Heder Mission Moments: Elder and Sister Hamula, with Reed Neilson - Assistant Church Historian

Another week, a bunch more meetings and memories! Elder James Hamula and his wife Joyce, along with Reid Neilson, Assistant Church Historian, came to visit historic sites. While here they also wanted to meet with and strengthen the church here. It's a treat for members and missionaries to meet with general authorities, so we had a fireside in the Acropoli chapel in down town Athens on Friday night, and then a meeting with all the Missionaries in Greece on Saturday morning. I flew in the missionaries serving up in Thessaloniki as well so that they didn't miss out. (they're up at the far reaches of the mission and sometimes feel isolated from everyone else). In almost all the missionary letters that I received this week from my elders and sisters they mentioned how inspiring the Hamula's visit and teaching was. Brother Neilson is also a treat. He's extremely bright and well-read and well-spoken, so when he speaks he can relate great moments and connections with church history, like personal visits to the church vaults and the most sacred and protected documents in the church... great stuff.

Anyway, it was a great treat for the Elders and Sisters, but for several days LeeAnn and I were scrambling from dawn 'till dusk to make sure that we had rides and food where and when necessary to make their stay pleasant. Not surprisingly, they're actually very gracious and low maintenance, but still, you don't want to have them stranded, lost, hungry, late or overly tired. We finished up on Saturday afternoon with a meeting with some of the real "pioneer" members in Greece in a group meeting with Reid Neilson to discuss the early days and pivotal events in the church's rough history here in Greece. Then we took the Hamula's and Brother Neilson to Mars Hill (in a slight rain) and then on to the Acropoli Museum--and then out to the Airport to send them to Turkey and Ephesus for the next leg of their journey.

The next day (Sunday) it was a scramble to outfit our Halandri chapel to show General Conference in Greek, English and French. We had a great turnout, with the chapel full for English and a large primary room overflowing for Greek translation. I think it is the best turn out they've had for a long while. As I looked at my notes of the meetings, it occurred to me that there is a certain chaotic charm about life in an emerging church that I will probably miss someday. Women in jeans and loud blouses sporting big purses that read "kiss me hard before you go" on the side; men with white high top sneakers, jeans and a tie; toddlers wandering and screaming occasionally and leaving a trail of cracker crumbs between the chapel and the back room where the potluck treats were being kept; women and men translating loudly for their neighbors in several different languages; investigators wandering around in curiosity to see the pictures in the building--with missionaries trying to find them. There are technology glitches, heating or air conditioning and microphone adjustments; people wandering in off the street and causing a disturbance. . . I honestly had to smile a few times to think of what it would be like after three years to sit in a quiet meeting without any fear of what is going to happen or be said next, and listen to the guy next to me snore, and watch a member of the Bishopric doze, and see a choir and three dependable, predictable speakers on the stand all dressed appropriately. I have no response for that...

Bill O. Heder
Greece, Athens Mission

Hello,

The days are so completely delightful (weather wise) right now that I can hardly stand to be inside. That is why yesterday during our mission leadership council meeting at the mission home I left the front door wide open. Then someone would close it, then I would open it, repeated many times, HA ! Today was one of my first home days in a long while, to get caught up on laundry, e-mails, etc. I started the day with a hike with Bill before the sun was even up and then a bike ride all around the Olympic stadium after the girls got off to school. The government hasn't kept it up very well on the outside, but they still have soccer games in the big stadium and the swimming areas were being used by kids and adults.

On my way home I ran across this amazing farmers market that sold plants & flowers, fish, fruits and vegetables, baked goods, nuts etc. So I went home and got my little "shopping caddy" (one of those little personal shopping bags with wheels that little old ladies use) that Elder and Sister Howells (our amazing senior couple that went home to Scotland too quickly after we arrived here -- love the ) gave me when they left. So much fun to listen to the fish merchants yell back and forth and throw fish around. The shop owners all spoke only Greek but I managed and had a good time buying peaches, nectarines, tomatoes, leeks, grapes, etc. We had a very nutritious dinner :) I took my 3rd walk just before dinner because it was just so lovely.

Nice to have a catch up day because tomorrow we are preparing and making 400 hygiene kits for the Syrian refugees with the members and missionaries and I need to write a talk to speak up in the Thessaloniki Branch on Sunday. Thessaloniki is a 30 min flight from Athens and we will be going up on Sat.

Yesterday after our MLC the Assistants and myself took the Metro down to the center of Athens to look for one of the groups that is helping with the Syrian refugees. We could not find their organizational headquarters, but we did run into a woman who had left her schooling in Denmark to come over and help with the crisis. One of the problems is that the refugees can't communicate (don't speak Greek or English) so they don't know where they can go for help. She spoke Farsei and had made some maps and wrote where they could go for help. We were looking for what was being done and how we might be able to do more service. The Church Humanitarian Aid is also helping our Mission to purchase and donate 1000 cans of food to one of the local food shelters that can legally feed and help them.

The highlight of the week was definitely hosting and showing Elder and Sister Hamula and Reid Nielson from the Church History Dept. through some of Paul's journeys in Greece. Most of the time we knew right where to go and be, but one of their favorite experiences actually came when after having eaten some really great Greek food on a set of stairs that was turned into an outdoor cafe, (covered overhead with grape vines) we then got temporarily lost in some very narrow but charming alley ways and stairs that wound around and up to the base of the Parthenon. We also got to visit Nafphlio, Corinth, the Parthenon, Mars Hill and the greater Acropolis area. The weather during their visit was wonderful except for some rain that we got on Mars Hill. It was pretty great to stand there and have Elder Hamula read Acts 17 in the same area that Paul taught. In old Corinth we also read from Acts 18 while we stood before the judgement seat where Paul was questioned in Corinth . . . We are taking the missionaries back this coming Monday for a Zone Activity. They are very excited, most of the missionaries have not been outside of Athens.

Love ya,

Sis LeeAnn Heder