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
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