ΑΛΒΑΝΙΑ!!!

ΓΕΙΑ ΣΑΣ!!

Wow what a great week!

Tuesday and Wednesday were interesting days as in all of our plans went away. But then it all seemed to work out perfectly and we were able to meet with Marina and her family and teach Dimitris a lesson out of the Book of Mormon. It was just great days led by the spirit. Oh yeah and I got bit by a dog one of these days while running along the beach don't worry nothing to bad but good memories!

Thursday was fun I took off in the morning and was able to spend some time in Athens helping out there at the church. I was able to help Elder Goodwin teach a lesson to their investigator is was really cool. That night we headed out to Albania. When we got there then they split us all up and we did some finding. I just have to say it is nice to be able to speak with people in a language you actually know.

Friday was MLC. It was great and so interesting to see the differences between the people of the countries. That evening we attended a musical fireside put on by the missionaries. It was amazing. I didn't understand anything but felt the spirit it was cool.

Saturday was a good day, we got up way early and played some ultimate Frisbee it was pretty sweet. We had a good morning and President took us all out to lunch then we headed for home. I got home at like 11pm so that was fun. I had to fly back trough Athens so a lot of back and forth.

Sunday was a great sabbath. Man I love the sacrament every week. We as missionaries got to teach the 5th Sunday lesson and it was just an awesome day at church!

Today I went around Thess for my last p-day and visited all of the sites I see everyday, like the white tower, it was cool and a good last p-day in Thess!

ΣΑΣ ΑΓΑΠΑΩ!!!!!

Πρεσβύτερος Χάλβερσον

Pics:

Painting break with Elder Forsey and Dimitrios 

 Albania and Athens

 Today

 

ΒΑΨΙΜΟ!

ΓΕΙΑ!

So lets see how did my week go? Oh well as always it was great! Hard but great!

So last Tuesday we met up an played basketball with Dimitris and then had a lesson about Faith and Repentance. He asked us a few questions about the WoW. Then we had District Meeting and we watched President Nelson's youth devotional from a little bit ago. Wow it was amazing! That night we were able to visit the Branch President and his family it was really nice. They are such a cool family. 

Wednesday we had a good day helping out at the warehouse. We were also able to go and see Brother Matrapazis that afternoon. He is out of the hospital. It was good to see him at home again. That evening we had a lesson with Dimitris on the WoW again with the Carrolls. It was an awesome lesson and the spirit was strong!

Thursday was good. We got a call from Dimitris in the morning and he asked for help painting a friend house. So we dropped our planning and headed over, met an amazing family, and helped paint their house! Then in the evening we were able to visit the Stilo Family. We worked on some Family History so that they can take names as they work towards the temple. 

Friday was great we went by again and painted the house some more. In the evening we went by and visited Basilios, taught English, and then visited Jimmy. We were able to talk about our church and wow he had so many questions. They were all so awesome and had good answers!

So Saturday we went back and helped out our friends at the Laiki. They told us they were going to come pick us up one day to take us to their house! We also continued with some painting, then gave brother Matrapazis a haircut, and taught English again. We were able to have good conversations about why we are members of the church. That night we were able to have a good night and cook with our investigator Haralambos. It was so awesome he just kinda opened up and accepted everything we said in the situation. It was so cool! Oh yeah I also got my transfer call. I will be going back down to Athens to be ZL with Elder Balser. I get to travel to Albania this week!

Sunday was just a good Sabbath day! I love the opportunity every week to take from the Sacrament. It is such a great experience every week. It is something that I look forward to as I don't need to feel hopeless because I can overcome anything with Jesus Christ by my side!

Update: Dimitris unfortunately isn't ready to give up coffee so his date has been moved to the 12th of August. 

Today we had a good day we went around and hung out and bought some jerseys for our soccer teams here in Thess.

​

ΣΑΣ ΑΓΑΠΑΩ!

Πρεσβύτερος Χάλβερσον

ΕΝΑΣ ΕΤΟΣ!!

ΓΕΙΑ!!

Well a ton has happened so I am just gonna jump into it.

So last Monday evening we had an awesome FHE with Dimitris. We were able to teach about temples an Family History work. He said that it was really cool and would like to do what he can to find his own names.

Tuesday we had a good day, we started an exchange and I was able to stay at home and have Elder Albertson come join me. That night we were able to have a good meeting with the Stilo Family. We are really trying to help them read the BoM everyday. We hope that this week we will see some improvement!

Wednesday, on our exchange we had an adventure. In the morning a Professor came from BYU. We had to do translation for her as she interviewed the members of the branch here. She wanted to know about the branch history - oh man my brain got a bit fried. That night we were able to have a Skype lesson with an awesome guy in Albania who is half Greek and half Italian.  He is totally prepared by God and his member friend who taught him all the lessons. It was cool.

Thursday, I became an old missionary or you could say I went over the hill but I have now been a missionary for a year. That is pretty crazy. We had an awesome lunch, then we did some good service at the Graveyard for our friend. We also were able to have a good conversation with him. Then that night we celebrated by ordering some crepes.

Lunch

crepe

On Friday, we had a good day and did some good finding in the morning. Then we had a busy evening. We met up with Dimitris, then with our security guard friend Jimmy. He introduced us to a friend! Then we met up with Vasilios and we taught english, but then we were able to talk about our experiences with the BoM it was cool. 

Saturday was great! We did service again with our friends in the Laiki and help them set up and take down. They are really starting to trust us which is good. We hope soon things will start happening they are such good people. Then we met up with Dimitris to eat some food with the other Elders. We had a lesson on the baptismal covenant and we all bore testimony it was super awesome! Then that night we were able to Skype with Stelios again. This time we did the baptismal interview questions and he is going to be baptized next Saturday! Super awesome!

Sunday we had a great Sabbath with church. We were able to meet with Jimmy again and share the Family Proclamation. In the evening we met with Kostas who was a former investigator. He loves the Bible and has lots of questions it is cool!

Today we had an adventure. We decided to do a 40 mile bike ride and see a lake. It included climbing a mountain and then going down the other side and then back again. Man it was tough but it was so beautiful. A tear may or may not have been shed when I was just surrounded by nature!

Me and Elder Forsey

Me and my trusty steed

Well that is my week it was awesome and full of blessing!

ΣΑΣ ΑΓΑΠΑΩ!

Πρεσβύτερος Χάλβερσον

1 Year!

1 Year!

Today's adventure up the mountain:

'MERICA!

ΓΕΙΑ ΛΟΙΠΟΝ!

So what a great week it was so lets get to it!

Last Tuesday was a good day of just good 'old findin around town. We were doing some service through a park and we starting talking with a guy named Vangelis. He was cool and told us to pass by again to tell him about what we were doing. We still haven't seen him again but hopefully soon!

Wednesday was a great day! We started off with some service at the warehouse moving around some wood! Then we go to have a good 4th of July BBQ. Before the BBQ we invited Dimitris to come a bit early for a lesson. We had a great lesson about what God wants us to do in life. To end it off great he accepted to be baptized on the 28th of the month! It was awesome!  We had a great BBQ and were able to have a lot of friends from all over come. It was a very good day!

Thursday was a good day. In the evening we were able to meet the new APs and President!

Friday we had our 1st interviews with the new President! WE also had a meeting about the changes that will be happening in the mission. It was really good and I am excited for the changes! Then me and Elder Forsey went on exchanges with the APs. I went with Elder Schneider from Idaho. We headed off and met with Dimitris, and had an awesome lesson in which he agreed to read and pray everyday! Then we went and visited the Stilo family. They just talked in Albanian the whole time and I had no idea what was going on. At the end we gave Maria the mother a blessing because she has some health problems and the spirit was so strong! When we got home after some finding, which was interesting because he spoke no Greek, we found out that Elder Forsey and Ward had given BoM to two of our good friends. Jimmy the security guard and Vasilios who we teach English. They are now investigators it is so awesome!!

​

Saturday we did some soccer finding in the morning with Orestis. It was good. After we headed back to the church and had some Family History training from President Anderson. It was awesome! That evening we went and visited Brother Matrapazis at the hospital.  We then went to teach Vasilios English and about the BoM it was awesome!

​

Sunday was just a good normal Sunday. Except for that morning we went to church twice we visited an Orthodox church with a friend before going to church. I will just say the feeling was very different. Yeah we have the truth!

Today was a great day we went out with Dimitris. He showed us some of his favorite stores and we got donuts bigger than our heads. It was awesome!

Well that is it for the week good changes, good things, good people!

ΣΑΣ ΑΓΑΠΑΩ

Πρεσβύτερος Χάλβερσον

ΠΗΓΑ ΣΤΗΝ ΘΑΛΑΣΣΑ!!!

ΓΕΙΑ!!!

Well what a week it has been.

Tuesday we had a busy day. We first went out of Thess a bit to visit the Koutouri family. It was great they are awesome members. Then we came home and planned a District Meeting and went and met with Dimitris. It was good because we were able to explain the baptism we were going to have on Saturday. We were also able to talk about what it means to be a member. It was really cool to be able to answer all of the questions that he has.

Wednesday we were able to go the warehouse and do some more service there. Then from there we met with Achilles. He is now investigating the church which is awesome hopefully we can share the message that we have with him.

Thursday we met up with Haralambos and just to think of what he looks like I will tell you guys that I have found Hagrid. 

Friday We were able to visit with our security guard friend, Jimmy, at the university. We are starting to progress with him. It is cool we hope soon to start really teaching him. That night we taught English to Vasilios and it went well, he is a good guy and has a fake leg and is hoping to be able to make it out to the church soon!

Saturday was for sure an adventure, we had a busy day running around trying to do final preperations for the baptism and also helping out our friends at the Laiki or the market. Then that night we had the baptism, it was an excommunicated lady who came down from Skopia (Macedonia but can't say that cause Macedonia is Greece), and we had a good baptism. I got surprised by them needing a witness to go out with them so I was lucky enough to go out. But unfortunately stepped on a sea urchin. My comp was awesome and helped me get all the needles out. Also I was able to meet some of the members from Skopia and one who knew my cousin, also Elder Halverson, who had served there recently. It was really cool!

Maria's Baptism

Baptism

Baptism

Elder Forsey helping me out after stepping on sea Urchin

Dimitris Me and Nik from Macedonia

Church

Sunday was a good Sunday. In the evening got invited, by one of our friends, to an event about a memorial for the Greek Soldiers that got lost in Cyprus when Turkey invaded. It was really cool.

Memorial with our friend Costas

President and Sister Heder

Selfie with Steve

Then today was awesome, we finished cleaning out my foot. We also stopped by the Nike store to look. I had to take a selfie with Steve! Also today was the day I am now officially a part of the Adriatic South/Greece Mission doesn't feel any different but I will for sure miss the Heders.

Well that is it for the week something that I have really realized this week is that we all have two choices in this life to smile or to not. It is always easier in the end to smile. It makes a big difference especially with those on the street!

Γραφω παραπανο λοιπον, τα λεμε σας αγαπαω!

Πρεσβύτερος Χάλβερσον