Sorry to all for the absence of the blog the last two weeks. Our week in Volos went incredibly well, and I feel redundant to blog about it at this point. PLEASE read my fellow teammates blogs regarding Volos (Rachel, Thomas, and Mallory each provide a great perspective on our week spent there, and me blogging any more about it would only be repeating their thoughts!). The link to each of them is in the top corner of our page! The title of this blog was a quote from Pastor Meletis up in Volos. It is a popular Greek saying, meaning "it's time for you to go". Every night after our meetings, he would dismiss us with this and a laugh. It's starting to wind down to the last couple of weeks here, and we are starting to worry about the smell of our feet. A mentor, Opal, just visited us to help us through this awkward final stretch...and how to prepare ourselves mentally for the return back to the states. But while we are here, we have work left to be done.....so I will share:
With Volos out of the way in one short paragraph, we got back to the Bible School Saturday night, with me and Thomas in brand new rooms! I haven't told you guys this yet, but our prior room before Volos was pretty dadgum awful (compared to the girls rooms hah). No air conditioning (like the girls had), ant infested bathroom (unlike the girls had), and a mattress that resembled a black diamond in Vail. I say this with a cheerful heart and slight sarcasm because, without our prior accomodations, we would not know how heavenly this bedroom is and how lovely a back can feel in the morning. The downside is we only get to stay in this room one week before we must pack up again and move to Kalamos for the grand-hoorah to our summer's end.
We went to church on Sunday morning at the First Evangelical, and had a pleasant surprise. We were supposed to be going to Kalamos after the service to help with the kids there, but we now had an unanticipated guest with us. Ekki, a former prostitute from Nigeria who has come to know the Lord through Nea Zoi, would be tagging along with us all day. You could see the hearts of every girl melt for this beautiful girl, and you could still sense the fear and the guarded heart of Ekki. She met our group with downcast eyes and few choice words, and you could sense her feelings of judgement and shame with her prior occupation. But an amazing thing happened. Throughout the day, the love of Christ poured out from each girl on our team to Ekki. Her eyes began looking upward, her words began reflecting encouragement, her arms began linking with theirs as they walked. After lunch, we went to get coffee and discuss our week with the teenage camp coming up with what we would be doing. She surprised us all and ordered two pizzas for everyone to share (we were all stuffed from lunch, but the act in and of itself was amazing). For a former prostitute who idolized the ideal of money and intake to see the generosity others had shown her... and to digest that generosity to the point that it poured back out of her heart was one of the farthest acts they have ever seen a so-called "jaded" woman like Ekki do. Her heart now is to attend the Bible School. GUYS, THIS IS AMAZING. Not long ago, this girl was on the streets selling her body and soul to abuse. God has now brought her out of this mess, into another job, and impressed on her the desire to learn more about him. I can symbolize how far she has come by the way that we said goodbye to her. SHE LOOKED ME IN THE EYES. Something she hadn't done to me all day, me...a man...the same kind of gender who used to abuse her and manipulate her and treat her no more importantly than cattle at a stockyard. She saw in us something different, something not to be scared of or belittled by. There are godly men out there, men that she can look in the eyes and hug and say "thank you for everything" and "goodbye" to. Praise God for all the He has done in the heart of Ekki and in the heart of this team.
That night, Yotis informed us that we would be leading worship and giving 4-5 testimonies. This is something that we have becomed accustomed to, and we find almost humourous now. We joke and say that we are this traveling group of worship monkeys, ready to dance at any moment. But we have grown to love sharing our stories to these people. Even our ill prepared songs (Every Move I Make and Shout to the Lord) wound up being fun and working out. The testimony-ers were Rachel, Thomas, Emily, and myself. Each person did fantastic. I had been told earlier that day that I was needed to play the role of God/Jesus in a pantomine skit to the song "Everything" by Lifehouse in the middle of the nightly program. This wound up being an awesome experience for me, who has never really acted since my "Amerikids" glory days when I was 10 yrs old and Yakee Doodle Doo. To give you an idea, here's the link to a youtube video that we practiced to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyheJ480LYA.
The skit really was moving to me, even though I was in it. You can watch it and kind of note the symbolism and the role God plays in our lives. At the climax scene, the kids were all standing up and yelling...and shouting and cheering once God won in the end. Haha, I'm not going to lie about my goosebumps. Anyways, overall great experience with the kids there....and I really, really, really cannot wait for our next week there. We will be there from Friday-Friday, spending 7 nights apart from each other in our own separate camp cabins immersed in the kids. Please pray that we touch these campers lives, and finish strong in this trip I know has changed my life and each person on our team's.
Thank every one of you who has committed us to your prayers, to our church who has supported us so faithfully, and those who have continued to read our blog and be apart of God's work out here. I know that we have only really scratched the surface for you guys, and to truly comprehend what is going out here is hard to convey via blogspot. I cannot wait to see many of you in two weeks, but I am not ready to leave this place behind. Pray that our looking forward will not hamper our final days, and that we will have no regrets about our time spent here. Pray for continued team unity, as each team member truly loves the next. Pray for the continued protection from the devices of the devil, and that our physical and mental fatigue will not leave us vulnerable to these. Pray for the continued impression of the Gospel here, and the understanding that the Gospel does not end once we get off that plane in Atlanta. Thank you to all the mentors who have been able to spend time with us out here, and know that each of your absence is sorely missed! We love each and every one of you guys, and know that you would still be out here if you could.
"Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. Let all that you do be done with love." 1 Corinthians 16:13-14
In Him,
Austen Weatherly
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Saturday, July 4, 2009
It's July
So the title has absolutely nothing to do with the topic of this blog, but the team is feeling the heat (mentally and physically) from the onset of July. As it gets warmer, so our time here gets shorter. The last month was a strange combination of time caught between a sense of "flying by" and another sense of "remember whens...". We feel as though we have been here forever, yet each week is starting to pass quicker than the one before. With this said, last night was our LAST festival we would throw downtown for the kids.
We have grown to love these kids over the past 4 weeks (especially the last two). Each team member has settled into their niche amongst the crowd of children, and each child has their most favorite team member. And by child, sometimes I mean old men (i.e. Caroline's crew). We have seen Mallory and Rachel in the face painting corner. We have seen Thomas and Chelsea blowing balloon dogs, swords, hats, flowers, you name it. We have seen Emily engaging young children like she gets paid to do it at home (wait?). We have seen Ron being patient and talking to our friend, Hasad, throughout the week (hooray, seed planting!). I have settled into the older kids crowd around the basketball courts, even adopting several nicknames haha.
We have grown to love these kids over the past 4 weeks (especially the last two). Each team member has settled into their niche amongst the crowd of children, and each child has their most favorite team member. And by child, sometimes I mean old men (i.e. Caroline's crew). We have seen Mallory and Rachel in the face painting corner. We have seen Thomas and Chelsea blowing balloon dogs, swords, hats, flowers, you name it. We have seen Emily engaging young children like she gets paid to do it at home (wait?). We have seen Ron being patient and talking to our friend, Hasad, throughout the week (hooray, seed planting!). I have settled into the older kids crowd around the basketball courts, even adopting several nicknames haha.
(Mallory and Maria - Festival 6/24)
(Ron talking with Hassad - 6/24)I have been intensely amused by the way my boys work socially. It truly is a scene from the movie "Hook", and I am Robin Williams. It took me a while for the neverland boys to induct me into their club, but once I was in you could see friendships that were there to the end. You have your leader of the packs, the dominant personalities if you will. All the kids will get around these kids and chant their nicknames (recall the scene for "Rufio, Rufio, RU-FI-OOOO"). However wild these kids are, there is a sense of organization about them. There are no adults supervising usually, there are no referees, but they all just know how their own system works. They pick teams that are extremely fair, knowing the good futbol players and the bad, and are extremely supportive about waiting for the next game before playing. It's almost a sort of Rounds Robbins approach to games, with a title game at the end. The boys sitting around watching will scream cheers and taunts, the sudden death shoot-offs at the end leave you hanging on the edge of your seat, and the team that wins usually does a celebratory dance at the center of the court. It is actually pretty amusing!
My role has been that of throwing the American football (they call it rugby?) around the fringes with whoever is not involved in the futbol games. There was a small sort of cult generated by this, and needless to say my arm was blown several days this week. Every kid marvels at a well-thrown spiral, and want to be taught the correct way. I had a small little following on the fringes, and I was excited to see them excited (if that makes sense?). I also played the role of basketball player (they call me Lebron, Kobe, you name it haha). In Greece, if you are even slightly good at basketball....you are a star. It felt nice being the guy everyone wanted on the team. I even heard extremely flattering words like "You will go home and be extremely successful in the NBA my friend, I will watch for you on tv"....laughing to myself knowing that I wouldn't have even started on my high school basketball team. We had great times though, and I really am going to miss those kids. I have alot of emails and facebooks, so hopefully I can keep in touch with some of those guys.
Finally, today we are heading to Volos (actually in 45 minutes so I must run and pack). Please keep us in your prayers as we do servant ministry up there cleaning up the city. I hear there is a unique coalition between the Evangelical and Orthodox churches in Volos, and excited to see the seeds planted up there already. It is in the mountains by the sea, so I hear it is extremely gorgeous! Thank you for the prayer support thus far, and we are trying to pace ourselves to finish this summer out leaving nothing behind. God bless you guys! Εφηασιτοωε!
In Him,
Austen Weatherly
Happy Fourth: More Farewells
(pic of red light district above)
As most of you prepare for a day of fun in the sun, eating too much, and spending time with family; we are headed on a train to Northern Greece (Volos to be exact) for a week of Mercy Ministry, children's festivals, and kid's camps. We are all extremely excited about this new adventure (i.e. getting out of the big city of Athens for awhile). No more metro, long bus rides, sweaty people, steaming weather, etc etc. Not saying that we have hated being in Athens.....it is somewhat our home.....but it is always good to get away for awhile (step out of routine a little bit). Alot has happened since the last time either one of us has blogged, so I am going to use this opportunity to share what has happened this last week so prayers and praises can be lifted up.
Ron and Deborah left this morning.....a very sad day. The weeks flew by so fast that it is almost scary to admit that they are actually gone. Wow, there aren't enough words to describe how amazing the two of them have been. Ron was here for two weeks by himself after Brian and Lorrie had left. He brought such an incredible aspect to our team. His focus was on growing us through group de-briefs, bible study (Corinthians), and intercession with the Lord (something we needed more than anything). He is such an amazing listener with a gift for relationships. Every second he had was spent with a different person.....trying to get to know he/she better. It was easy to see his sincerity and his heart for mentoring. Whether the words that came out of our mouths were joyful or grumbling, he always had a way to point everything back to the cross. When Deborah arrived it was like a new Ron had joined us. It was amazing to see how well they complemented eachother and how Deborah brought out this "Ron" that we had never met before. The first night she arrived (fresh from cross-country travel), she quickly hopped on our beds and started digging deep (so precious). She has this generosity and sincerity about her that exudes every part of her being. The way she loves Ron and quickly loved us speaks wonders about how incredible this woman is. I thank the both of them for challenging our thoughts, shaping our hearts, and pushing us to strive for the crown with endurance. As Ron said yesterday during our de-briefing time, "This summer is like running a Marathon, we are at about 16 miles right now and to sprint would be useless, pace yourselves so that you can be steadfast in doing the Lord's work." Such an amazing couple and an inspiration to all of us to pursue the Lord in every aspect of our lives.
"Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Give no offense, either to the Jews or to the Greeks or to the church of God, just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved."
I Corinthians 10:31-33.
Nea Zoi this week was a very humbling experience. The group was large so I knew that most of us girls would be put on the praying team (which I have grown to love). Our worship time before everyone hits the streets is such a precious time. We sing songs (both in Greek and English), and to hear both languages singing the same words is something one cannot describe. It was Deborah's first time at Nea Zoi so she was able to go out on the streets with one of the teams. Austen, Ron, and Thomas also joined the street teams as men are such a vital role in this Ministry. On that note, there are some major prayer requests involving this ministry. Without male volunteers, Nea Zoi would not exist (because a one or two males are required per outreach team). Nea Zoi struggles with this aspect of the ministry because many Greek men feel that this is a women's ministry; therefore, involving all women. Because the men don't physically visit the brothels and minister to these women, it is hard for them to realize that what they are doing is vital. Many times outreaches have been cancelled because men were not present to go out on the streets. Pray that the Lord would bother these men and tug at their hearts to be apart of this ministry. I have witnessed that safety is a top priority to many Christians and mostly to myself (whether Greek or American) when serving the Lord. What is safer??.......children's ministry or Nea Zoi??..........helping hands or Nea Zoi?? I am reading John Piper's book "Don't Waste Your Life" and he says that "Clean noses and quality family time is not life". He goes on to say that no one will ever want to say to the Lord of the universe five minutes after death that they spent every night playing games and watching clean TV with my family because I loved them so much. Maybe a little over the top (maybe not), but the Lord calls us to take risks: whether that is saying no to children's ministry and spending that time in the red light district of Athens who knows!!
"For me to live is Christ and to die is gain." Phillipians 1:21.
Another prayer request for Nea Zoi is the Nigerian ministry. As I have said before, these women work on the streets illegally and not in the confounds of a brothel. To reach them is dangerous for them (because we are associated with the police). We (the prayer team) walked to the location of the Nigerian Ministry to pray about the ministry in that location. It is so overwhelming for Nea Zoi because these women seem "unreachable". They seem to take advantage of the Nea Zoi outreach teams (because they can) by just asking for food and drink (which is something the teams always carry around with them). Many don't have the desire to have conversations with the teams or to seek help. So, in saying that, this part of the Ministry needs an intense amount of prayer. Pray for encouragement for the team, for wisdom in how to reach these women, and for men volunteers for this area of the ministry (because more men or needed as it is a little more sketchy).
Well, I was just informed that we are leaving in an hour for Volos instead of two hours (that sums up the Greek culture for you) so I am sorry I had to cut this short. When we return next weekend I am sure I will have more than enough to share about our time in Volos and the new ministries that we were involved in. Once again thanks for sharing in this experience with me. Thanks also for your prayers as we continue on this adventure. Continue to pray for unity on our team as we are "mentorless" for the last leg of our journey. Pray for wisdom as we make decisions on our own and continued safety while we do the Lord's work!!
Happy Independence Day (Eat some good food for me),
Caroline Weatherly
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Relationships: A Mess Worth Making
The more we continue to dive into this culture, the more at home it feels. I am almost to the point where I feel that I might be "manipulating" the Lord into giving me some kind of reassurance that I am suppossed to be here forever and who knows that might happen (don't get upset Mom and Dad). As much as I am loving being here, alot of my feelings probably have to do with the fact that this is an "escape" from the realities of home where school, work, family, and other relationships consume my every thoughts and feelings. It is so very convicting that it takes being in a missionary "bubble" to slow it down and make intentional time for the Lord. And the even more convicting thought is that even while I am in this missionary "bubble" it is still so very hard to make intentional time for the Lord. We get caught up in our to- do lists for the day: when do we have to wake up, when are we eating, when do I have time to blog and check facebook, when am I going to run, when AM I GOING TO BED!!! During our group bible studies we have been studying Corinthians, and a discussion popped up about how the Lord is jealous for our time with him. To be able to pour into these people with every ounce of our being involves being fed and having intentional time with Him. Whether at home in my regular routine or in Greece doing the Lord's work, it is a struggle everyday for me to give up that time. The past two days we have been in Kalemos doing manual labor for the camps that are starting up on Monday. We had been asked to go over early Friday morning, spend the night, and we just arrived home an hour ago from another long day's work. It was a frustrating couple of days: no to-do lists, idle time followed by extremely busy times, language barrier, bad attitudes (I was number one), sleeping with bugs, raccoons eating our food, questions on whether we would eat or not, hot weather turned into extremely cold weather, doing the same job over and over because we did the jobs backwards, cold showers, and the list goes on and on. So Ron gathered us together Friday night for a little "talk". He read Phillipians 2:14 "Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain." That was hard to hear after a day of grumbling from myself and the others. It was a silent discussion as you could see the wheels turning in everyone's head. We had wasted that day, all the work that we had done had been in vain with selfess ambition (at least for myself). I got caught up in the disorganization and the repetitition of it all that I had not done it for the glory of the Lord (it was joyless). This morning as we rolled out of bed bug-infested, showerless, back's aching, and hungry we gathered together to read Phillipians before the day's work began. It was refreshing to start our morning out right with our gaze focused in the right direction. Broom and spray paint cans in hand, we began to whistle while we worked as if the disorganization and repitition meant nothing. I am not going to say that near the end of the day we weren't still grumbling and tired but we had not wasted the day. We had done it for the glory of the Lord and not out of selfish ambition.
On a lighter note the past week has been extremely encouraging to me. I have had an opportunity to meet some incredible people and actually build relationships (which is a big deal coming from a person who has had pretty much the same group of friends my entire life). My days of the fish pond have been retired (because this week the festivals have been focused on playing games with the older kids). So we had some options of what we could do: face paint, balloon-making, hanging out with some of the older kids, or just walk around the park and try and strike up discussions with various people. I am not artistic, the only thing I can make with a balloon is a deformed animal-looking thing, and the boys had playing with the older kids covered. So, non-relational me was sent to strike up conversations around the park (language barrier still an issue). I ended up gravitating to the older men (like 70+). The same old men had been sitting at these park benches just hanging out every since we started going to the festivals. They always interested me because they were always there, no kids or wives, but just sat around. They didn't really talk to eachother, they didn't laugh, they just sat. So I stepped out on a limb and walked over to one of the benches (consisting of about 4 or 5 old Greek men). As confused looks were pasted all over their faces, I began to talk in my broken Greek language. Te Kanes (How are you) I asked.......in response "Kalla (Good)"............silence............stares..........awkwardness. Right as I was about to escape from the extremely awkward conversation I had ignorantly started, one of the Greek men started talking to me in English (like a voice from an angel). My eyes brightened up and I started playing the 50 questions game with this poor old man (he did not know what he had gotten himself into). His name was Costas (Gus in America) and he had lived in Toronto for 15 years as a maintenance worker in a hospital. I asked him every question imaginable and he did the same. To put it all in a nutshell this old man is my favorite. I met him on Tuesday of last week and everyday after that we have met up to talk (same place, same time.....he has to be gone by 8 to get to dinner on time). After I felt that I had built a pretty good relationship with him, I finally asked him about his religion (I had to be careful because it is illegal to Protestantalize in Greece, and most of the older generations are devout Orthodox). He responded that he had lost his religion and he only goes to church on Christmas and Easter because of his family. Broke my heart to think of such an old man so close to the end of his life that he had no hope in life or death. I did not get to elaborate on this conversation because the night was close to an end but will see him again on Tuesday (so be praying that I have intentional conversations with him). He asks everyday when we will be back and when we will get to talk again (so I know he enjoys speaking with me). I know this has been a long blog but just hoped to share a few thoughts about this past week. If you have any questions or would like to be sent a photo album of our trip so far feel free to email us at austenandcaroline@gmail.com.
God Bless,
Caroline Weatherly
On a lighter note the past week has been extremely encouraging to me. I have had an opportunity to meet some incredible people and actually build relationships (which is a big deal coming from a person who has had pretty much the same group of friends my entire life). My days of the fish pond have been retired (because this week the festivals have been focused on playing games with the older kids). So we had some options of what we could do: face paint, balloon-making, hanging out with some of the older kids, or just walk around the park and try and strike up discussions with various people. I am not artistic, the only thing I can make with a balloon is a deformed animal-looking thing, and the boys had playing with the older kids covered. So, non-relational me was sent to strike up conversations around the park (language barrier still an issue). I ended up gravitating to the older men (like 70+). The same old men had been sitting at these park benches just hanging out every since we started going to the festivals. They always interested me because they were always there, no kids or wives, but just sat around. They didn't really talk to eachother, they didn't laugh, they just sat. So I stepped out on a limb and walked over to one of the benches (consisting of about 4 or 5 old Greek men). As confused looks were pasted all over their faces, I began to talk in my broken Greek language. Te Kanes (How are you) I asked.......in response "Kalla (Good)"............silence............stares..........awkwardness. Right as I was about to escape from the extremely awkward conversation I had ignorantly started, one of the Greek men started talking to me in English (like a voice from an angel). My eyes brightened up and I started playing the 50 questions game with this poor old man (he did not know what he had gotten himself into). His name was Costas (Gus in America) and he had lived in Toronto for 15 years as a maintenance worker in a hospital. I asked him every question imaginable and he did the same. To put it all in a nutshell this old man is my favorite. I met him on Tuesday of last week and everyday after that we have met up to talk (same place, same time.....he has to be gone by 8 to get to dinner on time). After I felt that I had built a pretty good relationship with him, I finally asked him about his religion (I had to be careful because it is illegal to Protestantalize in Greece, and most of the older generations are devout Orthodox). He responded that he had lost his religion and he only goes to church on Christmas and Easter because of his family. Broke my heart to think of such an old man so close to the end of his life that he had no hope in life or death. I did not get to elaborate on this conversation because the night was close to an end but will see him again on Tuesday (so be praying that I have intentional conversations with him). He asks everyday when we will be back and when we will get to talk again (so I know he enjoys speaking with me). I know this has been a long blog but just hoped to share a few thoughts about this past week. If you have any questions or would like to be sent a photo album of our trip so far feel free to email us at austenandcaroline@gmail.com.
God Bless,
Caroline Weatherly
Monday, June 22, 2009
Weekend, Thoughts, and Caroline's Testimony
As I was mulling over this weekend (while checking Facebook in hope I wouldn't go to bed too early), I have decided to share just a few thoughts and events that have been going on. First, I warn you this might be long (we will see?). So:
Friday, we knocked out a Goodwill-type ministry with the 2nd Evangelical Church folding mounds of clothes and sorting them into winter, summer, mens, womens, etc etc. while the men moved some chairs to storage. We relaxed at the community center that afternoon, preparing our minds and our bodies for the final festival of the week that afternoon. We did a study on 1 Corinthians 1-6 (we are a little psyched still from the Corinth visit, so we are naturally trying to harness this energy for our betterment hah). The festival went off, just as the others had, without a hitch. We all bore the burden of the fish pond (read two blogs below for background info) so that Caroline may keep her sanity and we may also learn life lessons from these little anglers. I was actually extremely amused at the drama surrounding the fish pond, as these little kids are serious about the plastic fish! It almost seemed to represent all the different personalities you will encounter in life (the go getters, the drama queens, the behind the sceners, the unselfish helpers, the humble receivers, the little terrorist whose ploy is to take all the fish away so no kids can play...etc).
Anyways, a great thing happened. A man I had been talking to from Afgahnistan named Ahsad has been showing an extreme interest in who I am and what we are doing. We have been talking for about 3 days in a row now, and he was able to talk to Ron one on one (while I was at the fish pond...haha side joke I just had to throw in) and said he would be interested in joining us at the 1st Evangelical Church that Sunday! He did not show on Sunday, but we will see him again this week as we return for more festivals, and praise the Lord for seeds being planted in his heart!!! (A little background, Afghanistan is 100% Muslim...this guy is 20 years old....saw his father killed....has seen heat seeking missiles, bombs, grenades, etc blowing up all around him in his hometown...he is here looking for a better life and money to send home to support his family....amazing story to say the least). Continue to pray for Ahsad, and we can feel God tugging at his heart!
Saturday was a continuation of last Saturday's work at Kalamos, followed by an incredible dinner once again by Takis and his family in appreciation for our hard work. I will continue to Sunday:
We were told to prepare an entire evening service for the 1st Evangelical Church last night. We chose three songs to do: Isaiah 43, Come Thou Fount, and In Christ Alone. We had two testimonies by Chelsea and Caroline, followed by a small message from Ron. This went amazingly well!!! Chelsea's testimony was an incredibly moving story that had elderly women in tears at how God has had His hand on her through many struggles. I would embelish more, but we have a video so that you can hear her own words. Caroline followed this with her own testimony. She opened with, what I am feeling, is now our joint intro to our lives "My name is Caroline Weatherly, and I was born 21 years ago with another person." Followed by confusion and the clarity/punch-line of the joke: "No, this is not a metaphor....I have a twin brother Austen sitting right over there." (Sound familiar?) But through the next 10 minutes, she poured her heart out and really got me choked up. I was so proud of her opening up like that, and it really took me by surprise to say the least. It was a story of God's blessing on her life, her identity in all her successes, and her realization that her identity was never in those but in the God she loved. Even how through this trip, He is still showing her her new identity in Christ an how her idea of "self" continues to change.
FUN/AMAZING POINT: So....Come Thou Fount was in their hymnal book, so we asked them to sing along with us during praise. This might have been the most moving hymn I have ever sang. The beautiful flow with which the melodies of praises in Greek and English intertwined was truly something to have witnessed. The song that came to mind was Newsboys "He Reigns" where he talks about "every tribe, every nation" singing God's holy praise. Just the feeling of the Holy Spirit really sent chills up my spine, and really set the tone for the rest of the night (this was before the testimonies). Rachel really did a great job, also, on the piano bearing with us since we had limited time to practice. It truly was thrown together, and how beautifully it worked out couldn't have been our doing!
So Ron's message was cut short, but it really was inspiring as well. Me and Ron had talked the night before about "worry" and things surrounding it, and the verse in Matthew 6:34 about not worrying about tomorrow for tomorrow will worry about itself. We had talked about how that so many times, we excuse our worries of today claiming these as "relevant". However, its not saying to not worry about tomorrow but worry about today...it is commanding us to not worry about tomorrow but praise God for today. So many times, the menial tasks we seek to accomplish get in our way of praising the Lord and to put the worries in perspective. If we just took the time to praise the Lord before we set out on our multi-tasking missions, how much blessings and comfort would we receive in place of all the worry and frustrations? Just something to think about. We then closed with "In Christ Alone" (a personal favorite!) which really just closed the night on a great note.
Needless to say, the multitude flocked to our group afterwards to pinch cheeks, give Greek kisses, and tell us "God Bless" in broken English. The pastor told us how amazing it was to see a vulnerability in Christ, as these people kept a stern exterior regarding their spiritual beliefs. The people here also see Americans as "got it together" people who live fairytale lives. To see a brokeness and genuine reliance on Christ truly touched their hearts.
I know this is getting long, and my mother just got on Facebook chat (Hallelujah!) so I must run! I hope that all of you can be encouraged by what is going on here, and pray that we are representing our body of believers back and our God with every action people see here. Please keep Ahsad in your prayers as well.
In Him,
Austen Weatherly
Friday, we knocked out a Goodwill-type ministry with the 2nd Evangelical Church folding mounds of clothes and sorting them into winter, summer, mens, womens, etc etc. while the men moved some chairs to storage. We relaxed at the community center that afternoon, preparing our minds and our bodies for the final festival of the week that afternoon. We did a study on 1 Corinthians 1-6 (we are a little psyched still from the Corinth visit, so we are naturally trying to harness this energy for our betterment hah). The festival went off, just as the others had, without a hitch. We all bore the burden of the fish pond (read two blogs below for background info) so that Caroline may keep her sanity and we may also learn life lessons from these little anglers. I was actually extremely amused at the drama surrounding the fish pond, as these little kids are serious about the plastic fish! It almost seemed to represent all the different personalities you will encounter in life (the go getters, the drama queens, the behind the sceners, the unselfish helpers, the humble receivers, the little terrorist whose ploy is to take all the fish away so no kids can play...etc).
Anyways, a great thing happened. A man I had been talking to from Afgahnistan named Ahsad has been showing an extreme interest in who I am and what we are doing. We have been talking for about 3 days in a row now, and he was able to talk to Ron one on one (while I was at the fish pond...haha side joke I just had to throw in) and said he would be interested in joining us at the 1st Evangelical Church that Sunday! He did not show on Sunday, but we will see him again this week as we return for more festivals, and praise the Lord for seeds being planted in his heart!!! (A little background, Afghanistan is 100% Muslim...this guy is 20 years old....saw his father killed....has seen heat seeking missiles, bombs, grenades, etc blowing up all around him in his hometown...he is here looking for a better life and money to send home to support his family....amazing story to say the least). Continue to pray for Ahsad, and we can feel God tugging at his heart!
Saturday was a continuation of last Saturday's work at Kalamos, followed by an incredible dinner once again by Takis and his family in appreciation for our hard work. I will continue to Sunday:
We were told to prepare an entire evening service for the 1st Evangelical Church last night. We chose three songs to do: Isaiah 43, Come Thou Fount, and In Christ Alone. We had two testimonies by Chelsea and Caroline, followed by a small message from Ron. This went amazingly well!!! Chelsea's testimony was an incredibly moving story that had elderly women in tears at how God has had His hand on her through many struggles. I would embelish more, but we have a video so that you can hear her own words. Caroline followed this with her own testimony. She opened with, what I am feeling, is now our joint intro to our lives "My name is Caroline Weatherly, and I was born 21 years ago with another person." Followed by confusion and the clarity/punch-line of the joke: "No, this is not a metaphor....I have a twin brother Austen sitting right over there." (Sound familiar?) But through the next 10 minutes, she poured her heart out and really got me choked up. I was so proud of her opening up like that, and it really took me by surprise to say the least. It was a story of God's blessing on her life, her identity in all her successes, and her realization that her identity was never in those but in the God she loved. Even how through this trip, He is still showing her her new identity in Christ an how her idea of "self" continues to change.
FUN/AMAZING POINT: So....Come Thou Fount was in their hymnal book, so we asked them to sing along with us during praise. This might have been the most moving hymn I have ever sang. The beautiful flow with which the melodies of praises in Greek and English intertwined was truly something to have witnessed. The song that came to mind was Newsboys "He Reigns" where he talks about "every tribe, every nation" singing God's holy praise. Just the feeling of the Holy Spirit really sent chills up my spine, and really set the tone for the rest of the night (this was before the testimonies). Rachel really did a great job, also, on the piano bearing with us since we had limited time to practice. It truly was thrown together, and how beautifully it worked out couldn't have been our doing!
So Ron's message was cut short, but it really was inspiring as well. Me and Ron had talked the night before about "worry" and things surrounding it, and the verse in Matthew 6:34 about not worrying about tomorrow for tomorrow will worry about itself. We had talked about how that so many times, we excuse our worries of today claiming these as "relevant". However, its not saying to not worry about tomorrow but worry about today...it is commanding us to not worry about tomorrow but praise God for today. So many times, the menial tasks we seek to accomplish get in our way of praising the Lord and to put the worries in perspective. If we just took the time to praise the Lord before we set out on our multi-tasking missions, how much blessings and comfort would we receive in place of all the worry and frustrations? Just something to think about. We then closed with "In Christ Alone" (a personal favorite!) which really just closed the night on a great note.
Needless to say, the multitude flocked to our group afterwards to pinch cheeks, give Greek kisses, and tell us "God Bless" in broken English. The pastor told us how amazing it was to see a vulnerability in Christ, as these people kept a stern exterior regarding their spiritual beliefs. The people here also see Americans as "got it together" people who live fairytale lives. To see a brokeness and genuine reliance on Christ truly touched their hearts.
I know this is getting long, and my mother just got on Facebook chat (Hallelujah!) so I must run! I hope that all of you can be encouraged by what is going on here, and pray that we are representing our body of believers back and our God with every action people see here. Please keep Ahsad in your prayers as well.
In Him,
Austen Weatherly
Thursday, June 18, 2009
"Grace and Peace To You"
These famous opening words written from Paul to the church in Corinth never held so much meaning. Today we were given an off day to visit the ancient city of Corinth, an hour outside of Athens. The experience will be ever present in the corners of my mind every time I flip past the pages of 1st/2nd Corinthians and Acts 18.
The special attribute to the city of Corinth is that it is the single most significant archeological site in the Christian faith. Many years after Jesus died, the city of Jerusalem was destroyed. The city of Athens has been built on and atop most ancient ruins. Same for Rome, Thessaloniki, etc. The city of Corinth is one of the rare sites we see today AS IT WAS in the days of Christ and Paul's missionary journey. You can still see the seat where Galileo issued the lashings on the one who blasphemed against Paul. You can still see the place Paul is historically stated to have stayed during his tenure. There is a round stone with the inscription "Erastus, financial leader of Corinth" thus proving his existence and ending this debate. We saw busts of every major Roman emporer (including Julius Ceasar and Nero, who is famed to have martyred Paul) up until well after Christ's death. We visited the port where Paul set sail to Syria, ending his 2nd missionary journey. Even the ancient bath still contained the sound of rushing water inside (we could not enter, however). I found a tablet that had a decree etched into it that was dated to 51 A.D. (this is the time Paul was believed to have landed and stayed for a year and a half). There were unbelievable art works dated back to 1000-800 B.C., thus blowing my mind and sense of time (we think things from the 1800's is old!). We took a thousand pictures, so please be patient (the internet here is slow and it takes forever and a day to post them up) but I cannot wait for everyone to be able to see how incredibly preserved most of the city is.
Just a short blog, as we have a team meeting in 3 minutes. Tomorrow we will be aiding the 2nd Evangelical Church in immigrant and refugee centers, and holding our last festival of the week tomorrow afternoon at 7 (meaning it will be a long day!). We still cannot believe that we are able to serve here in Athens, and continue to seek ways the Lord can utilize us each day. Our deepest appreciation to those who are praying for us, and continue to pray God will mold us more with each experience along with those we touch.
-Austen
The special attribute to the city of Corinth is that it is the single most significant archeological site in the Christian faith. Many years after Jesus died, the city of Jerusalem was destroyed. The city of Athens has been built on and atop most ancient ruins. Same for Rome, Thessaloniki, etc. The city of Corinth is one of the rare sites we see today AS IT WAS in the days of Christ and Paul's missionary journey. You can still see the seat where Galileo issued the lashings on the one who blasphemed against Paul. You can still see the place Paul is historically stated to have stayed during his tenure. There is a round stone with the inscription "Erastus, financial leader of Corinth" thus proving his existence and ending this debate. We saw busts of every major Roman emporer (including Julius Ceasar and Nero, who is famed to have martyred Paul) up until well after Christ's death. We visited the port where Paul set sail to Syria, ending his 2nd missionary journey. Even the ancient bath still contained the sound of rushing water inside (we could not enter, however). I found a tablet that had a decree etched into it that was dated to 51 A.D. (this is the time Paul was believed to have landed and stayed for a year and a half). There were unbelievable art works dated back to 1000-800 B.C., thus blowing my mind and sense of time (we think things from the 1800's is old!). We took a thousand pictures, so please be patient (the internet here is slow and it takes forever and a day to post them up) but I cannot wait for everyone to be able to see how incredibly preserved most of the city is.
Just a short blog, as we have a team meeting in 3 minutes. Tomorrow we will be aiding the 2nd Evangelical Church in immigrant and refugee centers, and holding our last festival of the week tomorrow afternoon at 7 (meaning it will be a long day!). We still cannot believe that we are able to serve here in Athens, and continue to seek ways the Lord can utilize us each day. Our deepest appreciation to those who are praying for us, and continue to pray God will mold us more with each experience along with those we touch.
-Austen
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Wake Up Calls
So time is flying bye. Everyday we all seem to get a little ansy as we feel the summer is slipping away. I think we all (well for me anyways) get so caught up in ways to not squander our experiences that we miss out on how the Lord is blessing us and what He wants us to gain from our experiences.
Wake up call #1:
So the next few weeks we are working heavily with the community centers, putting on various festivals for the children. I am not going to lie, I don't think I am very good with children (so of course I have needed a little attitude adjustment). I came to this realization while babysitting and constantly wondering when the parents were getting home.....come on we have all had that feeling. Our team has so many dynamics and different talents: some are good with kids, some aren't, some are athletic, some artistic, etc. So, we all met before the festival to designate stations for each person. Austen and Emily were in charge of the stilts/just playing with the kids, Mallory and Rachel face-painting, Thomas and Chelsea balloon-making, and Caroline got stuck at the fish pond.....yes the fish pond. The fish pond was this little blown up baby pool filled half way with water and fake fish with magnets on them. The little kids would spend hours (it seemed like) either figuring out how to catch these things or their hand-eye coordination just wasn't up to par. So as I sit lonely at this park bench (with the language barrier intensifying at every moment), watching kids gouge eachother's eyes out in hopes that they might steal the fishing rod from a fellow festival-goer, my self-pity increased more and more. Frustration built as I continued to attempt to take control of the situation.....Ohee, Ohee (no, no) is the only word I could use and of course I was not heard. As the volcano was about to explode inside me, I just said what the heck.....have at it!!! I gave the kids the nets and fishing rods and let them go to town. Splashing ensued followed by huge grins and laughter. These kids didn't care about organization or whos turn it was. I am not going to say that from there on I had the best night of my life and the Lord just opened up this huge door to build relationships with these kids. But I am going to say that control is a major idol in my life that seaps out into so many different aspects of how I live (i.e. the fish pond). I mean come on, if I can't even give up control at some little kiddie fish pond then I think that is a major conviction......don't know where I am really trying to go with this except that it was a HUGE wake up call and just one of the many things the Lord has brought out of me since I have been here.
Wake up call #2:
So this morning was Nea Zoi (The New Life Ministry). I had been looking forward to this all week (as this is something I want to pour myself into). Our entire team went this morning (usually we split up) so that everyone would possibly have the opportunity to be involved every Wednesday. Well we get there and pray and have our worship time to prepare our hearts for the day and then get split up into groups. Because there was such a large number of us, one group needed to stay back and pray for the teams (because too many people on the streets is not a good thing). Well I was chosen to stay back and pray..........pouting ensued (so silly now that I think about it). I was so upset that I "Me, me, me" only had one opportunity a week to go out and minister to these women, and my one opportunity was dashed as I was "stuck" praying (I know so selfish right). So a few of us who were left behind decided to get our blood flowing and we walked down to where the Nigerian prostitutes are located (because these were the women we wanted to specifically pray for). The more I walked and thought, the more I pouted. On our way back, Brit (one of the interns for Nea Zoi) started talking about how hard it was going to be to reach these Nigerian women and how much hard work and preparation was needed to get this part of the ministry off the ground (as these women work illegally on the streets and not in the brothels). So all in all, more safety measures are needed as well as more thought and prayer because these women are hesitant to talk to strangers for fear of being arrested. The more she talked to worse I felt about how selfish I had been. We headed back to Nea Zoi and split up the prayer requests and it was such a special time. We prayed specifically (by name) for some of the women who had been reached and we prayed for the team while they were on the field as well as other things that the Lord had laid on our hearts. So many times I forget the power of prayer and what a vital role it plays in the Christian faith. Chelsea was also part of the prayer group as well (I think she was a little pouty too) and we both just looked at eachother after our time like "wow, I would not have traded this time for anything else". Wake up call: New Life Ministry was started with prayer and my selfishness def. got the best of me today.
Thank you for your prayers and for reading this,
Caroline
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Getting Our Hands Dirty
Saturday morning, we had the opportunity to do a little manual labor at a youth camp an hour north of the Bible Institute. The village it was in was Kalamos, and it was a quaint little seaside community. The camp is the same camp we will be working at our last whole week of our stay (end of July), and we will be helping getting it ready every Saturday till the little tikes arrive. We accompanied a local denist who attends First Evangelical named Takis (Tah-kees) who has been volunteering at the camp every Saturday for the past 3 years.
The main problem with relational ministry, for us, is the issue surrounding "fruits of your labor". You primarily plant seeds, interact for moments, and all with the hope that they might just lose some sleep that night thinking about it. It is rare to see things such as last Monday morning, with a full blown start to finish converted soul in a matter of days. This is our hope and desire for every encounter we have, and it becomes easy to be let down when anything less occurs. This being said: it felt better than jumping in a cool pool after mowing the yard in July being able to get our hands on a tangible project.
The girls spent the entire morning cleaning the kitchen, scrubbing toilets and sinks spotless, and other various "girlie" projects (haha). Us men had the privilege of sanding down the amphitheater bleachers and applying a lacquer to stain. Talk about seeing something through to the end! After a momentary souvlaki break, Takis assumed we were tired and hinted for us to pack up and go. Not so fast my friend! We motioned to stay, and I think that took him slightly offguard.
He did not hesitate and put us to work loading all the mattresses onto the bunks. There will be 190 kids at camp the first week, to give you an idea of how many of these bunks there were. The girls did a fanastic job pulling together and using those muscles. It actually became a sort of joyous activity as the end came into sight. I was very excited that the group had such a positive attitude towards something that most people would have complained about, and we knocked those mattresses clear out of the water.
The next day, we saw Takis at church and he insisted that we come over to his house that afternoon for lunch and a swim (a pool is a rare luxury here in Greece!). IT WAS GORGEOUS. His home sat on the top of a mountain overlooking the Aegean Sea, one of the more picture-esque places we have been. He said it was all the Lord's, and even the blessing of digging into a water reserve (this is like striking oil in Greece, as it is extremely dry). It was moving seeing a believer who thanked God in every blessing, even the blades of grass in his yard. We enjoyed an incredible meal and great fellowship with Takis and a few other members of the church, and he said we will be welcome back any time and thanked us continually for our hard work. We are extremely thankful for him as well.
Our new word: "skoulimigomeretripa" (a worm & ant hole).
In Him,
Austen Weatherly
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Words of Praise and Goodbyes
Blessings from Greece (Prayers Have Been Answered)
Today we learned that one of the women whom Nea Zoi had been ministering to has left the brothel for good (she was actually on campus tonight.......we weren't there to greet her but others were). The New Life Ministry ran into her in one of the brothels last Monday night and she quickly expressed her desire to leave immediatley. The ministry arranged her pick-up time that night and had bought her some clothing (she had none). Praise the Lord!!! Her story is quite interesting so I will just summarize it. She was from Bulgaria and lived on the outskirts of town with her two young children and husband. She commuted to work everyday in the city and ended up falling in love with a different man. So, they escaped to Greece together (him giving her promises of a new and better life) and he ended up forcing her into prostitution (i.e. she was a trafficking victim). He stole all she had and left her with no money, papers, transportation, nothing. She explained that she was brought up a Christian but at that point in her life there were no other options. She met a Pakistani man while working and she fell in love with him (he was in the process of trying to get her out but was killed in a car accident). So with all hopes dashed, some ladies came in last Monday (to her brothel) just offering tea and words of encouragement. She asked the ladies what they were doing there and as soon as they shared the gospel with her she immediatley jumped on the opportunity to seek help. What a blessing to this woman and to the many hard workers in the Nea Zoi Ministry. They work so hard (many times not seeing the fruits of their labor but just trusting in the Lord) that it is such a blessing and encouragement to see the Lord's work first hand!!! Keep praying for this girl for she still struggles with the Lord's forgiveness as she states "So, how can I be forgiven more than I already am......I need to be forgiven more!!" Argyris was quick to respond tonight that you cannot be forgiven anymore, the Lord forgives you and there is hope in him for a new and better life. Wow, what a blessing to see this first hand. Just thought I would share some words of encouragement and let you all see first hand what the Lord is doing through this ministry.
On a different side of things, Brian and Lorrie are leaving tonight. Ron and his wife Deborah will be joining us tomorrow. We have learned so much from these two and are going to miss them terribly. As much as we joke and kid with the both of them, they have taught us some extremely valuable lessons. They have demonstrated through their own stories that the Lord has a plan for us better than we can ever have for ourselves. They are incredible examples of what it means to be a husband, wife, father, and mother and for that I am truly grateful. We are going to miss pow wows in the furnace room, short meetings that turn into extremely lengthy meetings (i.e. Brian's tangents), Eeyore (Brian) and Tigger (Glorrie), nutella on a stick (or French butter cookie), random conversations in French, Lorrie putting Brian in his place, and the end-less lessons of how not to get pick-pocketed (which Brian sacrificed himself as an example). Thank you guys for the sacrifices you have made for the Lord and as Lorrie would say it "I will see you again in heaven!!" Love you guys
Caroline Weatherly
Today we learned that one of the women whom Nea Zoi had been ministering to has left the brothel for good (she was actually on campus tonight.......we weren't there to greet her but others were). The New Life Ministry ran into her in one of the brothels last Monday night and she quickly expressed her desire to leave immediatley. The ministry arranged her pick-up time that night and had bought her some clothing (she had none). Praise the Lord!!! Her story is quite interesting so I will just summarize it. She was from Bulgaria and lived on the outskirts of town with her two young children and husband. She commuted to work everyday in the city and ended up falling in love with a different man. So, they escaped to Greece together (him giving her promises of a new and better life) and he ended up forcing her into prostitution (i.e. she was a trafficking victim). He stole all she had and left her with no money, papers, transportation, nothing. She explained that she was brought up a Christian but at that point in her life there were no other options. She met a Pakistani man while working and she fell in love with him (he was in the process of trying to get her out but was killed in a car accident). So with all hopes dashed, some ladies came in last Monday (to her brothel) just offering tea and words of encouragement. She asked the ladies what they were doing there and as soon as they shared the gospel with her she immediatley jumped on the opportunity to seek help. What a blessing to this woman and to the many hard workers in the Nea Zoi Ministry. They work so hard (many times not seeing the fruits of their labor but just trusting in the Lord) that it is such a blessing and encouragement to see the Lord's work first hand!!! Keep praying for this girl for she still struggles with the Lord's forgiveness as she states "So, how can I be forgiven more than I already am......I need to be forgiven more!!" Argyris was quick to respond tonight that you cannot be forgiven anymore, the Lord forgives you and there is hope in him for a new and better life. Wow, what a blessing to see this first hand. Just thought I would share some words of encouragement and let you all see first hand what the Lord is doing through this ministry.
On a different side of things, Brian and Lorrie are leaving tonight. Ron and his wife Deborah will be joining us tomorrow. We have learned so much from these two and are going to miss them terribly. As much as we joke and kid with the both of them, they have taught us some extremely valuable lessons. They have demonstrated through their own stories that the Lord has a plan for us better than we can ever have for ourselves. They are incredible examples of what it means to be a husband, wife, father, and mother and for that I am truly grateful. We are going to miss pow wows in the furnace room, short meetings that turn into extremely lengthy meetings (i.e. Brian's tangents), Eeyore (Brian) and Tigger (Glorrie), nutella on a stick (or French butter cookie), random conversations in French, Lorrie putting Brian in his place, and the end-less lessons of how not to get pick-pocketed (which Brian sacrificed himself as an example). Thank you guys for the sacrifices you have made for the Lord and as Lorrie would say it "I will see you again in heaven!!" Love you guys
Caroline Weatherly
Thursday, June 11, 2009
First Day with New Life and Austen's Testimony
Once again, time has slipped away. I have so much to tell, so Austen and I have split up the past week so that we are able to share all that has gone on. I know that many of you are wondering about how Austen's testimony went (I know he won't agree but I was just as nervous as he was). He got up there and rocked it though. The church was filled to capacity with about 200 people (there was also a group of campus crusaders attending). A translator was repeating every word he said (which for me would have bothered me but he acted like it was no big deal). He started it out by saying "Hi, my name is Austen Weatherly, I was born 21 years ago with another person." This was preceded with a long pause and a questionable look from the translator...he presumed by saying "No, this is not a metaphor, I have a twin sister." Of course, many laughs were heard around the room (definitely a great ice breaker). He talked about how incredible our parents are (which is more than true), but how much of his life was spent escaping from the Lord (and how even Greece was an "escape") but how the Lord used that escape to draw Austen closer to him. I really appreciated the things he had to say and will be posting a video of his testimony (if he lets me) so that the rest of you can see how the Lord used him.
Some major things have happened since I last posted. Wednesday (June 10) was my first day with Nea Zoi (the New Life Ministry). I was excited to be apart of this ministry. To have a better understanding (as intrusive as it might be), I feel that I need to go into more detail into the organization of a brothel. Brothels in Greece are completely legal. A brothel can be spotted (day or night) with a white light outside of the door. In a single brothel, there is a madam and "the girl". The madam (all of whom are women in their later years of life 60+) is what you would call the pimp. When a customer comes through the door, she walks out and either sends the customer away (i.e if he is too young, Pakistani, or Muslim) or lets the customer see the girl. I cannot begin to describe how demoralizing this process is (for "the girl"). Men literally shop around until they decide on their "purchase". Once the madam calls the girl, she comes out (most of the time nude) and the man then decides if he wants to purchase her. I say all of that to describe how broken these women are. Much of a woman's value is placed on how she feels about herself on the outside. There are so many times in my own life where I place such a high value on how I look (so to have hundreds of men a day judge you for your looks is something I cannot grasp). Man, there is so much to say to describe what we are experiencing so I will just start from the beginning.
We arrived at Nea Zoi (located in the red light district) at around 10:30 a.m. There were two teams of five (with one male on each team). We met for about an hour before we went out on the streets. We prayed for some of the girls that many of the people had known for a long time and then prayed for the safety of our team while ministering. We ate breakfast and had worship time. All in all, collecting our thoughts and adjusted our hearts before we went out. The first brothel we came to I stayed outside to observe. Men were walking in and out of different brothels (as there were many brothels on one street) with shameless faces. Men of all ages and social classes. Their attitudes could be comparative of shopping for used cars (like a businesslike approach). That disgusted me without even having to go into the brothel. Two people go in (bearing gifts of Bibles, snacks, tea, condoms, contact info, etc) and the main goal is to build a relationship with these young women. Success means getting contact information and perhaps meeting up for coffee or dinner (which this rarely happens). Many of these girls are trafficked woman from various contries (Romania, Albania, Nigeria), who have been decieved into coming to Greece in search of a better life. The men who have taken them have stolen their papers and left them with nothing so that it is impossible for them to return to their home countries (so in return they end up living the life of a prostitue forever). One heart-wrenching story I was told was of a Romanian Christian couple. The couple had become so desperate for money that the husband forced his wife into prostitution. She became so mentally ill with the life that she had been forced into that the husband ended up leaving her (this is just one of the many stories to share). I was extremely nervous about going into my first brothel. I didn't know what I would do or say (there was a language barrier to bear in mind) and I had already been disgusted with the men I had seen on the street. So, It was my turn (I grabbed the basket of gifts) and followed one of the Greek speaking women into the brothel. It was dark when we went inside with various pictures on the wall (i.e porn) and there was a waiting room full of men. I didn't even look at the men and headed straight to the kitchen where the madam and the girl were sitting. The Greek missionary that I was paired with (Dona) quickly struck up a conversation with the madam. It is sad to say but the madam reminded me of a typical grandmother, neatly dressed and well-mannered. She told me I had beautiful eyes and was concerned about my safety (I don't know what that meant??). I know your probably thinking "Why would these madams want us to come and speak to the girls?" when our work could possibly cause them to lose these women. It is because these madams feel that if they allow us to come in and convert these women to Christ then that somehow gives them favor with the Lord (like what they are doing isn't just as bad as what the girls are doing). So they greet us with smiles and warm faces (so peculiar). As Dona was talking to the girl, she seemed very reserved and distant from the conversation. Since I couldn't really converse, I just observed my surroundings. It was ironic because the kitchen was filled with pictures of Jesus (I think that bothered me the most). The girl was also naked and she felt no shame. There was emptiness behind her eyes. Several times she got up during our conversation to "show" herself to new customers and came back (meaning they had turned her down). There was no emotion (these men had just rejected her because of the way she looked and she still had no emotion). As our conversation went no where, contact information was exchanged and we left for the next brothel (if the girls are not interested in talking with us then it is hard to force more conversation). The next brothel was much more encouraging. The girl we met with could speak broken English so I was able to relate to her (wish was a definite gift from the Lord). She was a bit reserved at first, but the more I smiled the more she opened up. She explained how the man she fell in love with brought her here and told her she would only be doing this for a short time (but he ended up stealing her papers and taking all of her money), so now she is on her own trying to raise enough money to make it back to Romania. She was such a beautiful girl with such a pretty smile. I just felt like scooping her up and taking her away because I could actually see the emotion in her (I know she hated what she was doing). She also got up several times to greet customers (but was rejected each time). When she returned she would explain that the men thought she was too fat (broke my heart). We didn't get to dig in too deep with her but she was extremely receptive to our conversation and we exchanged phone numbers (be praying for a coffee date!!). I know this was a lengthy post but these women are so broken and need to know that there is hope for a better life. Their mind sets are they have stooped to the lowest of lows (and make alot of money doing it) so why should they work a normal job. Pray for these women that they would have hope instilled in their hearts and that the Lord would mend these broken and beaten women. We are really wanting to pour ourselves into these women and are planning on going out on Wednesday mornings and Thursday nights (from 10-12). Thanks again for your time and can't wait to send more updates.
God Bless,
Caroline
Some major things have happened since I last posted. Wednesday (June 10) was my first day with Nea Zoi (the New Life Ministry). I was excited to be apart of this ministry. To have a better understanding (as intrusive as it might be), I feel that I need to go into more detail into the organization of a brothel. Brothels in Greece are completely legal. A brothel can be spotted (day or night) with a white light outside of the door. In a single brothel, there is a madam and "the girl". The madam (all of whom are women in their later years of life 60+) is what you would call the pimp. When a customer comes through the door, she walks out and either sends the customer away (i.e if he is too young, Pakistani, or Muslim) or lets the customer see the girl. I cannot begin to describe how demoralizing this process is (for "the girl"). Men literally shop around until they decide on their "purchase". Once the madam calls the girl, she comes out (most of the time nude) and the man then decides if he wants to purchase her. I say all of that to describe how broken these women are. Much of a woman's value is placed on how she feels about herself on the outside. There are so many times in my own life where I place such a high value on how I look (so to have hundreds of men a day judge you for your looks is something I cannot grasp). Man, there is so much to say to describe what we are experiencing so I will just start from the beginning.
We arrived at Nea Zoi (located in the red light district) at around 10:30 a.m. There were two teams of five (with one male on each team). We met for about an hour before we went out on the streets. We prayed for some of the girls that many of the people had known for a long time and then prayed for the safety of our team while ministering. We ate breakfast and had worship time. All in all, collecting our thoughts and adjusted our hearts before we went out. The first brothel we came to I stayed outside to observe. Men were walking in and out of different brothels (as there were many brothels on one street) with shameless faces. Men of all ages and social classes. Their attitudes could be comparative of shopping for used cars (like a businesslike approach). That disgusted me without even having to go into the brothel. Two people go in (bearing gifts of Bibles, snacks, tea, condoms, contact info, etc) and the main goal is to build a relationship with these young women. Success means getting contact information and perhaps meeting up for coffee or dinner (which this rarely happens). Many of these girls are trafficked woman from various contries (Romania, Albania, Nigeria), who have been decieved into coming to Greece in search of a better life. The men who have taken them have stolen their papers and left them with nothing so that it is impossible for them to return to their home countries (so in return they end up living the life of a prostitue forever). One heart-wrenching story I was told was of a Romanian Christian couple. The couple had become so desperate for money that the husband forced his wife into prostitution. She became so mentally ill with the life that she had been forced into that the husband ended up leaving her (this is just one of the many stories to share). I was extremely nervous about going into my first brothel. I didn't know what I would do or say (there was a language barrier to bear in mind) and I had already been disgusted with the men I had seen on the street. So, It was my turn (I grabbed the basket of gifts) and followed one of the Greek speaking women into the brothel. It was dark when we went inside with various pictures on the wall (i.e porn) and there was a waiting room full of men. I didn't even look at the men and headed straight to the kitchen where the madam and the girl were sitting. The Greek missionary that I was paired with (Dona) quickly struck up a conversation with the madam. It is sad to say but the madam reminded me of a typical grandmother, neatly dressed and well-mannered. She told me I had beautiful eyes and was concerned about my safety (I don't know what that meant??). I know your probably thinking "Why would these madams want us to come and speak to the girls?" when our work could possibly cause them to lose these women. It is because these madams feel that if they allow us to come in and convert these women to Christ then that somehow gives them favor with the Lord (like what they are doing isn't just as bad as what the girls are doing). So they greet us with smiles and warm faces (so peculiar). As Dona was talking to the girl, she seemed very reserved and distant from the conversation. Since I couldn't really converse, I just observed my surroundings. It was ironic because the kitchen was filled with pictures of Jesus (I think that bothered me the most). The girl was also naked and she felt no shame. There was emptiness behind her eyes. Several times she got up during our conversation to "show" herself to new customers and came back (meaning they had turned her down). There was no emotion (these men had just rejected her because of the way she looked and she still had no emotion). As our conversation went no where, contact information was exchanged and we left for the next brothel (if the girls are not interested in talking with us then it is hard to force more conversation). The next brothel was much more encouraging. The girl we met with could speak broken English so I was able to relate to her (wish was a definite gift from the Lord). She was a bit reserved at first, but the more I smiled the more she opened up. She explained how the man she fell in love with brought her here and told her she would only be doing this for a short time (but he ended up stealing her papers and taking all of her money), so now she is on her own trying to raise enough money to make it back to Romania. She was such a beautiful girl with such a pretty smile. I just felt like scooping her up and taking her away because I could actually see the emotion in her (I know she hated what she was doing). She also got up several times to greet customers (but was rejected each time). When she returned she would explain that the men thought she was too fat (broke my heart). We didn't get to dig in too deep with her but she was extremely receptive to our conversation and we exchanged phone numbers (be praying for a coffee date!!). I know this was a lengthy post but these women are so broken and need to know that there is hope for a better life. Their mind sets are they have stooped to the lowest of lows (and make alot of money doing it) so why should they work a normal job. Pray for these women that they would have hope instilled in their hearts and that the Lord would mend these broken and beaten women. We are really wanting to pour ourselves into these women and are planning on going out on Wednesday mornings and Thursday nights (from 10-12). Thanks again for your time and can't wait to send more updates.
God Bless,
Caroline
The Past Week
Last Saturday afternoon, we enjoyed the company of a multitude of kids (probably 100+!) at a Festival we put on downtown in Athens. We did face painting, stilt racing, limbo, balloon animals, etc. for the local immigrant children with GREAT success. I taught a group of up and coming John Elways to throw the football, and it really caught on. My arm was blown by the end of the day, as all types of kids wanted to learn how to throw a spiral like we did (or more like Caroline did haha). The rest of the group really got in touch with a ton of various kids who knew small bits of English, and we were encouraged as they told us they'd like to come to the community center the next week.
I am going to skip ahead to our work this week (since I think Caroline wants to split the blog up on what we are telling, so keep in touch for her side of things). We continued doing research for Tim in regards to his church planting. We printed out a Google Maps satellite image of the area he is considering planting the church, and walked all the streets plotting down what kinds of businesses were there, what sorts of people, etc. That afternoon, we went back to our respected areas and "interviewed" the people who worked there. We asked them how long they worked there & if they liked working there, If they lived there and how long/like or dislike, etc. and finished up with a question regarding church planting and what who it take for them to seriously consider going inside. It got a wave of mixed results...some genuine interest in the thought, some negative responses, a ton of indifference, and other random ideas. People are very open to talk we have noticed though, even about religious matters.
We also visited the University of Athens, once again, yet this time it was open with a few students to talk to. We went around asking various groups of students two questions Tim chose. These were aimed at directing them to the idea of Jesus Christ: 1) What kind of leader do we need, 2) What kind of community to we need to achieve the life we desire. We recorded their responses and hoped for and open door of couriosity. Me and Thomas had a very favorable conversation with one group of guys, and even got to share the Gospel in a very serious discussion! We had to say goodbye since we were late to meet the group, but got their names and intend to Facebook them.
Caroline will tell you more about the Neo Zoi missions we did, but it was extremely eye opening as saddening to see the people here.
FUN POINT: The local director of the school here, Argyris Petrou, invited us to eat dinner with he and his family Monday night. IT WAS RIDICULOUS. They prepared pork chops and potatoes, with traditional Greek salads (Cucumbers, Peppers, Onions, and Tomatoes covered in Olive Oil and Vinegar and a mound of Feta cheese on top) and also this Feta casserole-type dish. I was blown away!! We had this amazing dessert (kind of like a spicy cake with this special type of ice cream made from butter fat? maybe I'm close...). Anyways, this also created an amazing opportunity to hear their life story and all the ways God was worked in their lives. This will have to be another blog, as it is incredibly lengthy, yet incredibly moving.
This week was filled with pretty menial tasks, yet important steps in establishing a foothold in the community. We were greatly encouraged by conversations that were held, and anxious to see what the next month and a half holds for us!
I am going to skip ahead to our work this week (since I think Caroline wants to split the blog up on what we are telling, so keep in touch for her side of things). We continued doing research for Tim in regards to his church planting. We printed out a Google Maps satellite image of the area he is considering planting the church, and walked all the streets plotting down what kinds of businesses were there, what sorts of people, etc. That afternoon, we went back to our respected areas and "interviewed" the people who worked there. We asked them how long they worked there & if they liked working there, If they lived there and how long/like or dislike, etc. and finished up with a question regarding church planting and what who it take for them to seriously consider going inside. It got a wave of mixed results...some genuine interest in the thought, some negative responses, a ton of indifference, and other random ideas. People are very open to talk we have noticed though, even about religious matters.
We also visited the University of Athens, once again, yet this time it was open with a few students to talk to. We went around asking various groups of students two questions Tim chose. These were aimed at directing them to the idea of Jesus Christ: 1) What kind of leader do we need, 2) What kind of community to we need to achieve the life we desire. We recorded their responses and hoped for and open door of couriosity. Me and Thomas had a very favorable conversation with one group of guys, and even got to share the Gospel in a very serious discussion! We had to say goodbye since we were late to meet the group, but got their names and intend to Facebook them.
Caroline will tell you more about the Neo Zoi missions we did, but it was extremely eye opening as saddening to see the people here.
FUN POINT: The local director of the school here, Argyris Petrou, invited us to eat dinner with he and his family Monday night. IT WAS RIDICULOUS. They prepared pork chops and potatoes, with traditional Greek salads (Cucumbers, Peppers, Onions, and Tomatoes covered in Olive Oil and Vinegar and a mound of Feta cheese on top) and also this Feta casserole-type dish. I was blown away!! We had this amazing dessert (kind of like a spicy cake with this special type of ice cream made from butter fat? maybe I'm close...). Anyways, this also created an amazing opportunity to hear their life story and all the ways God was worked in their lives. This will have to be another blog, as it is incredibly lengthy, yet incredibly moving.
This week was filled with pretty menial tasks, yet important steps in establishing a foothold in the community. We were greatly encouraged by conversations that were held, and anxious to see what the next month and a half holds for us!
Saturday, June 6, 2009
June 5th, 2009
Today was a little slower paced than anticipated.
A little background: the Universities in Athens are zoned so that police may not enter. This is to facilitate free speech, freedom of opinions and protests, etc. This also means that students have a basic run of the school and may decide to close it down as they please. They really have begun abusing this law, and it is best described by the endless display of graffiti on the buildings.
Today, as we have been doing the past few days, was dedicated to asking the students certain questions - hopefully leading to helpful data that is useful for our partner, Tim, who is planting a church here in the next few years. Tim, a Cambridge/Oxford scholar, has designed these questions with the aim at guiding them to an open mind about a possible "new" church.
However, we bused in the hour and a half to arrive to a locked up school building and a ghost town of students. This is the nature of student life in Greece: unstable. Many uber-political kids belonging to such groups as Communist (a surprising number of supporters actually), Anarchists (who were the cause of mass riots earlier in December), and Socialists frequent these places. So today we were left with a few hours not accounted for.
We decided to take advantage of this opportunity to go visit the well ornamented Greek Orthodox Church down the street and learn a little more about it. We walked in to an amazing, semi-temple looking building and observed the people in there. They walked around from image to image, crossing their hearts, saying a prayer, kissing the glass, and going to the next one. (It was actually kind of gross, as you could see the multitude of kiss marks smudged on the glass from the people before them). It was pretty surreal, yet sad at the EXTREMELY apparent legalism of the Church.
That night, we split up and went to the two community centers belonging to the two churches we were serving. I went to the center for the 2nd Evangelical, and Caroline went to the center for the 1st. We started with a time of prayer, and then the kids began piling in. Immigrant children belonging to soo many nationalities (Pakistani, Albanian, Bulgarian, etc) were running around playing games. This one kid named Mufahsa (YES, just like Lion King) taught me, Rachel, and Emily this new game called Jungle Speed without any common language. It was actually neat to see us catch on and have fun without ANY words being exchanged. High fives were going all over the place and laughter as I kept messing up and getting all the cards sent my way for punishment was common. I played futbol (foosball) with some Albanian kids and got killed! Rachel gave her testimony and taught them how much Jesus has meant to her in her life, and it garnished some good responses. I learned later that the little girls thought I was a "hunk" and were more well behaved than usual (haha). We really had a great time as we found the language of "fun" is universal. We made it home around 11:30 (about standard here in Greece). Please pray for our patience as we must travel 3 hours every day to get to and from Athens...our human nature tends to feel as this time being "wasted", but in reality it is opening opportunities not existing back at the Bible School.
Εφηαστοωε (Thank You) and God Bless,
Austen Weatherly
A little background: the Universities in Athens are zoned so that police may not enter. This is to facilitate free speech, freedom of opinions and protests, etc. This also means that students have a basic run of the school and may decide to close it down as they please. They really have begun abusing this law, and it is best described by the endless display of graffiti on the buildings.
Today, as we have been doing the past few days, was dedicated to asking the students certain questions - hopefully leading to helpful data that is useful for our partner, Tim, who is planting a church here in the next few years. Tim, a Cambridge/Oxford scholar, has designed these questions with the aim at guiding them to an open mind about a possible "new" church.
However, we bused in the hour and a half to arrive to a locked up school building and a ghost town of students. This is the nature of student life in Greece: unstable. Many uber-political kids belonging to such groups as Communist (a surprising number of supporters actually), Anarchists (who were the cause of mass riots earlier in December), and Socialists frequent these places. So today we were left with a few hours not accounted for.
We decided to take advantage of this opportunity to go visit the well ornamented Greek Orthodox Church down the street and learn a little more about it. We walked in to an amazing, semi-temple looking building and observed the people in there. They walked around from image to image, crossing their hearts, saying a prayer, kissing the glass, and going to the next one. (It was actually kind of gross, as you could see the multitude of kiss marks smudged on the glass from the people before them). It was pretty surreal, yet sad at the EXTREMELY apparent legalism of the Church.
That night, we split up and went to the two community centers belonging to the two churches we were serving. I went to the center for the 2nd Evangelical, and Caroline went to the center for the 1st. We started with a time of prayer, and then the kids began piling in. Immigrant children belonging to soo many nationalities (Pakistani, Albanian, Bulgarian, etc) were running around playing games. This one kid named Mufahsa (YES, just like Lion King) taught me, Rachel, and Emily this new game called Jungle Speed without any common language. It was actually neat to see us catch on and have fun without ANY words being exchanged. High fives were going all over the place and laughter as I kept messing up and getting all the cards sent my way for punishment was common. I played futbol (foosball) with some Albanian kids and got killed! Rachel gave her testimony and taught them how much Jesus has meant to her in her life, and it garnished some good responses. I learned later that the little girls thought I was a "hunk" and were more well behaved than usual (haha). We really had a great time as we found the language of "fun" is universal. We made it home around 11:30 (about standard here in Greece). Please pray for our patience as we must travel 3 hours every day to get to and from Athens...our human nature tends to feel as this time being "wasted", but in reality it is opening opportunities not existing back at the Bible School.
Εφηαστοωε (Thank You) and God Bless,
Austen Weatherly
Friday, June 5, 2009
Greetings from Athens, Greece May 29-June 4, 2009
OUR TEAM:
Mallory Cegala- Georgia
Thomas Brewer- Oklahoma
Emily Potts- Mississippi
Rachel Cook- Texas
Chelsea Batten- Florida
Austen and Caroline Weatherly- Alabama
Leaders for first 2 Weeks:
Brian and Lorrie Deringer- missionaries in France for 8 yrs (native Georgians)
Psalm 51:8-9 “But I am like a green olive tree in the house of god; I trust in the mercy of God forever and ever. I will praise you forever; because you have done it; and in the presence of your saints. I will wait on your name, for it is good.”
First off, I would like to show my deep appreciation to the Lord, family, and friends for allowing me this opportunity to experience God’s grace here in Athens. From the moment I stepped off the plane, there was an instant feeling that this summer would show me the Lord’s love in more ways than I think I was ready for. Before I can begin to tell you what the Lord has already planted in my heart thus far, I need to let you into the culture of a traditional Greek lifestyle.
Greeks have no perception of a schedule. The plan is that there is no plan. Breakfast does not exist, and lunch is not until around 2:00 o’clock in the afternoon. At around 3:00 pm a typical Greek experiences a scheduled siesta until 5:00pm. So a good question to ask is “When does a Greek go to work?” A typical Greek may work a couple of hours right before lunch but normally work and life in general does not start until after 5 or 6 in the evening. Dinners are scheduled around 10 at night and bedtime is well after 1 in the morning. No matter age or gender this is the normal schedule of a Greek. I say all of this to explain that this was an extreme adjustment from the very beginning. I know you’re thinking to yourself, “Come on Caroline, you’re in college, that’s how you live anyway.” And to answer that question yes, that is my lifestyle some of the time, but that is my choice and not something I am forced to do. When it is scheduled for me to be that way, then it becomes increasingly more difficult, on top of the jet lag that is starting to kick in at full force. Enough rambling, I want to share with you what the Lord is doing in Athens and the opportunities we have experienced thus far.
From the moment we stepped off the plane it was déjà vu of “My Big Fat Greek Wedding”. We arrived on campus at the Bible Institute right in the midst of the graduation ceremony to be immediately embraced with hugs, smiles, and food. We all looked extremely gross and were never once looked down upon or told we needed to change clothes. They immediately accepted us for who we were and repeatedly told us that our presence there meant the world to them. Once the ceremonies ended around 11 that night, there was a scheduled after party that we were expected to attend. At the after party there was more food (a full course meal to be exact) and Greek dancing. Austen and a couple of others were not hesitant to join in. This kid, on the other hand, was experiencing some extreme jet lag and needed to get to bed. I immediately regretted my decision as repeated “OOOOPAHs” were heard throughout the night (it is sad when old men and women are partying throughout the night and you can’t hang in there with them). This story is just one of the ways I can describe these people to you.
We went to church that next day (Sunday May 30) at the First Church in Athens which is located right at the foot of the Acropolis. Our ride to church was a constant jaw-dropping experience. I mean to pass the Acropolis, Mars Hill (where Paul’s footsteps are forever remembered), the original Olympic stadium, and the other endless ruins that make this city what it is was just amazing to try and grasp. Once again for a Greek a plan is to have no plan. So even though church was scheduled at 11, many were making their way in at all times of the service. We stuck out like sore thumbs for sure, with headphones on our ears (for translation) and our blonde/brown-headed selves. Church consisted of maybe 100 Greeks/Albanians. The service was like a typical service in a normal Presbyterian Church. The only difference that I really observed was that a baby was baptized completely naked and dipped into a large bucket of water.
Our first full day here we of course were ready to be introduced to our new schedule. It is funny because as Americans we judge someone’s worth by what they can accomplish for society. Most of us are TASK oriented and answer the daily question of “What can I get marked off the list today?” I am definitely that way, my first thoughts being here were: What can I get accomplished so that I feel worthy of all the financial support friends/family back home gave me? What can I do for the Lord to make myself worthy to be here? But just being in Greece for this short time has taught me to slow it down, it is not about the tasks we fulfill or how many people we convert to Christ. It is about the relationships we build, about what the Lord does in our hearts through our experiences. So to sum up these thoughts, the Lord is stressing to me to look at the big picture and to “break up the concrete” so that seeds can be planted in my heart and in Greece.
Sunday was a very humbling day in general. Church was culture shock. To not know a language and just be thrown into a foreign society is definitely overwhelming. The preacher there whose name is Giotis explained to us that in Greece “No plan is a plan.” He stressed that just our presence there was an extreme encouragement to everyone. He really wanted us to try to build relationships and dig into the Greek culture. So flexibility is the key word for this summer. In the five days I have been here, our plans have changed 50 times. We are not here to slave and do manual hard labor (even though every Saturday will be spent cleaning up a local children’s camp), but we are here to be flexible and do what these people want us to do/and be for them.
Funny Point: In Greece we have learned quickly that giving a testimony is a very popular thing. On Tuesday, Aguileas (??A-man- director of the Bible Institute), approached our team leader Brian that two of us would be giving our testimony at Chapel that morning. Note that he approached Brian maybe an hour before Chapel. So all of us were in a bind trying to figure out who would give there testimonies in front of people who they didn’t know nor could really converse with because of the language barrier. It was interesting though to see our team meet a brick wall but meet it head on and decide without confrontation. Thomas hesitantly said he would do it and of course all of the girls were extremely relieved (GIRLS + TESTIMONIES + EMOTIONS = CRYING). Thomas knocked it out of the water (even with A-man translating everything he said). Afterwards, it was easy to see that the Greek people were extremely excited about his testimony and were very appreciative. Another funny point: A-man approached Brian again today to say that he would need one person to give their testimony at CHURCH and that he wanted us to sing also. Ha, first note giving a testimony at Church is a big deal (esp. to little ole hate to talk in front of people me), and second note none of us can really sing. But once again, we all met this brick wall head on and laughed it off. Austen-boy stepped up to the plate and took one for the team and is giving his testimony this Sunday (don’t worry….updates to come…..be praying for him). So all in all, I am pretty sure that each one of us will be presented with the opportunity (not knowing time or place) to share our testimonies (don’t worry you will know when my turn comes up…ha).
On the lighter side of things, after Church last Sunday we had the opportunity to head to the Aegean Sea with some of the students at the Bible Institute. The beaches were beyond anything describable. Crystal clear and a deep, deep blue water. Instead of watching out for jellyfish, we were warned of sea urchins and sea snakes. The cliffs lining the sea were breathtaking and if you have ever seen “Mama Mia” it was pretty similar to those beaches. Once we quit taking pictures, we jumped in and swam for at least an hour or two (feeling bad every minute for it). We would all look at each other and feel as if we needed to be doing something or working somewhere (once again our American attitudes). Lorrie (our team leader) was quick to say “this was a gift from the Lord, enjoy his creation and this time that He has given you, I mean come on, you’re swimming in the Aegean Sea!!” She was more than right. I think we felt that we weren’t there to swim and play, but this was a gift from the Lord and time we should be thankful for. All in all, it was a great end to our first day.
Pretty much our first week consisted of a lot of orientation. Monday, we met with Yotis and A-man and went over the expectations they had for our team. Like I said earlier, they both stressed the importance of flexibility and building relationships. We were not their slaves for the summer but their “facilitators”. They were an extreme encouragement to our task-oriented minds and quickly reminded us that nothing is in our hands but it is in the Lord’s. A lot of the work we would be doing for the church the first few weeks would be at the community centers. Many immigrant children from Albania and other neighboring countries attend these community centers. Our main goal is to minister to these children not through our words (hence, the language barrier) but by showing them love and a caring heart. Building these relationships starts by playing with them and laughing with them. Friday (June 5) is the first day that we will be working with these children. Later on Monday, we rode the bus and metro (about an hour and fifteen minute ride) into Athens to meet Emma and Dana at Nea Zoi (The New Life Ministry). This ministry works with women who are in prostitution and/or are trafficking victims. This is an extremely long topic that I am posting a link to if you are interested in learning more about this ministry. To summarize this ministry, Nea Zoi seeks the restoration of individuals involved in prostitution by addressing their physical, emotional and spiritual needs through outreach work, building relationships, and developing exit strategies in partnership with the local church and cooperation with local and government initiatives. Basically we were orientated to what we would be doing and how we would be doing it. Teams are split into groups of four with a male in each group. Two people are actually sent into the brothels to talk and build relationships with these women while two people are outside praying for the teams working in the brothels. This is just a synopsis of what we will be doing, but this will take place starting next week. We will be going out 3 or 4 days every week from 10 to midnight ministering to these people. I am excited about this opportunity but very nervous at the same time. I think it will be hard to not judge these people and to put them as equals compared to myself. Updates will be coming because this is a large part of what we will/and want to be doing this summer. But our team is extremely excited about this opportunity to get out of our comfort zones and to minister to women who need the Lord’s love as a light in their lives.
Fun Point: Monday after our meetings with Nea Zoi (The New Life Ministry) we had an opportunity to do a little sight-seeing. We grabbed slovakkis for dinner (these amazing gyro-type wraps that are extremely hard to describe but pics are coming to help the description. Slovakkis are extremely cheap and amazing to eat but we have been informed that we will gain 5 kilos by the end of the summer if we keep eating them. It’s funny because we all thought they were extremely healthy (like a Greek coming to America and eating a Big Mac everyday and thinking it was healthy….ha-ha). Anyways, we grabbed dinner and headed to Mars Hill. Mars Hill (for those of you who do not know) is the hill where Paul gathered the Athenians and made his infamous sermon:
Acts 17:2-4 “And then Paul, as his custom was, went into them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with from the Scriptures, explaining and demonstrating that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead and saying, “This Jesus whom I preach to you is the Christ”. And some of them were persuaded; and a great multitude of devout Greeks, and not a few of the leading women, joined Paul and Silas.”
We reached Mars Hill right at sunset. It overlooks the city of Athens and behind is the foothills of the Acropolis and Parthenon. It was surreal to read about all of this history and to actual witness these ruins in person. We could barely grasp it all. I think I took over 75 pictures that night alone. Austen broke out his Bible and turned to Acts to read to the group about the sermon that Paul preached. We stayed until the sun went down, and nighttime was an even better site to behold. At night, they turn lights on to shine on the Acropolis which makes for an amazing site and picture. Trust me; pictures are being posted because I cannot describe its beauty.
So we have many extremes this summer to be prepared for. We are ministering to children in the community centers, manual labor at the camp on Saturdays, testimonies flying all over the place on random days, working with the prostitutes/trafficked women throughout the week, and also working on research for a local church plant. Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday we were sent to the University in Athens to survey some of the students. On Wednesday, the topic was: go up to a random student (we were paired off in groups of two) and dig into their lives. What are their families like, what is their daily life like, what do they believe in, what do they want for their futures? These were typical easy questions to ask a person without having to get too deep. We actually all enjoyed this time. Surprisingly, Athenian students were not hesitant all. They were very willing for us to be there. A typical American student would complain of having no time or just been turned off to the idea of talking to a stranger in general. They are a very hospitable people, willing to please others and eager to talk about themselves and their country. Wednesday we were sent back to the University to ask different questions. Our question that day was more like a survey. We showed them a word (i.e. like career or family or the Bible) and they would tell us their emotions or how they felt about that word when they saw it. Most of the students really enjoyed the survey and so did we. Today it was a little bit harder. We did the same survey but at the end we asked them a different question. We asked if a new church would be built right across from the University, what would it have to look like or be like for them to go in. We got a lot of interesting answers. Most of the answers were I don’t believe in God or something of that nature (meaning they wouldn’t go in at all). But a lot of the answers were they wanted a place where Church and State was separated. There is a lot of corruption in the Greek Orthodox Church. It is my understanding (I am no expert), that to be baptized, married, etc, one must pay (nothing is free). Many young people have a negative perception of the Church and are totally turned off to it (as it is only for “OLD” people). Anyways, it was interesting to hear how these people felt and what their lives were like. These past few days have really helped our team understand what it is like to dive into a culture before one starts to evangelize and/or build relationships.
Well, I know this has been extremely long but just wanted to build a foundation for what we would be doing for the rest of the summer (many updates to follow but def. not as lengthy). Hope you enjoyed the snippet/short story. Once again the Lord is opening many doors this summer and I am so appreciative of this opportunity. Be praying for our team, our leaders, and myself that we would be energized and focused on what the Lord is wanting from us this summer.
Efhatistove (Thank You) and God Bless
Caroline Weatherly
Mallory Cegala- Georgia
Thomas Brewer- Oklahoma
Emily Potts- Mississippi
Rachel Cook- Texas
Chelsea Batten- Florida
Austen and Caroline Weatherly- Alabama
Leaders for first 2 Weeks:
Brian and Lorrie Deringer- missionaries in France for 8 yrs (native Georgians)
Psalm 51:8-9 “But I am like a green olive tree in the house of god; I trust in the mercy of God forever and ever. I will praise you forever; because you have done it; and in the presence of your saints. I will wait on your name, for it is good.”
First off, I would like to show my deep appreciation to the Lord, family, and friends for allowing me this opportunity to experience God’s grace here in Athens. From the moment I stepped off the plane, there was an instant feeling that this summer would show me the Lord’s love in more ways than I think I was ready for. Before I can begin to tell you what the Lord has already planted in my heart thus far, I need to let you into the culture of a traditional Greek lifestyle.
Greeks have no perception of a schedule. The plan is that there is no plan. Breakfast does not exist, and lunch is not until around 2:00 o’clock in the afternoon. At around 3:00 pm a typical Greek experiences a scheduled siesta until 5:00pm. So a good question to ask is “When does a Greek go to work?” A typical Greek may work a couple of hours right before lunch but normally work and life in general does not start until after 5 or 6 in the evening. Dinners are scheduled around 10 at night and bedtime is well after 1 in the morning. No matter age or gender this is the normal schedule of a Greek. I say all of this to explain that this was an extreme adjustment from the very beginning. I know you’re thinking to yourself, “Come on Caroline, you’re in college, that’s how you live anyway.” And to answer that question yes, that is my lifestyle some of the time, but that is my choice and not something I am forced to do. When it is scheduled for me to be that way, then it becomes increasingly more difficult, on top of the jet lag that is starting to kick in at full force. Enough rambling, I want to share with you what the Lord is doing in Athens and the opportunities we have experienced thus far.
From the moment we stepped off the plane it was déjà vu of “My Big Fat Greek Wedding”. We arrived on campus at the Bible Institute right in the midst of the graduation ceremony to be immediately embraced with hugs, smiles, and food. We all looked extremely gross and were never once looked down upon or told we needed to change clothes. They immediately accepted us for who we were and repeatedly told us that our presence there meant the world to them. Once the ceremonies ended around 11 that night, there was a scheduled after party that we were expected to attend. At the after party there was more food (a full course meal to be exact) and Greek dancing. Austen and a couple of others were not hesitant to join in. This kid, on the other hand, was experiencing some extreme jet lag and needed to get to bed. I immediately regretted my decision as repeated “OOOOPAHs” were heard throughout the night (it is sad when old men and women are partying throughout the night and you can’t hang in there with them). This story is just one of the ways I can describe these people to you.
We went to church that next day (Sunday May 30) at the First Church in Athens which is located right at the foot of the Acropolis. Our ride to church was a constant jaw-dropping experience. I mean to pass the Acropolis, Mars Hill (where Paul’s footsteps are forever remembered), the original Olympic stadium, and the other endless ruins that make this city what it is was just amazing to try and grasp. Once again for a Greek a plan is to have no plan. So even though church was scheduled at 11, many were making their way in at all times of the service. We stuck out like sore thumbs for sure, with headphones on our ears (for translation) and our blonde/brown-headed selves. Church consisted of maybe 100 Greeks/Albanians. The service was like a typical service in a normal Presbyterian Church. The only difference that I really observed was that a baby was baptized completely naked and dipped into a large bucket of water.
Our first full day here we of course were ready to be introduced to our new schedule. It is funny because as Americans we judge someone’s worth by what they can accomplish for society. Most of us are TASK oriented and answer the daily question of “What can I get marked off the list today?” I am definitely that way, my first thoughts being here were: What can I get accomplished so that I feel worthy of all the financial support friends/family back home gave me? What can I do for the Lord to make myself worthy to be here? But just being in Greece for this short time has taught me to slow it down, it is not about the tasks we fulfill or how many people we convert to Christ. It is about the relationships we build, about what the Lord does in our hearts through our experiences. So to sum up these thoughts, the Lord is stressing to me to look at the big picture and to “break up the concrete” so that seeds can be planted in my heart and in Greece.
Sunday was a very humbling day in general. Church was culture shock. To not know a language and just be thrown into a foreign society is definitely overwhelming. The preacher there whose name is Giotis explained to us that in Greece “No plan is a plan.” He stressed that just our presence there was an extreme encouragement to everyone. He really wanted us to try to build relationships and dig into the Greek culture. So flexibility is the key word for this summer. In the five days I have been here, our plans have changed 50 times. We are not here to slave and do manual hard labor (even though every Saturday will be spent cleaning up a local children’s camp), but we are here to be flexible and do what these people want us to do/and be for them.
Funny Point: In Greece we have learned quickly that giving a testimony is a very popular thing. On Tuesday, Aguileas (??A-man- director of the Bible Institute), approached our team leader Brian that two of us would be giving our testimony at Chapel that morning. Note that he approached Brian maybe an hour before Chapel. So all of us were in a bind trying to figure out who would give there testimonies in front of people who they didn’t know nor could really converse with because of the language barrier. It was interesting though to see our team meet a brick wall but meet it head on and decide without confrontation. Thomas hesitantly said he would do it and of course all of the girls were extremely relieved (GIRLS + TESTIMONIES + EMOTIONS = CRYING). Thomas knocked it out of the water (even with A-man translating everything he said). Afterwards, it was easy to see that the Greek people were extremely excited about his testimony and were very appreciative. Another funny point: A-man approached Brian again today to say that he would need one person to give their testimony at CHURCH and that he wanted us to sing also. Ha, first note giving a testimony at Church is a big deal (esp. to little ole hate to talk in front of people me), and second note none of us can really sing. But once again, we all met this brick wall head on and laughed it off. Austen-boy stepped up to the plate and took one for the team and is giving his testimony this Sunday (don’t worry….updates to come…..be praying for him). So all in all, I am pretty sure that each one of us will be presented with the opportunity (not knowing time or place) to share our testimonies (don’t worry you will know when my turn comes up…ha).
On the lighter side of things, after Church last Sunday we had the opportunity to head to the Aegean Sea with some of the students at the Bible Institute. The beaches were beyond anything describable. Crystal clear and a deep, deep blue water. Instead of watching out for jellyfish, we were warned of sea urchins and sea snakes. The cliffs lining the sea were breathtaking and if you have ever seen “Mama Mia” it was pretty similar to those beaches. Once we quit taking pictures, we jumped in and swam for at least an hour or two (feeling bad every minute for it). We would all look at each other and feel as if we needed to be doing something or working somewhere (once again our American attitudes). Lorrie (our team leader) was quick to say “this was a gift from the Lord, enjoy his creation and this time that He has given you, I mean come on, you’re swimming in the Aegean Sea!!” She was more than right. I think we felt that we weren’t there to swim and play, but this was a gift from the Lord and time we should be thankful for. All in all, it was a great end to our first day.
Pretty much our first week consisted of a lot of orientation. Monday, we met with Yotis and A-man and went over the expectations they had for our team. Like I said earlier, they both stressed the importance of flexibility and building relationships. We were not their slaves for the summer but their “facilitators”. They were an extreme encouragement to our task-oriented minds and quickly reminded us that nothing is in our hands but it is in the Lord’s. A lot of the work we would be doing for the church the first few weeks would be at the community centers. Many immigrant children from Albania and other neighboring countries attend these community centers. Our main goal is to minister to these children not through our words (hence, the language barrier) but by showing them love and a caring heart. Building these relationships starts by playing with them and laughing with them. Friday (June 5) is the first day that we will be working with these children. Later on Monday, we rode the bus and metro (about an hour and fifteen minute ride) into Athens to meet Emma and Dana at Nea Zoi (The New Life Ministry). This ministry works with women who are in prostitution and/or are trafficking victims. This is an extremely long topic that I am posting a link to if you are interested in learning more about this ministry. To summarize this ministry, Nea Zoi seeks the restoration of individuals involved in prostitution by addressing their physical, emotional and spiritual needs through outreach work, building relationships, and developing exit strategies in partnership with the local church and cooperation with local and government initiatives. Basically we were orientated to what we would be doing and how we would be doing it. Teams are split into groups of four with a male in each group. Two people are actually sent into the brothels to talk and build relationships with these women while two people are outside praying for the teams working in the brothels. This is just a synopsis of what we will be doing, but this will take place starting next week. We will be going out 3 or 4 days every week from 10 to midnight ministering to these people. I am excited about this opportunity but very nervous at the same time. I think it will be hard to not judge these people and to put them as equals compared to myself. Updates will be coming because this is a large part of what we will/and want to be doing this summer. But our team is extremely excited about this opportunity to get out of our comfort zones and to minister to women who need the Lord’s love as a light in their lives.
Fun Point: Monday after our meetings with Nea Zoi (The New Life Ministry) we had an opportunity to do a little sight-seeing. We grabbed slovakkis for dinner (these amazing gyro-type wraps that are extremely hard to describe but pics are coming to help the description. Slovakkis are extremely cheap and amazing to eat but we have been informed that we will gain 5 kilos by the end of the summer if we keep eating them. It’s funny because we all thought they were extremely healthy (like a Greek coming to America and eating a Big Mac everyday and thinking it was healthy….ha-ha). Anyways, we grabbed dinner and headed to Mars Hill. Mars Hill (for those of you who do not know) is the hill where Paul gathered the Athenians and made his infamous sermon:
Acts 17:2-4 “And then Paul, as his custom was, went into them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with from the Scriptures, explaining and demonstrating that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead and saying, “This Jesus whom I preach to you is the Christ”. And some of them were persuaded; and a great multitude of devout Greeks, and not a few of the leading women, joined Paul and Silas.”
We reached Mars Hill right at sunset. It overlooks the city of Athens and behind is the foothills of the Acropolis and Parthenon. It was surreal to read about all of this history and to actual witness these ruins in person. We could barely grasp it all. I think I took over 75 pictures that night alone. Austen broke out his Bible and turned to Acts to read to the group about the sermon that Paul preached. We stayed until the sun went down, and nighttime was an even better site to behold. At night, they turn lights on to shine on the Acropolis which makes for an amazing site and picture. Trust me; pictures are being posted because I cannot describe its beauty.
So we have many extremes this summer to be prepared for. We are ministering to children in the community centers, manual labor at the camp on Saturdays, testimonies flying all over the place on random days, working with the prostitutes/trafficked women throughout the week, and also working on research for a local church plant. Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday we were sent to the University in Athens to survey some of the students. On Wednesday, the topic was: go up to a random student (we were paired off in groups of two) and dig into their lives. What are their families like, what is their daily life like, what do they believe in, what do they want for their futures? These were typical easy questions to ask a person without having to get too deep. We actually all enjoyed this time. Surprisingly, Athenian students were not hesitant all. They were very willing for us to be there. A typical American student would complain of having no time or just been turned off to the idea of talking to a stranger in general. They are a very hospitable people, willing to please others and eager to talk about themselves and their country. Wednesday we were sent back to the University to ask different questions. Our question that day was more like a survey. We showed them a word (i.e. like career or family or the Bible) and they would tell us their emotions or how they felt about that word when they saw it. Most of the students really enjoyed the survey and so did we. Today it was a little bit harder. We did the same survey but at the end we asked them a different question. We asked if a new church would be built right across from the University, what would it have to look like or be like for them to go in. We got a lot of interesting answers. Most of the answers were I don’t believe in God or something of that nature (meaning they wouldn’t go in at all). But a lot of the answers were they wanted a place where Church and State was separated. There is a lot of corruption in the Greek Orthodox Church. It is my understanding (I am no expert), that to be baptized, married, etc, one must pay (nothing is free). Many young people have a negative perception of the Church and are totally turned off to it (as it is only for “OLD” people). Anyways, it was interesting to hear how these people felt and what their lives were like. These past few days have really helped our team understand what it is like to dive into a culture before one starts to evangelize and/or build relationships.
Well, I know this has been extremely long but just wanted to build a foundation for what we would be doing for the rest of the summer (many updates to follow but def. not as lengthy). Hope you enjoyed the snippet/short story. Once again the Lord is opening many doors this summer and I am so appreciative of this opportunity. Be praying for our team, our leaders, and myself that we would be energized and focused on what the Lord is wanting from us this summer.
Efhatistove (Thank You) and God Bless
Caroline Weatherly
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