Happy Friday! We’ve had a good week here: fewer transportation woes, a special grocery pack give-away, and a fun kids’ movie on Wednesday afternoon! Although we provide almost 400 really nice sit-down lunches (our very own Master Chef Themis – along with a host of volunteers – prepares some really great meals) every two weeks,… [Read more…]
February 7, 2011
Last week was certainly an adventure, at least as far as transportation is concerned. I’ll spare you the details, but cut-backs to the transportation budget have led to wide-spread striking by all forms of public transit. The buses, trains, and trolleys each called strikes throughout the week (and will quite possibly continue into this week)!… [Read more…]
February 4, 2011
Happy Friday! We’ve had an exciting week here. But I’m running late for our Friday Photos post, so I’ll save my ramblings for Monday’s post. Without any further ado, here are some snapshots from our week here. Enjoy!
December 17, 2010
Happy Friday! We’re getting in the Christmas mood here in Athens. Hope that you’re able to find (or make) time to celebrate. Last week our ministry team hosted four Christmas outreach parties for our refugee friends. Here are some of my favorite pictures from the week (taken by our teammates).
December 6, 2010
Merry Christmas! On Wednesday we hosted the first of five Christmas parties that we’ll throw in the next two week. Wednesday’s party was just for kids. We had games, crafts, songs, gifts, lunch, and even a Christmas puppet show! I’m really proud of the work our staff put into it. Really, it was top rate! … [Read more…]
November 5, 2010
Happy Friday! November – wow. Life is great… but going too fast. It feels like a run-away train these days (a good run-away train, mind you, but one that you can’t slow down!). Here are some pictures from today (yes, all four piping fresh!). The first two are from behind the scenes at our Friday… [Read more…]
September 6, 2010
Our ministry center (Athens Refugee Center – or ARC) has been open for three weeks now. It’s been fantastic to have a central place to invite our refugee friends, to provide a bit of respite from the pressure (and at times, abuse) of the streets. A few snapshots: * Yesterday, at any given time, you… [Read more…]
September 1, 2010
It’s already September?!?! Summer… wow, that was way too fast! At the same time, we’re excited to get back into the routines of fall. One such routine is our regular ministry schedule. Our building – the Athens Refugee Center, or ARC – is back in operation after nearly two months of construction. In its first… [Read more…]
August 19, 2010
They are easy to spot. They look desperately tired. And dirty – like they haven’t changed clothes in weeks. Even in a crowd, they look alone; it’s almost as if you can see the despair settling into their eyes and the burden of worry loading down their shoulders. The swell of new refugees and immigrants… [Read more…]
August 3, 2010
Okay, I know that I said I was taking a break from blogging until September, and I am… really! However, I’m so excited about the progress at our ministry center, I just had to share. A lot can happen in six days (since my last construction update)! Here’s the proof: Our new office (I’m impressed)!… [Read more…]
July 28, 2010
The construction work at our ministry center (the Athens Refugee Center, or ARC) is making progress! Right now, our hope is that we can clean and organize the ARC over the week of August 9th, and be ready to welcome refugees again by the week of August 16th. There is still a lot of work… [Read more…]
June 11, 2010
Happy Friday! The summer is here, and our ministry is changing. Wednesday was the last outreach in our building for at least five weeks. Yesterday and today we’re preparing the building for some major remodeling. The building is in desperate need of a little TLC, so this is a necessary thing. At the same time,… [Read more…]
May 3, 2010
Our building – affectionately called the ARC, or Athens Refugee Center – is in need of a makeover. The building has served us well for over ten years… but now it’s time that we return the favor. It’s time for an intentional season of maintenance. For this to become a reality, our ministry needs some… [Read more…]
February 22, 2010
I don’t beg much, but PLEASE read this eye-opening reflection about the situation in Athens from our friends Tim and Rachel (who are now serving in Rome) after a recent visit to our ministry center. Some want to live within the sound of church or chapel bell; I want to run a rescue shop within… [Read more…]
March 9, 2009
Beginning today, we have a new schedule for our Tea House ministry. This is a direct result of the chaos we experienced a few weeks ago, literally getting overrun with refugees. We are still in the process of tweaking things, but here are a few of the bigger changes: we will operate on a Monday-Friday… [Read more…]
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February 11, 2011
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