July 30, 2017
Alexandros | Vida | Konstantina | Christos | Giannis | Gabriel | Sofia | Elanora | Stef | Vangelis | Yoanna | Niki | George (from Zoe church) | George (from the bakery) | George (from the pen/notebook store) | Frosida | Jimmy | Ellen | Theo (from the pasta bar) | Viki | Mia | Costas | Elasbena | The hot dog man and his son | Kelly | The Refugee family (met them 3 times!) | Natasha | Nicos | Matthew | Alin | Alex (the French guy)
As we were getting ready to board our train out of Thessaloniki, we sat down and made this list. This is a more-or-less comprehensive list of the people that we met and got to interact with throughout our time in Greece, whether it was for three weeks, five days, or a few hours. If we were to have all made separate lists, each of us would have been able to list about 5 people. But together… together, we brought the name of the Lord into multiple coffee shops, restaurants, parks, stores, buses, a laundromat, a horse barn, and a vast array of other places. Together, we met with those listed above, invited their stories, prayed for entire cities and specific people, and gave away small tokens representing the vastness and greatness of the free gift of salvation in Jesus Christ.
There were moments, days, and entire weeks this past months when we felt purposeless and felt like the small things we were doing didn’t matter and held no weight in the grand scheme of Thessaloniki, and in the grand scheme of life. What could 7 American girls do that would really matter that much? But that’s the crazy thing about a life spent in Jesus; our feelings don’t dictate what is true. We felt discouraged and without purpose, but the truth is that God specifically placed us in Thessaloniki, Greece for four weeks in July of 2017 to be a part of bringing His Kingdom to earth, both in the lives of those listed above and in the lives of each other.
What could 7 American girls do that would really matter that much? Not a lot, to be honest. Or at least, not a lot by ourselves. But we weren’t just a group of 7 American girls. We were a group of 7 girls + a global community of prayer warriors + Jesus Christ. And regardless of how we felt at times this past month, what we were doing mattered. The flowers we gave out and the kind words we extended and the relationships we built matter. The obedience we stepped into and the ways we intentionally chose into each other’s lives and the stories that were shared matter.
I have no idea what is going to happen in any of the lives of those listed above. I have no idea what kind of seeds God allowed us to plant this past month. But God does, and God starts good works and carries them on to completion. His work will not return void. And that makes every single thing we did, every single person we met, and every single conversation we had so worth it.
Until next time, Greece. We love you, and Jesus loves you even more.
