Time Starts to Fly!

Γεια σας!!

Well this week was just amazing. I hope that all is well at home or wherever you may be.

So lets get started it was a busy week.

Tuesday we had a good lesson with a less-active, Hami, and her non-member son, Odyseas,  it went really well. Odyseas is interested in coming to church sometime which is really cool. Now we just have to get his mom on-board and it is all good. 

Wednesday we had a busy day. We had one meeting at a members house. All went well with her. We also are organizing to do mission prep with her son Nikos which is really cool. After that we met up with another missionary and went to teach an investigator in French because Elder Zizzi can speak french. That was cool. Then we had a lesson that evening with our neighbor. It was so cool to see the message of the restoration touch him. He also makes us Greek food now which is also really cool.

Thursday we went to Salvation Army and helped out there. In the evening we had a lesson with a member, Alexi, and his non-member girlfriend, Anna, they are from Ukraine and really cool just a little lost.

Friday we had a lesson with Photis which didn't go to well. He is just going to be our friend from now on which is too bad. He had a real testimony. But what can we do?

Saturday was another great day. We started with another lesson with the french investigator. Who then after came with us to a baptism of one of the 8 year old from the branch. After that we went out to a Mexican restaurant with some youth and their friends it was cool. In the evening we got our transfer calls! A week from Wednesday I will be heading up north to Thessaloniki I am excited.

Sunday was a good day. We had a meal with all the members and missionaries it was nice.

Today we went out again with Elders Forsey and Goodwin. We also went with Emma, who has an interesting story, she is really cool and showed us around. She took all the pictures so now I just have to wait for her to send them.

This week in sacrament meeting we talked about the Plan of Salvation and the Family Proclamation. It was really cool and made me so grateful for what I have in my life, and lets me really know what to strive for. You guys should read Elder Oaks talk from conference it was good.

Λοιπόν Σας Αγαπάω!!

Πρεσβύτερος Χάλβερσον

pictures:

From that cool place we went to last week

Τι να Κάνω

Hey everyone!

Sorry no letter last week internet busted and I wasn't able to send out my usual email. 

So this may be a longer one cause I have two weeks to cover.

Tuesday the 6th and Wednesday the 7th we weren't able to do to much with meetings and stuff. But we did have interviews and I will just say I am not super excited for President Heder to leave this summer. The good thing is that we still have a while left.

Thursday the 8th we worked at the Salvation Army and were able to help hand out clothes which was good.

Friday was Zone Conference and it was good and we learned a lot about how we need to do finding. It was just a good day.

Saturday was a rainy day and we weren't able to do much because it rained. But we actually were able to meet with a couple friends which was good. 

Sunday we went to church and then we had a lesson after church with a former investigator named Photis. It went well his only problem is he is gay so yeah we will have to see if we can't work around it.

Then last Monday we had an adventure we were doing some emails and the power shut off so we had to go on an adventure to another email place to let our families know all was good. So yeah it was all good.

Tuesday we had a meeting with another former investigator Vasilis and it went well he is a good guy. He used to live in Texas and is a former member of the KKK but don't worry now he is a good guy. He made sure we knew a black man is his best friend so yeah that was interesting.

On Wednesday we had a meeting with Maria Rapti who is an investigator of some sisters in Athens. She is now our investigator but has been investigating for 2 years. Her only problem, that we know of, is that she drinks coffee. We said we would help her and she was more than willing. We hope all goes well.

Then on Thursday we went and served at Salvation Army again and gave out some clothes.

Friday we did a lot of work at the Friendship center and it went well. I was able to do a lot of language study because I don't know any other Language but English and Greek so yeah.

Saturday we had a meeting with a less-active and also a meal with a member. 

Sunday we went to church and had a good sabbath and visited a friend.

Oh yeah and today we went to a little area with a great temple. It was really cool. I will get some pictures out next week.

Overall a great two weeks! I hope all is well and you all continue to see the hand of the lord in your lives cause it is always there! I love you all.

Με Αγάπη,

Πρεσβύτερος Χάλβερσον

Wow time just flies!

Elder Gaskill, Elder Halverson, and Elder Zizzi

Hey guys!

Well this week has been a good week nothing to eventful has really happened. But this next week we have a lot of good stuff coming up.

This week we had two lessons. One was with a former investigator. I invited him to be baptized it was really cool cause it was my first time. He has some issues he doesn't want to change. We will have to do some work with him cause he knows it is true so it will be fun.

I was able to have interviews with President and Sister Heder this week. I loved my interview with both of them.  They are inspired and love all of us.

Love,

Elder Halverson

Mom Note: Elder Halverson had internet trouble today.  He was able to send a quick email to me and Clint.  Thanks for all your prayers and love! I am so grateful for Sister Heder she always takes amazing pictures of all the missionaries!!

Poseidon's Temple

Hey Everyone!

Hope that you all had great weeks mine was in a way pretty uneventful.

On Tuesday and Wednesday we had an exchange. I went to Aigaleio with Elder Rickard which was good. It was good to get to know him a little better as well. Also on Wednesday me and Elder Gaskill went and picked up Elder Zizzi our new companion. He is a cool guy. He is 20, from Arizona, but has lived all over the world and speaks 5 different languages. He is a great addition to our companionship.

Thursday and Friday we worked a lot at our new Friendship Center that we have in Athens. We were there so Elder Zizzi could teach Italian and French so yeah. Also on Friday night we met with one of our new friends named Vasilios. It was a good visit. We will see if he will progress at the moment I am just not sure.

Saturday we did a lot of finding and I was able to have a couple good conversations but nothing to big yet. 

So then on Sunday we went to church. Then we did studies and stuff. We couldn't really go outside because there was a HUGE riot everyone was there so the streets were empty and we couldn't go where the people were so yeah not much to do.

Today we went to the temple of Poseidon with our new investigator Vasilios it was really cool so yeah.

It was a good week. I would just like to leave with a thought. As long as we have desire we will be used for good in Gods work! D&C 11:8 - "Verily, verily, I say unto you, even as you desire of me so it shall be done unto you; and, if you desire, you shall be the means of doing much good in this generation.”

Love you all,

Elder Halverson

3 Days of Winter

Hey Everyone!

It was yet another great week. Now I think this next week things are going to start to pick up which makes me really excited.

Last Monday we traveled to the church and we had a meeting with President and Sister Heder with the whole mission on Skype. It was cool to see all of the other missionaries especially ones I haven't seen since the MTC.

Tuesday we helped some other missionaries move into a new apartment in Athens. Then we had a lesson in the evening with Alexy and Anna, they are both from Ukraine and are really cool. Alexy is a member he really likes the church but says he misses his partying on Saturday night sometimes. Anna is really cool but she is an investigator.

Wednesday not to much happened we did a lot of finding and we had our first day of winter. It got pretty cold here.

Thursday we had a good day. We ran into a guy on the tram named Christos who wants to learn about our church which was really cool. We will be meeting with him sometime this week so hopefully that goes well.

Friday We had another good day and we ran into this lady in the evening who wanted us to come over to her house sometime so that we could talk about Jesus again. It was cool hopefully it all works out with her.

Then on Saturday we got to go to Mars Hill and clean it with the Sister Training Leaders. It was fun. We made some friends with some of the guys that work over by there it was cool.

Sunday we had a good day at church. Then President told Me and Elder Gaskill to join the choir because they need Elder Gaskill to help them sing so we did some of that. Later that day we had a meal with the Finnlaysons a senior couple. It was very good and they are very nice people.

So overall I would say that it was a great week. Oh I forgot. I got notified this week on Wednesday I will be getting another trainee so it will be me and two trainees now so it should be a fun week.

Well that was my week I hope that you all have a great week and always remember to do the good things in life. The Greeks forget that often and it just makes me sad but happy to come from Utah.

Well that's all.

Love,

Elder Halverson

Mom note:  Brig was finally able to send us some pictures.  Here are some he took by the ocean.  It is so beautiful there!!

Λοιπόν

Hey,

I hope that you all had a great week . I heard there was some snow at home. Unfortunately we still have some sunny skies here ha ha.

On Tuesday we had district meeting. President wanted us to stay after to watch President Nelsons address to church members. It was very good and he IS a prophet called of God. It is amazing that we are able to have someone to lead and guide this church.

Wednesday we had something crazy things happen that have never happened before in Greece. We had a lady stop us on the street and asked us to teach her and her son. It was really cool we still haven't been able to go. But tomorrow is the day I hope that all goes well!

Thursday we had weekly planning and Elder Gaskill's midpoint training at the church. It is crazy that we are already half-way done with training I am still trying to figure out what I am doing sometimes.

On Friday we were able to do finding and service. We gave a Book of Mormon to our friend who owns a shop down the street. He said he would read it was cool.

On Saturday we did a ton! of finding and walked a lot. It was good we got stopped by a guy who told us we were a fallacy and heresy and I just genuinely felt bad when we told him we knew we had the truth. It was kinda sad he didn't believe us but oh well. Then that night we were walking past this guy, said hi, and his dog started attacking me. We ended up having a good conversation and making his day. He said he would come to church so it all went well.

Sunday we almost died but we will get there in a minute. We had a good day at church. At night we did a whiteboard at Syntagma and then we were coming home. I said hi to two guys and then they stopped us all mad and wanted to know why we said hi. So we told them we were missionaries. They were high on something. One guy was from America from Chicago and had served in the marines. My comp told him he wanted to be in the Air Force and then he started flipping out for some reason and got really close. I thought he was going to kill my comp it was a little freaky but yeah in the end we were friends so it ended all good.

Today we went to the beach for a while walked around and took some pictures. Maybe the pictures will work this week we will have to see.

So I hope you all have just a dandy week this week and I hope all the best for you all!

σ'το καλό

Με άγαπη 

Πρεσβύτερος Χάλβερσον

sorry pics don't work (Mom note: I added some we received from Sister Heder.  She is the best!!)

Ας Πάμε

Hey Everyone!

Wow! It is already p-day again a mission just starts to fly by just faster than you would like sometimes.

So last Tuesday, We had a good District Meeting and a good day. We talked with some people and all the normal stuff, nothing to crazy though.

Wednesday we had two lessons lined up but both of them fell through. Funny story, we were trying to find this one persons apartment. As we were walking around the building there was a balcony about as tall as I am. It was dark and this huge black dog jumped up on the railing on the balcony and it scared me so bad! We had to start sneaking around so the dog wouldn't bark at us haha.

Thursday we had some good weekly planning, the best time of the week haha not really but it was good all the same. I think me and my new comp are starting to figure the area out now which is really good.

Friday we had a real meal appointment! It was with a member from Indonesia. She is a really nice lady and has a good family. She has a son that is going to leave on his mission in about a year, which is really cool.

Saturday, we had another dinner with a member family. They are from the Philippines. It went really well with members this week. We have been sharing a message about service and it has gone really well. The members are really stepping up to the challenges we give them. It is cool to see that they are willing to make a change!

Sunday, was a good day. I gave a talk in sacrament meeting on the Plan of Salvation. I focused on the fact that all of the blessings that we receive in this life will be because of our choices. Especially on whether or not we repent because repentance isn't just a one time thing. It is a daily and continuous process throughout our whole lives.

Well that is it from my week today we walked around by the ocean and cleaned. It was a good day I will attach some pictures from by the ocean, actually sorry no pictures this week the computer won't let me load any but have a great week!

Love you All!

Elder Halverson