Week 65 Athens

We received a couple more pictures of last weeks Zone trip. Including the one above and the two below. President Heder looking out over the city below. The description Elder Teal shared ...

"Just after I reminded President that he's responsible for every single person in every single house we could see from up there" 

Ever the Job's comforter !

 

This week Elder Klestrup and Elder Teal accompanied President Heder to Cyprus to conduct some training.(Flight 19 & 20)

"It's been a great week, and we really enjoyed our trip to Cyprus! It was my first time in Paphos so it was nice to finally see it, even though we didn't actually see much of the city. We had a really good meeting with the missionaries there, and also attended the branch there on Sunday. It was nice to spend time with Elder Klestrup and President Heder all weekend, and we had a lot of fun together.

Whilst we were in Larnaca we visited Pavlos, as well as Panayiotis and Georgia. It was really good to see them and catch up a little bit, I've missed them! We also saw the missionaries there which was nice too."

"In the evening we went out near the church and met a man in the street who had been a student in Manchester and said his best friend is from Oldham. Small world! He was a really nice guy with a young family and it was so great that the spirit guides us to exactly the right place at the right time, where we were able to talk to him and get his phone number. "

"As we got in the car to leave, a police car pulled up next to us and asked to see out ID. It was the first time in my mission that I've had to produce my passport but there were no problems." 

"We went to Corinth again and this time I just focused on looking and enjoying it. It's strange to think that so much happened there and that it was so significant to the people there at the time, but to us it's old rocks and ruins. I'm so grateful to be serving in such a beautiful country with such rich history. I'm grateful to be following the footsteps of Paul and other early missionaries in sharing the gospel with the Greeks." 

Week 64 Zone P-day visit

The Athens Missionaries went on a Zone trip with President and Sister Heder on P-day

Not sure what Elder Teal and Elder Peel are up to in this picture,

 but perhaps the bit of artistic licence below may cast some light on it ? 

Then it got even sillier !

The Temple of Apollo, Corinth

More info HERE

"It's been a good week!

We didn't have any lessons this week unfortunately, but we did have the chance to get out quite a lot to do door knocking. We were in quite a rich area so it's different to the areas I've served in in the past, and we knocked the doors of some really big fancy houses. Unfortunately we didn't get into any of the houses, but we'll keep trying!

This weekend we'll be going to Cyprus which will be fun, We'll be going to Paphos to do training there and we'll be at the branch there on Sunday. It will be my first time to go to Paphos, so I'm quite looking forward to it. We're also planning to visit Panayiotis and Pavlos whilst we're there, so that will be good too.

And we'll probably get up to Thessaloniki next month for training there, which I'm excited about too!

I really enjoyed our trip yesterday, it was a lot of fun to be out with all of the missionaries! And I'm really sorry but in all of the rushing I forgot to take pictures of my journal entries! I'll have to send you two sets next week, sorry about that! But I did write a letter today, so that should be there soon."

So we didn't get much written content this week, but are grateful to Sister Heder for taking so many pictures and then emailing them to all the missionaries to forward home !

As always clicking on any picture will make it bigger. 

 

Palamidi (Παλαμήδι) is a fortress to the east of the Acronauplia in the town of Nafplio in the Peloponnese region of southern Greece. More info Here 

The training shoes with Missionary attire was a sensible move to tackle the 1000 steps at Nafplio, 

In the Book of Acts Chapter 18 vs 12-16 it refers to the Judgement Seat at Corinth. A raised stone platform had been built from which Gallio would sit atop and pass Judgement. Paul was brought before him here

'And when Gallio was the deputy of Achaia, the Jews made insurrection with one accord against Paul, and brought him to the judgment seat,

Saying, This fellow persuadeth men to worship God contrary to the law.

And when Paul was now about to open his mouth, Gallio said unto the Jews, If it were a matter of wrong or wicked lewdness, O ye Jews, reason would that I should bear with you:

But if it be a question of words and names, and of your law, look ye to it; 

for I will be no judge of such matters.

And he drave them from the judgment seat.'

Above: Standing on the Judgment Seat platform:  

The sign bḗma (from bainō, "to step, ascend") – properly, a platform to which someone walked up to receive judgment

Below: Sitting on the Judgement seat 

Driving

We also received a picture of Elder Teal driving from Elder Peels parents

(A scary thought for us parents, wrong side of the road for him)

Looks a little scary for Elder Peel too !

In Other News 

This Week the Missionaries and Members in Athens were involved in a Humanitarian Aid Activity organised by Elder and Sister Perry. Hygiene kits for refugees moving through Greece. Thanks to Alinda Heder for sharing these pictures to the Facebook Group
Missionary Families and Friends Of The Greece Athens Mission.

When haircuts go wrong....

"I took one of the guards off to change it, then went into the other room to do something. When I came back I forgot that I'd taken the guard off, and took the clipper to the side of my head on a zero. At first I thought, hmm that's cutting a lot, and then I realised"

Every Missionary has a least one "bad" haircut ?!

Week 63 Nafplio Corinth and Mars Hill

This week Elder Klestrup and Elder Teal have been among other things, assisting President and Sister Heder to host  a visiting General Authority of the church. Elder Hamula , who serves as member of the First quorum of the Seventy and was accompanied by his wife and Brother Neilson the Assistant Church Historian. Their visit was part of a tour of church history sites.

Their tour took in Nafplio a coastal town to the south of Corinth, Corinth and Mars Hill. 

As Elder Teal pointed out in his emails, church history predates Joseph Smith. The group visited places the apostle Paul had been

"We were the first stop on a Church History Tour, which are conducted by representatives from the Church History Department twice a year, about the time of General Conference. They'll also be going to Turkey and Albania"

Nafplio

 

  

 

 

 

 Corinth

 

 

Mars Hill

 

There were far too many pictures to include all of them this week. More can be found HERE

Yesterday the saints in Greece and Cyprus watched last last weeks General Conference broadcast

"It was really strange to watch conference and have it be my own voice for some of the talks. You know how when you hear your voice recorded and you don't think it sounds like you? Try it when you're speaking a different language! I kept kind of forgetting it was me talking and then realising again, it was so weird. 

We watched the two Sunday sessions, and I'll read the rest in the conference issue of the Ensign if you'll be able to send it to me? We'll get the Liahona here for the apartment but I'd like to have my own copy."

Other News

"We're at the minute coming up with Standards of Excellence which we will set for the mission, and goals that will stretch us and raise our faith. We'll discuss it in MLC (mission leadership council) on Wednesday"

"Unfortunately we didn't have any lessons this week, between a small teaching pool and having very little time, we weren't able to schedule any lessons."

 There is always time to share the gospel though as this journal extract shows...

"We got up early to get ready but we were running a bit late to meet President and Sister Heder. We went to get fuel for the van and it turned out that it was perfect that we were a bit late as the woman that was working there had met missionaries before and was keen to learn more so gave me her phone number in the 30 seconds it took me to pay for the fuel. It was a great reminder that when you're on the Lords errand and doing your best, you'll always be in the right place at the right time." 

We asked Elder Teal to share his reasons for serving a mission, his reply 

"I think my reasons for serving a mission have developed and gotten deeper as I've been serving. Before, I knew it was my priesthood duty and it was something I really wanted to do, but as I've been here it's become something I'm doing because of my love for the Lord and Heavenly Father. I've realised the happiness and comfort that comes from knowledge of the gospel (and I mean the actual gospel, faith, repentance, baptism, holy ghost, endure to the end, not the general use of the word), and of the Plan of Salvation, are things that most people simply don't have in their lives. I do have them, and I want other people to as well. I've also seen people change their lives for the better, and it's the most fulfilling and meaningful thing I've ever done by far."