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.

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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 :)