I’ve been reading a lot of materials recently having to do with Church members during the last days of World War II, in both Europe and the Far East. Every human emotion is on display: fear, gratitude, anger, relief, joy, grief. Latter-day Saints among the American servicemen and chaplains are doing their best to contact and care for local members in war zones, who in almost all cases find some measure of hope at being in touch again with the wider Church (even those whose local congregations continued to function have generally been cut off even from other branches in their own countries).

There is no Church organization in Italy yet, so even though the LDS servicemen in the American forces are holding conferences and keeping in touch in that country, nobody knows or thinks about Vincenzo di Francesca, the Sicilian who was converted by reading a copy of the Book of Mormon he found – without title page – in an ashcan.

But Vincenzo is thinking of the Church, nevertheless. The very day he arrived home in Palermo from wherever he had fled to live out the war, Vincenzo went to the Italian Red Cross. The form he fills out limits him to “Not over 25 words family news of strictly personal character.” Nevertheless, Vincenzo squeezes 83 words into his 25 word space, in block capitals and carefully punctuated.

“Dr. John A. and Lady Lea Widtsoe,” he addresses his form. “My first thought is revolved to you all.” He hopes they are both in good health, although he does not mention his own health, or anything else about his recent or present circumstances. This is what is on his mind instead: “Please present me devout to the Presidency, Quorum, and Members of the Temple.”

And he wants to know: “When the missionaries be back in this continent?”

“Send me your blessing,” he pleads. He will need it. It will still be some months before peace is declared, and longer before he can fulfil the wishful “I kiss both your right hands” with which this thoroughly converted, as-yet-unbaptized soul concludes.