This weeks emails came on Tuesday not Monday, as the Athens zone had been on a trip to Mystras.
As well as fun its important to know the history and heritage of the people you serve amongst.
(Mystras or Mistras, also known as Myzithras in the Chronicle of the Morea,
is a fortified town and a former municipality in Laconia, Peloponnese, Greece)
On the way a picnic among the ancient olive trees
"We had a really good zone trip yesterday, where we went to Mystras and Corinth. I'll send you some pictures. I've been to Corinth before as you know, but it was my first time at Mystras and I really liked it. It's an old town that has loads of churches and monasteries, and it is in a really beautiful location. I drove our car and we took Elder Deighton and Elder Tornar, and we had a lot of fun. I really enjoyed driving there and back through the Greek countryside. Mystras is way down near Sparta so we drove almost the whole length of the Peloponnese. Greece is such a beautiful country, and it would have been worth the journey just to drive there and straight back again enjoying the views!"
You should be able to scroll around the Google Map image below to see where they were.
Church this week
"Church was good! We didn't have any new friends there with us this week as M. has broken her foot, but we have a couple of new friends that we're excited about, as well as people that we've met through the service that we've been doing. The branch is so friendly here so it's really easy to bring people. We've also been meeting with some of the members to discuss the Europe Area plan, and we had a really nice visit with the R. family earlier in the week. They're from the Philippines and are such a sweet family. It makes such a big difference when the members are welcoming, but perhaps even more important is that the lessons that our friends attend and the talks that they hear invite the Spirit. The members here are all so sincere and so committed to the gospel. I think that with it being such a small branch that only the people who have a strong testimony and who are determined to live the Gospel keep coming, and so they're the ones that deliver fantastic lessons and talks."
"It was lovely! And I'm so excited to bring you over and show you things, you'll absolutely love it! Greece is your dream holiday place, it has beautiful scenery, good food, and such friendly people. And you'll even have a tour guide who speaks the language and drives like a Greek! Haha I think it will take some adjustment to drive in England after my mission, and not just for which side of the road!"
Athens Zone Conference
Last week Elder Teal attended the Zone conference in Cyprus,
this week it was Zone conference in Greece.
This week we had over 60 pictures, too many to put them all on the blog,
but if you click HERE you can see them all
Other News
Elder Teal LOVES old books, he took time to read Homers Illiad and Odyssey before his mission. We can only imagine how being shown these old books would have been for him.
"These are books that V. has in his collection.
This one is a copy of Homer's Illiad in Ancient Greek."
These are books that V. has in his collection.
This one is a copy of Homer's Illiad in Ancient Greek.
Final Thoughts
This coming Saturday Elder Teals big sister, our eldest daughter is getting married. It will be a little strange not having Elder Teal here, but it is a testament to his conviction that he knows he has a work to do where he is. Families can be together forever, so we are happy to let Greece keep him a little longer
"I'll be thinking about you all too! I think it will be a little bit strange not to be there, but I'm happy that it's happening now! Make sure you take lots of pictures and videos to send to me on Monday! Elder Peel and I will both wear our wedding ties and send a picture over :)"
