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
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