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 :)
Thursday, June 9, 2011
This week on campus
This week on campus flew by! Cari Keegan and I had some great conversations, some shallow conversations and some super challenging conversations, but through it all, excitement, exhaustion, discouragement, God was working through us to touch the lives of the students we were talking to.
Early this week, a group of friends (remember the groups of friends are called pariahs here) invited us to go to the sea with them this coming weekend. We met a group of incredible girls that Cari and Keegan really got to know well while I kept these two gross older guys away. More on them in a bit. We had our first, second appointment with a group of foreign exchange students we met last week. When Anya joined us, Keegan and I got to share our testimonies with a group who had a lot of questions. Today we used a survey about sex and abortion to initiate conversations. (side note: 3 out of 4 girls in Athens has had an abortion, Over 500000 a year, and adoption is taboo...it's a huge problem)
The group of girls and the exchange students were the most encouraging parts of the week. The girls were all first year architecture students who were only on campus one day a week, so we were lucky to catch them. We sat down with them and immediately Cari and Keegan were chatting away with them. I played wingman and talked to these older, creepy guys about sports to keep them away from the girls my group was talking to. Once they left though, I joined the conversation with the girls. We started salarium, and their answers were so cool! One of the questions was, "how do you see God?" they then pic a picture and explain. One picked a friend whispering in another's ear and said that God listens when you speak to Him. One picked up a sunset and said that God is e master artist and creator of everything, and when we make a mistake it's our fault not God's. One picked up a picture of pottery and talked about how God knows our faults and loves us anyway. And the last picked up a picture of an injured bird being carried explaining that God is trustworthy and He takes care of us.
the French students were a Lot of fun! We went out for coffee and sat for like an hour just talking about differences in our cultures and what things we like to do. We then took them to get gyros be causes they said they hadn't had one yet and that wasn't acceptable. We took them to our favorite cheap gyro spot and hangout for another hour or more. Cari and one of the girls talked about the differences in religion between herself and Cari and what Christianity means. If you don't know, France is one of the more atheistic countries in the world right now, and olifi is no exception. She started the night denouncing the idea of a God but after she and Cari talked for a long time, she had many questions that seemed like she had been thinking about them for a while. Cari was super excited and I'm excited to hang out with them again.
Pray for the people we talked to this week, that the Gospel we presented would not be cast aside but they would continue to seek answers. Also, for my group, cari keegan and I, that we would have supernatural energy and love for the students we are talking to. And that the whole team would have supernatural relationships with each other. Thank you for all your prayers! It's so fun for me to share with all of you what God is doing in Greece!
Early this week, a group of friends (remember the groups of friends are called pariahs here) invited us to go to the sea with them this coming weekend. We met a group of incredible girls that Cari and Keegan really got to know well while I kept these two gross older guys away. More on them in a bit. We had our first, second appointment with a group of foreign exchange students we met last week. When Anya joined us, Keegan and I got to share our testimonies with a group who had a lot of questions. Today we used a survey about sex and abortion to initiate conversations. (side note: 3 out of 4 girls in Athens has had an abortion, Over 500000 a year, and adoption is taboo...it's a huge problem)
The group of girls and the exchange students were the most encouraging parts of the week. The girls were all first year architecture students who were only on campus one day a week, so we were lucky to catch them. We sat down with them and immediately Cari and Keegan were chatting away with them. I played wingman and talked to these older, creepy guys about sports to keep them away from the girls my group was talking to. Once they left though, I joined the conversation with the girls. We started salarium, and their answers were so cool! One of the questions was, "how do you see God?" they then pic a picture and explain. One picked a friend whispering in another's ear and said that God listens when you speak to Him. One picked up a sunset and said that God is e master artist and creator of everything, and when we make a mistake it's our fault not God's. One picked up a picture of pottery and talked about how God knows our faults and loves us anyway. And the last picked up a picture of an injured bird being carried explaining that God is trustworthy and He takes care of us.
the French students were a Lot of fun! We went out for coffee and sat for like an hour just talking about differences in our cultures and what things we like to do. We then took them to get gyros be causes they said they hadn't had one yet and that wasn't acceptable. We took them to our favorite cheap gyro spot and hangout for another hour or more. Cari and one of the girls talked about the differences in religion between herself and Cari and what Christianity means. If you don't know, France is one of the more atheistic countries in the world right now, and olifi is no exception. She started the night denouncing the idea of a God but after she and Cari talked for a long time, she had many questions that seemed like she had been thinking about them for a while. Cari was super excited and I'm excited to hang out with them again.
Pray for the people we talked to this week, that the Gospel we presented would not be cast aside but they would continue to seek answers. Also, for my group, cari keegan and I, that we would have supernatural energy and love for the students we are talking to. And that the whole team would have supernatural relationships with each other. Thank you for all your prayers! It's so fun for me to share with all of you what God is doing in Greece!
Last weekend. Porto astro.
Last weekend, meaning friday and Saturday, our team along with another campus crusade team in the area went at worked at a camp site for refugees run by the same ministry that we fed a meal to last Monday, Hellenic ministries. This is a camp that gives some refugee men, women, families and children all a different opportunity to get away from the city, have fun, and hear the Gospel.
The camp is situated in the side of a mountain on the edge of the mediteranian sea!!! So needless to say, it was gorgeous. The bus that took us could not reach the camp because there is no road leading to the camp...we hiked almost a mile through brush and over rocks along the side of the mountain. We were hot sweaty sore and tired before we even got there. We quickly were assigned cabins and were given duties to perform to help the camp be ready for the first round of refugee men to use it the Monday after we left. There was weeding, cleaning, sweeping, digging, spreading etc etc, but I was assigned to the tent. This structure was a bunch of poles set up as a makeshift pavilion that I, and two others, were to stretch canvas sheets over the top of and tie down. It was hard work! I did learn the bowman's knot and got a wicked tank top tan line, but the job took us the whole day and most of Saturday to complete.
While the staff worked us hard, there was some time to play. We swam, while removing sea urchins from the rocks, played beach volleyball, after working to remove the wasps, and ate good food, which was served on Greek time, 730 am, 2 pm, and 9pm...we were hungry by the time we were fed! The place was so beautiful, and the vision the leader had was even better! God uses this place! One man working with is got baptized in the sea, he was the first Muslim convert to be baptized, and others will come after him, I know it!
Leaving was hard, but we did get to take a ferry rather than the rocks again. As we left, we all prayed that God would work miracles through that camp and many people would come to Ho. Because of the work they do.
The camp is situated in the side of a mountain on the edge of the mediteranian sea!!! So needless to say, it was gorgeous. The bus that took us could not reach the camp because there is no road leading to the camp...we hiked almost a mile through brush and over rocks along the side of the mountain. We were hot sweaty sore and tired before we even got there. We quickly were assigned cabins and were given duties to perform to help the camp be ready for the first round of refugee men to use it the Monday after we left. There was weeding, cleaning, sweeping, digging, spreading etc etc, but I was assigned to the tent. This structure was a bunch of poles set up as a makeshift pavilion that I, and two others, were to stretch canvas sheets over the top of and tie down. It was hard work! I did learn the bowman's knot and got a wicked tank top tan line, but the job took us the whole day and most of Saturday to complete.
While the staff worked us hard, there was some time to play. We swam, while removing sea urchins from the rocks, played beach volleyball, after working to remove the wasps, and ate good food, which was served on Greek time, 730 am, 2 pm, and 9pm...we were hungry by the time we were fed! The place was so beautiful, and the vision the leader had was even better! God uses this place! One man working with is got baptized in the sea, he was the first Muslim convert to be baptized, and others will come after him, I know it!
Leaving was hard, but we did get to take a ferry rather than the rocks again. As we left, we all prayed that God would work miracles through that camp and many people would come to Ho. Because of the work they do.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Incredible perspective
Sorry that I haven't posted in so long. This past weeken was an awesome time of service and I hope to be able to write about it tmrw or Friday. But tonight I am tired and going to bed but not before I share a bit of what I learned today.
Our perspective is so important. Today was Wednesday, which means we have development time in the morning. The worship was great, God pouring out His love for me, but the message was about keeping an eternal perspective. The text was philippeans 3. No matter what success I achieve in this life, it is all rubbish. Next to the eternity that we have when we are resurrected in Christ Jesus, this life means nothing. "forgetting what lies behind and looking forward to what is in store. . . The goal and prize of eternal life through Christ." The work we are doing here is of eternal consequence. This hit me hard. I wanted to shout, to run down the street filled with meth heads and crack addicts, the neighborhood is not very good lol, shouting and telling everyone the possibility of a life with God eternally.
Once on campus however my lack of enough sleep caught up with me. I was so tired, I did not want to be on campus today. Luckily, we met one of the inters, Anya, who accompanied Keegan and me. We had two super spiritual conversations and all of us shared our testimony. With one group or another. Even though both groups openly denied God, their questions made me think that they had thought about this before. God has set eternity in all of our hearts and we are made to be with Him. Separation from God breeds loneliness and desperation, and never have I seen a place so rampant with both of those things. Pray for the people we talk to that they would have an encounter with God that blows them off their feet!
Our perspective is so important. Today was Wednesday, which means we have development time in the morning. The worship was great, God pouring out His love for me, but the message was about keeping an eternal perspective. The text was philippeans 3. No matter what success I achieve in this life, it is all rubbish. Next to the eternity that we have when we are resurrected in Christ Jesus, this life means nothing. "forgetting what lies behind and looking forward to what is in store. . . The goal and prize of eternal life through Christ." The work we are doing here is of eternal consequence. This hit me hard. I wanted to shout, to run down the street filled with meth heads and crack addicts, the neighborhood is not very good lol, shouting and telling everyone the possibility of a life with God eternally.
Once on campus however my lack of enough sleep caught up with me. I was so tired, I did not want to be on campus today. Luckily, we met one of the inters, Anya, who accompanied Keegan and me. We had two super spiritual conversations and all of us shared our testimony. With one group or another. Even though both groups openly denied God, their questions made me think that they had thought about this before. God has set eternity in all of our hearts and we are made to be with Him. Separation from God breeds loneliness and desperation, and never have I seen a place so rampant with both of those things. Pray for the people we talk to that they would have an encounter with God that blows them off their feet!
Sunday, June 5, 2011
End of Campus Week (06/02)
Thursday: This was our last day on campus for the week. This morning was much better than the last, I think that everyone got a second wind after the difficulty of the previous day. My group certainly did! Jason was with me while Cari and Keegan were on their own for the first part of the day. We had two conversations with two different groups of guys eating in the cafe. The first did not speak very good english, but were friendly and encouraged us to stay and talk with them. They did not believe in God, but they were not opposed to the idea of a possible relationship with a God if there was one.
This is something that I have found to be common. Most people will say that there is no God, but they will talk about a "higher power" or something above them. If they don't even do that then they will talk about being a good person and giving justice and kindness to everyone. While they leave God out of their perspective, they cannot escape the "moral code" that C.S. Lewis talks about in Mere Christianity, nor the desire or interest in a "higher power."
The second conversation was much like the first, except they spoke better english. Jimmy and Pete were their names as close as I could tell and they were able to explain to Jason and me what had happened yesterday with the club rivalry. There are three sports clubs that all play futbol, basketball and volleyball. Their followings are very much like gangs. They have territory and rules and "firms" (anyone who has seen the movie Green Street Hooligans will understand) that will follow the team around and fight the other clubs supporters. Jason was blown away that things like that happen over a sport. Its a good reminder how different Europe is, and a taste of the passion that most people hide. Jimmy btw is one of the only Greeks I have met or even heard about that doesn't like coffee! Its a rarity. Even I like Greek coffee...yep, thats right, I have had at least one cup of STRONG Greek coffee every day that I have been here. But don't get your hopes up...I'll conquer the headaches when I get back...American coffee just isn't the same.
After that conversation, Jason felt like he should go hook up with another group. Anna and Catherine had been having a rough morning, rejection after rejection, God knew and sent Jason to encourage them. I got back together with Cari and Keegan and we played Salarium, a picture game that helps to start conversations, with each other and really got to know each other better, and how each of us relates to God. It was a very good experience even though we didn't have anyone come ask to play or join us.
We left campus encouraged that God was gonna work in the lives of the people we had talked to and would give us favor to have second appointments with the ones who really cared about learning more about Him. We debriefed and told stories at the stinters' apartment and went back to the hostle to relax before our busy weekend. This weekend we will be going to Porto Astro, a Christian camp on the sea, to fix it up and prepare it for the upcoming months of camps that will be using its fascilities.
This is something that I have found to be common. Most people will say that there is no God, but they will talk about a "higher power" or something above them. If they don't even do that then they will talk about being a good person and giving justice and kindness to everyone. While they leave God out of their perspective, they cannot escape the "moral code" that C.S. Lewis talks about in Mere Christianity, nor the desire or interest in a "higher power."
The second conversation was much like the first, except they spoke better english. Jimmy and Pete were their names as close as I could tell and they were able to explain to Jason and me what had happened yesterday with the club rivalry. There are three sports clubs that all play futbol, basketball and volleyball. Their followings are very much like gangs. They have territory and rules and "firms" (anyone who has seen the movie Green Street Hooligans will understand) that will follow the team around and fight the other clubs supporters. Jason was blown away that things like that happen over a sport. Its a good reminder how different Europe is, and a taste of the passion that most people hide. Jimmy btw is one of the only Greeks I have met or even heard about that doesn't like coffee! Its a rarity. Even I like Greek coffee...yep, thats right, I have had at least one cup of STRONG Greek coffee every day that I have been here. But don't get your hopes up...I'll conquer the headaches when I get back...American coffee just isn't the same.
After that conversation, Jason felt like he should go hook up with another group. Anna and Catherine had been having a rough morning, rejection after rejection, God knew and sent Jason to encourage them. I got back together with Cari and Keegan and we played Salarium, a picture game that helps to start conversations, with each other and really got to know each other better, and how each of us relates to God. It was a very good experience even though we didn't have anyone come ask to play or join us.
We left campus encouraged that God was gonna work in the lives of the people we had talked to and would give us favor to have second appointments with the ones who really cared about learning more about Him. We debriefed and told stories at the stinters' apartment and went back to the hostle to relax before our busy weekend. This weekend we will be going to Porto Astro, a Christian camp on the sea, to fix it up and prepare it for the upcoming months of camps that will be using its fascilities.
Wednesday 6/01
Wednesday: day 3 on campus. Everyone's spirits were very low that morning. We had a briefing time that morning just to praise and pray and learn a little more about what we were doing. The worship was good and the prayer powerful but as we walked out of the building Satan attacked. Many members of our team almost stopped in their tracks for fear of going on campus. The bus ride to poly tech was miserable. My group was afraid of going back into the cafe where we were challenged. We took an extra 30 minutes of prayer time before going in. We had decided to keep things light at first. We hungout with the students and got to know more about them and what was important to them. Most are surprised that we would stay in Athens for 5 weeks when we could go to an island or the beach. During the summer students go to clubs on the beach every night.
While we didn't get very deep, we did get a lot of contact information to set up second appointments and invite them to coffee time!
I refuse to let the devil stop us from doing the work that we are called to. That cafe (dots) is where cari, Keegan, and I are supposed to be. Fear is no match for the love God has for the students that we are extending to them by talking and getting to know them.
We will be doing discipleship time with Jason On wednesdays so the guys and Jason hung out and did some pre-discipleship stuff over ice cream. Getting to know him and a few questions for us about what we want out of this trip. It went swimmingly, until the shop owner from next door came to teell Jason to take off the Greek club sports jersey he was wearing. Jason shrugged off the remark and didn't take off the shirt. When we were waiting for the bus to the steki, two more guys came up to us very threateningly and asked where we were from and for Jason to take off his shirt. When Jason saw two more big guys coming across the street he took off his jersey. He was wearing the colors of a rival club a block from the headquarters...and it turns out AEK (the club Jason was wearing) had just vandalized the panathanikos hq last week. He was lucky to one keep the jersey and two to be all in one piece!
After our time with jason, Brandon, mark, and I went to the steki which means hangout in Greek, to play a version of ping pong. Basically, there are five tables to set up in any manner of ways with a pipe for a net. Space is left between the tables to add an extra twist if the ball hits a crack and the PVC pipe is suspended above the table and going under the net is fair play. Much craziness ensued! We played for 2.5 hours then got on the bus back to our hostle. Unfortunately, there was a protest in the main square so the bus was rerouted...we walked the last 20 or so blocks back...lol. Needless to say the guys are much closer now.
While we didn't get very deep, we did get a lot of contact information to set up second appointments and invite them to coffee time!
I refuse to let the devil stop us from doing the work that we are called to. That cafe (dots) is where cari, Keegan, and I are supposed to be. Fear is no match for the love God has for the students that we are extending to them by talking and getting to know them.
We will be doing discipleship time with Jason On wednesdays so the guys and Jason hung out and did some pre-discipleship stuff over ice cream. Getting to know him and a few questions for us about what we want out of this trip. It went swimmingly, until the shop owner from next door came to teell Jason to take off the Greek club sports jersey he was wearing. Jason shrugged off the remark and didn't take off the shirt. When we were waiting for the bus to the steki, two more guys came up to us very threateningly and asked where we were from and for Jason to take off his shirt. When Jason saw two more big guys coming across the street he took off his jersey. He was wearing the colors of a rival club a block from the headquarters...and it turns out AEK (the club Jason was wearing) had just vandalized the panathanikos hq last week. He was lucky to one keep the jersey and two to be all in one piece!
After our time with jason, Brandon, mark, and I went to the steki which means hangout in Greek, to play a version of ping pong. Basically, there are five tables to set up in any manner of ways with a pipe for a net. Space is left between the tables to add an extra twist if the ball hits a crack and the PVC pipe is suspended above the table and going under the net is fair play. Much craziness ensued! We played for 2.5 hours then got on the bus back to our hostle. Unfortunately, there was a protest in the main square so the bus was rerouted...we walked the last 20 or so blocks back...lol. Needless to say the guys are much closer now.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
2 Corinthians 4...we are struck down but not destroyed!!
Tuesday: The second day on campus and Cari Keegan and I were rarin to talk to people and hangout with students! God had so something else in mind.
The very first group that we talked to was a group of four girls and two guys. A similar combination to a group we had talked to on Monday, so we decided to hangout with them to start and have an easy transition into the second day on campus. It was anything but that! After introductions and some small talk lasting about five minutes Keegan brought up a survey we had been given as a tool to initiate spiritual conversations. They answered honestly, and as we had seen before the beliefs ranged from not believing in God to thinking there was a God and heaven and hell but they didn't need to know anymore about it. The survey was over and there was not much more to talk about it seemed as most in the group did not desire to continue to talk to us, but one girl, Christina, challenged us about what we believe. She drove the conversation super deep. It was obvious by some others in the groups reactions that they had e same questions but didn't know how to ask. She asked why, if there was a God, why He would allow things like war. Our answer, relating to the fallen world and corruption of a relationship with God, was then met by another question and series of remarks about the selfishness of a relationship with God. "Why would we need a relationship with God, why would you tell us about this when we don't need it. Go talk to the people who are suffering, they need God." Her point was that the church, in her view does not do what it teaches, to love those who are hurting, instead it seeks to protect itself and enrich it's members only. We went back and forth for fourth minutes or so, Keegan shared her testimony about how a relationship with God, not the church changed her life and caused her to want to DO things for people (I was very inspired by the vulnerability Keegan showed). By the end of the conversation Christina was the only one talking, the others, including a guy named Dimitri, were deep in thought. We could tell that the gospel we had shared and the passion we demonstrated in talking about what we believed had an impact. Christina did not change her mind nor did anyone fall down in tears and repent of their sins, but all those students heard the Gospel. It was as we walked away that the devil started his work.
All three of us got super discouraged and tired, mentally, physically, and most of all spiritually. We took about 30 minutes to eat lunch by ourselves and process what had happened and then we began to talk it out. The devil was trying to convince us that our conversation with Christina was worthless and nothing came of it. Plus she raised some valid arguments and caused each of us to be convicted to not be double minded or two faced, but the devil was working to get us to believe it.
We talked to two other groups and got one guys contact information, but the rest of the three hours we spent praying together and encouraging one another as we worked through the conversation. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 opened to us as we were searching for another verse, but it applied perfectly. We have trials to produce eternal glory, and we do not focus on what we cannot see, but on what is unseen, what is eternal. We will probably not see Christina or her friends come to Christ while we are here, pray that we do, but even so, they now have an incorruptible seed of the Gospel in their hearts. Pray for Christina and Dimitri, that others would cross their paths to continue to answer their questions.
The very first group that we talked to was a group of four girls and two guys. A similar combination to a group we had talked to on Monday, so we decided to hangout with them to start and have an easy transition into the second day on campus. It was anything but that! After introductions and some small talk lasting about five minutes Keegan brought up a survey we had been given as a tool to initiate spiritual conversations. They answered honestly, and as we had seen before the beliefs ranged from not believing in God to thinking there was a God and heaven and hell but they didn't need to know anymore about it. The survey was over and there was not much more to talk about it seemed as most in the group did not desire to continue to talk to us, but one girl, Christina, challenged us about what we believe. She drove the conversation super deep. It was obvious by some others in the groups reactions that they had e same questions but didn't know how to ask. She asked why, if there was a God, why He would allow things like war. Our answer, relating to the fallen world and corruption of a relationship with God, was then met by another question and series of remarks about the selfishness of a relationship with God. "Why would we need a relationship with God, why would you tell us about this when we don't need it. Go talk to the people who are suffering, they need God." Her point was that the church, in her view does not do what it teaches, to love those who are hurting, instead it seeks to protect itself and enrich it's members only. We went back and forth for fourth minutes or so, Keegan shared her testimony about how a relationship with God, not the church changed her life and caused her to want to DO things for people (I was very inspired by the vulnerability Keegan showed). By the end of the conversation Christina was the only one talking, the others, including a guy named Dimitri, were deep in thought. We could tell that the gospel we had shared and the passion we demonstrated in talking about what we believed had an impact. Christina did not change her mind nor did anyone fall down in tears and repent of their sins, but all those students heard the Gospel. It was as we walked away that the devil started his work.
All three of us got super discouraged and tired, mentally, physically, and most of all spiritually. We took about 30 minutes to eat lunch by ourselves and process what had happened and then we began to talk it out. The devil was trying to convince us that our conversation with Christina was worthless and nothing came of it. Plus she raised some valid arguments and caused each of us to be convicted to not be double minded or two faced, but the devil was working to get us to believe it.
We talked to two other groups and got one guys contact information, but the rest of the three hours we spent praying together and encouraging one another as we worked through the conversation. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 opened to us as we were searching for another verse, but it applied perfectly. We have trials to produce eternal glory, and we do not focus on what we cannot see, but on what is unseen, what is eternal. We will probably not see Christina or her friends come to Christ while we are here, pray that we do, but even so, they now have an incorruptible seed of the Gospel in their hearts. Pray for Christina and Dimitri, that others would cross their paths to continue to answer their questions.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Spiritual Victory
How appropriate that 2 Corinthians is the book that has given me so much hope at the start of this crazy week. (Being in Greece and all...corinth is in Greece for those who don't know, like I didn't before this summer... :)
Sunday: We are rotating churches. Each week the group that you are assigned to will attend a different church. There are four, two evangelical churches, a Greek Orthodox church and an international church. I went to the First Evangelical Church of Athens. The service and worship was supposed to be all in modern Greek so we got these headphones with an interpreter...they didn't work very well. So, I didn't use them, I just listened to the language and the songs sung in Greek, a very beautiful language. The speaker was actually a visiting pastor from Africa who spoke in English! He spoke on church unity and on the divine appointment of pastors to equip the saints, us, for good works. It did seem appropriate as Monday was our first day on campus as well as the first of two "Love Meals" we would be serving Albanian, North African, and Arabian refugees. Jason asked if I would prepare something to say and a Gospel presentation that I would give to all 200 or so refugees that would be translated into their language. A daunting proposition by itself, but the devil would have none of it... The four hours after being told that I was supposed to share the Gospel with the men we would be serving were filled with the most intense spiritual warfare I had faced so far. I wrote furiously in my journal, walked around in the area we were staying and prayed in tongues for hours. Finally, I settled down enough to listen, just listen to what God was saying. "I am with your mouth, I will give you words to say that will touch their hearts. You are loved by Me" The peace of God washed over me, and not only was I not afraid to speak, but I laughed at any more attempts of the devil to discourage me. "You have prepared well" and then I was asleep. Easily the best night of sleep I have had so far.
Monday: This was the first day that we were on campus talking to students and hanging out with them. The nerves started a little in the morning, but after last night... the devil was beaten! The day started with some Greek lessons. Learning the alphabet and some basic phrases about how to order and ask about the bathroom...all information that promptly left my brain once we entered the cafe on campus hehe...
Our day on campus was phenomenal. God totally directed our conversations and pointed us to people to talk to. It was kinda strange because we had an intern with us, we split into two groups of two, Keegan and Allison (the intern), and Cari and me. Before we split up we met with a girl (Lena) and a guy that I don't remember, mostly because he didn't talk much. But Lena said that she didn't believe in God or Heaven and cut us off after that because she had class. All of the students we talk to are civil engineering majors or graduate students so they are having class and getting ready for finals. They left quickly. We then met a large group of men and one woman who were PhD level engineers who told us a lot about Greece and the current situation. While that conversation didn't get very deep, we got their information to be able to meet with them again and hopefully talk about more spiritual things. After that meeting Allison and Keegan went to a different cafe and Cari and I walked outside to see Lena and a girlfriend walking out of class. This conversation was incredible! The other girl who has a very interesting name that I can never remember drove our conversation very deep into the spiritual realm and nearly quoted psalm 139! "There must be something bigger than us, something that created us and knows all about us and what we are thinking and doing." It was a perfect door that Cari took advantage of and shared more about the Gospel and the importance of a relationship with the Creator! We then hungout with a group of first year students for almost an hour, just talking and having a good time. The conversation didn't go as deep as the previous one, but we did get to show how the old testament points to our need for a Savior and how Jesus fills that role.
Everyone was on a high walking back from that first day. It is amazing to me how open the Greeks are to debate, and even welcome it. They will argue fiercely but still love you at the end of it! Very refreshing coming from America where everyone is so closed to new ideas and conversation.
Later that night we went to the Hellenic Ministries building where we were going to serve the meal. I found out that the Moody Bible school men's choir was singing so I would not be able to share the Gospel. While I felt a sense of relief at not having to speak in front of so many people, I was confident that I can if needed in the future! The meal was soup, bread and olives, the men were so grateful, and our whole team loved serving them! Mark especially! He passed, he swept, he cleaned, he carried, he even mopped the bathroom. And he had a smile on his face the whole time.
We all went to be tired, sore and happy that we were able to serve the refugees physical food and the students Living Water. Pray that the seeds that we plant are fertilized with questions and prayer and that they eventually grow into a relationship with Jesus!
Sunday: We are rotating churches. Each week the group that you are assigned to will attend a different church. There are four, two evangelical churches, a Greek Orthodox church and an international church. I went to the First Evangelical Church of Athens. The service and worship was supposed to be all in modern Greek so we got these headphones with an interpreter...they didn't work very well. So, I didn't use them, I just listened to the language and the songs sung in Greek, a very beautiful language. The speaker was actually a visiting pastor from Africa who spoke in English! He spoke on church unity and on the divine appointment of pastors to equip the saints, us, for good works. It did seem appropriate as Monday was our first day on campus as well as the first of two "Love Meals" we would be serving Albanian, North African, and Arabian refugees. Jason asked if I would prepare something to say and a Gospel presentation that I would give to all 200 or so refugees that would be translated into their language. A daunting proposition by itself, but the devil would have none of it... The four hours after being told that I was supposed to share the Gospel with the men we would be serving were filled with the most intense spiritual warfare I had faced so far. I wrote furiously in my journal, walked around in the area we were staying and prayed in tongues for hours. Finally, I settled down enough to listen, just listen to what God was saying. "I am with your mouth, I will give you words to say that will touch their hearts. You are loved by Me" The peace of God washed over me, and not only was I not afraid to speak, but I laughed at any more attempts of the devil to discourage me. "You have prepared well" and then I was asleep. Easily the best night of sleep I have had so far.
Monday: This was the first day that we were on campus talking to students and hanging out with them. The nerves started a little in the morning, but after last night... the devil was beaten! The day started with some Greek lessons. Learning the alphabet and some basic phrases about how to order and ask about the bathroom...all information that promptly left my brain once we entered the cafe on campus hehe...
Our day on campus was phenomenal. God totally directed our conversations and pointed us to people to talk to. It was kinda strange because we had an intern with us, we split into two groups of two, Keegan and Allison (the intern), and Cari and me. Before we split up we met with a girl (Lena) and a guy that I don't remember, mostly because he didn't talk much. But Lena said that she didn't believe in God or Heaven and cut us off after that because she had class. All of the students we talk to are civil engineering majors or graduate students so they are having class and getting ready for finals. They left quickly. We then met a large group of men and one woman who were PhD level engineers who told us a lot about Greece and the current situation. While that conversation didn't get very deep, we got their information to be able to meet with them again and hopefully talk about more spiritual things. After that meeting Allison and Keegan went to a different cafe and Cari and I walked outside to see Lena and a girlfriend walking out of class. This conversation was incredible! The other girl who has a very interesting name that I can never remember drove our conversation very deep into the spiritual realm and nearly quoted psalm 139! "There must be something bigger than us, something that created us and knows all about us and what we are thinking and doing." It was a perfect door that Cari took advantage of and shared more about the Gospel and the importance of a relationship with the Creator! We then hungout with a group of first year students for almost an hour, just talking and having a good time. The conversation didn't go as deep as the previous one, but we did get to show how the old testament points to our need for a Savior and how Jesus fills that role.
Everyone was on a high walking back from that first day. It is amazing to me how open the Greeks are to debate, and even welcome it. They will argue fiercely but still love you at the end of it! Very refreshing coming from America where everyone is so closed to new ideas and conversation.
Later that night we went to the Hellenic Ministries building where we were going to serve the meal. I found out that the Moody Bible school men's choir was singing so I would not be able to share the Gospel. While I felt a sense of relief at not having to speak in front of so many people, I was confident that I can if needed in the future! The meal was soup, bread and olives, the men were so grateful, and our whole team loved serving them! Mark especially! He passed, he swept, he cleaned, he carried, he even mopped the bathroom. And he had a smile on his face the whole time.
We all went to be tired, sore and happy that we were able to serve the refugees physical food and the students Living Water. Pray that the seeds that we plant are fertilized with questions and prayer and that they eventually grow into a relationship with Jesus!
Monday, May 30, 2011
Campus Wasteland
Saturday: We had our first introduction to the campus that we will be working on. My team, Great Plains International (GPI) is on the campus of The Polytechnical University of Athens, basically the MIT of Greece. These kids are smart! Walking on campus was like stepping into a post apocalyptic, Children of Men-esque, world. There was graffiti everywhere, trash blowing around, unfinished buildings, crumbling cement structures, and posters for political parties covering hallways, windows and buildings. It seemed like a very desolate and dark place.
The stinters explained that there were no clubs or sports or activity groups in Athens, the political parties were the only organizations. They function as a student council, a campus government, an identity for the students who are a part of them and a bit like a cult. The major ones on campus are Communist, Socialist, Capitalist, and Anarchist, the capitalists are "in power" right now which is why there have not been as many student strikes lately. The students vote each week whether to attend class for the rest of the week, kind of a crazy idea to us Americans who begrudgingly go to school every day without much of a choice. What I found however in talking with students on Monday, was that College level schooling in Greece is free! They see it as a right and a privilege and strike because the government is not giving the schools enough money to run all the programs that the students have a right to enjoy. More on that later.
We split up into teams that would be working in different parts of campus. My team is Cari, Keegan, and me. I am so excited for this team, so are the girls, and when we got to our assigned location the excitement reached a new level. We were assigned to Civil engineering and topography. The moment we were shown the major hangouts all of us started laughing because we could all feel the Power and Presence of God in that place. I knew, as solidly as I knew that Wheaton was the right college for me, that this is where God wanted me and has prepared conversations to have and lives for my team (team Dot Ninjas because the main cafe is called Dots) to impact.
After leaving campus we were all in awe of what we had seen and felt God doing on our small tour. Upon investigation, God had prepared each group (which were chosen "randomly") for the specific place on campus where they were assigned.
The rest of the day was spent on a human scavenger hunt through a very busy mall. The stinters and interns dressed up and hid in plain sight for our team to find. It was a blast! Life size wheres waldo haha!
I have pictures but haven't been able to upload them because of the spotty internet, but stay tuned, they are pretty powerful...
The stinters explained that there were no clubs or sports or activity groups in Athens, the political parties were the only organizations. They function as a student council, a campus government, an identity for the students who are a part of them and a bit like a cult. The major ones on campus are Communist, Socialist, Capitalist, and Anarchist, the capitalists are "in power" right now which is why there have not been as many student strikes lately. The students vote each week whether to attend class for the rest of the week, kind of a crazy idea to us Americans who begrudgingly go to school every day without much of a choice. What I found however in talking with students on Monday, was that College level schooling in Greece is free! They see it as a right and a privilege and strike because the government is not giving the schools enough money to run all the programs that the students have a right to enjoy. More on that later.
We split up into teams that would be working in different parts of campus. My team is Cari, Keegan, and me. I am so excited for this team, so are the girls, and when we got to our assigned location the excitement reached a new level. We were assigned to Civil engineering and topography. The moment we were shown the major hangouts all of us started laughing because we could all feel the Power and Presence of God in that place. I knew, as solidly as I knew that Wheaton was the right college for me, that this is where God wanted me and has prepared conversations to have and lives for my team (team Dot Ninjas because the main cafe is called Dots) to impact.
After leaving campus we were all in awe of what we had seen and felt God doing on our small tour. Upon investigation, God had prepared each group (which were chosen "randomly") for the specific place on campus where they were assigned.
The rest of the day was spent on a human scavenger hunt through a very busy mall. The stinters and interns dressed up and hid in plain sight for our team to find. It was a blast! Life size wheres waldo haha!
I have pictures but haven't been able to upload them because of the spotty internet, but stay tuned, they are pretty powerful...
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Behind already...Orientation
I knew this was going to happen. I would get here with all the intentions of blogging everyday but once things got started it would be impossible to keep up. I have been in Greece since last Wednesday, May 25 and have done quite a bit for four short days. Yesterday was incredible, so I'm going to save it for its own post but Thursday and Friday were devoted to learning about Agape (campus crusade abroad) and through skits and discussions, giving us an idea of what our conversations with the Greek students will be like.
Thursday: Got up and did my small workout on the floor of our hostel room, just sit ups push ups and pull ups on my bed, but being disciplined in one thing helps me to stay disciplined in another and I want to be disciplined in my quiet times, with this blog and pouring into and hanging out with my team who I love more and more every day. But I digress, the point of this day was to join with the other teams (there are two other crusade teams here who are going to different campuses in Athens) and begin our "training." The international church, St. Andrews I believe, is in what is considered the worst part of Athens and it looked the part. While there is graffiti everywhere in the city, it was thicker and darker here. The park that is along the street is full of homeless people and drug addicts looking for money and their next high.
The service started with worship. Worship, if you don't know this about me already, through singing and praising is one of the best ways I know and my favorite way to connect with God. Many of the songs I didn't know, but the tears came anyway, and while i stood there crying and speaking in tongues I saw again a vision for this trip. It was all the citizens of Athens, looking up to the sky as we fly away and remembering and thinking about what we had said to them and considering life amidst what is a very dark time for their country and then God flooding the valley where Athens is, so much so that the living water breaks over the mountains and into the surrounding land, Africa, Turkey, Macedonia, the Middle East.
We learned about the culture and some of the tools we had at our disposal for talking about God with the Greeks but for your sake I will save this discussion for another day.
Friday: The second day of orientation was much like the first. Worship, some teaching, and then discussion about what to expect when we go onto campus.
We got to know the interns or "stinters" more on friday. They have been here since September, working on campus with students and operating a "Steke"(pronounced steki) which means hangout near one of the campuses. Their names are Zach, Joel, Allison, Brittany, Ashley, Anya, and Jessica. They are really cool people who are really excited to work with us and help encourage us as we start making relationships with students on campus.
Thursday: Got up and did my small workout on the floor of our hostel room, just sit ups push ups and pull ups on my bed, but being disciplined in one thing helps me to stay disciplined in another and I want to be disciplined in my quiet times, with this blog and pouring into and hanging out with my team who I love more and more every day. But I digress, the point of this day was to join with the other teams (there are two other crusade teams here who are going to different campuses in Athens) and begin our "training." The international church, St. Andrews I believe, is in what is considered the worst part of Athens and it looked the part. While there is graffiti everywhere in the city, it was thicker and darker here. The park that is along the street is full of homeless people and drug addicts looking for money and their next high.
We learned about the culture and some of the tools we had at our disposal for talking about God with the Greeks but for your sake I will save this discussion for another day.
Friday: The second day of orientation was much like the first. Worship, some teaching, and then discussion about what to expect when we go onto campus.
We got to know the interns or "stinters" more on friday. They have been here since September, working on campus with students and operating a "Steke"(pronounced steki) which means hangout near one of the campuses. Their names are Zach, Joel, Allison, Brittany, Ashley, Anya, and Jessica. They are really cool people who are really excited to work with us and help encourage us as we start making relationships with students on campus.
Saturday, May 28, 2011
The Team
God has totally been setting up this team! I am so excited to get to spend the next month with these people. That includes working through some really hard times and sharing in some incredibly joyous one. (and some that happen way to early in the morning to post about because my mom reads this blog ;)
I will try to tell about all the people that are on the trip and things that have shown up even in the short time we have been together so far and then as the summer progresses include things I'm learning about them, this is important to let you all know because they are so much a part of my life over here! Please pray for all of us, as we will need support as we do the work God has for us here in Greece!
Here we go...
Anna Bohn: Anna and I are dating. WOAH before you jump to all sorts of conclusions about why we are going out after only knowing each other four days hold the phone! We met in high school, started dating sophomore year, broke up freshman year of college and have been back together since december of last year. Now thats behind us, Anna is a very social person. She likes being in the middle of things and likes being in with the loudest, while she can take some time to join a new group of people, once she does she is fiercely loyal and compassionate. Her compassion and heart for the hurting is one of the things that I like the most about Anna and something that God will be using to reach the Greek students we will be ministering too. With all of the turmoil in Greece and the strong emotions, Anna will be able to empathize and work to understand the situation and describe how God has helped her through some hard times.
Catherine Rutter: Catherine has been affectionately named "crazy catherine" by the four year old on the trip and for the most part its true. She has an amazing amount of energy and spunk that translates into a sharp wit and love of noise, laughter, and late nights. Catherine is great with the leader's kids and through that shows gentleness that her loud laugh and rambunctious behavior can hide. She definitely lives on the edge and loves to push the envelope, but her two tattoos, one of a world map with joshua 1:9 written on it and another of roses twined together with verses. Her friendliness and joy are infectious and will be a real light on the campus we are working at as well as a welcome relief during group times when a laugh is sorely needed.
Cari Straughn: Cari is a North Carolina girl. An apt descriptor I think, which brings to mind a slight southern accent, eye contact, good mannered, social, spunky person. That would be Cari. She loves God, her family, and working out. The first day she was beat, the jet lag and airports took all her energy away, but the next day, when everyone else was suffering from the heat and jet lag, Cari was up bouncing around and ready to shop (which she claims is a first). Cari obviously loves the Lord with her whole heart and it shows through the way she interacts with the group, makes quiet times her priority, and the way she carries herself with a reckless abandon to the Lord, trusting Him to take care of all she needs. The students will understand that there is something different about Cari, and miss self (God) confident will be happy to tell them what it is.
Hollie McKinney: Hollie is the student staff on this trip, which means that she has been on this trip before (last year in fact) and helps to lead along with Jason and Mandie Summers. I have not been able to get to know Hollie much so far, but I know that she is a very mature girl whose heart for the Greeks is matched only by her love for God. She is a senior in college and will be a great role model and leader for the other girls on this trip. I think its her leadership (and ability to follow) that makes her stand out among our group. I am looking forward to getting to know Hollie better.
Keegan Shepard: RAWK CHALK JAY HAWK KUUU! Thats right! Another KU fan among MU grads and students, needless to say we find solace with each other. She is also in a similar field to me, nursing, but she is interested in pediatric care even oncology. Keegan is very talkative and upfront with what she is thinking and feeling, much like the greek in this way. She has a very practical outlook of the world and is the level headed voice of the girls it seems. She won't be put off by an argument or a tough question and this will let her have hard conversations with the students that others on the team might shy away from.
Dannah Moore: Dannah has an opinion on everything! This is very helpful when it comes to deciding where to get coffee in the morning when we are all bleary eyed and indecisive. She has also spent time in Greece and a little time in Athens while studying abroad last summer. Her recommendations about gelato for example should be followed at all costs. :) Because she has been here before and is more comfortable with the culture of Greece, Dannah is not afraid to try out the language and initiate conversations if she needs information. I don't know much else at this point but I know she trusts God and will do what she thinks is right, safe, and pleasing to the Lord on campus!
Stephanie Banks: Stephanie is a very sweet girl. She has a very easy laugh and is a joy to be around. She definitely knows what it is to trust God with something and know that it will come to pass, and if I had to guess, thats where the joy and peace comes from. The other thing that comes across is her even keel. While she laughs loud and often, things don't move her dramatically. Her steadfast attitude is encouraging to me and something I can and have learned from. I think that the students will be drawn to her because of her joy and will find it easy to talk to her about important issues like where they will spend eternity because she will not be moved from her faith.
Lauren Sullivan: Lauren is here part as a baby sitter for our leaders' kids (Judah 2, and Addison "Adi" 4) and part as a team member. She has not been able to take part in some activities because of her responsibilities with the kids but all the same, she is and will be a big part of this trip. She is serving our leaders so they can come on campus with us and support us. Without Lauren this trip would certainly be much harder. I respect her for her servants heart. I haven't gotten to know her too well yet, but this is only the first week :)
Brandon Cox: Brandon is a super solid guy. It took a couple days for him to warm up to us but more and more each day he has shown his sharp wit and caring, protective, loyal attitude. A very soft spoken guy, but when he speaks, pay attention and get ready because he is quick with a joke. It's only been four days in Greece, but I love rooming with him. He is a great example of how to have a quiet time, how to hang out with the group, and how to be a Godly man in the midst of all these girls. While he is kind of quiet, at a technical college I think he will find that God has men stationed ready to hear what Brandon believes and I can't wait to meet those men in heaven!
Mark Webb: Mark is so great! He (along with brandon and me) is the only other guy student on the trip. Mark is a trooper. He hangs back with girls shopping, he listens attentively to the leaders or the speaker, he stands up fiercely for what he believes is right. I respect him so much. He is also very disciplined in his quiet times and encourages me to do the same. Not much has come out as far as his motivations for his protectiveness and pursuit of justice but I look forward to rooming with him the next five weeks and finding ways to make him laugh and understand him more.
Thats the team (along with me). I really believe that God has brought us here from all over the country to Athens Greece with a purpose and a specific goal in mind for each of us as well as one for us as a group. The amount that we have grown together over this first week is pretty incredible. I'm sorry for this looong post but I really want to include all these people in my blog because they are the most important thing to me right now, and your prayer and support of them is so highly appreciated! Now you have names to pray and spirits to lift up!
Keegan Shepard: RAWK CHALK JAY HAWK KUUU! Thats right! Another KU fan among MU grads and students, needless to say we find solace with each other. She is also in a similar field to me, nursing, but she is interested in pediatric care even oncology. Keegan is very talkative and upfront with what she is thinking and feeling, much like the greek in this way. She has a very practical outlook of the world and is the level headed voice of the girls it seems. She won't be put off by an argument or a tough question and this will let her have hard conversations with the students that others on the team might shy away from.
Dannah Moore: Dannah has an opinion on everything! This is very helpful when it comes to deciding where to get coffee in the morning when we are all bleary eyed and indecisive. She has also spent time in Greece and a little time in Athens while studying abroad last summer. Her recommendations about gelato for example should be followed at all costs. :) Because she has been here before and is more comfortable with the culture of Greece, Dannah is not afraid to try out the language and initiate conversations if she needs information. I don't know much else at this point but I know she trusts God and will do what she thinks is right, safe, and pleasing to the Lord on campus!
Stephanie Banks: Stephanie is a very sweet girl. She has a very easy laugh and is a joy to be around. She definitely knows what it is to trust God with something and know that it will come to pass, and if I had to guess, thats where the joy and peace comes from. The other thing that comes across is her even keel. While she laughs loud and often, things don't move her dramatically. Her steadfast attitude is encouraging to me and something I can and have learned from. I think that the students will be drawn to her because of her joy and will find it easy to talk to her about important issues like where they will spend eternity because she will not be moved from her faith.
Lauren Sullivan: Lauren is here part as a baby sitter for our leaders' kids (Judah 2, and Addison "Adi" 4) and part as a team member. She has not been able to take part in some activities because of her responsibilities with the kids but all the same, she is and will be a big part of this trip. She is serving our leaders so they can come on campus with us and support us. Without Lauren this trip would certainly be much harder. I respect her for her servants heart. I haven't gotten to know her too well yet, but this is only the first week :)
Brandon Cox: Brandon is a super solid guy. It took a couple days for him to warm up to us but more and more each day he has shown his sharp wit and caring, protective, loyal attitude. A very soft spoken guy, but when he speaks, pay attention and get ready because he is quick with a joke. It's only been four days in Greece, but I love rooming with him. He is a great example of how to have a quiet time, how to hang out with the group, and how to be a Godly man in the midst of all these girls. While he is kind of quiet, at a technical college I think he will find that God has men stationed ready to hear what Brandon believes and I can't wait to meet those men in heaven!
Mark Webb: Mark is so great! He (along with brandon and me) is the only other guy student on the trip. Mark is a trooper. He hangs back with girls shopping, he listens attentively to the leaders or the speaker, he stands up fiercely for what he believes is right. I respect him so much. He is also very disciplined in his quiet times and encourages me to do the same. Not much has come out as far as his motivations for his protectiveness and pursuit of justice but I look forward to rooming with him the next five weeks and finding ways to make him laugh and understand him more.
 |
| Left to Right: Top: Brandon, Jeff (leader), Mark, Catherine, Joseph, Anna. Bottom: Dannah, Hollie, Lauren, Cari, Keegan, Stephanie |
Thursday, May 26, 2011
The first days
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