Mission report 2010 from the mission president

The Greece Athens Mission 2010


We do indeed feel that the work is moving steadily forward in the Mission, slowly at times, but picking up momentum with each new accomplishment. 
One very exciting recent development was the completion of 21 patriarchal blessings in Cyprus bringing to an end the quest to provide this gift to members in both Greece (12 blessings earlier this year) and Cyprus, who are unlikely to have ever had the opportunity to receive same. We expect now to see greater commitment in Cyprus, just as happened in Greece!


Another accomplishment that bodes well for the future of the church in Greece and Cyprus is our efforts to help the members step up to their responsibilities. Through a reduction in the size of our missionary force, each branch now has fewer missionaries and therefore members have to shoulder more responsibility for the branch. For example, in Thessaloniki, the members are now running the branch without help from the missionaries. Our little Thessaloniki branch is leading the way by helping members take responsibility, and has become the model for the rest of the branches to follow.


Earlier this year we participated in a Red Cross Humanitarian aid project in Cyprus. The successful donation and handover of wheel chairs and other humanitarian supplies to the Red Cross helped us to meet some influential people and to serve the people of Cyprus. The event was televised and for the first time ever, the church was exposed in a very favorable light and we have made good friends with the Red Cross hierarchy which include the former First lady of Cyprus.


A notable mark of progress is that I will soon be making a proposal to the Area Presidency about the possibility of having a ‘study abroad’ program in Athens in association with BYU. This is the perfect place to have it given the city’s historical and biblical connections. This will give us some tremendous publicity as well as opposition, but would be wonderful for community relations here.


In October we saw the completion of another successful round of the new Fundamentals of Preach My Gospel (FPMG) Leadership Training Meetings under the simplified curriculum.
By all accounts this has been very successful. Through this intensive four-day training our missionaries are learning to be bold and to have the courage to commit investigators to baptisms early.


An historic milestone in October was the YA Conferences held for the first time ever in Greece and Cyprus. These were a great success and we expect details of the Cyprus Conference to be published in the Ensign. The YAs rarely escape from their current and sometimes difficult circumstances and so to be able to get them together like this has proved very beneficial.


As a mission, we held a fast both in both August and September, petitioning the Lord to help us find and baptize His children here who are prepared to hear the Gospel, and who can become future leaders of the church in Greece. All of us committed to make greater sacrifices and to improve in our efforts to be exactly obedient, in order that we might be more able instruments in the Lord’s hands to bring about His great work here.


While it is hard to quantify many of the blessings that have come to us as a consequence of all of the fasting, prayer, hard work, sacrifice, FPMG training, etc., the following are some of the measurable results:


We have more email referrals coming in that are being baptized. In the month of July, we had one referral. From August to November, we have received 15 referrals and 2 of them resulted in baptisms.
We have people who are calling on the phone or walking into the church buildings and asking to be taught and setting baptismal dates.
We have Elders and Sisters who are committing their investigators to baptism early.
Our efforts to ‘flood’ Greece and Cyprus with the Book of Mormon have been blessed with amazing success. For the thirty day period ending November 5, 484 Books of Mormon in 20 different languages were distributed from the mission office for Elders and Sisters around the mission to place. Thessaloniki Zone alone placed 97 Books of Mormon in one week with people who were interested. Right now, our limiting factor for placing copies of the Book of Mormon is being able to order enough!
The Family History Center in Athens has been reopened. This has not been formally open for many years. A decision was made to open the Center and simultaneously we had 4 calls from non-members out of nowhere inquiring about using it! Last weekend
we had training, a fireside, and an opportunity for members and non-members to receive hands on training from an Area Family History Specialist, Brother Rodriguez, in the Athens Family History center. There is much enthusiasm here in Greece for family history research.


The most exciting result of all is the baptisms. In October, we had 9 baptisms and currently we have 16 baptismal dates, some of which have already taken place in November. 
One recent convert from Sierra Leone had a large group of friends attend his baptism, now they are taking the discussions. Two have been baptized so far and others are lined up behind him. They all study the scriptures individually and together. These young men are rapidly learning and accepting the Gospel of Jesus Christ!


Our mission is small and it certainly faces its challenges, but these challenges cause us to feel great love and unity and to humbly seek the help of the Lord. We are grateful for the many blessings and tender mercies that He has given us. Our missionaries are a powerful force for good as they go about teaching the gospel of Jesus Christ to the people in Greece and Cyprus!