May GWOM: Ερωτήσεις - Questions

Is Christianity for real?
How do you know you have the Holy Spirit within you?
What's so different about you?

Do have any friends in relationships who are not having sex?
If your friend was facing an unplanned pregnancy,
what advice would you give her?
If there was a maternity home where young girls could go and live throughout their pregnancy, do you know anyone who would go there? Would you recommend it to a friend?

The above listed questions are ones we have been dealing with this month. The first set are the questions that Mike has been asked at different times this month by refugees that he sees each week.

One really interesting book that Mike is using in trying to reach his Muslim friends is The Camel, by Kevin Greeson. It presents a great tool for helping Muslims come to faith in Christ.

The second set of questions are some of the ones that we will use as we head to the local universities in early June with a group of 40 American students with the Agape Team (Campus Crusade for Christ). We will be polling students in order to spread awareness about the Hope Center ministries that we are developing.

Thank you for continuing to stand beside us in this ministry.
We appreciate your prayers for...
-the upcoming refugee camps the first two weeks of June:
single men the first week and Afghan families the second
-for God to open hearts of the Muslim peoples attending
and that He will draw many to Himself during this time
-for health and safety at the camps
-for boldness for Sarah and me as we speak to university students
about sex, STDs, abortion etc.

April GWOM: Πανεπιστήμιο - University

April has been an exciting month as we have continued to make progress on so many levels in the Hope Center Ministry. We have been encouraged as we watch God shaping the ministry in His perfect timing and according to His plan.

Peggy and Sarah have been especially encouraged by weekly visits they have been making to the local university, with the Agape Team, to talk to students there.

We have experienced such openness in speaking to students about "taboo" subjects such as sex, STD's, abortion, adoption, their thoughts about the need for a maternity home, the Bible and Jesus.

We strongly feel that a huge part of our Hope Center ministry will be raising awareness and education about sex and the consequences of it, especially as it relates to pregnancy, abortion and God's plan for sex and we are really enjoying the opportunity to speak to students face to face about all these things.

Additionally, the construction work continues on the building, slowly but steadily and we are almost ready for the final exterior coat of paint which will surely give the place a whole new look.

We appreciate your prayers for...
finances to complete the building
help in developing a website and promotional materials
boldness as we speak to university students
the two interns that are praying about joining us this Fall

March GWOM: Eπισκέπτες - Visitors

March began with a flurry, both literally and figuratively as we welcomed snow and an eight man team from Wheaton Bible Church. The team from our home church joined us for a week to work at doing some much needed repairs and construction at the hall where we work with the refugees and the homeless.

The team was a huge encouragement to us both personally and to the mission. They framed bathrooms and closets, and did many painting jobs which left the hall looking very refreshed. They also were able to spend a day playing games, talking with and serving the refugees who are at the hall on Mondays.

The 24th of March brought another group of special visitors to us as our son and his family arrived for a nine day holiday with us. This is their first visit to Greece and we are LOVING having this special time to spend with them and our three grandchildren, Jackson 6, Griffin 2, and Ruby who will have her first birthday here on Thursday, March 31st!

The stucco work has begun at The Hope Center Maternity House and it has really transformed the look of the place. Meanwhile at the office, Sarah and I continue to work developing the ministry. We are excited to begin visiting the local universities to make contacts with girls and to speak to them about this new ministry.

Please keep praying with us about this; for finances for the building, for wisdom for us in planning, and for the girls God wants to reach through it.

February GWOM: Πρόοδος - Progress

Brick walls have been built and the electric and plumbing rough ins are taking place at the Hope Center! Mike is intrigued as he watches how the workmen here chisel the structure apart in order to run their wires and pipes and then patch it all back together again to prepare for the stucco that will cover it all.

Meanwhile, Peggy and Sarah spend time searching Athens for color schemes and exterior housing details that we like for the building. We also prepared promotional materials for Sarah to use as she visited the US and Canada in February promoting the Hope Center Maternity Home.

Progress on other levels:

Mike has had great opportunities to speak truth to the guys as he works side by side with them and they ask, "Why would you ever leave America to come here?"

Our Greek neighbors invited us to their son's first birthday party last night. We found that birthdays are the same all around the world, cake, candles, singing and families celebrating life. We felt privileged to attend.

January GWOM: Προσφορές - Bids/Offers

January has been a busy month for Mike collecting bids, in Greek, for construction work that needs to be done at the Hope Center. He is in the process of trying to discern what the bids entail and how to decide which contractor and product is the best for our new maternity house.

In between, he loves the time he spends with his refugee friends, a couple of which are helping him cut out concrete where needed at The Hope Center.

Peggy is working hard trying to get promotional materials ready for the ministry.

Additionally this month, we had an awesome New Year's with an extended visit from one of Peggy's classmates from Moody, Emily.

Read more about the A21 Campaign, an anti human trafficking movement here in Greece, at www.thea21campaign.org.

December GWOM: Χριστούγεννα - Christmas

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6

Here are some pictures of the Christmas love meals HM hosted this year. We loved having the opportunity to share the love of Jesus with all we touched these days as we hosted three different meals for more than 700 refugees and homeless from the streets of Athens.

November GWOM: ΕΛΠΙΔΑ - HOPE

May your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD, even as we put our hope in You. Psalm 33:22

Finally, after 2.5+ of paperwork, construction work has finally begun on the building that HM is preparing as a maternity house, called the Hope Center. The final plans have been drawn up and clean up has begun.

We envisage the Hope Center to be a place where we can offer love and care for young women in need of shelter during their pregnancy. It will provide a chance for us to live side by side with girls and to share with them the hope that we have in Jesus.

With no shelter of its kind in Athens’ sprawling city of 5 million people, and one of the highest abortion rates in the world, there is great need for such housing. Our desire is to provide counseling and encouragement for girls to give life to their unborn children and not to seek abortion. Additionally, if they choose to consider adoption, we aim to help them journey through that process as well.

Our prayer is that God will meet each girl in their place of need and that they will find refuge in Him and a way to walk forward in strength.

Please pray for our team to have wisdom in our decisions and also, please get in touch with us if you feel that you can help us fulfill this vision.

God willing, we anticipate being able to open our doors sometime in the Fall 2011.