Tag: temple

Our Ukrainian Refugee Friends

Post author By Catherine Frodsham
Post date May 3, 2025
No Comments on Our Ukrainian Refugee Friends

Catherine Frodsham 3 May 2025

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.

Tags bible, christianity, church, faith, Greece, jesus, Missionary work, temple, testimony, ukraine

Mission

Athens – Mars Hill

Tim Frodsham 8 March 2025

Serving as a missionary in Athens, Greece, we periodically trek to the Areopagus, or Mars Hill to welcome new missionaries to Greece and bid farewell to those returning home. We hear instructions from our mission president and on occasion, from an Apostle or another general authority. Powerful testimonies of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Greece was a hotbed of Christian evangelism in the meridian of time. Paul wrote two letters to the people of Corinth, two letters to the people of Thessalonica, another to the saints in Phillipi. He wrote two letters to Timothy, who was leading the church in Ephesus, now in modern day Turkey, but Timothy himself was of Greek and Jewish descent. He also wrote a letter to Titus, who led the saints on the island of Crete.

In the time of Paul, the Areopagus was the legal center of Athens. The supreme court of Athens tried criminal cases including murder, civil cases, and ruled over religious matters as well. Philosophers such as Socrates debated the issues of the day at this the philosophical and religious center of ancient Greece.

It was here that the Apostle Paul boldly revealed to the people of Greece, the unknown god. Luke summarized Paul’s speech in Acts 17, as there is no way our loquacious Paul would have given a discourse to the council in under three minutes.

Paul was not there to give a sermon, it is most likely he was on trial. In verse 19: “And they took him, and brought him unto Areopagus, saying, May we know what this new doctrine, whereof thou speakest, is?” They took him to the Areopagus, which implies he did not stroll up the hill willingly.

Elders Kanellis, Xanthos and Fronk,
Sister Kristensen

Paul was an apostle of controversy. He was accused in Thessalonia of turning the world upside down. In Ephesus, he was a threat to the god Artemis

In 339 BC Socrates was on trial for “impiety” and “corrupting the young.” He didn’t “acknowledge the city’s official gods, and also — here it is — that he was introducing new divinities.” Paul’s defense over 400 years later was brilliant. He did not introduce a new god, but declared to them one that they already worshiped.

Today, the Greek people embrace their Orthodox faith, or at least the traditions inherited from millennia of Christian worship in this historic country.

Greece has never seen a reformation, a renaissance. The people here have never searched for the hidden God of the Old Testament, and Jesus the Savior that was missing from the New. The first convert in modern Greece, Rigas Pofantis, was baptized in 1905. Not much more occurred until a visit by Church President Ezra Taft Benson, when church leaders organized a small branch in 1965, which was reorganized in 1967. The Greece Athens mission was established in 1990 and the first meeting house in Halandri in May of 1999. In 2016, Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the quorum of the 12 visited Greece. For a time, Greece was in the Adriatic South Mission, and is now in the Bulgaria Greece mission, which comprises Bulgaria, Greece and Cyprus.

In the 1990’s, there were six branches in Greece: The Greek Athens branch, the Thessloniki, Pireas, Faliro, Haldndri, Omonia. Today, after COVID and the exodus of saints after the Greece entry into EU, there are two small branches in the country. One in Athens, presided over by a native Greek convert, and in Thesssaloniki, where a senior missionary serves as branch president.

Something will happen to arouse the people of Greece. The Lord, in his infinite wisdom, will awaken the people of Greece to the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. Houses of the Lord now dot the world, and in the not to distant future, one of those dots will be in Greece, dedicated to the once unknown God.

We love the people of Greece. They are warm and engaging. From store clerks to people on the street, we enjoy the interaction. They are a good hearted people, and we will miss them terribly when we return home.

Tags Greece, Maars Hill, Missionary work, temple

Mission

Paris

Thus far, I think Zone Conference is my favorite part of serving a senior mission. In order to serve a mission in France, the young elders and sisters have to have completed seminary, which they need in order to get a minister’s license here in France. In part, because of that requirement, the missionaries here are incredibly faithful and motivated. Zone conferences are run mostly by the young missionaries, with the assistants to the president, the zone leaders and sister missionary leaders making the presentations. The theme was chapter 10 of Preach My Gospel. “How can I improve my teaching skills” but they spent a lot of time on finding as well.

Sister Liz Hardy (Office Sister) with Catherine

President Léporé spoke at the end of the conference for nearly an hour. He encouraged us to “bind our selves to Christ”, and to seek those “look moments”, referring to the admonition of the angel that led Nephi through is vision, encouraging him to “Look”.

Our contribution to the conference, green salad and a large container of ranch dressing. It was the dressing that was a hit, Ranch is simply not available in France. (Some of the missionaries have eaten at our home and they know Elder Frodsham makes a mean green salad with so many goodies in it. When we brought the beautiful salad, the missionaries said “that’s an Elder Frodsham salad!!”)

Saturday morning we were up before dawn and driving to Paris. We wanted to make the 11:15 session at the temple and meet another couple serving as Welfare Self-Reliance missionaries in the Paris mission. Using headphones, I have listened to the ordinance session many times in French, but this was the first time I have attended a session entirely in French. I have been studying French for several years now, and it surprised me how much I understood as we progressed through the ceremony. (Cathy again…I had headphones to hear it in English but they didn’t work so I listened in French and knew what was going on. At the veil I had Bro and Sis. Allen from the US who was called to be a new sealer there.)The Paris temple is within walking distance of The Palace of Versailles. It does not have a huge front entrance and we didn’t get a picture of the front. We will have to do that another time. It is beautiful, and is the only temple in France. Many of the workers drive from all over France to get to the temple to work their shifts. We are very blessed to have temples close to us in California.)

From the temple we drove to the town of Évry to assist with a Welfare Self-Reliance devotional Saturday evening. It was a small ward, but there were nearly 80 people in attendance and many of them signed up for one of the self-reliance courses. Momo Djamai, our manager here in France gave the presentation. He had the baptism of a young lad in his branch a few hours before, was in a hurry to get to the Évry ward building and forgot his bag with computer and sign up materials. He borrowed a laptop from the Bishop of the local ward and gave a stellar presentation on the fly. He later admitted that the presentation he gave that night was far better than the one he had prepared.

WSR devotional in Évry

At the end of the devotional, Catherine and I stayed during the potluck meal just to chat with the members. One young woman took a liking to Catherine and came to our table several times to converse. Catherine asked her genuine questions about her life and goals, to which she answered honestly. I think she enjoyed that someone cared. We realized we were very late getting out and excused ourselves quickly to leave. The ward had music playing in the background, the the number playing at that time was perfect for a Hustle so we danced for a few minutes in the middle of the floor. I do not like to be the center of attention in normal circumstances, but I felt that we should show the members there that senior missionaries have a life as well and we can enjoy it.

We drove to Amboise to spend the night with our manager here in France, Momo Djamai and his wive Pascale. It was a 2 and a half hour drive and we did not want to arrive after 22:00. We were late, but not by much.

The Frodshams and the Snyders with Momo and Pascale Djamai

Pascale was an incredible hostess. She was born on the Island of Jersey in the English Channel, and was educated in Scotland. She welcomed us into her home with grace, charm and humor. The next morning, we traveled to Tours to attend Sacrament Meeting where the four of us spoke, all in French. Again, Catherine mingled with the sisters there with such ease, making fast friends.

Catherine with a young woman scheduled to be baptized on the 3rd of March

We spent several hours back at the Djamai’s home, eating dinner and conversing around the dinner table. I love the French custom of lingering over a meal to talk. Laughter binds us together and we made many bonds that day.

We lingered a bit too long at the Djamai’s home and knew we would not arrive back in Lyon until after nightfall. In addition, there was rain and high winds most of the way home. During the calm stretches, I went with the flow of traffic, and the tattle-tale electronics let the mission president know that I exceeded the speed limit of 130 kph (80 mph). I must tell you in all honesty I did not exceed 160 kph (100 mph) at any time . .(One would expect this of me…not of Tim ;-))

We do have a life in Lyon. Catherine celebrated her birthday the day after Valentine’s day and decided to made a cake to celebrate. Yes, I should have made the cake, but I was busily putting together a major presentation our manager requested at the last minute, and wanted us to present that evening to church leaders in Central Europe.

The best German Chocolate cake I have ever eaten

We enjoyed several slices and then shared with missionaries and investigators alike as they wended their way through our home.

We are also working on a humanitarian project, putting together the supplies for homeless kits the missionaries will use in their work. They will assemble the kits during zone conferences, add a card and personal note, and then distribute these kits as they travel through their areas.

No, Nutella is not part of our humanitarian project, but I am addicted to the stuff, and during our visit to a local “PromoCash”, a store somewhere between “cash and carry” and “Costco”, searching for homeless supplies, I couldn’t help taking a picture of the two things I love most. The other picture? Out on a walk, we discovered a tiny restaurant serving Kabobs. It’s sort of like a falafel, but with a French twist.

There are a lot of things going on at home and we are missing out on so many events in the lives of our children and grandchildren. There are always reasons to delay a senior mission, but my advise is to go. Go now. We miss our families terribly, but we can see the blessings our mission is having in their lives as well as our own. We love our Savior and have placed ourselves in His care as we serve as His hands.

Tags europe, france, grandchildren, missionary, Missionary work, missions, temple, travel

Annals

To the Temple

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

Yesterday was Saturday morning and time for my weekly engineering shift. I arrive before dawn, change into my whites and walk the temple, waking up and checking the various systems behind the scenes. Not being an ordinance worker, I don’t attend the morning prayer meeting and devotional and usually time my rounds to avoid the chapels during these meetings. I decide then, however, to follow though on a new commitment to be more social and sociable, and take the time. Besides, it has been a difficult weekend and I need the spiritual quiet and reflection.

The topic is the the baptismal font, and how we (yes I know I’m not an ordinance worker, but I’m feeling very inclusive) ordinance workers can make the temple a more positive and inviting experience for the patrons. As we discuss the temple encounter and follow the experience of a special needs child through the proxy baptism ceremony, I reflected on my own grandchildren. The thought came to me softly and sweetly that a crucial way to help my grandchildren cling to the restored gospel of Jesus Christ is to bring them to the temple.

There is power in the temple. We can testify to our children and grandchildren; teach, lead, expound, cajole, discipline and instruct. Our goal is to help them feel and follow the spirit. The most effective way I know to do that is to bring them to the temple. This does not replace the a fore mentioned strategies, but culminates them. When it comes to feeling the spirit, I am probably one of the most hard-hearted people ever to infest this planet. A room can be filled with the spirit and I am clueless. The one place I can go, however, to feel His presence is the temple. I have written about temple experiences in other essays here, and this Saturday adds to the repertoire. As I sat in the calm of that prayer meeting, I felt His plea, to help His children, my grandchildren, feel his spirit by bringing them to His house. The home court advantage is overwhelming.

Tags Baptism, Proxy Baptism, temple

Annals

The Temple

Portland Temple, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

For members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, the temple is the most sacred of edifices. It is a place of ordinance, covenant, learning. Some years ago, after loosing my wife, I considered serving in the temple as an ordinance worker, but felt uncomfortable. At the time, single men, divorced or never married, were barred from serving in the temple. The only exceptions were widowers like me who were single, but sealed in the temple.

I wanted to serve in the temple, but it did not feel right to serve when men, more worthy and righteous than I, were barred from temple service simply because they were single. After considerable thought and prayer, I requested and accepted a calling as a temple engineer. I arrive early Saturday mornings, wake up the audiovisual equipment, then check out and log the boilers, chillers, air handlers, fonts and fountains. It takes about two hours for this process, then I wait in the engineering office for calls or wander the temple for the rest of my shift. While sitting by the phone, I tally a lot of indexing.

During my shift, I trouble shoot audiovisual problems, change light bulbs, plunge toilets (yum) and provide backup for security during emergencies. When the temple is shut down for periodic maintenance, I rewire fixtures for LED bulbs, and anything else the full time engineers need. This last shutdown, I worked in the ordinance rooms, pulling apart chairs to reupholster. The fabric used was a bit thicker than the original, and it took some gentle persuasion with a large mallet to convince the newly upholstered chair backs to slip into position. I stopped to ponder the incongruity of this situation. Here I was in one of the most sacred rooms of the temple, wailing on the back of a chair with a mallet. I apologized for the noise, then sat quietly and took the time to listen.

Under normal circumstance, the noise and tumult I was causing in the temple would be inexcusable, but there is a time and place for everything. Even His house needs maintenance, and at times, it is appropriate for bedlam to reign. I gathered my thoughts for a few moments. Here I was, in the holiest of rooms, white clothes smudged with dirt and grease, dripping sweat and pounding on a chair that would soon sit people experiencing the most sacred of His ceremonies. I felt the spirit and power of that room. His house. I was filled with the need to clean and repair my own life. A little chaos and commotion was appropriate, and even necessary to right so many wrongs in who I am and things I have done.

As imperfect and out of place as I was, hammering on those chairs, I was welcome in His house. I need to make Him welcome in the chaos of mine.

Tags convenants, LDS temple, Portland Temple, temple