Peace and Perspective

The highlight of this past week was visiting the Bern Switzerland temple with some of the young single adults. We were taken back to our days as young missionaries in the MTC when we slept in dorm room temple housing. The temple grounds were stunning with tulips and magnolia trees in full bloom, but, it was the peace and perspective inside the temple that recharged us. 

Our prophet, President Russell M Nelson promises us that, “positive spiritual momentum increases as we worship in the temple and grow in our understanding of the magnificent breadth and depth of the blessings we receive there.  Construction of these temples may not change your life, but your time in the temple surely will.”

Easter felt extra special this year even though we were far from home. Even weeks before Easter, everyone greets one another on the street with a hearty Buona Pasqua. We enjoyed watching how they make the traditional large hollow chocolate eggs filled with toys. Easter weekend we were blessed to attend a ward baptism (apropos), listen to the primary children sing "Gethsemane" in Italian 🥹, and then share a feast with the mission office.

While on our drive to the Bern Switzerland Temple, we spent the afternoon exploring the gorgeous Swiss Alps city of Lucerne. The Chapel Bridge behind us is one of the oldest covered wooden bridges in Europe. The bridge is adorned with paintings depicting scenes from Swiss history. Even though we were just a few hours away from Italy, it is amazing how different the culture and vibe feels in Switzerland.

After a wonderful day in the Bern Temple, we headed to the center of Bern to visit Albert Einstein's apartment (we just felt smarter after that), Old town, the Zyglogge (an ancient clock tower), and then the BärenPark to see the famous Bernese bears.

While in Switzerland we were sure to enjoy some of the local cuisine like Swiss hot chocolate and cheese fondue. We also loved spending time with the Low's who serve with the YSAs in the Milano West Stake. Don't worry, Steve's right foot was not permanently harmed in the making of this photo.

It is always fun hanging out in Milan with the missionaries on PDay. We even ran into a missionary alumni who served here 50 years ago. We tend to draw a lot of attention as we scatter to the various downtown hotspots.   

We have absolutely loved serving a mission, however, it is during moments like Daniel and Abbey's BYU graduation (and Uncle Frank's funeral) when we can feel so far away. We are so thankful for technology that allows us to still participate remotely

We couldn't get enough of the missionaries during zone conference, while the missionaries couldn't get enough of the Costa Vida inspired bowls and tres leches cake. We all left feeling re-energized.

Serving scoops, smiles, and scenic views — Lake Como never disappoints.

Met some locals, although we still can't tell if the dog likes us. They’re super down-to-earth — mostly because they’re bolted to the sidewalk."