DEC GWOM: ΤΕΛΕΙΑ - PERFECT

We had a perfect ending to our 7+ years of ministry in Greece.

We had such mixed feelings as we left; great joy as we reflected back on all God had done and deep sadness to say goodbye to great friends and a growing ministry.  Our goodbyes were seasoned with laughs and tears just as you would expect.

We take with us some very special memories of our visits the last week with the girls who had lived in The Hope Center (THC). We were able to see both the girls and their children. It was so rewarding to see the vision a reality before our eyes, two little children who were saved from abortion.

We also were able to meet the children of our Hope Center houseparents who had been separated from their parents for the last six years. They were able to visit Greece for the first time in Decemeber and it was so fun for us to be part of the welcoming committee and to see this family reunited.

And finally, we are excited that another HM co-worker has joined THC team. Sara Schwartz has been working with us since the summer and it encourages us to see that God takes care of His ministry and that He will supply all that is needed to see His work accomplished. 

As you know, we have been called out of Greece and we are pursuing working alongside a national church, in mentoring and discipleship somewhere in Mexico and/or Central America, beginning in early 2015.

In the meantime, Hellenic Ministries will continue processing the financial gifts you send on our behalf until the time we have a new mission selected so you are able to continue giving as normal through them. 

More news on our transition in the next posting.

NOV GWOM: ΕΥΑΙΣΘΗΤΟΠΟΙΗΣΗ - AWARENESS

It has been a busy month of spreading the word about The Hope Center across Athens. We have begun sending out a monthly pro-life prayer email and have had speaking engagements in The Greek Bible College, an evening service in a Greek church and in a Greek woman's Bible study group. We also hosted a team of pastors from South Africa for a prayer visit to THC. We are trusting that God is on the move, making His will known about His heart for LIFE here in Greece. We are also praying for Him to draw many Greeks into this ministry.

As the awareness campaign increases, our personal life is also in the midst of much activity. We have sold most of our possessions and have moved out of our apartment of 7 years as we prepare for our exit from Greece. 

We will begin our furlough/transition time in December as we land in Colorado Dec 17th for the holidays with the kids and grandkids. Then we head to Wheaton in January and back to CO for a debrief at MTI in late January.

We look forward to seeking the Lord and His direction for our next steps in ministry. It's both scary and exciting at the same time, to step away from the known and to leap into the unknown. Oh, the adventures He has planned for us as we follow Him!

If you've missed it before, we have felt God calling us out of Greece and will be pursuing working alongside a national church, in mentoring and discipleship somewhere in Mexico and/or Central America, beginning in 2015.

In the meantime, Hellenic Ministries has graciously agreed to continue processing the financial gifts you send on our behalf until the time we have a new mission selected so you are able to continue giving as normal through them. 

Please pray with us:

• For God to move  Greek men and women to join the prolife movement here in Greece. 
• For us to finish well here and for wisdom and direction for future ministry. 

OCT GWOM: ΙΣΤΟΣΕΛΙΔΑ – WEBSITE

THE HOPE CENTER: We are so happy to tell you that as of Oct. 21st, The Hope Center finally has a website, in both English and Greek. This has been a dream of ours for years and after countless hours of hard work and the cooperation of many volunteers, we are live! You can visit the site at www.hopecenter.gr or www.kentroelpidas.gr for those of you who prefer Greek!

This website is so important to the ministry because it has been reported that more babies are being saved around the world through the use of the Internet than any other way. Girls who find themselves in unplanned pregnancies are going online to see what their options are.

We are also able to dispel some common myths through the truths we present on the website, such as using a fetal development chart which shows that life begins at the moment of conception; that the embryo is a child from the start, not just a mass of tissue for months.

Now that we have this valuable tool, we are on a publicity campaign, spreading the word that this help is available. Towards this end, Mike spent four days in Northern Greece hanging our posters in pharmacies, eateries, shops, and bus stops throughout small villages there. Lots more to do, but we are off to a good start!

Additionally, it was really fun to see the first Hope Center baby, who is almost 1 yr.old now, again. Little baby Sef (pictured above) and his Mom stopped by our office for a visit. Isn't he darling?

PERSONALLY:  The weeks are flying by for us as we are wrapping up our time here in Greece. We have hosted a garage sale and have emptied our apartment of most of our furniture. We will move into a furnished flat above our church in mid November for our last month here.

For those of you who missed reading last month, we have felt God calling us out of Greece and will be pursuing working alongside a national church, in mentoring and discipleship somewhere in Mexico and/or Central America, beginning in 2015.

In the meantime, Hellenic Ministries has graciously agreed to continue processing the financial gifts you send on our behalf until the time we have a new mission selected so you are able to continue giving as normal through them. 

Please pray with us:

• For God to use the new website to help many to choose life for their unborn children.
• For God to move  Greek men and women to join the prolife movement here in Greece. 
• For us to finish well here and for wisdom and direction for future ministry. 

SEPT GWOM: ΜΕΓΑΛΑ ΝΕΑ – BIG NEWS

This month we have BIG NEWS for you!

THE HOPE CENTER: We are so pleased to announce to you the birth of another Hope Center baby. A beautiful, healthy baby girl was born on September 3rd. We can't even express to you the exhilaration it is to celebrate the victory of each new life that is born through this ministry! The journey is often very rocky, with so many hurdles, but in the end it is an amazing joy and privilege to hold the baby in our arms and to rejoice with the new mother.

PERSONALLY:  We are on the move, taking another BIG leap of faith (as pictured above with the bungee jump). So here's the story; at the end of summer 2013, Mike and I both felt the Lord was speaking to us about leaving Greece. We were surprised and were not expecting this as the Hope Center ministry was just beginning to grow. We prayed and prayed and asked God for clarity on this. We spoke to our HM leadership and our church leadership and we came to believe that yes, His will for us is to leave Greece and to follow HIS lead to serve in another country. So, after 7 years of serving in Greece, we will be leaving in December 2014.

Our plans, God willing, are to be with our family for Christmas in CO, then head to Wheaton to visit our family, friends, and home church in early January, return to CO for a week of debrief at Missionary Training Institute in late January and then travel to investigate new ministry opportunities.

Because we believe so much in the local church, and since we have been so blessed by our small Greek church here,  we intend to pursue working alongside a national church, in Mexico and/or Central America, in mentoring and discipleship.

PRACTICALLY:  We are so thankful for you all and we invite you to continue partnering with us in future ministry. For now, Hellenic Ministries has graciously agreed to continue processing the financial gifts you send on our behalf until the time we have a new mission selected so you are able to continue giving as normal.

There is a lot of transition for us in the days ahead, both in downloading and storing the records for The Hope Center and in selling our furniture and belongings, which we have determined are too expensive to ship across the ocean again, but we are taking things one step at a time, in full confidence of His lead. 

Please pray:

•  Praising God for the gift of life for this new baby girl through THC ministry. Thank you so much too for all your prayers that were part of this delivery. We so appreciate your faithfulness and your support. 
• For us to finish well here in Greece and for wisdom and direction for future ministry. 
•  For faith and confidence for us to follow His lead into the unknown again. 

JUN/JULY GWOM: ΑΓΙΑ ΓΡΑΦΗ – HOLY SCRIPTURE‬

God says about His Word “it will not return to Me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” Isaiah 55:11

OPERATION JOSHUA 7: The whole team of Hellenic Ministries, as well as participants from around the world, joined together to distribute 102,000 New Testaments to homes in northern Greece in early July.

This is part of HM’s greater vision to distribute a copy of the NT in modern Greek to every home in rural Greece. Since 2004, we have passed out over 700,000 New Testaments! We are trusting God to bring a revival to this country through His Word as He promised in the verse listed above.

THE HOPE CENTER: We continue to depend on God’s Word in the maternity home ministry too, as we counsel our pregnant girl. She is confused with many life choices before her and we keep turning her to The Only Truth, God’s Truth, that will lead and guide her in wisdom for the decisions ahead.

Her options are difficult and her mind continues to change from week to week but we cling to the steadfast hope that God is in charge and that He alone has the answers for her.

PERSONALLY:  We were shocked and deeply saddened to hear from our son during OJ about the sudden, unexpected death of his 62 yr. old father in law, Chris Mitchell. Chris and Julie were friends and neighbors of ours in Wheaton as well as extended family. While we rejoice in knowing that Chis is now home in heaven, our hearts are heavy for the loss for all his family and friends.

Please pray with us:

• That God will do His work though the many, many bibles that were delivered this year. Also for the finances to complete payment for them.

• For wisdom for our girl at THC in the tough decisions she has ahead as she enters her last month of pregnancy and for us as we counsel her.

• For God to give His strength and comfort to the Mitchell and Lowe families as they mourn the loss of their husband, dad, and grandpa.

APRIL/MAY GWOM: ΕΛΕΥΘΕΡΙΑ - FREEDOM

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. (Gal 5:1) This is ultimately what we are all about as Christians and as missionaries. We want to share with others the freedom that we have found in Jesus Christ.

Amidst a busy couple of months, one of the things that has been special for us is in counseling those in The Hope Center (THC) ministry and watching them be set free of wounds, guilt, shame, anger, bitterness and seeing them embrace reconciliation and restoration in relationship with Christ and with others.  

One example of this is through the PARE (Post Abortion Recovery Education) course that THC offers regularly. Here is one small excerpt: before my wound was raw, it affected everything about me, my identity, my confidence, my daily thoughts. I couldn't feel joy about anything...and after the course: I feel peace and finally joy without guilt. Something has lifted...this was a necessary, painful but beautiful freeing process. I am free from shame, remorse, guilt, anger, pain, tried, sadness and depression. 

It is such a privilege to be part of God's transformational healing and we thank you so much for your partnership that allows us to help others. God is in the business of setting people free and we love being part of this!

Other notables: A visit from Pastor Gary and Kara from CO, Easter in a small Greek village, Mike's 57th bday, HM family conference, a ministry visit to church planters in Crete, hosting fellow WBC missionary Carolyn Adolf and Ruth, and having lunch with our son's co-worker and spouse, Wafa and Roger in Athens.

Additionally, THC was able to host a mother and her one week old baby for three weeks in May until we were able to move her on for further help. 

Please pray:

• for this mother and her baby who were moved out of THC May 29th. pray for God to take good care of them and that they will both get the love and the help they need.
• for our other pregnant girl, in her 2nd trimester, for a complete surrender of her heart to Jesus and that she will trust Him with all the uncertainties she is facing. 
• for God to give the houseparents wisdom, love and strength in dealing with everyday life with the girls and in relation to  THC neighborhood.