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
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