Author: Tim Frodsham

Prayers vs. Blessings

Tim Frodsham, 28 January, 2025

I have always been an ardent student and advocate of priesthood blessings. When my children were young, I would spend time contemplating, seeking inspiration from the Holy Spirit before laying my hands on my precious charges to bless them in time of need, or time of change. Priesthood blessings were an integral part of important events such as the first day of school, start of college, start of a mission, before marriage and dealing with a problem or crisis. Don’t let this small list hinder you from taking advantage of any opportunity to bless your children, your grandchildren and any others who cross your path.

Quotes in this blog are from the April 2018 Russell M Nelson, “Ministering with the Power and Authority of God”.

“Brethren, we hold the holy priesthood of God! We have His authority to bless His people. Just think of the remarkable assurance the Lord gave us when He said, ‘Whomsoever you bless I will bless.’ It is our privilege to act in the name of Jesus Christ to bless God’s children according to His will for them.”

Using priesthood power, as a father and grandfather, I called down angels from heaven to surround, protect and nurture the children God entrusted to my care. At the time, we were forbidden by church leaders to record these blessings, and it was not until an empty Nester that the brethren encouraged us to record these moments to pass on to our children.

“Not long ago, I attended a sacrament meeting in which a new baby was to be given a name and a father’s blessing. The young father held his precious infant in his arms, gave her a name, and then offered a beautiful prayer. But he did not give that child a blessing. That sweet baby girl got a name but no blessing! That dear elder did not know the difference between a prayer and a priesthood blessing. With his priesthood authority and power, he could have blessed his infant, but he did not. I thought, “What a missed opportunity!”

In a post on my regular blog, I described a hike down the Zion Narrows, where my young scout leader called down the powers of heaven. It was more than a tremendous prayer. There is a powerful difference between offering a heartfelt prayer to our God, and using Priesthood authority to call down the power of Heaven.

“It is a remarkable blessing to serve in the Lord’s true and living Church with His authority and power. The restoration of the priesthood of God, including the keys of the priesthood, opens to worthy Latter-day Saints the greatest of all spiritual blessings. We see those blessings flowing to women, men, and children throughout the world.”

As a young father and scout leader, I also had home teaching assignments to several families, one of which was my youth leader in the post on the Zions Narrows. I was working in my yard one day when he came down the street to tell me his parents were divorcing. He wanted me to come give him and his siblings a priesthood. On entering their home, mom was there, but from the icy reception, I knew she wanted nothing to do with priesthood or blessings. I started with the youngest child, and rather than pronouncing a prayer of council, I gave a blessing. I called down angels to protect and comfort this tiny daughter of God. Child by Child, I worked up the family, using Priesthood power and authority to call blessings, protection and comfort on this distressed family. When I finished the last child, That confused, stressed and shaken mother sat down in the chair for her own blessing. I was honored to pronounce upon her a priesthood blessing as well.

“Brethren, there are doors we can open, priesthood blessings we can give, hearts we can heal, burdens we can lift, testimonies we can strengthen, lives we can save, and joy we can bring into the homes of the Latter-day Saints—all because we hold the priesthood of God.”

Among other things, the power of the priesthood sets us apart form all the religions and all the sects of the world. We as fathers have a right and privilege to call down the powers of heaven in behalf of our wives, our children, family and any in our circle who request a blessing from God.

Tags blessings, christianity, church of Jesus Christ of latter-day Saints, family, jesus, Ministring, priesthood

Mission

A Temple in Greece

Tim Frodsham 1 January 2025

When I was a young man, the money for ward operation and activities in our church came from the members, faithful Saints who contributed to ward budgets and held fundraisers. The percentage of full tithe papers in the church was small and tithing contributions were insufficient to cover all local costs. When building a new church building, stalwart ward members again set to work raising money for the local building fund and much of the labor to build a chapel was also donated by members. In one of the wards of my youth, we were building a stake center and I was tasked to sit atop a tall cinder block wall while other members handed up buckets of cement to pour into the blocks for reinforcing. As a child, I was the only one small enough to fit in that tiny space. It is for me a cherished memory.

Temples were also built with funds raised by local members. When a Sophomore in High School, I lived in a remote town in the Cascade Mountains of Washington State. The nearest temples were the the Cardston, Alberta Temple or the Idaho Falls, Idaho temple. I never went to do proxy baptisms as a youth, these temples were simply too far away.

One evening, I was pondering Joseph Smith and the revelations incorporated into the Doctrine and Covenants. Each revelation he received was an answer to a question he placed before the Lord. Even the First Vision was in response to his question on which church he should join. These thoughts meandered from revelations received by Joseph Smith to a temple in the North West, and I decided that I needed to do more than hope, I needed to act.

The next Sunday, when paying tithing from my job at a local chicken ranch, I also included a donation to the Seattle Temple Fund. The next week, the branch counselor in charge of finances approached me in consternation.

“What is this donation?”

The Seattle Temple Fund”, I replied

“There is no Seattle Temple Fund”

“There is now”. I answered

I contributed a few dollars to this fund each month, and even continued to donate while I was serving a mission in Quebec, Canada. Six months after I returned from my mission, the Seattle Temple was announced and five years later, the temple was dedicated. When I later saw that counselor he asked me how I knew. I replied that I did not know, but such things happen only with faith backed up by action. The prayers and actions of thousands of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the North West were answered.

The Seattle Washington Temple, courtesy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

My next experience with a temple was in Quebec, Canada. I served under John K. M. Olsen, the first mission president of the then Quebec Mission. The number of saints in the province was tiny. There was a small English branch and dependent French branch in Montreal, and a French branch in Quebec City. Missionary work was slow as the French Canadian people were first: suspicious of everything English or American, and second, they had just “thrown off the yoke” of the Catholic church and as I heard a thousand times “we’re not interested in subjecting ourselves to a new religion”. 23 years later, to my utter surprise, a temple was announced in Montreal.

The Montreal Quebec Temple, courtesy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

While serving a mission in Quebec, I rarely thought about a temple there, even though I was praying and working for a temple at home. Little did I know that the small successes we were having in that mission were not “small” in the eyes of the Lord. I could not have imagined that in little more than two decades, a temple would be announced for this beloved province.

We are now serving a senior mission in Athens, Greece. There are two small branches in this country, one branch in the city of Athens and another in Thessaloniki. reminiscent of my service in Quebec. The apostle Paul preached in both of these cities, the gospel has been here a long time.

How do we prepare for a temple in Greece? We need to find the bishops, stake presidents, relief society presidents and members to form faithful wards and stakes. We need to find the temple president and temple workers who will staff a House of the Lord in this historic country.

I challenge the Greek missionaries and members, young and old, to pray and work for a Latter-day Saint temple in Greece. The bishops and presidents, temple workers and patrons are out there. They need to be found. They are honest and searching individuals and families who seek the truth.

“For there are many yet on the earth among all sects, parties, and denominations, who are blinded by the subtle craftiness of men, whereby they lie in wait to deceive, and who are only kept from the truth because they know not where to find it.” D&C 123:12

Greece missionaries on Mars Hill, Athens

It is up to us as members and missionaries in Greece to pray, develop faith, and then act. As we seek guidance from the spirit, we will be led to those who are prepared, who have been seeking temple blessings, even if they know not at this time what they are or where to find them.

What a time we live in. The adversary has never been as active in thwarting the Plan of Salvation as today, and the spirit of the Lord, the power of the priesthood has never been as extensive as today. Russell M. Nelson stated:

“So many wonderful things are ahead. In coming days, we will see the greatest manifestations of the Savior’s power that the world has ever seen. Between now and he time He returns ‘with power and great glory’, He will bestow countless privileges, blessings and miracles upon the faithful”

The future of this country is bright. Faithful members of wards and stakes dotting Greece will attend a temple. Genealogy work in Greece will explode as the saints work to accomplish His plan on both sides of the veil. All of this starts with us.

Mission

Thank You President Soulier

Post author By Tim Frodsham
Post date December 29, 2024
1 Comment on Thank You President Soulier

Catherine and Tim Frodsham. 29 Dec 2024

Late last night, Catherine was scanning Facebook, something she rarely does, and found that President Jason Soulier, Mission President for the France Lyon mission, had passed away in his sleep early that morning. We were shocked.

The Souliers started their mission service in June, and we served under them for several months before our urgent transfer to Greece. In that short time, we became fast friends. Catherine, in particular, formed an instant bond with Jennifer Soulier. The couples in the mission office were new, and although we were WSR (Welfare and Self-Reliance) missionaries, we were the most experienced senior couple in Lyon and developed a warm relationship with the Souliers as they began their mission.

In an earlier post, I compared the three mission presidents under which we have served. I love and admire all three of these couples, capable and humble servants of the Lord Jesus Christ. We pray for Sister Soulier, far from home, with so many missionaries under her care. Abruptly losing a spouse is scary, heart wrenching and extremely painful. It leaves one numb and in a fog for a time. Tim and I pray for Sis. Soulier as we know how that feels. We wish there was something we could do to help or relieve some of the pain. Tim and I both know there are no words that help but we want Sis. Soulier to know we care for and love her and are praying for her and her family. We pray for their family, children and grandchildren who have lost such a powerful and worthy father and grandfather. We are also praying for our sweet senior missionary friends and our young missionaries serving in the Lyon Mission. They are in our hearts. We love them and are asking angels to attend to all of them. This news has ripped the rug out from beneath all of us and they need our prayers.

Thank you President Soulier for your example. Thank you for you dedication, love, compassion and passion for the work. Thank you for your devotion to, and focus on each and every missionary in your care. Thank you for genuine friendship and Christ-like Example. Till we meet again, till we meet at Jesus’ feet. We love you President and Sister Soulier!

Tags christianity, church, faith, france, grandchildren, lyon, Mission, Missionary work, missions, Prayer, Soulier

Mission

Refugee Camps in Greece

Tim Frodsham, 11 December 2024

Back in the days of wood burning cell phones, I took a first aid class from the Red Cross. One of the subjects we covered was approaching emergency situations such as a car wreck or earthquake. The first step arriving on scene is assessment. Whose needs are the most critical? The answer is not the ones who are screaming. Their hearts are pumping and obviously, their lungs work just fine. Their situation may be serious, but they are alive, and at least for a time, they can wait. The ones whose needs are the most serious are the quiet ones, the ones who are silent and still. Their heart may have stopped or they may not be breathing. These are the ones for whom seconds may count, the ones whose needs are most dire.

Distributing Clothes at a community center serving refugee camps near Serres

In Greece, we have a perfect storm of refugee and homeless needs. Most refugees arrive in Greece on flimsy boats or rafts, coming from Turkey or Africa. The branch president of Thessaloniki described the journey of a recent arrival to several of the migrants who attend the branch and was surprised at the minimal response he received. It turns out that most of them had arrived on Greek shores via boat as well. One of the members attempted the boat crossing 20 times before he was successful. Incredible stories of persistence and faith reside right in his little branch.

Refugee Camp outside Serres, Greece

The Greek government ministries are attempting to handle a surge of migrants on budgets that were fixed years ago. We hear much about the situation of Migrants in Athens where we live. We are a metro ride from many of these organizations and visit them often. Thousands are in need of even the basics, food and clothing, and the shouts are continuous about their predicament.

The needs of Migrants in the refugee camps are even more desperate, particularly those on the Greek Islands. They lack the most basic necessities such as blankets and sheets, and winter is here. Scabies and other skin diseases are rampant through the camps. From the islands, we here stories of refugees, including women and children, sheltering in cardboard boxes during the rain. Funding is just not there, and the tiny populations of these islands cannot cope with the surge. The number of unaccompanied children arriving in Greece is also on the rise. Most come on their own, but some lost parents on the ocean crossing to Greece. These are the silent ones. Their plight is every bit as bad as a hurricane or earthquake survivor, but they don’t show up on the evening news. Due to their isolation, they are invisible.

NGO Light Without Boarders outside a refugee camp in Serres

When migrants reach Greek shores, most are picked up, or report themselves to the Hellenic Police, the national police department. The HP are tasked with processing each migrant, checking papers, trying to identify the terrorists and criminals among the many who are simply seeking asylum. This process can take less than a week, or up to six months. At this time, the migrants are put in the queue for an asylum interview. While being processed, they are held in detention centers and cannot leave. Due to the surge in migrants and lack of funding, many in these centers do not have even bedding and basic hygiene supplies.

Habibi Community Center outside a refugee camp near Ioannina

Once released from the detention centers, the Migrants are transferred to a refugee camp, run by the Ministry of Migration and Asylum (MoMA). Fixed budgets and surges in refugees have left many of the asylum seekers in these camps destitute as well. As in the detention centers, they lack blankets and bedding. In these camps, migrants wait for their asylum interview, which can take months, and then for the results of the interview, which can can take months or even years. During this wait, they receive a monthly stipend from the government, in the order of 70 euros a month. Families receive more, but it is still very small. After several months, an asylum seeker is eligible to find a job, but with unemployment in Greece at 35%, that is difficult. Many find jobs in the tourism industry, but the pay and benefits are small.

If a migrant is granted asylum, they are eligible to apply for travel papers and in many cases, a passport. If they are not granted asylum, they may appeal. Once a decision is made, all loose government benefits, including health care.

JRS Refugee School in Athens

There are many migrants in Greece who were denied asylum or are in Greece illegally. They cannot legally work and have no government benefits. Many women in this situation resort to prostitution, which pays as little as 3 euros a day (about $3.50). We had a woman at our church who was drawn to the missionaries and wanted to be baptized. She walked this very path and wanted to change her life.

Loading food bags at InterSOS

NGOs (Non Government Organization, to those from the states, a non-profit) are doing all they can to assist migrants and other vulnerable in Greece. Vela, an NGO working in Eastern Europe focuses on the unaccompanied children. They have established Safe Zones where the children receive shelter and food as well as medical and psycho-social support. Due to overcrowding and lack of funds, particularly on the Islands, many unaccompanied children reside in the regular refugee camps where they are susceptible to exploitation and abuse. Through the church, we did a quick project to supply blankets, coats and hygiene supplies to these Zones.

Distributing food and hygiene supplies at Koumoundourou Square. Photos courtesy of Ithaca Laundry

The men and women of the Greek Ministries are tireless in their efforts to cope with the crisis, but the asylum and refugee system in Greece is simply overwhelmed, and the humanitarian needs are great. The problem is multifaceted, and as a church, we cannot solve all of these problems, but we can help. One of God’s children at a time.

We love serving in Greece. The stories are hard to hear and the work seems endless, but we are His hands in ministering to those least fortunate.

Tags Asylum, christianity, Detention Center, Greece, homeless, immigration, Missionary work, Refugee Camp, Refugees

Mission

Humanitarian Work in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Post author By Tim Frodsham
Post date October 31, 2024
1 Comment on Humanitarian Work in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

From time to time, we here about the humanitarian work done by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In conference or in church publications we hear briefly about the amount of money or the number of projects carried out by our church. We also hear critics lament that the church is hoarding money, and we should give it to the poor. It reminds me of the story in John chapter 12; Mary taking an alabaster of expensive oil and pours it on the feet of the Savior. Judas Iscariot complains that a better use would be to sell the oil and give the money to the poor. It isn’t that simple.

As part of my doctoral work, I studied the humanitarian efforts of the western world, and how little impact these efforts had made over the last 50 years. The title of one of the books I researched says much: ‘The White Man’s Burden: Why the West’s Efforts to Aid the Rest Have Done So Much Ill and So Little Good” by William Easterly. Though the book is out of date, almost 20 years old, his main points are valid today. It is hard to help others through humanitarian work. Roads are built which soon fall into disrepair. Wells are dug which fail after a few short months. Much of the aid given makes the recipients all the more dependent and even worse off when the aid stops. Handing out money only fuels this problem.

Most of the aid given by the west is dictated top down. Money and goods are dispensed by what we westerners think should be done, with little regard for cultures and customs of the people receiving the aid. Giving aid or help in any form requires intense thought and care in how that aid will be received and interpreted by the recipient culture and society. We are all about aid which fosters long term independence and self-reliance. Money alone does not help. Look at the amount of of money poured into the United States welfare system, creating generations of dependents. The U.S. welfare program destroys families and punishes those who try to work their way to independence.

Large foundations and other organizations, when dispensing aid, usually approach a community and dictate the aid they are going to provide. They tell the country or community what they think they need, what service or goods they are going to provide, and what they should do to fix their problems. Any aid given which does not understand and respect local cultures, and which is not aimed at developing self-reliance in the long term is doomed to failure.

The churches approach is not to dictate what we are going to do for you, but “what do you need?”, “How can we help you with these problems”. The church advances slowly into a new region or a new type of aid, relying on the expertise of those organizations already entrenched in the local population. Rather than becoming just another organization in the fray, we learn from those experienced in aid to the region, and consult with local leaders as to what we can do as a church to help them help themselves.

In the past, the church has provided aid through Latter Day Saint charities. The name of the Church was not used. Missionaries wore special tags that did not have the name of the church on them. Late last year, the humanitarian missionaries here in Greece hosted an NGO appreciation event, with catering and gift bags for those in attendance. As we visit the various NGO representatives, many of them mention the appreciation event, and were surprised that we are a church. They assumed we were just another small philanthropic foundation. That has changed. Though we were given such tags in the MTC, we were told soon after that we should wear our missionary tags. We use the name of church and introduce ourselves as missionaries for the church with everyone we meet.

Sometimes this backfires. Recently, a large donation was rejected by an organization in Eastern Europe because those working in their philanthropic wing threatened to quit rather than accept funds from the Mormons. We are not after the honor or the publicity, but people should know in an open, honest manner what our church is doing in the world.

The Nelsons, The Frodshams, Laura Papa (Front, 2nd from left) Eleni Metsa (back right)

We recently met with Laura Papa, the founder of a local charitable organization, METAdrasi. She rejected many offers from foundations and other organizations because there were too many strings attached to the funding. These organizations dictated to her what she needed to do to help the refugee women and children in her care, but it was not what they really needed. She would forgo funding rather than provide the wrong type of help. Her focus is to help refugee women rise above their circumstance and learn to provide for themselves and their children.

We have been in Greece two months, and have met many other wonderful people who have dedicated their lives to the assistance of the poor and needy.

Saffron Kitchen operates in down town Athens, providing thousands of meals for refugees, homeless and other vulnerable people in the city center. They work through dozens of other organizations to distribute meals. Each time we visit their facility, we are overwhelmed by the energy and commitment they exude. They not only feed those who have no idea where the next meal is coming, but they foster independence and self-reliance by hiring and teaching refugees how to cook.

The Irida women’s center in Thessaloniki focuses on women and their dependent children. Many of these refugee women have experienced untold tragedy and horror as they made their way to Greece. Pregnant, destitute, children in their care, the center provides a safe haven where they can heal and receive social and legal counseling.

Ithaca Laundry takes a mobile laundry van to various places in Athens to wash clothes of refugees, homeless and others who have no way of laundering their clothes. They provide counseling as well as people wait for their laundry. There focus is again on self-reliance. Job seekers can now go to an interview with clean clothes. Children to school.

The church has provided medical equipment for several municipal clinics in Thessaloniki and Larissa, as well as a clinic run by Médecins du Monde – Greece (Doctors of the World) in Athens.

One dentist spends two day a week at the clinic providing dental care for refugee children. We love their commitment and their energy.

We asked many of these dedicated individuals what problems they themselves face in this unending work. The response we hear most is “burnout”. Day to day they lift the hands and heal the hearts of those who have passed through unspeakable horror and yet continue to struggle, and in many cases, to thrive.

Many of the people pictured here have little belief or even knowledge of their Savior, but they are directed by His spirit. I pay tribute to these dedicated, caring people who spend their lives in the service of the least fortunate. We are blessed to have met them, work with them, serve as His hands in their support.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is working to gather Israel, both spiritually as well as physically. We are humbled to be the Lord’s hands in Greece. His work rolls forward with each step we take. Each small gesture for good. Each penny donated by a primary child. Each humble prayer that ascends to heaven. A phrase by one of the wonderful senior sister missionaries here in Athens comes to mind. “Who wouldn’t want to be us”. What a joy to be in His service.

Tags athens, bulgaria greece mission, christianity, doctors of the world, europe, Greece, Humanitarian, irida, ithaca laundry, latter day saint charities, metadrasi, Missionary work, saffron kitchen, the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Mission

Changing of the Guard

30 September, 2024 Tim Frodsham

Last July, our mission president, Roland Léporé. And his wife, Amie, completed their three years of service to the people of southern France and returned home. They were replaced by Jason and Jennifer Soulier. They could not be more different.

President Léporé is a quiet, soft spoken man whose spiritual presence dominates the room. In zone conferences and other meetings, he stayed in the background for most of the meeting, speaking occasionally and allowing his missionaries to conduct and present. Many missionaries told us that when they were in the presence of President Léporé they felt they were in the presence of Christ. He was true shepherd. The young sisters and elders knew he was a true servant of the Lord, and they loved him.

President Soulier was a salesman in his former life, and exudes the confidence and energy of a motivational speaker. Where President Léporé’s meetings were quiet and thoughtful, those of President Soulier tend to be more loud and boisterous, They both work. I understand there is little overlap as one president replaces another. One president and his family leave before the other arrives. I think the brethren do that for a reason. They want the incoming presidents to follow the Savior, to use their own talents, and that of their companions in their sinngular manner, to move the mission forward as servants of Jesus Christ, using the talents unique to them.

Both couples are powerful men and women. Both are servants of Jesus Christ. Both have a mantle of leadership. Both focus on the work of the Lord and bring that work to fruition in utilizing their unique talents and gifts endowed from on high.

Unfortunately, we served with the Souliers for just a few months before we were transferred to Greece. During that time, I was impressed with their insight and problem solving abilities. Like their predecessors, they are people of faith. They are called, and are responding to that call to the best of their abilities and more, abilities that are magnified by the power of the spirit.

We are now serving with President David and Emily Nelson of the Bulgaria Greek mission. Not many missionaries have the experience of serving under three mission presidents. We are just getting to know them, and they too have a unique style of leadership. He is gentle, thoughtful and willing to listen to even the smallest need. They love the missionaries, love of the Lord and the Lord magnifies their talents as well in His infinite, intimate way. We are truly blessed.

Tags bible, christianity, church, france, Greece, jesus, Missionary work, missions

Mission

Lavender Anyone?

August 2024 by Catherine Frodsham

(I have several posts from our mission experience in Lyon, France. I will post these over time as we continue our experience in Greece.) I LOVE LAVENDER! In Southern France they grow Lavender, and it only can be enjoyed 1 month out of every year. It is usually the end of June through July or sometimes July through the beginning of Aug. Well, we kind of missed it but still saw some beautiful fields. They just weren’t as colorful as they can be. We drove down for a couple of days for our P-Days – missionary preparation days. We drove to a small little town near Toulon on the Mediterranean. It had a beautiful beach that we walked on but we didn’t bring swimsuits on our mission. Although we can swim, we just didn’t think about it. We had a beautiful hotel and a wonderful restaurant right on the beach. Here are pictures of the hotel and beach.

The next morning, we drove to Gordes, France which has the Abbaye of Senque where monks live and sell Lavender products, etc. That was beautiful. Here are pictures of the Abbaye and Gordes.

Next, we heard that the little town of Sault has the best Lavender fields, but it takes a bit to drive there on two lane roads. It was so beautiful. We found a field of Sun Flowers which I love as well and produce stands. The lady at the produce stand gave me a bouquet of Lavender and she said it is dry and not pretty. I loved it. As we got closer to Sault, we saw many Lavender fields and it was beautiful. I wish we came a week or two earlier the color would have been so brilliant!! But it was worth it because we won’t be in France the next time it is in bloom. (How little did we know how true that would be.)

Here is a picture of the town of Sault. So, French and cozy. We loved it. I found a few Santons as well. The one thing I want to get in France to take home is a Nativity made from Santons. They are a French ceramic figurines. Some are small and some are large.

I bought 3 when I was in France as a teenager and my kids have looked at those for all these years. haha! It was an art started back in the 1700’s where the Santonairs would make clay people doing French things. Like a baker, farmer, store owner preacher or butcher etc. They are all from their daily lives and beautifully made. I hope before we leave, I can find some that I can bring home.

We did make a quick trip to Marseilles when we got the call that we would be moving to Greece just before we left France and I was able to purchase a nativity set. Above is the Santon Store in Marseille.

We love France. We love the people, the members of the church who are so stalwart. We will miss them. We love the countryside, the beauty of France. We are lucky we got to see so much, but there is so much more we wanted to see.

Tags europe, france, gourde, lavender, lyon, marseille, Missionary work, provence, Santon, sault, travel

Mission

First Week in Athens

Catherine and Tim Frodsham. 6 September 2024

We have been in Greece one week now and are beginning to get a handle on all of the work there is to be done. Most countries in Central Europe have three or four humanitarian projects open, we have thirteen with two more in definition. It has been months since a WSR (Welfare Self-Reliance) couple has worked on projects in Greece. For a while, the country was covered by someone from the area office, then the husband of the last couple here was called as the Branch President. With the responsibilities of that calling and health issues, they had no time to work on humanitarian projects. When they returned home for health issues, the Area transferred us to Greece to catch up.

The Frodshams and the Nelsons

The Nelsons, a couple in the Frankfurt office who assist WSR couples in Europe, spent the last three days with us, going over all the projects in Greece and visiting NGO representatives in Athens. (An NGO, or Non Governmental Organization is a non-profit charity). These organizations help refugees including children who lost their parents while trying to get here. They help them with medical care, hygiene, food, job training and courses on how to assimilate into their new country. The stories are heart wrenching. Once we get on top of the backlog of correspondence, we will visit various sites in Greece to assess the problems and how these organizations are using church funds to address them. We are already planning a trip to Thessaloniki, about 500 km north of us, to visit two or three organizations and the refugee camps they are assisting.

Laura Papa, Elani, the Nelsons and the Frodshams

We met a woman yesterday, Laura Papa, who started an organization called MetaDrasi, dedicated to assist refugee and disadvantaged women with housing and care. Unaccompanied refugees children were held at police stations or other detention centers under appalling conditions, the system in place simply did not know what to do with them. A focus of the organization she started was to get these children to a safe place and provide them with the nutrition, health care and support they needed. She is a force of nature. Some of the women they assist were raped during the flight from their home country and have a multitude of problems to face.

Catherine and the dentist from Doctors of the World

We visited a medical clinic in central Athens that serves refugees, ROMA (gypsies) and other disadvantaged people. One of the volunteers we talked with is a dentist in Athens. He has a thriving practice, but donates two days a week to provide basic dental care to both adults and children. I don’t think we have ever met someone so upbeat. No one is turned away. There are wonderful people here in Greece who dedicate their lives to the care and well-being of the least fortunate. It is gratifying to see what the church is doing to support this humanitarian work.

Twice Catherine started to tear up as these dedicated people talked about helping children refugees who are alone or young women who are pregnant because of abuse as they left their countries. Many refugees in Greece live in camps. They are fleeing their countries because of war or violence, hunger or lack of freedom. We will be visiting these camps to see what the church can do to help fund programs to help them with healthcare, food, language skills etc . . . We were meant to be here.

We visited a portable laundry service, Ithaca Laundry, that the church helped to purchase a van to wash clothes for homeless. The van is full of washers and dryers and they drive it from place to place and wash clothes on the spot. While there, they feed them and offer counseling.

We will continue to post about the humanitarian work moving forward in Greece, but will not post pictures of the people being helped by these efforts. Government regulations forbid posting pictures in a public forum and the church agrees and supports this policy. We can, however, post pictures of the sites and some of the people who give so much to their care.

Tags Greece, Humanitarian, Missionary work, Refugee, ROMA

Mission

Forever Friends

31 August 2024 by Catherine Frodsham

(We successfully transferred to Greece and are coming up to speed on the many humanitarian projects sponsored by our church. This post is as much for us as for anyone else, to remember the incredible friends we have made in our 9 months of service in Lyon — Tim) Probably one of the most fun things about our mission is meeting the wonderful missionaries! We consider our young missionaries our grand kids or “Petite enfants” as they would say in France. Then our special senior couple friends are awesome.

We first met the Hardy’s. Liz and Dave from the state of Washington. They worked in the office and because our instant friends. We sure love them. They went home a month ago and we miss them so much.

We also met the Gannaway’s. Trish and Joe. They also worked in the office, and they served for 29 months with Lepore’s, our mission president. They were lots of fun as well. We enjoyed visiting them in the office and we went to dinner and had them over for dinner. The Gannaway’s and Hardy’s are home already.

We got new Office missionaries. The Dinkelman’s, Linda and Gary from Utah. Such wonderful, nice people. Also, the Miners’s, Jennifer and Larry from Utah as well. Such fun nice friends.

We also have about 10 more senior couples that are serving in the Lyon France Mission. We have a Senior Chat on Messenger so we can all talk to each other. We have 3 that are from France that speak French.

So here are the Powers – Kim and James that serve with the Young Single Adults in Geneva. Bernadette and Kelly McBride serve in Chalon sur Soane. She is the mission medical advisor

Here are the Herzog’s and the Barray’s that work together in Corsica. It’s so fun to be together.

Catherine has made many friends in the Porte Des Alpes ward. One sabbath day, just before sacrament meeting, Soeur Martine grabbed Catherine by the cheeks and told her “you need to learn French” The women of the ward felt Catherine’s spirit and wanted desperately to talk with her

Soeur Roux is the sweetest, most Christ-like woman one could ever meet. She lost her husband several months after we came to France. She is so gentle, so loving and has a fabulous sense of humor. Just a week or two ago, she fell and broke her shoulder. Thibault took one of our EnglishConnect classes and we met him in person at the CAJAF. We had to include one of many instant friends we have met along the way. Catherine met her at a my path devotional in Evry, France

The missionaries brought their friends (we used to call them investigators) into our home to have discussions, or just to feed them dinner and chat around the dinner table. We never let a moment go by that we didn’t testify of the truthfulness of the things the missionaries were teaching them.

Special friends that were taught in our apartment for months, Munashe and Machilo. They had their baby, Elsie, were married several months later and then Machilo was baptized the next week. As you can see, Catherine will not let go of that baby

There are many others that we have met along the way. An accordion player who sits outside the Basilica Notre-Dame de Fourvière. Catherine would place a large bill in his pocket every time we visited the Basilica. Florian, the hostess at the B&B we stayed at in Saint Clair Sur L’Elle. Segolene and Serge, whom Catherine mentioned in an earlier post. Gisele, who we met in Caen and who took one of our EnglishConnect classes. The Snyders, our counterparts in Paris, and Dorothee Cannon, our MTC tutor, who stayed at our apartment with her family for two nights while she picked up her son, here on a mission.

We had several group gatherings. For general conference, single adult activities and church meetings.

General Conference at the San Souci building

We started a tradition of inviting missionaries over once a transfer on a p-day morning to have waffles. We figured that once every 6 weeks would not be disruptive, but often enough that missionaries would remember and it would be something to look forward to.

Here are some of our missionary grandchildren…oh how we love them!!

We will miss our friends in Lyon and the work we have been doing here. We also look forward to our next adventure in Athens, Greece,

Tags christianity, france, Greece, lyon, Missionary work

Mission

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.

Tags france, Missionary work