Conference and Exchange

This week went by like lightning. We didn't have time to say "boo" before the week was over. We prepared for the meeting with Elder Kearon (First Quorum of the Seventy) to come visit us on Thursday and Friday. It was quite amazing. Elder Neville and I worked hard to clean the chapel together with some other missionaries for the occasion. We also had to get all the electronic equipment to work properly. We organized multiple backup systems so that he could use his iPad. (luckily, in the end it all went without a hitch.)

He came and had a zone conference with us on Thursday. I tried to prepare myself spiritually for this meeting. I pondered and prayed for before the meeting and I prepared two questions that I would have on my mind during the duration of the meeting with Elder Kearon. Both questions were answered! I know the Lord love me and He cares about me enough to guide me through His chosen servants. I asked how I could gain and retain my conversion and I asked how I could make the most of the upcoming two months I've got left on my mission. The answer came to me over and over again throughout the meeting. It was wonderful to feel the influence of the Spirit guide my thoughts to understand and apply what Elder Kearon was saying to my own personal situation.

I learned some great truths that I need to apply in my life to successfully navigate the river of mortality. I'm quite grateful that I prepared myself. Elder Kearon was really great! He went to great lengths to make us feel comfortable enough to share our thought throughout the meeting. He said that he prepared carefully to not ask any questions that we could get wrong. It was really wonderful. He emanated an aura of kindness and love.

Elder Kearon and I.

On Friday we had some great surprises! We had an extraordinary leadership meeting with Elder Kearon in the morning. I'd never seen anything like it. He made us share what we learned and then we spent 2.5h discussing and thinking how we can condense the list of things we'd  mentioned into 3 terms. These we will now use to convey what we want the mission to focus on. It seems quite strange to me but I already noticed how it works. This process made these terms stand out as something special to me because I connect them with the feelings I had in the training.

We had an exchange with the Elders in Sepolia (my old area) and I was with Elder Nicholls (who's going home next week) and we just had the greatest 4h exchange ever. It was just amazing. We were on fire for some reason xD We went out and we spoke to practically everyone and we had success with almost as many as we spoke to. It was a very uplifting experience for me as I don't get to go out and contact that much right now. We just had a great time going about the Lord's work.

This Sunday we attended church in the Athens 1st branch (Greek-speaking). It was a treat to meet the members there and chat with them.

Tasos, I, President Spyros Dimitropoulos