On Saturday 15 Aggies arrived in Athens from Grace Bible Church in College Station (whoop!). We just started a partnership with GBC and this is the first group they have sent! I am feeling so at home :) Our week has been filled with going on campus to initiate conversations with students, seeing the sites of the city, eating great food of course, and admiring the wonderful new graffiti (aka "art") that is now in abundance!
Thankfully the riots have not had an effect on their trip and we have already been able to use the circumstances in the city to lead into spiritual conversations with students. When discussing the situation with the students we get a WIDE variety of responses. Some say they think the demonstrations are a waste of time, and nothing will get solved that way. Others, like a girl named Eleni I talked to yesterday, are all for the riots, stating "I am out on the streets every day! But I haven't broken any windows." Students like her hope that the demonstrations will send a message to the government that they both want change, and have power to invoke it themselves.
Some students from the GBC group were on the U of A campus yesterday and walked into the Philosophy building. They were greeted with professors yelling at students to leave immediately. When asking a Greek girl what was happening she causally answered, "there are guys in masks and I think they want to burn down the philosophy building." They asked if she thought it would happen, but she said, "no, I think they are lying...but I think you should leave." This is the chaos we are living in. (I think the building is still in tact)
All the students on both campuses have held councils this week to vote on whether or not they will close their schools (and yes, they are able to close them). We will find out tomorrow whether the campuses are closed.
Please Pray:
-That there will be students on campus for the GBC group to meet the rest of this week.
-For a party we are having on Friday-that students still be in Athens, and not home for Christmas...and will come!
-That the passion college students have for government change will one day be a passion to share Christ with their schools!
-That we will not lose touch with students or lose momentum over the Christmas break.
Thanks so much and gig'em!
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
This just in...
I just thought I would share some sites that have additional articles about the riots and the situation here in Greece if anyone is interested in reading. Here are the links, along with some highlights:
CNN News
BBC News
Reuters
The view of a student:
"The government wanted us to postpone this protest, but they are the ones who have to do something to stop this violence and to improve the quality of our lives," said one demonstrator, drama student Kalypso Synenoglou.
The view of the government:
"The rioters, with their acts, once again, demonstrated that the only thing that inspires them is the destruction," the prime minister said in a statement. "They have targeted social peace, the rule of law, and democracy itself. That is why they are isolated."
The hope of everyone:
"The city wants a smile, it wants hope. We will provide it, because this must be Athens' fate," the mayor said in a statement. "We will defend its history, its cultural heritage, the fortunes of our fellow citizens and, above all, human lives."
I still have not seen any of the damage, but last night was supposed to be the worst. We are all hoping and praying that everything is on the decline now...I'll keep you updated!
CNN News
BBC News
Reuters
The view of a student:
"The government wanted us to postpone this protest, but they are the ones who have to do something to stop this violence and to improve the quality of our lives," said one demonstrator, drama student Kalypso Synenoglou.
The view of the government:
"The rioters, with their acts, once again, demonstrated that the only thing that inspires them is the destruction," the prime minister said in a statement. "They have targeted social peace, the rule of law, and democracy itself. That is why they are isolated."
The hope of everyone:
"The city wants a smile, it wants hope. We will provide it, because this must be Athens' fate," the mayor said in a statement. "We will defend its history, its cultural heritage, the fortunes of our fellow citizens and, above all, human lives."
I still have not seen any of the damage, but last night was supposed to be the worst. We are all hoping and praying that everything is on the decline now...I'll keep you updated!
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
"Riot Days" in Athens...
One of my favorite memories from my Junior year are the "ice days" we had in January. For three days straight my roommate Noel and I sat in our living room and watched chick flicks. Campus was closed and the streets were deserted. We could not drive for fear of skidding down the street on the icy roads (although one attempt was made). We were warm and cozy while icicles hung from our roof and cars.
When I woke up this morning, I had a similar feeling, but for a must worse reason. I am not hulled up in my neighborhood because of cold weather and icy streets, but because of anarchists and riots in the center of the city (not something we had in College Station...).
Anarchist groups are common to Athens and have a desire for there to be no government or police regulation of any kind. Athens has had some political unrest for awhile now, but it has greatly increased over the past 3 days. I found this article from CNN that briefly explains the situation:
The majority of the protesters are college students-the people we are here to minister to. The students here are extremely passionate people and always desire for their government to improve (although the methods may not be the best). Please pray this will open doors to share the gospel with our friends and that one day they would be as passionate for Christ as they are for their government!! My desire is for these "unknown" students to recognize they are known and loved by Christ!
As far as the damage goes...the best shopping street here, Ermoo, is apparently vandalized and burned, and my university, Hellenic American Union, is closed due to destruction there as well. What broke my heart the most was a picture of the Athen's Christmas Tree burning (pictured...this area is equivalent to Rockefeller Center in NYC).
The only thing I have seen of this is through the internet and pictures...so I am completely safe in my neighborhood of Zografou. We are taking precautions and watching the news often...all we need is prayer!
Other prayer requests:
-For the family of the 16-year old boy who was shot...that they would experience God's peace.
-The team of 16 students from Grace Bible church coming on the 12th...easy travel and that the situation will have improved by then
-My parents coming on the 22nd...that I will have a beautiful city to show them, not one that is just burned and looted.
-The students hearts...that God would turn them to himself!
Tonight we are having our own "riot days" (as opposed to "ice days")...making french toast and watching a movie with our team and hopefully some Greek friends...NOT inhaling tear gas (just so you know Courtney).
Thanks for your prayers during these crazy days!
For a video of what is happening go to:
http://edition.cnn.com/video/#/video/world/2008/12/09/black.greece.riots.cnn
When I woke up this morning, I had a similar feeling, but for a must worse reason. I am not hulled up in my neighborhood because of cold weather and icy streets, but because of anarchists and riots in the center of the city (not something we had in College Station...).
Anarchist groups are common to Athens and have a desire for there to be no government or police regulation of any kind. Athens has had some political unrest for awhile now, but it has greatly increased over the past 3 days. I found this article from CNN that briefly explains the situation:
"A police statement... said the incident started when six young protesters pelted a police patrol car with stones. [A] 16-year-old boy was shot as he tried to throw a fuel-filled bomb at the officers, police said.
Other youths converged on the site almost immediately. These young people -- often referred to in Greece as " the known-unknowns" -- use texting and Web sites to organize and communicate.
Fighting between youths and police quickly erupted in other parts of Greece, including Thessaloniki, the country's second largest city. Hundreds of youths took to the streets of the sprawling port city, and finally barricaded themselves behind the gates of a state university, where police are barred from entering."
The majority of the protesters are college students-the people we are here to minister to. The students here are extremely passionate people and always desire for their government to improve (although the methods may not be the best). Please pray this will open doors to share the gospel with our friends and that one day they would be as passionate for Christ as they are for their government!! My desire is for these "unknown" students to recognize they are known and loved by Christ!
As far as the damage goes...the best shopping street here, Ermoo, is apparently vandalized and burned, and my university, Hellenic American Union, is closed due to destruction there as well. What broke my heart the most was a picture of the Athen's Christmas Tree burning (pictured...this area is equivalent to Rockefeller Center in NYC).
The only thing I have seen of this is through the internet and pictures...so I am completely safe in my neighborhood of Zografou. We are taking precautions and watching the news often...all we need is prayer!
Other prayer requests:
-For the family of the 16-year old boy who was shot...that they would experience God's peace.
-The team of 16 students from Grace Bible church coming on the 12th...easy travel and that the situation will have improved by then
-My parents coming on the 22nd...that I will have a beautiful city to show them, not one that is just burned and looted.
-The students hearts...that God would turn them to himself!
Tonight we are having our own "riot days" (as opposed to "ice days")...making french toast and watching a movie with our team and hopefully some Greek friends...NOT inhaling tear gas (just so you know Courtney).
Thanks for your prayers during these crazy days!
For a video of what is happening go to:
http://edition.cnn.com/video/#/video/world/2008/12/09/black.greece.riots.cnn
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Feeding the Hungry
This week began our first Staff Field Training of the year. The directors from the Agape ministry in Thessaloníki, Katerina and Satiris, have come down to Athens to join us for four days while we develop our ministry skills, learn more about ourselves and the team, and continue to share about Christ with students on campus.
We also had two Greek girls, Verawee and Anna (pictured with Catherine sorting out/trying on donated clothing), join us in serving the refugees. One of our goals in helping serve Love Meals, is to bring unbelieving Greek students with us to see the love of Christ displayed in a practical way. It was such a blessing from the Lord to have them with us, and I enjoyed getting to know them in a different environment than on campus. They have already expressed interest in God...please pray that interest would continue and they would be convinced of Christ's love for them!
We ended the night eating authentic Chinese food in a small restaurant nearby! I have been craving Chinese since arriving in Athens, and this definitely satisfied! I loved spending time with my team serving others and in fellowship with each other.
Please Pray:
-For the rest of our Staff Training: that we will learn more about ourselves and how we can become more effective in ministry.
-For a game night we have tomorrow night...that many students will come and we will be able to build deeper connections with them!
-For Verawee and Anna...that their interest in God will grow and that Christ will satisfy their hunger for Him!
On Monday we started our first session, then helped a fellow Athens ministry, Hellenic Ministries (HM), serve a "Love Meal" to refugee and the homeless. This is something we have been trying to participate in all semester, and were finally about to help with! HM serves the needy of Athens every Monday night, while sharing something from God's word...translated in 3-4 languages! This week, our very own Paul Wheatley shared with over 200 hungry people about Christ's unconditional love and acceptance (pictured right)
We also had two Greek girls, Verawee and Anna (pictured with Catherine sorting out/trying on donated clothing), join us in serving the refugees. One of our goals in helping serve Love Meals, is to bring unbelieving Greek students with us to see the love of Christ displayed in a practical way. It was such a blessing from the Lord to have them with us, and I enjoyed getting to know them in a different environment than on campus. They have already expressed interest in God...please pray that interest would continue and they would be convinced of Christ's love for them!
We ended the night eating authentic Chinese food in a small restaurant nearby! I have been craving Chinese since arriving in Athens, and this definitely satisfied! I loved spending time with my team serving others and in fellowship with each other.
Please Pray:
-For the rest of our Staff Training: that we will learn more about ourselves and how we can become more effective in ministry.
-For a game night we have tomorrow night...that many students will come and we will be able to build deeper connections with them!
-For Verawee and Anna...that their interest in God will grow and that Christ will satisfy their hunger for Him!
"For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36I needed clothes and you clothed me... 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' " (Matthew 25:35-40)
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