A WEEK WITH HERWAYS IN ITALY

 Almost 27 years ago we met Tom and Anita Herway in Belgium.  Tom was the bishop of the international ward and Anita was the seminary teacher for our teenage children.  Nine years ago, we met again at the temple in the Netherlands.  That meeting led to Elder and Sister Herway serving as humanitarian missionaries with us in Europe.  Unknown to us at the time, they started serving again in Italy last Fall.  

This week we had the wonderful experience of traveling to Milan and with them visiting half-a-dozen NGOs and units of the municipal government who serve the poor and needy in Milan.  Both Eileen and I were very impressed with the professionalism and dedication of the individuals we met with.  Those managing the organizations we met with were 80-90% women and aged between 20 and 40 years old.  Only two of the individuals we met with were over the age of 50. While immigrants and refugees are more accepted in Italy than in some other countries, those working with the poor and needy need to be motivated by a strong feeling that what they are doing is not only the right thing to do but of great importance, as public praise and the pay level are certainly not motivating factors.

After working in Milan during the week, it was fun to see where Elder and Sister Herway live in Como and then to spend Saturday with them traveling on a train to St Moritz, Switzerland.  I (Russell) have been impressed at how well Eileen has been doing given the amount of fast walking we have been doing, 15,000 to 19,000 steps per day (Eileen keeps track).  And we have both been healthy during our two months here.  I do believe we are being blessed with good health as we serve as missionaries.  This week’s entry is short as we didn’t get home until 8:30 pm tonight and we are both tired.  Our “work hard play hard” mantra was easier when we were younger! 

                                              

Sister Bluth who is one of our senior missionaries, gave a FHE on Monday night about her experiences in decorating the inside of the temples. She gave a very informative, interesting and spiritual presentation.

Sister Bluth was the project manager decorating the interior of the Draper, Utah Temple. 

This is a photo of a preliminary sketch of a smaller temple President Hinkley drew on a napkin while traveling home after visiting Colonia Juarez in Mexico. He had been reflecting on the need for Saints in rural areas to receive the blessing of temple ordinances.

Our visit to La Rotunda included seeing a sewing room where lower income individuals including refugees can learn sewing skills.  Shown below are some of the baby onesies which have been sewn by beneficiaries.

Beneficiaries' can take bike repair classes which could be a very beneficial skill

Colorful murals are painted on the side of the walls near the TDH headquarters to give the neighborhood a more cheerful vibe

Psychological services are offered at TDH in addition to having a store which operates on a point system based on the size of their family.  Refugees can "shop" in the store free of charge to provide goods for their family members. This photo shows two volunteers, previously refugees, organizing the goods for the store. 

The municipality of Milan operates a Welcome Center for migrants and refugees. They offer services for 1000-1500 people/month.  They have a number of translators available so services can be offered in the refugee's native language. One of our humanitarian projects will fund a garden area with tables and chairs so the refugees can enjoy the outdoors without threat of violence.

This painting was done by one of the refugees who came to the Welcome Center.  Even in the midst of bad weather, beauty can still come forth. 

Center for Unaccompanied Migrant Minors

 Unaccompanied minors are from other countries without adult supervision. Here they are offered psychological services, educational support, language tutoring.  Below is a photo of the professionals involved in their care.

At the Ronald Macdonald House Sister Herway joined me in getting in the snuggly chair which can offer comfort to family members who are stressed while their child is in the hospital. 

We saw this statue in a store window the night we visited the Ronald Macdonald House.  Who would ever buy this?

Due to scheduling challenges, we were only able to see  9 minutes of the Italy vs Japan paralympic hockey game.

We didn't go see this castle, just took a quick photo op on the way to the Metro. Sforza Castle was near our  hotel and was built in the 1300-1400s. 

Quick photo stop in the Galleria

We would have loved to go in the Duomo, another quick photo stop.  Some kind of demonstration was taking place outside. 

Italian gelato is delicious with a variety of flavors.

Healys and Herways on the train to Como. 

We took the Bernina Train to St Moritz Switzerland. We ended up in a blizzard on the way home. 

St Moritz is not inexpensive, but we splurged on lunch over the lake. 

Snow man weather

Hotel in St Mortiz.  There were extremely expensive cars in St Moritz including some in front of this hotel

Gratefully I wasn't decapitated while taking this photo.

We had very long days. Russell used the toilet as a desk to catch up on his work. I told him he better make sure there was a towel underneath the computer. YUCK!

Leaving Switzerland. It was a beautiful drive from Milan to St Moritz, but a long day getting home.