February 16th 2016 - New Missionaries and Visit to Thessaloniki and Edessa

Feb. 16, 2016

Long before we arrived in Greece, it evidently became a part of the political culture

here in Greece for those segments of society who consider themselves most likely to be offended by proposed laws, (soon to be voted upon in parliament) to call a strike or to demonstrate in some interruptive manner for days at a time. It's an exercise intended to draw the public's attention to their pains, but the inconvenience caused by their strikes and demonstrations seems only to outrage the rest of the public. 
We arrived in Thessaloniki Friday evening to a bit of rain, and after meeting the sisters at the church and enjoying interviews we took them out to dinner, which was delightful for my girls to have more friends to talk with. On our way to the hotel later we saw something on the road, and after looking closer we saw that they were frogs, lots of frogs and many were squished from cars that had already passed by.  We tried our best to dodge them but it was amazing how many there were.  The next day after some more rain we encountered the same thing but there were more of them, literally 100's of them and Bill was doing his best NASCAR driving trying to steer  away from them, but if they jumped the wrong way-- it was fatal, and the girls and I were squealing and laughing because we didn't like the bump of rolling over one. Ha, sorry for the visual but it was so funny :)  I will let you draw you own frog analogies about being in the wrong place, choices etc.
After spending the next morning in some more interviews and companionship study with the Elders we took a drive to Edessa, named "City of Waterfalls". We weren't sure if we should go because it was a bit rainy but that made it even more fun when we got there because we could not tell if it was the spray from the Falls or the rain that was getting us wet.  It was beautiful and Alinda keep commenting that she felt like she was in the land of hobbits because of the moss covered rocks and trees.  Through the rain we continued up a mountain road to a town that a few had said was "wonderful."  We found the Greek tavern that we were encouraged to look for and sat by a nice fireplace and enjoyed a true Greek meal. Pork and lamb cooked on a spit,  veal with eggplant, steamed vegetables and a Greek salad, which we never seem to tire of.  On the way home we stopped and saw the hot springs that are the big draw for that town at the mouth of a large canyon.
One of the members (who speaks pretty good English but it is with literal translation) told me at church, "It is all about the Jesus" and when talking about Alinda's musical number. He said, "The music is the bridge for the Jesus". I love his faith and conversion even through he has many challenges in his life right now.  Alinda has played a beautiful arrangement of "I believe in Christ" in each of the Branch Conferences that we have traveled to, and in each of them tissues are needed. The spirit comes quickly to the hearts of those really listening. Alinda plays with a tenderness that invites the listener in. You feel how much she cares for the message of the song, which goes beyond just playing the notes.  She isn't playing any grand concertos or winning competitions over here in Greece, but the gift her amazing teacher Ralph VanDerBeek helped her discover and fine tune is being used well.
Three new missionaries arrived last week and one Elder finished his mission and returned home.  We love having them stay with us in the mission home as they come and as they go. For those just coming in, we feed them, love them, train them, motivate them and tell them they are just beginning the best two years of their lives, making memories that they will treasure and look back on for the rest of their lives. So they had better work to make the memories amazing !
Sister LeeAnn Heder
Pictures:  New missionaries and testimonies on Mars Hill. Some of the trees are full of blossoms. The guy with the roses was taken in Vienna last Sept. but in honor of Valentines Day I thought you would enjoy it :)  The other roses were for sale at the airport for $70 Euro for 18 roses ! Wow!
Trip to Edessa and fun at the falls.  A unique way to get honey at our hotel, dripping straight from the honeycomb.  Church at our little branch in Thess.

This weekend, after doing companionship study and interviews with one companionship in Thessaloniki, Lee and I and the girls attempted to make our way to the mountain town of Edessa. What started as a beautiful drive through the country side became more of an adventure as we went deeper into agricultural areas. Farm tractors were parked on all sides of most major intersections going into or out of town; hundreds of them. Then, as we ventured through miles of fields and orchards we kept running into police blockades and being diverted onto ever more obscure lanes leading to smaller villages. Our travel time doubled, as did our hunger, since we had intended to eat when we got to Edessa.

The mystery was whether the farmers had actually blocked the roads beyond the police blockades, or if it was only the police attempting to show their control over the situation. We couldn't ever see tractors blocking the roads, but it's possible they where there, somewhere in the distance. I guess we’ll never know. What we know is that the little villages were quaint, the orchards and fields perfectly manicured, the hillsides blanketed with mist, and there were frogs on some of the roads by the hundreds.. Lee will talk about that one.

Being able to speak helped a little, but not as much as you'd think. Somehow knowing the map terms isn't enough, especially when the policeman or baker's wife is either grumpy or talking so fast that Socrates himself wouldn't be able to follow their directions. Luckily, we also had my telephone with Apple Maps, and a battery pack to keep the phone going. Most of the times the phone helped us navigate the backroads and towns alright, even in the fog. However, I would like to suggest that there may be a market for a phone app that combines a "Frogger" game with Apple maps, so someone like me could stay on the right back road while at the same time dodging little toads hopping all over the road.

Bill O. Heder

Greece, Athens Mission

We arrived in Thessaloniki Friday evening to a bit of rain, and after meeting the sisters at the church and enjoying interviews we took them out to dinner, which was delightful for my girls to have more friends to talk with. On our way to the hotel later we saw something on the road, and after looking closer we saw that they were frogs, lots of frogs and many were squished from cars that had already passed by.  We tried our best to dodge them but it was amazing how many there were.  The next day after some more rain we encountered the same thing but there were more of them, literally 100's of them and Bill was doing his best NASCAR driving trying to steer  away from them, but if they jumped the wrong way-- it was fatal, and the girls and I were squealing and laughing because we didn't like the bump of rolling over one. Ha, sorry for the visual but it was so funny :)  I will let you draw you own frog analogies about being in the wrong place, choices etc.

After spending the next morning in some more interviews and companionship study with the Elders we took a drive to Edessa, named "City of Waterfalls". We weren't sure if we should go because it was a bit rainy but that made it even more fun when we got there because we could not tell if it was the spray from the Falls or the rain that was getting us wet.  It was beautiful and Alinda keep commenting that she felt like she was in the land of hobbits because of the moss covered rocks and trees.  Through the rain we continued up a mountain road to a town that a few had said was "wonderful."  We found the Greek tavern that we were encouraged to look for and sat by a nice fireplace and enjoyed a true Greek meal. Pork and lamb cooked on a spit,  veal with eggplant, steamed vegetables and a Greek salad, which we never seem to tire of.  On the way home we stopped and saw the hot springs that are the big draw for that town at the mouth of a large canyon.  

One of the members (who speaks pretty good English but it is with literal translation) told me at church, "It is all about the Jesus" and when talking about Alinda's musical number. He said, "The music is the bridge for the Jesus". I love his faith and conversion even through he has many challenges in his life right now.  Alinda has played a beautiful arrangement of "I believe in Christ" in each of the Branch Conferences that we have traveled to, and in each of them tissues are needed. The spirit comes quickly to the hearts of those really listening. Alinda plays with a tenderness that invites the listener in. You feel how much she cares for the message of the song, which goes beyond just playing the notes.  She isn't playing any grand concertos or winning competitions over here in Greece, but the gift her amazing teacher Ralph VanDerBeek helped her discover and fine tune is being used well.

Three new missionaries arrived last week and one Elder finished his mission and returned home.  We love having them stay with us in the mission home as they come and as they go. For those just coming in, we feed them, love them, train them, motivate them and tell them they are just beginning the best two years of their lives, making memories that they will treasure and look back on for the rest of their lives. So they had better work to make the memories amazing !

Sister LeeAnn Heder

Pictures:  New missionaries and testimonies on Mars Hill. Some of the trees are full of blossoms. The guy with the roses was taken in Vienna last Sept. but in honor of Valentines Day I thought you would enjoy it :)  The other roses were for sale at the airport for $70 Euro for 18 roses ! Wow!

Trip to Edessa and fun at the falls.  A unique way to get honey at our hotel, dripping straight from the honeycomb.  Church at our little branch in Thess.

Our new missionaries

First Gyro in Greece

"the field is white and ready to harvest"

meeting their trainers and first companions

Mars Hill

Elder Klestrups bears his testimony on Mars Hill

Transfers and goodbyes

Farmers strike in Thessaloniki
100's of tractors lined the streets in protest

Edessa - "the city of waterfalls"

fresh honey dripping off of the honeycomb

Valentines Day !

New Friends and Greek Customs - February 7th 2016

February 7th, 2016

Sunday, LeeAnn and I and the girls attended the two Acropoli branches (English and Greek speaking) that meet in central Athens, so that the girls could have a chance to say goodbye to Sister Bakewell, a dear Sister Missionary to whom they’ve become quite attached in the past 6 months. Sister Bakewell has been in Athens now for the entire time that we have lived here, and I’m now transferring her to Cyprus, where she will finish her mission.

I bore my testimony (Greek and English) in both meetings, and LeeAnn wanted to share her testimony in the Greek meeting and asked me to translate. Luckily the first counselor in the Branch Presidency jumped at the chance and I didn’t have to do it. While I could have explained most of what she said, it would not have gone so smoothly and there was a good chance some false doctrine would have made it into the meeting...

In the English branch, the closing hymn was “The Time is Far Spent.” It’s not my favorite hymn anyway, (even when the meeting has gone into over-time) but this time the pianist picked it up at a lively pace. If I’m not mistaken, the tune is an old German folk song, so two little toddlers who were already having a hard time being reverent couldn't resist. They found their way to the front of the meeting and danced around the front of the chapel with reckless abandon for all of the second, third and fourth verses. Mom was watching from the back, too tired to intervene.

Once again, I found myself in that awkward spasm (one that has become all-too familiar here in the mission field) where I wanted to stop the trainwreck but the muscles wouldn’t fire. From where I sat, I could see no good way to gather both children from opposite sides of the stage and then haul them (squirming and screaming) out the central isle--without wrecking what was left of the meeting. So I did what everyone else did and kept singing and smiling “sweetly” at them, hoping all the while that those new-comers present could overlook the chaos and take something meaningful from the meeting.

I have to admit, that while I was debating taking drastic action, the thought did enter my head that I know two sets of parents right now in Missouri and Arizona who, on any given Sunday, as the closing song is sung, are barely hanging on to sanity as their little ones rage on. It might be a while before the concept of "the Sabbath" becomes a delight. But I hope they will keep trying. :)

Bill O. Heder
Greece, Athens Mission

Hello Family,

Being a full time missionary gives me a full time responsibility to look for and find people that are looking for more in their lives, especially religion.  I had an experience this past week where I was able to meet a lady named Eva who was walking her 2 big dogs and she was delightful.  She wanted to know why I was in Athens, (which always leads to a good discussion about the church) but as we shared contact information we became friends on Facebook and I now have a way to follow up with her.  She has already commented to one of my posts and this makes me hope that she can link to other things that will connect with her heart. When I told her I was the Mission Presidents wife here in Greece she was excited. (honestly, I think it made her want to talk to me longer because I was associated with a "President" figure and that gave me some "credibility".)  I felt prompted to talk to her about her family and if she wants to have a family here in Greece.  She felt very strongly about this, frustrated with culture barriers that a bad economy has imposed and created.  

I have been learning a lot from the people I meet about the Greek culture and how it is evolving and adapting to the times and pressures? They are very close as family units but in difficult times here, the young men are waiting for a very long time to get married because it is so difficult to support a family. Many men don't leave home until they are 30+ (really) and then they look for work, but won't marry until they are 40+ often late 40's. For the young women who want to marry and have their children in their late 20's and 30's this is a problem. When I tell people that where I am from most people get married in their 20's and often their early 20's, they literally just laugh out loud.

Alinda has had many interesting discussions in her Psychology class about these social traditions that are being challenged.  It is one of Alinda's favorite classes and the teacher likes her insights and often calls on her for her opinion and I just love how she is teaching gospel principles. People agree with them but don't even know they a related to her religion.  Her teacher, a very religious Orthodox man, is trying to teach the students a better way than they are going, and he strongly disagrees with some of the cultural norms and habits that the youth are following.

Mariana is another friend here. She is a carbon copy of the aunt in the movie "My Big Fat Greek Wedding"--the one who says, "what you mean he don't eat meat?!... That's ok, I cook lamb." She happens to be one of the landlords that we rent an Elders apartment from, and she wanted to meet us.  So Sat. night when she opened her apt. door we were met with a whirlwind of Greek goodness full of hugs and kisses and the next 2 hours were delightful.  She had made us Greek cheese and spinach pies and served us on beautiful tray with dollies along with a beautiful tea set.

In our Fast and testimony meeting several of the missionaries that will be leaving and going home or to Cyprus bore their testimony and expressed thanks to the members for their support, example and friendships. When they find, love and serve new investigators and go through life changes and conversion with them it is hard to leave these cherished friendships.  

Alinda played a musical number in the Halandri Branch conference and President Heder said that from where he was sitting there were several tearful faces that showed how beautifully music brings the spirit.  

Love and Hugs,

Sister LeeAnn Heder

Pictures:  Around the neighborhood in Feb. - First is Alinda at our front porch, and then at the end of our street you go up the stairs and through the trees to a Fitness Park with a pool, (they swim year round ) soccer field, tennis and basketball courts. Continuing around the mountain are some nice homes with a great view. The view today includes a rare sighting - SNOW on the mountain tops !  Olympic Stadium in the foreground. Our visit with the Acropoli Branch this past Sunday.  This is Marie before a girl stepped on her foot causing her to fall backwards hard on her hand. She has a hairline fracture in her radius.  

Absolutely love the lemon trees

Swimmers exercise year round at Green Valley Park close to our home

Soccer fields

Lovely home on the hill of Philothei

Our front porch

Celebrating Elder Teal's birthday - 20!

A few minutes after this play Marie fell and fractured her arm

Philothei Hill views are the best

Mariana is one of our Landlords and my new Greek friend

Sister Bakewell and Marie are great friends

Tayna is working hard to pass her exams at school

Celebrating Sister Sanko's Birthday

Beautiful places for walks

Our member from Rhodes visits Athens - Mission Leadership Council - Feb.1st 2016

February 1st 2016

A few weeks ago I sent a letter to my mission leaders; district leaders, zone leaders, Assistants and Sister Training Leaders. I asked them to complete the following sentence as if describing our mission to one of their friends serving elsewhere: "in the Greece Athens Mission we ___________________." I waited for their weekly letters and collected their responses, and compiled them on a single page. They ranged from we "strive, struggle to become new creatures, endure well, hope, believe, obey, love," etc. to "we are family." 

I was touched by the responses, as they showed the determination and unity that these young people have. What was interesting is that none of them described the mission as one where we baptize. Last year we baptized the equivalent of a good sized branch, but even the mission leaders view the mission as one where we endure rather than one where we conquer. (our average baptism per missionary is .7)

I had been praying constantly about what we could do to have these kids see themselves as capable of doing what hasn't ever been done here in Greece. So many of them have told me in our interviews or letters how they genuinely are willing to do anything that's asked, but they just don't know what else to do to find "success."

So I called a special Mission Leadership Council meeting for the next week. We flew the Cyprus and Thessaloniki district leaders and zone leaders into Athens so we could meet all together. We talked for 4 hours about our mission vision and how to elevate it. It was wonderful. We studied Alma 48 and 49 and talked about having the faith that we could be guided to know how to change the operation of things and adapt to the new challenges being presented. 

I ended the meeting by telling the Roger Bannister story, and showing a video clip of the actual race where he became the first man in history to run the mile in less than 4 minutes. As that clip ended I promised them that this was their mission, their time, their people and their call; not to just plant seeds but to establish the Church in Greece. They needed to raise their sights and see the leaders and families on whom the Church will grow. I then set dates for follow-up meetings, one in Cyprus and another in Athens, and challenged them to come to the meetings after having dreamed big, ready to break barriers. That night I prayed even harder for help.

Tomorrow is the first of the two meetings. I travel to Cyprus to meet with the leaders there. I continued to pray for insight--and it has come. Not only have I received ideas and jotted plans, but as I have gone out with missionaries to teach or study with them this week they've shared ideas that they've had, and there is a definite rise in their sights. I'm excited at the prospects and confident in their success. 

Bill O. Heder
Greece, Athens Mission

Hello,

A baptism anywhere is a very special thing, but here in Greece it is especially treasured because they seem a little harder to find.  A sweet sister from Cameroon was baptized. She is French and so several of our French speaking Elders and Sisters have participated in teaching her. Her friend, a recent convert, stood at her baptism service and gave such a sincere talk, talking right to her. It was so heart-felt and they both smiled and cried together during the talk. They have helped each other through many tough things, and their friendship has been a real strength for both of them. Her friend said that she always knew she would join the church because it made her a better person. She saw her doing things differently and she was happy. She said, " I am so glad that Heavenly Father has touched your heart and you know that this is true."  Two French-speaking elders then sang a beautiful hymn from the French Hymn book. As usual in meetings here, there was the buzz of  translating going on during the service; some missionaries translating  into Greek, some translating from French to English.

Shannon is our only member of record on the island of Rhodes.  She has been in Athens this week because her son got his tonsils taken out at a hospital here.  We met with Shannon, her husband and her son at their hotel room in down-town Athens Tuesday night so that President Heder and the Branch President of our Halandri Branch could give the little boy a priesthood blessing. Afterward we invited them to get a bite to eat with us, and we had a chance to get better acquainted over some great burritos at a great Mexican restaurant near Sintagma Square in Athens. 

Everything went well with Alex's surgery  and they spent yesterday with us in the mission home and then President Heder drove them out to the airport very early Sunday morning.  It was great to meet Shannon and get to know her. As the only member in the home, she is very good to have family prayer and has scripture study with her son. Even while here in the mission home, she read with him.

The winter continues to be extremely mild, and we are not complaining.  I love to see flowers in bloom year round - this is my kind of climate!  and there have been lots of singing birds in our yard lately   A lady named Vasilika that I met while out on the street doing some "finding" yesterday told me that the weather is usually really nice for a couple of weeks at the end of January and then it gets cold again. She said it goes way back to old Greek stories and mythology that there were special birds that came to Greece at the end of Jan. and the weather protected them. ( I will give Heavenly Father the credit for loving these baby birds) 

Marie continues to play basketball on the varsity team.  They don't play as many games as in the states but they have some tournaments coming up.  Marie has been up in Thessaloniki this past weekend with all of the 9th grade students on a trip to a farm school that is associated with her school here in Athens.  They had a great time learning how to compost, harvest caviar, studying the science of nutrition, etc., and they ate food grown on the farm.  Maybe it was a little TOO healthy, because she said that when they went into town all the students went in the grocery store or bakery to buy junk food; non organic, processed stuff that their bodies were used too. HA!  She said some of the kids actually felt sick from eating that healthy.  She said the train ride was beautiful coming back down to Athens through the countryside of Greece.  We were glad to get her back. 

I manage all of the mission medical which can make for lots of phone time between insurance and doctors etc.  We have some unusual doctor visits and have learned who we can trust. When you go into a medical clinic they want to run at least 20 tests on you. Another crazy yet interesting fact is that many pharmacies  (which are on every corner) have pharmacists that mix up most of their own medicine. Very different regulations over here. I think I mentioned that each pharmacy makes their own Flu shots.  When I told the area medical advisor this he strongly advised our missionaries NOT to get one.  Last thing, we had such an amazing MLC this last week.  President Heder did such an amazing job of motivating and lifting their sights about what is possible here.  Loved it - they would have run through a wall for him.

Love,

Sister LeeAnn Heder

Pictures:  Shannon our member on Rhodes, MLC training meeting, Marie's baptism and what it looks like here in January, and big news Austin and Chloe are engaged !  Yay ! its official! We love her!  

Shannon our member in Rhodes

Mission Leadership Training

We brought together the leadership from Thessaloniki, Cyprus and Athens

Marie's Baptism Day with her sweet baby

Marie has lots of friends to support her as a new member

Austin and Chloe and officially engaged and getting married in May

January in Greece  - the weather is lovely !