A New Post

It is officially known the world over that I must be a terrible mother for falling so far behind in my blogging. I wanted to update however because Craig has been moved to the city of Thessaloniki and has been made zone leader which is quite an honor and a testament to his work and strength as a missionary. He has a new address which I have posted . He also occasionally has some trouble with his mission e-mail so I have posted his hotmail address instead.

I really have a very difficult time putting into words the true peace and just overwhelming blessings that have come to David, Dan, Renee, and me as a result of Craig's mission. Maybe that is why I haven't blogged much, I just could not do his work justice with words. Craig is a truly an amazing young man, a blessing to us, but an even greater blessing to the people of Greece with which he has had an opportunity to share the gospel of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. His commitment to his faith and his commitment to Our Heavenly Father are immeasurable. He has experienced many wonderful things in the past months, he has had the opportunity to perform a baptism and be a part of other baptisms, he has been blessed by his many hours of service work, and most importantly he has had the opportunity to share his faith and the gospel of our Lord with those he meets, if for ten minutes on the train, or weeks of visits to someones home. I am so incredibly proud to be his mother, what a blessing God gave me when he gave me the responsibility of raising this child. I miss him so much, but would not have it any other way.

I would like to share parts of a letter from President Galanos:

Dear Parents,
I am pleased to report to you about the transfer that took place in the mission and which was effected several weeks ago.
Elder Meister has joined Elder Rice as a zone leader in the Lefkos Pyrgos Area, in Thessaloniki, Greece. Elder Rice is a great young man from California who has matured marvellously ever since arriving on his mission. He has a great sense of leadership and can be absolutely relied upon to do the right thing. His grasp of the Greek language is excellent and his teaching skills are maturing well. Elder Meister is from Indiana and a great example for any missionary to follow. He has a steady, calming but humorous nature which will stand him well in the months to come, and is progressing extremely well with his grasp of the language – it’s actually significantly above average. You need to know I value these young men greatly and their contribution to the work is outstanding. The report I have from the Assistants is they are two of the hardest working Elders we have and not prone to succumbing to disappointment even when times are tough. They are a credit to their parents and strive to represent the Saviour Jesus Christ to the best of their ability. Both are relatively recent converts to the church but I have little doubt they were prepared long before coming to this earth. These are the leaders of tomorrow in the church, in their communities, and in their chosen fields of endeavour. You have every reason to be proud of them.
Overall the mission is progressing well with all missionaries growing daily in testimony and personal development. You need to know that it is certainly not Brazil or Mexico. But the gospel of Jesus Christ is still the same as is the truthfulness of The Book of Mormon. Our primary objective here is to establish the church which means allowing the Lord to either lead the elect to the missionaries or the missionaries to the elect, and then strengthening them to build a strong foundation for the church.
The missionaries and members labour daily in circumstances quite different to most places in the world. The culture is markedly different to anything the missionaries are familiar with......But herein we see the beauty of the gospel which reaches out and touches the hearts of men and women searching for truth regardless of circumstances.
The young men and women who comprise this marvellous army of the Lord are outstanding. I have no qualms in saying we receive the best of the best; they love learning this challenging language to the point of just enjoying speaking it. They strive hard to build their testimonies and to learn and practice the lessons from Preach My Gospel. We all strive to be PMG missionaries in a PMG Mission. They will return to you a mature men having overcome much in their lives. Like the Brother of Jared they will have exercised much faith and many will have seen miracles happen. They understand there are no “ranks” in the mission and all serve as they are called – some to help a challenged missionary; some as leaders; some as great soldiers; but all because they have a testimony.
Is all perfect? Do they feel great every day? Of course not! But I testify to you that day by day, as they stumble, they struggle to rise and continue; if they need to repent, they do and move forward. My wife and I have a great love for your sons and daughters and are doing our very best 24/7 to help them allow the Saviour to mould their character. I tell them two things continually: (1) the character they have the day they step off their mission is the character they will have the balance of their lives. They may grow in wisdom, knowledge, and even testimony, but their foundational character will probably be set, and if they do the best they can, it will have similarities to that of the Saviour – therefore, what character do they want to have; it rests partly with them; and (2) How do you eat an elephant? You cut him up into very small pieces and then eat one small piece at a time, chewing consistently and carefully swallowing each piece before trying another.
Thank you for your sons.
Kind regards,
John Galanos, PresidentGreece Athens Mission

Thank you all for your thoughts, prayers, and questions about Craig, they mean so much to us.

Love to all,
Craig's Family