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.