Morley Update 2013 #24

Everyone,



Just a quick update. We had a lovely week last week. We stayed in Turner OR in a little Apartment provided for us on the Convention Grounds. In the Evenings we were the Mission Speakers at Vacation Bible School. Kent taught the adult class and together we gave a 15 minute presentation to the kids and adults each night. An offering was collected that we will take with us when we return to Greece and buy food for a grocery give away - it was a small VBS but they raised 300 dollars.



Because we were doing a new presentation each night it kept me hopping to find new ways to present what we were doing. On the last night we played a Refugee Game. We had a Boy and a Girl represent the two teams. Their starting scenario was this:
Girl: You are a 12 year old girl and so you are not allowed to go to school past 5th grade. Soon you will be sold to marry an older man. Your mother decides to take you and your sisters and run away
Boy: Your family is accused of working against the government and now the Taliban is trying to put you in prison or kill your whole family. Your family decides to leave.
The game was played by taking turns choosing box #1 or box #2. These were up on the screen and were revealed after they were chosen. The choices were things like:
1) You have enough money to pay a smuggler to take you out of the country – ahead 1 space/ You don’t have money for a smuggler so go into hiding – stay where you are

2) Your father finds a little work so you can buy food to feed your family – ahead 1 space/ Without work your family is hungry and you must look for food in the garbage cans along the street – stay where you are

3) In Athens you are living in the park, it is cold and you are frightened because some nights men come to the park and begin to beat any refugees they find – back 1 space/ You found a room to share with two other families – it is crowded and dirty but at least you are off the street and safe at night. – ahead 1 space.

4) You hear about a place called Helping Hands and go there – ahead 1 space/ You try to get help but most people turn you away telling you that they don’t want you and to go back where you came from – back 1 space

5) At Helping Hands you get to take a shower and wash your clothes – ahead 1 space/ You have no where to take a bath and your clothes are dirty and smelly – back 1 space

6) You talk to the people at Helping Hands and they tell you how much God loves you and they teach you to pray – ahead 1 space/ You don’t feel like anyone loves you and you have no one to talk to – back 1 space

These are just a few of the choices but you get the idea. The last choice was this:

You finally get asylum and go to another country – Go to the finish/ You are denied asylum and sent back to your country – Back to the beginning.



At first it seemed a little mean to have the whole game win or lose hang on the last question but this is the reality of being a refugee. We have known refugees who have made it to a new country. They found a job, got an apartment, made a life and a year later were picked up for not having the proper papers and sent back to Greece where they had nothing.



Since the VBS was in the evening this left us with the day free (once we had our lessons prepared) to relax. One day we went to Silver Creek Falls a lovely state park with 10 different water falls - I hiked to 4 of them - Kent did all 10. Another day we did a little shopping and then met some friends who live in the area for a long lunch. One day we took our great niece and nephew to lunch and then out to see an animated film. It was a good week. We are back in Veneta for a few days before we go back to the Salem area to spend a few days staying at a house up on the Santiam with some of our family. There will be 19 of us for 4 days so it should be a great time. The team is Greece is getting ready to be closed for 2 weeks as most of the team heads to Germany to attend the International Teams Convention. It will also be a chance to connect with a few refugee friends who have moved on to that area. Pray for them - I know the team is tired and in need of a break. Thank you for your continued prayers and support. 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 select: US, Select: What do you want to do, Select: Give
Or Send to:
International Teams
411 W. River Rd.
Elgin IL 60123
Please designate for the ministry of Kent and Myrna Morley and indicate whether this is a one time gift or monthly support. Thanks :)

Morley Update 2013 #23

Everyone,



I have found it is much easier to keep up with my weekly updates when we are in a regular routine. Sorry they have been a bit sporadic. Since I last wrote we spent some time with Willamette Christian Church in West Linn who have been faithful supporters from the beginning of our ministry. We met with their missions team, got to share with their leadership and join them for their morning prayer session and do a small group presentation in the evening. They also graciously printed up some prayer cards that we needed for our time at Week of Missions.



After a week spent at home working on presentations for a VBS and making a backdrop for Week of Missions as well as seeing a few friends, we left last Saturday and headed to the Salem area. We attended a school reunion for Kent on Saturday and attended church with friends in Salem on Sunday morning. We then drove an hour and a half over to the coast to set up our display at Winema Week of Missions. This is a big conference that is held every year at the coast which focuses on missions and brings together missionaries from all over to share what God is doing in the world. We set up our display and then headed back to Salem again to speak at Turner Christian Church for their evening service. This church is always a joy to speak at because many of the congregation are retired ministers, missionaries, bible professors or other people who were in full time Christian service - talk about preaching to the choir! They are always so encouraging and engaged in what we are doing.



After the service we drove back to the coast in time to climb into our bunk for the night. We spent the week listening to speakers, networking with other missionaries and sharing about our work with anyone who was interested. What we DIDN'T spend our time doing was walking on the beach in the sunshine. It was cloudy and cold all week and even drizzled several times. The only afternoon it was sunny at all was the afternoon that we were scheduled to give a presentation in the small chapel during the afternoon free time. The leader stood up to dismiss people and said "Get out there and enjoy the sun this afternoon because this is the only break we are supposed to get. For those interested Kent and Myrna Morley will be presenting their work in the chapel at 2:00." We learned a long time ago not to worry about how many people come to a presentation. Our job is to be there and share and God is able to bring the people in that he wants to hear.



A highlight of the week for us was that one of the main speakers was Fouad Masri the author of the Bridges series on How to Reach Muslims. We had been led through this series by a team mate who had taken the class in Spain. Fouad is from Lebanon and is a real ball of fire for the Lord. He was very encouraging to us in our work and is sending us materials to use in training our team. He also has said that he would like to visit us in Greece and see the work there for himself and to be an encouragement to the team.



We are back in Veneta for one day doing laundry and repacking our suitcase. We will be leaving in the morning to be in the Salem area next week as we participate in a VBS at Turner Christian Church. It is an evening VBS and we will be the missionary speakers and Kent will also be teaching the adult class.



News from Greece: The summer programs are in full swing. We have two interns as well as a short term team from Omaha in Greece at this time. Muslims are still celebrating Ramadan (July8-Aug 7). This is a time when they are fasting and seeking God. It is a time of spiritual warfare especially for new believers. Several men in the discipleship class reported feeling a lack of mental clarity and struggling with fatigue more than usual. Pray for protection for believers. This is also a time when God often uses dreams to speak to Muslim people. Pray that for those who are genuinely seeking truth, God will reveal himself to them.



Please pray for our friend "Ch". He is the young blind man we have shared about. Recently someone stole his keys and he was locked out of his house for two days. A friend looked through the window and everything in the house had been stolen including his laptop. One of our team mates has been working on getting him some software for the blind and it is supposed to be arriving in August. The team will be meeting with him to see how we can help.



I was encouraged in reading the last team meeting notes at how many Bible studies are happening. There is a seeker/believers class on Friday after tea house, a discipling class for new believers on Monday and Thursday (in cooperation with two other ministries), there is the men's question and answer time on Wednesday afternoon, and two women's bible studies on Thursdays one in the mornings and one in the afternoons. There is also a group that meets after the International Christian Fellowship Church on Sunday to discuss the sermon and worship and fellowship in Farsi - a couple of our team is involved in this. God is at work in Greece - His Word is going our and it will not return empty! Thank you for joining with us and with God in this work.




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 select: US, Select: What do you want to do, Select: Give
Or Send to:
International Teams
411 W. River Rd.
Elgin IL 60123
Please designate for the ministry of Kent and Myrna Morley and indicate whether this is a one time gift or monthly support. Thanks :)

Morley Update 2013 #22

Everyone -

We had a great trip to WY. It was wonderful to once again connect with long time friends - it is amazing to think that we have all been friends for over 40 years. We lived near each other and spent time together when we were young marrieds and starting to have families but then scattered to different areas. The ties have remained strong however and though we don't see each other often we seem to be able to pick up the threads of our friendship easily. As we sat around the table or the living room, there were sweet times of laughter (some of it uncontrollable) as we reminisced and told stories. There were also tears as we went deeper and shared struggles and heartaches both past and ongoing. We had discussions on deep topics like marriage and healing, as well as things like whether bacon should be turned when cooking it in the oven, and the proper rules to Aggravation and Quarkle. Kent was in heaven as he operated different pieces of large machinery around the place and I reveled in the green grass and the quiet garden nestled next to a little stream that seemed to beckon to me from my window.

On Sunday we were blessed to share with our newest supporting church, Morning Star Baptist Church in Alpine, WY. We spoke at the morning service and then afterwards many of the congregation gathered at our friend Jim and Linda's house for a BBQ. We got a chance to visit with individuals and Kent joined in the afternoon volleyball game. That evening several people from the missions committee as well as others who were interested in learning more gathered again in Jim and Linda's living room for a more in depth presentation and a question and answer time. It was a day well spent. We have said to all of our churches that we do not want to be just a "name on the wall". We don't want people to say "Morleys? Oh yeah, I think they are missionaries - see here is their name on our missionary board on the back wall of the church." We want them to say "Morleys? They are working in Greece - let me tell you what God is doing there - just last week ....."

Our team mate Kenn sent an update about some of the men who were baptized at the recent camp. Kenn and a couple of guys from other ministries met with them to see how they were doing - he shared their testimonies which each began with:
"In the name of Jesus Christ I do not regret my decision". Even writing this brings tears to my eyes. I am always amazed and humbled that these people whose lives have been SO difficult and whose lives often become MORE difficult in many ways after they accept Jesus can say "I do NOT regret my decision". Here are a few excerpts from their testimonies: "Many who supported me before have cut me off. A cousin in Iran has stopped speaking to me.......I am encouraged when I am with you guys. Life is more difficult" "I had to move from the place I lived. I didn't have a place to live, only the park. I prayed and the next day I had a place to live with somebody." "I want to share my faith with my family. Pray for me, they might cut off their relations with me" There were several others but all had experienced some sort of shunning from others because of their decision. Please pray for these men and pray for our ministry and the other ministries involved in the camp (Hellenic Ministries and Oasis) as we join together to try and disciple these men and provide a support system for them.

We leave today for Portland and back to the rounds of doctor appointments. Please pray that we find some answers and not just more questions. The work in Greece continues and God is moving. God is also moving in our lives as we spend time here in the states. Thank you for your continual prayer and support. 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 select: US, Select: What do you want to do, Select: Give
Or Send to:
International Teams
411 W. River Rd.
Elgin IL 60123
Please designate for the ministry of Kent and Myrna Morley and indicate whether this is a one time gift or monthly support. Thanks :)

Morley Update 2013 #21

Everyone,



We leave this evening for WY. We have had a good week in WA visiting with "old" or perhaps I should say "long time" friends and making new ones. We have been staying with our good friends Don and Margaret Kennedy who we have been close to since our high school days when they were first the youth pastors at Kent's church and then mine. In fact it was through them that Kent and I first met. We have had three small group meetings as well as a couple of personal meetings with supporters while we were here. It is always good to share about what God is doing in Athens. He is always at work but lately He seems to have been particularly busy or at least we are seeing the results very clearly. (In my letter to supporters I could give more detail but in this public place I need to limit what I say so that I allow the people involved to share their faith when and with whom they are comfortable - thank you for understanding.)



We got a note from a friend this week that another dear woman friend of ours is being baptized. The women are still very afraid of the other refugee women finding out about their decision to be baptized because of the shunning that will result so when they want to let the team know that they are going to be baptized and invite them to attend they (use a code phrase). One of our team mates said she wasn't in the loop about this so when someone asked her if she wanted to come to a (code phrase) she said she would see if she had time. When she found out what was really happening she was thrilled and of course attended with joy.



We also got word that a friend who is in our community group who has been a believer for some time was baptized. (I have removed details about this young man so as to not endanger him) God is giving these people courage to step out even when it could be uncomfortable or even dangerous for them. Please continue to hold them up in prayer.



It has been good to have a week away from doctor's and tests, please keep praying with us that we will have some answers before we return to Greece. As always thank you so much for joining with us and with the Lord in this amazing work. 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 select: US, Select: What do you want to do, Select: Give
Or Send to:
International Teams
411 W. River Rd.
Elgin IL 60123
Please designate for the ministry of Kent and Myrna Morley and indicate whether this is a one time gift or monthly support. Thanks :)

Morley Update 2013 #20

Everyone,



First of all we have been hearing exciting news from Athens. We just finished the two camps that we do in cooperation with two other ministries in the area - Hellenic Ministries (who have a lovely camp facility) and Oasis. There was a week long camp for men and then a week long camp for families. These camps are always a highlight for our team and for refugees but this year several things happened to make them even more special.



At the family camp the children were taught for the first time from a discipleship tool developed by Samaritan's Purse called The Greatest Journey. Our team mate Donna put in many hours working to get this translated into Farsi. She writes "For me it was pure joy to see the children enjoying this colorful workbook, memorize Scripture verses and grasp an understanding of who Jesus is. Please pray that the lessons learned will continue to stir the hearts and minds of these children and their parents! God is at work in these precious ones!" At the end of the camp each of the children received a "Christmas" shoebox from Samaritans purse as well.



The truly exciting news is that after the men's camp 12 men were baptized and at the family camp a man and woman (not related) were baptized. At the end of this week two more women were baptized! This is SO exciting - especially for the women. We have had several women believers who have been afraid to be baptized because they haven't seen other women take this step and it is a very clear declaration of their faith which is extremely risky and scary for them. I believe that this will give other women the courage to step forward and we will see a rich harvest among the women in the coming weeks and months. Please pray for these new believers. Pray for protection and for peace and boldness in speaking out about their faith. Pray for family members who may have yet to come to faith. Pray that the many seeds planted at these camps will grow and bear fruit.



I had planned to give an update on my health situation but find I am tired of thinking about it and talking about it. Suffice to say I am up to 6 doctors now and they still don't have any definitive answers. I have appointments with three different doctors on Monday and Tuesday of next week and then we will head up to WA and on to WY. We will be back in Portland on the 10th of July when I will begin making the rounds of doctors again. It will be very nice to have a couple of weeks where we just don't have to think about this or travel back and forth to Portland (two hours each way) for appointments. Please pray that the doctors can find some answers and some solutions for the health issues I am facing.



Thank you all for your continual support and love. Though we are away from the work in Greece for the time we are glad to get a chance to share with many of you from our hearts. If you are in the WA area and would like to try and catch up with us between June 25 and July 2 please let me know. 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 select: US, Select: What do you want to do, Select: Give
Or Send to:
International Teams
411 W. River Rd.
Elgin IL 60123
Please designate for the ministry of Kent and Myrna Morley and indicate whether this is a one time gift or monthly support. Thanks :)

Morley Update 2013 #19

Everyone,



I wanted to get an update out to let you know we will be speaking at Willamina (near Salem) this Sunday June 19th if you are in the area. We will be sharing about the work during the Sunday School hour 9:30am and Kent will be preaching at church following that.



I have not written because most of our time has been spent in various doctors' offices and at the hospital getting tests. They are trying to find the reason behind my blood clotting problem. So far I have seen a GP, a Hematologist, and a Rheumatologist. I had 15 vials of blood drawn one day, 5 another and 7 another. I have had an MRI of my brain, a contrast CT of everything from the neck down, and 5 X-rays. I will see my GP again next week and as well as a cardiologist who may put a scope into my heart to look around. I also have 5 echo grams next week. The following week I will see the hematologist again and a neurologist. As you can see they are checking me out very well which is good but it means that we have had very little time to see friends or even family. Please pray that they will get to the bottom of things so I can feel comfortable that I am getting proper care when we return to Greece.



We have been able to speak at our home Church and a small group in Portland and are booked to speak almost every weekend through August and quite a few times during the week. We will be in the WA area June 26- July 3rd and still have some free nights if you are in the area and want to schedule us to share with a small group or whatever. We will travel to WY from WA and speak at a new supporting church in Alpine on July 7th. We will be back in Portland for a meeting on the 11th and speak at a reception for Willamette Christian Church on the afternoon of the 14th. If you live in any of these areas and want details let me know.



Next update I hope to have some stories to share from our two camps in Greece. The men's camp was the first week in June and I know several men were baptized but I don't have details yet. The family camp is just finishing up this weekend. These camps are always a highlight for the refugees and for our team as well. I am anxious to hear how they went and will pass along that information to you.



I will close now because I need to get some reports done for International Teams. We love you all and had hoped to spend more time during the week visiting but right now the medical stuff is taking quite a bit of that time. Thank you for your prayers and for your financial support - I cringe a bit every time they order another costly test because right now our insurance for the states pays 80% and we pay 20% I believe there is a cap of $3000 on that which I am sure we will hit. God has been gracious to provide for our every need however and he has done that through your willingness to share with us. Thank you SO much for your generosity.




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 select: US, Select: What do you want to do, Select: Give
Or Send to:
International Teams
411 W. River Rd.
Elgin IL 60123
Please designate for the ministry of Kent and Myrna Morley and indicate whether this is a one time gift or monthly support. Thanks :)

Morley Update 2013 #18

Everyone,



We have been so busy I have not found time to write my updates like I should. We finished up fixing the house in CA - new lights, mirror, patching the roof, repairing the eaves, repairing and painting a big planter on the side of the house, fixing nail holes, repainting, washing walls, fixing the shower and tub and on and on..... It was a big job and there were days I could hardly walk at the end of the day and even Kent was feeling pretty weary. We finished on the Sunday before Memorial Day and spent that day with our family. On the following morning we left for the two day drive to OR. We arrived here about noon on Wednesday. We visited with my folks and then moved into a friend's house in Veneta, they are away for the summer so are graciously letting us use their house. We moved in and spent the next morning cleaning and getting settled before spending the afternoon with my folks again as well as our daughter Katie. Yesterday we awoke to the horrible smell of something burning. We searched the house and finally determined that it was the water heater. When the electrician came it was all melted and burnt inside - it is a wonder it didn't start a fire. After opening windows and trying to air things out most of the smell is gone but we still have a fan running. We spent the day while waiting for the electrician washing down the porches, weeding the flower beds, edging the lawn and mowing. The place looks so much better! Our friends have a few maintenance projects for us while we are here so that will keep Kent busy.



Before we left CA we had a chance to share with a couple of small groups in the area about the ministry. We kick off our speaking engagements here tomorrow at Fern Ridge Christian Church (formerly Elmira Church of Christ) on Warthen Rd. We will be sharing at Sunday School 9:30am and Kent will be preaching at 10:45. There will be a potluck afterwards if you would like to join us. I will try to keep you updated on future speaking engagements.



The work continues in Greece. Our team just returned to work this week after their spring retreat. It was good for them to have some rest as they have been a bit shorthanded. They are gearing up for the summer camps coming up in June. I wanted to share a story that a friend wrote to me about our friend "Z" who has only been a Christian for less than a year.



"Yesterday at work a woman thanked me for everything we do for her. She said Christians are nothing like she was told and she can't believe how much we hug and kiss her children even when they are dirty. I told her not to thank me but to thank Jesus because He is the reason we do what we do. She asked why Jesus mattered. "Z" put up her hand to me and said, "Let me take over". She then shared the Gospel for twenty or so minutes and answered questions after that. It started out with three women, but ended with seven women, one of them coming over from another table because she wanted to listen. She did such a good job!"



It is so wonderful to have these new believers sharing with their peers. It is so much more effective than when we alone share. Please pray for the new believers especially the women as it is difficult to be bold about their faith when they have so much to lose. They risk being ostracized by the other women and even abused. It is also a risk for the men but sometimes they are more able to defend themselves.



We are enjoying our time in the states and are amazed that time is whizzing by so fast and we have been away for a month and a half already. We look forward to our speaking and teaching schedule and seeing our supporters. I will also have my first doctor appointment next week so pray that I can get in to see the appropriate specialists to look in to some of my health issues. Thank you for upholding us and the team in Greece. We love you all and look forward to seeing some of you soon.




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 select: US, Select: What do you want to do, Select: Give
Or Send to:
International Teams
411 W. River Rd.
Elgin IL 60123
Please designate for the ministry of Kent and Myrna Morley and indicate whether this is a one time gift or monthly support. Thanks :)