I know the title implies this post will be about Greece but since it’s been a while since I last posted (3 full weeks, yikes), it’ll have more summary than I would like. Just as a preface, while in the beautiful Greece, my depression hit very hard and lasted through the first week or so we were back, and then I (along with almost every other student here) got a stomach bug that lasted a few more days, hence why I am just now posting.
Greece was so beautiful and phenomenal and everything I had ever dreamed. We first flew from Tel Aviv to Athens, and then had a connecting flight to Thessaloniki. We then spent the next 8 days in Thessaloniki, Kavala, ancient Philippi, Vergina, Kalambaka, Delphi, Arachova, Meteora, Nafplio, Mycenae, Corinth, and Athens. Some of the aforementioned places were just for museums or archeological sites, and others are the towns we stayed in. We spent the majority of the time we our Old Testament classes, as that how they split us up for roommates and buses. We had an absolutely amazing tour guide, and by the end of the trip we all knew we were going to miss her. I almost cried while saying goodbye.
Thessaloniki is on the water, and one of the things we got to do there as an entire group was ride on this pirate boat that goes around the harbor for a good 30 minutes. It was so wonderful. Gelato and gyros were the thing, and some of my classmates ate their weight in gelatos and/or Greek yoghurt. All over the different cities were those electric rentable scooters and you best believe I spent a good amount of time on them. It took a hot second to get the hang of them but once I did I wished I owned one!
There were so many beautiful sites we visited, some purely for the historical value, and others because Paul spent time there during his mission to Greece. We spent a good chunk of our “class” time in Acts 16. Something that I will remember vividly was the monasteries in Meteora. They are up on these gigantic cliff-like rock formations. Side note: while in Greece with a minimum of 2 hours spent on the bus every day, I experienced motion/car sickness for the first time in my life. It was not pleasant. Anyway, the day we visited two of the monasteries was when my depression hit a very low point very quickly. As many of you who are reading this know, I actually came home early from my mission for the LDS church because of my depression. So, the fact that despite medication it was affecting not just a cool experience but a cool experience in Greece was a real downer. But the Lord definitely provided as He blessed me with friends and guided people to be by my side. Something that is integral to my church and my faith is the power and authority of the priesthood, by which things such as baptisms and marriages are performed with God’s authority. Priesthood holders can bestow blessings, both of comfort and counsel and also of healing. Two of my friends who I trust and look up to were willing to give me a blessing, and it was such an intimate and spiritual experience. It didn’t cure the depression, but it did help not only make things bearable but also helped to re-center my perspective.
At this point I only have random anecdotes and facts from Greece, so enjoy some pictures!
After we came back from Greece, life was busy, both in work and play (read: school and going out to the Old City). We had two bit events, one an interfaith dialogue between Judaism and the Church of Jesus Christ of Later-day Saints (visited by Rabbi Melchior, Chief Rabbi of Norway, and Elder Quentin L. Cook, member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles for the Church) and the other a tour and concert for members of an advisory board or something for the BYU Marriott School of Business (you can tell which one interested me more).
On top of that, we had a huge amount of homework and two midterms, which were both thankfully postponed a week…only for that week to be when sickness hit. The combination of our intense travel schedule, two different and large groups of people in our “home”, and general fishbowl-phenomena, almost every single one of us got sick. It wasn’t pleasant but it made for a blessedly slow week. I’m grateful I went out twice the week before as I wasn’t even well enough for our weekly field trip.
I was still sick the night we had our Seder dinner, the Passover dinner that our Judaism instructor hosts/leads, so I was there and participated for the first half or so but had to leave during the dinner portion. It was so beautiful to hear the songs sung in Hebrew (by my classmates learning Hebrew) and to learn of this long-standing tradition. It has been so eye-opening to not just sit in a classroom and learn of these different customs and lifestyles but to also walk outside our door and see people practicing both Islam and Judaism. The Call to Prayer that echoes from the nearby mosque has become familiar but will never cease to be beautiful to me.
Today was the Sabbath and I took the opportunity to fast as we didn’t fast while in Greece, and I forgot to last week. Church was great, as always, but the talks given in Sacrament meeting were especially powerful. A husband and wife who are members of our branch here spoke, though they both leave soon. He works for the foreign services but they are heading back to the States, hence why they both spoke. She talked about giving and receiving as friends and being a friend to the Savior and having Him as our friend. I needed to hear what she had to say both in the way of validation and as encouragement from the Spirit to move on from some events in my life over the past year or so.
I love taking the time to just sit on my bed and be alone with my scriptures and instrumental church music. The Holy Ghost seems to sit with me in the most joyous way possible. Today I took the time to especially pay attention to things I could share with my Come Follow Me group and it ended up being such a blessing. We met outside and started off sharing insights from our study of these chapters in the New Testament. It turned into a beautiful and spirit-filled discussion. While we were finishing up one section an idea came to mind of an activity for us to do, and we did it—and it was such a success! Since the Atonement was such a focal point of the chapters, and specifically the Savior’s suffering in Gethsemane, a lot of the discussion both there and in church had to do with trusting and getting to know Christ. So, I had 3 of the members of our group be the “catchers” for a series of trust falls, but each of them were to catch at a different time. The rest of the group didn’t know that. It was fun and brought smiles, but the ultimate lesson was that no matter what, Christ and Heavenly Father and so many others are helped to hold the safety net of the Atonement for us. Whether we land in it instantly or it takes a while for the fall to finish, He will always be there to catch us.
As I’ve had to rely on both my peers, leaders, and my God here while dealing with lower lows than I would like, I’ve really come to know that these things are true. Not in a glorious burst of sunshine or magnificent miracle that catches me off guard, but in the steadily growing assurance of Jesus Christ’s love for me. In no way does this different kind of growth make me want to trumpet the gospel from the rooftops any less. I cannot wait till the day comes that Christ walks the earth once more.
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