Morley Update 2011 #41

Everyone,

I can't believe this is my last update for the year 2011. It hardly seems possible that we have been living in Greece for 3 1/2 years now. As I look back over this year there have been highs and lows, good times and bad, joys and sorrows but through it all God is in control and we are privileged to be a part the His work here in Athens.

Throughout the year we welcomed 5 individuals and 5 teams who came to help anywhere from 2 weeks to 3 months. We also has several visits from people with International Teams who came throughout the year. As usual we had the privilege of hosting several of these people in our home. I continue to be thankful for the home God has given us with ample room to host guests, hold team events and have refugees in for dinner or small gatherings.

2011 brought some changes to our long term team. We added Michalis and Ritsa a Greek couple who have been a real blessing as Greek speakers both in welcoming Greek volunteers and helping staff and refugees to navigate the Greek system. Donna and Aziz joined us in September - Aziz is orignally from Afghanistan and Donna is American. The fact that they both speak Dari has been a HUGE help to us, even though it sometimes puts a big load on them. We also had Heather and Chris Shepherd here for the summer and eagerly await their return to join the team full time next year. There were some losses as well, Susan Phearson is back in the states enjoying life and waiting to see what the Lord has in store for her next. Themis Sirinidis has moved out of the mainstream work at the ARC and is working full time with 2nd Evangelical Church as they minister to refugees, immigrants and homeless Greeks in their area. Scott McCracken is spending less time working directly at the ARC and is focusing more on teaching/training both at the ARC and in other contexts. Nader left Athens is in Canada pursuing asylum papers there. Change is never easy but it seems to be a part of this ministry and we are learning that with change comes opportunity.

There have been changes in the refugee population also. People we built relationships with and were close to have moved on. Kent's friend "H" is back living in Kurdistan. He became a Christian here and is now a part of a church back in his home country. Two women we were close to "N" and "Z#1" have moved on to other countries taking their daughters with them and leaving their sons and husbands behind to follow if and when the women get asylum papers. We constantly see new faces and often miss seeing friends who have moved on without even the chance to say goodbye. Our dear friend Dr. Joseph received his asylum papers and is awaiting the paperwork for his wife and children to join him. He has taken several trips to other European countries to check out the possibilities for immigration.

We baptized 11 new believers this year and there are several others who have expressed their faith in Jesus. Four of these men now meet with Kent, I and Scott McCracken weekly for a community group time of sharing and bible study. We also started the Saturday seekers class with Scott, Kent and I. Aziz is doing the translating for this class since Nader is no longer with us. Some of the believers are beginning to step out in ministry as well. "G" is translating for the kids story on Farsi Family Outreach days and "A" was our MC for the Christmas parties.

I continue to enjoy working with kids and was blessed to do several puppet shows this year. We did two different ones at Easter, and another for Christmas. At Easter I continued the tradition of dressing up for the kids parties in a new costume. For this one I was a Spring Chicken and helped lead the singing and must admit I was "Poultry in Motion". I was in the hospital or confined to home during the Christmas parties this year but Christy told me that one of the boys said "It's not Christmas without Myrna dressed up as an ELF."

Kent continues to find young men to connect with. Often they speak English and he can have good conversations with them. He really enjoys this but it is hard because younger men without families often are able to move on more quickly to another country so just as he feels he is really making a connection they often disappear. Sometimes he is able to still have contact with them but often they just don't come around any more. Kent also accepted a bigger role in team leadership this year. He and Brett became co-leaders with Kent in charge of pastoral care and team life and Brett heading up the day to day operations and vision casting. The plan was for the Greek Board of Helping Hands to hire a new day to day director in September/October and have him in place at the beginning of the year at which time Brett was planning to step down. However, due to concern for funding with the economic situation in Greece and a lack of a clear direction from the Lord, the Board has decided to postpone this step for at least a year. Brett has agreed to stay on at this point and we are grateful for his leadership and the enthusiasm and direction he brings to the team.

My health was a bit of a struggle for much of the year culminating in my week long hospital stay at the first of December and the weeks of pain following my return home. I am thrilled to report however that I am finally feeling better than I have in MANY months. I am able to up and around with little pain and have been going out for walks in order to get my strength back after a time of not being able to do much. I am SO thankful for the little things like being able to put my socks on or get up from a chair without pain. Thank you all so much for your prayers in this area.

Because I am feeling so much better this has been a busy week - we have had someone in to dinner almost every day, either team mates or refugee friends. Yesterday we went with a couple of team mates on a hike around the Old Palace grounds outside of Athens. It was great to get out of the city and into the fresh air. We will reopen the ARC on January 3rd and I plan to go back to work that day. I hope you all had a blessed Christmas and we look forward with you to see what God will do in the year 2012. We love you all.

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 join our Support Team:
Online go to: https://www.iteams.org/us/give
Or Send to:
International Teams
411 W. River Rd.
Elgin IL 60123
Please designate for the ministry of Kent and Myrna Morley and indicate whether this is a one time gift or monthly support. Thanks :)

Morley Update 2011 #40

Everyone,

JOY TO THE WORLD! Thanks to all of you who have been holding me up in prayer with my arthritis. Last week continued to be quite a trial. My days looked like this - at 2am I would awake in terrible pain and would barely be able to walk to the kitchen to take some ibuprofen. Then about 6:30am I would wake up hurting so bad that I could not stay in bed. My neck was very stiff and it was very hard to even get my feet over the edge of the bed. Getting dressed was agony - trying to struggle into those elastic stockings that go from toe to hip was difficult, I could barely bend my knees enough to get them over my toe and my wrist hurt when I tried to pull them on. I remember one morning just bursting into tears and feeling like I could just not take it anymore. Once I was up I would slowly and painfully walk to the kitchen past my husband who knew better than to ask how I was feeling. I would take my medications and struggle to get sat down with my feet up. If I forgot my glasses or something else I would ask Kent to get them for me because I could barely stand the thought of getting up. After a few hours I could function but I could not walk without pain and getting up and down (even though Kent has raised both of our couches) was always an ordeal. On Tuesday I went to the doctor for my appointment. The Ultra Sound of my calf showed that the thrombosis had cleared however the doctor doing the test (who is the same doctor I saw while in the hospital) said "Your knees are bad. The baker's cysts behind them are bigger and you have been bleeding into them again. There is also a LOT of fluid around your knee cap in the front." I told him I knew. When I saw the rhuematologist I told him how bad things had been. He checked me and said "We need to change your medicine. We decided for a start to leave me on the Enbrel but to add another pill of cortizone - I was already taking one in the morning - at night. He also decided to up my methotrexate which I don't take until tomorrow. I saw the other doctor who said that I still needed to be on the blood thinners for a couple more months and that I should keep wearing the stockings. I went home not feeling very hopeful.

That night I took the cortizone pill and went to bed. I woke up at 5:30 and thought "Hmm my neck is not feeling too bad. I realized my knees were not hurting much either. I decided since I was awake to get up and call my Mom since it would be evening in Oregon. I threw my legs over the edge of the bed and stood up and walked to the bathroom - very little pain. I then got dressed with no trouble and walked to the kitchen to get a cup of coffee and take my pills - again almost no pain. I got sat down in my chair and put my feet up "Oh no, I forgot the phone" Not a problem - I'll just hop up and get it and sit back down. By this time I was practically feeling giddy with the joy of it. When Kent walked sleepily out of the bedroom an hour later I jumped to me feet and did a little jig saying "It's a Christmas Miracle!!". He looked at me like I had lost my mind. I said "Look - I am walking no pain". He couldn't believe it. We both went to our computers and worked for a while, instead of me saying "Honey, could you get me some more coffee?" I got up to get myself some and poured him another cup as well. When he went to leave I got up to kiss him goodbye and he said "Well this is just a real nice development. I went the whole day feeling good and took nothing for pain. This morning I awoke feeling even better than yesterday. I am "walking and leaping and praising God" - okay maybe not leaping but I think I could if I wanted to. Thank you all for praying and for standing with us during this time. It will be a Merry Christmas at our house this year!

Last Friday night we had our community group of believers over for dinner. I cooked Persian food for them. I made a dish that they serve for special occasions called Zereshk Polow - a rice dish with saffron and barberries. It is quite a process to make this dish. You soak the rice for several hours. Then you rinse it and boil it for a few minutes and rinse it again. You take a bit of the rice and mix it with some oil and yogurt as well as a little saffron water. You put this in the bottom of the pan and pile the other rice in a pyramid on top of it. You poke some holes in the pyramid with the handle of your wooden spoon and pour more oil over it. Your wrap the lid in a kitchen towel so no steam can escape and cook on medium heat for about 10 minutes. This forms the tadig which is the crusty bottom that is a special treat and served on a separate platter. You then turn the heat as low as possible and let it continue to steam for at least another hour. When the rice is ready your take the zereshk (barberries) and fry them for a minute or two in a little oil and sugar. You mix half the rice with some saffron you have steeped in hot water which make it a lovely yellow color. Mix the barberries with this. On a platter put a layer of plain rice and then a layer of the yellow rice studded with red berries on top. It is a beautiful dish and the men were very excited when they saw it - one said "I have not had this since I left Iran". I also made chicken and vegetables cooked with saffron, tumeric, paprika and other spices. Cucumber and tomato salad and Arabic bread rounded out our meal. I set the table with my Christmas dishes and we had a lovely evening. The men left with us saying "Cristmas Mobarak" and them wishing us "Merry Christmas" as well.

We will have the week off next week but hope to have some more people into our home now that I am feeling better. Thank you again for being part of our lives and this ministry. We love you all and wish for you a wonderful and blessed Christmas.

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 join our Support Team:
Online go to: https://www.iteams.org/us/give
Or Send to:
International Teams
411 W. River Rd.
Elgin IL 60123
Please designate for the ministry of Kent and Myrna Morley and indicate whether this is a one time gift or monthly support. Thanks :)

Morley Update 2011 #39

Everyone,

How are you? I'm fine. Ti kanie? Kala. Khoubee? Khoubam. Como estas? Bien. In every language a typical greeting is "how are you?" and the accepted answer is "I'm fine." But what if you are NOT fine? Is the person REALLY asking or are they just being polite? I often act as greeter when I am at the ARC. This means standing at the door and saying "Salam" to people as they come in. Often, especially if I know the person I add Khoubee? (You okay?) to which they answer Khoubam (I'm okay). Now granted my Farsi is very limited so even if they wanted to tell me more I would have a hard time understanding. But do I really WANT to know? Do I WANT to know they they slept in the park on the cold concrete last night? Do I WANT to know that their husband came home high and beat them because they did not have food to fix for him? Do I WANT to know that they are thinking about their family who are in danger every day and they have no way to help them? Do I WANT to know........or would I rather they just said "fine" and went on their way. I know it easier. I know that sometime I think my heart cannot hold another sad story. I know that most likely I can't help them so I would rather not ask. But I also know that feeling someone cares, someone listens, someone shares your pain can make it easier to bear even if nothing changes. So I ask, I cry, I hug and I pray. Is there anyone in your life who just needs someone to ask "how are you?" and really WANT to know?

I've been thinking about this because it has been a tough week for me and for Kent. My arthritis is the worst it has been in a very long time. I often wake up at night in such pain that I can barely get out of bed to take some pain medication. In the mornings my knees hurt, my neck hurts, my wrist hurts and on and on. I can function better during the day but feel very discouraged and frankly find myself complaining to my husband a LOT. I went to a team meeting yesterday and people would say "how are you". At first I responded with my usual "I'm good" because that's what you answer but I realized I was not telling the truth. When you have a chronic problem it is hard to know what to do. You know that saying "I'm fine" makes people more comfortable and you also know that everyone does not want to hear about your troubles every time you meet. Sometimes I think I just need to have a "don't ask, don't tell" policy but if we never share our pain with others then how can they pray? How can they know that maybe we could understand THEIR pain because we've experienced it ourselves? How can we truly share in each others lives if we only stay at the surface "I'm fine" stage? SO I'm asking for prayer. Please pray that when I see the doctors again next week that the rheumatologist will have some ideas. Pray that the pain will lessen and that I can handle it better. Pray for Kent - it is not easy to live with someone who hurts. Is there pain in your life that would be easier to bear if there were someone to share it? Don't let pride or shame or a "nobody need to hear my troubles" attitude keep you from finding that person who will listen and care and especially pray for you. Thank you for being that person for us.

I realize this is not your typical cheery Christmas letter so let me add a couple of quick snapshots from the Christmas parties last week. A team mate was talking to a newer family who are living in the park and they were saying that they didn't have even basic hygiene items. My friend smiled and told them to wait until the evening was over and she would talk to them then. When the gifts were handed out the women received shampoo, soap and lotion along with their scarf, gloves and new testament. The men received a hat, gloves and new testament as well as a razor and shaving cream. This family was so delighted and grateful.

Something we did different this year for our Christmas meal is to have a refugee friend cook the rice. Afghans and Iranians are rice connoisseurs, The know good rice from bad rice. They have a special way of cooking it which is quite a process but makes each grain fluffy, tender and flavorful. When one woman tasted her food, she said with tears in her eyes "I am so happy, I have not had Afghan rice since I came to Greece six months ago. Thank you." Another women told a friend goodbye and said, "I am full now, but tomorrow I will be hungry again. I have new clothes, but they will wear out. However, I will remember your kindness forever."

Thank you so much for showing the love of Christ to these dear people and for lightening their burden just a little. We love you all.

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 join our Support Team:
Online go to: https://www.iteams.org/us/give
Or Send to:
International Teams
411 W. River Rd.
Elgin IL 60123
Please designate for the ministry of Kent and Myrna Morley and indicate whether this is a one time gift or monthly support. Thanks :)

Morley Update 2011 #38

Everyone,

For those of you who have not heard, I missed getting out my update last week because I was in the hospital for 8 days. I had been having trouble with my right knee and for about it a week it was VERY swollen. I had finally called the doctor on a Wednesday but the rheumatologist could not see me until the following Tuesday. I decided to just keep my foot up for a few days but on Friday developed a pain in my calf which I knew could be a sign of a blood clot. I called the doctor back to see if I could get in earlier and she told me to go to the hospital to be checked out. I did indeed have Deep Vein Thrombosis and was put in the hospital on complete bed rest for 8 days. They began giving me blood thinners, plus massive doses of antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs for my knee. The doctor felt that the swelling caused the circulation to slow in my lower leg which in turn caused the clot. Long story short I was in the hospital for 8 days, then I came home with some restrictions. I will be on blood thinners from 3-6 months. The first month, I must wear long (toe to hip) compression stockings at all times, I must not sit for longer than 5 minutes with my feet down, I must not stand in one place for longer than 5 minutes, I can't ride on the motorcycle. All this adds up to me being off work for a month even though I am able to be up and about and doing things at home. The other day I was doing something at the kitchen counter and I was shifting back and forth from foot to foot so I would not be standing still. Kent said "I keep thinking you must need to go to the bathroom!" In the course of doing all the other testing in the hospital the doctors also discovered that I have gall stones. This was not a surprise to me as I had been having some symptoms. Once I am off the blood thinners they will need to do surgery to remove these but it is an overnight stay in the hospital with only a week of recovery so should be no big deal.

Amazingly the ministry has managed to go on even in my absence. The week I was in the hospital Kent was also sick with a cold/flu that we have been really passing around. He spent several days at home sleeping and feeling lousy. In between he took care of me, built a puppet set and went to work when he could. This week we started our Christmas parties. There have been 3 so far and we still have two to go. We have a short term team here from Glad Tidings Church in Omaha. They are doing the puppet show since I am not able to be there. Sunday they came to our house and I did their orientation and we practiced. They did a great job and Kent said it has been well received at the parties. We are again doing the story of the man who does not believe in Christmas because he can't understand why God who is so big and great would come as a baby. While his wife is away he looks outside and sees two little birds shivering in the cold. He wants to bring them into his shed in order to save them from the cold. He calls to them but the don't listen, he goes outside to try and get them to go in the shed but they are afraid and fly up to the roof. The man is discouraged and thinks "If only I could be a bird for just a minute, I could tell the birds about the shed. They wouldn't be afraid of another bird". Just then the church bells ring and it occurs to him that that is what God did. He tried to speak to his people in may ways but finally he became a man and walked among us. This is a concept that is very hard for Muslims to understand and so it is an effective message.

Thank you to all of you who gave in order to make these parties possible. They are special times with good food, fun, family photos and most importantly another chance to share the message of Jesus. It is not to late to give - anything above the amount used for the Christmas parties will be designated for sleeping bags to be given away to those sleeping outside during these cold winter days. Designate your gifts to Helping Hands Athens - Christmas. For how to give see below.
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 join our Support Team:
Online go to: https://www.iteams.org/us/give
Or Send to:
International Teams
411 W. River Rd.
Elgin IL 60123
Please designate for the ministry of Kent and Myrna Morley and indicate whether this is a one time gift or monthly support. Thanks :)

Morley Update #37 2011

Everyone,

Several people have written and commented that in the midst of being thankful I sounded discouraged last week. First of all let me reassure you that I am fine. I have NO regrets about coming here and still feel honored to be a part of what God is doing in Athens. That said it is true that the last couple weeks were not the easiest weeks I've had here. For one thing as you know I had been sick and still am struggling a bit to get over this cold/flu. Quite a few of our team mates have had it too and it just seems to hang on for quite a while. I don't feel terribly sick but just don't feel 100% either. I am much better than I was. I have also been having quite a bit of trouble with my arthritis. It seems to have centered on my right knee which is more swollen than usual and painful to walk on. It is frustrating because so much of what we do is dependent on walking. Kent had to go in early yesterday morning for a meeting so I stayed home from team prayer and the clothing give away just because I wasn't sure I could handle the walk to the ARC from the Metro. It was very difficult for me to get on to the bike yesterday also as I have trouble bending that knee. I would appreciate your prayers.

The second reason last week was hard was because of some changes on the team. Two members of our team will no longer be involved in the day to day activities of the ARC. They will be concentrating on developing other areas of ministry in Athens. While we will still be connected it will be a change not to see them at work every day. The bigger and more difficult change was our Iranian team mate Nader. Unbeknownst to the team or leadership Nader flew to Canada and applied for asylum there. This of course leaves a BIG gap in ministry as well as the personal loss of not working with our friend or even getting to say goodbye. Nader needs prayer as we do not know what the outcome of his case will be and what will happen if he is denied. Thankfully the Lord has provided our new team mates Aziz and Donna who speak Dari (which is very close to Farsi) and he is also raising up another young Afghan man "G" who is helping to teach the children in Dari and helping with translation for our community group. Please continue to pray for the team as we make adjustments to cover some areas of ministry and especially pray for Aziz and Donna as much of the load falls on them while they are still getting settled in Greece and are relatively new on the team.

Okay enough with the difficult stuff. On a positive note we had an American style Thanksgiving dinner for the team at our house on Monday. There we 26 of us for dinner. I cooked one turkey and a team mate cooked another. The ovens in Greece are quite small - so I barely got a 14 pound turkey in mine. We were thankful to only need to cook two turkeys. In Greece you have to go to several stores even to find a turkey and then the largest you can find are about 3.5 kilos which is almost 8 pounds. This year we have an intern here who has a connection at the American embassy and he was able to get us an 11 pound and a 14 pound turkey. He also got cranberry sauce which is almost impossible to find. While I made turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy and rolls the rest of the team all brought their favorites. We had SO much food. Everyone took home leftovers and I have my freezer stocked with leftover turkey and mashed potatoes. Yesterday I cooked the turkey carcass and also added containers of turkey soup stock to my freezer.

Last Friday we had our community group of Farsi believers at our house for dinner again. We so enjoy being a part of this group of men. Once again I was convicted at how easy my life was and is. During dinner Scott asked each of us to share a bit about our brothers and sisters as a getting to know you question. One young man said "My brothers and sisters are in Pakistan and it is very dangerous. I'm sorry I cannot say more or I will cry." Later as we were praying for each other we prayed for his family and he broke down and began weeping almost uncontrollably. I can't imagine what a burden these men carry but it was good to see his brothers in Christ gather around him, cry with him and pray for him.

We continue to gear up for our Christmas Parties happening the first week of December. One of my jobs as I was at home yesterday was to fix some coloring books that tell the Christmas story in Farsi that we are going to put in the kids bags along with a small packet of markers. We were very excited to get these done and a wonderful printing company that does a lot for us printed them and stapled them together. The only problem is that we neglected to tell them that Farsi books are bound on the right and open on the left so the staples were on the wrong side. I told Wendy, our children's director that I would take them home and remove the staples and restaple them. I had not taken into account that these had been stapled by a machine and therefore the staples were very heavy duty and did not come out easily. They also left quite a hole when removed. I did 5 of them (20 staples), looked at the 195 (780 staples) that were left and thought - not going to happen. I then got the brilliant idea that we could just cut them off on the stapled side and restaple them on the other side. I brought home the big paper cutter from work and tried it - success. Still a big job but doable. I finished 60 in the morning and did the rest in the afternoon. My next project is to build the set for the Christmas puppet show so Kent and I need to scout the dumpsters for some large pieces of cardboard.

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with food, family and friends. In the midst of thanking God for all our MANY blessings, let's remember that there are many in this world who are not so blessed. Thank you for sharing with some of these people and for your prayers. We are so thankful to be part of a larger team that includes you. It's not too late to help with Christmas parties and sleeping bags. Here is an except from our team leader Brett's recent blog: "We've already handed out 100 sleeping bags, and are making plans to give another 100 bags in the next few weeks. Nearly twenty of these sleeping bags went to a group of Afghan and Iranian refugees sleeping on the roof of an abandoned theater near one of the main parks in Athens. They slept in groups of two or three, embracing to stay warm, covering themselves with whatever they could find that might help keep the cold out (blankets, cardboard, stray fabrics, newspapers). In the name of Jesus, these sleeping bags were tangible witnesses of God's love; a needed reminder that God has not forgotten these young men." If you would like to donate toward our Christmas parties or more sleeping bags you can still give. Gifts should be designated HELPING HANDS -CHRISTMAS IN ATHENS and sent to: International Teams 411 W. River Rd. Elgin, IL 60123 or give online at https://wwws.iteams.org/us/give be sure and designate this for Helping Hands - Christmas in Athens.

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 join our Support Team:
Online go to: https://www.iteams.org/us/give
Or Send to:
International Teams
411 W. River Rd.
Elgin IL 60123
Please designate for the ministry of Kent and Myrna Morley and indicate whether this is a one time gift or monthly support. Thanks :)

Morley Update #36 2011

Everyone,

Sorry this is a day late. It has been a difficult week for the team here. We have had several hard issues with refugee friends (drugs, children, spiritual struggles) as well as some changes on the team. I will fill you in a bit at a later date but for now just hold us up in prayer.

On a different note, it is Thanksgiving week and here are a few things I am thankful for.

1) I am Thankful for a wonderful family back home and wish I could be with them over the holidays.

2) I am Thankful for a wonderful "family" here and the fact that we will have our own Thanksgiving feast with 22 guests in our home on Monday.

3) I am Thankful for you my friends and for the prayers and financial support you so faithfully give.

4) I am Thankful that God called us to be a part of a ministry that is bearing fruit and changing lives.

5) I am Thankful for my lovely home and this time of year especially for my fireplace which gives Kent and I a place to get warm.

6) I am Thankful for my church here and how they are reaching out to refugees by sponsoring one of our Christmas parties, collecting clothes, and making cookies for another ministry.

7) I am Thankful for the wonder of the internet which allows me to stay in touch with friends and family with a few keystrokes.

8) I am Thankful for people who donate things like yogurt so we can give the kids a nutritious snack and for the smiles of the kids who call it "ice cream".

9 ) I am Thankful for my wonderful husband who treats me with respect and love and has patience with my aches and pains.

10) I am Thankful that I found the Lord at a young age and grew up in a country where I could follow Him openly and without fear. I am Thankful for a mom and dad who brought me up to love God and who gave me a happy childhood. I am thankful that my husband can say the same thing.

I could go on writing forever about the blessings God has given to me, but I will stop here. We love you all and wish for you a wonderful holiday filled with love, laughter and thankfulness.

I am reposting the information about our Christmas parties here in case you missed it the first time or wanted to give and forgot: This Christmas we will be giving 5 Christmas parties for 120 refugees each time. That's 600 refugees who will get a special meal, see a puppet show and hear a message about Christmas. That's 600 refugees that will receive as a gift practical items as well as some small toys for the kids. That's 600 refugees who will take the book of John printed in their language home with them that night. That's 600 refugees who will know that someone cares and that they are not forgotten. Would you be willing to help us give these things to our refugee friends? Our parties will be happening the first week of December so although Christmas seems far away we need your donations as soon as possible. Gifts should be designated HELPING HANDS -CHRISTMAS IN ATHENS and sent to: International Teams 411 W. River Rd. Elgin, IL 60123 or give online at https://wwws.iteams.org/us/give be sure and designate this for Helping Hands - Christmas in Athens.

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 join our Support Team:
Online go to: https://www.iteams.org/us/give
Or Send to:
International Teams
411 W. River Rd.
Elgin IL 60123
Please designate for the ministry of Kent and Myrna Morley and indicate whether this is a one time gift or monthly support. Thanks :)

Morley Update 2011 #35

Everyone,

I am sorry I missed my last update but I was felled by a bug which has swept through our team. On Monday I came down with a cold/flu which completely zapped my energy. Because my immune system is compromised I don't fight things off very well and one thing sometimes leads to another. This particular bug triggered my Meniere's disease in a big way. For those of you who are not familiar with Meniere's, it is an inner ear disorder that affects your balance. I take several Dramamine every day as a maintenance dose. When it flares up I can be anything from a little off balance to having everything spin wildly around me. This last week on the day I usually write my updates everything was spinning. Even the five Dramamine I took didn't seem to stop it.

As I lay on the couch thinking about all the work I should be doing and trying not to move my head, I wondered if there was a lesson in all of this. I thought about the verse which says "Consider the lilies of the field, and how they grow; they do not TOIL nor do they SPIN"..... Now while this seemed pretty funny (at least under the influence of the drugs) there didn't seem to be a lot there, so I lay my head back and watched as my world continued to revolve slowly making me a bit nauseous. Sometimes when I feel like this, if I lay flat on my back and concentrate on staring at one spot on the ceiling I can make the spinning stop. I tried it and it worked. There IS a lesson in this.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 says "16 Therefore do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18 So we FIX OUR EYES not on what is seen but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."

When my Meniere's flares up what I SEE is everything spinning. That is not really what is happening but that is what I SEE. When I FIX MY EYES on that spot on the ceiling. I force myself to SEE what is REAL not what is TEMPORARY. Sometimes in this ministry it is easy to look at all the problems spinning around us. People need food, clothes or housing. People are abused, depressed or angry. We can look at the finances, how much food we have in the cupboards, or the economic and political turmoil in Greece. When we focus on these things it sometimes seems like our world is spinning out of control. But all these things are TEMPORARY.

Look back at verse 17. Really...look back at it :) Now granted it seems to me that although MY troubles are "light and momentary" many of the things my refugee friends have been through are MUCH MUCH heavier. It is still true, however, that these troubles are achieving an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. Just ask "G" a young afghan man and former Muslim who is now a Christian. He has faced persecution and hardship for much of his life. Even now, he struggles to find housing and work. His family is angry about his faith. Life is not easy. However, since "G"s baptism a few months ago I have really seen a change in him. He is helping out in ministry and even taught the children's Bible story in Farsi the last two weeks. The other day when he came in, I said as usual "How are you?" He said "I am happy." I said "Are you?" and he said "Yes, I think I get happier every day". Circumstances change, material things are temporary, people come and go, but the one constant, the one thing we can FIX OUR EYES ON is Jesus. He never changes, He is eternal and He will never leave us.

********

I want to switch gears now and talk about Christmas. I know, I know it's not even Thanksgiving yet, but before you know it you will be wracking your brains trying to decide what to get for the people on your list. For me it was trying to figure out something that they didn't know they wanted because, let's face it for most people on my list, if I could afford it and they wanted it, they already had it. I have a GREAT idea. What about a sleeping bag? Or maybe shampoo, shaving cream and a razor. What about some warm socks or a scarf and gloves? These are all things we will be providing for refugees this Christmas. Don't you think Uncle Harry would rather give a sleeping bag to a guy sleeping in the park than have another Christmas Tie? Instead of another decorative owl saying "whoooooo loves you" to add to her collection, I'm sure Aunt Mable would be happy to give a scarf and gloves to a mother struggling to feed her children. This Christmas we will be giving 5 Christmas parties for 120 refugees each time. That's 600 refugees who will get a special meal, see a puppet show and hear a message about Christmas. That's 600 refugees that will receive as a gift practical items as well as some small toys for the kids. That's 600 refugees who will take the book of John printed in their language home with them that night. That's 600 refugees who will know that someone cares and that they are not forgotten. Would you be willing to help us give these things to our refugee friends? Our parties will be happening the first week of December so although Christmas seems far away we need your donations as soon as possible. Gifts should be designated HELPING HANDS -CHRISTMAS IN ATHENS and sent to: International Teams 411 W. River Rd. Elgin, IL 60123 or give online at https://wwws.iteams.org/us/give be sure and designate this for Helping Hands - Christmas in Athens.

As always thank you for partnering with us in what God is doing in Athens. We love you all.


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 join our Support Team:
Online go to: https://www.iteams.org/us/give
Or Send to:
International Teams
411 W. River Rd.
Elgin IL 60123
Please designate for the ministry of Kent and Myrna Morley and indicate whether this is a one time gift or monthly support. Thanks :)

Morley Update 2011 #34

Everyone,

Strike One......Strike Two....... Strike Thee.......Strike Four? In Greece there doesn't seem to be any end to the strikes. People are still upset about the austerity measures and the shaky economy of Greece. Several of you have written to ask how this is affecting us.

Garbage Strike: City workers are still digging us out after a 3 week strike by garbage collectors. I recently read that there were 120,000 tons of garbage rotting on the streets of Athens. Sidewalks were covered and it had even begun to spread into the streets. A walk to the grocery store became a smelly obstacle course and coming inside was a breath of fresh air! The strike ended this week but it will take another couple of weeks to clean up the piles. Even when the piles are gone we will be left with pieces of trash that have migrated out of the piles and now line the streets. My team mate, Donna, recently compared this to the trash we let build up in our lives. We toss our anger, unforgiveness, selfishness, impure thoughts etc. into the trash bin where it seems to be contained. But if we never hit the "empty trash" button, if we never allow God to remove this sin from our lives, we suddenly are faced with a rotten stinking pile that spills out on everyone. " Little hurts pile up into resentments if not forgiven quickly. Hurtful actions become lifelong habits if not confessed and forgiveness quickly sought." Let's keep a close eye on our trash bins and made sure to empty them regularly.

Transportation Strikes: For the last month and a half (usually once or twice a week) we have been having transportation strikes. With no buses or metro for the day, this means that anyone in the suburbs who wants to go into the city must drive. As you can imagine the streets become quickly clogged making travel almost impossible. On strike days those team mates who live close enough, walk - sometime an hour each way. Those of us who live farther out must drive. People with cars load up as many team mates as they can and leave early in the morning to avoid the rush. Kent and I are fortunate to have the motor bike which allows us to bypass the traffic jams for the most part. Refugees who come to the center on these days must walk as well and the fact that our numbers have stayed consistently high tell us that coming to the ARC is important to them.

Rioting and Protests: As you have likely seen on the news there are many demonstrations and rallies protesting the taxes, the privatization of government run businesses etc. Greeks are volatile people and there are fringe groups that take advantage of this to incite rioting. We usually know in advance when and where these demonstrations will be held and it is fairly easy for us to avoid these areas. Please don't worry about our safety but pray for the safety of our refugee friends who sometimes live closer to the center and thus have no way to escape the violence.

The Greek Economy: The shaky economic situation will continue to affect our work. Much of the day to day operating expenses for Helping Hands has been provided by our Greek brothers and sisters. As many of them struggle financially that means we may have to tighten our already snug budget. Several generous supporters have fallen on hard times. The printing company that printed our newsletters for free has gone out of business, others have lost businesses or even gone bankrupt. We recently found out that the government will not be giving us the surplus food we have received in the last few years (huge shipments of pasta and feta cheese). All this may sound a little bleak but God is not bound by the constraints of a tight budget or a shaky economy. Where He leads, He will provide.

The World Economy: "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Matthew 6:19 Our financial portfolio may be a little thin but we are investing in ways that have a much bigger dividend. Last Friday, my living room was filled with women as I hosted a lunch for 5 refugee women and their kids as well as 7 of my team mates. We sat around the table eating, laughing and sharing our lives. Later Donna gave her testimony in Dari. The women listened attentively nodding their heads. When Donna was finished the women shared some of their stories and asked questions. God was at work and all the women asked to take a copy of the Psalm that Donna had read home with them. These are the investments that have eternal value. Kent and I are always aware that we would not be here if it wasn't for the investment of finances and prayers that you, our larger team, are making. We know it isn't always easy but the treasures you are storing up can be measured in the lives and on the faces of the people we serve. On Friday, at one point in the afternoon, I looked over at one of my refugee friends who is a single mom with a difficult life. She was sitting on the couch with her head leaned back, holding the hand of my team mate Christy. She was listening to the Scripture being read in Farsi and had such a look of peace and contentment on her face that tears came to my eyes and I thought THIS is worth everything. Thank you making moments like this possible. We love you all.
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
Or Send to:
International Teams
411 W. River Rd.
Elgin IL 60123
Please designate for the ministry of Kent and Myrna Morley and indicate whether this is a one time gift or monthly support. Thanks :)

Morley Update 2011 #33

Everyone,

The word “word”. Right now I am typing this in Microsoft Word. We say things like “May I have a word with you?”, but in reality we usually mean “I’m going to talk your leg off”. Or maybe that’s just me. You’ve heard of “a man with a thousand faces”? Well, I am probably a woman with a thousand words. My husband once said jokingly “there are people who can talk on any subject – Myrna doesn’t even NEED a subject!” But that is in English…

My Farsi skills are limited to single words. Many of them are pretty useless such as “zamburr” which means Bumblebee. But there are some words that I use. I can say things like “la bas seshambe” or Clothes - Wednesday. When we are eating together I use “hooshmaze” (delicious) and words like “ab” and “noon” (water and bread). In the kids room, I know the words for “coloring, craft, glue and sit down”.

On Tuesdays I often begin the day working as a greeter. I like this job because I only need a few words. For Persian people greetings are very important. If you are having a conversation with someone and a new person joins, you must immediately stop what you are doing and greet that person or it is considered very rude. So I stand near the door and as people enter I welcome them. If it is a man I place my hand on my chest, nod and say “Salaam”. If it is a woman, I say “Salaam” and receive a handshake or the traditional three kisses. The kids usually run up for a hug if they are regulars or hide behind their mothers if they are new.

This Tuesday as I was greeting, a woman came in who has been here for about a month. I gave her little girl a small pack of color crayons the first day they came and so we are friends. I said “Salaam”. She didn’t really respond so I said, “Khoobee” (How are you?). At the sound of that word her face crumpled and she burst into tears. I pulled her into my arms murmuring “Chi?” (What?) She finally got out a few words and through her sobs I caught the word “Baba” or father. I then knew that her husband was missing. She is the second woman in three days to come in crying because her husband is gone. The first woman’s husband is in jail – for expired papers. This woman’s husband went out to make a phone call and never came back. Without a man these women and their children are left without protection or support. They come to us because in a dark city we are sometimes the only ray of hope they have found. The only word I knew to say was “Babakshid” (I’m sorry) and it didn’t seem like enough. But then I remembered another word.

The gospel of John tells us in Chapter 1 that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. If Jesus is the Word then what was He saying? As I hugged her I realized Jesus was whispering “You’re not alone”.

Could it be that maybe, just maybe God didn’t need MY words in order to speak? As I thought about it, I looked back over the last few weeks.

When a woman showed me her cracked and bleeding lips and I gave her a packet of antibiotic ointment – God was saying “I care”.

When a child, who lives in an abusive home, came and climbed onto my lap and I cuddled them in my arms – God was saying “You’re safe”.

When a group of refugee men came to dinner and I set the table with my best dishes and lit candles – God was saying “You’re special”.

When a child brought me the craft they'd just made and I gave them a hug and hung it on the bulletin board – God was saying “Well done”.

On the wall in my dining room, I have a scripture which says, “Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations”. God doesn’t need me to speak. I can hold someone’s hand, give them a hug or wipe away their tears. God’s message of Love will come through loud and clear.

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
Or Send to:
International Teams
411 W. River Rd.
Elgin IL 60123
Please designate for the ministry of Kent and Myrna Morley and indicate whether this is a one time gift or monthly support. Thanks :)

Morley Update 2011 #32

Everyone,

Peter is walking on the water. Suddenly he becomes aware of the wind and the waves around him and begins to sink. And then a hand reached out.


A woman named Dorcas lies on her bed. She is dead and the poor she has helped are grieving. And then a hand reached out.

His whole life had been spent in darkness. Never able to see the sun or the faces of those he loved. And then a hand reached out.

My teammate Tasha shared a couple of stories recently. Last Saturday a teammate, Brett, and I sat with an Afghan woman and her husband in our office at the refugee center. As we were talking she lifted up her pant leg and showed me the entry and exit wound of a bullet hole. Her husband then had Brett feel a bullet hole in his leg. While the woman told us their story, the husband cried. One night the Taliban came in and shot her and then shot her husband twice. They fled to Iran where they made a decent living for themselves. Their lives were threatened once again by extremist in Iran so they took their children and headed west. The boat that was taking them went down in the sea and they lost everything. Luckily for them another boat was near and pulled them out of the water or they would have lost their lives too. They were sent to Athens by the police. They are living on the streets, only have the clothes they are wearing, and do not have food. And then a hand reached out. We gave them some tickets to come to our Tuesday feeding, and for the first time I saw the woman smile. They said thank you numerous times, and I saw a glimpse of hope. Somebody loves them.

This Saturday the refugee center was overrun with new refugee families. Every room was overflowing with people. Throughout the day I had ventured in and out of the office, each time noticing a couple of women sitting on chairs waiting for something. After a couple hours I went up to them and asked what they were doing. The older woman started crying saying she really needed help. I took her in the office so we could talk. She told me her son came to Greece four years ago trying to make a way for the family to come for a better life. She lost contact with him sixteen months ago and assumed he was dead. Two months ago she got a call from him. All he could say was he had been in prison for fourteen months and needed help. She sold things to get money, arranged for a smuggler, and arrived in Greece one week ago. She said, “I just got here. I don’t know the language, the city, or what to do next. All I want is to find my son. Everyone I talked to told me to come to you. Can you help me?” And then a hand reached out. A Greek team mate of mine contacted a friend who is now looking for her son. She thanked us through her tears and hope was born.

It WAS a very chaotic day at the ARC on Saturday. We had over 50 kids in the children's room and the main room was packed. At one point during the day I walked through the big room on my way to get more chairs. There were people everywhere. It was noisy and it seemed impossible that anyone could even have a conversation in the midst of it. Then I saw it. There in the corner Kent sat with two young Afghan men. They were sitting close together with their heads bowed praying. One of the men had come in wanting to find someone who could tell him more about Jesus. And then a hand reached out.

More and more we are seeing people come into the ARC overwhelmed by their circumstances. They are feeling hopeless and alone. And then a hand reached out.... to hold a baby, offer a cup of tea, give a hug, offer clothes, or soothe a fevered brow. And then a hand reached out..... to give a Bible, say a prayer or lead someone to Jesus. We are called Helping Hands for a reason. Here on earth we are to be the hands of Jesus reaching out to show his love to the nations. Look around - does Jesus want to use YOUR hands to reach out to someone? Who will He touch through you? Thank you for being a part of this team and for allowing us to be here reaching out. We love you all.

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
Or Send to:
International Teams
411 W. River Rd.
Elgin IL 60123
Please designate for the ministry of Kent and Myrna Morley and indicate whether this is a one time gift or monthly support. Thanks :)

Morley Update 2011 #31

Everyone,

COLOR. Color is a big part of our lives. It can create an atmosphere that is soothing or exciting. It can cheer us up or darken our mood. Women "have their colors done" in other words determine which colors look best on them. We add red peppers to our vegetable dip to "give it a touch of color". You can often tell a person's personality by what colors they like. My mother-in-law was very quiet and feminine and she loved pastels, whereas I .... well you wouldn't be surprised to know that I love bright, some might even say "loud", colors!

I recently saw the story of Noah in a different light. Noah was in a sense a refugee. His world was destroyed by the flood and only he and his family were left. When God wanted to reassure Noah of His love and faithfulness, he created the rainbow - the full spectrum of color. Color is something that plays a big part in the children's program where I am currently spending most of my time. Recently we had a short term team repaint the children's room. Once the background color was done two of my talented teammates painted the walls with colorful animals and an amazing tree. As you walk past the kids room the bright colors invite you in. Welcome.

As the kids arrive on Saturday we greet them with "Salam, Nakashee?" Hello, color? It they want one we give them a fun coloring sheet - the girls especially like Disney princesses while the boys are partial to Spider Man. For the kids that come regularly this is routine, but we recently had two new families come in. The first family had two or maybe three little girls. When we asked "Nakashee?" they nodded eagerly. One of the little girls was so happy when she saw the big box of crayons she could hardly contain herself. She would color a minute and then wriggle in her seat with excitement as she selected a new color. The other family also had two girls. They came in a bit later but the older girl was especially excited to color a picture. She was only about half done when her mother came in to tell her they needed to go. She protested but her mother was insistent. She then tried to take some color crayons with her but we had to tell her "No, these need to stay here." The tears rolled down her face as her mother led her from the room. Once she was outside where the other kids couldn't see I called her back. I reached into the cupboard and pulled out a small pack of 8 crayons that we keep for just such occasions. As I handed them to her, her face lit up with a big smile and she clapped her hands before happily leaving with her mother. Joy.

We have a newer boy of about 10 years of age that has been coming. He is autistic and at first he was very disruptive. We discovered however that he loves to color. Now he will come in with the other kids and sit attentively through the Bible story. He enjoys doing the craft but he really loves it when he gets finished and receives the coloring page. He will sit happily coloring until his mom comes to get him. Today when she came in he pointed out his craft hanging on the board so she could see what a good job he had done. Peace.

The kids are always proud to hang their pictures and craft projects on the board since they don't have a place to keep them at home. As they bring them for us to hang we have the opportunity to praise them for doing a good job and give them a hug. Love.

I always color with the kids because it give me a chance to interact with them without much language. I am learning my colors in Farsi - Abi or blue is an easy one. However the word for red is Kharmez - which start with the letter I like to call "flem". The trick is to get enough of a flemmy sound so that you are not saying a normal "K" sound but not so much that you sound like you are hacking up a hairball! The kids get a good laugh out of my efforts which is all that really matters. Fun.

Often when we are coloring the moms will come in to sit with their kids. At first they will suggest colors to their child, soon they will be "helping" and often they will finish the picture themselves. I offer them a picture but they are shy about accepting one for themselves and would rather "help" their kids. In a life that is often dark, drab and devoid of color, they enjoy a chance to do something artistic. Beauty.

Another way we bring color into the kids lives are with the crafts we make each week. Last week we made lanterns out of brightly colored construction paper and crepe paper strips. The kids really liked it and were excited when Wendy, our children's coordinator hung them on a string along the ceiling. Of course their favorite part was when she lost hold of the string at one point and they all came sliding down! Whenever we do a craft I am always amazed at how the kids put their own individual stamp on it. Some of the kids want their's to look like the example and get frustrated if they can't duplicate it exactly. Others love to add extra decorations or even turn the craft into something else. One little boy wanted to put a bottom on his lantern so he could use it like a basket. Creativity.

I am so glad that God made a world full of color and beauty and I hope that as we bring a little of that color into these kids lives that they will feel God's love for them. The next time you see a rainbow or a box of crayons think about how blessed you are say a prayer for those who are less fortunate. Thanks to all of you who make it possible for us to have the materials to work with these kids and for being a part of our greater team. We love you all.

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
Or Send to:
International Teams
411 W. River Rd.
Elgin IL 60123
Please designate for the ministry of Kent and Myrna Morley and indicate whether this is a one time gift or monthly support. Thanks :)

Morley Update 2011 #30

Everyone,

The definition for despair is: 1)To lose all hope 2) To be overcome by a sense of futility or defeat." In one of my favorite movies Anne of Green Gables, Anne asks Marilda "Can't you imagine what is it like to be in the 'depths of despair'" and Marilda answers "No I cannot - to despair is to turn your back on God". More and more we are seeing refugees who are "living lives of quiet desperation" (Henry David Thoreau). A few days ago at our family meal and outreach, I sat with a family who have two children. Their son is one of my favorites - a very sweet boy, who likes to tease me about my poor Farsi. After dinner the mom was standing outside on the balcony with her son and daughter. She was looking down to the street as the traffic went by. Susie stepped out to speak with her. She told Susie that if she didn't have two children to care for she would jump in front of one of the buses as they went by. I had no idea. A life of quiet desperation.

"A" a woman with five children to care for gets up early each day to take her older children to school and then goes to work cleaning apartment buildings for little pay. She struggles every day to keep her children fed and to have a place to sleep. Often her Heroin addicted husband comes home at two or three in the morning and he wakes her up to cook food for him in the middle of the night. He is sometimes abusive and she is afraid. A life of quiet desperation.

"A" a journalist who wrote a book on human and women's rights, has a death warrant on his head. He fled his country and has not seen his wife and children in two years. As he sat on our couch recently, he began to weep when I asked about them. A life of quiet desperation.

Many young Afghan men left their homes after being denied an education because they were the wrong ethnic group. They spend their days living in the park, walking around from place to place to get food. They feel they are wasting their lives and there is no end in sight. Lives of quiet desperation.

Families that are separated as one parent takes some of the children and goes to another country hoping for asylum and to be able to send for the rest of the family. An almost blind grandmother caring for her grand daughter whose parents have moved on and no longer want her. A child left to live with relatives or friends or even worse, on their own, as parents break up the family in hopes of moving on. Lives of quiet desperation.

More and more often we hear refugees talk of suicide - they go on day after day seeing no end to the hopelessness. They can't work, they can't leave, they can't go to school and they can see no way that they will ever have a better life. Their religion offers them no hope. In Islam you can never know if you have done enough to please God so you must keep on trying and trying with no assurance of salvation. We do what we can to ease their way - we give out groceries, we give out clothes, we listen to them, cry with them, pray for them. In the end there is little we can do to change their circumstances. But we can offer hope. Hebrews 6:18-19 says "God did this so that...we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure." In a world where nothing is secure we need an anchor. Recently "G", a young Afghan man who was recently baptized and lives on the streets, was offered a place at a camp about an hour away. He would have had a place to sleep and much more security than he has now living in the park. "G" turned down the offer because he wanted to be near to Helping Hands where he studies the Bible and where he has other believers to support him. "G" has been threatened by his family and others for his faith but he stands strong. He has made the move from despair to hope. Pray for "G" and for the other new believers. Pray for the seekers who are coming to study the Word regularly in the seekers class. Pray for those who are in despair that they can find hope. Pray for us as we seek to minister to these people we love. Thank you for being a part of this ministry through your prayers, encouragement and financial support. We love you all.

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
Or Send to:
International Teams
411 W. River Rd.
Elgin IL 60123
Please designate for the ministry of Kent and Myrna Morley and indicate whether this is a one time gift or monthly support. Thanks :)

Morley Update 2011 #29

Everyone,

We just dropped our friends Oskar and Ruth Anne off at the airport. It was a whirlwind visit of ministry, sightseeing, travel, snorkeling and LOTS of visiting over meals of wonderful Greek food.

They arrived on Wednesday, August 31st. We dropped their bags at home and after a light lunch drove into town to orient them and keep them awake. We climbed Philapappou Hill overlooking the Acropolis and watched the changing of the guard at the Parliament building. Thursday we shopped the Laiki and then drove down the Coast to Sounio stopping to swim and take pictures along the way.

Friday Oskar went to work with Kent for Men's Meal and Gospel Outreach. Oskar shared his testimony and then Kent preached with Nader translating. Afterwards a man came up to talk with them but spoke very little English. He asked Kent if he spoke German, a language we rarely hear. Kent said "I don't, but he does" pointing to Oskar. Oskar was able to visit with this man and hear his story something that couldn't have happened had he not been there. I love it when God makes "divine appointments" like these!

Saturday we all went in to work for Tea House. Ruth Anne helped me in the kids room. She was sitting and coloring with some of the kids and soon had them in gales of laughter as they told her the colors in Farsi and she attempted to repeat them. Later in the day I was able to introduce Ruth Anne to "A", a woman with 5 children and an addict husband who has become a friend. At Ramadan we had asked a few friends to pray specifically for certain refugees and Ruth Anne had been praying for "A". How special for them to meet and for Ruth Anne to share with "A" that she had been praying for her. "A" smiled her sweet smile and thanked Ruth Anne sincerely. I love being able to tell refugees that there are people (Christians) in America who pray for them regularly - they are always amazed and grateful. Kent and Oskar spent time visiting and spending time with the men.

After tea house we all went to the beach to baptize 4 new brothers in Christ. One of the men "S" is a special friend of Kent's and has been in our home for dinner. How sweet to be able to share this special time with Oskar and Ruth Anne as well.

Sunday morning Kent took Oskar and Ruth Anne to see the Acropolis while I finished packing for our vacation. When they got back we packed the car and left around noon to make the 5 hour drive to Meteora high in the Mountains to see the monasteries. It is one of our favorite spots in Greece. Tuesday we left Meteora and drove another 4 hours to the western side of the Peloponnese. There we caught a Ferry to the island of Zakythos where we spent a few days relaxing, snorkeling, shopping and of course enjoying the food at some of the local Tavernas.

We left Zakythos on Friday morning and drove to Ancient Olympia where they first games were held. After exploring the ruins we drove through the mountains stopping to explore one of the quaint mountain villages along the way. We arrived in Nafplio at 6pm where we dropped Ruth Anne and Oskar off for a couple of nights on their own. Kent and I planned to drive a ways, find a place on the beach and put in another good day of snorkeling. We decided to drive about an hour over the mountain to Methana where we had never been before. Somehow we got lost and after winding around driving along the side of the mountains on a horrible dirt, gravel and small boulder covered road we finally were about in tears. We had come to yet another fork in the road and had no idea which way to go. We spotted an old couple (who of course spoke no English) standing out in their yard. We drove up and asked if this was the way to Poros - the only place near where we wanted to be that we knew the name of. They enthusiastically replied "Nai, nai, efthia - kato kato kato. Then dexia, efthia - h Thalassa - kato kato kato." (Yes, yes, straight ahead - down down down. Not right, straight ahead the sea down down down" The the lady said "Kalo dromo" which literally means "good road". We thought "Great there must be a better road ahead" - WRONG! After another wrong turn that wound UP UP UP - not DOWN DOWN DOWN - we found ourselves at a dead end at a construction site. We later learned that Kalo Dromo is a Greek saying meaning "have a good trip". When we finally reached Methana at around 9:30pm we found to our dismay that the name Methana comes from the word for "methane" because of the sulfur springs which make the whole town smell like rotten eggs. We were so tired we just took the first hotel we came to and went to bed. The next morning when we got up and came down to breakfast we wondered if we had wandered in to a nursing home by mistake. The room was filled with very old women (who all came for the sulfur baths). Of course there was the odd smell and after a barely warm cup of pretty nasty coffee and a boiled egg with lunch meat and cheese for breakfast, we were about ready to pack it up and head back. We decided to stay and headed off to see if we could find some snorkeling. We had a lovely day with several good spots where we saw lots of fish so really enjoyed ourselves. Just before we were got back to the hotel we stopped to walk around a picturesque little church. Kent decided to take a picture of the two of us using the timer on the camera. He set up the shot and as he was hurrying to get in place he stepped wrong and twisted the ankle he injured the week before. He hobbled back to the car and as soon as we got to our room he took some advil and elevated his foot which was beginning to swell again. My legs were also quite swollen after being in the car so much so I put my feet up as well. After resting an hour or so Kent put on his elastic leg brace and we limped down to dinner, fitting in rather well with the other old and infirm people staying there.

The next morning we drove back to Nafplio to pick up Oskar and Ruth Anne (this time the trip only took us and hour and a half on paved roads). We drove Ancient Corinth and spent several hours exploring and walking in the steps of the Apostle Paul. We stopped at the Corinth Canal and then made our way home. The next day we took the day to do 6 loads of laundry and dry them on the line. Kent ran errands and did the Grocery Shopping with Oskar and Ruth Anne while I swept and mopped the floors and balconies and generally got us ready for the week.

Tuesday we all went in to work again for Family Meal and Gospel Outreach. When we arrived the guys carried up boxes of clothes to be sorted and once again Ruth Anne and I worked in the kids room. Oskar did dish duty after the meal and then while some of the others were cleaning up, Ruth Anne and I helped pack school supplies in bags to give away the next day. That night we went out to dinner with the McCrackens and Sirinidis and wandered along the wharf looking at the boats and enjoying the warm night air. Wednesday we had a school give away and family day in the park. Since it was Oskar and Ruth Anne's last day and there was plenty of help Brett told us to take the day off again. We planned to go to town with them but after a painful night with little sleep and swollen legs I realized I needed to spend a day resting. Kent had some work to do to get ready for the retreat so we sent Oskar and Ruth Anne off on the metro alone to go to the Acropolis Museum and shop the Plaka District. I slept on and off all day and Kent worked at his desk. By evening I was feeling better and we had a nice dinner on the balcony.

We loved having our friends here and getting to share this work and this country we have come to love with someone from "home". It was nice to be away for a few days but we are ready to get back into the swing of work again.

I do need to share one other bit of information with you. This week we received word from one of our larger supporting churches that they would no longer be able to continue supporting us. They have been faithful supporters for three years and we have grown to love this congregation but they have had some financial difficulties and have decided to focus exclusively on a mission they have been involved with in Africa for many years. Since they were providing 500 dollars a month of our support this is a financial blow but we are confident that the Lord has called us here and that he will provide for our needs. Will you pray with us about this matter and also consider if God would be asking you to join our financial support team. There are instructions on how to give at the bottom of this letter. Thanks to all of you who already faithfully support us both financially in and prayer. We are so thankful for our extended team who uphold us and enable us to be a part of what God is doing here in Athens. We love you all.

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
Or Send to:
International Teams
411 W. River Rd.
Elgin IL 60123
Please designate for the ministry of Kent and Myrna Morley and indicate whether this is a one time gift or monthly support. Thanks :)

Morley Update 2011 #28

Everyone,

Time marches on. Saturday was a busy day at the ARC. I have become a bit of a fixture in the kids room but I enjoy it. Our craft that day was making little kites - not ones that flew just a 1/4 sheet of construction paper that they decorated and added a ribbon tail. They have the option of taking them with them or hanging them on the bulletin boards in the room. Most kids want to hang theirs. They don't really have a place at home (if they have a home) to keep things like this. It always amazes me how creative these kids are and how even though they are all making the same thing they come out so different.

After we closed the kids room I went into the big room to sit down for the 1/2 hour until we closed. I wasn't feeling very chatty (I know that is a shock to most of you!) and I didn't see any of the women I know that speak English so I just sat down at a table by myself. Tasha was visiting in Farsi with three newer women and she said "Do you want to join us? I can translate". Frankly I thought "not really, but okay" and went over to sit down with them. I went through the usual Farsi phrases that I know "Es me chiay" what is your name etc. By that time we were getting ready to close and they announced in Farsi about the Seekers class we have after tea house that Kent and I are a part of. The women asked Tasha "Is it for women too?" Tasha said "Yes" (no women have been coming except me). They said to Tasha "Are you going?" Tasha said "No but Myrna is?" They said to me "Are you going?" I said "Yes, I will take you". So these three women joined us for our class. I believe God arranged for me to sit down with them and meet them just for this purpose.

We were looking forward on Monday to some dear friends from Oregon (Oskar and Ruth Anne Bucher) joining us for a couple of weeks. Saturday night we found out they had changed their tickets because of hurricane Irene. There was no way they could fly through New Jersey as planned so they would not be coming until Wednesday. I was SO disappointed. Kent and I have both been looking forward to them coming to see and help in the work and also to take a week of vacation and spend some time traveling around Greece with them. Since we had an unexpected free weekend we got some things done around the house and also took time to do a little garbage picking since we are helping some new team mates furnish their new apartment. That day we were able to take them a bookcase with built in desk, a new ceiling fan, a small table and some other shelving. We had already helped them haul home a side board as well bring a whole carload of things from Ikea.

Tuesday Kent preached at the Farsi Outreach. I stayed out in the main room to hear him preach instead of working in the kids room that day. He had picture of a gate with a big chain and a single wilting rose stuck in the chain. He talked about the Gate representing being able to move on to a better life. The rose is how many of the refugees feel - like they are withering away as they wait for the gate to open. But the gate is not the only thing holding the rose - there is also the chain. Kent talked about the chain being fear. Fear of not being good enough to please God and earn my way to heaven and fear of what other religious people will think. Two very real fears that Islam has no answer for. We can't be good enough to please God and we can't earn our way to heaven - but fortunately we don't have to. Jesus was good enough and Jesus paid our way. The fear of what other religious people will think is something that will not go away but the Bible says (my paraphrase) Don't fear men - all they can do is kill you - God is the one who decides where you will spend eternity. Afterwards during the meal Kent said that one of the men came up to him and said he would like to talk with him more some time and asked what days Kent would be there.

After the meal on Tuesday I noticed there were quite a few kids who had wandered back in the kids room so I decided to go in and sit down with them. I had fun coloring with some of the older girls and then one of "Zs" little twin girls who are three came in. She said "Mooona" (my name as she can't say her "r" sound). I said "Nakashee" Color? she said yes so I gave her a sheet she wanted me to help so we started coloring together. She was jabbering on in Farsi and I was say "Uh huh" and "Yes" occasionally.
Pretty soon she said something else in Farsi and I wasn't really paying attention she stopped coloring and looked up at me and said in English "Yes, yes?" I said "yes" she went back to coloring and chattering in Farsi.

We were all feeling a little sad on Tuesday - we found out that one of our closest women friends Z #1 had left and was in Sweden with her two girls. She had gone ahead to try and get asylum and bring her husband and young son later. We knew she had been talking of going but this was very abrupt (it almost always is) and we were all reeling a bit in surprise. This is one of the parts of this ministry that is SO difficult. You pour yourself into someone and come to love them so much and then they are gone. Pray for this family. Pray that they will be able to be together again soon. And pray that God will bring other Christians into their lives. Z #1 is one of the women who was regularly studying the bible and was moving closer to acceptance. Also pray for us as we miss our friend - it is always a bit of a temptation to draw back and not become too close to someone new because of the fear of the pain of losing them too.

On Wednesday we took a vacation day instead of going to a team building day so we could pick up Oskar and Ruth Anne from the airport. We brought them home and had some muffins and fruit on the front balcony. Ruth Anne slathered on some sunscreen and we drove downtown where we saw the changing of the guard at the Parliament building. Then we climbed Philapappou hill next to the Acropolis. You get some great views of the Acropolis and the city of Athens from the top. It was quite hot so we didn't stay long at the top but hiked back down and stopped at the first available little store to buy bottles of water. We got home about 4:00 and Ruth Anne and Oskar took a short nap and then unpacked and got settled in while I fixed dinner. We had a traditional Greek Taverna meal - kabob, souvlaki, tsatsiki, Xoriatiko psomi, and Xoriatiki Salada. (ground meat molded and grilled on a skewer, chunks of turkey breast, red pepper and onion grilled on a skewer, village bread, yogurt-cucumber- garlic sauce, and Greek salad with feta cheese. We visited over dinner until after 8:00 and then after visiting a bit more and cleaning up Oskar and Ruth Anne were ready for bed by about 9:15. They seemed to have slept well and just got up a bit ago - it is 8am. We will take another vacation day today and show them around a bit - going to the Laiki and driving down the coast. I am attaching a picture of us on top of Philapappou. I may not get a letter out next week as we will be traveling about Greece but know that you are always close to our hearts. We love you all.

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
Or Send to:
International Teams
411 W. River Rd.
Elgin IL 60123
Please designate for the ministry of Kent and Myrna Morley and indicate whether this is a one time gift or monthly support. Thanks ;}

Morley Update 2011 #27

Everybody,

Language is something that is always an issue for us in this ministry. Whether it's our on going struggle to learn Greek - as Kent and I are doing or trying to learn Farsi as are some of our team mates- it's never far from our minds. It may be a small frustration such as not being able to understand the announcements at church because the translator isn't in place yet - or the much bigger frustration of wanting to share your faith or have more than a surface level conversation with someone. For those on the team who are blessed with language there is the burden of always being the one who has to translate the "hard" subjects or just being constantly interrupted by people during the day who need something, or have a complaint or want you to translate a paper or .......

We have been blessed to add two Dari/Farsi speakers to our team recently as well as some Greeks. Donna and Aziz are here for a few weeks getting settled in their apartment before heading back to the states to finish getting their visa and planning to join us full time at the end of September. Aziz is Afghan and Donna is American but speaks Dari. I was in the children's room on Tuesday and it was Donna's first time telling the story. She did an excellent job with lots of expression and the kids were very focused. In fact when one child started to talk in the middle of the story, the others shushed him. We were blessed this week to have another Darhi speaker visiting as well. She was also in the kids room and between she and Donna, they were able to field some questions from the kids after the Bible Story. We had about 40 kids so the room was pretty full. As we were settling them into chairs suddenly a fight broke out between two of the boys who are about 10 years old. It took several of us to pull them apart as they were trying to punch and kick each other. We separated them and were so thankful that Cindy (the visitor) and Donna (the new team member) could speak to each of them in their own language and calm them down. They are both nice boys and not ones to fight but "N" has had a few more issues lately. His mother has taken his two sisters and gone ahead to Germany where she is hoping to get settled and then send for the father and the two boys. "N" and his brother were there that day without their father and I am sure that they are not getting much supervision these days as their father tries to work and take care of them. The other boy is one of my favorites and we often tease back and forth with his little English and my little Farsi. He was crying and very upset over the whole incident. After Donna talked to him and got him settled at a table with his craft I went over and gave him a hug and kiss. Later in the day he came up to me just to smile and show me he was okay. My heart goes out to these kids who live in such stressful circumstances. There is such instability in their lives. Some of the older ones have asked some good questions about Jesus and my hope and prayer is that He can become the one constant in their lives.

After lunch as I sat playing with one of the toddlers, one of the older girls came over and tapped me on the shoulder. She motioned for me to come and said "mother". Her mom is the woman I have been trying to have conversations with the last few weeks but we have about run the full gamut of her English and my Farsi. As I sat trying to talk with her and another woman, I noticed Cindy sitting off to the side. I pointed her out to my friend and said that she spoke Dari. A little later Cindy came over so I asked her to sit down. I had her ask "N" some questions about where she was living and practical matters and then I led the conversation to spiritual things by asking if "N" was fasting because she was praying or only because she was supposed to as
a Muslim. She answered through Cindy that you had to do certain things like fast once a year and wear the head covering because it says it in the Koran. I asked her if God would not love her unless she did these things. She said "no He won't love me because it is sin". I talked about the difference of doing things from love or from fear and then Cindy launched out on her own. They talked for some time. At one point "N" said to Cindy "Translate for Myrna" but I could get the gist of what they were saying and said to just go ahead. Kent and I have said before that this is something we like to do and part of what we feel our role is here. We get to know someone and take it as far as our limited language will allow and then introduce our friend to someone who can speak freely with them. At the end of the
conversation the women told Cindy that they both had the Ingil (the gospels) at home and would try reading it. Hopefully I can have someone else who speaks their language help me to talk more with them and answer any questions they might have.

Michales and Ritsa who are helping Kent and I with our Greek and Kiki our secretary have added a new dimension to the team because of THEIR language skills. We need Greek speakers to deal with our suppliers (food, paper goods etc.), the government and just the everyday activities of running a center for refugees in Athens. It is also necessary for keeping the lines of communication open with the Greek churches and local volunteers. Recently at the baptism of 4 men everything was translated back and forth into Farsi, English and Greek so that everyone attending could understand. Michales and Ritsa are also a great help with the kids because many of them are in Greek school and can speak Greek now so they can translate for their parents. Please continue to pray for Michales and Ritsa's support. With all the economic woes in Greece it is hard to get people to commit to monthly support especially since this is a new concept for many Greeks. They are generous with one time gifts but haven't always grasped the need for consistent support. Pray that God will raise up the right people to be a part of their financial team.

Our friend and team mate Nader, who for a long time had carried the load of being the only fluent Farsi speaker on the team is in need of prayer. His wife Ella is away in the Philippians and will not be back until December. She went to help with her adult children but things have not been going well. Her son has had medical problems and her daughter who has a small child is having her own difficulties. Ella as a mom wants to make everything all right but that is not always possible. Nader, beside having his work here has had the added pressure of trying to be a support and help long distance and also the financial pressure of medical bills etc. Added that has been his involvement in trying to help a friend's daughter who is going through a crisis here and Nader is feeling pretty burnt out. Please hold him, Ella and her children up in your prayers.

Continue to pray for us as we work on our Greek and on our team mates who are studying Greek or Farsi. Also pray that we will find ways to communicate that go beyond language. Pray for those on our team that DO have language skills that God would give them an extra measure of Grace and Patience as they carry a bigger load at times. Pray that our refugee friends will see God's love through us and that even with our limited voices HIS Voice would be heard. Thank you SO much for continuing to support us with your prayers, finances and notes of encouragement. We love you all.

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
Or Send to:
International Teams
411 W. River Rd.
Elgin IL 60123
Please designate for the ministry of Kent and Myrna Morley and indicate whether this is a one time gift or monthly support. Thanks ;}

Morley Update 2011 #26

Everyone,

The weeks keep speeding by. I can't believe it is Thursday again already. Last week as you may remember we had a different schedule due to the fact that most of our team was in Switzerland at an IT conference. On Friday Kent met with our new Team Mate, Aziz and a refugee man, "A" that Kent wanted to interview in order to write down his story. They spent a couple of hours at it but have quite a bit to do yet. After they finished Kent took "A" and another friend "S" to the sea. It is a beautiful drive down the coast to a little church that sits out on a point overlooking the sea. There is a beach covered with small rocks of marble in many colors. The water is shallow for quite a ways so it is a good place to take new swimmers. Neither of the men knew how to swim but had a great time splashing around in the cool water on a hot day. That evening Kent brought them back to our house for dinner and Donna and Aziz joined us. We sat and visited in a mix of Farsi and English and the men really enjoyed the food and the time to relax. "S" is a Christian and lives at Doctors of the World, a local charity. "A" is sleeping in the park. He is a journalist whose life is threatened by his anti-Islamic writings. He has not seen his wife or small son in two years.

We took the day off on Saturday. We picked up a former intern "Ants" and his wife at the airport and brought them to our house for lunch before dropping them off at the Sirinidis home. The rest of the day we just relaxed - Kent has been fighting a nasty cough although he doesn't seem to have any other symptoms. Both Brett and Nader have had the same thing so we know it is just a bug. Sunday since our church would be pretty empty due to the Greek holiday we decided to stay home and take another rest day. We went out for a bit and snorkeled at a local beach but the rest of the day we just lounged around and read.. Monday, our day off we played two man aggravation (Kennedy rules- I won 3 out of 5 games) and once again I just lounged around while Kent took his bike up the mountain a ways and went for a short hike. It seemed like we had been running on fumes lately and it was good to have a few days of "doing nothing".

Tuesday I awoke to the unmistakable symptoms of a urinary tract infection. I keep antibiotics on hand so started them and went in to work. I was in charge of the kids room that day and felt I needed to be there. I was pretty miserable but luckily during the month of Ramadan we are having our gospel presentation first and then the meal so we did the kids room at the beginning of the day instead of the end. Once I finished there I headed home since I knew Kent would be there late due to a meeting after the outreach. Since it is a holiday week I waited an hour for the bus and was exhausted by the time I got home. I laid around and took a nap. The next day was team meeting day and then a team fellowship in the evening at our house. I woke up feeling a bit better but knew I would have a limited amount of energy that day so I opted to stay home and get ready for the team fellowship so I could rest a bit in the afternoon again. As usual there were close to 30 of us for dinner and we had a good time worshiping together and then dividing into groups of three to share and pray for each other. These fellowship times are very sweet and we are so thankful for the wonderful group of people with whom we serve.

I don't have a lot of other news and as I read over this the words "nap" and "lounge" seem rather prominent but I guess that's okay. The weather has continued to be fairly hot - in the high 80s to mid 90s but the last couple of days it has been very windy. I can't keep my side window open or it creates such a cross breeze that it blows the papers off the desk and the flowers off the top of my entertainment center. I hope this update finds you and yours well. We love you all.

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
Or Send to:
International Teams
411 W. River Rd.
Elgin IL 60123
Please designate for the ministry of Kent and Myrna Morley and indicate whether this is a one time gift or monthly support. Thanks ;}