The Boys are Back in Town

I'm starting this email late-- so I apologise in advance-- it's gonna be alllllll over the place so get ready.

We posted a lot of Ads for our Facebook page the last few weeks. A lot of people calling us heresies, which is pretty common. However, I began to wonder that word's origin. Did you know the word 'heretic' is a Greek word in origin? When used now, it usual means you're a disturber of the religious peace, and the connotation is usually very negative. The original direct translation would be something along the lines of 'able to choose' or 'I choose'. If it means, "I choose", then I will be happy to say I chose the religion with the fullness of the gospel!

The big news this week...

Transfers! And this one has been a big one in planning. I would say most areas are getting white-washed (only new missionaries in that area is what that means).

I could tell you all the details but-- the people that need to know that already know it. I will say though, I will be going white-washing Athens as one of the Zone Leaders, and training one of the new missionaries coming in. It's terrifing and exciting! I'm looking forward to the chance to developing my Greek futher by being the oldest missionary in Athens, and praying for the Lord's help every night.

Crete is going to be white-washed as well, but I trust the Elders coming in they will treat her as she deserves. Crete is a special place.

ALRIGHT it's time for me to nerd out on film for a minute. I mentioned in the past I had sent some of my film rolls to a lab. I was less than excited with the results. However, I received some chemicals to develop on my own and brought most of the other stuff I would need to do so (THANK YOU, PAPA!).

It would be funny to say this, but honestly it was one of the most intense experiences of my mission that didn't involve social interactions. They came as contrate, which means it need to be diluted with water or, preferably, distilled water. If you get the amounts wrong by only a few milliliters, you will get different results. It's quite particular.

So here I was, pouring this very particular measured liquids together like a chemist in a laboratory. Except, instead of a lab, it was a dinner table. Instead of nice measuring containers, it was a table scale and empty water bottles. Needless to say, I was shaking the entire process.

But it worked!!! I was so excited! Maybe in the future, I will include the video Elder Jenkins took of me while pulling the film out of the dev. process. It worked! I still can't believe it! It's weird to compare it to this, but it felt like a kid inside of me woke up for a moment. I love experimenting and doing things like this, so it was such a good feeling to do this again, and not only that, it worked!!! My math was correct on the times!

*END OF FILM_NERD_OUT SESSION*

So, just before transfers and Zone Conference, Elder Jenkins and I have managed to squeeze another exchange to Thessaloniki again, and I'm actually writing this from one of the couches in the apartments here. It's always a good feeling to have a chance to be with other missionaries, and these ones are a blast.

The mission president was here with his family as well, so we got to spend a bit of time with him on P-day as well. I think what's been special about this mission is how close we get the chance to be with the leadership of the mission. I feel that we could be more grateful for how many opportunities each of missionaries in the mission have to simply walk and have a conversation with missionary leadership. Something here we might almost take advantage of. P-days are always fun with them there.

There was a question that had has permeated my thought the last week, and I had finally a chance to study it one day. I don't know who might be interested in this, but I felt it made sense in my mind. It is of my own study, and I would encourage you to study it on your own as well-- through the words of the prophets and the scriptures as well. This is simply a portion of what I studied.

What are the Saints? Is the header of my study in my notebook.

To premise, Saints you pray to is a big part of the Othodox Church here. So trying to explain that we don't do that, is something hard for many people to understand.

I decided to see what reference was being used from the bible to explain this belief, and I could really only find one. Revelations 5:8 and 8:3.

And excerpt is "...with the prayers of saints out of the hand of the angel before God."

My understanding of the belief is you pray to the Saint, and the saint will take it up to God. Hense why you can pray to Saints.

We don't believe this.

The prior interpretation of these sections is interesting cause the grammar is interesting.

Modern Greek:"Οι οποίες είναι οι προεσευχές των αγίων"
Original Greek:"Άι είσαν αί προσευχαί των αγίων."
English (basically direct from my dissection):"Which it is the prayers of the saints."

My understanding of this is very simple. "Των" is a Genitive article. Of my own experience of Greek, this is not saying "prayers to the Saints". It is using the word "of the", not to.

"με τις προσευχές στους αγίους."

That is how I would translate, "to the saints." This goes to show the body of the church is callled, "saints." If you accept this is not saying "Prayers to the saints are taken up to God," then you cannot hold unto the idea saints are certain individuals. Unless you except that only "saints" prayers are contained here. However, the word "All" is pretty heavenly emphasised in Rev. 8:3.

Eph. 4:11-12 "Perfecting of the Saints (Priesthood).
Philip 1:1 Who are the saints, if not the members? (I found out this was adjusted to fit certain views in certain other translations which don't match the original thing.)
Eph 6:18 "for all saints"

Greek is hard because you have to put "the" in front of a lot of things. It makes things fun to fully understand at times.

Of course, this is just from my personal study of the scriptures, but I felt it answered some questions in my heart and I've walked away with a stronger testimony in Jesus Christ. I know if any church as the proper authority and full gospel of Jesus Christ, it is this one. I know it to be true. And us, the Saints of the Latter-days, can try to keep and make covenants with God. And invite all others to do so.

I love you all, and hope you have a wonderful week! This is a little colder than Crete... haha!

Elder Dylan Hansen