We
began our trip to Italy at 1 p.m. Monday, August 29, 2005,
leaving from O’Hare, with a stopover in Cincinnati, then
Rome, and finally to Lamezia Airport in Catanzaro. The trip from Cincinnati
to Rome was first class, and we really enjoyed that. We arrived
at Lamezia on Tuesday afternoon. My artificial knees set off the
alarms at all security points at each airport.
At
Lamezia, Cousin Dario Scorza waited for us. He said “Scortza”
when he saw me and then drew his hands across his eyes, to show
that my face had the Scorza look. He had never seen me before,
but he said I have Scorza eyes. Dario is a handsome man. He drove
us to his home in Cantanzaro, and he did quite well with some
English words. I was surprised that I could understand some of
the Italian words, as I do not speak Italian. Language was no
barrier. We felt like long lost cousins, and we enjoyed each
other’s company. Of course, the Italian/English dictionary
that I carried helped a lot. Around Dario and Anna’s
building there is a fence and gate. He uses a remote to open the
gate so that only the cars that belong to his building can park
in the area around it. They live on the fourth floor of an
elevator building. The city has mostly condominium buildings.
After
breakfast Dario took us for a walk in Catanzaro, viewing parts of
the city. I was surprised that it is built on so many hills. The
second largest bridge span in Italy is in the city of Cantanzaro,
so you know there are valleys for the bridges to span. Dario
pointed to an area of the city where he said my dad was born.
However, that area is now much different than when my father was
born, so we did not go there. Then Dario drove us to his seaside
home where Anna was awaiting us. The seaside home is a duplex,
and Dario and Anna’s daughter Patrizia and her family occupy
the other part of the duplex. A lovely veranda spans both homes.
Patrizia and her husband have two sons and a baby daughter,
Emmanuel 17, Davida 14, and Aurora 14 months. Anna and I got
along wonderfully, even though she only speaks Italian.
Thankfully, Emmanuel (Manuel) speaks English. We also used
the dictionary a lot. The seaside home is about 100 meters from
the Ionian Sea. Manuel says this is some of the best beach in all
of Calabria. Davide is shy and does not communicate in English.
Manuel wanted to talk and talk. He wants to come to America after
seeing a picture of Kilauren (my grand daughter). Later in the
day, Dario’s pastor, Lorenzo Scornaienchi, came to visit. He
is a really nice young 38 year old man. He spent one year in
school in Pennsylvania and also studied in Germany. We were able
to communicate better with Dario and Anna when Lorenzo was
present. We went to the Resort city of Soverato, which is less
than a ten minute car ride from Dario and Anna’s place.
Dinner in Italy is usually very late (for us). We ate at 9 pm or
later each night at the sea. Anna really outdid herself, in
giving us splendid meals.
The
next day, we again went to Soverato. We enjoyed walking along the
sea and sitting in a park looking at the beautiful view. We
understand this is a very expensive area for tourists. We talked
and talked. Dario knows some English, but Lorenzo translated for
us. Our conversation was about the Lord and it is so good to know
that when my dad and his two brothers came back to Italy and
brought the Gospel to this family, these people grew in the
knowledge of the Lord. Dario was not born when the
grandparents and my father’s siblings came to know the Lord,
but his faith was real because we could feel the depth of his
Christian knowledge. Dario is Uncle Ernest’s son. Uncle
Ernest had another son who died in 1949 at age 19.
I
learned from Dario that my dad, Nicola, came back to Italy to
serve a term in the Italian army. He was still an Italian citizen
and in 1912. According to Dario, he came home to perform his duty
to his country. While in Italy, he contracted “Spagnola
fever.” There was an epidemic at that time. Millions died.
My Pa thought he would die, but he prayed that God would heal him
so he could go back to the United States. God did heal him. I
remember hearing about my father being sick, near death, in Italy,
but I don’t remember hearing him tell of being in the
Italian army. I do know this. The relatives that are in Italy
now, revere my father and hold him in high esteem. Obviously,
Uncle Ernest, Uncle Peter, Aunts Maria Giuseppa and Carmela were
the ones who told their children about my father, Nicola. Also,
Uncle Frank spoke highly of him when he was in Italy with them. I
was happy to hear this.
Dario
also told me that Uncle Joseph came in 1911 and began to preach.
He said that the church was Methodist then. Joseph went from
Cantanzaro to Naples to preach. He brought pastors from England
to preach in San Pietro where the family now lives. Grandma
Giuseppina Scorza fed the pastors. Dario says she fed them birds
“meat” and homemade pasta. Stefano Parrotta came to
know the Lord at this time and he then courted Pa’s Sister,
Maria-Giuseppa, and married her.
Grandma
Giuseppina Scorza went to Naples to assist Helena in childbirth.
Obviously, this was the birth of Vera. While in Naples, grandma
was told that she must wear a hat to church in Naples. She said
she would, but, if she saw any “Italians,” she would
take it off. By “Italians” she meant – anyone from
San Pietro. I guess she felt that the people in Naples were not
Italians. I hoped Dario would tell us more about my grandmother
and grandfather. He did mention that Grandpa died of a prostrate
problem. I hope I understood his Italian. (Lorenzo was swimming
in the Ionian Sea, so, he wasn’t there to translate.) We
looked over the “Family Tree” and spoke of the various
family members. Dario asked about Carmela, Phillip’s second
wife. Dario said that Phillip brought Annette to visit once, and
then he brought Carmella to visit once.
Anna
made a wonderful meal of pasta and beans. So delicious! Second
course was a roast with a wonderful tasting sauce. She enjoyed
cooking for us, and everything was very good. She even went out
of her way to make latte coffee for us each day. We also had
espresso. I am getting used to strong coffee. We had a very nice
supper and the cake that Anna made earlier in the day. Lorenzo
left us at the seaside on Thursday, as he had to go to Vincolese,
near San Pietro to hold a mid-week service there for both
villages.
On
Friday, Dario took us back to Soverato, trying to buy an English
newspaper. The Italian TV said that the hurricane that hit New
Orleans left 10,000 dead. I had hoped to read about what
happened, but no English newspapers were available. We learned
that Manuel had a transatlantic cell phone, so, we asked if we
could call our grandson, Brandon, who lives in Mobile, Alabama,
to see if the hurricane affected him. We reached Brandon and he
said he was all right, but without electrical power. We were
relieved. That night Dario, Anna, John & I went back to
Soverato. It was such a nice walk in the little town, and also by
the sea. We went into one of the shops to meet a descendent of Pa’s
sister Carmela. Her name is Federica and her husband is Samuele
Arnaldo. They own an emporium, which is like an American dime
store. Federica is a beautiful 30 year old woman.
When
we got back to Dario’s home, we sang songs without a piano
until the pizza that Patrizia was making was ready. They sang in
Italian, we in English. Terrific! That night we ate at 10:15 pm.
I was worried that John and I would have a problem with pizza
just before bed, but we slept well. On Saturday Dario drove us
from the seaside back to Catanzaro. This is a city on hills.
Dario and I went out to find an English language newspaper again.
No luck, but the walk up and down the hilly sidewalks sure helped
use up the many calories I had consumed. Then, Dario, John and I
got our luggage and traveled to San Pietro Magisano. We could not
believe the hills that we went through. We really were in the
mountains. I don’t remember Pa talking about mountains, only
the mountains where Bethel Village is (the mountain retreat
established by Uncle Frank and the Italian Gospel Association).
San Pietro is less than ½ hour from Catanzaro.
We
met cousin Violetta who lives on the upper level of the house
that Grandpa built. I tried to find out which part of the house
he built. There have been several additions. I believe it was the
top floor that is the newer addition. Housing here is usually
built up on existing houses. These homes are built with concrete.
Little wood is used in the construction. Grandpa’s house has
five units, or apartments. The ground floor houses the chapel
that Uncle Frank built. From the west you can enter
straight into the chapel through two large wooden doors. From the
east, you enter by one wooden door, and go down about 5 steps.
The house is built on hilly terrain. On the first floor of
grandpa’s house, one unit is occupied by our Cousin Elena’s
daughter Giulia, her husband Rosario, and daughters Teresa (25)
and Stefania (20). Across the hall was the unit occupied by
SimonPietro Marchese, Violetta’s son who died in 2004. On
the next floor, Violetta has one unit and her sister Giuseppina
Anna (Nicknamed Ninette) has the other. The top floor was their
brother Domenico’s flat. He died two days after SimonPietro
last year. Uncle Peter had four children; Domenico, Elena,
Violetta and Ninette. They each have a summer home here in this
house in San Pietro, while Elena now lives one block away, and
her daughter Giulia occupies her space. Violetta and Ninette’s
primary residences are in Bergamo, about 300 miles north near Milan.
Domenico’s primary residence was Genoa. Domenico’s
widow, Margie, and her children come down to this house in San
Pietro at any time, as do Violetta and Ninette. Much like people
in America have a summer or winter home elsewhere in the country
with flats fully furnished, the family members can come back to
San Pietro. Ninette was in San Pietro in August, but had to go
back to Bergamo before we got there. She called Violetta every
day to find out what we were doing.
Teresa
was the only one who spoke English. She graduated from college,
and is looking for a job via the internet. She tutors several
students in English. When she finds work she will have to leave
this little village. There are no jobs here for her. San Pietro
has perhaps, 300 to 500 residents. Giulia made all of us a
wonderful lunch. The big meal of the day is at lunch time. The
first course is always pasta. The second course is meat and
vegetables, then, cheese and bread, and finally fruit.; usually
great big grapes, and wonderful peaches. At Violetta’s
apartment, we had fresh figs that she and Elena picked from the
trees that grew in back of grandpa’s house.
Later
in the afternoon Violetta, John and I went for a walk. We stopped
at Elena’s and she came with us. We met many people on the
way. We met Leonardo Alberti who has a home in Morristown, New
Jersey, and one here in San Pietro. He travels to his home in Italy
every year for the Festival of Lights. Every town has a patron
saint, and once a year they hold a festival in honor of the
saint. Leonardo knew Ken Thompson, our daughter, Becky’s
brother-in-law. What a small world! We never expected that
Leonardo would know someone we know in the U.S. Leonardo invited
us over for the next day as he was going to roast a pig for the
festival. However, we were not able to go. We then went on
further to the house of Alba Alberto and her husband, Luciano.
She was very happy to see her cousin from America. This couple
have a small home with kitchen and living room/bedroom combined.
After we visited for awhile, Alba accompanied us about one block
further north to the house of her granddaughter, who was a very
beautiful young woman, around 30 years of age. She invited us in,
but, we knew she was about to go to work. We just stood outside
and talked a little. This young woman either drives an ambulance
or is an EMS worker. The only word I understood was ambulance. We
had a great walk, I didn’t understand Violetta or Elena very
well but we had a wonderful time. Violetta gave up her large
bedroom for us and she slept on a single bed in a smaller room.
On
Sunday, Giulia, Rosario and Teresa accompanied us to the church
back in Catanzaro. Rosario’s car only holds five
people. I would have liked Violetta to come, but she didn’t
mind staying home. Elena was the one who would be preparing
dinner for all of us when we would return. It was such a
privilege to be in the church in Catanzaro. The church is in the
center of the city. On the wall in the foyer is a very large
plaque with the names of Anton, Nicola, Joseph and Franco. This
was the church the four brothers sent money to so that services
could be held here. The plaque says “In memory of dei
fratelli Antonio, Nicola, Guiseppe, e Franco Scorza –
Ambassadors for Christ. Jesus said ‘Go into all the world
and preach the gospel to every creature’, Mark 16:15.”
Illuminated above the platform were two signs. “A light to
light the darkness” and “Ecumenical”
The
congregation was so friendly! John and I sang two duets,
and John preached a sermon entitled “Where are you looking
to find God,” which Leonardo translated. What a good service
as the people responded to the message. One man told me, because
our faith shone through, he hoped it would raise the level of the
commitment of the people to be more dedicated to Christ. Hugs and
kisses came from everyone. Domenico Parrotta hugged and kissed me
over and over. He pointed to the tears in his eyes and said
“joy.” Dario and Anna were so glad to see us again, and
have us minister in their church.
We
had a wonderful meal at Elena’s when we returned to San
Pietro. She had pasta, peas and cheese in a very light cream
sauce. Then, beef rolled around ham and cheese. After lunch, we
went back to Violetta’s apartment and her friend Lena came
over for the afternoon. When Lena left, we went for a walk again
and stopped at Elena’s where we looked at pictures of
relatives. Violetta had gnocchi for supper with all the
trimmings. As we sat on the balcony of Violetta’s place, we
looked to the west and all we could see were mountains. Houses
built into the hillside were very far off. There are miles
and miles of just hills to the west and north. We’re more or
less on the western edge of town. Other houses and the huge
Catholic church are on the east side of the house. The Catholic
Church was the one where the priests burned the bibles that my
dad brought to Italy. It is just one block away. Also, when our
grandmother was converted, that was the church where the priest
led the parishioners to throw stones at my grandmother, for they
believed she was a heretic.
On
Monday, I watched and helped a little while Violetta made stuffed
eggplants. These were small eggplants, and very delicious. Teresa
came up and asked if we wanted to see our relatives in Traverna.
Giulia drove us up and up and up winding mountain roads to one of
the little villages we saw at a distance from Grandfather’s
house. My Cousin, Caterina Lia (Tittina), had a house on a steep
incline. There were many steps and then a steep sloop before we
were at her doorway. She was very gracious and has a nice
apartment. We looked at pictures of her family and I showed ours.
She said I look like a Scorza. She made us espresso with
biscotti. Then we went down the steep incline again. Don’t
know which was harder, going up or coming down. Guilia and
Caterina took us to Caterina’s daughter’s house. Her
daughter, Maria Gentile, also lives in Traverna. Her house was a
large Villa. Very beautiful! They had a lovely winding staircase
in the front hallway. Spacious with many rooms and wonderful
portico’s around the house, also, a lovely veranda. There
were wonderful balconies in each room on the second floor. What a
marvelous view of the valley and mountains. Maria’s husband
is Paolo Gentile. Caterina is the daughter of Stefano Parrotta,
and Maria-Giussippina. I was told that Stefano Parrotta had been
imprisoned for the Gospel. It was so good for me to meet these
family members. From the portico of this house we looked down on
a village road, and along came a goat herder with a large herd of
goats. It looked like a scene from Heide. Caterina said
she had a heart valve operation and credits God with bringing her
through. She is the sister of Domenico Parrotta who hugged and
kissed me with tears yesterday in church. Caterina and Maria
look alike.
We
spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying the view from Violetta’s
balcony. John said that he could spend hours and days on that
balcony, just looking at the scenery and meditating. He loved it!
At 5:30, Teresa was finished tutoring a student in English and
the four of us walked to the Zicchinella Villa. The Zicchinellas
have a large house with acreage and a stone arch over the entry
gate. A fence curls around the whole place. My father’s
sister, Carmela Levato, is the forebear of the family we visited.
Carmela’s daughter-in-law is the matriarch of this house.
Her name is also Carmela. In this villa are four generations.
Each has their own apartment on a separate floor. We met Carmela
and her daughter Lidia Zicchinella. Lidia and Domenico
Zicchinella have three children. They have a girl, Anna, and twin
sons, Josefatta and Davide. Anna and her husband, Augostino
Teti, occupy the large first floor. Anna is a medical doctor. We
met Anna and her husband and a 3 year old son, Gabriel. Josefatta
Zicchinella is an artist. He has a studio in their home.
Josefatta’s twin brother Davide is a lawyer. We did not meet
the twins that day, but did meet Josefatta and Davide the next
day. Lidia served us cake and juice. We left at 7 pm and had
dinner at 7:30.
Violetta
made a good fish dinner, and, of course, pasta. Because of the
festival here, loud firework rockets sounded as church bells
rang. Tomorrow the whole village, with exception of the
evangelicals, will parade around and pay homage to the patron
saint at various stations around the town. John took a picture of
one station that was across the street from the Zicchinella
Villa. The children of Carmela Levato, in Italy, are Catholic,
while the Levato relatives in the U.S. are Protestant.
The
next day Violetta gave me a black sweater and a white sheath she
made. Violetta is a wonderful seamstress. After breakfast, Giulia
drove her mother, Elena, with Teresa, John and me to the cemetery
where Uncle Frank is buried. All of the dead are buried above
ground in crypts. These tiered crypts are not in a building but
out in the open. There were several blank spaces for more
coffins. Covering the opening of Uncle Frank’s crypt was a
bronze plaque that gave his name and the dates of his birth and
death. Also written out in Italian was John 3:16. Everyone
who goes there will be able to read this scripture, a good
testimony to all who will see it. There is a ledge in front of
his crypt and a metal vase. Elena brought flowers. To get to the
cemetery, we had to go up a winding mountain road. From the
cemetery we could look down onto the town of San Pietro. As we
were leaving the cemetery, there was an old hut that had an
opening in the floor where in ages past they opened the cement
cover and dropped in the bodies of the supposed dead. I remember
my father mentioning how someone in a coma could have been placed
in there alive. My father said when the villagers came to put
another body in the hole some time later, they noticed a person
tried to lift the heavy lid in order to get out but finally died
in the crypt.
After
we came back to San Pietro from the cemetery we walked to a small
house my grandfather had constructed. He built this house before
the one we are now staying in. This little house is the house
where Anton, Nicola and Joseph lived. As more children came along
Grandfather constructed the bigger house. The original house
looked different now because it has had other walls put around
it, but, we were able to see where it was located in the town.
Now, the area has many houses; but then, grandfather had gardens,
chickens, goats, and sheep. Giuseppina Dardano walked with us,
also explaining more history. Giuseppina is Carmela Lavato’s
granddaughter; Carmela was my father’s sister. She is the
daughter of Carmela’s second son, Giuseppe. On the way back,
we stopped at her house and had a glass of peach juice. She gave
us a bag of dried black olives to take back home to America.
We
went to visit Vittoria Levato and her daughter, Catia. Her
husband, Pasquale, is a builder and was working in another
village. We climbed three flights of cement steps and although I
thought we had come to an older home, we stepped into a modern
home. It had large rooms, beautiful wood cabinets and woodwork,
marble floors, and granite counters. Wow, what a beautiful home.
They refurbished everything as they went along. Now, the house is
done and they will cover the cement steps with tile or marble and
tile the side walls. We were intrigued at how these aged houses
are refurbished so beautifully. Most of the homes have marble or
tile floors. We were able to visit many of the family members in
the little village of San Pietro within walking distance of each
other. We again stopped at Elena’s house and played her
electronic piano. We sang a few songs then took the piano to
Violetta’s where we sang more songs before lunch. Lunch was
piccolo penne pasta with just enough pomodora sauce to moisten
it. Then we ate veal scaloppini. Violetta cooked the veal in
wine. I shall try that at home.
After
lunch, Rosario came home early and offered to drive us to Bethel Village
(the evangelical retreat in the mountains). Rosario, Giulia,
Teresa, John and I were glad to go. It was a beautiful drive up
with hairpin curves; about a 45 minute drive. Just before we got
to Bethel Village, there are several ritzy resorts. However, the
resort season is July and August and we were there in September.
There were not many tourists now. The buildings at Bethel were
closed, but we were able to see the grounds and outside of the
buildings. On the way back down, we stopped at a National Park.
The flowers were beautiful. There were row upon row of hydrangea
and other flowers. We took pictures of deer. There was a nice
amphitheater at this park for concerts and a restaurant in the
park. Rosario and Giulia had their wedding reception in that
particular restaurant.
Back
to San Pietro again and Stefania made a birthday cake for her
boyfriend, so, we all had a piece of cake. Stefania’s
boyfriend is a race car driver but when he isn’t racing he
drives a truck. Guilia made dinner that night. One of the items
was polpette melanzane. John and I were especially crazy over
this recipe. Teresa told us how her mother made it. I tried it
when I got home, but it wasn’t quite the same; so, I emailed
Teresa and asked for a written recipe.
We
woke up Wednesday, Sept. 7, to church bells and loud rocket
fireworks at 6 am. Obviously, they are telling everyone in the
village that this day they are to honor the patron saint. They
had a large platform in front of the church for dancing later in
the evening. Elena’s house is right at the first step to the
church. The houses are built right to the roadway and this
particular roadway ends at the steps to the church. There were
about 50 steps up to the church which sits high above the whole
town. Elena has a brick ledge outside her house where we could
sit and watch people go by. We sat there as a funeral procession
came to the church. First, the marching band from the high school
came. Then, the casket followed by the family and the whole town.
We watched them go in, and we waited until the service was over
and watched them come out. It was a very solemn event. Later
tonight, there will be singing and dancing.
Violetta
showed us pictures of my grandmother Guiseppina “nonna”
and grandfather, Domineco “nonno.” John took photos of
the pictures. I played Elena’s piano and Teresa will
translate Jesus Your Name so we can sing it at the church
service tonight. We went over to Elena’s house and watched a
video of SimonPietro Marchese preaching. The video was taken a
week before he died. I know it was hard for Violetta to watch.
John, Teresa and I went up the steps to the Catholic Church,
“Madonna of Santa Luce.” The priest is SimonPietro
Marchese’s cousin. SimonPietro’s father and the priests’
father were brothers. We met the priest and Domenico Levato,
another relative. We met the Zicchinella twins, Josefatta and
Davide, who we missed at their villa, yesterday. Then, back to
Elena’s home. She made cannoli and we loved it. When we came
back to the house, there was Violetta whitewashing a portion of
the wall in the chapel. She had her good dress on, but she wanted
the chapel to look nice. One portion of the wall did not look
good to her. John went back to the square to watch the marching
band practice. I sat on the balcony and looked at the “Sila”
mountains to the west.
Usually,
Lorenzo holds a Thursday service in Vincolese because there are
more evangelicals there. Also, those in San Pietro are able to
drive to Vincolese quite easily. However, tonight they will hold
the service in the chapel that Uncle Frank dedicated in our
grandfather’s house. The small chapel was packed for the
service. They sang Amazing Grace and another song. John
and I sang our two songs of testimony. John preached a wonderful
message about blind Bartimaeus. Lorenzo interpreted. Lorenzo
remarked several times that “this is what we need to hear,”
as John was preaching. John really did a marvelous job. You could
tell that everyone was touched. Lorenzo said that he hoped the
zeal we displayed and preached would energize the people to read
their bibles more and to pray more earnestly. To close the
service we sang Jesus Your Name. Teresa translated the
song into Italian and gave everyone copies, but the people wanted
to try to sing in English. The last song we sang was God be
with You till We Meet Again. Everyone had tears in their
eyes. They all wanted us to come back.
We
met a woman who was a great granddaughter of Rosario Procopio. He
was the one who came to America in 1898 and was saved. He went to
Moody Church and began a witness to Italians. My father, Nicola,
then came to know the Lord in that Italian fellowship at Moody.
The woman showed us a letter that Rosario Procopio wrote. She
treasured that letter written so long ago and she wanted us to
hear it. Now this distant relative of his was worshipping with us
in this little chapel. We promised to pray for Domenico Parrotta’s
sons. Marco was there. He is a handsome young man who goes
to University. Stefano, his brother, is in Rome. One of the
ladies said we should pray and try to do something for those boys
as their lives here have a dead end. The woman was from Toronto
and she gave me her business card. I don’t know what we
could do for them except pray that God will help them to find
jobs. Domenico Parrotta’s wife, Maria, made a wonderful
cake. Giulia provided drinks of juice and tea and also served
some cookies.
We
got our luggage into Dario’s car and headed back Catanzaro.
Anna greeted us with open arms. She had supper waiting for us.
Wonderful baked “pie style” eggplant, zucchini, red
& green peppers, cheese. Think calzone. Then we had cheese,
bread, wine, and fruit. Thursday, September 8, we had a wonderful
breakfast and Anna made cappuccino. Lorenzo came about 9 am.
After a little conversation we went out to Dario’s bank so
we could use an ATM to get Euros. If we buy something for 10
euros the dollar amount is $12.30. We needed euros for our
travels. The traffic in Catanzaro is unbelievable. I don’t
think I could drive here. It is a big city compared to San
Pietro. We walked back to Dario’s lovely home. Dario is an
artist and has many of his own colorful abstract paintings at his
home in Catanzaro and one of the rooms in his home is an artist’s
studio. I watched as Anna washed the fruit. She first used a
powder that she soaked the grapes, then, washed them three more
times in a colander.
Patrizia
and family came to Dario and Anna’s for lunch with us. Dario
had gone to a shop and brought back fresh made pasta. Anna made a
wonderful ragu with neck bones. We also had bread, melanzana,
cheese, fruit and another cake. Thankfully, the cakes in Italy
are not as sweet as the cakes in America. They have the texture
of pound cake.
Giulia,
Teresa and Stefania came to Cantanzaro in the afternoon as they
wanted to take a picture of John and me. It was good to see them
again. Giulia gave me a lace doily that she received as a wedding
present 25 years ago. Anna gave me a pendent to wear on a chain.
Before I left San Pietro, Elena had given me a pearl necklace.
We reciprocated with things that we brought with us as well.
On
Friday, Sept. 9th, we got up early and had breakfast
before we headed for Lamezia Airport. The train station is
also at Lamezia. John had to carry both suitcases up two flights
of stairs. Wow, he did it! We waited on the platform for one
hour. It went fast as we were with Dario and Anna. Anna sat
next to John on the bench. She put her arm around him, and
hugged him to let him know how much she cared for him and me.
Many hugs and kisses before we left really made us feel loved.
Remembering Bernice
Bieber
Bernice
was born to Domenico Scorza’s first son Anton and his wife
Amelia. She was their ninth child. She was born into a family of
mission minded people who were passionate about bringing the
Gospel to their countrymen in the United States and in Italy.
Anton and his brother Frank started the Italian Gospel
Association with the help of the Moody Bible Institute.
Bernice
was born March 23, 1933 in Chicago. Bernice grew up in the Epiphany
Baptist Church and continued her friendship with peers from that
church for 50 years. They recently had a reunion.
On
September 11, 1954, Bernice married Richard Fisk and they had two
children, Mark and Kathleen. Nine years after their marriage,
Richard died of cancer. Bernice was a single mother for three
years. She decided to go to Judson College to improve her skills.
There, she met Alvin Bieber, who was a widower with three little
girls to care for by himself. He also had lost his wife to cancer
and he was a pastor. Soon, the couple married and they adopted
each others children. Bernice’s children took Alvin Bieber’s
last name and they became a blended family.
Al
and Bernice ministered at the Village Bible Church in Hampshire, Illinois.
They moved into an apartment that was supposed to be temporary
housing but ended being their home for over 30 years.
Bernice
was a small woman but she had large accomplishments. She and Al
contributed articles to the local newspaper, the Hampshire
Register News, later named the Hampshire Journal. Soon, Bernice
became an employee of the newspaper in several capacities. She
was meticulous in her duties to her family, the church and the
newspaper.
As
you remember, we were praying for Bernice last year because she
had a severe brain hemorrhage. She fully recovered by summer, but
then, the hemorrhage reoccurred in August and she died August 28,
2005. Bernice is remembered with a life filled with family,
friends and business acquaintances, who all admired her. She was
diligent in all she did and her faith was expressed to anyone who
would listen.
Remembering
Andy Greene
Andy
Green’s mother, Jackie Terpstra Greene, was Vera Scorza’s
first daughter born with Hank Terpstra, Vera’s first
husband. Vera, as you remember, is the first child born to Helen
Kopp and Joseph Scorza. In 1963, Jackie graduated from nursing
school and married Joe Greene. Because Joe was in the military,
Jackie and Joe moved many times. The Greene’s had six
children; five lively boys and then Jackie was blessed with a
baby girl. However, boy number four was a vivacious youngster
named Andrew Everts Greene, who was born January 3, 1972, in Fort
Belvoir, Virginia, one of the many places the Greene’s
lived.
Finally,
the Greene’s settled down in Annapolis, Maryland. The
children all attended Christian schools wherever they went, but,
in Annapolis, the children spent their teen years. The Christian
school they attended, Annapolis Area Christian School, occupied
buildings that were part of the Presbyterian Church they
attended. The children all walked up the street and up a steep
hill from where the Greene family lived to attend this school.
The
five boys and sister Joy did well in school. They all worked at
their academics, were involved in sports and they played musical
instruments. Andy struggled with academics but excelled in the
band, playing the drums. He made friends easily. Andy, number
four, and Luke, number five, were a little over a year apart.
They were pals and they were popular in their circle of friends.
After
high school, Andy wanted to join the Marines and he became part
of the United States Marine Corp. Reserve. Andy went to the University
of Maryland and graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in
History. However, he found his real niche when he started fishing
and boating with Grandpa Lich, Grandma Vera’s second
husband. Andy sold yachts for the North Atlantic Marine Group
located on the Bay Bridge Marina in Maryland. He did very well as
he was a natural salesman. Andy met and married a lovely young
woman named Nancy. They bought a home on Kent Island and had
three large dogs they loved like children. Nancy is a lawyer, so
they were both busy professionals and were not yet planning to
have children.
Two
years ago, Andy was not feeling well and a diagnosis of kidney
cancer was a shock to the family. Andy and Nancy fought hard and
long these two years to beat this terrible disease. They decided
to have a baby and little “Drew,” Andrew Ellis, was
born last spring. Everyone was praying and the doctors were
trying all the most advanced techniques to help Andy beat kidney
cancer. Andy’s oldest brother, Hank, donated stem cells;
but, July 22 on a Friday, Andy went to be with the Lord. Andy
acknowledged his faith in Jesus as his Savior and came to have
peace in his soul during his last few weeks. Nancy said, “All
of his anger was gone.”
Andy
was only 33 years old and the memorial service was difficult. All
of Andy’s brothers spoke and Joy sang. The family had been
wrestling with many issues but the illness and death of Andy
Greene rallied them together. Andy’s father, Joe Greene,
talked about their struggle to care for Andy during his last
days. Andy lost so much weight that he could no longer walk; so,
his brothers and his parents took turns staying at Andy’s
home, caring for him and carrying him to the bathroom. Joe said,
“While caring for Andy, he put his head on my shoulder as I
helped him to the bathroom and he said, ‘I love you, dad.”
Then we all had a picture of what life is really all about.
The
death of Andy Greene has had a great impact on all of us who
traveled to Maryland to attend his memorial service. Our hearts
were broken to see the physical changes that occurred to him in
just two years. We all realized our mortality and how fragile
life really is. We were aware that we need to treasure our time
with our loved ones and make the most of every moment. We
realized how much we need to prepare our hearts for the day God
calls us home.
