting a temple since I had started taking Italian 101 classes back in 2001. The rumors got more exciting when I actually got to Italy. My sources (the Italian Relief Society Network) told me that back in the 1970's a bunch of members put up the money to buy a parcel of land right in the middle of Rome, just to be prepared. Also:
- that President Hinckley had said that he hoped to announce the construction of the Rome temple at conference before he died
- that Italy just needed 100 more priesthood holders for the church to be big enough (or 1 more stake or 2 more wards or some qualifying number like that, it changed sometimes)
- that it would be built soon but the church has to pay for the all the power lines in that part of the city to be rerouted underground so the steeple can be built
- and my favorite was that the design and location had already been approved and it just so happens that when the sun hits the temple in the middle of the day the steeple and the angel Moroni will cast a shadow that will cut right through the middle of the Vatican.

Ok, so I'm sure most of that was exaggerated versions of some tidbit of truth. But what is true is how this will bless the people of Italy and a lot of Europe too. The members I worked with had to take 20+ hour bus rides to get the temple. It cost a lot of money, and they usually only had 1 trip per year scheduled. Rome is only 6 hours away.

The faces of all the members I grew to love kept coming to memory during the rest of the day. I couldn't help but picture their joy as they sat in their small chapels or rented out rooms that make up a meeting house and listened to that announcement. I wish I was with them. Maybe I can save up enough to be with them at the dedication...