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 ;}
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Thursday, August 25, 2011
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 ;}
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 ;}
Thursday, August 18, 2011
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 ;}
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 ;}
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Morley Update 2011 #25
Everyone,
In our Saturday class a week ago we were talking about the story of the Samaritan Woman in John 4. Jesus tells her He can give her living water that will quench her thirst forever. Then He reveals to her that He knows her deepest secrets. What is her first response? Let's have a discussion on where we should worship. Many times we see this with our Muslim friends. They would rather debate whether a woman should wear a scarf, which way you should face to pray and and whether you should eat pork than talk about themselves and their personal relationship with God. Hmmmmm does this sound familiar to anyone else? God wants to talk to me about being critical or how I use my time and I would rather talk to Him about my friend's problems or worse just talk to my friend and leave God out entirely. When God reveals our true self it is often uncomfortable so we shy away. The Samaritan Woman tried to change the subject but Jesus brought her back to the truth "I who speak to you am He" (the Messiah). At that point forgetting her pride she ran to tell the others about Jesus and this sinful woman became an evangelist. God wants to transform us whether we are a Muslim needing to find Jesus or a Christian still struggling with areas of sin in our life. The first step is agreeing with God that there is a problem. Then like the woman who left her water jug behind and went to tell the others, we need to be willing to leave the sin behind and maybe even share with someone else what God is doing in our life. Notice that the woman wasn't sure of things when she went to tell the others. "Could this be the Messiah?" The people asked Jesus to stay with them and together they sat under his teaching. At the end of that time they said "We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world". Do you have a group of friends that are learning and growing together? Pray for this group of men who meet together on Saturdays. As we read the book of John together and answer their questions, pray that they will say "Now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world".
We are in the midst of Ramadan a time when Muslims fast from all food and drink, even water, from sun up to sun down. The purpose of this is supposed to be a time to seek God and many do. Pray for those who are sincerely praying and seeking. For many Muslims however the letter of the law is the important thing, not the spirit. The problem with legalism is there is always a loophole. Many Muslims will just change Day for Night. They will sleep all day and then rise at Sun Down to begin feasting and engaging in their normal activities. In many Muslim countries the shops are closed all day and open all night. Instead of depriving themselves of food as a reminder to seek God many Muslims gain weight during Ramadan due to the feasting. We like rules and legalism because then we know exactly where the line is and we often walk as close to it as possible. Legalism also give us a handy measuring stick to judge our brothers and make ourselves feel righteous. But when we follow the spirit of the law as Jesus points our in Matthew 5 it is much more demanding. I can no longer say "I gave my 10% to God, now the rest is mine" but we must be aware that everything we have is His. We can no longer pat ourselves on the back for "observing the Sabbath" (which to many of us means giving God 2 hours on Sunday morning) but we must think about how we are using our time every day. When we are under Grace we have freedom and yet we are constrained by love for God and for our neighbor. May we all walk in the spirit as we seek to follow Him.
Most of our team is in Switzerland for an International Teams conference. Kent and I decided not to g,o primarily because of the cost. Since we were on furlough at the beginning of the year our traveling money was somewhat depleted. Since the ARC is closed this week we had the option of finding work to do or using up vacation days. On Tuesday we went and served with a sister ministry here in Greece, the Oasis. Many of the same people we see at Helping Hands came to attend an English class and receive a meal and small bag of groceries. Any that wanted to stay could then hear a gospel message. As I greeted people, it was an encouragement to see how happy they were to see me somewhere other than the ARC. I got many warm hugs and kisses from women and kids alike. Yesterday we took a vacation day and finished a project we were working on for a friend. Today we are going to spend the bulk of the day studying our Greek and tomorrow Kent will take some refugee friends to the beach and then bring them home here for dinner.
I realize as I read back over this that the first part may seem a bit "preachy" but these are things that I have been wrestling with in my own life and I hope they can be an encouragement to you. We love you all and think of you often.
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 ;}
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Morley Update 2011 #24
Everyone,
We had a nice day yesterday - instead of an outreach the team had the day to do something on their own with refugee friends. This is special because often with our busy schedule we see masses of people but it is hard to fit in time with individuals. Dr. Joseph has not been able to attend church with us the last month so although we have talked with him on the phone we had not seen him in some time. Yesterday Kent had a morning meeting about the seekers bible study and then he picked up Dr. Joseph and brought him to the house. We headed to the beach and took him snorkeling at a new place we have found that is only about 10 minutes from the house. We snorkeled for an hour but the sea began to get rough and since Dr. Joseph is not a strong swimmer we got out to sit on the beach. Suddenly a thunder shower moved in and we ran to the car. We came back to our house, rinsed off the salt and sat down for a late lunch. I made Dr. Joseph's favorite - chicken with Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ Sauce. When Kent went to take him home, Dr. Joseph said, "I feel so relaxed and refreshed. Thank you so much." I love doing this for people who's lives are often so filled with stress.
Tuesday I spent quite a while talking with a lady ("N") that I met last Saturday. She speaks a LITTLE English so we were able to establish on Saturday that she
has a daughter and granddaughter in Holland and several children here. Like everyone else they want to move on. Tuesday she came up to sit by me and brought a book with her. It was a little Farsi/English book - very old with no cover. Unfortunately for me it was the phrase in English, then the phonetic sounds in Farsi script and then the word written in Farsi. We had fun looking at the phrases and teaching each other how to say them. Saturday when she was in her lower lip was swollen and cracked. I carry antibiotic ointment in my purse all the time because I am always seeing people with sores, children with infected blisters etc. I squirted some on a piece of foil, wrapped it up and gave it to her, telling her to put some on a few times a day. She was very happy on Tuesday to show me that her mouth was almost completely healed. (Thanks Mom for teaching me about Neosporin!) After we'd been talking a while a man came over to say something to her. He looked pretty rough and when he left I said "Is your husband?" indicating my ring finger. She nodded and then acted out taking drugs. I said "I'm sorry". Many of these women are married to men who are drug addicts and often abusive.
"A", a good friend with five children, told Tasha this week that her husband, who is a heroin addict, was using heavily right now and coming home very abusive. On top of that another woman (who's husband is "A"s husband's cousin) left this week with her two smallest daughters leaving behind her oldest who is about 5 or 6. She left her with her husband who spends his time getting high with "A"s husband so this means that "A" has another child to care for. She said to Tasha - I can barely feed my own children and now I have one more. Kent and I decided to use some of our "special ministry" money that we set aside each month to buy some groceries for her. We hiked up to the super market and bought rice, pasta, lentils, tuna, sugar, oil, salt and tomato sauce. We gave her the groceries telling her that we wish we could change her circumstances but that we loved her and wanted to help in a small way. She was very grateful. Brett told her that if she felt unsafe to call one of us and we would come and get her and the children immediately. We prayed for her and she told us a few days later that her husband had not even been around. Thank you for providing the funds that make it possible for us to do these kinds of things- you are truly acting out Matthew 25:35, 40 "For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat,......whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me."
Tomorrow will be a day of rejoicing in Greece as well as in heaven. Five men who have been meeting regularly for bible study with our team mate Ilir, and who attended the seekers retreat Kent went to recently, are going to be baptized in the sea. Several of these men will be moving on right away so pray that they will meet Christians who can continue to disciple them and that they will be lights going out into other dark corners of the world.
Remember our many Muslim friends this month as they seek God in a special way during Ramadan. If you missed the link last week on how to pray daily here it is again.
http://www.xodigo.com/30days/2011_30Days_uk_version.pdf
Thank you SO much for partnering with us in this work. 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 ;}
We had a nice day yesterday - instead of an outreach the team had the day to do something on their own with refugee friends. This is special because often with our busy schedule we see masses of people but it is hard to fit in time with individuals. Dr. Joseph has not been able to attend church with us the last month so although we have talked with him on the phone we had not seen him in some time. Yesterday Kent had a morning meeting about the seekers bible study and then he picked up Dr. Joseph and brought him to the house. We headed to the beach and took him snorkeling at a new place we have found that is only about 10 minutes from the house. We snorkeled for an hour but the sea began to get rough and since Dr. Joseph is not a strong swimmer we got out to sit on the beach. Suddenly a thunder shower moved in and we ran to the car. We came back to our house, rinsed off the salt and sat down for a late lunch. I made Dr. Joseph's favorite - chicken with Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ Sauce. When Kent went to take him home, Dr. Joseph said, "I feel so relaxed and refreshed. Thank you so much." I love doing this for people who's lives are often so filled with stress.
Tuesday I spent quite a while talking with a lady ("N") that I met last Saturday. She speaks a LITTLE English so we were able to establish on Saturday that she
has a daughter and granddaughter in Holland and several children here. Like everyone else they want to move on. Tuesday she came up to sit by me and brought a book with her. It was a little Farsi/English book - very old with no cover. Unfortunately for me it was the phrase in English, then the phonetic sounds in Farsi script and then the word written in Farsi. We had fun looking at the phrases and teaching each other how to say them. Saturday when she was in her lower lip was swollen and cracked. I carry antibiotic ointment in my purse all the time because I am always seeing people with sores, children with infected blisters etc. I squirted some on a piece of foil, wrapped it up and gave it to her, telling her to put some on a few times a day. She was very happy on Tuesday to show me that her mouth was almost completely healed. (Thanks Mom for teaching me about Neosporin!) After we'd been talking a while a man came over to say something to her. He looked pretty rough and when he left I said "Is your husband?" indicating my ring finger. She nodded and then acted out taking drugs. I said "I'm sorry". Many of these women are married to men who are drug addicts and often abusive.
"A", a good friend with five children, told Tasha this week that her husband, who is a heroin addict, was using heavily right now and coming home very abusive. On top of that another woman (who's husband is "A"s husband's cousin) left this week with her two smallest daughters leaving behind her oldest who is about 5 or 6. She left her with her husband who spends his time getting high with "A"s husband so this means that "A" has another child to care for. She said to Tasha - I can barely feed my own children and now I have one more. Kent and I decided to use some of our "special ministry" money that we set aside each month to buy some groceries for her. We hiked up to the super market and bought rice, pasta, lentils, tuna, sugar, oil, salt and tomato sauce. We gave her the groceries telling her that we wish we could change her circumstances but that we loved her and wanted to help in a small way. She was very grateful. Brett told her that if she felt unsafe to call one of us and we would come and get her and the children immediately. We prayed for her and she told us a few days later that her husband had not even been around. Thank you for providing the funds that make it possible for us to do these kinds of things- you are truly acting out Matthew 25:35, 40 "For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat,......whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me."
Tomorrow will be a day of rejoicing in Greece as well as in heaven. Five men who have been meeting regularly for bible study with our team mate Ilir, and who attended the seekers retreat Kent went to recently, are going to be baptized in the sea. Several of these men will be moving on right away so pray that they will meet Christians who can continue to disciple them and that they will be lights going out into other dark corners of the world.
Remember our many Muslim friends this month as they seek God in a special way during Ramadan. If you missed the link last week on how to pray daily here it is again.
http://www.xodigo.com/30days/2011_30Days_uk_version.pdf
Thank you SO much for partnering with us in this work. 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 ;}
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