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 :)

Morley Update 2012 #25

Everyone,

Our weather has cooled down some which is a big plus. It's still hot but not sweltering. I took it slower this week and have had no double vision episodes. We welcomed another intern on Monday, so we made yet another airport run. Her flight was delayed so she got here a day later than planned. She arrived to the place she was staying - with Tasha and Christy (a block from our house) at 7am. She cleaned up, had some coffee was at our house by 8am to take a trip to Corinth with our other interns. Talk about hitting the ground running! The group of interns we have right now are wonderful. They are very engaged and a HUGE help especially with the kids. We are really going to miss them when they leave in another 3 weeks.

I want to tell you the about a young woman and I will start with an excerpt from my team mate Christy's recent update.

Meet “Malahat”, she’s bold, confident, and direct. The first time I met her, almost a year ago, she asked me why I wasn’t a Muslim and why I didn’t cover my head. I immediately liked her spunk.

Several months ago an Afghan friend living in France became a Christian and started talking to Malahat about her new faith. Malahat’s interest in the Bible took on a new level of seriousness. She started coming to a Bible study, talking to her husband about what she was learning, and even took home a Bible to read on her own. (I have removed details to protect her identity)

She has yet to place her trust in Jesus, saying that she’s afraid of being excommunicated from her family by her parents. Yet she desperately wants to teach the things she’s learned about Jesus and the Bible to her family, believing that they just need a chance to hear and see like she has. She talks about wanting to learn enough to teach other Afghans about the Bible. And she wants for her husband to become a Christian at the same time as her. One night at camp before going to bed we read together the passage in which Jesus says that anyone who doesn’t love Him more than their father or mother is not worthy of Him. She understood, possibly more than you or I will ever have to, the implications of those words. Pray she has the courage to surrender her life to Jesus.

Here is "THE REST OF THE STORY". On Tuesday after the sermon was over "Malahat" asked to talk with Christy. They went into the office with Kallie (another team mate) and "G" to translate for them. After talking and reading some scripture together Malahat prayed and asked Jesus into her heart. We will continue to work with her and disciple her as she grows in her faith. There is a real movement among the women as more and more are wanting to study and some have even accepted but are afraid to make their decision public because of the fear of being ostracized by the other women. Community is very important in their culture and because they have already lost so much it is very hard for them to take this kind of risk. Pray that the women who have made commitments will be bold in proclaiming their faith and that this will cause others to step out as well. Pray that "Malahat's" husband who has also been reading the Bible will accept the Lord too. Also please pray that we can help them find a different place to stay where they will be safe from their abusive landlord and can be free to study the Bible openly.

I will close with this. KNOW that God is at work in Athens. KNOW that your prayers for the work here are not in vain. KNOW that through your support lives are being changed.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

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 :)