ΚΑΛΟ ΠΑΣΧΑ

Γεια σας παιδιά!

Well we had a great week this week!

So last Tuesday we went to District Council and said goodbye to the Finlaysons and it was tough. Then after we had a meeting with some of the youth and then taught some two crazy Greek men who just wanted to tell us about the new chips and how they are the mark of the beast and it was really weird. 

Then on Wednesday we had a good day in the evening the Thorntons had us over to have a BBQ for Elder Balser's birthday it was good first steak that I had in a long time and it was really good.

Thursday and Friday have just kinda blurred together and so yeah I don't really remember what happened.

Saturday we had as youth activity and played some volleyball it was really good we got the youth out and had a good time and then we went and got some Mexican food after. 

Saturday/Sunday we went to the Αγιο Φως (Holy Light) it is what the orthodox do to celebrate the resurrection of Christ and so we went at 11 to the service and they basically sit and scream in ancient greek and then the priest comes out with the holy light and everyone lights their candles and then goes crazy they set of fireworks and bombs in the square next to our house. But it was really fun.

Sunday was a great day we had 2 friends come to church but one came and started to make his own coffee in the kitchen then goes and sits in the foyer and lights up a cigarette😬 he didn't like it when we told him about the word of wisdom. Then after we got a random call from a former investigator and he reads the Book of Mormon everyday! And wants to be baptized so that is awesome we hope that all goes well with him his name is Vasilis. 

Then today was a good day with all the easter celebrations none of the stores were closed so we played some soccer in the park with the other missionaries and cleaned up our apartment it was a good day and super nice to have a clean apartment. 

I just want to tell you all how great a mission is things are going so different in Greece from the time that I started and it is so amazing to see the Lord's work progress so much in such a short period of time just want to make sure that it keeps rolling.

Σας αγαπάω,

Πρεσβύτερος Χάλβερσον

ΠΙΣΩ ΣΤΗ ΑΘΗΝΑ!!

Γεια σας παιδιά!

Well this week was great and things went well and I am now safely back in Athens!

So Monday and Tuesday were good days just traveling to Athens and saying some goodbyes to the last people in Cyprus. Then Tuesday night we went out with Hedy for Gyros it was good I really missed Hedy and it was good to see her. Here is me with Dipak Monday night.

Wednesday we had Zone Conference and so that was awesome! 

Thursday was a good day we had interviews at the church and then we headed out to Piraeus and did a whiteboard with the missionaries there and it was there that we met a man named Kostas and he talked to me for a long time and he told me that he needed to call him papou (grandpa) so that was cool.

Friday we went to the friendship center and taught some languages and then we went to the church again to help out with the Greek branch clean up that we are going to be doing cause there are to many people who are on the list because they don't actually exist in Greece anymore so we will see. Then in the evening we went and did another whiteboard and had some good conversations so that was good.

Saturday we in the morning went to an Evangelical prayer at Mars Hill and talked to some people there and found some potential investigators and then after we went and played soccer with some members and friends but may have gotten lost along the way but we eventually made it so that was good we were about to give up but the field was just around the next corner so it was kinda funny. Then that night we had 2 lessons at the same time it was really crazy and really good.

Sunday was a fun entertaining Sunday. The Kosta Papous wanted to come to church and so we go to take him and he could only walk about 5 feet before he had to take a break and so we made it to the metro finally and then after I thought that he was going to die on the way to church so we had a member come and pick him up but we finally made it. Then we had a good church taught Sunday school just out of the blue which was fun for our first Sunday back. Then we had a potluck lunch for the Finlaysons who are going to be leaving this week which is sad.

Then today was a great p-day my comps surprised me and gave me a treat and let me run 10 miles today it was great! Then we went around the center of Athens and man it is good to be back and just walk around it is getting crowded though with tourists but still good to be back.

So yeah that was my week I hope you all have a great week and had a great Easter Sunday!

Αγάπη μόνο,

Πρεσβύτερος Χάλβερσον

ΑΝΤΕ ΛΕΥΚΩΣΙΑ!!

Γεια σας!!!

Well it was another crazy week this week!

So last Tuesday was the usual day of service at Caritas and then we did English class after and had some lessons.

Wednesday was another good day we had district Council and we had calls! I will be going back to Athens and be a new area with with Elders Balser and Zizzi and we are going to have the special assignment to work with the youth and with the members of the Greek branch so it is going to amazing!

Thursday was another great day we ran around all day meeting with people and getting things ready, that night we had the baptismal interview for Eugene and it was awesome to see his willingness to be baptized and his desire to change.

Friday in the morning we went to do some service at Roy's and he gave us some weird jumpsuits to just wear and so that was weird but it was a good time.

Saturday was a great day we had Eugene's Baptism! It was a bit of a stressful situation the bus left at 11 and they showed up at the station at 11:05 and so we thought we had missed it but turns out they had some special student buses and we were able to squeeze our friends onto the bus it was a huge miracle and it all went well. Then we after went and played some soccer with them for my last time I am going to miss all of the guys from Nicosia it was a good time.

Sunday was good we had the confirmation and a short sacrament service and then watched the afternoon sessions of General Conference it was amazing the talks were awesome I especially liked President Bednar's and how he reminded us just to keep it simple it was really good.

Then today was a good day just cleaning and packing and then we went after and did an escape room it was super fun actually and we made it in the nick of time it was close but we had a good time.

Σας αγαπάω,

Πρεσβύτερος Χάλβερσον

Some pics from the escape room, soccer, baptism, with roy and ezekiel and then us in our weird suits from roy.

ΠΑΦΟΣ Χ2

Γεια σας!!! 

Well it has been an amazing week, you know the say April showers bring may flowers well it is true here in Nicosia it rained the first 6 days of April but it wasn't to bad and we saw some pretty cool miracles.

So last Tuesday we had our service day again and went to Caritas it was good we had a lot of volunteers so it wasn't to busy. We also got to organize to meet up with some of the volunteers outside and it was pretty neat.

Wednesday we went to Larnaca again for district council so that was fun and in the evening we had lessons with our friends. It was a good successful day.

Thursday was the same we were busy all day meeting up we actually went out this day to meet up with our friend Gavin and it looked like it was going to rain. We were sitting outside and he said the opening prayer and in the prayer he asked that the rain not come until we finished discussing. So no sooner did we finish the plan of salvation that it started to pour it was crazy but really cool to see and then going home we got really wet.

Friday we met up with our friends from Caritas and we had a good time with them and were also able to give them copies of the family proclamation. They were grateful so that was nice.

Saturday was another busy day of work. In the evening we had general conference!! All the messages were amazing and perfect it was so awesome to see how the messages were lead by the spirit.

Sunday was a good Sabbath we had quite a scare at church we started the sacrament meeting with 3 other people outside of the missionaries but by the time we started the sacrament we had 20 people so that was a relief haha. Then in the evening more General Conference!!!

Today we had a zone activity in Paphos and we played a lot of beach volleyball it was an amazing day!!! 

Με αγάπη,

Πρεσβύτερος Χάλβερσον

ΒΡΟΧΗ ΣΤΗ ΘΑΛΑΣΣΑ!

Γεια σας παιδιά!

Well this week was a really good week!

Last Tuesday we went and did service again at Caritas it was a good time more and more people are coming into Cyprus and it seems like we just keep getting busier but it is good to be able to help out even if it is only filling out their papers it is something. Then we after went back and had lunch we did taco Tuesday and I made some taco shells for the first time. Thanks Mom! Then we in the evening had English class and a couple lessons it was a good day.

Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday were great days I don't remember exactly what happened on which day but I know that we had some pretty awesome lessons, one we had that I really remember we were planning on teaching the plan of salvation and we go in and our friend Desmond had already been taught that and we asked about his weekly studies and he said that he had thought about the plan this last week and accepted it as his beliefs and then we were able to go through and answer more questions and it was just awesome to see the spirit lead the lesson and at the end one of those present who hadn't read the book of Mormon for a long time just said "my heart tells me I need to read this book" and so he is going to read and probably start learning again which would be so awesome! The book of Mormon answered the questions they had when the bible couldn't and so it was a great lesson for them and their testimony of the book of Mormon! 

Saturday, we had a baptism! It was awesome everything went well Morisso really enjoyed it but it was a bit too cold for him but all went well so that was good. Then it rained all weekend and so in the evening we had scheduled to play soccer with some friends and they still wanted to play so we went but turns out me and Elder Celestini didn't do much playing cause we made friends with a security guard over by the field and were able to have a good/interesting discussion with him, he had probably been spending to much of his time with google but hey what can we do.

Sunday was daylight savings here and so we struggled a little bit in church but we had some members there and friends and were still able to have a good service and to start to kick off the ministering program for the branch! Oh yeah and Morisso got to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost and the spirit was really strong which was awesome!

Today is another national holiday so we are having a lazy day and cleaning up our apartment oh and I also got to run a 5k this morning for the first time in a long time and I still got it! Ran a 16:14 so not to shabby for the first one in like 2 years. 

Things are going well and the work of the Lord just keeps progressing! Well love you all have a great week!

Σας αγαπώ,

Πρεσβύτερος Χάλβερσον