This is Tatiana and Ilya Chekaramit. They are Ukrainian refugees that live in Athens Greece. He has a doctorate in Agriculture Science. They lost their large home and their farm in the Ukraine war. They live in a very small one bedroom apartment with two small single beds, a little desk, an old computer, three small old wooden chairs, one shelf, a little sink in a kitchen closet area, a drawer with a zip lock bag of old pictures, one small fridge and a hot plate. They have no table for meals, no TV and no music.
They don’t speak Greek or English. They are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day saints and have been sealed together. Our Athens branch had a temple trip and 4 people went with our Senior sisters. They went. They were so happy to go.
I remember one Sunday maybe a month after we came from Lyon, France, we were still getting to know the branch members. It was a fast & testimony meeting. Ilya got up and walked up to the front and he didn’t stay at the pulpit, he stood behind the half wall in front of where the branch presidency sits. He bore his testimony in Ukrainian. I was not even aware of that because I just assumed it was Greek. Brother Price stood up after and started to sob and he said we just witnessed a miracle. I asked Bro. Price what he meant and he told me after the meeting that these two wonderful Ukrainian Refugees come every Sunday and they don’t understand Greek or English or any other language. They understand their covenants. We had witnessed a miracle in our little Athens branch.
Family photos. All they were able to save from the war
They understood the importance of the sacrament and partaking of the sacrament each Sunday. I would watch for them to come through the door. If I was playing the keyboard they would come and give me a hug before taking their seats. I LOVE THEM. We communicated – not through words but through love. I knew they loved me, and they knew I loved them.
Ilya had a stroke a few weeks ago. While Tim and Elder Kanellis went to his hospital room to give him a blessing, I waited with Tatiana in the waiting area, and we talked through google translate on our phones. It was so hard because some words do not translate so we knew, kind of, what each other was saying.
Luckily Ilya has recovered enough to go home. He can walk some, but he is very weak. It is too hard to come to church so the missionaries take the sacrament when they can. It is a harder life here in Greece. Most of our members do not have cars. Everyone has to walk, take buses or the metro to church. It even takes us an hour to drive to the metro and then go all the way down in Athens to church. It is a struggle for all members to get to church.
Tim and I went to say goodbye to Brother and Sister Chekaramit last week. Our mission is coming to an end, and we are going home. My heart hurt seeing the conditions they live in. They were so happy to see us and had us come in. Since they only had three chairs…Ilya pulled up a plastic stool and sat on that. We had brought food for them, and I helped Tatiana put it away. She was telling me about her big house and now look where we are and she smiled and shrugged her shoulders like, Oh well!
I am in awe of these stalwart pioneers. No matter what, they hold on to their testimonies of our Savior Jesus Christ. They keep their temple covenants and their baptismal covenants. They love others. They are happy and know who they are. They know God loves them and that possessions are not what brings happiness. They are grateful for their lives and know they will live with Heavenly Father again if they endure to the end.
I want to be just like them. I love this son and daughter of God. I will always remember them and will look for them when we all return to our Heavenly Father. I am grateful to call Tatiana and Ilya, our eternal friends.
In October of 2024, Elder Stevenson of the Quorum of twelve Apostles visited Greece, speaking with members and missionaries. During his visit, Elder Stevenson shared a meal with an official from the United Nations High Commission on Refugees (UNHCR). Elder Stevenson explained in profound detail the four pillars of the Church of Jesus Christ: Live the Gospel of Jesus Christ, Invite all to receive the gospel, Unite families for eternity and Care for the needy. He ended with care for the needy and bore powerful testimony of the humanitarian work done by the LDS church.
Elder Stevenson and the young missionaries on Mars Hill
Pres. McConkie of the Central Europe area presidency came a few days before Elder Stevenson to set things up and meet with priesthood leaders. His wife Lauren came and she is delightful as well. Tim and I were asked by our Mission President to please pick up the McConkie’s from the airport and take them to their hotel. It was fun to meet them and visit as we drove them from the Athens airport. They asked about us and our mission and how the seniors are treated and the blessings of serving as senior missionaries. They had not been home more than 4 days in Frankfurt Germany in the month before they came to Greece. They are very busy and do many things for our Area. They came to church with us in Athens and both of them spoke. Sis. McConkie is such a pleasant, beautiful, kind and loving sister. Everyone loves to listen to her because she is like your best friend. Pres. McConkie is the same. That night all of our missionaries came from Cypress, Crete and Thessaloniki to be here to meet President Stevenson on Tuesday. Monday our mission rented a bus to take all of us to Corinth. Isn’t that so cool that we live only an hour away of CORINTH where Paul taught the Saints.
We had to drive up two missionaries that needed to do a medical exam to renew their visas. So we met every one in Corinth. Then we had to leave early to drive our mission president and Sis. Nelson back to Athens. Tim and I had been working with a man named Manolis from UNHCR -. Pres. Stevenson wanted to know if there were any Humanitarian projects that he could be involved in by giving them a plaque or a thank you, etc. So we had given them several ideas and waited to see what he wanted to do.
Elder Stevenson on Mars HillElder Stevenson instructing the missionaries
Manolis of UNHCR has been working with the church for several years, but Elder Stevenson’s visit opened doors we had only imagined. Not long after his visit, two ministries of the Greek government, the Hellenic Police (National police force) and the Ministry of Migration and Asylum approached Manolis for help from the church. As a result, we are implementing a series of projects to bring bedding and hygiene supplies to tens of thousands of refugees.
Members came from all over Greece to meet with Elder Stevenson
Elder Stevenson ended up wanting to have dinner with Manolis (who is not a member of the church but has contacts within the government) The church likes to establish friendships with the governments so that down the road, when we want to build a temple they know we are friendly, kind and helpful to a country. So at the dinner was the Stevensons, the Nelson’s (mission president and wife), The McConkie’s, Tim and I and Manolis. It was so interesting to listen to Elder Stevenson bear testimony to Manolis about our church and why we do things. He bore testimony about family and our Savior Jesus Christ. Why we do humanitarian work throughout the world. I wish I had a recording of all that he said. I was in awe. He looked right into Manolis’s eyes and touched his soul.
Elder Stevenson on Mars Hill
We had to hurry because Elder Stevenson was supposed to drive across town to our church building and speak to all of the members and missionaries in Greece. There were about 30 missionaries young and old and about 40 members and friends that came. So Elder Stevenson, the Nelsons and the McConkies got in their car with their driver. I wish they would have taken Manolis. I think he would have felt so special. But Manolis , Tim and I got a taxi to drive us to the church. They beat us but they had a driver and one thing we have learned in Greece is – if you hire a taxi they get paid by time and distance- ugh. Our taxi driver was going so slow because of time. We should have thought to pay him 20 euros more to get us there quickly. So we rush in about 9 minutes past 7:00 and the missionary choir that I AM LEADING had just stood up. I run up to the front and Sis. Christensen handed me my binder. I smile and we begin! hahah! It was great. We have very talented missionaries.
(Note, we are nearing the last month of our mission and are cleaning up and publishing posts that have been languishing in the drafts folder. Since Elder Stevenson’s visit, we have worked extensively with Manolis of UNHCR and have developed a fast friendship. We will miss him and many others we have worked with in Greece)
Every six weeks, give or take, the Athens Zone of the Greece Bulgaria Mission gather for a conference. This comprises all of the young missionaries in Greece: Four young missionaries in Thessaloniki, six young missionaries in Athens and four young missionaries on the island of Crete. Also attending are senior couples and a duo of single sisters who run the office in Athens. The conference is small, but this thin leaven does incredible things. “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.” Romans 1:16
President and Sister Nelson, Hornbarger and ChristensenDeparting Sisters Hornbarger and Christensen, in front of the plaque commemorating Paul’s preaching of the unknown godSisters Fronk, Frodsham, Hornbarger, Christensen, Dennis and Ramseyer
We start out at Mars Hill to hear from missionaries who are arriving as well as departing.
Sisters Christensen and HallSisters Timm and BroekmanReceiving instruction at Mars Hill
The young elders and sisters provide most of the training, focusing on precepts from “Preach My gospel”.
Sister NelsonElder Powell in BulgariaPresident and Sister NelsonZone Conference meetings in the Ilisia building
Our mission president Nelson focused on building branches and eventually wards and stakes in a sustainable way. After decades of missionary work in Greece, there is one small branch in Thessaloniki, and another in Athens. Several decades ago, there were five branches in the country.
Elders Crosley and MputoElders Snyder and BonneyElder Bartsch, Sisters Kristensen and TimmElder and Sister KanellElder and Sister Fronk
Athens District
Recent converts have been migrants and asylum seekers, who have been led to receive the gospel where they could not in their own country, but most are transient and bring little long term strength to the latter-day church. What is needed is strong, permanent members who serve as branch presidents, bishops, relief society presidents and other leaders. Leaders who prepare the this country for a temple.
This is The Church of Jesus Christ. We are commissioned by our Savior to spread his gospel: “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.”Mark 16:15
Happy Valentines Day! When I married my first love, LaNae, we planned from the beginning to serve a senior mission, something I had contemplated even since my young mission service in Quebec, Canada. My financial plans, retirement funds, timing for retirement, revolved around serving missions. We wanted to serve at least three, with a year or two in between to visit children and grandchildren. The best laid plans of mice and men. Just a few short years before my planned retirement, LaNae passed away. At the time, single men, well aged such as I, were not allowed to serve missions, and I started looking at other options.
Portland Oregon Temple
I considered serving as an ordinance worker at the temple. Again, the single man question reared it’s head. A young acquaintance of mine with some disabilities and never married, served at the temple. On his 30th birthday, he was told he could never serve in the temple again. It turns out that at the time, single men over thirty could not serve as ordinance workers. One exception was men that were married in the temple and then widowed. I fit that exemption, but in good conscience, I could not serve knowing that other single men, much more worthy than I, could not work as ordinance workers in the temple..
I did work as a temple engineer. Each Saturday, to allow the full time staff weekend time with their families, I would come to the temple early, greet the night shift guard at the temple door, and then wake up the temple. Turn on and check lights, monitor and log the air conditioning and heating systems, check the chemistry in the baptismal font, wake up and check the audio visual systems for each endowment room and continue the checklist. The walk through took about 2 1/2 hours, and I would spend the rest of my shift indexing, answering the phone, responding to problems, and if all was quiet, walk the temple and converse with the temple workers. At that time, it was the best way for me to be His hands.
Ten years after loosing LaNae, I am on a full time mission with Catherine. From the time I met my second love, we talked about serving a mission. In fact, no desire to serve a mission would have been a deal breaker for each of us. We submitted our mission papers as soon as Catherine finished the semester teaching seminary and were well into our mission on our first anniversary. I wonder at times why it took 10 years to meet Catherine. We could have several missions under our belts by now. I have asked the Lord many times why it is that those who are the most willing to serve, who would make wonderful leaders, missionaries, mission presidents and bring about much righteousness in His kingdom cannot due to circumstances beyond their control, request the call. He has a much bigger picture of His children than I, and though they cannot serve a mission, He will use them and challenge them in other ways.
In the first years of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Joseph Smith and Brigham Young would call missionaries from the pulpit during church meetings, even during General Conference. These were not 18 year old boys, but fathers and husbands. They were expected to depart within weeks, or even days. These missionaries left wives, children, farms, businesses, civic and church responsibilities to answer the call. Many had no idea how their families would survive financially while they served. I have nothing but admiration for these early missionaries. It was their mission and their faith that converted my ancestors in England and Switzerland.
The Frodshams in CorsicaThe Frodshams on Mars Hill
Would we have such faith today? How would you, a senior couple surrounded by comfort, children and grandchildren, respond to a call from the pulpit? Could we, with a notice of a week or two, pack up and travel to the other side of the world? “Could we?” is the wrong question. For most of us, the more relevant question is “Would we?”
Humanitarian missionary training conference in Vienna
According to the unofficial statistics I found, about 1/2 to 1 percent of eligible seniors serve missions. Increasing that to even 5 percent, one couple in 20, would mean 5 to 10 times more senior missionaries serving the Lord around the world. In Athens, Greece, we had a humanitarian couple, yours truly, and two senior sisters serving in the remote mission office (the mission president and the official office are in Sofia, Bulgaria). Last month, two more senior couples came to serve in Athens and the whole dynamic of missionary service changed. These wonderful senior missionaries have been called to branch positions, providing a rock of support to our faithful but inexperienced branch president. Visits to members, active or not, are bolstering the faith and the faithful in this historic part of the vineyard. There is a synergy and a spirit of camaraderie and dedication among we seniors.
Rather than a surprise call from the pulpit, we have options to choose when we are going to serve, the length of our service, and to some degree, where we are going to serve. We have cell phones and internet to stay connected with our families, and jet planes to take us home for those events that cannot be missed. I listed all the reasons to serve a mission in my “Serve Now” post, so I won’t list them again. The delightful senior sisters in the office, whom we lovingly refer to as “The Angels of Athens” say it best. “Who wouldn’t want to be us?”
Bulgaria Greece senior missionaries in Ioannina, Greece
However, I need to add a word of caution here. You have no set schedule and few set responsibilities. You are your own boss and you have to be self starting and self-motivated. There is more work to do than you can imagine, but you have to find it and make it your own. Our own mission has been divided into two parts: Serving in France as WSR or welfare self-reliance missionaries and in Greece doing humanitarian work. Very different missions, and in both cases, we invented our mission. We dug in, looked around, asked around, and most important, we laid it before the Lord. If ever this verse of scripture is relevant, it is while serving a mission. “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” Proverbs, 3:5,6. Our paths have been directed as we have served as His hands.
Souliers, Miners, Hardys, Dinkelmans, Frodshams Life Long friends – Senior missionaries in Lyon, France
We are not assigned over the pulpit to serve missions, but the obligation and the need is no less paramount. Over the years, the church has and is moving away from obligatory assignments. Home Teaching is now ministering. Ward budgets, building and temple funds come entirely from tithing funds. It is easier to attend temples than ever before, and attendance is neither required nor tracked. The church is following the council of D&C 58:26-28:
“For behold, it is not meet that I should command in all things; for he that is compelled in all things, the same is a slothful and not a wise servant; wherefore he receiveth no reward. Verily I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness; For the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves. And inasmuch as men do good they shall in nowise lose their reward.”
The Frodshams and Snyders in Paris, France
Serving a senior mission is not compulsory, and we are all the more blessed for following the wise and gentle council of our Brethren and choosing to serve.
Cathy here, I can’t even imagine being called over the pulpit. That was definitely a sacrifice. Our mission is a sacrifice but not like the early saints. Tim and I have thoroughly enjoyed serving our mission(s). At times we have had to be very proactive and look for ways to serve. Our mission presidents (Pres. Lepore in Lyon, Pres. Soulier in Lyon and now Pres. Nelson in Bulgaria/Greece) are so busy with all of the young missionaries. We Seniors need to be offering time and talents and helping to further work of gathering. It takes prayer and an open mind to see what needs to be done and to be available to answer a call at 10:00 pm to go give a blessing or pick up a missionary or mission president at the Airport. Service is never convenient whether you are serving a mission or serving at home.
I can honestly say yes, I have had bouts of homesickness- even with tears but then I look at my sweetheart and know we can do this and we can do it well. We are giving ourselves to our Savior Jesus Christ at this time and happy to be here in Greece. Now that we are about 4 months from returning home, we feel as though there are so many things we want to do before we leave. It is going by fast. We hope our children and grandchildren have been blessed by our service. That was one of the reasons we came to the mission field.
Both Tim and I had talked for years with LaNae and Zane about serving a couples mission. Our children all knew how important that was for us. We are grateful each other wanted to go right away after we were married. WHAT A HONEYMOON it has been!! Serving in FRANCE and then in GREECE; this was a 2 for 1 mission and we are so grateful to be disciples of our Savior Jesus Christ.
Seriously – WHO WOULDN’T WANT TO BE US?
Note: We wrote this post before learning that Jason Soulier, President of the Lyon France mission had passed away. We love him and pray daily for Sister Jennifer Soulier.
We loved having our young missionaries in Lyon over to our apartment and having their “Amis” (friends) over to have dinner and talk with them. We loved being able to testify of the truths they were teaching. Oh how we loved our missionaries. We consider them our grandchildren!
Catherine and YeBeiPatelo, Last, YeBei, TeresahElders of AnascyFrodshams, Elders Last, Gerino, Patelo,
We kept in touch with them when we moved to Athens, Greece. Elder Tate Last and Elder Enzo Patelo messaged me to let me know that one of our friends who I love with all my heart named YeBei was going to be baptized. I was so excited!!! I had told YeBei that when she was ready for baptism we would fly back. So in October they said come back. I would do anything for YeBei.
I contacted our mission President , President Soulier to see if we could stay in our old apartment that was still vacant since we left. He said check with the office and its OK by him. So we bought out tickets.
Munache and MachiloPorte des Alpes missionariesPorte des Alpes missionaries and friends
A few days before we were to leave for Lyon, the missionaries called me and said there might be a problem. YeBei needed to ask her husband for permission to be baptized. We knew that might be a problem because he was not happy about YeBei meeting with the missionaries and attending our church. He referred to it as a cult. In Preach My Gospel missionaries are told to try and keep peace in families and harmony in the home. When YeBei asked her husband he said no. We were so sad for YeBei. But we went anyway because we had our tickets and our friends were going with us. We had friends from Oregon, the Petrowskys that were coming to visit us in Athens the same time. We said come for a day to Athens and then we are flying back to Lyon for a baptism. They agreed and we were grateful. We rented a car and after we landed we went back to our apartment. I must tell you that it was a bittersweet moment! It was like going home – kind of a weird feeling. I love Lyon, France and we have some very sweet memories there and wonderful friends.
Sister Jeannine RouxElder LastElsie
I called our sweet missionaries and they said come to the church building we are meeting with YeBei. So we surprised YeBei and went right to the church, walked in the chapel behind her and she jumped up and we hugged. She apologized for making us come all the way and there was no baptism. We were happy to be there and to let her know we loved her and would support her in anyway we could. It was so wonderful to visit all together.
MartineElizabethVanessaLaeticiaAshley
We went to church the next morning and saw our wonderful special friends in our old ward! It was so nice to see them again. It was wonderful to see Machilo and Munashe and little Elsie! Oh how we love them. Then we say our sweet friend Jeannine Roux who Tim and I love so much. Martine Meyer is so special to me and Teresah and her kids and my sweet Relief Society President Laeticia! Laeticia said her daughter Helena had some news she wanted to tell us. She got her mission call to Washington D.C.!! She is so excited to go. Laeticia and Patrick her husband are going to pick up Helena after her mission and take her to BYU. We are looking forward to having them to our home in Bear Lake when they come. Segolene my sweet, beautiful friend was there! So nice to see her. So wonderful to see our young missionaries there in Lyon!
Catherine and ElsieTimSome of our favorite people in Lyon
Then that night I had a dinner at our old apartment and invited the missionaries (6 of them) and YeBei, Machilo, Munashe and Elsie, Martine, Teresah and our friends the Petrowskys. It was a wonderful visit to feel the spirit our good people that we love. I know that YeBei will be baptized. In the meantime, she is involved in the Porte Des Alpes ward and the ward loves her. I am so happy to have met my wonderful friend YeBei. I look forward to the day that we can go to the temple together.
Porte des Alpes Relief SocietyCatherine and SegoleneFrodshams and Petrowskys
The experiences we have on our mission have taught us how thankful we are to have been able to get to know wonderful, kind, loving , interesting, strong, spiritual people wherever we go. We LOVE YOU OUR FRIENDS IN LYON!!! THE RELATIONSHIPS WE HAVE MADE ARE ETERNAL!!
December 27, just after Christmas, we met a pleasant, quiet young man, a refugee from Syria, who joined our church last May 2024. Here, we will call him Zain. When he was in Turkey he found Jesus Christ. It wasn’t with our church but he found Jesus. At that time his Dad disowned him. You see in the Muslim religion, leaving the religion can be a death sentence, literally. He can NEVER go back to Syria. He has had no contact with his father since then. He does secretly contact his mother and a couple of his sisters and sends his mother money when he can, but dad will not accept anything from him.
amensy.orgindependent.co.ukdreamstimeindependent.co.ukRefugees images from around the Greek Islands
Zain was just laid off when he talked to our branch president, who sent him to us as Welfare Self Reliance missionaries. In some countries where we have more members and leaders, we have self-reliance groups that can help people get help getting resumes up to date and how to get a better job. In Athens we only have a small branch of about 30 members and do not have the man-power to have self-reliance groups. Through the Central Europe Area, WSR couples are teaching 3 self-reliance groups or classes online, starting Jan. 16. Tim and I will be teaching “Emotional Resilience”. All of Europe and even in the world can join through QuickReg online. Although the time difference would prevent some from taking it outside of the Europe Area.
Zain came to talk to us. Before we looked at his resume or his CV as they call it in Europe we sat at the table and I started asking him about his family and his life in general. Here is his story. He is 23 years of age and has lived in Athens for 5 years. At the age of 16, with his parents, two older and three younger siblings, he left Syria for Turkey. While in Turkey he attempted a boat crossing to Greece. He was put in jail for 20 days and deported back to Istanbul. He tried again in 2018 at age 17 1/2 and paid $700 Euros for a place in a crowded dingy with about 45 people on board. They helped each other throughout the voyage, including the landing on the rocky shore on what we think was the island of Leros. The boat included families and teenagers, with several unaccompanied minors such as himself. After several hours at an army base, they were put in a camp for refugees. There, they gave up their passports to apply for asylum. It is better if you are age 17 or younger as you get more help and there are more programs to help unaccompanied minors. He was there for about 4 months.
ABCnewsJapan Timesindependent.colukindependent.co.ukRefugee images from the Greek Islands
During that time many more refugees from other countries came to the island. A large group of Palestinians came and caused riots in the camp which had been very peaceful up to that point. He said some of the Palestinians told them to climb to the highest part of the church – the bell tower and jump to kill themselves. It was very dangerous and Zain was moved with other children off the island to the mainland of Greece.
He was welcomed into a shelter for unaccompanied minors called HomeProject and had a safe place to live. They also helped him receive surgery for his cataracts. He later worked at HomeProject as a caregiver, night guard and translator. He learned English from Habibi. (an NGO that the church has funded for several projects). He then learned more English at Global Connect and received his GED certificate there. Global Connect was started a few years ago by Carolyn Rounds. She served as a full-time senior mission for our church in Greece, fell in love with the people and culture and saw a need that she could help. She held English classes and invited the full-time missionaries to come and help teach and tutor her students.
Zain was one of those students. He felt the Holy Ghost through Carolyn and the missionaries and asked to learn more. He was taught and was baptized in Athens 8 months ago. He worked as a translator, care giver and night security guard, but was recently laid off. He gets a small stipend since he does have his papers and is legal here in Greece.
NY TimesalgeminerupiRefugee images from the Greek Islands
It has been a journey for us, learning about the refugee situation in Greece, visiting soup kitchens, community centers and refugee camps, and then working personally with a young man who has survived it all, been disowned by his family and yet looks at the church and his future with optimism and hope.
He wants to serve a mission, is trying to save money to pay his living expenses and was looking at a start date of late 2025 or 2026. He did not realize that he could get help from the church to serve a full-time mission and would not necessarily have to work a year or two to save up enough money to do that. We are talking to the branch president on Sunday about Zain starting his mission papers. Can you imagine a Syrian missionary preaching about Jesus Christ. He is a strong, powerful young man. He said, “do I need to know a lot, so I can teach?” He speaks English, Turkish, Arabic and a little Greek. What an asset to the Lord’s Army in Gathering Israel!!!
This young man is in Greece with no family, only members of the church who love him. He just went in November to the Frankfurt Temple to do baptisms for the dead. He loves the temple. How special Tim and I feel to be on a mission in this beautiful country of Greece at this time and to be able to help Zain in any way we can. We are in awe of his courage, his strength, his love of family, even his dad who has disowned him. He loves his Savior Jesus Christ and wants to serve as a missionary. He has had many tragic events in his life but says he learns from all of his experiences, even the bad ones.
We met again today January 1st, 2025 with Zain. Tim helped him get his CV or resume all up to date so he can go find a good job. Tim talked to our branch president, Pres. Anastasios Stimagkiotis, and a new MLS senior missionary couple who just came last month. They are the Kannels. He is a wonderful man who has lots of experience in leadership in the church and is now in the branch presidency. Tim mentioned that Zain wants to serve a mission so they are both taking him under their wing to help fill out mission papers and get him on a mission. That makes us VERY happy. Sometimes we have the feeling that we came to Greece for certain people. Zain is one of those reasons. We love this kind young man.
Zain said today as we ate lunch that the difference in our church and any other church and especially the Muslim religion is “LOVE”. We have love in our church. He felt it and wanted that in his life. What a powerful thing to recognize. May we love all people, all religions, all races, the way Jesus would.
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!
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.
Aimee, Lydie, Charlie LéporéPresident LéporéPresident Léporé and his son, Charlie
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 and Jennifer Soulier
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.
Emily Nelson with the SistersDavid NelsonSisters Nelson and FrodshamAthens Zone Conference
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.
When Tim and I first got to Lyon last November we were very sick with COVID. It took us a few weeks to recover, and the first activity we were able to attend was a ward Christmas dinner. We struggled to find our church building which is indistinguishable from the surrounding apartment buildings. Several floors of apartments were remodeled to make our meetinghouse. On the 3rd floor, a large room with a baptismal font is where we have baptisms and ward dinners. It is not very big but we manage. I was a bit overwhelmed with not speaking French, but was drawn to a cute couple from Zimbabwe. I walked across the room and started talking to them. The girl was so cute and her name was Munashe, his name was Machilo. We started to talk and I asked him a ton of questions.
When I found out he was not a member, I was shocked because he acted like a member, was so kind and had all the right answers. I remember saying , “why aren’t you a member, whats holding you back”? He started to laugh and said I am working on it. From then on we hosted them and the sisters who were teaching him at our apartment once a week for lessons and dinner. We did that from December through May. What a joy to have this wonderful young couple in our home.
They had been trying to get married for months. Assembling the paperwork necessary for a wedding license was difficult as they needed a number of documents from their home government. France does not recognize weddings in a church. It has to be done by the government and then after that you can go to a church and do a wedding ceremony. In the meantime, Munashe was expecting a baby in March. I remember early on Machilo said “ Should I get baptized first or get married first?” I loved that! I said you need to get married first, otherwise you would have to move out!! We laughed! We had such great lessons.
The sisters were Sis. Fraga, Sis. Ariiotima, & Sis. Molinet. Sis. Molinet was giving a lesson and she challenged Machilo to be baptized on May 4th. I remember thinking that was so far away. But it was very inspired especially a month later when they got their wedding date from the government. Machilo and Munashe got a wedding date from the government for Saturday April 27th. I realized then that God is in charge and we need to trust Him.
On March 26th little Elsie was born. What a sweet little baby. We all are in love with her. Machilo and Munashe call us her “Gogo” and “Khulu” which are grandma and grandpa in the Zimbabwe tribe they are from.
Then they were married on Saturday April 27th. Then on Saturday May 4 we all came to the church building. I worked with Laetitia (RS president) and Bishop Nelson and we planned a beautiful wedding and baptism feast. Machilo loves white cake with white frosting and I made him a wedding cake. We bought flowers and decorated very simply. I had fun with the decorations. We had the baptism and then we cut the cake and had a party. It was so fun to celebrate. The french like to eat long meals and party into the night. Bishop was worried but it was all done in 3 hours. So fun to celebrate Machilo. Just for information. Last Sunday June 23, Machilo was called to be the Ward Clerk. He was made an Elder. We are so proud of him.
We had many discussions with the two of them, answering questions and testifying of the truthfulness of the Gospel and the church Machilo was joining. Meeting after meeting, the spirit filled our tiny apartment. He is one that the Lord prepared for us to meet.
We are learning not only the Welfare Self-Reliance programs that the church offers to the world, but also how the French people understand and accept these programs. The pace of the French in society and in the church is different. Not better or worse, just different. We love how our ward ends Sacrament meeting. After the closing prayer, everyone remains in their seats for several minutes. No one talks, we just sit in reverent silence. Once the bishop gets up, everyone gets up and begins to socialize. It may take 10 to 20 minutes before people move from the chapel to their respective meetings. After church, the saints linger and talk. One Sabbath, an hour after church, people were still chatting.
Dinner with our boss (second from left) and the WSR leaders in Clermont-Ferrand
In a recent Area devotional, the Area manager spoke about the expanding work in Central Europe. One of their desires is to cultivate native workers in the Area office and native missionaries; both senior couples and young missionaries in the field. It reminded me of a discourse given by President Kimball on how missionary work would spread throughout the world. Countries that depend on American missionaries would become self-sufficient and in turn, export missionaries to others. That is the goal of the European people. Local missionaries to fulfill their needs and an excess to export to other countries. Right now, many French missionaries are sent to the US. Some stay or return to the US because of the opportunities here. The saints and the leadership of the church here in Europe want to open opportunities for their missionaries as incentive to stay.
Catherine and I discussed this after the devotional and concluded that saints from the US look at the French culture through the lens of our own culture and experience. We remembered a conversation with a Senior couple in the Area office while we were there for training. They were rather upset at an affiliate organization that had received humanitarian funds from the church. Rather than using them as agreed, they gave them to another organization in country and then publicly took credit for the donation. The funds were not necessarily misused, but credit was not given as we would expect in our US culture.
Outside the Cathedral in Clermont-Ferrand
A big question we ask ourselves is if the work we are doing here is sustainable. Are we just blowing hard on the coals? As soon as we leave, will the fire die back down? We have seen couples so excited about pushing the work forward that they push local WSR specialists out of the way in order to do it ‘the right way’. The work glows brightly for a while, but when they leave, the local saints called to this work are not prepared to take over. Our goal is to build a strong, sustainable source of heat and light by training, and more important, sustaining the local leadership in the responsibilities to which they were called. President Kimball delivered a landmark discourse in 1974 on how the world will be converted. In that discourse, he quoted a discourse by Brigham Young in the April, 1852 General Conference:
The Cathedral of Clermont-Ferrand
“This kingdom will continue to increase and to grow, to spread and to prosper more and more. Every time its enemies undertake to overthrow it, it will become more extensive and powerful; instead of decreasing it will continue to increase; it will spread the more, become more wonderful and conspicuous to the nations, until it fills the whole earth.” We are moved to be a part of that work.
Catherine in the Cathedral, surrounded by stars made by the local children
We recently met with a couple in Clermont Ferrand, called as Welfare Self-Reliance specialists for their stake. I watched with awe as Catherine embraced these fine people, both figuratively and literally. She adores and is adored by all she meets. Catherine speaks little French, and the sister spoke little English, but they instantly became lifelong friends and communicated in ways far beyond mere spoken language. Catherine worries about how little of the French language she commands, but she communicates far beyond anything I can do. This couple is excited about the work and have a testimony of the Church’s Self-Reliance programs. Catherine and I pray continually for the inspiration and revelation necessary to sustain them.
It is a joy for us to work as WSR (Welfare, Self-Reliance) missionaries. the MLS (Member Leader Support) missionaries in our mission have somewhat well-defined responsibilities, particularly those that work in the office. Our job is nebulous. We are left to figure out what we should do and how to do it. We would enjoy the more defined MLS responsibilities if that were our call, but we are embracing the lack of definition in our current callings. We find opportunities to learn and to serve wherever we can.
With the Sister Missionaries and acouple being taught in our apartment
We are learning how the church works with the French government. It is not better or worse, just different. An integral part of the French Revolutions was throwing off the suppressive yoke of the Catholic church. I don’t know enough about French history to make any kind of judgement here, but that is certainly the perception of the French people. Because of this, as a culture, they are very suspicious of religious organizations. The church understands not to fight it, but to work with it. For example, EnglishConnect classes can be taught in some church buildings but not in others. It seems arbitrary, but it depends on ownership of the buildings. The church cannot directly own buildings in France, not even the temple. They are owned by subsidiary or affiliate organizations. The way the church owns each building dictates if EnglishConnect classes are seen as competition with local public universities. Some buildings in our Stake can host EnglishConnect classes, some cannot. We work with that. Where we cannot hold physical classes, we do so online.
On the Streets of Clermont-Ferrand
While serving here in France, we are re-learning how to pray. I was reminded recently of a discourse on Prayers of Gratitude. Sometimes our prayers turn into a list of “monotonous pleadings”. Rather than a long list of requests for our work and our families, even though these requests may have the best of intentions, we have been offering prayers of gratitude for all the blessings poured out on us. We thank the Lord for his help as he blesses us the way he blessed the People of Alma. He did not remove their burdens, but he made them light. In the coming weeks and months, I will try to describe the answers to our prayers, most particularly our prayers of gratitude for the support He gives our families while we are in His service.
Latter-Day Saints 