Emergency Transfer

Tim Frodsham 21 August 2024

The beginning of August, we got a call from the Central Europe manager, Christian Ottiker. He explained to us that the husband of a senior couple, the Hoffmans, had a stroke. He was healing and the damage done would be minimal, but he would have to return home to recover. They were serving in Athens, Greece and were managing a number of humanitarian projects for refugees and disaster victims in the country. Their position was critical, and it would take too much time to call and train a new couple. Brother Ottiker decided to ask us to transfer to Greece to fill the position instead.

There is very little humanitarian work to do in Southern France. We have been inventing our mission as we go along, supporting the local ward, visiting members, working with missionaries and inviting their investigators into our home. We have also been teaching EnglishConnect and assisting with self-reliance classes. When Brother Ottiker called, we asked him for a day to consider. We will go wherever the Lord wants us to serve, and with careful prayer, we accepted the transfer. We are flying to Athens on the 27th of August.

It is hard to be a member in France. The saints are spread so thin, distances are long and there are so many who need ministering. We love France, we love the people whom we were called to serve. We love the members of the church here, serving them has been an honor and a labor of love. We will miss them terribly.

We have already talked to the mission president, several couples serving in the mission and an angelic pair of senior sisters serving in Athens. They have already gone through our apartment, cleaning and re-arranging furniture, and have called and messaged Catherine daily. They are already fast friends.

We will be serving in the Bulgaria Greece mission. The mission office and home are in Bulgaria. The mission covers Bulgaria, Greece and Cyprus, with about 40 young missionaries and ten or so couples. https://www.ldsliving.com/missionaries-on-mars-hill-church-near-the-acropolis-what-its-like-to-be-lds-in-greece/s/82104 Transfers like this are rare, and though we will miss our friends and fellow missionaries in France, we will have served in two separate missions when we return.