From one man He made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and He determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live.
God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us.
"Great and marvelous are Your works, O Lord God, the Almighty; Righteous and true are Your ways, King of the nations! Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify Your name?" Revelation 15
The Lord has worked in marvelous ways in the last ten days through our Christmas trip! 22 people from the U.S. joined us, giving tremendous lift as we reached out to people here with Christ's love. During our five days on campus, we made dozens of new friends. More than that, God opened doors for us to talk about how He redeems us and gives us life. Greek friends repeatedly elaborated that they want to join us for more discussion about following Christ in daily life.
On Friday over 60 of us celebrated Christ's birth at our office. God brought new friends and old ones, who easily mixed with one another. We played games, chatted, ate festive foods (some of which were provided by Greek friends), and enjoyed a rousing white elephant gift exchange. Our time culminated with a reading of the Christmas story, emphasizing that He is Immanuel-- "God with us."
We had the honor of helping to serve meals to hundreds of homeless people and refugees from the Middle East. More exciting than that, we loved being part of extending Jesus as the bread of life to them. We may well be the first people to share the gospel with them because Greece is the first stop on the border out of the Muslim world. To hear more, click on http://sharing.theflip.com/session/d37bf8144a6fa7c62411132e9402b70a/video/8169236.
Our team also spent some devotional time studying the journeys of Paul in Athens and Corinth as we visited the sites where God moved mightily 2000 years ago to bring His message to this part of the world. He used the visits to give life to His Word in our hearts.
Please pray... -That the Lord would remind our Greek friends of the things we shared with them on campus this week. Ask Him to lead them to follow Him.
-That God would lead the poor and the refugees to find true life in Him this Christmas.
-That God would continue to refresh our entire team (those who remain here and those who joined us last week) and that He would multiply the faith, hope, and love He's expanded in our hearts this week.
Eighteen friends from the United States have joined us for the week! (And four more come tomorrow!)
We've spent two days on campus and have had great conversations with new Greek friends. We've talked about all kinds of things with them and we have plans to spend more time with them later this week. I'm encouraged that we're building so many new friendships! Please pray that God would continue to build trust and guide these friendships to be long-term friendships that lead us all closer to Him.
Last night we helped serve a "Love Meal" to refugees from the Middle East with another ministry. I so enjoyed serving alongside this group of old and new friends. We'll get to serve them again this weekend for the Christmas meal. Please pray that God would fill us with His Spirit and give us strength to continue to reach out to college students and to refugees this week with His love. Ask Him to make His love evident to them.
Our friends filled our "Steki" (the greek word for hang out) on Thanksgiving for a full, fun evening. Over thirty of our friends joined us-- our biggest crowd ever!
We all wrote things we're thankful for on some windows we have stacked in the Steki.
We made paper hand turkeys. We read a passage from the book of John in English and Greek. We prayed. We ate turkey and mashed potatoes, vegetables, and pumpkin pie.
My friend, Eleni (below left), brought her boyfriend and said repeatedly, "we like your company!"
After dinner some Greek friends played traditional music for us.
We enjoyed a rich evening with our friends and their friends! I think God is drawing together a group of Greeks around us. Many of them are joining us in exploring who Jesus is. At our Monday Bible discussion following Thanksgiving eight Greeks joined us-- outnumbering the Americans!
Please pray that God continues to lead us all toward abundant life in Him.
It’s crazy to me that it’s the week of Thanksgiving.The skies are blue and it’s in the 60’s.It feels more like September to me.I AM excited about celebrating this week, though.
I want to share a few recent conversations in which Greeks have responded with a new level of understanding about spiritual things. . . for which I’m very thankful:
üChristos, a very unique theology student. He believes in God. He wants to get a PhD in Old Testament and teach university students. He’s very interested in spiritual things. When we asked him what keeps students from interest in spiritual things, Christos said “The Devil. He distracts us with so many other things. He doesn’t want us to know God.”Christos has begun to join us to talk about knowing God personally.
üNadia, a friend that we met last year in the sandwich line, heard that Ashley is considering ministering to the poor in Cambodia sometime in her future.We asked her if she thought Greeks would be interested in joining her. Nadia said, “No, I don’t think so. We’re too self-centered. We like our comfortable lives. But, I admire you for even thinking the thought of going.”
üOur short-term team took Carolina and Ana with them on a trip to Istanbul last weekend. Everyone had rich spiritual conversations. My favorite thing I heard was that Carolina said, “So, I’m learning that everyone sins. We all sin. All the time.” She’s beginning to see the need for Christ.
There are more stories to share.I’ll savethem for later. The Lord is working mightily.
I want to ask you to pray for something. We’re inviting all our friends to join us for a Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday night. It’s been fun to see our friends excited to come and to see them inviting their friends to join us.Would you pray. . .
üThat God would enable Greek students to come. That He would remove obstacles. That He would keep things from keeping Greeks from coming.
üThat students would see how graciously God has blessed us—the reason we have a day for thanksgiving.
üThat students would identify themselves with our group and our desire to follow Christ at a new level. Pray that more would begin coming to Bible discussions and Bible studies on a regular basis.
Our team consists largely of Texans and, for some reason, our Greek friends are fascinated by the game "Texas Hold 'Em," so we gave them an opportunity to play last Friday night. The evening provided 25 of us with lots of fun and some really good deep conversations about life and about the Lord.
The chalkboard in my kitchen displays this version of 2 Corinthians 5:7 to remind me that reality lies in what I can’t physically see. Eleni and I had a great conversation about it while I washed dishes after dinner together.
We’d already talked about God. She said that she’d visited a priest this summer who had told her that she couldn’t talk to God unless she was in a church. “I don’t believe that. I believe in God. I pray. But I don’t believe I have to go to a church to pray to God.” We talked for a couple of hours. The spiritual parts of the conversation weren’t always clear. Often Greek thought patterns are circular. I tried to emphasize trusting Christ for real life in Him.
A year ago when we met Eleni she wondered if God existed. New friends she’d made were atheists and their beliefs caused her to question the faith she saw in her grandmother. In the spring she said that she needed to figure out what she believed for herself.
She asked me, “How do you believe what you don’t see? Don’t you think we follow signs and then believe?”
I told her that often I choose to believe what the Bible says is true and then I see evidence that it’s the right thing. I gave her a small example of seeing anger in myself last Thursday, confessing it and trusting Jesus to change me, and then hearing three different lessons about anger within three days to confirm the truth
• Please pray with me that the Lord would give Eleni and other Greek students genuine, growing faith. • Ask Him to bring clarity in the confusion of Greek religious thought. • You can also pray that God would give us open doors for more conversations like this and would give us His wisdom as we talk about Him.
We’ve had a great first couple of weeks with students! We’ve enjoyed reconnecting with old friends and meeting new ones. I don’t think I’ve left campus on any of our school days without having a significant conversation with Greeks about the things that matter most to them. Many of them have expressed a desire in spiritual things. Seven different individuals have attended at least one of our group discussions over the book of John—either a Wednesday afternoon coffee time or a Monday night dinner and discussion.
• Some of my favorite thoughts from Greek students: • Being a child of God means being fully accepted and loved. • One thing that sticks out to me from our discussions last year is that Christianity is the only religion that is a religion of love. • We Greeks are very practical. We study engineering or economics. I’ve never studied metaphysics (spiritual things, the Bible), but I think I’d like to. • You study the Bible? Can Greeks come? I’d like to come. • I’m not religious, but I talk to God. • I’ve never even touched a Bible before. • I really like your group. • Of course I liked the discussion. I would have left if I didn't.
Please pray that God would draw us all close to Him, as the Author and Perfecter of faith.
I loved Carolina’s answer to the first application question in our discussion about John 3 tonight. My friend, Jeremy, asked, “What is one thing that you’d like to learn from Jesus?” And Carolina said, “I’d like to learn about His forgiveness.”
Carolina has come to both of our Monday night dinner and discussion times. At the first one, she said things like: • I need the light. I can’t do what’s right on my own. • I learned last year with Paige that sometimes we need God to help us love other people. There was someone I had a problem loving. I couldn’t love her. So I had to depend on the Light to show me how. • When talking about applying the passage— Sometimes I just need to stop thinking. I need to rest and trust and stop trying to figure things out. (It reminded me of Psalm 131.)
Tonight she said that a higher power has been speaking to her, telling her that He wants her to search for more in her life. She also said that she’d like for Jesus to tell her which voices inside her are good and which are bad. I’m praying that He will answer all of her questions and desires with great clarity.
We traveled north to the foot of Mount Olympus for a staff retreat with our Greek, Cypriot, and Maltese staff. We talked about how God moves mightily in individual lives and in countries to lead people to Himself. Such good perspective as we begin our time on campus! I enjoyed the staff. I enjoyed the mountains. I enjoyed the sea.
Our stinters arrived Wednesday. Four recent graduates have joined our team for the next school year. Andrew has returned for a second year. Ashley, Brittanie, and Joel are new to our team—and two of them (Brittanie and Joel) came sight unseen! As we drove into our neighborhood, Brittany exclaimed, “We’re not in Baltimore anymore!”
Yesterday morning we shared things we’re learning from the Lord over breakfast. The team’s answers encouraged me. Brittany talked about how God was leading her to find rest in Him in the middle of her first experience outside of the United States. Andrew talked about God’s abundant provision of his support. Jeremy shared the story of walking out of the office to look for housing for the girls, praying for God to lead them to an apartment, and hearing the voice of the girls’ new landlord 30 seconds later, asking if they needed an apartment. Everyone told of God’s goodness toward us as we’ve followed Him to Greece.
Please pray… -that we’d all rely on the Lord as we begin this school year. -that He would develop good relationships between us that reflect His love. -that God would prepare us in every way for the beginning of the school year in a couple of weeks. -that God would connect all of us to our previous Greek friends and to the contacts that our summer teams left for us. -that the Lord would draw us and Greek students close to Himself through our study of the book of John this school year.
During the summer I read the phrase above from Psalm 16 in the One Year Bible. It expresses clearly my delight in those the Lord has graciously placed around me. People everywhere I went this summer encouraged and strengthened me by their steps of faith in response to the Lord’s goodness. I wish you could all meet one another to share your stories! In lieu of a big reunion with people you don’t know yet, I thought I’d share some faith stories. . .
Chad, Kelly, Emily (8), and Connor (4) left a stable, comfortable life and their dream home in a small Kansas town where they lived across the street from grandparents when God called them to join stafftwo years ago(and Chad and Kelly are in their 30’s!). They packed up their family and drove across the country to join us in San Diego for our summer project. With hardly any campus experience under their belts, they helped lead our project in growing closer to the Lord, sharing our faith, and building groups of growing faith. They learned things one day and passed them on the next day!
Ben heard that we often cannot send year-long mission teams because we lack men to fill them. Instead of listing a preferred location when he filled out his application, he asked our evaluators to place him on a team that needed men in order to be sent. Not only that, he challenged a friend to go with him. Both of these guys will be sent in January to Australia.
Ashley chose to invest her summer in our summer project in San Diego. Not only that, she was one of 20 who forfeited a full-time paying job to apply to work full-time in ministry on campus this summer.The Lord bore fruit through her courageous faith. He used her to lead a San Diego student to walk with God and He deepened her relationship with Him to the extent that she’s willing to take a leadership role on her campus in South Dakota to reach athletes with Jesus’ love.
Danny graduated in May and is planning to go on the World Race (a year-long mission trip to 11 locations around the world) in January. Instead of just taking time off between school and the mission trip, Danny served on our staff in San Diego this summer and is investing, without being paid, in ministering to men in his fraternity this fall. He has a group of six men he will meet with weekly to help them grow closer to the Lord.He’s trusting God to give them opportunities to talk with all of the men in the fraternity about Himself this fall.
Becca (a friend from my years at UNC) and her husband Paul used their vacation time and their talents to join a two-week mission project in South Africa. I loved seeing Becca’s pictures of South Africans and was so strengthened by her passion to see people all over the world experience the love of Jesus.
Jason, Nick, Peggy, Clayton, Kinsey, and Alexis packed up and moved to New Mexico in response to the reality that there’s not Campus Crusade ministry at the University of New Mexico, a campus of 26,000 students (not counting the other 18,000 students nearby). They’re meeting freshmen, sharing their faith, hosting fun events, and starting Bible studies as I type.
Brittanie found out about ministry in Greece through the Campus Crusade website. Sight unseen, she applied to take a year out from school to help us give students the opportunity know God personally here. Halfway through the summer her grandfather died, she realized that leaving her long-term boyfriend would be more challenging than she originally thought, and only a third of her support was raised.When God prompted her to make a concerted effort to seek support in faith that He wanted her to come, He raised 35% of her support in one week!He finished her support just two weeks after that.
And this is just the beginning… Jess went to the Middle East this summer and wants to return to give people who’ve never heard the opportunity to know Christ. Kristen endures a difficult life in one of those countries to connect with people who are hostile toward Christians. Maria, who’s of Chinese descent, is leading a team to take the good news to Japanese students—a radical move of love for those cultures. Kristine has left a secure teaching future to reach international students with Christ’s love in Houston. Alexis and Kim, after leading a Japanese exchange student to Christ in San Diego, are planning to go to Japan next summer on a mission project.
I’m overwhelmed at the honor of knowing so many people of such faith! I’m honored to know you and to live a life of faith next to you, too.
“As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight.” Psalm 16:3
I’ve had a good first week back in Athens. I’ve gotten good time with my team. It’s not too hot. People are on vacation so things aren’t so busy. I’ve shopped at the outdoor farmer’s market twice. I made it to the beach on Tuesday. My Greek friends and I are exchanging encouraging messages on Facebook and Skype. My living room has been painted and I’m unpacked. Pictures are about to be hung. I’m excited about getting settled.
A number of you have asked about the fires around Athens. We saw lots of smoke, but not flames. Some friends of mine who live north of town were awakened before six in the morning and told to pack up and get out of their house. Fortunately, their house wasn’t burned. We’re east of town and weren’t effected other than smelling smoke and cleaning up ash that settled on our furniture.
We know to expect challenges when moving back into a foreign country. Things cost hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars more than we think, appliances, phones, and internet don’t work the way we think they will, we can’t get cash fast enough to pay the bills that have accumulated, we’re awake until three in the morning with jet lag. The Lord has been gracious in all of these things in the last week and a half. He’s working them out and I’m grateful.
I’m praying that He continues to make our paths straight and to prepare us and Greek students to reveal Himself to us this school year.
It's been so good to get time with family and friends after being overseas. I've loved being in my home state, enjoying the mountains and people I love.
I so enjoyed our summer project in San Diego-- what an honor to see God move among people who are taking steps of great faith! I loved learning more about the Lord together. I loved talking with people about His love and abundant life in Him. I loved seeing Him change lives.
During our project, we got to talk with nearly 11,000 people about Christ and His forgiveness and great love for us. 82 of those people placed their faith in Him. We helped the San Diego campus team with ministry on four campuses and saw incredible results: we're connecting them with 1,500 of our friends, 300-400 of them who want to be part of a group on campus. 20-30 students said they'd like to help lead a group on their campus. A group of those students, along with a faculty member, met to begin their own group at Grossmont College before we left. It was amazing!
In July, my parents and I got to help train our stint (short-term, one-year mission) team leaders who are taking teams to share the good news about Jesus all over the world. I loved hearing their stories of trusting God for more than they can see in their lives, on their teams, and in these countries.
I just visited our briefing for all of our stint teams-- those who are going to the campuses of the world for a year. I met my team of one-year stinters that will be in Athens. I enjoyed them so much and am looking forward to our year together.
In the next couple of weeks I want to share stories of individual lives with you on this blog. I think they will encourage you as they've encouraged me.
I fly to Athens on Thursday. Would you pray with me...
for good time with family and friends in these last few days here.
for safe travel.
for a guy to rent a room in my basement and for a good property manager for my house in Greeley.
for the Lord to prepare our team for His work this fall. For Him to bear fruit in us and for Him to bear fruit through us to bring His life to students in Athens.
I'm writing from an airport, excited to touch down again in San Diego. I've heard stories of students growing in their faith. I've heard stories of others trusting Christ through their conversations about Him. I've heard stories of students in San Diego making plans to continue the work our students have begun-- reaching out to others year- round with His life-giving love. I can't wait to see them all in person!
Please pray... -for our week as we close down the summer project. I'm praying that we'll walk closely to the Lord, enjoy one another, finish our work efficiently, and encourage those we leave in San Diego to continue His work there.
-that He'll prepare us as we return home for the same kind of rich life and ministry we've experienced on summer project.
Next weekend I'll get time with friends in Grand Junction. I'll share about our ministry on Sunday the 9th and will provide lunch for anyone who wants to hear more after the second service. If you're in town, I'd love for you to come!
It’s been such a joy to be back on the San Diego Summer Project! 170 staff and students have gathered to grow in our relationships with the Lord and to reach out to the community in San Diego. We’re off to a good start—taking steps of faith, studying the Word, talking with people on campus and on the beach about the Lord. Some of them have even placed their trust in Him already!
I’m really enjoying our group this year! If you’d like to keep tabs on us, go to http://www.thesdsp.com/?page_id=85 . That link has a picture of me and you can navigate from there to see what God’s doing here.
Our summer project in Athens is going well too. 45 students and staff are making friends, distributing flyers, and holding Bible discussion groups. It’s exciting to have so much help on the ground in Athens!
Thank you for praying for my travel, for our staff situation, and for people to mow my yard. I had a great trip with my sister. We gained four staff women and we only needed three! And I’ve gotten the help I need with my lawn. Thank you!
Things you can pray for …
-Spiritual growth. I’m asking that the Lord will draw us all close to Him and make us more like Himself (2 Corinthians 3:18).
-Jobs for project students. These are ministry locations for us where students learn to minister to those around them in the work place. They also help students to make money to go to school in the fall.
-Rest for our leadership team. We’ve had extra loads this year with the job situation and some issues that have arisen on the project. Many of us are sick. Please pray for the Lord to give us refreshment and rest.
Hello! It’s good to be in America! I landed in Denver on Tuesday night, grateful for some time in my home country. In the last couple of days I’ve enjoyed seeing my family, a few friends, my house, and my mountains. Today my sister and I are driving to San Diego for my summer project. I’m grateful for the help because I’m feeling some jet lag. I’m waking up early both because of the time change and because I have lot on my mind. There are so many details that are pushing me to tangibly trust the Lord. Would you pray for some of them with me? • Ask the Lord for safety and fun as my sister and I travel… and as our summer project staff travel to San Diego over the next few days. • Pray for the Lord to provide people to mow and weed my yard this summer. • Ask Him to provide staff for our project in San Diego—we’ve recently lost some critical players. • Pray that the Lord will work out the details for us to partner well with churches and groups that serve the community in the San Diego area. I want us to be a blessing that shows Jesus’ love all over the city! • Pray that the Lord will prepare our staff in Greece and the team of 40 that He’s sending from Texas for the summer project there. Ask the Lord to prepare Greek students too—to soften their hearts toward Him. Thank you so much! I love that we can rest, knowing that He hears us and is taking care of every care we have! Love, Marta “Jesus, I am resting, resting in the joy of what Thou art. I am finding out the greatness of Thy loving heart!”
I wrote an update for you last week, but it became a printed letter because it became so detailed. In it I told about a very encouraging conversation with an influential student leader at the University of Athens named Sakis.
Here are some highlights from the conversation: Me: “Greek students tell me that they want change in Greek society; what do you think will bring the change that’s needed in Greece?” Sakis: “ I don’t know. I can’t bring change. I just want to help people. My first year no one helped me and I was lost.” Me: “Why can’t you bring change? You seem to have influence. You have character. You care about people. Why can’t you be part of bringing change?” Sakis: ”I have seen people who are a lot better than me try and they failed. They couldn’t do it.”
About Jesus, Sakis: “We need Jesus. We need Jesus to come here. He would change things.” Me:”How do you think Jesus would change things?” Sakis: “He would make things better. We would be better. I would be better. I am a very bad person.”
About the Easter holiday coming up, Sakis said that he thought that Easter was a good time for personal reflection, even if someone didn’t believe. He said he wasn’t sure if he believed. Me: “I believe. I believe because Jesus has changed me. He’s given me the change we talked about.” Sakis: “I want to believe. Resurrection is what we need.”
More details on the conversation in the link to my letter on the right.
It’s only Monday and I’m already tired! We’re in the middle of a very full two-weeks.
Last week we enjoyed our group from the University of Texas. They said they were amazed at the ways the Lord orchestrated their conversations with students on campus. They also said they’ve grown in their desire and ability to talk with their fellow students at UT about Him. I pray that the Lord uses them to lead many to Him even this week!
We’ve gathered our campus staff from Thessaloniki and Athens this week for field training. Our topics include: helping students take the next step in their spiritual journeys, training students to lead, communicating compelling vision, following the Holy Spirit, and trusting God to move in mighty ways. We’re also planning for next school year.
Please ask the Lord to lead our hearts and minds very clearly this week and ask Him to make us receptive to His voice and responsive to His direction.
Thanks so much! I know your prayers are powerful and effective!
A group of students and staff from the University of Texas arrived on Sunday. They’re here to see the campus, meet students, see the sights, learn about the Lord, talk about the Lord, and pray for Greece. They’ll go back to UT as our representatives, letting others know about what God’s doing here and how they can pray, support, and join us. You can pray for us this week. . .
-that the Lord would give us safety and health. (I’ve been flu-ish for the last three days as has one of the guys I work with.) -that the Lord would give us great conversations and relationships with Greek students. That we’d have lots of opportunities to talk about abundant life in Him. -that students here would be drawn close to the Lord during the lent season—that they’d seek Him and find Him.
When I was running on the trail around the poly-technical campus last week, I delighted in the trees that are beginning to bud and flower. I love the newness of spring!
I remember, in the fall, watching the workers strip the trees around the trail. They bound up branches and waste and piled them up at a couple of central spots. I was adjusting to the stress of living overseas and I felt like one of those trees that was being stripped bare of my perspectives, doubt, selfishness, and sin in my heart. At that point, I prayed that the Lord would also work in Greek students’ hearts to take away things that hinder them from enjoying close relationships with Him.
Now, as I enjoy the blossoming trees and blooming wild flowers, I’m noticing that my faith, hope and love have grown and I’m praying that the Lord will bring new spiritual life to our students here in Greece. I just wrote in my latest mailing that we’re seeing some progress in the lives of our friends. . . Playing a game about world views in the theology school, girls debated whether their purposes in life were to serve others or to serve themselves. When we were leaving, they argued over who would get to keep the “Knowing God Personally” booklets I had in my bag (I need to carry more of them!). My Greek tutor saw a diagram I shared with students about salvation. After I explained it, she said, “Well, we agree!” Please pray that the Lord will give us more good conversations about this and that she’ll join me for Bible study. I often make friends with students in the theology school (it’s a typical degree here-- a little bit like social work in the States). During finals, I talked with two students about their studies of the Old Testament. They’re surprised at the violent, evil things that happened. They see the same kinds of evil in people today. They’re considering that God is good and that He wants good for us instead of the evil that people do. One of their good friends hangs out with my roommate, Paige, regularly. She asked what it looks like to know God personally. Paige shared with her how to trust Christ’s payment on the cross to give life. She wants a relationship with God like that. A few of our friends have said they’d like to join us for Bible study. I love this! I want them to read His Word because it’s powerful and effective and it changes lives. Paige and I are starting a weekly Bible study today. Please pray that the Lord would bring students to study His Word with us.
