Last Update from Greece

Everyone,



Yesterday the walls that once rang with laughter and the sounds of Farsi, Greek and English now echoed hollowly with only our footsteps and the swish of the broom as we swept up the bits of packing paper left from the movers. As we walked through our now empty house I thought back to the fun we had painting, choosing light fixtures and dumpster diving for extra things with which to furnish our house. Some of these things, like the little tile table and big trunk from the front porch are making the journey back to America with us. I remember the day we placed the verse on our wall that said "Be still and know that I am God, I will be exalted among the nations.." I believe God WAS exalted among the nations in our home. We had people from the Sudan, Nigeria, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Kurdistan, Morocco as well as placed like France, Germany, Switzerland, Russia and the Czech Republic eating and staying in our home. Women and children took showers, played games, did crafts and had chances to hear about Jesus in an environment that was safe for them to ask questions. Men came to sit around our table and be fed with physical and spiritual food. They too had times to relax, to play games, to just enjoy themselves and times to hear truth and to ask questions. Prayers and songs went up in English and in Farsi. There was laughter but there were also tears as people shared the pain of separation from family and friends or the inhumane treatment they had received at the hands of evil men. In our home for a short while these men and women we able to be a peace.



We had the privilege of hosting many different interns over the years. Several of these interns have ended up on the mission field, for security I will only use initials but, "T" and "A" are in Albania, "H" is in Turkey with her husband "C", "L" is in Laos, and Lindsey just joined our team here. Many of the short term teams who came through also visited our home which gave us a chance to share our story and the stories of some of our refugee friends. I will miss communicating with interns and short term teams but am thankful for Kenn Dirrim who is doing such a great job in taking that over. God is raising up those to stand in the gap, if indeed we leave a gap. Yesterday we spent a little time with Nick and Kirsti (Sorry if I spelled that wrong) Nick has volunteered for us off and on when he was visiting here from Finland. Now they have moved here and are going to volunteer for a time with an eye to joining the team. We already know Nick and his gifts and that he will be a huge asset and after meeting Kirsti yesterday I am sad that we won't be here to serve with them - I know we would be friends. There is a couple coming from Germany to serve for six months and they will stay in an apartment that Helping Hands and 3rd Evangelical Church are going to maintain for short term workers. Some of our furniture and all of our appliances went to that apartment. Another couple on the team bought our grill and I know they will use it to cook for the team and for many refugee friends as they already are. My puppets and some of my costumes are staying behind so they can continue, as they already are, to be used in the ministry here. The new leadership team is in place and Christy who has been shouldering that burden alone will be able to take a much needed furlough at the end of November knowing that "M" and Kenn along with Nikos will be on the job.



Kent and I are both tired. We are physically tired from packing and moving boxes. My back is still bothering me. We are emotionally tired from saying goodbyes both to people and things. Kent sold his bike yesterday and our little blue car which faithfully hauled so many things, like couches and double beds, on its crazy roof rack. We had many adventure in that car traveling all over Greece. Sometimes alone and sometimes with friends. Most memorable are losing the keys for 2 hours at Corinth, losing Christy's suitcase off the roof rack on Kythnos, and our crazy trip the Methana where we got lost on back roads for hours finally arriving at the town to discover that if got it's name Methana from the Methane gas that rises from the sulfur springs which give the whole city the smell of rotten eggs. We have seen most of the people we need to and are going in to the ARC today for one last time. We will finish cleaning the house and running a few errands. Tomorrow we will be at the airport at noon to say goodbye to Greece and to begin a new chapter in our lives. We will stay with our kids and grandkids on the east coast until Nov. 4th when we will return to Portland OR. After that we are not sure how it will all work but we intend to eventually settle in the Eugene area. We will keep you posted. Again thank you for staying with us through this arduous journey. It hasn't been easy at times but we wouldn't have missed it for anything.




Serving Him Together,

Kent and Myrna Morley
backhoeboy1@gmail.com
http://kent-uniquelymorley.blogspot.com
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