Our new home

Working with refugees

This last week Mike and I have had the privilege to serve in refugee ministries with HM. On Monday nights we serve a “love meal” to the homeless and refugees. The number of people attending this dinner has increased significantly since we were here in 2006. The number of families, women and children is eye opening and heartbreaking. The people seem desperate for food as they reach out to receive the soup or other dish that’s been prepared for them. Looking at the faces of the littlest kids, like one year olds, breaks my heart. Their looks of desperation and despair make me think, “God, I’ve never been hungry.” How is that depending where one is born, one either has a life of abundance and freedom or of squalor and oppression? The inequities of the situations are hard to justify. And I wonder why? Why did I never have to have someone else provide food and clothes and diapers for our children? Why were we always able to live in a nice warm house with bathrooms and a kitchen? Why did I grow up experiencing the best of freedom-to work, to go to school, a home and a family etc? Why are so many people without these basic things?

On Tuesdays, the hall is now open to women and children for showers and to do their laundry (the men come on Mondays). Even though we try to make it as nice as possible, a stranger never had to tell me to hurry up my shower nor did I ever have to ask for feminine hygiene products from a stranger. I never squatted to nurse my babies, nor had to sit in a hallway for most of the afternoon and wait for my clothes to dry outside. The boredom and monotony of it were depressing for me. The children range in age from toddlers to teenagers. It’s hard to watch the face of a teen as her mom asks me if I know of any work for her husband. They have six children and no work. I am like a deer in the headlights. I am speechless. I can’t even begin to understand what this feels like, and I am ashamed that I can’t even begin to understand her situation. The teenage girl seems bright and somewhat embarrassed of the situation and I think of teens in the US with so much who are rude and just demand more from their parents. I look at the faces of the women and they look tired, hopeless. I can’t communicate well with them other than to smile. So I try to treat them with respect, share smiles with them, change their laundry, clean up after them in the showers. I know Jesus is the peace and hope they need but how do I share this with them? I cannot rescue them, I cannot give them work. I cannot financially support them or give them housing. It’s overwhelming to me and yet I just do what I can at that time.

Thank you for helping us help others in the name of Christ. Too often we Americans want to see solutions; we can usually fix things quickly and efficiently. But here we are left to just love the best we can, for the short time we have contact with these people. Please pray for the needs of these refugees and the strangers and aliens among you. They are there if we just open our eyes beyond our own needs to see those around us. Look them in the eyes, let them know you see them and that you care. The answer is not up to us, just the responsibility to help when we are shown the opportunity to do so.

Thanks for letting me share my heart with you.

A Reluctant Servant

A week ago, when most of your were enjoying your Thanksgiving holiday, eating leftovers and putting up Christmas decorations, Mike and I had the opportunity to spend the night out at HM’s seaside camp, Porto Astro. On Saturday, I spent the day cleaning a boat on shore while the rest of the team did repairs on the Morning Star (HM’s 67 ft. sailboat). The five hours or so that I spent cleaning the boat by myself gave me a lot of time to speak and to listen to God and to learn more about myself.

While I was washing the boat I kept thinking how much I didn’t enjoy doing this task. I was thinking of everyone at home shopping and celebrating and feeling somewhat sorry for myself. I was rationalizing that I was too old to be climbing up into this little dinghy and cleaning it, after all, I am a grandma! I couldn’t picture any of my friends back home doing it or even any of my kids doing it. Then I told God “I am a bible study teacher, not a boat cleaner. Did you forget that I just graduated with a degree in Biblical Studies from Moody?” And God said to me, “Do you think you are too good for boat cleaning?” And I answered, “Yes, I think I am.” And He said, “Was Jesus not too good in His perfect holiness to come to earth and take your filthy sins to the cross?” And I was silenced. He said “You say you want to be my servant, but now you are complaining about the work I have given you today. You are telling me what you are willing to do to serve Me.” And I was humbled. He said, “Peggy, in order to use you to do anything here in Greece, I need you to come before me in brokenness, not in pride.” And I was quiet.

This was a shocking, painful day of self revelation for me. How is it that we say we will serve God with all our hearts, mind, strength and soul and then we put parameters on that service? How easy it is to speak words, how much more difficult it is to surrender to God’s plan not our own. I still have so much to learn, but am trusting The Teacher! I won’t quickly forget this lesson in boat cleaning!

We're in Greece!

Contact info:
Cell phones: Calling from the US dial 011-30 then our cell phone number
Mike 698-169-4082 Peggy 697-966-1835
For international calling card try www.callingcards.com
Temporary mailing address:
c/o Hellenic Ministries, 12 Lydias St, Athens 11527, Greece
Skype name: mikeandpeggy79
Email: mikeandpeggylowe@gmail.com
Our web albums: http://picasaweb.google.com/mikeandpeggylowe

We arrived without incident in Greece and have been busy acclimating to this new place that we will call home.

We are staying in the most beautiful house that I have ever seen here. I especially love this view from the living room out into the courtyard-more green than I ever saw here last time. We are enjoying the peace and quiet and beauty of this location while we spend most of our days running around trying to get settled.

Our friend and fellow Greek missionary, Alex Macris, has been our personal shopper and chauffeur these last 10 days. So far we have purchased cell phones, registered for Greek tax numbers, bought a car (although we don't have it yet-waiting for the government papers to be done), begun the process of applying for a resident's visa and have been apartment shopping.

It is good to be back in Greece. It's not nearly as disorienting as it was last time we were here. It's nice to remember things, streets and some Greek words.

Hard to believe that it was just two weeks ago today that we were loading our house into the 20' container in our driveway. Today Mike and I took a walk around the neighborhood looking for places for rent. Imagine someone dropping you off in downtown Chicago and telling you to find a place to live, either there or in any of the surrounding suburbs. How does one choose? We don't quite know. We're considering all the possibilities. It's easier to get around downtown Athens (HM office) by foot but very difficult to find a parking place. It's noisy but there's always some action to be had just by walking the streets. Or do we live in a quiet suburb outside of Athens. A long drive (40-50 minutes to the office) but a quiet neighborhood and plenty of places to park and even some green spaces. Or by the sea-a long car trip to the office, but an incredible view!
Adding to our confusion is that everyone we talk to has a different opinion about it! We feel it's like looking for a needle in a haystack BUT we are certain that God knows just the place that's best for us. So we go through the day, reading the classified adds (in Greek), searching but mostly just trusting God to lead us. It's quite a combination of action and faith. Personally, I'm all for Him just sending me an email with our new address!

We are so grateful to God that everything went so smoothly getting us here, for the gorgeous temporary accommodations (with DSL), no sicknesses etc. and we continue to wait on Him to sell our home back in Wheaton and to provide us with a new one here. These words, sent to us from our realtor, have been an encouragement to us this week:

To be related intimately to our Father is to trust him when things are difficult, the money is short and the future unknown. He has promised that he will see that we have all we need. He commanded that we not dishonor him by worry, murmuring, grumbling or self-pity like the pagans do. For the fruit of the Spirit is love of God, joy in trusting him, and peace, which is freedom from anxiety. Remember Phillipians 4:6-7

Thanks again friends for partnering with us in this ministry. We look forward to the days when all the "settling in" is done and we will be more able to participate in ministry

Getting Ready to GO!

We leave for Greece in less than a week now -Tuesday November 6th to be exact. There is so much to do and the days seem to keep getting shorter.

Here's the abridged scoop on what needs to happen in that time:

• Pack up our entire house and move it into a 20' container that will be in our driveway this weekend
• Obtain a visa from the Greek embassy in Chicago
• Sell our house
• Say too many goodbyes
  

We've contracted for a 20' container to arrive at our house this Friday in which to pack up personal effects and household goods to ship to Greece. They pick up the container on Monday morning and then it starts its 4-6 week trip across the ocean to the port of Pireaus in Greece where we will have to meet it and arrange for its contents to get to our apartment. Since we haven't ever done such a thing before we are praying that everything we had hoped to bring with us will fit in the container and that we will pack it all well.

The visa deal continues to allude us. We went well prepared (we thought) last week downtown and they are stymied about what kind of visa to give us. This facilitated a call from HM in Greece to the Chicago office and maybe will take another trip down there for us. They are offering no guarantees just another look at it. Ironically, if we sold the house, we would qualify as "independently wealthy" for their visa and one would be issued right away!

Our house still has not sold. One of the many BIG things that we are still waiting to see how and when God will take care of this. It will be in an auction on Nov 10th-so we'll see if anything comes out of that and if so how to negotiate internationally.

Our kids: Missy was in last weekend helping us with some last minute planning and Michele and Jeremy will be here this weekend. It might not be our most hospitable time as I am trying to pack up bedding, towels etc. We may all be sleeping on the floor together! We continue to soak up as much time as possible with Mike and Nisha and our 3 yr. old grandson Jackson before we go. Jackson still tells his parents that he's going with us to Greece (Oh how I wish that were true!).

Goodbyes: not my favorite thing in the world, in fact something that is really difficult for me(Peggy). I would think God could have given me the spiritual gift of detachment if He knew how many goodbyes would be part of my life!

Thank you for all of you who are praying for us and who are partnering with us financially. We are privileged to be ministering alongside you. As we look ahead, there are so many uncertainties-but one constant-the love of Christ and the knowledge that He is the One who is calling us and leading us to Greece. These words from Psalm 139:10 comfort us and tell us that God will be our helper and our leader in what's ahead for us...."if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast."

Waiting again!

Mike and I are living in Wheaton and preparing for our return back to Greece. We are busy trying to catch up with life in the States and to reconnect with family and friends. We're finding that transition time is not so much fun....too many uncertainties, but we see no other way through it than to just keep taking one step at a time and to keep trusing God. There is much to do regarding shipping of furniture, obtaining resident visas, getting overseas health insurance etc. and we are trying to make good use of the time He's given us.

Our biggest news is that we are waiting for an adoptive grandson that is to be born May 20th and placed with our daughter Missy and her husband Paul who live in Colorado. The timing of this grandson's birth would seem to facilitate a change in our departure date from April to perhaps some time in June. We wait with expectant hearts to see a new family born for Mis and Paul.

We are starting to get the word out that we are seeking people and churches to partner with us as we minister in Greece through both financial and prayer support. This is another time of waiting on the Lord and watching expectantly for Him to supply all that is needed.

The challenges before us are big, but so is our God. Please pray for us to be patient and trusting as we wait on Him!