Morley Update 2011 #5

Everyone,

We are home in Greece and other than struggling a bit with jet lag (me) we are settled in. We arrived on Friday with ambitious plans to go to work on Saturday but soon realized that we were not up to it. We stayed home and took care of all the little things that need to be done after being gone three months. We had our "girls" Tasha and Christy over for dinner and dominoes and spent the evening laughing and catching up. We didn't go to church on Sunday since due to jet lag I couldn't get to sleep until after 3am. We hung around the house that day and I did not let myself take a nap thinking this would let me sleep that night. No such luck - I went to bed at 4am and still could not sleep for another hour or two. Monday we went to our friends Nader and Ella's house to celebrate Persian New Year with another Persian couple we know from when we were here five years ago. We ate until we could eat no more and then sat around telling jokes with Nader translating from Farsi to English and back again. By 6pm I was getting very tired so we went home and I went to bed at 9:30. I slept well until about 1am and then was awake on and off for the rest of the night.

Tuesday was our first day back at work. It was a Farsi family meal day. Before lunch I met a new young woman who speaks only Farsi but I was able to visit with her a little thanks to Tasha translating. After dinner I met a young woman who looked to be about 15 but who was really 20. She spoke a little English so we struggled through some conversation. She and her mother and sister are here, she has two brothers in Denmark and her father and two more sisters are in Afghanistan. She said she left because of the fighting and life was bad. I asked if her father would come and she said "No". She asked why I was here and I told her because God loves everyone and he loves refugees. Because I love God, I came to help and love the people he loves. She said "This is good". There are many new refugee faces and since Tuesday was "Group B" I didn't have a chance to see most of my friends who are in "Group A". We have a short week this week - Friday is a holiday (Greek Independence Day) so we have the day off. I want to close by sharing a story my team mate Lisa wrote in her last update.

Last Tuesday at the Farsi lunch, I watched a young Afghan woman come up to my Iranian friend, "E" after the gospel presentation and pull him aside to ask some questions. This always prompts me to pray. Later I heard that she wanted to know more about Jesus, but was afraid to tell her husband. She would not take a Bible because it was too obvious, but she took some small tracks to read. Later the same day, the husband corners "E" and says he wants to know more about Jesus, but is afraid to tell his wife. He loves his wife. They married for love and had to leave the country because another marriage had been arranged for her and it was not safe to stay in Iran. He is bold and willingly takes a Bible, but tucks it away. At the end of the day both seek "E" out to say “good-bye and thank you”. This is his first clue they are related. With a twinkle in his eye he tells her she must ask him about the Bible and he points it out under his arm. He tells him to ask her, what he gave to her. Both of their eyes are wide, initially with fear that "E" broke his word revealing their secret and then with wonder at what God must be doing. They left quickly; anxious to be alone and away from the eyes of those that watch. They have been calling all week with questions about what they are reading. They finished the gospel of Matthew the first night. They are now living in an apartment run by a local church where they can read their Bible without fear of being evicted or beaten.

It is good to be home and about the Father's business. One other item I forgot to mention. When we were at the airport just after arriving I was suddenly enveloped in a big hug. It was my friend "I" from Nigeria who I have know for 6 years. She had told me before we left that she and her husband and three children were thinking of going back to Nigeria. I asked if "J" would have work and she said "Maybe not but he has no work here and there at least we have family". They were at the airport that day and indeed traveling home to Nigeria. They have papers so can travel legally. I was so happy to be able to say goodbye. I am glad for her to be with her family again and I pray that she will be well and happy.

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
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