On Wednesday after work, I hopped on a train from Capurso to Bari, and from there I hopped on another train that took me all along the Adriatic coast up the Italian peninsula to a beautiful seaside city in the middle of Italy called Pescara.
The YSA national conference was incredible, because I got to see all of my friends from all over Italy all together in one place! It was a really strange clash of worlds in my head, because I got to see my mission companions from the North, the YSA in the cities that I served in here in the South, my new friends from the North that I met on my genealogical trip, and my new friends here in Bari, all together. Most of them had no idea I was here in Italy, and it was so great to get to see them all again. We spent an entire week together joking around, playing, being spiritually edified, and just in general enjoying each other's company. There was such a strong feeling of fraternity and unity there, which is important for the YSA of Italy. When you're in a city where there are only two or three YSA, it can be pretty tough. But being in a giant room full of kids your age who all share your same standards, religion, and beliefs is a powerful and wonderful feeling. It was great to get to be a part of that.
We basically had an entire hotel to ourselves, because we filled the entire thing ourselves. This hotel was RIGHT on the beach. Literally, when you walked out the back door, you were on a super nice sandy beach. Wednesday evening we had some spiritual workshops. That night we had a dance party on the beach. A DJ brought some crazy huge speakers out onto the beach, and the hotel staff was on hand with a grill, grilling up some Arrosticini (which are kind of like shish kabobs, but with lamb meat). The theme of the dance was the same as the theme of the whole conference, "Il Potere di Diventare" (the power to become), so we all dressed up as our future career. We went absolutely crazy dancing on the beach under the stars and moon, eating arrosticini, and having the time of our lives. I absolutely love dancing. There's nothing in the world that relieves stress quite like dancing does. But it's ten times better when you're doing it with great friends that you haven't seen in two and a half years!
Then Thursday morning we had breakfast, and then a service project. We went down to another beach across town that was pretty polluted, and we spent the morning picking up trash and cleaning up the beach. You can read the news article here. It's pretty funny that they called us "La Chiesa Mormonica", or the Mormonic church. Then we went to lunch. By the way, the food that this hotel was serving us was... let's just say I can't even describe it, because it would be like trying to describe what pure and undefiled celestial joy feels like. If you've ever eaten a meal that was so good that it should be considered a work of art and displayed in a UNESCO museum, you have an idea of what we ate at every meal. Anways, after lunch, we had some very edifying and interesting firesides. Some of the topics included "Common mistakes to avoid while seeking an eternal companion", "The importance of self sufficiency", and "The value of women in the church". After the firesides and the show, we all went out on the beach to soak in the sun, take a swim in the ocean, play volleyball and soccer, and just enjoy the beach together. We were out there until about three in the morning every night, by the way. We slept 3 hours a night for the entire week, so by the time we got home we were more dead than alive. Oh yeah, also, on Thursday night we had a talent show. There were beatboxers, breakdancers, skits, all sorts of fun stuff. The most memorable talent by far was done by an autistic kid that everyone loves. His talent was to recite a scripture from Isaiah that talks about Jesus Christ, which he had memorized. As this autistic guy recited this scripture, the DJ put on beautiful piano music in the background. The crowd was absolutely silent. I looked around and saw tears on the faces of more than one person. The Spirit was almost palpable in the room. When he finished, he got a standing ovation that lasted almost three whole minutes. I will never forget the look of happiness on his face at receiving such an enthusiastic applause.
Friday morning we had another few workshops. I think most of you know what Fair Mormon is. If not, here's a link to their website. The president of Fair Mormon came, and gave a series of seminars on topics that people commonly use to attack the Church, such as Joseph Smith and Masonry, polygamy, etc. He laid out all the facts for us, and explained it in a very faith-building way. He also explained a lot of very interesting scientific evidences for the Book of Mormon.
I guess this is a good time to tell you about Giada. I met her at the YSA conference in Milano last month when I was up north doing my genealogical trip. She's from Padova, which is a city close to Venice. We spent the entire week together, and now we're dating. I guess long moonlit night walks on the beach does that to people ;) She's the sweetest and cutest person, and I'm so happy I met her. When we talk in Italian, she has a super strong Northerner accent, and when we speak in English, her accent is a super awesome mix up; it's basically an Italian accent of an American-Australian accent, since she did a study abroad in the U.S. and served her mission in Australia. She's the best ever, 'nuff said.
So, Friday night we had a formal dance. I think the theme had something to do with princes and princesses, or something. Anyways, I put on my crimson shirt with a suit jacket and a bowtie, which I had previously spent hours and hours on youtube learning how to tie. It's more complicated than you think! A lot of people asked me why I didn't just buy one already tied. I told them that the difference between a man who buys a pre-tied bowtie and one who can tie one himself is the difference between boys and men. That's right. Anyways, I put on my suit and went downstairs to the extravagantly decorated ballroom. It was full of guys at first, because we all got ready in thirty seconds while the girls were up in their rooms taking a mortal age to get ready. But, one by one, the girls trickled in. When Giada and I saw each other, we burst out laughing; her dress perfectly matched my shirt and suit! All night, everyone asked us if we had coordinated to match! We had an amazing night dancing like crazy once again. After the dance, when everyone was supposed to "go to bed", we all went out on the beach again and had a great night.
Saturday morning was the testimony meeting. Everyone was feeling really spiritually edified and close to one another, and it was a pretty emotional thing to hear their testimonies. Everyone talked about how sometimes it can be hard living in Italy as a member of the church, because quite often the kids are the only Mormons in their entire school or even city. They all felt, just as I did, that strong spirit of unity and brotherhood that comes every time faithful members of the church gather together for righteous purposes. Needless to say, it was extremely hard to say goodbye to all of my friends from Sicily and from the North especially, since I don't know when I'll be able to see them again. My friends in Rome, Napoli, and Taranto are a bit easier to see, since they're closer to Bari.
Before we left, we all went out onto the beach one last time to take a giant group picture for the Liahona. Then I said goodbye to Giada and everyone else, and all of us who were going to Bari and Taranto piled onto a bus. We had a super fun time on the 4 hour bus ride back to Bari. We put on music and had a dance party in the back of the bus. People driving by just stared or laughed at us. When I got to Bari, I hopped on the train and got here to Triggiano. I walked into the house, and as soon as Anna saw me, she said that I looked extremely happy. I was! I had just had one of the happiest weeks of my life in Pescara. VIVA I GANS!
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