Forever Friends

Catherine and Tim Frodsham

It has been one month since we completed our missionary service in Athens, Greece. As newly weds, we came into the relationship and our mission with separate friends; his and hers. During our 18 months of service, we have made numerous mutual friends, friendships that will last forever, friendships that we have forged together.

Here are missionaries at our last zone conference.

We made many friends in Athens. Catherine befriended Kelly, a sales clerk on Monastiraki Square in Athens, and invited her to share dinner in our apartment. She came, and listened in on a missionary discussion with Kostas. Though she hasn’t attended church yet, she has been attending institute every week. We fed Mahmoud many times in our. apartment and worked with him on self-reliance and finding a job.

Her hair dressers and her nails lady have become fast friends, and cried at her last appointment.

Even at our favorite local restaurant, Catherine always gave the waiters a hug and a large tip each time we came for dinner. They would see us through the window as we approached, and give a hearty wave. It was more than just the money, we spent the time to laugh and talk with them.

Catherine is always on the lookout for those in need on the street. At a strategic intersection on our way to the church, a refugee offered to wash windows while one waited at the stop light. It was a long light, so he could wash two or three windows during the wait. We had the cleanest windshield in Athens. There was also a man who waited outside the grocery store, and was there every time we came to shop. He was the kindest man, with a jovial smile and would tease me every time we came to the store entrance. It was winter and I was always in a polo shirt. He would hold his arms and shiver every time he saw me, and I would feign excessive heat, wiping my brow and fanning myself. Catherine left him 50 euros the last time we shopped and he was nearly in tears.

There were three apartments in our building. Our Landlady lived on the first floor, we lived on the second and the daughter and son-in-law lived on the third. We conversed well each time we met on the stairs or in the ground floor parking. They even invited us to share their Easter meal with us, which we mentioned in our Easter post.

We befriended many members of the branch. Aliki was baptized not long after we left Athens. Gogo is the oldest member of the branch. During one of our branch celebrations, she did a traditional Greek dance. Normally, dancers would throw glasses or ceramic dishes to the ground, shattering them during the dance. Gogo was throwing plastic cups during the dance. Jimmy is an excellent pianist, but his mother could never get him to play for Sacrament meeting. Catherine just needed to ask him once. He played the Sacrament hymn that Sunday, and has since played for the services.

We love the missionaries, whether in our home or at church

One of the greatest joys of serving a senior mission is working with other senior missionaries, and for us, both in the mission and in the area office in Frankfurt. We love these dedicated couples and senior sisters and look forward to many reunions after we return.

On our last day as missionaries, we hosted an appreciation event for all of the people and organizations we had worked with over the last nine months, and who collaborated with the church over the last two years. We have to come to love these dedicated people who follow the light of Christ, even though many of them do not really know what this means. Many we have invited to visit us if they ever make it to the western United States.

We love these new friends. We have served by them and with them. They remind us that, even in a world in turmoil, buffeted by the adversary and his legions, there are many stalwart people who follow the light of Christ and are his hands of comfort and service.