Yesterday was another first. I am thinking of a moment when I was leaning on the deck rail of the ferry we rode to a near-by island (Aegina) for the day. Hundreds of little jelly fish hung just below the surface of the deep blue water, sea gulls chased and circled, and the sun was just setting as we came back into Piraeus Harbor. The day was full. The ocean and sky were beautiful. The company and conversations were a blessing. The little temple of Aefina on top of the island was picturesque. It was a good day.
Today it was back to the 47 missionary letters and 17 other emails awaiting my attention. A couple of elders are struggling to relate with their companions. A sister's physical problems are slowing the work in another town. There are strikes and political demonstrations closing the metro and major roads in down town Athens, and there are 8 budget and account reconciliations to review and sign... It's still a good day!
As much as today represent a change of gears, it still feels good to be doing it. I love this mission work! I was told that it would start fast, and just speed up. That is literally happening. The summer months ahead are going to be gloriously difficult. The calendar is completely filled. There are meetings, training, transfers, travel and teaching that all must happen in each district, each zone, each companionship and each Branch--each month. This could be the summer when my hair goes completely grey and LeeAnn gets her first two grey hairs. But happily we will go grey. I've loved the very moderate spring and I feel a little dread about the coming heat, but I survived last summer, so I'm game to try another. Each day is a blessing.
Bill O. Heder
Greece, Athens Mission
Greece, Athens Mission
Hello family,
We have had a wonderful time with our dear friends (and Bill's work partner) Paul and Monica MacArthur this past week. It is fun to see friends enjoy these great ancient ruins and artifacts that are thousands of years old for the first time. As many times as we've seen it, the Parthenon remains pretty jaw-dropping-amazing. It is considered the most famous building of Ancient Greece, (based on annual visitors, it's also considered one of the most famous buildings in the world) -- all built to celebrate Athena, the city's patron goddess. It's getting pricy for that privilege though; they just raised the price per view to 20 euros a person!
While we were in Corinth we ran into a tour group (two bus loads of conservatively dressed folks) who spotted Bill's white shirt and badge from clear across the field (which use to be the center of ancient Corinthos) and they came over to say Hello. We were delighted to see 80 LDS church members all in one place. They effectively doubled the active Relief Society in Greece, and tripled the active Priesthood holders! Two of the couples were grandparents of missionaries serving here and it was wonderful to be able to tell them how great their loved ones were doing. They were so excited to have been able to see some missionaries! Michael Wilcox, who is a popular LDS author, Institute teacher and favorite presenter at BYU Education Week was their tour guide. After many hello's and pictures we left happy having run into members, more than we have seen together at one time in a long while.
We will enjoy conference with our branches for the next 3 Sunday's, now that all the sessions are translated into Greek. Of course we loved how some of the themes and messages were about the refugees. When Elder Kearon (our Area President) spoke we all cheered because we love him and his family so much and we were able to show him some of the refugee situation when he visited Greece with Elder Ballard. We are here also praying to know how best to help and where to put our energies, where the service is most beneficial and go to those who truly need help. We also cheered for Elder Johnson's talk on the atonement and resurrection. He is President Kearon's First Counselor in the Europe Area Presidency.
This last week we had a unique and amazing opportunity to meet with a family from Syria. One of the humanitarian volunteers (a single young lady (member) from Arizona) who had come to Lezbos late last year came back to help some more. In her searching, she meet this family and has been teaching them English and helping them navigate the refugee process in Athens because she speaks a little Arabic as well. When we talked to her on Sunday in Church we felt we wanted to show them some love and support. We asked if we could take them somewhere for dinner later in the week. We did so on Tuesday, making sure that the cuisine wouldn't offend their religious dietary restrictions. They had never had Indian food and it was fun to see them try the new favors. They liked it quite a bit and we had a delightful evening together learning their story and feeling their great strength.
There story is not unique, many families have endured extreme hardship to leave their war torn country, but the real unique blessing for them is that they were able to stay together. The family has 3 daughters ages 19, 17 and 10. The husband was an electrician by trade and had his own company. The mother was a stay-at-home mother. Their oldest daughter was studying medicine when the wars took over their lives.
Things were getting dangerous, but they held on. Then one day the three girls were sitting in the car outside a convenience store while mom and dad ran inside to get something. A cannister bomb (5 gallon metal tank filled with explosives and hidden in a trash can) went off on the side walk about 10 feet behind and to the side of the parked car. The eldest daughter on the right side of the car shielded her sisters from the blast, but the glass and metal that blasted through the window hit her. She received shrapnel wounds to her face, neck, arm and side. 20 women and children were injured and 10 people died from this attack. (It was a bomb from Asaad, not Isis--the family told us that both sides are monsters). While most families break up and send part to Turkey--in order to get to Greece and then on to Europe, while the others stay home and try to get what money they can from house, car, business, etc., the mother in this family felt strongly that God had given them a chance to remain a family, and so they should stay together. So their father came with them. Somehow they made it through the various border checks and camps without any of them being taken. Just getting out of their city was dangerous because if anyone saw the daughter's wounds, she could have been executed, since neither side wants the world to see wounded women or children--because it would prove their brutality.
The daughter still needs to have surgery to remove 2 more pieces of the shrapnel in her cheek and neck. The family is on a very long waiting list to be relocated through the UN High Commission on Refugees Family relocation program. Out of the 60,000 refugee family that have applied only 600 families have been relocated to other countries during this past year. They feel stuck, frustrated and tired of waiting, but the Mom says she is patient because she knows that it was a gift from God and a blessing that her girls were not killed in the bombing and she will just wait because that is all she can do right now. They gather the children together and try and have a little school, but the hotel stopped them from doing that. So we are trying to think of a place they can meet. We are also going to help them learn English, working on getting books that can help with that. The daughters are beautiful young ladies and they have hopes and dreams just like my girls do with school and family. It was beautiful to see them sharing stories about what they do back and forth to each other during dinner. I think my girls will take the challenges of trying to fit into a Greek school and culture over what awaits these beautiful young women as they plan their future in a new country.
Love to all,
Sister LeeAnn Heder
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| The girls in Aegina |
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| Corinth |
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| Corinth with the MacArthurs |
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| The Syrian Family with so much faith and hope |
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