A Long Wait

In the summer of 1999 I began to serve my mission in Rome Italy. The first day that I was in Rome my mission president took us to a plot of land that the church had just bought the week before. On this property was a villa or large home, an olive garden, and a large field. I would say that the field was about 25 to 30 acres. My mission president said that the church had boughten the land with the intent to build a stake house and a temple. He also mentioned that a BYU Rome was mentioned as a posibility. My entire mission I worked to build a stake in Rome so that a temple could be built on that property. A stake was formed a couple of years after my mission ended. I have been waiting a long time since then to hear the announcment for a temple in Rome.

Today I was standing in the kitchen getting breakfast when President Monson said that he was announcing 5 new temples. I turned to Nicole and said that Rome was one of them. President Monson named 4 of the 5 and had not mentioned Rome. I began to doubt the feeling that I had felt. But when Pres. Monson said Rome Italy I could not contain my feelings. All of my memories from my mission flooded back to my memory and I was so happy for the people that I had served in Italy.

The church is true and no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing. Even in the face of great adversity the Lord will prevail. I suppose that Nicole and I need to start saving so we can be in Rome when the temple is dedicated.