Here in Greece, the Season of Lent begins on a Monday, not a Wednesday. Today is that Monday - “Clean Monday.” Clean Monday is a day of repentance, forgiveness, and purification. Practicing Orthodox Christians will avoid meat, eggs, dairy products, and most fish from now until Easter. So, as Lent begins, Greeks here celebrate with… [Read more…]
January 24, 2011
Thanks for your continued love, prayers and support. God is changing live and even the future of nations from right here in Athens… all to His glory! And you are a part of it. Thank you! Would you spend a few minutes now and pray? Pray for our family – safety, health, growth. Pray for… [Read more…]
January 20, 2011
There is hidden beauty around every corner. Athens is beautiful. Athens is quarky. Really there is no other place quite like it. I really enjoyed the video below. So simple, and yet it displays the profound beauty of this place we call home. Enjoy!
January 14, 2011
God is bringing the nations to Athens, Greece. There are well over half a million refugees and immigrants in Greece, the vast majority of which reside in greater Athens. Some estimate that in 2010 between 200 and 300 migrants cross the board from Turkey into Greece everyday! As a cultural, religious, and continental crossroads, Greece… [Read more…]
January 4, 2011
Greece is desperate to find some way to control the influx of immigrants and asylum seekers. The UN reports that almost 40,000 “irregular migrants” arrived in Greece (via Turkey) in the first 11 months of 2010 – that’s compared to 7,500 over the same period in 2009! It’s estimated that around 90% of all illegal… [Read more…]
December 22, 2010
The UNHCR (the UN’s refugee agency) recently posted the video below. It follows “Moujad,” a Sudanese refugee, through the Greek port city of Patras. Perhaps the city rings a bell. We visited to see the refugee situation there firsthand last year (see here and here). Please pray for the churches of Patras – pray that… [Read more…]
December 4, 2010
Tension and violence between immigrants and some locals (especially those associated with far-right groups) has been on the rise in Greece. This Fall has been downright depressing at times, hearing refugees retell encounters with racist factions within Greece. Please pray for Greece! The video below is from Al Jazeera and is well worth the watch. … [Read more…]
November 15, 2010
As many of Greece’s young people look for opportunities abroad, waves of immigrants and refugees look for a future here in Greece. “If you’ve come from a village in Afghanistan, Greece is (still) a very prosperous place,” as Barnaby Phillips notes in his report for Al-Jazeera. This coming and going may well shape the future… [Read more…]
November 10, 2010
Please pray for Greece. There is a lot of frustration and tension here. Violence against immigrants is becoming more prevalent. Here’s a recent example. Racist attack against migrants in Aghios Panteleiomonas 10-15 members of the far right group “Golden Dawn” attacked migrants on Tuesday (9/11) in the streets of Aghios Panteleiomonas. The attack began at… [Read more…]
October 25, 2010
1 – I turn 30 this week, Sunday to be precise. I’ve never been this old before. It’s kind of weird. I remember the old TV series “thirtysomething” – not because I ever watched it, but because I can still recall how old and boring the characters seemed (as least through the eyes of a… [Read more…]
October 22, 2010
Happy Friday! We took some time last week for a little family road trip to the mountains. We spent a day at Delphi (home of the ancient Delphic oracles) and two days on beautiful Mt. Pilio (home of the Centaurs). So, welcome to Friday Photos: Family Vacation Edition! Enjoy! … [Read more…]
October 11, 2010
Overwhelmed… in a word, that’s how I’ve felt this last week. The need is overwhelming. Last month, the UNHCR (the UN’s refugee agency) described the refugee situation here as “a humanitarian crisis.” This is the first time an EU country has ever had such a distinction. And it’s not just the need that makes the… [Read more…]
October 8, 2010
Happy Friday! It’s been a tough week here – we’re overwhelmed by the need, by the new individuals, by the families in desperation. Would you pray for our ministry this week? On Thursday I visited a local park that a couple dozen refugees call home (after being chased out of the another park last week… [Read more…]
October 4, 2010
I love Greece, but its treatment of refugees and illegal immigrants is shameful. As the article below asserts, this isn’t simply a matter of failed immigration policy, it speaks to troubling problems with the state itself: “it is proof of our society’s collapse.” Wow! Please check out the article below – notable for it’s… [Read more…]
September 8, 2010
Two new videos on the refugee and immigrant situation here in Greece. Both are well done and well worth your time. Click through to Loving the Overlooked if you can’t see the videos. First, the UNHCR (the UN’s Refugee Agency) recently released this video regarding the situation for refugees and asylum-seekers here in Greece. Please… [Read more…]
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March 7, 2011
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