REFLECTIONS ON ROME

Eileen training Elder Herway on our computer humanitarian system

This past week we traveled to Rome to train Elder Tom and Sister Anita Herway.  If you have read our previous blog postings you might be aware that the Herways were in our ward in Belgium 16 years ago.  Elder Herway was the Bishop of the ward and I (Eileen) was the Relief Society President. Sister Herway was the seminary teacher for our teenagers.  We have only seen them once during the years following our return to the United States. Last August, while attending the Hague temple, we ran into the Herways again. It was a wonderful reunion in many ways. We all felt like the meeting was more than coincidental. The Herways had come to the temple praying and fasting to see if they felt any specific promptings before they submitted their missionary papers the following week. We were aware of a newly opened position in Italy to serve the refugees coming across the Mediterranean Sea from North Africa.  Since Elder Herway spoke Italian and both have had years of experience working with the refugee population in Belgium, we felt that this position would be a good fit.  As it turned out, a couple of months later they received a formal call to serve in Italy with a specific emphasis on refugee aid.

There were several occurrences during our brief time in Italy which reminded us of the tender mercies which are part of our lives. 

A few weeks ago we heard that Alitalia was on strike and some of our humanitarian couples would not be able to fly on their scheduled flights from Madrid to return home. At that time I spent a great deal of time Googling “strikes in Italy”.  One warning which came up on several internet sites was that a transportation workers strike would occur on March 8^th.  That was the day we were planning on traveling to Italy.  I contacted our church travel agency to determine if our flight was still on. They didn’t have any information that it had been cancelled. After some consideration we changed our tickets to fly out late Tuesday night.  Wednesday, traffic in Rome was a nightmare. We were very grateful that we were able to spend the time training the Herways instead of being stuck in traffic (or worse, perhaps not even getting to Rome).  Wednesday evening we were planning on visiting one of our NGO partners who has initiated a mobile health clinic.   Due to the transportation workers strike we thought we would have to drive downtown to visit the clinic.  At the last minute Sister Herway suggested that we try and ride the metro.  Amazingly enough, despite the strike that day, the metro was going to be running from 5 PM to 8 PM only – just enough time to allow us to travel downtown on the metro, see the mobile clinic as it opened at 7 PM, talk to some of those working with it and then catch a returning train just 8 minutes before the time the metro strike resumed.  We felt very fortunate as traffic was so heavy it would have taken us a significant amount of time to drive.

The clinic we visited was operating by a group called MEDU (Doctors for Human Rights). LDS Charities (LDSC) has partnered with this organization for several different projects. LDSC participated in the purchasing of a converted motor home which could be driven to various different locations.  A variety of volunteers staff this mobile clinic including several doctors. The clinic serves the refugee population and also the homeless.

On Thursday we visited the MEDU Psyche Center. This center provides psychological and psychiatric support to individuals who have survived torture, inhuman and degrading treatment.  From the MEDU website we read, "The project beneficiaries are men and women, of any juridical status, with no distinction whatsoever, who suffered torture or other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment."  Services offered at this clinic are:

Psychological assessment

Psychotherapy and medical therapy

Referral to public health services if necessary

Medical, social and legal advice (housing, job training, counselling, social and legal assistance, community integration, etc.)

Collecting patient's stories
Research and training on intentional violence and psychological trauma

LDSC is partnering with MEDU to provide a clinic with more space for counseling to be done with the refugees in need of assistance of a psychological nature. While visiting the Psyche Center we met doctors, psychologists and a cultural mediator who was himself a former refugee. The cultural mediator is there to help translate for the refugees and to help offer understanding of their needs.  

The Herways, Russell and I all felt really good about our visit to this clinic.  I was able to ask about various methodologies of treatment for PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder).  I was extremely impressed with their efforts to determine what services will be of most benefit to the beneficiaries. What a wonderful effort is being done to help those individuals who have suffered violence or psychological trauma.

Several weeks ago we were communicating with President Pickerd who is the mission president of the Italy Rome mission regarding the Herway’s housing and office needs.  He invited us to a missionary zone conference on Friday for the Rome West Zone.  When we set up our training schedule several weeks ago we did not know that the Herways were supposed to be attending a zone conference or even what zone they would be in.  We attended the conference and I was very delighted to see my nephew at the conference.  Elder Ethan Cannon has been serving in Malta with 3 other Elders and a senior couple.  Who would have thought that Malta would be in the same zone as missionaries serving on the west side of Rome?  Perhaps it was more than coincidence that the Herways were serving in the same missionary zone as my nephew.  We tried hard to make sure we were not a distraction to him or the other missionaries, however President Pickerd did suggest that we take a photo together.  It was wonderful to be able to hear the excellent training by President and Sister Pickerd and to feel the great spirit of the young missionaries. 

We returned to Frankfurt after a great week emotionally recharged but physically tired. Galatians 6:9 says “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.”  We both feel that this last week we were able to “reap,” despite our falling asleep on the flight home.  We are grateful and feeling very blessed to have the opportunity to help with the humanitarian work in the Europe Area.  

Russell in training with Elder and Sister Herway

Elder Herway and Russell on metro - we were so grateful it was operating for a few hours

MEDU clinic in Rome

Sister Herway exchanging contact information with volunteer

Rome temple under construction

Volunteer intern, cultural mediator and Alberto (physician and organizer of Psyche Clinic)

Professionals and volunteers at Psyche Clinic

Elder Herway and cultural mediator discussing music therapy-They both have been in rock bands

Poster at clinic - this young man was a refugee from Africa, now translator and cultural mediator

Eileen and her nephew Elder Cannon

Elder Cannon and fellow missionaries, Elder Adepoju 2nd to left has a remarkable story of his leaving the Ivory Coast as a refugee. Now he is a missionary

The Elders of the Rome Italy mission

Sister missionaries in the Rome mission