Blog post for July 15, 2014

 

 After a long day of walking, climbing, conversing and taking in the wonders of antiquity, ten bleary eyed Baylor students file into the meeting room at Porta. It has been another exhausting day on the ground here in Athens. But team spirits are high nonetheless. Today we visited some of the greatest sites of the ancient world but there is not even a whisper about the Parthenon, no, the focus is on our “families” and the Albanian students we have come to love. The “families” are the groups of students who traverse the city as a group for safety, but more importantly, so that we all know each other more intimately. As we sit and recall the day our conversation takes a turn for the spiritual when one very thoughtful members…cough,cough DANELLE, encourages the group with some much needed wisdom about how to love our partners best. Thanks, Danelle, you should really speak up more often. Conversation only continues to intensify and the team finds itself remembering its’ time during the day at Mars Hill, (see photo). At this site both the Albanians and Americans heard from the Apostle Paul in both Greek and English, this was a treat all unto itself. The passage comes out of the Bible from the book of Acts, chapter seventeen for those of you playing along at home. This specific portion of the text finds Paul speaking to the people of Athens, specifically the Epicureans and the Stoics, philosophers and religious icons of the day. Paul finds himself passing through Athens and notices the great religious acuity they possess. For the people there even had an altar to the unknown God! Using this “unknown god” Paul cleverly links it to Jesus Christ. It appears the Apostle was on to something, because nearly the same situation is taking place among our group, let me explain.

 At first glance a mission trip to Greece may seem more like a vacation to a beautiful place rather than actual mission work, but that is more a myth than even the Greeks could produce.  What is going on in this city right now is exactly what Christ called the Greatest Commandment, loving God and loving others. This two-week program is discipleship in the most Christ honoring way possible. We are all learning to come alongside these Albanian students as friends living life together, opposed to cramming bibles in their faces. In reality, it is us who have much to learn from them. We speak about things like friendship and values, even the meaning of life. This is eye opening to both the American students and the Albanians. Much like Paul we find ourselves speaking about our faith in a way that is respectful, truthful and accessible to our new Albanian friends, whom at large do not know Jesus in the way familiar to Protestant tradition. Through language barriers, cultural barriers and the heat in Athens the message of Jesus Christ is overcoming all things for the glory of God.

 

 

            So friends, family, loved ones, think of us daily, pray for us often and hope that we may love and live alongside these students in a way that would reflect Jesus to them daily. This ministry is not a two-week mission trip, the ministry cannot end there. We must continue sowing seeds in the hearts of these new best friends we have gained in this beautiful city just as the Apostle Paul did so many years ago from Mars Hill. We are excited and we are confident in the “Unknown God”, because we know Him and we love Him.

Thank you for your prayer and support, if you have yet to “like” the Facebook page, please look us up at Leadership Greece Baylor University. With your “like” on the page you will be able to see all of our adventures as they take place.

Until next time,

            - Pierce Shivers