The Most Important Thing in Life?

In a recent Greek language class, I was asked to answer a question written in our book. "What do you think is the most important thing in life?"

It was my chance to answer first, in Greek, of course. I told the class in my very fundamental Greek that I thought one's relationship with God was the most important thing in life. Others answered love or understanding one self.

As we got up to go to break, my teacher said he respects people who think God is important but that he just found it really hard to believe that there is really a God who loves him. I said really, to me it makes everything make sense. It was an interesting conversation around the table and was quite eye-opening to hear other peoples' views about God.

Another conversation from my class this week was one man who said he didn't want to have kids because he is so discouraged with humankind in general.

Gosh, I am no longer in Wheaton anymore and I pray that I can be an effective tool in sharing with others in my class the love of God that I know and that gives my life purpose.

An Ancient Theater

We called up some friends, jumped in the car and took about a two hour road trip down to Epidavros yesterday. It was fun just to get out of Athens and check out more of this country. It also was fun to take new friends with us. This ancient theater is supposed to have been built back in the last quarter of the fourth century B.C. It was awesome and you will be glad to know that I did NOT get out in the middle and sing as several other people did. The acoustics were incredible and you could hear a coin dropped in the middle stage all the way up at the top of the theater. An incredible architectural feat, mind boggling to imagine how it was done back in the day.

Eye Opening!

Last week we volunteered with another Christian organization that ministers to prostitutes and trafficked girls on the streets of Athens. We went out of the street from 11pm till 1:30 am. I am still reeling from the experience. We went to their office and were educated about what we would see and do and then we split into teams and went out. Four of the girls on our team were on one side of the street and Mike and I and another team member were across the street. Our job was to pray and to keep our eyes open for trouble and to be ready to step in and protect our teammates if any threatening situation arose.

It was incredibly sad to watch these young girls, mostly from Nigeria or Algeria, who were scantily clad standing on the side of the road, yelling at the cars that drove by slowly to stop and pick them up. Some of them chased after the cars, banging on the driver’s windows for them to stop and take them in. Some were joined by customers and then walked together across the street into a hotel. They have “work quotas” to achieve each night.

We were informed that the girls were observing that night we all victims of trafficking. In other words, someone brought them into this county illegally and is making money off of their forced prostitution. It is a very complex situation, tied into organized crime and apparently very prevalent here in Greece. Most of the victims of trafficking are not aware that the job that they are offered is selling their bodies in prostitution. But once they get here, they are without legal papers and see no way out of the situation. The girls are often kept under lock and key together in a house and the trafficker maintains control over them by threatening their families with voodoo curses.

Our teammates approached the girls and offered them tea and tried to initiate conversations with them. They also handed out cards with contact information on it about the organization. This other Christian organization goes out on the streets three times a week and makes frequent contact with the girls. Their goal is to help the girls however they can and to share the love of Christ with them.

Please pray for this organization, for the girls on the streets, and for the destruction of the sex trade here in Greece.

Another Family Reunited

Recently, Hamza, the other Albanian who has been living and working at Porto Astro for the last seven years, was granted permission to bring his wife and sons to live with him here in Greece. This is the last of the refugees who are employed by HM to have his family reunited! We rejoice to see Hamza’s, Aurturo’s and Akbar’s families living together again after so many painful years of separation.

Hamza brought his wife Maria and his two sons, Elton, 14, and Zudi, 12, home to Greece in mid February. They join Aurturo and his wife and son who also live out at the property. It was with incredible joy that we saw this family reunited. Some of the HMers have dreamed of this day for many, many years. In fact, this was another dream of the late Costas Macris; for Hamza and Aurturo to be able to bring their families to Greece.

Please pray for Maria and the boys in this transition period. They left behind life in a two-story house in a big city with lots of relatives near by to begin living in trailers on a remote location without most of the conveniences of a city. The boys will also have to integrate into the Greek school system. Elton was the top student in his class in Albania and will miss the stimulus of school until they are able to get the paperwork sorted out and the boys in school, hopefully by the fall. Additionally, in their 16-year marriage, Hamza and Maria have never lived together for longer than a short period of time.

So amidst the joys of reunion there will also be challenges. Please remember to keep them in your prayers. For now, we are rejoicing in God’s goodness in bringing this family together again.