Two weeks later.

The Akropoli. The view from our apartment in Athens.

Two weeks after arriving in Greece I still have to remind myself to take deep breaths. There are so many things that threaten to overwhelm me but so far I'm holding on. When we arrived, Beth and I got a brief introduction to Athens before we headed to Volos, Greece for a week an a half. Volos is a beautiful coastal town with beautiful people as well. My time there spent learning, learning and more learning. 

Volos.

I learned so many things from the pastor there, Meletis. I the first thing I learned  about was service and the difference that picking up trash can have on a community. We picked up trash on the highway and in a neighborhood and Meletis told us about the impact that the simple act of picking up trash has had on the community, it has opened doors with the Greek Orthodox Church that would be unheard of in other parts of Greece. I am so thankful that I got to be apart of it, we would be sweaty, filthy and exhausted each day but we were joyful because of what we were doing. Their approach to picking up the trash captured my heart: God created this world for His own glory and the trash represents our glory and our materialism. Creation groans because of the way we treat it and picking up the trash is a redemptive work and honoring what God created.

Inside an Orthodox church.

Another thing I learned, and will keep learning about for the rest of my time here in Greece, was about the Greek Orthodox Church. Greece is a very dark place spiritually even though it is considered a Christian nation. There are roughly 8,400 Greek Orthodox churches in Athens. There are roughly 5 Greek Evangelical churches in Athens. The more I learn about it, the more my heart aches for the Greek people. Everyone is Orthodox here, to be Orthodox is the same as being Greek for most people. Evangelicals are considered heretics. Orthodox people want to become holy through good deeds and kissing icons, and then they can have a relationship with God. A few days ago, I went in an Orthodox church and I watch one man kiss about twenty icons and cross himself and my heart hurt for him because he thought that kissing icons was a necessary step to become right with God. Another things I saw was the "Holy of Holies" where only the bishop can go. The doorway was covered by a black heavy curtain and an iron gate. It shook me up that they have a physical barrier between the people and communion with God. They don't understand that the curtain has been torn. 

On a lighter note, our days in Volos were filled with wonderful food, wonderful people, and wonderful sights. We ate our weight in fresh peaches and cherries from Meletis' village, amazing salad with whole slabs of feta on top, fresh bread, and ice cream everyday. We spent so many hours around the table talking, laughing and building relationships. The people from the church were so kind and welcoming and invited us into their lives to take part in what every they were doing, like watching the Euro Cup, going on walks, or taking us to the mountain villages where there are no cars, only donkeys. They taught us some Greek words, and were so patient with our mispronunciation of it. Beth and I now know about 15 words, but we are learning more everyday.  Volos is absolutely beautiful, it has a port with fishing boats all lined up, each with a Greek flag waving in the breeze. It also has amazing beaches with water so blue, you can't tell where the water ends, and the sky begins.

The sea. I jumped off of that big rock!

Laiki (market)