I apologize for this entry as I am well caffeinated and hitting an hour of delirium: it is 3am at publish time.
BUT get excited, because tonight was a fabulous night of ministry!
The momma ducks (our warriors of team leaders) had a meeting with a local professor who had volunteered himself to be our translator at our visit to a new (his) church last week. It was so touching! After he had come to invite us to sit in the vacant choir balcony to translate for us he mentioned, "I know you girls, y'all were at Operation Joshua last week." Okay, he didn't say "y'all." Anyway, because Campbell and Jillian were meeting up with the Prof we were set free to give away as many free frappés as we could and to minister to those we were able. So we did! We gave away nearly 15L worth of coffees! Do you know how much sugar we must have used? Probably a good 500mg. Do you like my metrics?
It was interesting to walk down to White Tower after being gone for so long--the adjustment from being away in Alexandroupolis and the refining of our game plan for the rest of our time in Greece--4 weeks LOADED with media ideas, look out! I found that we were in awe of all the shops and everything in Thessaloniki is 50% off or more, 11 girls and the lure of shopping?! Sinful, I'm sure. But as soon as the coffees were whipped up, literally, whipped! we were passing them out and making people smile. A couple here and there spoke enough English to ask us what we were doing and I did not feel like I was pressing in long enough to make friends with them. I got side-tracked by SWING DANCING on the cobble-stone walkway opposite the bike-path and the ocean by the coolest, most rad accordian + guitar duet street musicians, EVER. Hallelujah, praise Jesus (in all genuiness) for dancing. It was SO FUN. Anyway, I was trying to say we needed to get to the heart of ministry, to legit make friends, learn of their stories and respond in tenderheartedness that God knows and He loves them the same.
THEN. BOOM! A group of (mostly) Albanians walk by and though it was getting past the hours of caffeination, they all accepted. There were two men and a woman that were particularly near our age and with them two aunts and an uncle and a niece. The one woman, Angela, is actually American! Another Hallelujah! She swears she was more blessed to have English speakers around than we were to have an American around...I think I'll let her win this one. She is the only English speaker on her holidays vacation that does not know Albanian, and the 2 men the two know English are busy catching up with family and friends...who only speak Albanian. Anywhom, we all got to talking, got to share about her college dreams and career goals, what the men do in Miami slash Albania and lots of small talk for Angela. Rugout and Christiáno were not as hyped of course, but she was so delighted. I invited them to church with us, not knowing what I do now about their lives. They were eager to go as the rest of the fambam could not converse with us and Rugout was particularly eager to leave.
To carry on, this night was so blessed. The not-so-simple fact that Angela came back to invite us to hang out with them was impressive, suggestive and leading. The conversations with her on the boat, shared over lemonade and Fanta while the men had their drinks, were over sex trafficking where we got to share about the A21 Campaign here in Greece (www.thea21campaign.org) and hear her heart on that (Chels and Christine were in that convo). I was chatting with Christiàn about the confusions in our minds that the devil tries to plant when we are seeking God in times of need. Oh, man, do I understand that one! It was so good to be in a young social setting, sitting on a boat, I'm on a Boat!, in GREECE, and listening to American poo-music and just getting to know people for who and where they are. I can legitimately promise that as I meet people and wrap conversations around my God, my Savior, I genuinely do it for the sake of Christ. Motivated by love, increasing still.
After the 30 minute boat ride was finished we all continued to talk. Christiàn and I took photos of the MOON as used it as a light pen and I then showed Angela a bit of what we were doing. Rugout and Chels and Christine polished off our night with talk on the Holy Spirit, American churches that tend to be more concerned with logistics that being led by the Holy Spirit, his relationship with God that has been on pause for so long and his endorsement for what we do and for the discovery of Christ for all.
Please pray for these new friends, I'll update the spelling of their names when we 'friend' each other on Facebook haha. Please pray that over the next day that God stirs in them to come to church with us on Sunday, especially because we'll be at the beach, but for an encounter of God's presence in their lives to stir their long-ago zeal for God. And that we'll get another wonderful excuse to hang out and speak English and HUG hello and good bye, crack sarcastic jokes and share in the secret world of girl-code with Angela.
Also pray for an opportunity to pray with and over them, I believe church building(shore) or not, we can bless their lives by sharing in them through God.
Lots of love and JOY!! What a delight to do what I do for a God who loved me so I can love you.
Isaiah 58:8
BUT get excited, because tonight was a fabulous night of ministry!
The momma ducks (our warriors of team leaders) had a meeting with a local professor who had volunteered himself to be our translator at our visit to a new (his) church last week. It was so touching! After he had come to invite us to sit in the vacant choir balcony to translate for us he mentioned, "I know you girls, y'all were at Operation Joshua last week." Okay, he didn't say "y'all." Anyway, because Campbell and Jillian were meeting up with the Prof we were set free to give away as many free frappés as we could and to minister to those we were able. So we did! We gave away nearly 15L worth of coffees! Do you know how much sugar we must have used? Probably a good 500mg. Do you like my metrics?
It was interesting to walk down to White Tower after being gone for so long--the adjustment from being away in Alexandroupolis and the refining of our game plan for the rest of our time in Greece--4 weeks LOADED with media ideas, look out! I found that we were in awe of all the shops and everything in Thessaloniki is 50% off or more, 11 girls and the lure of shopping?! Sinful, I'm sure. But as soon as the coffees were whipped up, literally, whipped! we were passing them out and making people smile. A couple here and there spoke enough English to ask us what we were doing and I did not feel like I was pressing in long enough to make friends with them. I got side-tracked by SWING DANCING on the cobble-stone walkway opposite the bike-path and the ocean by the coolest, most rad accordian + guitar duet street musicians, EVER. Hallelujah, praise Jesus (in all genuiness) for dancing. It was SO FUN. Anyway, I was trying to say we needed to get to the heart of ministry, to legit make friends, learn of their stories and respond in tenderheartedness that God knows and He loves them the same.
THEN. BOOM! A group of (mostly) Albanians walk by and though it was getting past the hours of caffeination, they all accepted. There were two men and a woman that were particularly near our age and with them two aunts and an uncle and a niece. The one woman, Angela, is actually American! Another Hallelujah! She swears she was more blessed to have English speakers around than we were to have an American around...I think I'll let her win this one. She is the only English speaker on her holidays vacation that does not know Albanian, and the 2 men the two know English are busy catching up with family and friends...who only speak Albanian. Anywhom, we all got to talking, got to share about her college dreams and career goals, what the men do in Miami slash Albania and lots of small talk for Angela. Rugout and Christiáno were not as hyped of course, but she was so delighted. I invited them to church with us, not knowing what I do now about their lives. They were eager to go as the rest of the fambam could not converse with us and Rugout was particularly eager to leave.
 |
| This is the one we went on... |
About 5 minutes later Angela came back and invited us to join them on this epic thing (sans the daylight/sunset, its was 10:30ish pm):
 |
| ...But this photo is way cooler! |
Please pray for these new friends, I'll update the spelling of their names when we 'friend' each other on Facebook haha. Please pray that over the next day that God stirs in them to come to church with us on Sunday, especially because we'll be at the beach, but for an encounter of God's presence in their lives to stir their long-ago zeal for God. And that we'll get another wonderful excuse to hang out and speak English and HUG hello and good bye, crack sarcastic jokes and share in the secret world of girl-code with Angela.
Also pray for an opportunity to pray with and over them, I believe church building(shore) or not, we can bless their lives by sharing in them through God.
Lots of love and JOY!! What a delight to do what I do for a God who loved me so I can love you.
Isaiah 58:8
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