The last two days have been characterized by two words. Shopping and irritability. I need prayer. I am having a really hard time changing my attitude, and as my mom wisely says, attitude is everything. I have not enjoyed the last two days, probably because Im letting down from all the stress, but it feels awful. I don't have anything to do either and I am the kind of person that needs stuff to do, active things not spending hours looking at shoes or talking about laser hair removal. I love my team, the girls have become like my sisters and mark and brandon my brothers, and my siblings are driving me crazy...sorry for the brutal truth.
We leave for Corinth tomorrow, hopefully if I can get a full nights sleep tonight I won't be the single worst person to travel in a hot bus with tomorrow morning.
Pray that the debrief time allows us as a team, as a family, to decompress healthily and when conflict arises we know how to deal with it.
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Thursday, June 23, 2011
the final week in athens
Wow. This has been the fianl week of summer project: Greece 2011 on campus anyway. Today concluded the active part of this trip and has begun the faithful and prayerful portion.
Monday: I woke up super excited for this week on campus! The "home stretch" idea and the extra energy that implies filled me with spunk and excitement. We had a great day, we met a group of girls by playing a new card game with them, called tichu (tee-choo) and eventually got to play soularium. Their answers were very interesting. One girl, Maya, said that she could trust what she called God to take care of her when she was in a difficult situation, and that God cared for us, but when I suggested that a relationship with God was possible she said that on a 1-10 scale of wanting that relationship, she was at about a 5 because she was afraid. The rest of the group drew her attention so I wasn't able to tell her about the tenderness of God, but she is seeking and I know that God will continue to reveal Himself to her. Another girl very quickly admitted to being lonely and that church elicited these feelings (Greek Orthodox Church). Keegan got to talk to her a bit about the nearness and fullfillment of God, she said that if it were possible, she would without a doubt want a relationship with God, but she dosen't know yet what she believes about God, "i am very young and don't have much experience." Another broke into tears when she told us about the deaths in her family and how she has trouble getting close to anyone because she has been hurt so deeply. These girls are a more expressive example of what is going on beneath the surface of everyone we talk to. There is hurt, but there is a God that is bigger!
It was Lauren Sullivan's birthday! We surprised her with dinner out, greek desserts, and of course, plate smashing! Each of us had bought a plate and we all smashed them with many cries of Opa! and nervous screams. Then we went to a rooftop bar and had drinks while the parthenon and olympic stadium lit up the skyline.
Tuesday: I did NOT want to be on campus on tuesday... I had done so well on monday, but I was very discouraged and my role on my team was beginning to wear me out. I am the "initiator" which means I have been the one who has gone up to people and groups to ask if we could join them, or play with them or show them this or that whatever our stratagy is on that particular day. The devil was convincing me that wasn't a good enough job and I found myself envying Cari and Keegan's ability to talk about spiritual things or even normal things easily. Despite myself, we talked to another group of girls who very easily could have been Christians already. They believed in God, they believed they could have a relationship with Him. We didn't straight up present the Gospel to them, but we will see them on friday and it is my goal to find out and make that assumption if not a reality, plant the idea in their mind. I left campus much more encouraged than I had entered it, but I realized that this week was not going to be as easy as I had oringianlly thought.
Wednesday: Man, the devil is working overtime on my mind. He is showing me everything that bothers me about my teammates and making it stand out all the more. So I find myself frustrated easily and irritable with very little prompting. We didn't find anyone new to talk to, but we did get to see the girls we met on Monday and play cards with them again. At this point cari, keegan and I have decided that we should put our energy into connecting with the people that we have met already and get ready for our going away party on Friday night. I have a hard time with this simply because I feel like www are wasting our time.
I had discipleship time with Jason after campus time and I expressed my frustration with the decision to not meet more groups but he helped me realize why it was bothering me. I was letting the devil condemn me for not meeting some "goal" of talking to new people everyday. We talked about some other stuff but our time was up before getting advice about my frustration with my teammates.
It was Zachary Apel's birthday, he is one of the stenters, so we all went out to a local basketball court and played basketball and volleyball! It felt so good to be active. After playing for three hours, we went back to the steki (hangout) for pizza, cake, and a dance party. I can't explain it, but I have wanted to dance since arriving in Greece.
Thursday: the last day on campus! It was a bittersweet day because we know that we have done good work over the course of the summer but we have fallen in love with the students and want to continue to help them towards God. We spent a lot of time in prayer, for the campus, for the country, for the students and for God to continue to work in the minds and hearts of the students we had talked to and the friends they talk to about what we said. The harvest is ripening! I can't wait to report when Greece is a launch pad into Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Europe and the campus of polytechnic university has it's own ministries to the nations, because I believe God can bring that dream to reality! As far as conversations, we played jungle speed (awesome card game, check it out!) with some guys and left campus for the last time praying.
Monday: I woke up super excited for this week on campus! The "home stretch" idea and the extra energy that implies filled me with spunk and excitement. We had a great day, we met a group of girls by playing a new card game with them, called tichu (tee-choo) and eventually got to play soularium. Their answers were very interesting. One girl, Maya, said that she could trust what she called God to take care of her when she was in a difficult situation, and that God cared for us, but when I suggested that a relationship with God was possible she said that on a 1-10 scale of wanting that relationship, she was at about a 5 because she was afraid. The rest of the group drew her attention so I wasn't able to tell her about the tenderness of God, but she is seeking and I know that God will continue to reveal Himself to her. Another girl very quickly admitted to being lonely and that church elicited these feelings (Greek Orthodox Church). Keegan got to talk to her a bit about the nearness and fullfillment of God, she said that if it were possible, she would without a doubt want a relationship with God, but she dosen't know yet what she believes about God, "i am very young and don't have much experience." Another broke into tears when she told us about the deaths in her family and how she has trouble getting close to anyone because she has been hurt so deeply. These girls are a more expressive example of what is going on beneath the surface of everyone we talk to. There is hurt, but there is a God that is bigger!
It was Lauren Sullivan's birthday! We surprised her with dinner out, greek desserts, and of course, plate smashing! Each of us had bought a plate and we all smashed them with many cries of Opa! and nervous screams. Then we went to a rooftop bar and had drinks while the parthenon and olympic stadium lit up the skyline.
Tuesday: I did NOT want to be on campus on tuesday... I had done so well on monday, but I was very discouraged and my role on my team was beginning to wear me out. I am the "initiator" which means I have been the one who has gone up to people and groups to ask if we could join them, or play with them or show them this or that whatever our stratagy is on that particular day. The devil was convincing me that wasn't a good enough job and I found myself envying Cari and Keegan's ability to talk about spiritual things or even normal things easily. Despite myself, we talked to another group of girls who very easily could have been Christians already. They believed in God, they believed they could have a relationship with Him. We didn't straight up present the Gospel to them, but we will see them on friday and it is my goal to find out and make that assumption if not a reality, plant the idea in their mind. I left campus much more encouraged than I had entered it, but I realized that this week was not going to be as easy as I had oringianlly thought.
Wednesday: Man, the devil is working overtime on my mind. He is showing me everything that bothers me about my teammates and making it stand out all the more. So I find myself frustrated easily and irritable with very little prompting. We didn't find anyone new to talk to, but we did get to see the girls we met on Monday and play cards with them again. At this point cari, keegan and I have decided that we should put our energy into connecting with the people that we have met already and get ready for our going away party on Friday night. I have a hard time with this simply because I feel like www are wasting our time.
I had discipleship time with Jason after campus time and I expressed my frustration with the decision to not meet more groups but he helped me realize why it was bothering me. I was letting the devil condemn me for not meeting some "goal" of talking to new people everyday. We talked about some other stuff but our time was up before getting advice about my frustration with my teammates.
It was Zachary Apel's birthday, he is one of the stenters, so we all went out to a local basketball court and played basketball and volleyball! It felt so good to be active. After playing for three hours, we went back to the steki (hangout) for pizza, cake, and a dance party. I can't explain it, but I have wanted to dance since arriving in Greece.
Thursday: the last day on campus! It was a bittersweet day because we know that we have done good work over the course of the summer but we have fallen in love with the students and want to continue to help them towards God. We spent a lot of time in prayer, for the campus, for the country, for the students and for God to continue to work in the minds and hearts of the students we had talked to and the friends they talk to about what we said. The harvest is ripening! I can't wait to report when Greece is a launch pad into Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Europe and the campus of polytechnic university has it's own ministries to the nations, because I believe God can bring that dream to reality! As far as conversations, we played jungle speed (awesome card game, check it out!) with some guys and left campus for the last time praying.
Monday, June 20, 2011
The weekend!
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This weekend was such a nice time of relaxation. Friday we went to the sea again and stayed all day. We swam, slept, read, played volleyball and applied enough sunscreen to protect our pasty Midwestern bodies. This is the great plains regional trip after all. Then on Saturday we went to an island!
The day did not start out very well. My travel philosophy is to have the necessary tickets and plans set out and ready at least a week if not more before hand. That morning we were supposed to get up and ready by 830 to go to the travel agent to get our tickets. The girls slept in to 830 and werent gonna do anything till they had breakfast. So when we get to the travel agency at 9 and our ferry is leaving at 1020 and it takes an hour to get there and we find that the agent doesn't speak English and the computer isnt working...you get the idea. I was mad. We finally just left. We got our tickets at the port and made the ferry. I then started to unwind again. It's a frustration quality about myself that I get super stressed when traveling in a group and I have no say in timing or planning but once we were on the ferry everything was great! The sun was out, the breeze was salty, it was a beautiful day.
The ferry was super nice too! It was like 5 floors and two outside decks. It was a much larger vessel than I had expected. It took about 45 minutes to get to the island of Aegina. We quickly discovered that the other campus team was on the island and while my group went to find a beach and rent 4 wheelers I went to have lunch and play volleyball with the other team. It was nice to get to know them better. They are super close to each other like my team is but they were very gracious about adding me to the group and I felt very welcome. And getting to play volleyball was awesome!!! I miss it. The best part is that whenever we got hot, we ran twenty feet and jumped in the mediteranian sea! We also discovered a professional sand volleyball tournament to watch. They were pretty good, but me and David (a guy on the other team) prolly could have beat them...
I then went and reconnected with my team for dinner. The restaurant we found was literally on the beach. Our chairs were in the sand and the sun set was touching the waves five feet from us. I order swordfish, which I haven't had in maybe ten years but still is far and away my favorite seafood. We had a great day. The ferry took us back to Athens where we ate crepes and watched a movie the girls picked out. That's the hard part about having only three guys, we get out voted most of the time. So reluctantly we watched sisterhood of the traveling pants, because of the Greek scenes I guess...it was awful.
Sunday my group went to the international church. It was so cool to hear all the different languages singing the songs that are so familiar to me. The service was in English too so that was pretty refreshing. Afterwards, Anna and I met a woman from missouri who has lived in greece for 45 years!
At afternoon was nap time, but Anna and I got to go out on a date to a super romantic restaurant on the side of the acropolis. We tlked for two hours and had a gdreqt time. She looked awesome too did I forget to mention that?
I am super excited for this next week on campus. It is the home stretch and I think tht is lending to my enthusiasm but I know that God has people for us to talk to and influence their lives. I can't wait to see Him working!
 A ferry very similar to the one we rode on |
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| LOOK MOM I'M ALIVE (6/18) |
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| Sunset as we left the island |
The day did not start out very well. My travel philosophy is to have the necessary tickets and plans set out and ready at least a week if not more before hand. That morning we were supposed to get up and ready by 830 to go to the travel agent to get our tickets. The girls slept in to 830 and werent gonna do anything till they had breakfast. So when we get to the travel agency at 9 and our ferry is leaving at 1020 and it takes an hour to get there and we find that the agent doesn't speak English and the computer isnt working...you get the idea. I was mad. We finally just left. We got our tickets at the port and made the ferry. I then started to unwind again. It's a frustration quality about myself that I get super stressed when traveling in a group and I have no say in timing or planning but once we were on the ferry everything was great! The sun was out, the breeze was salty, it was a beautiful day.
The ferry was super nice too! It was like 5 floors and two outside decks. It was a much larger vessel than I had expected. It took about 45 minutes to get to the island of Aegina. We quickly discovered that the other campus team was on the island and while my group went to find a beach and rent 4 wheelers I went to have lunch and play volleyball with the other team. It was nice to get to know them better. They are super close to each other like my team is but they were very gracious about adding me to the group and I felt very welcome. And getting to play volleyball was awesome!!! I miss it. The best part is that whenever we got hot, we ran twenty feet and jumped in the mediteranian sea! We also discovered a professional sand volleyball tournament to watch. They were pretty good, but me and David (a guy on the other team) prolly could have beat them...
I then went and reconnected with my team for dinner. The restaurant we found was literally on the beach. Our chairs were in the sand and the sun set was touching the waves five feet from us. I order swordfish, which I haven't had in maybe ten years but still is far and away my favorite seafood. We had a great day. The ferry took us back to Athens where we ate crepes and watched a movie the girls picked out. That's the hard part about having only three guys, we get out voted most of the time. So reluctantly we watched sisterhood of the traveling pants, because of the Greek scenes I guess...it was awful.
Sunday my group went to the international church. It was so cool to hear all the different languages singing the songs that are so familiar to me. The service was in English too so that was pretty refreshing. Afterwards, Anna and I met a woman from missouri who has lived in greece for 45 years!
At afternoon was nap time, but Anna and I got to go out on a date to a super romantic restaurant on the side of the acropolis. We tlked for two hours and had a gdreqt time. She looked awesome too did I forget to mention that?
I am super excited for this next week on campus. It is the home stretch and I think tht is lending to my enthusiasm but I know that God has people for us to talk to and influence their lives. I can't wait to see Him working!
Thursday, June 16, 2011
The Master Archer
So ends the second to last week on campus. And it has been a dramatic week to be sure! It started if you remember with my presenting the gospel to a room full of Muslim men and women and having an Algerian man come to Christ, which according to our director, never happens! Apparently, algerian people have a reputation for hating the gospel and anyone who preaches it. But, Christ is stronger than that reputation as He has shown! Tuesday, we had our coffee time, and two of our friends came! Charlie and kleanthis. They were some of the very first people we met. Anyway, the video we watched and then discussed was a very random and silly presentation of loneliness. The questions were very up front and in your face with spirituality and at first the guys were nervous that we were going to force something on them. Once that fear was dispelled we had a great conversation about God and we ended up sharing our testimonies and the gospel with them. While they didn't accept Christ then and there they loved the discussion and were asking the "right" questions by the end. After the discussion time was over, we played a new game called Jungle Speed, basically a game of attention and reflexes, a cross between ERS and spoons. Each player has cards and if the one the turn over matches the shape or color of another, the two of them grab for the wooden pole in the middle of the table. There are other rules but the important thing is that I won two out of the three games with only a slightly loose tooth and a bloody lip ;) the guys said they had a great time and wanted to come back again.
So that was Tuesday. On Wednesday, we had a date with the group of girls that gave such encouraging answers when we played soularium with them the week before. It turned out to be 8 girls and me eating deserts in a very nice cafe. It was uncomfortable at first but it got better when we started talking about movies and not nail polish shopping etc. I had to leave early but Cari and Keegan stayed with them till almost midnight. Keegan shared her faith with them and from what I heard they were totally open to it!
Thursday I woke up with a bad attitude. I didn't want to go to campus, I didn't want to be with the team, everything about everyone was bothering me. When we got to campus, the conversations we had went nowhere and were tiring. We ended up finding Charlie and kleanthis again and they wanted to get coffee so we went to a little hole in the wall place at they like and talked for two hours. About life, music, family, and even though we didn't bring up spiritual things, we got to love them and hang out with them!
Then tonight was "Date night with Jesus!" And did He rock my world...again! On Wednesday morning, our director, Guff, talked to us at development time about calling and what that means and some misconceptions. At the end he challenged us to decide whether or not we really want to give up our lives with no knowledge of what God has in store. That is the scariest thing that I have ever considered, and it's not even a new concept to me. If you know me, you know that I almost require a plan to be laid out before doing anything, I love to strategize and control. This is COMPLETELY opposite of that instinct. But tonight Jesus laid it out for me in a very logical, merciful and beautiful way. My mom highlighted 10 passages of scripture, I'll just list them and hope that you will look them up in this order and God will show you what he showed me. Romans 8:35, 38-39; Galatians 1:10; Galatians 5:1; Ephesians 3:20; philippeans 1:6; philippeans 1:9-10; philippeans 4:4-7; Colossians 1:9-14; Colossians 3:12-17, 23-24; and 1 Thessalonians 1:4-8. I am chosen, by my Creator, for a specific task, for this life I have been given. He knows my skills, talents, personality, aptitudes, weaknesses, dreams and fears. Who better to give my life to and know without a shadow of a doubt or fear that He knows where I will flourish the best? He is the master archer. I have been chosen, I have been equipped, I have been sighted, I have been drawn, I have been launched, and in Jesus' Name by the power of the Holy Spirit at work in me, I WILL HIT MY MARK, He does not miss!
So that was Tuesday. On Wednesday, we had a date with the group of girls that gave such encouraging answers when we played soularium with them the week before. It turned out to be 8 girls and me eating deserts in a very nice cafe. It was uncomfortable at first but it got better when we started talking about movies and not nail polish shopping etc. I had to leave early but Cari and Keegan stayed with them till almost midnight. Keegan shared her faith with them and from what I heard they were totally open to it!
Thursday I woke up with a bad attitude. I didn't want to go to campus, I didn't want to be with the team, everything about everyone was bothering me. When we got to campus, the conversations we had went nowhere and were tiring. We ended up finding Charlie and kleanthis again and they wanted to get coffee so we went to a little hole in the wall place at they like and talked for two hours. About life, music, family, and even though we didn't bring up spiritual things, we got to love them and hang out with them!
Then tonight was "Date night with Jesus!" And did He rock my world...again! On Wednesday morning, our director, Guff, talked to us at development time about calling and what that means and some misconceptions. At the end he challenged us to decide whether or not we really want to give up our lives with no knowledge of what God has in store. That is the scariest thing that I have ever considered, and it's not even a new concept to me. If you know me, you know that I almost require a plan to be laid out before doing anything, I love to strategize and control. This is COMPLETELY opposite of that instinct. But tonight Jesus laid it out for me in a very logical, merciful and beautiful way. My mom highlighted 10 passages of scripture, I'll just list them and hope that you will look them up in this order and God will show you what he showed me. Romans 8:35, 38-39; Galatians 1:10; Galatians 5:1; Ephesians 3:20; philippeans 1:6; philippeans 1:9-10; philippeans 4:4-7; Colossians 1:9-14; Colossians 3:12-17, 23-24; and 1 Thessalonians 1:4-8. I am chosen, by my Creator, for a specific task, for this life I have been given. He knows my skills, talents, personality, aptitudes, weaknesses, dreams and fears. Who better to give my life to and know without a shadow of a doubt or fear that He knows where I will flourish the best? He is the master archer. I have been chosen, I have been equipped, I have been sighted, I have been drawn, I have been launched, and in Jesus' Name by the power of the Holy Spirit at work in me, I WILL HIT MY MARK, He does not miss!
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
The weakness of man and the strength of God
Last night our team got to serve another love meal to refugees alongside hellenic ministries (we did one meal before and worked at the camp). If you remember an earlier post, I had been asked to share the Gospel before the meal but there was a men's choir in town and they sang instead. This week however there was no men's choir. Jason reminded me 20 minutes before we left that I was sharing the Gospel. I immediately started praying that God would speak through me because I knew that my rods would not be enough. Everyone on my team was really excited for me, I just wish I could say that I was as excited as they were. But truth be told, the closer the time came, the more afraid I became. The devil was working overtime to shut my mouth. When I stepped up to the mike, I thought I was going to vomit.
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Hellenic ministries. Before we serve you I just want to share with you something important that I believe. . ."
What followed was a very shaky, very nervous, presentation of the Gospel, which sounded hollow and feeble in my ears as I replayed it in my head while two interpreters repeated in Farsi, and Arabic. I left the stage feeling shaky and defeated. I knew that I would not have been convinced by what I had said. I reached the upper room where my team was and was greeted with smiles and high fives. That made me feel well enough to serve the meal with them.
The meal went well, the men and women were nicer tonight and more polite to the girls. There was only one serving time so we got to clean up quickly. After we cleaned up a man who works with HM pulled me aside and said something very fast in broken English, I didn't want to believe what I thought I heard. Someone wants to receive Jesus. It was true. Rafi, a man who has been in Greece two months and has been living on the streets wanted to make Jesus Lord of his life! All of the men gather around him as I got to pray with Rafi to receive Jesus! He was all smiles and hugs after that. He explained that his goal in life is to find the ultimate truth. He said that Islam didn't satisfy that desire but when he came to HM he said there was something different. He admitted "Jesus is the ultimate truth." and that he hasn't felt this kind of peace before.
The message of the Gospel is the most important message, only God can know who it will touch. It doesn't matter how poor the presentation is, it is sharper than any double edged sword and will touch hearts no matter what. I felt terrible, I thought I failed or blasphemed or stumbled with my words, but God was speaking though me into Rafi's heart and into others hearts who did not come forward. Last night when I was thanking God for what happened, I felt Him smiling down on me, proud of me and chuckling, "I Am God, and you are not, I love you more than you will ever understand and I have created you for this."
Pray for Rafi, as he is still living in an Islamic community, that he will be protected and that his new faith will grow as he desires to learn more about Jesus! By the way, this is the second man we have seen come to Jesus, when we were told that no one would respond. The Spirit is MOVING here in Greece. This crossroads of Europe will be a light to all the places it touches, in Jesus' name!
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Hellenic ministries. Before we serve you I just want to share with you something important that I believe. . ."
What followed was a very shaky, very nervous, presentation of the Gospel, which sounded hollow and feeble in my ears as I replayed it in my head while two interpreters repeated in Farsi, and Arabic. I left the stage feeling shaky and defeated. I knew that I would not have been convinced by what I had said. I reached the upper room where my team was and was greeted with smiles and high fives. That made me feel well enough to serve the meal with them.
The meal went well, the men and women were nicer tonight and more polite to the girls. There was only one serving time so we got to clean up quickly. After we cleaned up a man who works with HM pulled me aside and said something very fast in broken English, I didn't want to believe what I thought I heard. Someone wants to receive Jesus. It was true. Rafi, a man who has been in Greece two months and has been living on the streets wanted to make Jesus Lord of his life! All of the men gather around him as I got to pray with Rafi to receive Jesus! He was all smiles and hugs after that. He explained that his goal in life is to find the ultimate truth. He said that Islam didn't satisfy that desire but when he came to HM he said there was something different. He admitted "Jesus is the ultimate truth." and that he hasn't felt this kind of peace before.
The message of the Gospel is the most important message, only God can know who it will touch. It doesn't matter how poor the presentation is, it is sharper than any double edged sword and will touch hearts no matter what. I felt terrible, I thought I failed or blasphemed or stumbled with my words, but God was speaking though me into Rafi's heart and into others hearts who did not come forward. Last night when I was thanking God for what happened, I felt Him smiling down on me, proud of me and chuckling, "I Am God, and you are not, I love you more than you will ever understand and I have created you for this."
Pray for Rafi, as he is still living in an Islamic community, that he will be protected and that his new faith will grow as he desires to learn more about Jesus! By the way, this is the second man we have seen come to Jesus, when we were told that no one would respond. The Spirit is MOVING here in Greece. This crossroads of Europe will be a light to all the places it touches, in Jesus' name!
Monday, June 13, 2011
some grafitti pics
here are some pictures of the graffiti that covers most of the campus that we are going to every day. these pieces of "art" show a lot about the spiritual climate of the school and many of its students. i warn you, some are disturbing, and for being a taboo subject, death is very prominent.
Sunday, June 12, 2011
I love the smell of insence in the morning! Smells like legalism...
This weekend has been incredible! Friday was super relaxing as it was our first real day off. We don't go on campus on Friday and last week we went to Porto astro to work, so sleeping inn till 1130 was quite a relief! We hung out at the hostel for most of the day. We watched a movie and were super silly. Mark's comment sums up our activities, "sometimes watching csollege students amazes me" he was prolly commenting on our potty humor... Anna got a taste of the mediteranian culture when she had her purse stolen while sitting in the park, but that was maybe the only blight on a beautiful day of relaxation and team bonding!
We watched another movie and prolly terrorized everyone within a two block radius with our noise, but we were having a blast!
This morning I went to a Greek orthodox church. It was only a block from our hostel, looming old and forbidding out of the middle of the street. The service goes from 645 till 1130, but I caught the 845-930 bit, and I still have a headache. The service is all in ancient Greek with no translation, so I just took in the surroundings. It was a beautiful cruciform building, covered with icons, framed, painted, hanging, swinging, glowing, people would come and kiss them and bow to them. The prayer songs/chants were beautiful and haunting, and of course the insence was overpowering!
There was only one person my age, and he seemed so depressed. With all of the pomp and circumstance, and rules, and waving and bowing and kissing, it's no wonder in my mind why my generation has shunned the church. They are looking for something alive and vibrant, relevant to their lives, not still hanging on thhe cross behind a veil. I am so glad that Jesus is alive and working through the Holy Spirit and not just a figure in a painting or a limp from on a cross, but the risen and powerful savior!
We are going to the acropolis museum this afternoon and I'm super stoked! Plus the project is paying for that and for a nice dinner tonight :)
Saturday we went to the sea. Yep, that sea, the Mediterranean!! It was goregous. We took the longest, smelliest, most packed tram for an hour to the south of Athens where there are some really nice beaches. Complete with speedo clad greeks, and Americans, making out couples and over priced soggy sandwiches. We played in the water, played volleyball on the beach, burned our feet on the sand, burned our backs in the sun, and had a really great time!
It was the Summers' anniversary, so we babysat their kids and framed a picture of them by the acropolis as a gift so they could go out on a date. They are great leaders, pray that they are rewarded richly!
We watched another movie and prolly terrorized everyone within a two block radius with our noise, but we were having a blast!
This morning I went to a Greek orthodox church. It was only a block from our hostel, looming old and forbidding out of the middle of the street. The service goes from 645 till 1130, but I caught the 845-930 bit, and I still have a headache. The service is all in ancient Greek with no translation, so I just took in the surroundings. It was a beautiful cruciform building, covered with icons, framed, painted, hanging, swinging, glowing, people would come and kiss them and bow to them. The prayer songs/chants were beautiful and haunting, and of course the insence was overpowering!
There was only one person my age, and he seemed so depressed. With all of the pomp and circumstance, and rules, and waving and bowing and kissing, it's no wonder in my mind why my generation has shunned the church. They are looking for something alive and vibrant, relevant to their lives, not still hanging on thhe cross behind a veil. I am so glad that Jesus is alive and working through the Holy Spirit and not just a figure in a painting or a limp from on a cross, but the risen and powerful savior!
We are going to the acropolis museum this afternoon and I'm super stoked! Plus the project is paying for that and for a nice dinner tonight :)
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