Christmas Love Meals 2009

Christmas is a special time of year for us at HM. The whole team joins together to prepare an unforgettable day for the refugees and the homeless of Athens and this year was no exception.

Preparations began weeks before as we contemplated what gifts would best suit our guests; sleeping bags, coats, blankets, and food bags. Then the week before Christmas we were blessed to be able to purchase a new convection oven so that we would be able to cook our chicken dinner on site, instead of cooking offsite and needing to transport pans of hot chicken and potatoes across the busy city of Athens.

The hall was decorated, the gifts were wrapped and on Saturday Dec 19th we hosted a meal at 2pm for about 200 homeless Greek people and just hours later at 7pm we served dinner to over 350 Afghan men, women and children. The hall was bursting at it seams, and we even fed an overflow crowd in the balcony! And one last time, on Monday Dec 21st, we fed over 200 Muslim refugee men.

What a joy it was to share the gift of Jesus’ birth with so many. At each meal, Bob Hill, a Christian illusionist, presented the clear message of the gospel in an entertaining series of tricks on the stage. Christmas songs were sung, a warm meal and treats were served, and gifts were handed out to all. What a privilege to serve Jesus in this way. We think that the servers were blessed more than the recipients!

The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Fathers, full of grace and truth. Jn 1:14. Glory to God in the Highest!

We are ungovernable!

I passed this painted on the wall of the University of Athens last week on my way to class. It clearly reflects the mindset of Greek youth. This graffiti was commemorating the anniversary of the riots that broke out in Athens last year at this time during which one 15 year old boy was shot and killed. A new government is in office this year and they have chosen not to let the students break bank windows, burn cars and garbage dumpsters and keep the university locked up. Needless to say, this has made the past weeks much more peaceful and easier to do business in the center.

Please keep praying for the Greek young people, they are really without hope. They don't have hope in the educational system, the government, the church, or in their ability to provide for families in the future.

Please pray for God to pour out His Spirit and draw this generation of "ungovernable" young people to Himself through Jesus Christ!

Another Blessing – Surgery for Mike in Greece

It’s hard to believe it’s been a week already but last Monday Mike had hernia surgery. I am pretty sure this was the scariest thing I’ve faced here but God, as usual, took great care of us!

Mike is recovering and in good spirits. The pain he was in before surgery was much worse than the post-op surgery so he is relieved.

We are so grateful for God’s protection and provision for us in this situation. Here are just a few of the ways that God blessed us throughout this process:
• By providing an excellent English speaking doctor and staff
• By providing a Greek friend to sit with me while Mike was in surgery
• By providing nice roommates
• Being able to share with the doctors about the work we are doing here
• By being prayed for by so many around the world

And an encouragement from Mike…
I had a cool thing happen the night I stayed in the hospital. The head nurse working the 3 to 11pm shift came in and asked me if I was staying more than one night. I told her no, that I would be leaving the next day and she said no, that she would ask the doctor if I could stay longer. I asked her why and she said that I had made her year by being such a gentle man and by being so nice to everyone. Then she asked me if Peggy was my girlfriend or my wife. I told her that she was my wife of 30 years and she said she couldn't believe how nice we were to each other and how much we cared for each other.

All this is to say is that we don't know who is watching us and how I am encouraged that we can be sharing with others without us even knowing it. Being a Christian is 24/7 so stay strong!

Thank you all so much for praying!

Thanksgiving and Christmas decorating!

We celebrated a different sort of Thanksgiving with lasagna and chocolate cake and it was great. A good time to reflect again on God and His goodness to us all. Then for the first time in three years, we put up a Christmas tree and decorations. We "borrowed" our friends' kids for the day and they were a great help and inspiration to us! We are trying to learn new ways to celebrate the holidays! No turkey, no football games, no black Friday, but we are thankful none the less! Looking forward to remembering more of God's goodness to us in the coming advent season. Siga, siga (slowly, slowly) we are learning contentedness comes from our relationship with Jesus rather than from our circumstances.

Two Years in Greece!

Nov 7th marked the two year anniversary of our arrival in Greece. It is hard to believe that two years have flown by. Some who study missions say that the two year mark brings with it a sort of lull in enthusiasm for the job and I must agree. There are so many times when I wonder what God was thinking by calling us here. As one used to only one hometown and people group, sometimes I am still overwhelmed by our surroundings here. It continues to be a struggle to keep God's perspective on things and to live each day fully for Him instead of longing for the past or dreaming of the future!

We were recently encouraged by these words from the Jesus Calling devotional:
I am working My ways in you: the divine Artist creating loveliness within your being. My main work is to clear out debris and clutter, making room for My Spirit to take full possession. Collaborate with Me in this effort by being willing to let go of anything I choose to take away. I know what you need, and I have promised to provide all of that-abundantly!

Your sense of security must not rest in your possessions or in things going your way. I am training you to depend on Me alone, finding fulfillment in My Presence. This entails being satisfied with much or with little, accepting either as My will for the moment. Instead of grasping and controlling, you are learning to release and receive. Cultivate this receptive stance by trusting Me in every situation.

We are living these words right now. Striving to learn all God has to teach us; to shed the comfortable for the uncomfortable, to surrender more fully to Him and to His ways and to learn to lean more fully on Him and not on our understanding.

Highlights:
knowing how to get from one place to another
relationships, conversations we have had with encouraging Greeks
opportunities to be the hands and feet of Christ to the needy here

Continual struggles:
learning to speak Greek
missing the kids and grandkids and family back home

Thank you all so much for your faithful partnership with us. We so appreciate you all!

Peggy turns 50!

Still recovering from an incredible two/three weeks with the girls and their families as they were here in Greece to celebrate Peggy turning 50. Michele and Jeremy and Mia (10 months) were here for three weeks and Missy and Paul and Hannah (6) and Amelia (2) for two weeks. It was so great to all be together and to get to know all three of these granddaughters whom we had only met once before at the end of last year. We went sight seeing, saw all the HM properties, but spent most of the time at the beach. The weather was fantastic and we all enjoyed hanging out in the water and the sand.
We are so blessed to have had this chance to spend time with family.

Rome and Greece with Mom and Dad

At the end of a crazy busy summer, we were so excited that Peggy's parents were able to come visit us in Greece. We met them first in Rome for 5 days and then they returned with us to Greece for 10 days. It was their first trip to both Rome and to Greece, and Dad says it their last, but we hope not!

We had a great time seeing all the sights in Rome in the 90+ heat and humidity. Mom and Dad ( at 78 and 81) were troopers as we toured the Vatican, the Colosseum, and many other attractions in Rome. The double decker bus was a fun way to see the whole city but didn't offer much in the way of shade or air conditioning! The only bummer to the trip was that Dad got his wallet stolen the one day that we rode the Metro :(

We all arrived back in Greece and spent a wonderful 10 days resting and showing Mom and Dad a little of our life here. Many of our ministries were closed for vacation but they were able to see the places where we work and meet a few of our co-workers. We played a lot of cards, saw the Acropolis and other tourist sights, and just really enjoyed each other's company!

I think after all they experienced abroad, they are pretty content with their life in America and were happy to return there!