Morley Update 2012 #46

Everyone,

This is my last update for the year 2012 and what a year it has been. Who but God could have foreseen the changes in our lives this year would bring? In March Kent became the team leader, in April I was hospitalized twice with blood clots and a small stroke, in June our children's leader moved to England, in July Heather and Chris Shepherd who were planning to join us were denied a visa and moved to Turkey, in November our dear friends and the founders of this ministry Scott and Vicki McCracken announced that they will be moving back to the states this summer. Add to this the coming and going of refugee friends as well as interns and short term teams and you can see how it might have been a rather stressful year.

Through all these changes we have seen God at work. Kent did not seek and even initially resisted taking the leadership position but God has given him a peace about it and blessed him with Christy and Nikos as a leadership team. Nikos provides wisdom and leadership and Christy is very detail oriented and helps to keep things running smoothly. Though my health continues to be an issue at times we are adjusting and I continue to function as the short term team and intern coordinator as well as help out at the ARC on a reduced schedule. The week our children's leader left, the Lord provided two interns who stepped in and were a great help over the summer as we were adjusting our children's program. Our young Afghan friend "G" continues to grow and work with the kids and my teammates Donna and Ritsa have filled in the gaps nicely. Over the past year especially, the political and economical climate in Greece has worsened. In some cases this has led to a growing distrust of foreigners. Whether it is related or not, we have seen several people denied visas in our ministry and in other ministries over this last year. Please pray as we have several new people wanting to join the team and we worry about them being able to get the necessary papers.

We have definitely seen the Lord working in the lives of refugees as well. Our believer friends have continued to grow and the Lord has added new believers throughout the year most recently the three women who were in a seekers Bible Study. As well as believer friends here who often help in the ministry: teaching, translating, cooking and sharing, we also have several believer friends who have moved on. Kent has two friends in Kurdistan who became believers here and who want to share Christ with their own people. Others are in various countries and are involved in local churches or Persian fellowships. Greece continues to be a hub where God is reaching the nations.

As I look back on 2012 and ahead to 2013 I am excited to see what God has in store. 2013 promises to be a banner year in our lives. Kent and I will both turn 60 - Kent's birthday is January 12th so he doesn't have far to go. We will also celebrate our 40th anniversary this year. Due to an agreement with Greece over social security issues Kent and I will spend 6 months of the coming year in the states. We will be attending our daughter's wedding May 4th in Mexico and then head to CA for Kent's dad's wedding. We will spend much time reconnecting with our supporting churches and individuals and hopefully forming new relationships as well. I will take the time to get some needed medical attention and we look forward to a bit of extended time with our parents, kids, grandkids and extended family.

We pray that this new year will hold blessings for all of you. We are continually thankful for your faithfulness to us and to the Lord. Thank you SO much.

Serving Him Together,
Kent and Myrna Morley
Tripoleos 76
Elliniko 16777
Athens Greece
011 30 210 96 38 625
backhoeboy1@gmail.com
http://kent-uniquelymorley.blogspot.com
To join our Support Team:
Online go to: www.iteams.org/us
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 :)

Morley Update 2012 #45

Everyone,

I am writing this update early because we just got home from family meal day and my heart is full because of something that happened today. Two weeks ago when we had our Christmas parties, Kent gave a talk on the Gift of Jesus. He took things from a box that illustrated what the Gift of Jesus was. He had a candle - Jesus is the light - he had water and bread. He also had a paper chain which he took out and hung around his neck pretending it was very heavy. He talked about how our sin weighs us down like this heavy chain and we cannot do anything about it. Then he told how the Gift of Jesus and what he did on the cross can free us from the burden of that chain of sin. On the family nights when he gave this talk, the children had already been sitting for a puppet show and a song and they were pretty excited, wiggly and a bit noisy. I wondered how the adults could even concentrate on hearing the message at all.

Today in the kids room we talked about the Christmas story and how baby Jesus grew up to die on the cross and take away our sin. Donna asked the kids in Farsi if anyone could tell her what sin was. A little boy of about 5 or 6, who is kind of a wiggle worm raised his hand - he raises his hand any time we ask a question. Donna called on him and he rattled on for some time in Farsi. When he finished "G" looked at me and said, "He said, 'Sin is like a big heavy chain around our neck and we can't get rid of it but God can take it away'". I was amazed! Here in the midst of semi-chaos two weeks ago, this little child actually listened to the message, remembered it and applied it. As I told Kent about it later I could not help but weep and his eyes filled with tears too. Sometimes you feel like maybe your words are just going out into thin air, but the Holy Spirit is at work and God's word does not return void. At the end of class we asked if someone wanted to pray. This little boy raised his hand again and prayed in Farsi. Donna told me afterwards that he said "I love you Jesus. You are my best friend. I'm glad you are in my heart." What a gift in this special season! Please pray for this boy and his family. His mother has gone on to another country to try to get asylum and the father is here with this little boy and his younger sister. The father always stays for the message on Tuesday. Today we talked with him a bit afterwards and told him how his son had repeated the message he had heard at the Christmas Party. Our teammate Carolyn and her husband told the father that if he ever had any questions or wanted to talk about these kinds of things they would be glad to sit down with him.

This is our last week and then we will be closed for the Christmas holiday and won't reopen until Jan. 8th because of another Greek holiday. Many of our team are away at this time so it is a busy week ahead and we will all be glad of a bit of rest. Kent and I will stay close to home since we will be taking our 6 month home assignment next year and didn't feel we could spend any money traveling now with that coming up. We will have refugee friends and team mates in during the break and may take a day trip or two. Have a wonderful Christmas. We will miss being with our family but as always we are so thankful that God has called us to this place and has provided us with a network of people we love. Thank you for your faithfulness to God and to us. We love you all.

Serving Him Together,
Kent and Myrna Morley
Tripoleos 76
Elliniko 16777
Athens Greece
011 30 210 96 38 625
backhoeboy1@gmail.com
http://kent-uniquelymorley.blogspot.com
To join our Support Team:
Online go to: www.iteams.org/us
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 :)

Morley Update 2012 #44

Everyone,

Well our week of Christmas parties is over - here are a few "snapshots".

It is Monday - 2 hours before we open our doors for the first Christmas party. The gift items we have ordered have arrived but we have over 500 bags to pack in an hour. Kent and I are packing men's bags. The book of John in Farsi, a stocking hat, socks, shaving creme, three razors and shampoo. The items are on the tables and Kent and I are putting things in the bags as fast as we can while Mike counts and puts the bags in boxes. We are moving right along and have done over a hundred bags when suddenly everything come to a screeching halt. Lisa comes into the room looking for more conditioner for the women's bags. Much to our dismay it was mixed in with the shampoos for the men's bags and we have to stop and go back through each bag we have already packed. Amazingly we finished on time!

I am dressed as an Elf and going around the tables passing out candy to the kids. So many little black eyes looking up at me. Some are shy, some are sparkling with excitement and some coolly amused. Many of the kids call me Papa Noel as I tell them "Christmas Mobarack" and give them their candy. After the party I pose with most of the kids and many of the adults for pictures beside the tree.

The kitchen is a hive of activity. Our friend "A" has been there for hours cooking two huge pots of rice the Persian way. Each night a group from a local church brings food to prepare and serve. 150 salads are made and waiting on trays on the bakers rack. There are huge pots of rice and chicken, Arabic bread is stacked on the counter. Desserts are on a side table waiting to be put on decorative trays and the big refrigerator is filled with bottles of soda. When the time comes to serve the bowls are heaped with rice, chicken goes on top and the Arabic bread acts as a "cover". Our guests are very appreciative of the meal. Not just because it fills their stomachs but because having food that is familiar and cooked like home feeds their souls.

It is the night of the men's party. The team has sung "Tavalod Isa Mobarack" (Happy birthday Jesus) and when we finished the men were asking for more. After the object lesson that Kent brought, Susie came with her guitar once again and she and some of the team sang a couple more songs in Farsi (Joy to the World and Angels We Have Heard on High) The men loved it and sang along, especially on the chorus, always asking for "one more time". For years when the Taliban was in power in Afghanistan, music was banned so being able to sing freely together has special meaning for many of these men. Singing freely together about Jesus is even more amazing!

At our last party and again yesterday at family meal day we had quite a few children coming in with spots. These are not bug bites but we have an outbreak of chicken pox again. At least among refugees there is not the same attention to sickness and not exposing others as we would find in our culture. People often come with fevers, flu and other illnesses. Because of the Enbrel I take I am not supposed to be around chicken pox but have no way of avoiding it unless I just stay home. Yesterday I was helping in the baby room and found out two of the little ones I was playing with were infected. I've just had to ask the Lord to protect me and amazingly even though my immune system is compromised I don't seem to pick up the viruses going around very often.

I wanted to say a BIG thank you to all of you who donated toward our Christmas parties and also another BIG thank you to those of you who donated toward sleeping bags. Because of your generosity we got our first shipment of 50 sleeping bags this week and the men on our team will pass them out to guys sleeping in the parks or abandoned buildings this next week. It has turned off cold this last week especially at night so I know they will be very much appreciated. I am attaching a few pictures from the parties - Thank you for helping to make this happen.

Serving Him Together,
Kent and Myrna Morley
Tripoleos 76
Elliniko 16777
Athens Greece
011 30 210 96 38 625
backhoeboy1@gmail.com
http://kent-uniquelymorley.blogspot.com
To join our Support Team:
Online go to: www.iteams.org/us
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 :)

Morley Update 2012 #43

Everyone -

It's time for an update but we are midway through our Christmas party week and I am feeling more tired than inspired. We have had three parties so far and all have gone well.

Our first party was Monday night but for Kent and I it started at 1:30 when we arrived to set up the puppet stage and tables and then practice the puppet show. At three the whole team arrived to pack Christmas bags - we packed over 500 bags in 2 hours with different things for men, women, teen boys, teen girls, young boys, young girls and babies. It was a family party and by 5:30 the room was filled with Moms, Dads and kids of all ages. As they entered they were directed to a room for a family portrait which they will be given next week. The church that Kent and I attend, Nea Zoi sponsored this first party. They did a great job of providing an abundance of all that we needed and working hard in the kitchen preparing, serving and cleaning up. The program was well received and of course the kids and adults loved their gift bags. Once again I changed into my Elf costume midway through the party and came out to pass out candy, play with the kids and have my picture taken with pretty much everyone there. By the time we finished clean up and got home I was extremely tired and in pain from being on my feet all day. I didn't get much sleep that night and woke up the next morning feeling feverish and tired. I slept until 12 noon when I got up and took my meds for the day. I sat down on the couch and fell asleep until 3:30 when Kent left for the believers party. I got up and went back to bed and slept until 8:30pm when I got up for an hour or so and then went back to bed and slept through the night. I felt much better yesterday, so either overdid or had some kind of a bug - there are several being passed around the team.

Tuesday night while I stayed home Kent went to the believer's party. This is a group of 25-30 refugees who are believers, many who came to faith here in Athens through Helping Hands. It was a night of sharing testimonies, singing and praying together. For some of the people it was their first time to partake in communion. What a sweet time of sharing together.

Last night was our Men's party. This is mostly men who are here without their families but there are a few who have young boys or teens and there are some teens who are here on their own. I hadn't planned to do the puppet show, not wanting the men to feel it was too young for them but "V" our translator said "No, DO it the men will LOVE it!" One of my puppeteers was sick and not there so I hastily drafted Christy and we went over the script. I am so glad we did. As we talked about how Mary and Joseph felt going on such a long tiring journey only to find there was no place for them when they arrived, many men nodded their heads in understanding. When we told how Mary and Joseph had to take Jesus and flee to another country for safety because of the evil king, I saw a few eyes fill with tears. These men understand the Christmas story in a way you and I will never know and I pray that it gives them hope.

Pray for us as we have two more family parties this week. Pray for Kent as he is starting to get a sore throat today and there is a nasty sore throat/ flu going around. He is giving the message so needs to hold out for a couple more days. Pray for the refugees who come to the parties - that they will see beyond the gifts we give them to the true gift of Jesus. Pray for the churches that are giving so generously to sponsor the parties at a time when all Greeks are struggling financially. Pray that our whole team stays strong and healthy through the parties and for the following two weeks as we return to our regular schedule. We will have quite a few team members gone on furlough so will be a big short handed - we are so thankful for our local volunteers at time like this. Thank you for your part in making all this possible. We love you all. Sorry I didn't include any pictures Kent and I were both too busy to take any so I will have to wait until our official photographer makes them available - I will try to include some next week.

Serving Him Together,
Kent and Myrna Morley
Tripoleos 76
Elliniko 16777
Athens Greece
011 30 210 96 38 625
backhoeboy1@gmail.com
http://kent-uniquelymorley.blogspot.com
To join our Support Team:
Online go to: www.iteams.org/us
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 :)

Morley Update 2012 #42

Everyone,

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas! Monday of this week we had planned to take some friends down the coast to see Sounio but they called in the morning to say that she was sick. That meant we had that rare commodity of a free day. We decided to do our Christmas decorating. Now for some that doesn't seem like a day's work but when you take into account that we have five big tubs of Christmas decorations plus a couple of boxes you can see why we need a day. We both enjoy decorating and I especially like opening my nativities (I have 11 of them). Our tree is decorated with ornaments that Kent and I made together - hand painted balls, tassel angels and gold and silver bows. Our tree has always been decorated with items we made ourselves but a few years ago when all the kids were out of our house I made them take all the tacky styrofoam, clay, felt and paper ornaments and decided I was going to have my dream tree. We still hang Frosty and Chrystal on the tree and the Santa mobile Katie made in the 4th grade hangs in our entryway. Kent has the styrofoam Caroler and Snowman we made the first year we were married (almost 40 years ago) on his desk. He is more sentimental than I am. When we finished the house was beautiful. I got out my Christmas music and played the keyboard and the only thing missing was our family.

Yesterday was a day of decorating again as the team gathered to Deck the ARC and get ready for our Christmas parties next week. We put up our 6 Christmas trees, hung stars and snowflakes from the ceiling, made a backdrop for family pictures and put up wreaths and lights galore. We practiced singing our Christmas song in Farsi and set up tables ready for gift packing on Monday. We will have 5 parties next week. Four of them are for people from our meal days and waiting list. One of them is a believers party for those who have come to faith in Jesus. Please pray for the team as we enter this hectic time - there is a nasty cold/flu making the rounds so pray that we all stay healthy. Also pray for the puppet presentation - Here is a short synopsis of the story: Joseph and Mary went on a long journey and were very tired - you (our refugee friends) have been on a long journey too. When Mary and Joseph got to where they were going they couldn't find a place to stay - many of you arrived here and couldn't find a place. Maybe you even slept outside. Mary and Joseph stayed in a stable and Jesus didn't even have a bed but slept in the cow trough - some of you are worried about how to provide for your children. Then an angel came and told Joseph that a bad king wanted to kill all the little boys and that he should take Mary and Jesus and flee to another country until the bad king died - Jesus was a refugee. Jesus knows what it is like to leave your home, to travel a long way, to not have a house, and to live in another country because your own country is not safe. He loves you very much. Christmas time is a time to remember when Jesus came down from heaven as a baby. This is a powerful message for these people who have been through so much.

After the puppet show Kent will be sharing an object lesson. He will have a gift box and talk about how Jesus is God's gift to us. Then he will open the box and take out a candle - Jesus is the light of the world. Bread - Jesus is the bread of life. Water - Jesus is the living water. He will talk briefly about what each of these things means to us. Pray that the message will be received and understood.

For each of the refugee parties a local church is coming to help. They are providing the food, decorations and helping to serve and clean up. Pray for these churches that God will bless them for their generosity and that those who come to help will have their eyes opened in a new way toward refugees.

As always we are thankful for our larger team of supporters. This last week we had a team from Omaha NE who came to serve. They were such a blessing to us. They truly had servant's hearts and no matter what we asked them to do they did it cheerfully and well. The church they come from is called Glad Tidings and I think it is so fun that they have chosen to come help us each of the last three years at Christmas.

As you prepare for the Christmas season I pray you have time midst the busyness to think about what God's gift of Jesus means to you. I also pray that you will be sensitive to those around you who are walking in the darkness and searching for the light. I pray that you're eyes will be opened to those who are hungry spiritually and you will offer them the bread of life. I pray that you will see those who are trying in vain to quench their thirst with what this world has to offer and that you will share the living water with them and they will be satisfied. We love you all.

Serving Him Together,
Kent and Myrna Morley
Tripoleos 76
Elliniko 16777
Athens Greece
011 30 210 96 38 625
backhoeboy1@gmail.com
http://kent-uniquelymorley.blogspot.com
To join our Support Team:
Online go to: www.iteams.org/us
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 :)

Morley Update 2012 #41

Everyone -
Happy Thanksgiving to you all. I am thankful for many things - for family and friends all over the world. For my comfortable home, for food on the table and clothes on my back (and front). I am thankful that I have always lived where I could worship as I chose and where I could have an education. I am thankful I was allowed to marry the man of my choice - and what a good choice he turned out to be! I am thankful that God has allowed Kent and I to be here in this place, at this time, with these people. That means I am thankful for you because it is only through your generosity that we are able to serve.

It was a BUSY but nice week. We had a couple staying with us for almost 2 weeks that were here to teach a leadership seminar that Scott McCracken was facilitating. That seminar lasted 8 days and finished last Thursday night. On Friday Kent went to work at the men's meal day and then came home to pick up Hank and Cathy and I to head for a retreat center near the sea about an hour away. We were attending a marriage seminar (lead by Hank and Cathy) for some believer refugee couples. There were three couples from Afghanistan/Iran and one couple from Ethiopia/Eritrea. Our team mates Carolyn and Ebi (she is Canadian - he is Iranian) and Scott rounded out the group. It was a good weekend with teaching times, but fun times of playing games, walking on the beach and sharing meals together as well. I knew some of the women to speak to - if you can call saying Salam and Koubi (hello and how are you) speaking. Because "V" one of the men serves as a translator for us at the ARC he was able to do the translating for the weekend. That meant that for the first time I got to hear a little more from these women about what they think and feel and also to hear their sense of humor. I always enjoy laughing with refugee friends. Their lives are so difficult and often after an event someone will say "It has been a long time since I laughed and it felt so good". I left after the weekend feeling much closer to these women and when I saw them on Tuesday the smiles were warmer and the hugs tighter as we remembered our good time together.

The marriage retreat ended Sunday morning and we got home around noon. I immediately went to the kitchen to mix up roll dough, make cheese dip and fix veggies for our Team Thanksgiving which was happening that afternoon. At 4:00 we gathered at the Dirrim's house to enjoy a traditional turkey dinner. There were around 25 people present. We cooked three turkeys because the largest turkey you can get here, IF you can find it, is about 8-10 pounds. It was a nice evening of food and fellowship.

Monday morning Kent took Cathy and Hank to the airport and I finished putting together some short term team manuals and cleaning the house. At 4:00 we left to go to the airport and pick up a short term team from Omaha NE. Since it was the 19th (an odd numbered day) this meant that we could not take them directly into town to their hotel because our license plate is even numbered. In Athens you can only drive in town on odd or even numbered days depending on your license number. Since we couldn't take them into town until after 8pm we brought them to the house and did their orientation here. Doing orientations for short term teams is always interesting because they have been on a plane for hours and have had little or no sleep. Then you sit them down on a comfortable couch and begin to go through an orientation manual with them. It is inevitable that eyes begin to droop. I try to be animated but often have to stop and let people get up and walk around in order to wake up. After we finished orientation we ordered Gyros and they had their first taste of Greek food. At 8:30 Kent left to take them in to town to their hotel.

Tuesday is family meal day. At 8am we got a call from Nikos our Greek director saying he was at the ARC and the police had our Stoa (alleyway) blocked off and were investigating a break in from the night before. Several cars had windows smashed and one of the little shops had been broken into. The big gate which had been down was wrenched off it's track. We didn't know how long the police would be there but knew that no refugees would enter if police were around. Kent and I left early and headed in to the ARC to see what the situation was. By the time we got there the police had gone and the shop owners were fixing the gate and sweeping up the glass. We decided we could go ahead as usual. It was a busy day with lots of kids in the kids room to hear the bible story and make the craft. When we finished, and the floors were swept and mopped, the short term team unpacked the suitcases of medicines, craft supplies etc. that they had brought. We got everything put away before we headed home.

Wednesday was a team meeting day and Kent and I arrived early to get the short term team started on their work projects. They had a busy morning sorting Christmas donations and cleaning our baby room from top to bottom and washing all the toys. The long term team spent much of our meeting finishing last minute details for our Christmas parties which are only a week and a half away. After the meeting we ran home to get food ready for team fellowship that night and I headed out for another meeting about Christmas parties. The short term team blessed us by providing chicken for our meal that evening and leading us in a fun team building game. By the time we got home at 9:30 that night I was TIRED. Pray for our team over the next couple of weeks. In addition to our regular program next week we all have things to prepare for the Christmas parties. Kent and I are in charge of the program this year. I need to get the puppets ready and rework the script. He needs to prepare the object lesson he is going to give. I also need to prepare some kind of back drop for out family portrait room at the parties and get my elf costume out and make sure it is ready to go. Others on the team are shopping, preparing music, giving out tickets etc etc. It is a hectic, crazy but rewarding time of the year.

I want to thank those of you who gave money for Christmas or sleeping bags. Due to the economic crisis in Greece (and elsewhere) we found not only monetary donations to be down this year but we didn't get as many donations of gift items either. This means more for us to buy. We spent yesterday making some decisions about gift bags and leaving out some items we had planned to include in order to come in under our budget. We are SO thankful for local churches who are sponsoring parties and providing the food and we are thankful for the donations that we did receive. We will still be able to give a memorable evening to our refugee friends. I also mentioned those of you who gave for sleeping bags. A group of our men headed to Patras today with a van full of sleeping bags to give to the men sleeping outside in this port city. About 30 men have been coming to the bible study they are helping to lead in a local Greek church. We will also do a sleeping bag give away here in Athens as well as hand out bags to men individually as we see the need. Thank you for helping to make both the Christmas parties and the gift of a sleeping bag possible. If you didn't have a chance to give but would like to you can follow the link at the bottom of this page under our names. Instead of designating For the Ministry of Kent and Myrna Morley be sure to designate For Helping Hands Athens Christmas or For Helping Hands Athens Sleeping Bags.

As we a coming to the close of another year we are so grateful for the wonderful extended team we have. Your financial support, prayers and letters of encouragement are SO appreciated.

Serving Him Together,
Kent and Myrna Morley
Tripoleos 76
Elliniko 16777
Athens Greece
011 30 210 96 38 625
backhoeboy1@gmail.com
http://kent-uniquelymorley.blogspot.com
To join our Support Team:
Online go to: www.iteams.org/us
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 :)

Morley Update 2012 #40

Everyone,

In one of the monasteries at Meteora, one of our favorite places in Greece, there is a room lined with paintings. Under these paintings are writings describing the meaning of the picture. One of my favorites is of a priest holding a tray on which he is offering cups of tea, glasses of water and some rolls. Underneath the painting it says this: "The man who opens his heart to the only Light, who is Christ, is overflowing with true joy and goodness. His heart expands, like a spacious and sweetly perfumed chamber where guests assemble; he provides hospitality to each and every brother, seeing within him the image of God. He quenches their thirst with the cool water of love, of comfort, of sacrifice, of offering. And through this blessed door of hospitality, he may come to encounter the Heavenly Gate of the Kingdom of God."

I love the part that says "he provides hospitality to each and every brother, SEEING WITHIN HIM THE IMAGE OF GOD." We have had so many people come through the doors of the home God has given us here in Athens. Women, men, children and babies. Young, old, poor and affluent. There have been friends, family, interns and refugees who have come to stay for a night or a week or a month. These rooms have echoed with the sounds of Farsi, Arabic, Russian, Urdu, Kurdish, Greek and English. They have been filled with the sound of laughter which transcends language and is a sound I love to hear. There have also been times when these walls have provided a safe place for tears as friends share the anguish of their hearts. This home has been a place where we can pray for one another and show our love and concern. We have hosted seekers, believers and skeptics. People we know and people we meet for the first time when they walk through our door. No matter who they are, where they came from or what their circumstances - they are all made in the image of God. If we can remember this how much more quickly will we open our homes and our hearts and ask people to enter.

Who in your life is in need of hospitality? Is God asking you to open your heart or your home to someone? It may be a small thing - just a cup of coffee or tea. It might be something more. Something that costs you time, money or emotional investment. Whatever it is God can use it to quench their thirst, quiet their hunger and sooth their soul. And who knows you may just bring that person to "encounter the Heavenly Gate of the Kingdom of God."

Thank you SO much for allowing us to be your hands of hospitality to the refugees in Greece. Through this ministry many have been ushered up to the Heavenly Gate and many have walked through that gate into the Kingdom of God. Pray for those who are still outside the gate. Some want to walk through but are held back by fear and doubt. Pray for them and pray for us that we will be sensitive to those around us who are in need of the "cool water of love, comfort, sacrifice and offering". We love you all and are grateful to be in this work together.

Serving Him Together,
Kent and Myrna Morley
Tripoleos 76
Elliniko 16777
Athens Greece
011 30 210 96 38 625
backhoeboy1@gmail.com
http://kent-uniquelymorley.blogspot.com
To join our Support Team:
Online go to: www.iteams.org/us
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 :)

Morley Update 2012 #39

Everyone,

I wanted to give you all a heads up about something that will be coming up in five months. Amazingly we have been in Greece over 4 years now. We arrived in July of 2008. In many ways it seems like we've been here forever and in many ways it seems like we've only just come. We have been through several leadership changes, with Kent now serving as the team leader. We have seen team mates and refugees come and go. We love our job and are so glad that God has called us here. However, the USA has an agreement with Greece that if you have worked in this country for 5 years you must go out of the country for 6 months or you are subject to the Greek social security system. There is some difference of opinion as to whether this would be enforced or even applies to us but International Teams has recommended that all missionaries who have been in the country for 5 years come back to the states for a 6 month "home assignment". At first we were unhappy about this because it is a long time to be away from the work. As time has gone on we have come to see that this could be a very positive period in our lives.

First of all this will allow us to reconnect with our supporting churches as well as develop relationships with new churches. We have been very fortunate to have good support but our costs continue to rise. Even though the Greek Economy is not doing well, prices for things like food and gas have skyrocketed. Our monthly insurance payment more than doubled this year and our deductible went from 1500 to 2500. Airfares continue to rise and that means we need to put away more money in anticipation of furloughs.

This time will also allow us to reconnect with family. Our parents are getting older and we look forward to spending time with them as well as our kids and grandkids. Our second daughter Becky will be getting married while we are home and we look forward to this special family event.

Being home for an extended period will allow me (Myrna) to receive some needed medical attention. I have received good care here but there are several areas where I feel I would like to get another opinion especially from someone who speaks English fluently. As you can well imagine American doctors are reluctant to see someone who will only be in the area for a week or two so being able to be around for a few months will be a big help.

We know this will be a busy time for us but in many ways there is something very relaxing about being in our home country for a while. When you live in a foreign country things are just more complicated. We realize that little things like shopping, applying for paperwork, and common everyday tasks can sometimes be tiring. As a couple we look forward to reconnecting with each other. We will have been married 40 years this next year and these last years have probably been some of the most stressful. We have had to adjust to a new culture, to being a part of a team, and to sometimes working outside our comfort zone. We are faced every day with people in tremendous need and often all we can do is listen and love them. This can be emotionally draining. My health problems over the last year have also taken their toll and we are still trying to figure it all out.

Although we will be away, through the magic of email and skype we will be able to continue to function as members of the team. Kent will be "meeting" regularly with Christy and Nikos and keeping up on leadership decisions. I will continue to facilitate short term teams and individuals by handling the correspondence while having someone here handling the "on the ground" logistics.

A big part of what we want to do while we are home is to be able to share what God is doing here in Athens. We will most likely leave here in mid April but will go to MA first. Our daughter is getting married on May 4th in Mexico. We will probably fly from there to CA to see Kent's dad and sister's family for a few days before heading on up to OR where we will be based for the next three and a half to four months. We plan to spend some time in WA connecting with supporters there and will most likely also make a trip to WY to visit a supporting church there. Over the next few months we would like to schedule as many speaking times as possible. We would also be available during the week for things like VBS, Camp, or small groups. If your church would like to have us come and speak or serve in some way please let us know. If you have a specific date you would like, let us know so we can try to coordinate our time. If you are flexible on the date and we can plug you in as our schedule forms that would be great too.

One other item, if anyone knows of an apartment or home in the Eugene OR area that would be available to rent for a low price from the Middle of May into September could you let us know the details.

I will be contacting many of you personally later on as we work on our schedule but wanted you to have a chance to process this and to plan ahead. We hope to make this a productive and beneficial time for us and for you our extended team. We love you all.

Serving Him Together,
Kent and Myrna Morley
Tripoleos 76
Elliniko 16777
Athens Greece
011 30 210 96 38 625
backhoeboy1@gmail.com
http://kent-uniquelymorley.blogspot.com
To join our Support Team:
Online go to: www.iteams.org/us
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 :)

Morley Update 2012 #38

Everyone,

You may remember me telling of a young woman "M". (I have edited a few details) Her landlord made life difficult for "M" and her family. Well, thankfully "M" and her family were recently able to move into a place by themselves. Although they were glad to be on their own it was difficult because they had nothing in the way of household supplies. We had a few dishes at the ARC that we were able to give them and a few other people gave them some needed items. I went home to see what I could round up and gathered some silverware, knives, cutting board, towels etc. I knew that one thing she really wanted was a big pot for cooking rice etc. I didn't have an extra so Kent and I went down to a local store and bought one. I also had a few beautiful children's quilts left that I had brought home from WA a year ago - thanks to Judy Klutt and her team of women. I had been waiting for just the right person to give them to and this was such a perfect opportunity. I put a pretty pink one in the package for Kent to take to the ARC the next day. What a blessing it turned out to be as I found out their little girl had been sleeping under the carpet at night in a effort to keep her warm. I am attaching a picture of her snuggled under her new blanket. I also had a blue blanket and found that a friend of "M's" had a little boy who was sleeping under the carpet as well so I was able to pass the blue one along to him. God is so good to provide ahead for the things we need to show love to our refugee friends and he often does that through the love and generosity of our larger team of supporters. Thank you.

It was a busier than usual week for me last week because several people on our team were away. I worked on Tuesday as I usually do, and Wednesday hosted the team meeting and team fellowship in our home. Thursday was my usual busy day of laiki and grocery shopping as well as sending out my update and catching up on some short term team stuff. Friday I spent on the couch with chills and a low grade fever. This seems to be a recurring problem. I am not sick but feel as if I am coming down with a cold or something. I feel shivery and achy. I think it is related to my arthritis which seems to be flaring a bit right now. It doesn't keep me completely down but I have been taking naps and going to bed early which is unusual for me. Anyway, I usually don't go into the ARC on Saturday as it is a very hectic day and I seem to end up with a headache and am very worn out by the time I get home. However, this Saturday we were very short handed so I said I would head up the children's room that day. For the craft I had made little booklets out of copy paper and divided some foam stickers of animals that we had into envelopes to hand out to the children. The envelopes were to eliminate fighting over which animals they got. The booklets were a hit and they enjoyed drawing pictures to complete the pages where they placed the animal stickers. Much to my surprise, the envelopes themselves were an even bigger hit! Usually most of the kids leave their craft in the room hanging on the wall but many of the kids took theirs home by slipping them inside of the envelopes. They decorated them and found other things to put inside as well. It always amazes me that something simple that we take for granted is often a treasure to someone else.

Tuesday in the kids room we made a craft of a paper basket with five loaves and two fish. In the past we cut out the craft items ahead of time but realized that cutting was a skill these kids needed to learn so have had them cutting out their own projects. Although this sometimes requires us to tape pictures back together when someone misunderstands instructions, it is good to see the kids being more independent. Tuesday I was pleased to see that after we helped the older ones understand how to assemble their baskets, they in turn helped the younger ones with theirs. Not only are they learning motor skills like cutting, but they are learning responsibility and service as well.

The weather here has turned a bit cooler. Although yesterday was sunny and warm, today the sky is grey and it looks as if it may rain. We have talked about getting some wood so we will be ready when we need a fire. We enjoy the cooler weather and snuggling down under a blanket or eating a bowl of hot soup. For many of our refugee friends however the cooler weather means that their already difficult lives become that much more difficult. Often they are sleeping outdoors or if they have shelter it is sometimes in an abandoned building with no heat. Every winter we hand out sleeping bags and plan to do so this year. This is an expense outside our regular budget and any money that comes in designated for Christmas that we do not use for our Christmas parties will be used to buy sleeping bags. You can also make a donation directly for sleeping bags by clicking on this link www.iteams.org/us Please give to Helping Hands Athens and designate for Sleeping Bags. Each sleeping bag cost around 15 dollars or 12 euros. If you would prefer to give my mail you can send a check to: International Teams 411 W. River Rd.
Elgin, IL 60123 again designate for Helping Hands Athens Sleeping Bags.

As always we are thankful for you, our larger team as we strive together to be faithful to the work that God has given us. We love you all.

Serving Him Together,
Kent and Myrna Morley
Tripoleos 76
Elliniko 16777
Athens Greece
011 30 210 96 38 625
backhoeboy1@gmail.com
http://kent-uniquelymorley.blogspot.com
To join our Support Team:
Online go to: www.iteams.org/us
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 :)

Morley Update 2012 #37

Everybody,

Meet Michalis. Michalis and his wife Ritsa are Greek team mates who were originally called to Sri Lanka but due to visa issues ended up here in Greece and became a part of our team. Michalis has worked in several capacities: serving in the kitchen, traveling 2 1/2 hours each week to Patra to help a church there in their outreach to refugees, teaching Greek and spending one on one time discipling a young refugee who is a new christian and happens to be blind. In all of this Michalis has struggled a bit to know what the Lord had specifically for him in this ministry. Michalis likes children and often wanders into the kids room, many times with a toddler in his arms as he seems especially drawn to the little ones. SO who did God in His wisdom give Michalis to work with? Eight rowdy street kids ranging in age from 8-13. These kids each have a parent here but they are allowed to run wild in the streets all day every day. Frankly we (and other ministries as well) have sometimes dreaded seeing them come as they often cause trouble and are very hard to handle. A month or so ago Michalis made the decision to let them come up on a Tuesday (of course they don't have tickets) because we had extra food. He sat with them at a table and kept order during the meal. We (the children's workers) told him that we did not have room for them in the kids room and honestly did not have enough staff to deal with them. Imagine my surprise when I later walked into the office and there sat these kids in a row listening to Michalis talk with them using a German friend who speaks Dari as a translator.

Since then Michalis has taken these kids under his wing on Saturdays, often taking them out somewhere for ice cream or to play soccer in the park or whatever else comes to mind. He has occasionally brought them up on a Tuesday as well but this was causing an issue because now they were inviting friends (who have families) to come also and we don't have space for this many extras. Yesterday at team meeting we had a discussion about what to do with these kids. Michalis wants to keep working with them and everyone agreed that Saturdays worked well because it is a day when it doesn't matter how many people we have come in. Tuesday were a bit harder however. While we wanted to reach out to these kids we needed to know how many people were coming. There was also the issue of what to do with them. Michalis is willing to meet with them but many felt that the office was not a good place for them to meet since our purses, cameras etc are all stored there and stealing has been an issue for these kids in the past. We didn't want to put temptation in their way or set them up to be blamed if something turned up missing. We finally decided that Michalis would limit the kids on Tuesdays to the 8 kids who are the core group of kids wandering the streets. He would tell them if they wanted to invite friends they were welcome to do that on a Saturday. We said we would set up an extra table reserved for Michalis and his "family". Since all the other rooms in the ARC are being used during the gospel presentation time we are planning to set up chairs in our clothing room for the kids to meet there with Michalis. "C" the young blind man Michalis has been working with has agreed to act as translator. Right now Michalis just wants to provide a safe place where these kids belong. He wants to give them a sense of family and to teach them some basic ways to behave in addition to talking to them about Jesus. These children need to know that someone cares enough to spend time with them and that they aren't just "those kids" we dread to see coming but people we welcome and provide for. Will you pray for Michalis and his little band of urchins? We have committed to having Michalis work with these kids through the end of the year and then see where God is leading. We continually ask God to open our eyes to where HE wants to work - who knew it would be with a group of kids nobody wanted?

Seeing where God has placed Michalis is a good example of something that Tasha shared in our teaching time yesterday at team meeting. "God did not choose us because we are gifted. He gifted us because we are chosen." Every talent we have, every measure of strength, is a gift from the Lord to be applied to the job he has chosen for us. May we be neither puffed up nor disappointed but use those gifts faithfully in the work before us.

Thank you for supporting us in so many ways as we continue to serve among the refugees. Please continue to pray for Greece. Racial tensions are mounting. People are becoming more desperate as businesses close, jobs are lost and pensions and services are cut. We don't know where it will all end but are thankful that our trust in not in the powers and authorities that are seen but in God who is never surprised.

Serving Him Together,
Kent and Myrna Morley
Tripoleos 76
Elliniko 16777
Athens Greece
011 30 210 96 38 625
backhoeboy1@gmail.com
http://kent-uniquelymorley.blogspot.com
To join our Support Team:
Online go to: https://www.iteams.org/us
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 :)

A Correction and Apology

Everyone,

A Correction:

I found out I had misrepresented a number in my update today and wanted to correct it. I said: "At this time there are 140,000 cases in the first stage of processing and 25,000 in the second stage. They are processing 3 a day which means it would take them over 19 years just to process the ones they already have even if they accepted no new cases." A team mate let me know that there are 20 commissions and EACH of them hear 3 cases a day which is 60 cases total a day - meaning it would take over 10 years to process the cases they now have. The lawyer last night was speaking Greek and it was difficult to hear the translation so I missed a portion of what he said - I just wanted to set the record straight.

An Apology:

Perhaps I should have just not written an update this week. I have found that something I said near the end of my letter was offensive to some and once again I want to make that right. I said "the government, the police and the system all conspire against the refugee". By using the word conspire I implied that all these people purposely act unfairly toward the refugee. While there are individual cases where this is true it is unfair to paint the whole of Greek authority with the same brush. Greece in under a tremendous strain with their own economic problems and the addition of so many needy people pouring into their country daily. I think everyone would agree that the system is very unwieldy and in sad need of an overhaul. However there are many in the system who are trying to do the humane and fair thing under very difficult circumstances. There are many other Greeks who individually and corporately (such as many churches in the area) try to help refugees. It is easy to get overwhelmed with the problems and to place blame. I apologize if I offended anyone by my remarks. I love Greece and the Greek people and pray for them as they face difficult days ahead.

Myrna

Morley Update 2012 #36

Everyone,

I have been having a bit of trouble with my arthritis flaring and just not feeling too well. I am trying to adjust my cortisone down - and YES I am doing it very slowly over a long period of time in case anyone is worried. Because of this I did not go to work yesterday and have had a couple of days where I just did the necessary things but laid low most of the day.

We have been blessed in the last week to have two gatherings where we got together with other ministry teams in the area. The first was a celebration of last year's camp that we did in conjunction with Hellenic Ministries and Oasis. There was a slide show, worship time and a few updates on some of the people who went to the camp. The second gathering was last night and we invited a Greek lawyer, a woman who is a research specialist on refugees and our friend Patricia who works with unaccompanied minors in Greece to come and speak to us. Our hope was that we would gain new insights into how to help our refugee friends achieve legal status but it was a bit discouraging. So much is left up to the arbitrary judgments of the police. At this time there are 140,000 cases in the first stage of processing and 25,000 in the second stage. They are processing 3 a day which means it would take them over 19 years just to process the ones they already have even if they accepted no new cases. They are supposed to setting up new committees to hear these cases but when the lawyer said they hope to have these in place by the beginning of the year there was a general chuckle around the room - my thought was the beginning of WHAT year.

The lawyer also told us they are also thinking of changing the red card which now serves as an ID card and gives permission to work etc. The proposal is to make it no longer serve as an ID card. Someone asked how this would help refugees and the lawyer answered - "It won't - They do not want to make it appealing to refugees........ But we have registered our complaint and that is all we can do". It sometimes seems hopeless but we SO appreciate people like this man who are willing to try and help refugees navigate this crazy and often unfair system.

Patricia shared some about the kids she is working with. We don't know how many unaccompanied minors there are in Greece but she had interviews with 101 of them. These are boys ages 12-17 who are here alone. They are largely invisible because they don't know how to navigate the system and they have no one to help them. About half of the ones she interviewed live on the streets. About 80 percent of them have been in physical danger either from the police, fascists. or others. Many of them are sexually abused because it is a way for them to earn money. Patricia said that she sees quite of few of these boys come into our facility on Saturdays and that for many we are the only adults they interact with on a regular basis. Unfortunately we don't have the staffing to have a regular program of any kind for these kids. Pray that God will open our eyes to what He wants to do.

As I look back over this letter it seems a little negative and it is easy to get discouraged sometimes when we look at the almost insurmountable problems these refugees face. I have to remind myself of something we said when we first came here. "I may not be able to help everyone but I will try to change the life of one refugee today." I think of the guys Kent has spent time with. He has listened and shared and prayed. He has taken men for coffee, to the beach, to dinner and to get new glasses. He has given out food, rent money, bought medicine and shoes. I think of the people we have had in our home. We played games, had dinner, shared Christmas and studied the Bible. I've had women in for tea, crafts, showers and testimonies. Our spare bedroom has accommodated friends, family, interns and refugee friends. I look at the many refugees who have come to know Jesus and who now work alongside us as we serve. They teach kids, help in the kitchen, organize the clothing room, help clean up. act as translators for us and most importantly share their faith with others. Yes the government, the police and the system all conspire against the refugee but God is changing lives. If God is for us who can be against us!

Thank you for your part in this work. Thank you for caring, for praying and for sharing financially. We couldn't do it without you!

Serving Him Together,
Kent and Myrna Morley
Tripoleos 76
Elliniko 16777
Athens Greece
011 30 210 96 38 625
backhoeboy1@gmail.com
http://kent-uniquelymorley.blogspot.com
To join our Support Team:
Online go to: https://www.iteams.org/us
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 :)

Morley Update 2012 #35

Everyone,

"Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle all the Way...." This is Ana Cami's new favorite song and while it is adorable to hear her sing it in her little lispy voice, I'm sure by the time Christmas rolls around her mother is going to be very tired of hearing it. Who can think about Christmas when we are just beginning to revel in Fall Leaves, Cooler Weather and Football. The team here has been thinking about Christmas for some time now. Instead of writing my usual update I am posting our newsletter about our upcoming Christmas parties. Please take the time to read it - It gives you a good idea of what it looks like to have a party for 650 of your closest friends. It also gives you a chance to share in this special day. Thanks for taking the time to read it.


Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

It’s hard to think about Christmas when it is still in the 80s and 90s but believe it or not our Christmas parties the first week of December are only two months away. Once again we are planning 4-5 parties for 130 people each.

This is always such a special night for our refugee friends and we spend months preparing. Gifts are bagged and waiting to be handed out. The room is decorated and the tables are set. The delicious smell of food fills the room. We welcome our friends who come dressed in their best. During the evening, each family is escorted into another room where a family portrait is taken. When everyone is seated we have a puppet show telling the Christmas story and how Jesus understands what they are going through because He too was a refugee. Our teammate Aziz will also share a message in Farsi. After the program we will serve a special meal of Salad, Chicken, Persian Rice, Pita Bread and Dessert. When the meal is finished each person receives a gift – the little ones delight in their new toys as well as warm gloves and scarves. The adults receive more practical things: shampoo, razors, lotion and other hygiene items. They also receive a scarf and gloves. Inside each adult’s bag is a one of the Gospels in Farsi. The children’s bags include a coloring book with the Christmas story in Farsi and a package of brightly colored markers. It is an evening filled with special memories for the team and for our guests.

We are blessed to partner with several local churches that prepare food, decorate tables and help serve. We also have a local school that helps out with donations for our gift bags. This is a big help but even so, putting on Christmas parties for up to 650 people can be a bit of a financial stretch. We estimate it will cost us around 20 Euros per person. Would you consider joining with us? Any excess money that is collected above what we need for Christmas will be used to buy sleeping bags. For refugees sleeping in the parks this time of year the nights can get very cold and a sleeping bag makes quite a difference. The cost of one sleeping bag is 15 dollars (around 12 Euros). This year instead of getting Aunt Matilda another knick knack for her collection or buying Uncle Harry yet another tie you might want to consider giving them a card telling them that a refugee child will have warm hands or a young man sleeping in the park will no longer have to shiver in the cold night air. Thank you for caring and thank you for sharing.

You can give by check—make out to International Teams and Designate Helping Hands Christmas:
Mail To:
International Teams International Teams International Teams
411 W. River Rd. 1 Union Street P.O. Box 11
Elgin IL 60123-1570 Elmira, Ontario N3B 3J9 Brecon, Powys
USA CANADA LD3 9WJ GREAT BRITAIN

If you would prefer to give online go to:
www.iteams.org click on your country and follow the directions for giving.


THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR INVESTING IN THE LIVES OF REFUGEES. Please pray for our Christmas Programs — God is at work and we are privileged to be a part of it.

On behalf of the whole team of Helping Hands,
Nikos Stefanidis
Director

Morley Update #34

Everyone,
Though it was a busy week, I find myself this morning feeling a bit brain dead and at a loss for words - I know some of you are gasping in surprise because you were sure that I would always have something to say - brain dead or not.

As I think back over the week there are little snapshots in my mind so here are a few:

I see the kids room on Tuesday. We had planned for 25-30 kids at the most and had closer to 40. I picture the room crammed with kids. The tables are filled and kids are sitting in chairs around the edges of the room. I see "G" our young refugee friend telling the story and using a very silly voice for the little airplane. I hear the kids begin to giggle and then to laugh hysterically as they listen. I see the eager hands raised to answer the questions at the end of the story and I hear the little voices repeating the memory verse in Farsi sometimes needing a little prompting along the way. "Let the little children come to me, and do not turn them away."

I see "S" the little 12 year old girl who is severely disabled. She is in her new wheel chair but is not sitting upright because the chair isn't adjusted properly. After trying to adjust it with her in it and almost folding her in half we take her out and sit her in a rolling office chair while we try to figure it out. She sits like a little frog with her legs drawn up in front of her. We finally figure out how to adjust the chair and move her back into it. It still takes a bit of adjusting and finally putting a towel behind her head before she is comfortable but the smile never leaves her face. "For the kingdom of God belongs to such as these".

I picture my house last night filled with team mates as we gather for team meeting and team fellowship. Scott and Vicki McCracken's little girl Ellie is laying on the floor giving "Uncle" Themis the eye as he sits down to eat his dessert. He can't resist and soon more bites are going into her mouth than into his mouth. Cami's two little ones, Matthew and Ana are everywhere. Ana moves about the room climbing up into different laps, always assured of a welcoming hug. These children know that they are loved and trust even in these fallible humans they are surrounded with. How much more can we trust in the love of our Father in heaven? "I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it."

I picture "M", a beautiful young girl on the cusp of being a young woman, staying to help clean up after class. When I gave her a hug afterwards she held on tightly and I thought to myself "Oh if only I could be sure that all the hugs she receives will be "safe" hugs like this". I picture one little "live wire" that could not be still during class. I pulled her onto my lap and she then settled in and listened. I watch other members of the team rocking babies, wiping tears and noses or lifting a child high over their head resulting in giggles and pleas for more. And I think to myself "this is God's work". "And He took the children in his arms, put his hands on them, and blessed them."

Thank you for all you do to make it possible for us to serve here 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@gmail.com
http://kent-uniquelymorley.blogspot.com
To join our Support Team:
Online go to: https://www.iteams.org/us
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 :)

Morley Update 2012 #33

Everyone -

I missed my update last week because we were away at our fall Planning Retreat. This is a time when we look at goals, programs and strategies for the coming year. As we spent time talking, dreaming and planning it seemed that our focus came down to two broad areas for the coming year. The first was Discipleship. As more refugees are coming to the Lord we want to make sure they are not "slipping through the cracks" but that we are being intentional about discipling them. This means both making sure they have materials to study that they can take with them if they are leaving soon and also hopefully developing a network of people to pass them on to as they settle in new countries. It also means developing a framework for longer term discipleship with refugees who stay. We have seen several refugee who have come to the Lord in the past year or two grow by leaps and bounds as they have been mentored by people on this team and others. We want to make sure that happens for each person who comes to faith. The second area we want to continue to focus on is Team Health. Our team is much smaller than it was when we first came here and sometimes that can mean people are more tired and stressed. Although we have great relationships on the team, just as it takes constant attention and care to keep a marriage strong so we need to attend to our relationships on the team.

Yesterday Kent received a phone call that had him in tears. However, this time they were tears of joy. As you may recall we have not heard from our dear friend "George" since we came home from furlough two years ago. We did not know if he was alive, in prison, in another country or ??? Kent especially had been worried about him and several of you have been faithful to pray for him. The phone call that came yesterday was from George. He is in Kurdistan! While here in Greece you may remember that he was brutally attacked while in prison and his jaw was broken very badly. Since then it has not healed properly and he has been in pain and had a lot of trouble eating. While we were gone he talked with his parents in Kurdistan who advised him to come home and get it taken care of. He returned to Kurdistan, had surgery and is doing very well. Kent was so thankful to know he is all right and we hope to remain in contact with him. Thank you SO much for those of you who have continued to pray for him.

Yesterday was a happy day for a little girl who has a very difficult life. "S" is 12 years old and is severely disabled with I believe Cerebral Palsy. She cannot stand or walk or even sit without support and has limited mobility with her hands. She has been using a baby stroller to be transported and to sit in. Recently our team mate Donna began the search to find a suitable wheel chair for her. With a budget of 500 euros you can imagine her options were limited. Finally she was led to a shop in her area. After looking at several chairs and trying to figure out how they could be adapted to work, the owner brought down a chair that sells for several thousand dollars. He offered to customize the chair for "S" and to sell it to them for the 500 euros. Praise the Lord! Yesterday Donna took "S" to the shop and they fitted the chair for her. She is SO happy and we can't wait to see her in it! "S" has become a Christian and is bold about speaking out about her faith. Her family is not kind to her both because of her disability and because of her faith. She suffers from almost constant headaches and yet she almost always has a smile on her face. Please pray for this dear little girl.

Last week in the kids room there were two sweet little girls who are sisters. The oldest is 7 and the younger one is 4. They are here with their father because their mother has gone on to another country to try and get papers so she can send for her family. We are seeing more and more fathers with children who's wives have done this. The men are not used to caring for the children and often let them run around the city alone if they are older or if they are younger they come to the ARC in dirty clothes and are not bathed. We have been talking about how to help these men at least with laundry and hygiene. When the two little girls came in to the ARC the younger 4 year old was afraid. She said "Will the police come here and take us?" Imagine at 4 years old worrying about something like this! We told her "No the police do not come here." Later the older girl was telling Donna that because her mother is not here she is trying to learn how to do the laundry (most likely hand washing clothes in a sink, wringing them out and hanging them to dry) - at 7 years old! Sometimes my heart breaks for these children forced to face such problems at such a young age.

Last week I asked you to pray for "G" a young man who is a great help to us in the ministry. He decided not to take the job handing out leaflets but recently had a chance to be paid to do some translating for a friend who is working for a local organization. She was willing to work around our schedule so he could still participate in ministry. Please pray that he can do this with enough regularity to pay his rent and have enough to live on.

There continue to be protests, strikes and unrest in Greece over the austerity measures. Yesterday there were strikes which made it a little more difficult to get to work. When we came out from work our big metal gate to the street was partially down which was a sign that there had been some trouble. As we walked to the Omonia Metro station we could see evidence that rioting had occurred - the streets were almost empty and littered with trash and in the metro station all the ticket machines had been destroyed. Kent said when he rode the bike through Sytagma on his way home there was enough tear gas lingering in the air to make his eyes water. We are safe but we worry about our friends with riots, the police sweeps and the violence against refugees and immigrants. Please continue to pray for this country.

Thank you so much for your faithfulness to God, to us and to our refugee friends!

Serving Him Together,
Kent and Myrna Morley
Tripoleos 76
Elliniko 16777
Athens Greece
011 30 210 96 38 625
backhoeboy1@gmail.com
http://kent-uniquelymorley.blogspot.com
To join our Support Team:
Online go to: https://www.iteams.org/us
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 :)

Morley Update 2012 #32

Everyone,

Well we are getting back into the swing of things although we have continued to still struggle a bit with getting our sleeping patterns adjusted. Kent had a busy week working, getting caught up with leadership stuff and preparing for the retreat. We had planned to go snorkeling for a while on Monday (our day off) but he ended up working on retreat stuff and running downtown in the afternoon to help unload a large donation of fresh nectarines at the ARC. Since we didn't take a day off I think we may sneak away for a while on our personal ministry day just to get into the water for a bit. The weather has been beautiful - temperatures in the low 80s during the day and cooling off to the low 70s at night.

I wanted to share something our team mate Tasha told us that happened on Saturday. There had been a donation of some money for food - our cupboards have been a bit bare. Tasha bought enough food to give 6 families a small bag of groceries that would last a week or so. She said she felt compelled to give it to this one woman who had been to camp but had not been interested in studying further. She said when she gave it to the woman on Saturday the lady started crying. She told her that they did not have any food and the night before her children had been complaining they were hungry but she had nothing to give them. She said she prayed and asked God to please give them some food. Tasha took her into the office and with the help of our friend "Z" translating she read to her from the Bible where it says that God cares for even the sparrows and how much more he cares for us. The woman told her that she wanted to know more about the Bible and would like to join the women's Friday study.

In my last update I said that a good friend was in jail. This is "J" whose story I told a few updates back, he has been on his own since 8 years old after his family was killed. As I said he is a new Christian and was baptized at camp. Several of the men from our ministry as well as another ministry went down to the jail and later to court to advocate for "J". He is no long "on his own" but has a caring family of believers surrounding him. He was released on Tuesday but is still seeking legal papers to stay in Greece. Please pray that he will be successful.

Please also pray for "G" the young man who helps in our children's ministry. He is a big help to us both in translating and just his servant's heart - among other things, he always cleans the bathrooms - not a pleasant job. Yesterday he came to seek advice on what he should do. He has been offered a job passing out leaflets. He would be working from 5am to 5pm every day - 7 days a week. He would receive 10 euros a day. His heart is to continue to serve with us but jobs are very hard to come by and he has not been able to find anything else. Several of the men got together with him and told him that though it was his decision they advised him to at least try it for a while - maybe it would lead to something better or he would have some time off etc. He is very sad about this because he loves working with the kids and also is active in his church on Sundays. He would still be able to come to community group on Friday nights but it is hard to see him have to work so hard and give up so much for so little pay. Please pray that God will direct and if this is not what he should do that God would close the door or if it is what he should do that God would give him peace and provide for him to have fellowship and open doors of ministry to him.

Tuesday was my first day back at work - I received some big smiles and hugs from kids and women alike. At lunch I sat with a family I hadn't met before. When they meal was served (spaghetti) the woman got out a container and she and her husband both put their meal into the container to take home. Then they and their little boy who looked about 4 years old shared the remaining bowl of spaghetti. Later one of the other families was going to throw out some leftover spaghetti and they asked if they could have it and added it to their container. Kent and I received some money when we were at home and plan to buy groceries with it. I want to find out what this family's situation is and see if I can help them.

Yesterday my friend "N" told me that they were losing their place to stay. I knew this was coming and Kent and I had decided we would help her for a month if needed but it is always hard because if you can't do it every month you are just postponing the inevitable. I asked her what she was going to do. She said today she is going to the GCR (Greek Council for Refugees) and she thought they would be sending them to a camp in Thessaloniki which is about 6 hours away. She is sad about this but it may be a good thing for them to get out of Athens. He husband is a drug addict. Her children are in school here so if they have to move I think it would be good to do it soon so perhaps the kids can be enrolled in a school there. Please pray for "N" and for her family.

I am still working on a reduced schedule - I continue to struggle with visual problems and yesterday after being at the ARC all day I had a headache and visual migraine (seeing lights and jagged lines) in the evening. For the time being I plan to continue to go to the ARC on Tuesday for family meal day and to attend team meetings etc. on Wednesdays. I will continue to be the coordinator for short term teams and volunteers as well as host things such as community group and other events in our home. I am finding other things I can do from home - this morning I cut out the craft that will be used this week on Thurs and Saturday. I have also done some proof reading of newsletters etc. for our director, Nikos, who said to me yesterday - "Don't worry about how much you can do - just enabling Kent to be here as the team leader is so important." I truly enjoy being at home and always have felt fulfilled in my role and a wife and homemaker. I just need to rest in the fact that this seems to be where I am at for now.

Thanks you so much for your continued support - financially, in prayer and in little notes of encouragement. We are so grateful for the wonderful team of supporters we are surrounded by - we are truly blessed!

Serving Him Together,
Kent and Myrna Morley
Tripoleos 76
Elliniko 16777
Athens Greece
011 30 210 96 38 625
backhoeboy1@gmail.com
http://kent-uniquelymorley.blogspot.com
To join our Support Team:
Online go to: https://www.iteams.org/us
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 :)

Morley Update 2012 #31

Everyone -
We arrived home in Greece on Tuesday morning. We had only slept an hour or two on the plane so were tired. We unpacked and Kent took a nap for a couple of hours - I tried to nap but was plagued by leg cramps all day - even my usual cures of drinking pedialite, eating mustard and sipping vinegar did not help. When Kent got up he ran a few errands while I did laundry and caught up on emails for Short Term Teams. We managed to stay up until 9:30 and then fell into bed. I was up several times with leg cramps but actually managed to rest pretty well.

We got up and Kent had a meeting with Christy who has been acting as team leader while he was gone. She did a great job and things are going well. In the afternoon we had a team meeting and then team fellowship. Kent and I both managed well and didn't go to bed until 10 that night. We both slept fairly well so I think we will avoid any major jet lag.

At team meeting we learned that due to police sweeps several of our refugee friends are in jail - in fact our phone rang as I was writing this and we received news that another good friend was in jail. Besides those in jail there are several families and individuals that we have had relationships with that have moved on to other countries. One of them "J" did a lot of translating for us. We are glad he is out of Greece but we will miss his smile and his help. This is the nature of our work - we always know there will be many goodbyes and we are always aware of the danger for our friends that they will be arrested or attacked in these days of unrest. Please continue to pray for the country of Greece as hard decisions are coming up due to the economic crisis and racial tensions are on the rise.

Today is liaki day so I will get my shopping done and Kent will catch up with paperwork and planning for team retreat which is coming up. We enjoyed our time home with family and I am feeling well and recovered from my gall bladder surgery. We look forward to getting back into the swing of things here and continuing on with the work God has called us to. Thank you for your support and care for us - we love you all.

Serving Him Together,
Kent and Myrna Morley
Tripoleos 76
Elliniko 16777
Athens Greece
011 30 210 96 38 625
backhoeboy1@gmail.com
http://kent-uniquelymorley.blogspot.com
To join our Support Team:
Online go to: https://www.iteams.org/us
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 :)

Morley Update 2012 #30

Everyone,
We arrived in OR on the 11th and spoke at our home Church - Fern Ridge Christian Church (formerly Elmira Church of Christ) on Sunday. Kent and I both said we felt a little under prepared and there were a few technical glitches like the music my future son in law worked so hard to put behind our presentation not playing but it went well all the same. When sharing about the work in Greece it is easy to be excited about what God is doing. We were very blessed to have our former pastors Darren and Ruthie Knowles visiting that same day so it was a day of reconnecting with old friends and making some new ones. Several supporters traveled quite a ways to hear us and we were so happy to be able to share with our extended team.

On Monday we traveled to the Salem area to see our sister-in-law and her family. We had a lovely day of visiting and good food. However that night I became very ill and by morning we knew I needed to go to the hospital most likely to have my gall bladder removed something I was planning to do sometime after we returned to Greece. Sure enough an ultra sound revealed that a large stone had moved and we were past the point of no return. Because of the blood thinners I take we waited until Wednesday morning to do the surgery. All went well and after another night in the hospital I came home to my parent's home to recuperate. I have some pain but am doing quite well. However a few things like going on hikes with my kids or playing golf will be out. I am restricted from lifting for the next two weeks so Kent will need to deal with all our bags when we make our trip to CA next week. The doctor said it will be about 6 weeks until I am fully recovered so I will need to take it a bit easy even when we return to Greece.

Thank you for praying for us - we are happy to be with our family and enjoying the beautiful green of Oregon.

Serving Him Together,
Kent and Myrna Morley
Tripoleos 76
Elliniko 16777
Athens Greece
011 30 210 96 38 625
backhoeboy1@gmail.com
http://kent-uniquelymorley.blogspot.com
To join our Support Team:
Online go to: https://www.iteams.org/us
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 :)

Morley Update 2012 #28

In our ministry we often remove names to protect people who might be in danger if their identity was known. We also work with people who are dealing with sensitive issues with the government or in regards to their papers etc. I am careful to ask permission before sending out emails and I am also sensitive to not putting anything on this blog that would compromise anyone's safety or hurt their case for papers etc. This week I sent out an email with several prayer requests that I did not feel comfortable posting in this more public place. If you are interested in praying about these issues please send me a private email and I will forward to the letter on to you. Thanks you for understanding.
Myrna Morley
backhoeboy1@gmail.com

Morley Update 2012 #27

Everyone -
And Time Marches On -- June 10 we welcomed two young intern women into our home for 6 weeks. They leave on Sunday and it seems like they just came. They have been a wonderful addition to our lives and the ministry. They are friends but nothing alike. Lindsey is blond and tall - which is why she was the person who had to kill the cockroach and tape over the mouse hole at camp. She is a little more quiet and really makes an effort to draw people out and include them. Charissa is dark haired and short. She is always up for anything. She says her mom calls her "my Korean blond" which explains why when someone said "Did you know you can't take a color picture of a Panda - they always come out black and white!" She got a puzzled serious look on her face and said "Is that true of other animals too?"

Both of "the girls" as we call them, jumped right into ministry. The spent the first week at camp working with the kids. While here they taught English, worked with the women and children, organized our craft cupboard and made up new crafts and filed them ready to use. They took women to the beach, visited in homes, mopped floors, chopped vegetables and did laundry. They spent their evening off each week helping at another local ministry serving their Love Meal. In short they allowed God to use them wherever and however He chose. We will miss them.

We have also had a young man as an intern this summer. He will be here until August 6. Charlie also jumped right into ministry with a week at camp and then working with the young men. He teaches an English class and meets with several guys during the week. Because he has taken the time to develop relationships with these guys it has given him opportunities to share the gospel. Always a willing servant, Charlie has also spent a lot of time at manual labors such as cleaning, preparing food and serving.

This summer we have had a lot of people coming and going. In fact we take "the girls" to the airport on Sunday morning and then after church we will go back to the airport to pick up a team that will be here for 10 days. In addition to "official" teams that come through IT we have local volunteers that live here and help out on a regular basis. We are also increasingly having teams who come on their own to Athens and are looking for places to serve. This week we have a wonderful team from Germany who are helping out. The two team leaders have both lived and worked in Afghanistan and speak the language - what a blessing for us. It has been a blessing for them as well because they are amazed at the opportunity and openness we have here to share the gospel - something you certainly don't experience when serving in a Middle Eastern country.

A big part of what I do here is take care of the communications and scheduling of interns, short term teams and volunteers. As you can imagine for each one coming there are quite a few emails back and forth with questions and information. Once they get here I do orientations and debriefs or arrange for that to be handled by someone else. I make sure they are settled in their hotel or house, that they have their money for expenses, that they have a phone, and that they know how to use the metro and find their way around town. We are blessed by these people as they bring a fresh look and enthusiasm to our team. They have different talents, extra time and willing hands to help out. Sometimes they bring extra finances for a grocery give away or a retreat and they almost always transport needed ministry items from the states - as well as treats for the team like peanut butter and chocolate chips! Not only are we (and the refugees) blessed, but those who come to serve are blessed as well. Their eyes are opened to the difficulties that people all over the world are facing. Sometimes they realize for the first time how fortunate they are just to have been born in a country where there is freedom and opportunity. Their hearts are broken as they hear people's stories or when have to say to someone once again, "I'm sorry, there is nothing I can do to help you but may I pray for you?" Although this is a ministry that can bring you to tears there are also times it can make you smile. Our short term workers, experience the joy of seeing a child happily at play while their mother relaxes with a cup of tea and chance to connect with friends. They watch as men who come in discouraged and beaten down, begin to hold their heads up as they sit around a table with their family or play a game of backgammon or chess. Often they experience the privilege of sharing the gospel and answering the eager questions of people who have never had a chance to hear the truth about Jesus. They see how Love transcends Language, how Caring quiets Controversy, and how a cup of tea and a kind word can open a heart. We are blessed to have these people serve along side us just as we are blessed to have YOU, our faithful supporters, also serving with us. I wish you could all have the experience of coming but I am so thankful that even without that you uphold us in prayer, encouragement and financial support. We love you all.

Just a reminder that we will be at Fern Ridge Christian Church (formerly Elmira Church of Christ) on August 12th. We will be speaking both at Sunday school at 9:30 and church at 10:45 - there will be a potluck afterwards. If you are in the area we would love to see you.

Serving Him Together,
Kent and Myrna Morley
Tripoleos 76
Elliniko 16777
Athens Greece
011 30 210 96 38 625
backhoeboy1@gmail.com
http://kent-uniquelymorley.blogspot.com
To join our Support Team:
Online go to: https://www.iteams.org/us
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 :)

Morley Update 2012 #26

Have I mentioned lately that it is HOT here? This last week the temperature has been around 105 every day and it is supposed to continue. This morning at 9:30am it is 92 degrees. The heat is hard on us as we trudge around with sweat dripping down our faces. It is even harder on our refugee friends who live in crowded one room apartments with little ventilation in the heart of city. When it gets hot like this the cement of the buildings and the asphalt of the street radiate the heat back making it seem even hotter than it is. When we welcome refugees in to the ARC most of them head directly for the water cooler we have by the front door, quenching their thirst and splashing a little cold water on their faces and hands. Despite the heat the women remain well covered. They come in wearing long sleeved jackets or shirts over long pants and of course their heads are wrapped in the mandatory scarf. These coverings are symbols of the bondage they are under in Islam. There is no freedom from guilt, no lifting of the veil of blind obedience, no respite from the oppressive heat of striving to please God. They struggle along stifling under the weight of never knowing if they've done enough. How we long to have them experience the joy of knowing that they don't have to strive any longer. To realize that Jesus did it all for them on the cross and they can know forgiveness and peace and freedom.

We are beginning to see a movement among the women. More and more are wanting to study the bible and several have accepted the Lord. Three months ago a dear friend made a commitment to the Lord. (I have removed the details about her story from this post to protect her identity) Pray for her to be bold about openly sharing her faith and pray for peace and comfort as persecution will surely follow. I believe that as women begin to open up about their faith more women will have the courage to step forward.

We had an answer to prayer last week. Our cupboard of dry foods was empty and we had run out of summer clothes for children and had very few clothes for women and men. We prayed that God would provide and within a few days a British school in the area contacted us to say they had two car loads of clothes ready to be picked up. A local church also contacted us with another load of clothes and food supplies. We also received a donation of baby supplies including diapers and strollers. Where God leads He provides!

Please join with us in praying for Heather and Chris Shepherd. This is a couple who have been working toward joining our team. They have finally raised all their support and planned to be here and at work at the beginning of the summer. However they have been turned down twice by the Greek Embassy in Chicago for two different types of Visas. They will try a third and final time within this next few weeks. If they are turned down again they will join a team elsewhere. Please pray that if God wants them here He will override the will of the woman at the embassy who seems unwilling to bend.

Kent and I will be making a quick trip home to the USA in the month of August. This is our official furlough year but we didn't feel we could take three months right now with the change over in leadership and other considerations. The ARC will be closed one week in August and it is usually a slower time. Kent was also invited to attend a leadership conference in Chicago during this time so it seemed a good time for us to go. Since our trip is short we will mainly be using it to visit family dividing our time between MA, CA and OR with Kent making a stop in Chicago. We will only be doing one speaking engagement. We will speak at Fern Ridge Christian Church (formerly Elmira Church of Christ) on August 12 for both Sunday School at 9:30 and Church at 11:45. If you are in the area and would like to come out for this we'd love to see you.

Well I need to close and walk up to the Laiki and get my fruits and vegetables before it gets any hotter. We love you all and look forward to seeing some of you next month.

Serving Him Together,
Kent and Myrna Morley
Tripoleos 76
Elliniko 16777
Athens Greece
011 30 210 96 38 625
backhoeboy1@gmail.com
http://kent-uniquelymorley.blogspot.com
To join our Support Team:
Online go to: https://www.iteams.org/us
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 :)