Johnathan summarizes:
If you've been following the news, you will know that Athens has been wrapped up in flames! Store after store, banks, supermarkets and anything that breathed capitalism with a capital 'C' was pillaged and burned...not only in Athens but across Greece, Istanbul, Spain, Italy and France among other places! A 15 yr old teenager was accidentally shot by police. Young Alexandros was among the anarchists who refused to stop hurling obscenities and threatened police with rocks and Molotov cocktail bombs that were literally raining on the streets of Athens. Over 1,000 garbage bins were burned, 400 shops ransacked, 100's of cars charcoaled, 100 arrested, 70 wounded, two police men imprisoned, one boy killed...a nation divided!
Will it be a Christmas of Hope? Where there is no desperation, pain or loss, there is no need for hope! So, yes, it is a season where we will celebrate and proclaim HOPE.
Has our ministry been affected by the rioting and the fires?
We had to cancel one Worship Event in December due to the rioting and burning in the streets directly below our meeting hall but the Christmas Love Meal was served! The poor and the refugees managed to make it through the disrupted city center to our downtown hall for the Love Meal on Monday, December 15th. As Bruce McAtee was preaching the gospel before serving the food, large flames and debris were seen outside of the 7th floor from the burning on the street below. The tear gas was so bad, that even through the closed windows, eyes were stinging. Bruce was able to calm calmed the frightened people and assured them that they would be okay. He continued with the program as usual.
Man on Fire – As our staff was helping some of the elderly to the bus station after the meal, Liza and Elias saw a man up ahead of them whose jacket had caught on fire as he brushed by a burning garbage bin. Elias ran and helped the man get his coat off just in the nick of time. The man's hand was slightly burned, but his life was spared. No sooner had they saved the man from his flaming jacket than two strangers ran up, grabbed the blazing jacket and searched the pockets for something to steal! Again, Elias ran after the two strangers on behalf of the old man who was on fire. This describes the spirit of unruliness in the streets of Athens.
…for such a time as this…Esther 4:14
These troubled times have produced an openness in the people here to listen to the words of the gospel like never before reports one young Greek police officer, Yiannis, who is a friend of the ministry.
As Yiannis was working out in the gym in December, he believes he received a message directly from God. He got up from the equipment, grabbed a pen and paper and recorded what he had heard. He was inspired to create the postcard shown below:
The Greek words say, (rough translation by Peggy):
In whom do you stand/lean on? In the government? In the minister? In the holy mountain? In the monk? In the police force? In the special guard?
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28
Jesus Christ, the only one who keeps his word.
He had 800 of these cards printed and at present has handed out over 600 of them. He sent them to many government officials, including the President and the Prime Minister of Greece, with a hand written note on the back. He also passed them out amongst all his colleagues on the police force and to rioters and others he encountered in the streets.
Yiannis tells us that he has never experienced such a time of sensitivity and willingness to listen to the hope of the gospel as in these days.
Please pray with us that God will continue to inspire many other Greek believers to speak the truth and to move in the hearts of others to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior.
