Morley Update 2101 #40

Everyone,

Here are a few "snapshots" from the last couple of weeks.

We are having a fun day for the kids. We have set up chairs like a movie theater, made popcorn and koolaide and cued up Kung Fu Panda to show. It is 80 some degrees and I am dressed in a flannel tiger suit (to look like Tigress in the film) and practicing my kicks and kung fu moves. My son-in-law Dave who is a martial arts instructor would have been a better choice but he is not here and besides Tigress is a girl ;} When the kids and parents start coming in I greet each one with few "moves" and then hold out my hand. Despite that fact that my suit is homemade and a little hokey (okay maybe a LOT hokey - see attached pictures) the kids love it and all want to shake my hand - some eagerly and some shyly. During the movie whenever Tigress is on, the kids turn around and point at me as I sit with one little girl on my lap who is sleepily sucking her thumb and petting me. By the time the day is over I have sweated off my whiskers and my legs ache from being on my feet all day, but the kids all want to give me a hug as they leave AND IT'S WORTH IT.

Monday is our day off but this Monday we spent all day shopping for several upcoming events. We met Roberta a short term team member from Alpine Chapel to shop for a Grocery Give Away that they funded. Roberta, Kent and I each took a cart and began to load bags of rice, beans, macaroni, and sugar into them. We also bought lentils, canned milk, oil, laundry soap and shampoo. To get enough for 50 families we knew it would take two loads in our little Polo. We checked out with the first round and went down to load it into our car. We had overestimated how much our car would hold. We soon filled the back storage, the backseat and even put some on the roof. That meant Roberta and I needed to sit together in the small bucket seat in front. We squeezed in sitting on our sides in order to give Kent enough room to shift. By the time we got to our house our legs were numb and we still had to unload and go back for more. Today as we gave each family a cart fill with groceries, mothers kissed us, kids hugged us and fathers thanked us with tears in their eyes AND IT'S WORTH IT.

Many of the refugees coming in these days have coughs, colds and fevers so the team is beginning the usual round of people being sick. I had been fighting a sore throat for a few days and kept telling myself I didn't have time to get sick. I didn't feel too good Monday night but got up Tuesday and thought I didn't feel too bad. I was cooking for our Farsi outreach that day so Kent and I left the house at 8am on the bike and headed in to the ARC. We got out two of our giant pots (each holds enough soup for about 80-90 servings). We put water on to boil and Kent started browning hamburger while I chopped parsley. The Alpine Chapel team arrived and helped chop onions and carrots. We added those and some spices, bullion, tomatoes, tomato sauce and cheese to the hamburger and put a third huge pot of tortellini on to boil. Once this cooked we added it to the sauce mixture. Since it was the first time I had made this particular soup for 175 I kept tasting and adjusting spices and adding more tomato sauce and water to stretch it. When it was finally done we sat down with the team to have prayer before opening the doors. As I sat there I realized that I was no longer fighting the cold but my glands were aching and I needed to go home. I trudged up to the metro and sat in the wind waiting for a bus to take me home to my bed at the same time praying that there would be enough soup for the big crowd we expected. When Kent got home he said there was plenty of soup for everyone with enough left over for lunch at women's showers AND IT'S WORTH IT.

My house is filled with people. Everywhere you look people are talking, laughing and enjoying each other's company. There are toys scattered all over the living room floor and the remains of grilled hamburgers for forty people on the table. It's team fellowship and we have shared our highs and lows with each other and prayed for one another in small groups. We've eaten, and talked and played with kids. When the last people have gone "A" washes up the plates that won't fit in the dishwasher, "D" vacuums, Kent and I put away food, rearrange the furniture and put away the toys. In relatively short order my house looks somewhat normal and we all sit down to rest. After being sick the day before I am very tired but I think about the incredible people God has blessed us with as team mates AND IT'S WORTH IT.


Kent and I both at times miss our family and friends back home. Sometimes we get frustrated with things that take longer than we'd like or with traffic or struggling with language. Sometime we even get frustrated with refugees who yell at us if they don't get what they want or don't show up for a class or demand more time than we have to give. Sometimes we realize that we are no longer youngsters anymore and we are tired. But then a child smiles, a mother gives us a grateful hug, a young man wants to talk about Jesus or as is happening on Sunday a refugee friend is baptized into Christ AND IT'S WORTH IT.

Thank you for supporting us. I know sometimes you give sacrificially or take time out of a busy schedule to pray for us. We want you to know that we appreciate it so much AND IT'S WORTH IT.


Serving Him Together,
Kent and Myrna Morley
Tripoleos 76
Elliniko 16777
Athens Greece
011 30 210 96 38 625
backhoeboy1@juno.com
http://kent-uniquelymorley.blogspot.com

To Support:
Online go to: www.iteams.org/give
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International Teams
411 W. River Rd.
Elgin IL 60123
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