Student Riots

It’s interesting to live in a place where anarchists and communists are common. In America they’re extremists, not your next-door neighbors.
I live in the university community outside of the downtown area where students protest. Thankfully, it’s quiet here. You’d never know that it should be a school day. Only old men wander the campuses out here.As I type this update I’m skyping with a Greek friend who is filling me in on the reasons behind the riots. She says that the anarchists fight against the corrupt police force that supports and protects corrupt mobsters. She says that nothing will truly change without a break in the chain of violence. Her solution is education. She asked me how I thought things could change. I told her that real change has to happen in hearts.

During these tumultuous days I’m praying that students, and Greeks in general, will realize the need for revolution in our hearts. I want, more than anything, for Greeks to find real life and peace in a relationship with Jesus that will bring life and peace to this entire country.

Field Training

Staff said they enjoyed our field training last week. Our sessions on growing as leaders, sharing our faith, and leading students gave them tangible next steps for their ministries.
Conversations with students encouraged me last week. We set out to talk with students about the things we’re currently learning from the Lord and our conversations were enjoyable and good.
-Paige and I met three girls at the Polytech. They felt like friends after spending a half an hour with them. We laughed and shared stories and talked about what we believed. One said that it was amazing that she met us—that she’d never thought about spiritual things much before recently. She’s made some friends that don’t believe in God and she wants to figure out what she believes. She was excited that I had a Bible I could give her—she even had me sign it. Both she and another of the girls came to a party we had later in the week.
-Katerina and I met another three girls at the economics faculty downtown. They’ve spent time studying abroad, so we felt like we had a connection. We talked about all kinds of things- even the problem of evil. One of the girls asked how we can trust God to protect us when we see people victimized who believe in Him all over the world. I appreciated the deep discussion and hope for more good conversations with these girls.

Staff Field Training

I've just returned to the office after a really fun evening. Our staff from Thessaloniki came to town for a training week and all of us helped another local ministry serve a meal to refugees downtown. Afterward, we went to Chinatown (not big like in the States) for authentic Chinese food. It's great for us all to be together!

We've gathered our on-campus staff in Greece for development. We're asking the Lord to teach us all individually and to sharpen us through one another. Our topics include ministering out of an overflow of a vital relationship with God, the art and science of sharing our faith, growing as a leader, and the essentials of a spiritual movement.

You can pray with us

• that the Lord will draw us closer to Himself and make us more like Him.
• that He would deepen our relationships with one another and teach us through one another.
• that He would guide our times on campus, leading us to the experiences that will give us and the students a greater knowledge of His goodness (Philemon 5).
• that He would prepare us for His next steps on all of our campuses in Greece.

I'm so grateful for you!

Voting Results

There are so many things I could write!
To follow up on the last update, I’m encouraged by what the Lord did through our voting outreach.

• Almost 500 students voted.
• Our interactions with students were enjoyable. They wanted to “play our game.”
• We’ve made some friends who have spent more time with us and have shown interest in spiritual things since the outreach.
• Students, who don’t own their own computers or have easy access to computers on campus, have taken the card with our e-mail address and have found our websites.
o 78 different students went to the website that displayed the results and tells about our student group.
o 32 of them went from there to our site devoted to knowing God personally.

I’m also encouraged by our friendships with Greek students. They’re growing in breadth and depth.
• We’re meeting more and more students.
o Some girls that Amy and I met texted us when they couldn’t find us in our usual spot at the café in the theology school last Thursday.
o Friends we meet on campus introduce us to other friends as we spend time with them. When we have parties, the groups of students easily mix and enjoy one another.
o When Paige (my roommate) and I were grabbing lunch to eat with some people she met through the voting outreach, a girl helped us buy sandwiches and asked for our phone numbers. She’s been texting me all week, trying to find a time for us to meet.
• Our conversations are surfacing interest in learning about Christ.
o Students tell us they want to discuss the Bible with us.
o Students say they want to make their faith their own—to figure out what they believe personally.

Please pray with us
• That the Lord would continue to lead us to conversations and relationships with people He will draw into a relationship with Himself.
• That He would free up schedules for good conversations with students.
• That He would lead us and students in our conversations to more fully understand and experience abundant life in Him.

The Gift of Two-Wheeled Adventures

I'm loving having a bike.



I enjoy the convenience of taking it downtown for class and errands. I love riding it on the mountain behind my place that's set up like a national park. Last Saturday I rode up and hiked around. The view of Athens and the sea is beautiful!

The Post About Greek Students Voting That Wouldn't Post Earlier

Hi All!

We decided to take advantage of the big voting week in America to try a different approach to connect with Greek students. We created a ballot for students to vote for the American President. Then we put different categories for them to choose-- their university, major, political party affiliation (this is big here-- kind of like a sorority or fraternity), favorite soccer team. 

We're using the event to launch our website where Greek students can learn more about who we are and what we do To see the results of the mock election, students will (hopefully) visit our new website. From the site, they can easily contact us for more information. They can also easily connect to another site that helps students to explore the Bible and know how to trust Christ. 

We made our first effort today at the Philosophy building of the University of Athens. We collected 236 votes from students. Students had strong responses to our "game." They either had strong interest to vote or they definitely didn't want to vote. We found that if one student in a group wanted to vote they all voted. We made some good connections with students, some of them wanting to know more about our group. Tomorrow we go to Athens Polytech.

Please pray with us. . .

-for favor with students. For new relationships to be built. For responsiveness and interest in who we are and what we offer.

-for enough responses for our responses to be credible to students. 

-for the students to explore the website. For students to move on to explore spiritual things on the websites. For students to be drawn to the Lord through all of this.

So grateful for you!

In full swing. . .

Students fill cafeterias and cafes across campuses. They smoke and drink frapees (Greek whipped, cold coffee), spending hours chatting with their small groups of friends. Some days students can't get to class because buses and subway trains selectively strike. One day 15,000 students protested against the possibility of privatizing the universities. At three in the afternoon the campuses empty and students migrate to local coffee shops that look and sound like they're run by MTV or VH1. We have to be careful not to drink an entire frapee at one of these places or we're wired for the next twelve hours. 

As we hang out with students our conversations focus on anything form fashion trends to politics, from soccer scores to Madonna. Some of my favorite conversations have centered on pictures we pass around, asking which pictures represent their lives and their views of God. Many students want to figure out what they think about God. They know they want things that are good and true for themselves and the world. They're unsure of what's true. They're willing to have deep conversations about these things.

Please be praying that the Lord would open students' eyes to what is true and that He would lead them to trust Him for real life.

This weekend I'm traveling to the fall student conference that our national staff are pulling together.  Students will come who have grown up in evangelical churches. These students know the truth about Jesus. The conference is entitled, "Make a Difference." I'll be speaking during the first session about living in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Please be praying for the Lord to lead the Greek students and staff who go to the conference close to Himself. Particularly, I'm praying that they'll experience the Holy Spirit leading them and empowering them to live Christ's life among their peers who don't know Him.

You can pray, too, for our travel safety. Seven of us will travel from Athens to the retreat. I'll travel to Skopje, FYROM, after that to visit some friends.

Thanks so much! I'm so grateful for your prayers!!

Recent Pictures

 

My roommate, paige, and i took an overnight trip to a little town called Nafplio last weekend. We enjoyed the change of pace, the change of scenery, and the wonderful breakfast pastry!

We enjoy meeting students on campus. 
 

This is a typical on-campus cafe. Students are ordering coffees and pastries filled with cheese, spinach, sausage, or chocolate. 

Connecting With Students

Classes officially started this week. It’s been easy to find students to meet and fun to begin new friendships on campus. More students congregate on campus this week than other weeks, even though the habit of skipping class has begun. We hung out with some students at a café last night after our first Greek language class and one of them—Aphrodite-- told us that she thinks that 10% of students actually attend class on a regular basis.

The team called and text messaged the 70 contacts we received from the summer mission project that reached out to Athens students in June and July yesterday afternoon. The responses varied. Some could barely recall the Americans and others excitedly made plans to meet up with our team this week. One guy, Peter, met two of our guys for coffee and said that he’d like to get together to read the Bible.

Please pray. . .
-that the Lord would give us favor with students-- those who were friends with summer project students and those we’re meeting on campus.
-that the Lord would give students curiosity about spiritual things and that they would engage easily in conversations with us about Jesus. Pray for soft hearts that will receive Him.
-for me and my choices regarding my schedule. I have to take Greek language classes in the evenings, which is not my preference. Sometimes we have events with students after the classes. I want wisdom and discipline to choose to rest and I want creativity and good places to rest.

Pictures: Above, my roommate, Paige, and I love going to the outdoor market on Monday mornings. The flower vendor always gives us each a rose. We feel like we're living in a movie! Below, my apartment building is the white one. Ours is the second balcony from the bottom. The University of Athens is at the end of the street on the left hand side of the picture.

First Week of Classes

We’re all ramping up for the beginning of the school year. Living within a block or two of the two largest universities in Greece, the neighborhood is buzzing with excitement. Students arrive daily. Bookstores stay open through the usual siesta hours. On campus, outside of the auditorium where freshmen register for classes, the social political groups clamor to help them find classes and cafeterias (almost like fraternity and sorority rush).

Our short-term staff (one-year stinters) arrived last week. Fighting jet lag, they joined the long-term campus team for orientation and planning for this school year. It’s been fun to watch them navigate the streets in the neighborhood and the cultural nuances of daily life like ordering food and saying thank you to people who help us.

I’ve loved getting a little bit of time on campus—eating a meal in the cafeteria, spending a morning at a café in the philosophy school, prayer walking around the University of Athens and the National Technical University. I can’t wait for classes to start on October 6!

You can pray with us

· that we’d be able to easily connect with over 70 Greek students who were friends with our summer project students and/or last year’s campus team.

· that God would go before us, leading students through His Spirit to seek Him.

· that by Christmas we’d have five students who are following Christ and gathering friends to learn more about Him.

A Picture's Worth a Thousand Words. . .

September 16, the short term staff (stinters) arrived for their year with us. They've been a great addition to our team! This picture of the team that serves in Athens is taken from the top of the dorm across the street from my apartment. Paige, my roommate, is on the left.


The next picture was taken when friends from Greeley stopped by Athens on a Mediterranean cruise. I so enjoyed having lunch with them!


One day our team worked at a local camp, helping lay astroturf for a soccer field. We had to pile into a little motorboat to get there. We enjoyed serving with people from Albania, Canada, Australia, Iran, Brazil, Greece, and the U.S.

a little home make-over

i remember the apartment being dark. i'd stopped in during my visit in the spring, not thinking that i'd live in the apartment even if i returned. it WAS dark. the living room has no windows and the room was painted a dark hue of teal. 

although i wondered if it was worth the trouble, i knew i wouldn't want to spend time in a dark room, so my friends jumped in(actually, they took over. if i hadn't jumped in, they would have done it without me.)  to help and we painted the dark room an off-white color. 

the light makes all the difference. the room actually welcomes me when i walk through the front door. i had a meal with some friends around the table last week and enjoyed our time there. i'm hoping for many more memories like this in my newly-brightened living room.

not to overspiritualize, but i just read one of my favorite passages in isaiah the other day: "the people who walk in darkness will see a great light. for those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine."  i pray that Jesus' light makes all the difference in Greek students' lives and that they find their homes in Him.

first weeks in athens

i'm easing into life in athens.

a variety of activities have filled my first two weeks. with three trips to ikea under my belt, i know their snack bar menu well and am beginning to think i could lead you to any item you might need to furnish a home here. my team has helped me paint my apartment, hang shelves, and navigate the local grocery store. we've spent a couple of days at the beach.

we kicked off the school year with planning meetings for our long-term staff-- discussing our current reality, dreams for the future, and broad-scale plans for this year. i'm enjoying working with our team. this week we're taking a team retreat in Evia, a town about an hour away.

you can pray with me. . .

-that the Lord would give us good time in His Word and in prayer during our retreat and that He would lead our hearts and minds to His direction for this school year.

-that He would draw our team close to one another. Pray that we'd really love and enjoy one another.

-that the Holy Spirit would be leading Greek students to Jesus as we begin the school year. Ask Him to prepare hearts to turn to Him and experience abundant life in Him. I want Him to put questions and desires in them so that when we meet them He can use us to show them the way to Him in Jesus.

I returned to the San Diego summer project this week to help the students process what they’ve learned, pack up our stuff, and prepare to return to their campuses. I’m so encouraged by God’s mighty work in their lives! I pray He transforms families, campuses, communities, and nations through His work in our students’ lives. One student said, “I came to project knowing where I was headed in life, but all the details seemed complicated. Everything has changed. I don’t know what I’m going to do, but it’s not complicated anymore. I’m going to do whatever God tells me to do. I want to live my life for Him.”

The Lord used my time as a student at Baylor University to change my heart in a similar way. During my college years the Lord deepened my love for Him. My senior year I studied the story of the woman who poured perfume on Jesus’ feet in John chapter twelve in Bible Study Fellowship. Realizing His love and sacrifice for me challenged me to give Him my most prized possession. As I prayed about what I valued most, it dawned on me that I valued choosing a future path that insured financial security, enjoyment of my career, and living close to my family in Colorado. Like the summer project student, I told the Lord that I was willing to go wherever He wanted me to go and do whatever He wanted me to do.

At Baylor God also broadened my love for people— both the people around me and those I’d never met around the globe. I remember attending my first Campus Crusade for Christ meetings my freshman year and hearing that they were going to the world, trusting God to change lives with His love. I remember asking the Lord to give me His love for people. I remember watching my heart grow in compassion for people in my classes, for the girls I led in Bible study, for the Mexican students we ministered to on my first summer missions project, and for people all over the world who hadn’t experienced abundant life through Jesus. I prayed that the Lord would use me to help them to experience the riches of knowing Christ personally. As you know, the Lord answered that prayer pretty directly. Since college I’ve loved serving with Campus Crusade at Texas Tech, in Mexico, in Houston, at the University of Northern Colorado, and across the Great Plains Region.

This fall He’s expanding my ministry scope by sending me across the globe to serve on the Campus Crusade’s national campus team in Greece. I’ll be pioneering campus ministries in Athens and across Greece.

I’m compelled to go to Greece by the need for people there to hear about Christ. I just received a prayer letter from one of the couples on our campus team in Athens. They describe this need:

“ We continue to be amazed (and saddened) at the lack of any real understanding of the gospel among most Greeks that we meet— both young and old. Jeremy’s been asking students this question: “If you wanted to grow in your relationship with God who would you go to for help?” The answer has been the same every time: “ I would NOT go to the church.” But when he asks them where they would go, there is no answer. They truly do not know who they would talk to who could help them take steps to grow in a meaningful relationship with God. As we build into our relationships with our Greek friends and they see how Jesus impacts our daily lives, our friends have started to notice a difference in what they thought being committed to Christ looked like. We’re very encouraged because we’ve seen that our friends are becoming more interested in the Jesus we know.”

My team currently leads two teams who are on the field— a team of Americans in Athens and a Greek staff couple who serve in Thessaloniki. We’re asking the Lord to reach students in these locations and in a handful of other cities where we’d like to send campus teams in the future.

I’ll be working with good friends from my Baylor years (above). We have three families (with seven little boys!), one couple, and three singles in Athens. We all live in the same neighborhood near the University of Athens and Athens Poly-technical University.