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