Want to Read My Diary?

Dear Diary….

 

Well, not exactly my diary because I don’t actually keep one, BUT I do have a journal filled with things God has taught me during the Race.

In this same journal, I have gotten into the habit of writing three things I am thankful for every day. I felt God telling me to share with all of you the ones I have written for the month of Greece. They are a good clue as to what each day has looked like this month as well!

I encourage you to also start forming this habit. It only takes about a minute, promise. I love starting my day this way because it helps me reflect on what my day looked like the day before (I always write them in the morning of what I was thankful for yesterday) and it automatically puts me in a mindset of thankfulness before my day even really starts.

So here is what I have been thankful for in Greece:

7/7

1. Friends who will fast with me
2. The time to spend with Jesus each morning
3. That God hears our prayers

7/8

1. Concerts under the stars
2. Feeling like a normal tourist
3. Free beer

7/9

1. Seeing the famous Parthenon
2. Michelle and Linsey exploring Athens with me
3. Beautiful weather

7/10

1. Easy transportation around the city
2. Fun nights of laughing with my built-in roommates
3. A wonderful, international, English-speaking church

7/11

1. Ability to have “free conversations” with people from all over the world
2. Home cooked meals
3. Fun team beauty pageant

7/12

1. Fun nights of staying in and playing cards
2. Finding the homeless/gypsy/refugee park and praying over it
3. Frozen pizza, watermelon, salad, popcorn, and ice cream

7/13

1. More mountains to climb
2. Quality time with Michelle
3. Kind and helpful strangers

7/14

1. A whole day of quiet time with Jesus
2. Worship in the park
3. A community of people to fast with

7/15

1. Encouraging team times
2. Beautiful weather
3. Fellow believers from America who live in Greece

7/16

1. Watching funny TV shows with friends
2. Starbucks close by
3. Markets that remind me of Asia

7/17

1. Meeting the young women doing the Royal Servants mission trip
2. Singing karaoke with my team
3. Worshiping alongside the staff and refugees at Bridges (a refugee center)

7/18

1. Making my first ever balloon animal
2. Being able to distribute clothes to refugees
3. RAIN!

7/19

1. Making new friends in each country we visit
2. Peanut butter
3. Having wifi at our apartment and not having to walk to a coffee shop to get it

7/20

1. Laughter with Jess and Linsey
2. Bridges Refugee Center and all the awesome people who work there
3. The metro (subway)

7/21

1. Beautiful sunsets over Greece
2. Hanging with Shamal (a staff member at Bridges)
3. Being able to read Paul’s “Unknown God” sermon on Aeropagus, the spot where he preached it

7/22

1. Getting to meet people who also love Jesus and traveling
2. Michelle coming back to our team after being gone for a week
3. Cooking in the kitchen with Hillary and Lindsey

7/23

1. Having many places to hike/climb nearby
2. Getting to see two other teams from our squad
3. A good conversation with Allie

7/24

1. An amazing church community
2. Having my team to do Bible studies with
3. Dan Barry paying for us to all go to Santorini

7/25

1. Saying goodbye to everyone at Bridges
2. Flying to Santorini
3. Taking a real shower and sleeping in a real bed

7/26

1. ATVing around the whole island
2. Being able to climb a mountain and swim in 3 beaches all in the same day
3. Fluffy bathrobes and wine

7/27

1. Cliff jumping for the first time
2. The breathtaking views in Oia
3. The amazing, beautiful, and fun women on my team

Well there you have it. This is the summary of my month here in Greece. Each day of thankfulness looks a little different. Sometimes it’s the big adventures. Sometimes it’s the small things like laughter and good food. But all of it added together has made for an incredible journey and adventurous time during this month here in Greece. We are headed to month 8 in Bulgaria after this!