Our week began with two days in the office with wonderful evening activities. On Monday we celebrated Thanksgiving at a potluck FHE dinner with our fellow senior missionaries.
On Tuesday evening we took two sisters from our branch to the temple. We love Karen and Antonia, mother and daughter from Honduras. We are so thankful to have shared this special evening together.
We took an early flight to Rome on Wednesday with Coraline, the Thayns and the Dodgens (Thayn’s replacements) for a Regional Conference. We had gelato for breakfast in the Rome airport. Elder Lamb braved driving a 9-passenger van through the streets of Rome!
Then on to the beautiful Rome visitors center on the temple grounds where our conference was held.
We met with couples in Davides region who serve in Türkiye and the Balken countries. We were so happy to spend time with Elder and Sister Bates, our MTC buddies and our two Italy infield couples the Herways and Vardeus.
We had the opportunity to participate in a unique learning experience during the conference. One of the NGO’s that we partner with came to facilitate “The Game” where we each became a part of an immigrant experience. Our partners at ASCS here in Rome are under the umbrella of SIMN Scalabrini International Migration Network. A few years ago, their team took 22 days to travel on the Balken immigration route with migrants. They saw with their own eyes what happens at the borders of Europe as they traveled from Gaziantep, Türkiye to Trieste, Italy. Along the way they met many migrants; men, women and children who were following the route with the aim of reaching Europe and receiving protection. They also met many volunteers, activists, and NGO’s who work to help these migrants. They now spread awareness through the book they published, a traveling photo exhibition, and this game that they facilitate.
We were divided into teams of three, each team was given the bio of a real person that they met on their journey. As we left our mother countries, for various reasons, we embarked on a path with many crossroads and had to decide who to trust and how to proceed. The dice used in the game represented the randomness and unpredictability of our journeys. Our level of education or financial stability in our home countries soon made little difference as we confronted obstacles along the way. As we processed this experience, we discussed tasting hopelessness, the unjustness, the anger, the frustration and discouragement with setback after setback. We saw the best of humanity and the worst and how one person along the path who reached out to help could completely change the trajectory of the journey. It certainly gave us more compassion and empathy for our brothers and sisters all over the world who are migrants. We discussed how when and if they finally arrive at their destination country a whole new journey begins to integrate into their new culture and society. (PS no one in our group made it- we all ended up in detention camps, injured or out of money to continue bribing smugglers). We became more suspicious as the journey went on, not knowing who we could trust as the rules seemed to change at every turn. It became apparent why upon arrival these people need psychological help.
The Balken route is one of many paths that immigrants take to make it to an EU country. We also touched on the Central Mediterranean and Western Mediterranean routes. Those who embark on these journeys usually have no other choice. They would much prefer to make the journey legally, but they do not enjoy the privilege and power that we have with a passport.
We spent Thanksgiving evening wandering the streets of Trastevere with Elder Vardeu as our guide. Trastevere, which translates to “across the Tiber” is located just across the Tiber River from Rome’s historic center. This charming area is characterized by its narrow winding streets, colorful buildings, and a mix of medieval and modern architecture. Historically Trastevere was a working-class neighborhood but has transformed into a popular destination for both locals and tourists.
We crossed the Tiber river and found ourselves in the historic center.
We walked on to the Jewish Quarter. The first Jews arrived in Rome in the 2nd century. After the fall of the Roman empire and with the growing spread of Christianity, stricter limits were imposed on Jews and the way the community was treated varied from pope to pope. In 1555 Pope Paul IV revoked all rights that Jews had and created a ghetto, a walled restricted community where they had to reside and could only venture out of during daylight hours. A short-lived freedom occurred in 1798 when Napoleon conquered Rome and again in the 1800’s when the order to settle within the walls was once again lifted. Final freedom was achieved in 1870 under the first king of Italy. At that time the last remaining ghetto in Europe came to an end until the ghettos were reintroduced again by Nazi Germany in the 1930’s. Many haunting stumbling stones remember those that were taken from their homes to their deaths in various concentration camps. 1029 Jewish residents were forcibly taken from their homes in Rome. Only 18 survived the holocaust.
The Great Synagogue there today is the center of religious, cultural and social life of the Roman Jewish community.
We enjoyed a traditional Italian feast for our Thanksgiving dinner.
Back in Frankfurt we ushered in First Advent weekend and the Christmas Season by attending a Christmas Market in Rudesheim on Saturday.
This week we give thanks to Heavenly Father for all of you, and our association together. We are so grateful to have crossed paths with you during our journey on this earth. We wish you a holiday season filled with joy.
With love, Elder & Sister Lamb (aka Ed & Debbie, Mom & Dad, Pop Pop & Tu Tu)
Lambs in Central Europe 