A Muslim or a Man?

Today at the shower ministry I met a man from Palestine. He had tears in his eyes as he talked to me about his family and what took place in his hometown. He is from Gaza, which is controlled by Israel. He told me how one day he was part of a group of Palestinians throwing rocks at the Israeli troops to protest their lack of food and medicine when suddenly helicopters and troops opened fire on them with machine guns. He watched as his brother and his father were gunned down. He just managed to escape the shooting spree with his life and then realized that he had to escape from Gaza or he would die too. So he left all he had and traveled to Greece by way of Turkey. When he arrived, he found no work and no hope. He told me of being beaten and robbed by the police here on the street.

He approached me because he said he could see my heart as I was serving the refugees and asked me where I was from and what I was doing here. I told him that I was from America and that I was here to help people like him. He asked about the organization that I was with and I told him that we were followers of Jesus, our Lord and Savior. He told me that he knows God and that there is only one God. I agreed with him but also told him that to get to God he needs to come through Jesus. He looked at me and said, “I am a Muslim” and I said, “I don’t see a Muslim, I see a man.” He thanked me and stayed by my side the rest of the day helping me translate and moving the men through the showers. As he got ready to leave, I turned and gave him all the change in my pocket and I said I hoped to see him again.

As he left and I began to clean the showers, I prayed that he will see the Truth.

Please pray with me for this man and for the many others who see a difference in us as we serve them. Pray that they keep asking about why we are different and that Christ will shine through in all we do.

Wheaton Bible Church GO Team! κουζίνα

What an incredible privilege it was to host a construction team of 8 men from our home church this last week. From the beginning to the end of the trip, Mike and I were incredibly blessed by their visit. It was so fun to meet up with people that we knew from back home and to work alongside them at the HM hall in downtown Athens.

With their help, we were able to begin a remodeling project that HM has been dreaming of for years; moving the kitchen from the 8th floor to the 7th floor. In just 5 working days the team was able to accomplish so much. They tore out existing structures and laid floor drains, plumbing, electric, did plastering, framing, drywall, taping and poured a concrete floor for the new kitchen and adjacent office space.

It was a long week of work, with many, many hours of labor but also filled with plenty of laughs and spiritual fellowship as the guys worked side by side. I am sure the hit of the week was the cooking that was done for the team by Akbar's wife, Leyla. What a gift her gracious and joyful service was to the team, not to mention a huge relief for Peggy!

Now that we have started this renovation, it is only a matter of time before it can change the way the hall is used as we serve the refugees and the homeless there each week! We ask you all to continue to pray that God would send more teams here to finish the work that this team started.

Could God be asking you to be part of a construction team to Greece in the future?! We hope so!!

Many thanks and blessings to these guys. We love you all, Mike and Peggy

How much of God do you want?

We are able to have as much of God as we want. Christ puts the key to His treasure chest in our hands and invites us to take all we desire. If someone is allowed into a bank vault, told to help himself to the money, and leaves without one cent, whose fault is it if he remains poor? And whose fault is ti that Christians usually have such meager portions of the free riches of God?

Alexaner Maclaren from Streams in the Desert.

I've been challenged by this lately, how much of God do I want and whose fault is it if I am lacking? Are the things I consider so critical in my daily life more important that the treasure of Himself that He offers me each day?

Please pray for us to seek all of Jesus in our lives each day.

Gagging Gas Prices!

We are shocked by the changing price of gasoline in Greece these days.
Last week we bought gas for €1.049 per litter and the next day it was €1.189 and three days later €1.249!!
Now there is a customs strike and many gas stations are out of gas altogether.

Just for comparison, 1 gallon of gas equals about 3.78 liters so €1.249 per liter = $6.50 per gallon!!

So the next time you think the price of gas is high in America, think again!

Visit to Northern Greece

Mike and I traveled 8.5 hrs north to visit with Panagiotis, a HM missionary and evangelist living in the city of Komotini. He hands out tons of Christian literature at the open air markets there. It was an incredible blessing to visit him and to see the work he is doing. 50% of the population there is Turk Muslims and they readily receive the materials he gives them for free while the Greeks were much more hesitant to take anything from us. Please pray for Panagiotis as he works by himself there, that God will continue to be his constant support and encouragement.

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!