What am I doing now that I’m not in India loving on some of the cutest little kids in the world? That wasn’t the easiest decision to make, I’ll tell you that much. But God has truly provided an awesome experience and journey ahead of me in these next few weeks.
After 4 years of Bible College, hours spent pouring over books and maps, and even a specialized class in the life and Epistles of Paul, I find myself retracing his steps in Greece! The Apostle Paul, one of the first missionaries, the one who carried the grace and gospel of Jesus to the Gentiles… I’m going there too! Tauna, Casey, and I got on the airplane and flew to Athens, Greece, not knowing exactly how this would all pan out, but trusting that God would work it out. Immediately though, I was faced with obstacle number one… sickness. I can’t describe the pains that kept rumbling in my tummy during the trip to Greece, but Praise the LORD we finally made it to our hostel where I could rest.
After a little recupiration, I was back on the road…moving slowly, but back on the road. We whipped out our Bibles and went to Acts. In chapter 17 you can read about Paul ministering in the city to the learned men and deep thinkers. We weren’t sure of the whereabouts of this Biblical experience, but it had to be somewhere close to all the other significant sites. A few bus and metro rides later we cli
mbed up to the Acropolis and wandered around the Parthenon, taking in the glory of the archeticture and history of Athens. The remnants of what remains testifies of their religious interest and devotion to all their gods and godesses. No wonder Paul was outraged as he walked into the city.
As we were leaving, we were walking behind a lady and her two grandchildren. I listened closely as she spoke enlgish… and what to my wandering ears did I hear… but southern english! I attempted to say hello in passing and get a conversation going. I really just want to talk with one of “my” people, but she was a little preoccupied with keeping in grandchildren from slipping off the marble steps. But as we climbed down slowly, another statement caught my attention. She said, “Kids, you see that rock there. That’s Mars Hill. That’s where the Apostle Paul preached when he was here.” Immediately I spoke up and said, “Are you serious mam?” Tauna, Casey and I quickly ran down the steps, out the gate and over the the little rocky outcropping beside the Acropolis. With much pain and toil Tauna got one of the locals to translate the plaque on the wall that was written in ancient Greek into English. It told about Paul and what he did here in Athens as best as the poor guy could translate. I had never been more disappointed in myself for not taking Greek in college than at that moment! It was definetly cool to sit on that rock and read the words of Paul from the book of Acts and imagine what it must have looked like at that time.
God is surely speaking about my life and the responsibility I have as I carry that same message around the world. Whether in Mexico or Tibet or even Greece, the words of the Gospel bring life! They set people free. They topple ancient ideas and beliefs set in stone and marble. They are powerful. At dinner the next night we met a lady who was trying to raise money for herself. She carried a card telling us that she was both deaf and dumb. We asked her to sit with us and we got her a sandwhich to eat. We don’t know any sign language, and even if we did we wouldn’t have known Greek signs. But to the best of our ability, and with God on our side we had an amazing night with that woman. She explained so many things that had happened in her life, horrible things about being raped and robbed. The message we carry sets people free from those hurts, fears, and pains. I couldn’t communicate anything but love and affection to that woman, but being with her
in that place, at the foot of the Acropolis, gave me a new vigor to carry God’s Word across the land.
We left Athens yesterday and drove up the coast towards Thessaloniki. We stopped last night at Mt. Olympos, the tallest mountain in Greece to spend the night. The Greeks believed that all their gods and goddesses lived up there on that mountain because so many storms rage across the giagantic peaks. That’s why Zeus supposedly threw lightening bolts. It was quite cool to see that while their gods could only live up their, I know my God made that mountain.
Today we arrived in Thessaloniki and plan visit some more of Paul’s places in town. We’ve actually made a contact with our hotel manager and his brother who lives near Phillipi. He’s a priest and we might be able to get to work with him later in the week. Pray that works out. Pray for our journey, that’s it continues to be smooth and enlightening. From the Egnatian Way…. this is Ashley…signing off!
