We have had visitors! Sister Johnson in the middle with her sisters, Cheryl and Karen. They came to see us at the end of their European trip and brought me a terrific Paris jacket just like theirs. We couldn't miss the photo op! (I know some of you will probably think we went to Paris, but we really didn't!)
We spent part of day driving to Halkidiki. This is a beach in the little town of Vourvourou on the east side of the second finger of Halkidiki. The non-missionaries waded into the Aegean and said it was warm. Glenn, Cheryl, John, Karen and Dennis.
Getting their feet wet in the Aegean.
Dennis, with one of his fellow high priests! This was in the monastery of Saint Nikolas Anapausa at Meteora. The pappas are usually out of sight, but we saw this one and Dennis asked if we could take his picture. He was very obliging and gave us a small print of a larger picture we had seen in the monastery. He was the painter. He also gave us a little booklet about the monastery.
The "sisters" at St. Stephen's Nunnery.
The happy tourists with their tour guide and chaffeur in the center. We were catching our breath on the way back up the path from one of the monasteries.
Dennis and John behind a monastery with the great Thessaly Plain and Pindus Mountains beyond.
Scott and Elizabeth in front of the White Tower, the landmark of Thessaloniki.
We can't begin to tell you how wonderful it was to have family here to visit and grandkids to hold, hug and kiss. We took a walk along the seashore one evening and let the kids play at a playground and saw a beautiful sunset. The Thermaic Gulf of the Aegean Sea is a step behind us.
Scott and Daniel at the playground. Daniel is a beautiful little guy
Scott and Elizabeth in front of the White Tower, the landmark of Thessaloniki.
We can't begin to tell you how wonderful it was to have family here to visit and grandkids to hold, hug and kiss. We took a walk along the seashore one evening and let the kids play at a playground and saw a beautiful sunset. The Thermaic Gulf of the Aegean Sea is a step behind us.
Scott and Daniel at the playground. Daniel is a beautiful little guy and we loved getting reacquainted with him.
At church on Sunday. Maria and Fotes and Irini Stillo, Elizabeth, Scott and Nathan. Daniel was asleep in his stroller. Irini and Nathan hit it off right away. She's very sweet with all the children that come to church. Fotes was supposed to have been baptized today, but it didn't happen. We hope to have some pictures of his baptism to post soon.
The day after Scott and Liz and the boys left I was working around the apartment and wondered if I had just dreamed that they came to see us. Then I saw cute little handprints on the sliding doors and pictures to prove they had really come. They were here for our Linger Longer Sunday meal, so got to socialize with some of the members. Anthony is in front of Scott, then Mary. Sister Campbell is by Liz. President Charles is the man whose face you can see, sitting down the table from Scott. It was also our Branch Conference that Sunday, so they got to meet the mission president and his wife and the Taylor's, a senior couple from Athens.
Nathan celebrated his fourth birthday with us. We did our best to come up with a pirate cake and he seemed pleased with it.
Missionaries and members of the Branch who came to Dasoula Koutouri's baptism. It's a rare and wonderful thing to have a second generation baptism in Greece. Her uncle is kneeling beside her. He baptized her. Next is her grandmother, then her mother.
At church on Sunday. Maria and Fotes and Irini Stillo, Elizabeth, Scott and Nathan. Daniel was asleep in his stroller. Irini and Nathan hit it off right away. She's very sweet with all the children that come to church. Fotes was supposed to have been baptized today, but it didn't happen. We hope to have some pictures of his baptism to post soon.
The day after Scott and Liz and the boys left I was working around the apartment and wondered if I had just dreamed that they came to see us. Then I saw cute little handprints on the sliding doors and pictures to prove they had really come. They were here for our Linger Longer Sunday meal, so got to socialize with some of the members. Anthony is in front of Scott, then Mary. Sister Campbell is by Liz. President Charles is the man whose face you can see, sitting down the table from Scott. It was also our Branch Conference that Sunday, so they got to meet the mission president and his wife and the Taylor's, a senior couple from Athens.
Nathan celebrated his fourth birthday with us. We did our best to come up with a pirate cake and he seemed pleased with it.
Missionaries and members of the Branch who came to Dasoula Koutouri's baptism. It's a rare and wonderful thing to have a second generation baptism in Greece. Her uncle is kneeling beside her. He baptized her. Next is her grandmother, then her mother.
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