This is the White Tower of Thessaloniki,
The Tower is now a buff colour but has retained the name White Tower. It now stands on Thessaloniki's waterfront boulevard, Nikis (Victory) Street. It houses a museum dedicated to the history of Thessaloniki and is one of the city's leading tourist attractions. The Tower is under the administration of the Ephorate of Byzantine Antiquities of the Greek Ministry of Culture.
Elder Teal loves history and prior to his mission, while studying for his A levels he found time to read Homers Iliad and Odyssey. That's Homer the ancient Greek poet, not the yellow cartoon guy! Before he left for Greece we watched Troy together and he taught me the history behind Hollywood's take on events. Last Monday the missionaries in Thess had a P-day outing to explore the tower.
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| View from the top |
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| Thessaloniki District (Elder and Sister West behind the camera) |
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| Sisters look out to sea |
After touring the tower they headed down the sea front a sculpture entitled "Umbrellas"
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| "umbrellas" picture by Elder Lyttel |
Giorgos Zogolopoulos was a prominent Greek sculptor whose works frequently included umbrellas. He was particularly concerned that his sculptures should co-exist harmoniously with their environment so he frequently collaborated with architects. In the last period of his work, since 1972 the element of motion has remained a fundamental feature of a number of his compositions along with the additional water and sound.
His works adorn public places, squares and official building, most of them located in Greece, but also at the European Council Building in Brussels
This particular rendition of “Umbrellas” located at the seafront in Thessaloniki was constructed in 1997.
So as you can see P-days are not just about washing, shopping, emailing and cleaning !
The weeks report...
"G is struggling with the Word of Wisdom and also hasn't yet committed to live the Law of Chastity, but he wants to keep the Word of Wisdom and sees why the Law of Chastity is important, so we just need to keep working on it with him. We're going to have President Tanto come with us to a lesson to explain the blessings that come with the LoC (eternal family) and share how it has blessed his life.
We have a new investigator called B who firmly believes in the Bible and is interested to discuss our beliefs with us, he's a really nice guy. We're just struggling to get him to see the need for the Restoration, for him the Bible is perfect and was never lost."
"We also have a guy called D who is a historian, and very much doubts the veracity of the Book of Mormon. It was a tough lesson but he was impressed by our testimonies and devotion to the work, and wants to meet up again.
Elder Lyttel and I are still having a lot of fun together, and we've also done really well with our cooking this week. We've had a different meal every day (although we did have two dinner appointments so only cooked 5 times) and they were all really nice!"
From Journals we have also read that Elder Teal has now completed his 9 week in field training with his Companion / Trainer. We assume this means he is no longer a "Greenie"
"Highlight maybe would be yesterday in the evening, we went to a less active family because they requested a blessing for the mother. We had the Wests with us and we gave a nice spiritual thought and then the blessing. Then we talked for a while and got to know each other better, hopefully they'll be at church next week! "
"I finished the Book of Mormon this morning! I've written down some of my thought's I'll send you a picture. My favourite scripture of the week is in there as well. I was really touched by the stories of Mormon, who tries in vain to lead his people to repentance and eventually there is nothing more he can do, and of Moroni who sees the destruction of everyone he knows and loves, but remains faithful and carries out the work he's been asked to do".
To save you eyes, I have typed it out !
So as you can see P-days are not just about washing, shopping, emailing and cleaning !
The weeks report...
"G is struggling with the Word of Wisdom and also hasn't yet committed to live the Law of Chastity, but he wants to keep the Word of Wisdom and sees why the Law of Chastity is important, so we just need to keep working on it with him. We're going to have President Tanto come with us to a lesson to explain the blessings that come with the LoC (eternal family) and share how it has blessed his life.
We have a new investigator called B who firmly believes in the Bible and is interested to discuss our beliefs with us, he's a really nice guy. We're just struggling to get him to see the need for the Restoration, for him the Bible is perfect and was never lost."
"We also have a guy called D who is a historian, and very much doubts the veracity of the Book of Mormon. It was a tough lesson but he was impressed by our testimonies and devotion to the work, and wants to meet up again.
Elder Lyttel and I are still having a lot of fun together, and we've also done really well with our cooking this week. We've had a different meal every day (although we did have two dinner appointments so only cooked 5 times) and they were all really nice!"
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| Home made Haggis ! |
"Highlight maybe would be yesterday in the evening, we went to a less active family because they requested a blessing for the mother. We had the Wests with us and we gave a nice spiritual thought and then the blessing. Then we talked for a while and got to know each other better, hopefully they'll be at church next week! "
"I finished the Book of Mormon this morning! I've written down some of my thought's I'll send you a picture. My favourite scripture of the week is in there as well. I was really touched by the stories of Mormon, who tries in vain to lead his people to repentance and eventually there is nothing more he can do, and of Moroni who sees the destruction of everyone he knows and loves, but remains faithful and carries out the work he's been asked to do".
To save you eyes, I have typed it out !
"I have just finished the first read through of this copy of the Book of Mormon. I wanted to do what Elder Bednar suggested and read highlighting everything I came across relating to a scripture topic. I highlighted in yellow the relationships between parents and children, and in green the topic of prayer. I also underlined in Red every time the Lord, Heavenly Father, an angel or The Spirit speaks, and in green every time a prayer is quoted directly. It has taken just over a month to read through and I have really enjoyed doing it. I have read for around 20-30 minutes in personal study every morning and sometimes longer, and I also read while on the train to and from Athens for Zone Conference, where i got through 40 chapters in two days. As I have read through it has fit together a lot better as a plot with places and characters, and I think I have a lot more familiarity with the locations and time frames now. I particularly enjoyed reading Mosiah and the first half of Alma (the reign of King Mosiah) and also the war chapters. I found also that I really enjoyed or at least was moved by the rise and fall of the Nephites. As it had only been a few days before when I read about the coming of Christ and the state of Happiness that existed afterwards, it made it all the more saddening to read Mormon's account of the destruction of his people' "But behold, ye are gone, and my sorrows cannot bring your return" Mormon 6:20 I have also noted a few subjects that I want to study in more detail, which are things that have interested ma as I have been reading. Over the last month my love for the Book of Mormon has grown immensely. I have learnt so much and I cant wait to start reading from the beginning again tomorrow. There are so many stories and people in this book that I love so much, and that I know I can still learn so much more about. I am so grateful for the Book of Mormon and for the opportunity I have to read and study from it everyday"
