Ya-ssas! (Hello)

This past year, I have been learning a deeper meaning of living as a "sent" people.  By this, I mean, mission work is not confined by taking trips to make a difference - it's about having a heart for where you are right now, and where you aren't.

As I have been striving to be an example of Christ and reflect God's love to the people around me where I have been called for 4 years of my life, in Auburn, I gained a new desire to serve Him overseas.  God has so graciously blessed me with an exciting opportunity to serve Him in the beautiful country of Greece this summer!  My purpose for this blog is to keep those of you reading informed and updated on how God is preparing the people in Greece for His kingdom.  I will be serving alongside 6 other interns through an organization called Mission to the World.  I am humbled in knowing God is not served by my hands as if He needed me, but that He wants to work through me (Acts 17:25).  

What We Will Be Doing In Greece

From May 23-July 30, I will be serving with 6 other interns from across the US.  We will be working with a church plant in Athens, primarily engaging in relational evangelism.  Our team will be working with the church congregation leading worship and helping with events, skits, and sports, leading a couple of outreach events for the youth, and participate in weekly youth meetings.  At the end of the summer, we will help run a youth camp in the city of Kalamos.  We will also be working with New Zoi (New Life), a ministry to prostitutes who have been trafficked into Greece from various places in Western Europe and northern Africa.  We will also be putting on festivals for the children of immigrants in Athens as well.  This is an outreach to the children and parents, where we will be showing them the love and grace of Christ and to show that the church is here to help them.

How You Can Serve Through Prayer

The people we will be working with need prayer for a few things. The youth, that they would take their faith seriously; that they would treasure the gift they have been given and that when they go to school and work, they would be a light shining in Athens for others to see! 

The young women we will work with through Nea Zoi (New Life) need prayer that their hearts would be open, that they would be softened and not closed off to me and the team, and that they would be encouraged and gain the strength they need to turn from prostitution to the gospel. The workers at New Zoi need prayer for safety as they work, and that their ministry would be fruitful! 

The immigrant’s we will be working with have physical needs, food and shelter, as well as spiritual needs. 

Most of the people who we will be working with will not be Christians, they may have been exposed to religion, but most not to the gospel. However, the youth group at the church, of course, are Christians for the most part.

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I leave in 8 days and this could not be a more exciting time of my life!  I know the road will not be an easy one - we will be faced with some growing pains and mountains to cross - but it will be so worth it! And with God's promised presence and success, I know this journey will fill me, and many others, with a new love, joy, and purpose of living for my Savior.

"May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all." 2 Corinthians 13:14