Fun and games with the Young Adults!!!

Every Friday, we have 2 Institute classes, dinner and then an activity!  Here the young adults are playing a fun game with a soccer ball and each person tries kick the ball under someone's chair!  These young adults are very good with their soccer skills!  In fact, they are amazing!!! 

There are no cultural halls in Italy, so they have to use the Chapel...for many purposes!  We have never seen this before....but, even when they have dances, the only place big enough.... is in the Chapel! 

These guys move so fast, it is difficult to get a good picture of them!  This is Diego really moving fast!!!

This is Daniele.....scoring a goal!!!

While the young adults were playing soccer, Eduardo was playing wonderful background music!

Daniele caught the ball in his mouth!!!  (Just kidding!)  As you can see, these young adults are very intelligent!

Another fun game that the young adults really like to play is ping pong!  As you can see, we use whatever tables we can, to make a ping pong table!  

This is Renzo Bendezu' (left) and Stefano Ngao.  Stefano is the assistant clerk in our ward and we are very proud of him!  Renzo has to travel from Ladispoli and we appreciate all of these great young adults that travel so far to come to the Stake Center to attend Institute class!  They really sacrifice a lot to come!

We always set up a snack table before class and we always have dinner after class!  These young adults are always hungry!

This is Dima and Eugenia Scotchi.  They are brother and sister and they are also in our ward!  Dima is the Stake Clerk.  They live here in Rome with their Mom, Ala.  They are from Moldavia.  Ala came to Italy to find employment about 12 years ago.  Dima and Eugenia joined her about a year later.   We have had the pleasure of going to their apartment a few times and we have really have enjoyed getting to know this wonderful family!

Ottavio Caruso receives his mission call!!!

One of the young adults in our group here in Rome received his mission call.....to.......The London England South Mission!!!  

There were over 50 people who came to see Ottavio open his call!!!  We all met at the Stake Center!  It only took 20 days for him to receive his call!  Ottavio speaks English so well, that his call was written in English!  

Ottavio is such a wonderful person!!!  He is from Sicily and met the missionaries when he was 16 years old.  He was kind of a bad boy....ha ha!  When he first read the Book of Mormon, he had a very strong feeling it was TRUE!!!

When Ottavio told his family about the Church, they were not interested nor supportive.  They did not allow Ottavio to be baptized and he had to wait until he came here to Rome to go to College!  He was baptized in September 2011.  We arrived here in Italy in October, so we have been very good friends ever since.  

Last Monday, for Family Home Evening, Ottavio taught the lesson!  He has such a strong testimony!!!  We are very proud of him!!! 
Ironically, my Dad also served in the same mission in 1947!  Ottavio is going to report to the Missionary Training Center in Preston, England on April 4, 2013....so he only has 43 days before he needs to report!

 Ottavio is the secretary in the Young Adult Presidency and is very helpful in many ways!  We think Ottavio has the BEST attendance of any of our young adults!!! 

This picture was taken in Family Home Evening.
The other great thing about Ottavio...he is always helping out the full time missionaries!  He helps teach investigators and is seems to always be helping and serving others!

This picture is of Ottavio, Janus, who was just baptized in January and Anziano Lacey who is serving full time in the Rome 1 ward. 

This is Ottavio's hungry, happy face!!!  I fix dinner for all of the young adults and they are always happy when they can eat!

We are very proud of Ottavio and we are so happy he has chosen to serve a mission!  Bravo, Ottavio!!!

Baptism of Dominque Silva

Dominque Silva was baptized on February 16, 2013!  Dominque, also known as Deejay, is one of our young adults!  

Deejay is 20 years old and is from the Philippines.  His mom (in the white pants), came to Italy by herself, to find a job a couple of years ago.  She was baptized many years ago, but has not gone to church for many years.

Janus, in the white jacket, is Dominque's brother, was baptized last month and now they are all members of the Church and they are very happy!

Sister Lovell, the tall girl, and Sister Clark, in the gray sweater on the end, met Janus and started teaching him.  Elder Cardinet baptized Dominque.  Elder Lacey was just transferred here to Rome.  (Elder Lacey is from Apple Valley, California, and we know some mutual friends!)

Dominque and his brother Janus arrived here in Italy about a year ago.  They speak English and they are learning how to speak Italian.  It is very difficult to find a job in the Philippines.  

We are very happy to know this beautiful family!  We are thankful for the wonderful blessings of the Gospel, and the love of the Lord.  We are so thankful we have a loving Heavenly Father and He cares about each one of us!

Family Home Evening with the Young Adults, January 7, 2013

Every Monday we have Family Home Evening with the young adults.  Our group is usually small.  We usually have 5 or 6 young adults plus the Roberts, another senior missionary couple serving here in Rome, and us.  Gustavo is in the red jacket, and Ottavio, Melissa and Alberto. 

We always have food to eat!  Lots of food!  Daniele came a little late, so we had 5 young adults in our group!  We had a wonderful lesson and wonderful companionship and love.

We have so much to be grateful for and we have learned so much from these great young adults.  They are strong and bright and they really have beautiful testimonies!

Love to all!  The Kruegers

Baptism of Janus Silva, January 5, 2013

Janus Silva is 17 years old.  He lives here in Italy with his Mom and brother.  (Left to right) is Anziano Cardinet, Dominic (Janus' brother), Anziano Davids, Janus, Sorella Lovell, Sorella Clark, Sorella Krueger and Anziano Krueger.  (Alberto is in the back....he was baptized in October)!

Janus' Mom came here to Italy by herself from the Philippines a few years ago.  Janus and Dominic came to live with her about a year ago. 

Janus is very sweet and also very shy. 

This is Janus's Mom on the left.  He was taught by the sister missionaries.

We are very thankful to be able to participate and become acquainted with these wonderful people!  We have been able to meet people from all over the world!

Love you all,  

The Kruegers

Baptism of Martina Aquaro, December 27, 2012

One of our young adults, Martina Aquaro was baptized!!!  She is so sweet and wonderful!!!  We are very excited she has chosen to be baptized!!!

Martina's dad is a member of the Church, and Martina has come to Church on and off most of her life.  Her Mom is not a member and her dad doesn't always come.  We were so happy she started coming to Institute and participating in our young adult program!

Martina's dad baptized her!  She had many family and friends come and support her at her baptism!  It was wonderful and there was a beautiful Spirit there!
Ottavio (above) is also one of our young adults and he came to Martina's baptism.  He has decided to serve a mission, even though his family are not members.  Ottavio had to wait 2 1/2 years before he could be baptized because his family did not support him in his decision.  He has been a member of the Church now for 16 months.  Ottavio told his parents he was planning on serving a mission and they are not going to support him, but he has already seen many blessings and miracles in his life where he feels and knows that he is doing the right thing!

 This is Eugenia, Fausto and Martina.  They have become friends through the Institute program!  Lots of fun!!!

This is our Institute class December 21, 2012.  (Left to right) Gustavo, Fausto, Jeffrey, Anziano Roberts, Ottavio, Marcos, Diego, Renzo, Andrea (in the back), Alberto, Sorella Krueger, Daniele, and Martina and Eugenia in the front.
We are thankful for these strong and wonderful young people who have very strong testimonies and some of them live in very difficult circumstances!
Love,  The Kruegers

Samy Hamed is baptized December 16, 2012

We have had the wonderful opportunity to participate in helping teach Samy Hamed from Egypt!  He is very interesting and we have really enjoyed getting to know him!  He asked for a Book of Mormon in Arabic, which opens from the opposite side of the book, and the words read in the opposite direction! 

On the right page, you can see "The 10 Commandments", and it is interesting to see how he marks his scriptures with a circle around some of the symbols.

Samy asked Larry to baptized him!  His baptism was so beautiful, and he asked two new converts, Stefano Rossetti and Alberto Garcia to bear their testimonies.  They were both awesome!  Samy even bore his testimony!  We feel very thankful and very privileged to be a part of this wonderful work and glorious Gospel!