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