JANUARY IS “HALF-DONE”



Dear Family and Friends,

       Well I guess you can see from my heading--that January--that "dreary old January month" has been slipping by catching us quite unaware as to the speed with which this World (and Mission Life) have been racing! With our weather being quite "unseasonably warm" it hardly feels like we have been in Winter yet. So even tho" Christmas has come and gone--this old Gal is still waiting for Winter to arrive.  But WHY is our Apartment cold and WHY do my feet get so cold every night, and WHY did we finally buy a few cozy throws to wrap up in at night--if we are still waiting for Winter?? WELL, one word. . . . .HUMIDITY!!  Chills to the Bone.  You know--our kids all went together to buy me my first (and only)  REAL GENUINE MINKY BLANKET from MinkyCouture so I would be warm this year. Have you heard of them? They are just about the most wonderful thing to wrap up in when you are chilly and cold. But it weighs so much--it would have put my luggage in jeopardy of ever leaving Salt Lake City WITH ME. That--or I would have to have WORN IT as my clothes would not have made the suitcase. So it stayed behind to await my Return.  Good Decision--if you are practical.?! 

      So, anyway--we have NOT MISSED the snow that many of you are wrangling with--but what a blessing for Idaho and Utah. Brad said one weather station (he lives in Logan,Utah) has reported that their snowpack is 190% of normal to this point this year. WOW!! No wonder our Preston Idaho North Stake Presidency have sent out a note encouraging that the upcoming Fast on Feb 5th could include GRATITUDE as a purpose of our Fasting and Prayers at this time.

FAST FORWARD. . . 

IT IS NOW JANUARY 29TH and we are still composing this email. . . so let's catch up and send.

     You know sometimes TOO MUCH INFORMATION can be a bit of a detriment.  Let me explain:

 We have so enjoyed being able to get out for walks--our area where we live is open, and green and many roads have very little traffic.  Well, as we have been exploring these areas, we have noticed that there are fences of all types-AROUND HOUSES, HOUSING AREAS, BIG OPEN FIELDS AND GATED APARTMENTS AND ESTATES. Some of the fences are very nicely done and others are closely related to what we would call "chicken wire" or "fine gauge wired enclosures" and some just reinforced caution fencing. Some have used roofing sheets to then reinforce the wiring--and I have wondered to myself, "Why is it so important to have fences--especially those that are poorly established or maintained? What are they hoping to KEEP OUT?  OR is the better question "WHAT ARE THEY TRYING TO KEEP IN??" Well, we were on an outing with some Temple Missionaries and the conversation in our vehicle somehow got on the subject of WILD BOARS (The Italian for wild boar is "cinghiale", but it is also known by other names). Yep--WILD BOARS. Quickly my mind went to the scene from "Old Yeller" where a very wild animal has come after one of the boys and hurt him quite badly and he is just trying to get to higher ground so he can get out of its path and reach. YES--that was a WILD BOAR. so when I heard that name--i quickly perked up. It seems that there is quite a wild boar infestation around the Rome-Lazio area (the area of west-central Italy, fronting the Tyrrhenian Sea and includes 5 Provinces, one of which is Rome).  It seems that last May, 2022, these BOARS were causing major problems, not just in the countryside (which is where we live) but in communities around Rome as little packs of these hog-cousins are coming into populated areas to raid the rubbish bins. And Rome is known for being a city that has not taken care of its garbage in a very responsible way at all.  So you will find an overflowing dumpster of trash in many places. One area in the north of Rome got so desperate to control these wild pigs,and prevent the spread of African Swine fever disease-- that Picnics were banned and bins fenced off in a large swathe of northern Rome as health authorities moved to contain the wild boar population after this disease--fatal to domestic pigs-- was detected in a deceased animalt in that area. I do not think the ban is still in effect--it was during May and June of 2022.

And while African Swine fever is not harmful to humans, Wild boars can be dangerous because they are the carriers of diseases that can be passed on to humans such as tuberculosis, hepatitis E and influenza A-- besides their aggressive behavior. 

They also cause thousands of accidents on the road each year that can result in serious injuries for drivers. Which is what "started" the conversation in our vehicle that day--One of the Missionaries had come upon a traffic accident that involved hitting a wild boar in the street.  So then i jumped into the conversation to make sure that my "walks" would still be safe?--consensus was that most likely--as these critters, who seem to be most active at dusk and dawn, have also become "nocturnal" in their behavior to search and obtain food.

Wild Boars themselves are omnivores and their diet consists of nuts, seeds, roots, acorns, fruit, small reptiles, and rodents. Occasionally, they might eat small mammals and bird eggs. But it's the way they "hunt" for food that creates the problem they are to agriculture-- Because of their growing numbers, wild boars can have a negative impact  mainly due to their habit of digging up soil while looking for food, which damages crops and fields. Given their high capacity for reproduction, they have unfortunately become an invasive and harmful exotic species. In their search for food they cause serious problems to the soil which affects the development of crops. They can also damage certain crops by feeding on them or their seeds and we have seen this damage on our walks as we see furrows that have been left in fields and even grass areas along the roadside. Gratefully, I DID NOT take this photo below--but this is the type of wild boar that can be found in our area. As I have read some updated material--there was a "wild hog" hunt allowed back in May and June of 2022, and it was the consensus that the population has diminished--but they breed and reproduce well--so it might be a "temporary" reduction. SO, I AM STILL WALKING IN ROME, BUT MUST ADMIT--I PICK UP MY STEP A BIT WHEN PASSING AN OPEN FIELD.

Wild Boars similar to those found in our area in Italy.

A cause for accidents on the road. Kinda like our Deer problem in Idaho. 

Though probably not found here in Italy, Boars like this are just so ugly and hard to look at.

 

OKAY--now onto an update as to Temple things here in Rome. We have CHANGES coming to our Temple schedule and Temple hours. Right now we have 2 Temple Shifts--Morning and Afternoon/Evening. and they are separated by a 2-hour complete Temple Closure. So the Morning shift has finished and left the Temple BEFORE that Afternoon/Evening shift even arrives at the Temple. WELL--beginning February 7, 2023--there will no longer be a Temple Closure during the middle of the day.  HERE IS A LOOK AT OUR NEW SCHEDULE.

Temple Opening	Workers (8:15am)	Patrons (9:15am)
Shift 1	8:45am - 2:30pm
Workers Training	8:45am - 9:15am
Ordinances	Starting at 9:30am (First Endowment session at 10:00) There will be 4 Endowment sessions at 10,12:30, 3, 5;30 There will be 8 Sealing Sessions at 9:30, 10:30, 11:30, 12:30, 1:30, 2:30, 3:30, 5:00, 6:00 There will also be Initiatory Sessions at the same time as the Sealing Sessions  4 Baptisms for the Dead Sessions at 9:30-11:30, 12:00-2:00, 2:30-4:30, 5:00-7:00  The Temple will close earlier on Saturdays at 5:30 pm--so there will be only be  3 Endowment Sessions.  Sealings, Initiatory and Baptisms will all close at 4:30 pm
Shift 2	2:00pm - 7:30pm	Saturday 2:00pm - 5:00pm
Workers Training	2:00pm - 2:30pm
Ordinances	Starting at 2:30pm (First Endowment session at 3:00pm)
Temple Closing	8:00pm    (5:30pm on Saturday)

 

We are super supportive of our Temple Presidency and the Church Temple Department as these new changes go into effect. It has taken a lot of time and effort to coordinate these many changes They truly feel it will make Temple Time more productive and hopefully allow for more Temple work to be accomplished by the Patrons. Our Shifts will be a tad bit longer but we are here to SERVE so that is just fine. And Saturday afternoon will be the "sweet shift" for any who get that duty (which is rotated every 2 weeks or so--so we all will!!)!

     Well, that's all for this email--we have Made it Through January and ALL IS WELL!! (Way to go Cache Valley--8 more inches of snow this morning--hoping Clifton got some of the white stuff too!) THANKS FOR YOUR LOVE AND SUPPORT!!

Love from Rome,

Sorella and Anziano Mumford

Hurrah for Israel! Hurrah!!.