Hi Friends, Greetings from cold and raining Athens! Life continues to march onward here: Sofia and Emma are growing up so quickly; the ministry is busy and constantly changing; each day is full of great challenges and great celebrations. Life doesn’t slow down, but neither does God’s care and provision. Thanks so much for being… [Read more…]
January 12, 2012
One of the most difficult parts of refugee ministry is that we’re constantly saying goodbye to people we’ve come to love dearly. That’s the case again this week, as another good friend moves on from Athens. “A” is a strong woman. She came to Athens from Afghanistan with five children and a drug addicted husband… [Read more…]
December 27, 2011
Hi all - We hope everyone had a great Christmas: full of joy, laughter, and – most of all – Jesus! Hot off the press – you can download our latest newsletter here! A text-only version is available below. Thanks so much for your love, support, and prayers! By God’s Grace - Brett, Kristin, Sofia… [Read more…]
December 12, 2011
We had a great week of Christmas outreach parties (see Christmas update part 1 and part 2 for more pictures). We shared a great meal – salad, chicken, huge piles of rice, and dessert. A huge thank you to the local church groups that sponsored meals: the Evangelical Youth Movement, Nea Zoi Church, Egaleo Evangelical,… [Read more…]
December 9, 2011
Happy Friday! On Tuesday I shared some pictures from our first two Christmas parties. Here are some photos from Wednesday’s Christmas outreach. Enjoy!
December 6, 2011
It may not be December 25… but it’s Christmas week here in Athens! Over the week we’re hosting five Christmas outreach parties for refugees. We’ve invited 130 refugees for each party – which includes a Christmas song, a Christmas puppet show, and a Christmas message (in Farsi or Arabic depending on the party)… plus a… [Read more…]
November 11, 2011
Happy Friday! Wow – what a week here! It’s been a very busy work week. Tomorrow our friends Susie and Yousef get married (I’m the best man; Sofia is a flower girl). Sunday I’ll run the Athens Classic Marathon. I think that I’ll be ready for an IV drip and 24 hours of sleep by… [Read more…]
November 7, 2011
I don’t mean to stress you out… but Christmas is just around the corner! Christmas is a strategic time of ministry here, as many, many refugees are asking questions about the holiday: Why do you celebrate Christmas? Who is Jesus? How can you believe that God would become a man, even a baby? Why would… [Read more…]
November 2, 2011
A project long in the making has finally come to be: Kingdom Beyond Borders: Finding Hope Along the Refugee Highway. Kingdom Beyond Borders is a collection of refugee stories and testimonies from 15 years of ministry at Helping Hands! What more could you ask for! While most of these stories pre-date our family’s arrival in… [Read more…]
October 31, 2011
Hi Friends - Happy _________ (choose your own event: Halloween, Harvest Festival, Reformation Day)! Our latest newsletter can be downloaded HERE. Enjoy! If you don’t like pictures or .pdf files, you can find a text-only version of our update below. We’re so thankful that you all are a part of our ministry! We couldn’t be… [Read more…]
October 10, 2011
It’s a cold, raining day. The sky has been gray all day, the rain falls constantly – alternating between a drizzle and downpour. While Athens doesn’t get nearly as cold as more northerly place, the fall is wet and cool – a miserable mix for anyone without a home. Unfortunately, many of our refugee friends… [Read more…]
October 3, 2011
I really appreciated this update from our teammates Kent & Myrna. Please read: The definition for despair is: 1) To lose all hope; 2) To be overcome by a sense of futility or defeat… More and more we are seeing refugees who are “living lives of quiet desperation” (Henry David Thoreau). A few days… [Read more…]
September 26, 2011
Well, it’s late September and starting to feel like Fall (I realize that it has felt like Autumn in some places for several weeks… but here in Athens, Fall is just beginning to show up). It seems like a great time to review some of the happenings of the summer months. Whether you’re new to… [Read more…]
September 19, 2011
Where is your treasure? What do you value above all else? Your success, your reputation, your retirement account? How would you know? By looking at how you spend your time? Your money? Your influence? If your treasure is anything other than Jesus, you’re wasting your time, your money, your influence… your life! So, please, if… [Read more…]
September 16, 2011
Happy Friday! Today’s theme is an afternoon at the park. On Wednesday our team invited about 5 or 6 refugee families to join us for an afternoon of play and relationship building. Everyone had a good time. One boy even said that it was his best day in Athens ever! Here are a few photos… [Read more…]
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January 30, 2012
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