Good-Bye Islands

 

As we once again say Good-Bye to Greece we reflect on what we have seen and learned. In the four times we’ve been here we have visited Santorini, Crete, Paros, Poros, Samos, Patmos, Aegina, Agistri, Naxos. On the mainland we visited  Philippi, Thessaloniki, Katrina, Kavala, many times in Center City Athens, Olympia, Delphi and many cities in between. We have made life long friends as we visited missionaries as they share Christ here in Greece. We have learn about the ancient church, the current church and ancient and current history. 

It has been a blessed. We say farewell and trust the Lord’s blessing on His people wherever they may be around the world for the coming year

Last Day on the Islands

We took a short ferry from Aegina to Agistri. We were able to get a small “apartment” for $25 per night; nothing fancy but comfortable and clean. This is a cute island just off the coast of Athens. It’s quiet with nice beaches and good restaurants. I’m guessing that this island might be a getaway for Athenians. It has only $1000+ year round residents. It would be interesting what it would look like in winter season. 

Tomorrow we return to Athens, spend a night near the airport, get our Rapid Test for flying to the USA on Sunday and spend one more night at the Cosmo Center before heading home on Monday. My computer will be waiting for me at the Cosmo Center. I will welcome her like a long lost friend but in reality, it was probably a good break for me. My iPad seems to have done everything I needed.

It’s been a WONDER-filled trip. We experienced the peace of the islands, visited ancient biblical ruins to get a better perspective of the early church, got a vision for what God is doing in Greece today, got a tan, and ate endless amounts of Greek Salads, Gyros, goat in a bag (very good), lots of fish and other unexplainable foods and walked endless miles up and down the rolling hills and mountains of Greece along with ice cream made with Nexos milk (whatever that is - but they say it’s the best) and Gelato.

But a month is a long time to live out of a suitcase and it will be good to be home again. We still have a few adventures ahead of us as we meet all the kids in Maine (first time all together in 10 years) and a wedding in California before settling into our fall and winter routine.

Who knows what the next year will bring with our totalitarian government in the US but we do know that God is in control and oversees it all. We pray for all our children and grandchildren to be able to stand against the wiles of the devil and stay true to the Gospel of Christ as presented in the scriptures.

Now if we only get back home without testing positive for COVID we will be happy travelers!

Lost on Aegina

It’s 12:05 on Monday, September 20. We just boarded our ferry which will take us to the Island of Aegina. We spent the last two days in Athens and were able to visit Mars Hill and see where Paul reasoned and talk to the philosophers of his day presenting Christ as the unknown God that they were seeking to find. Once again we are amazed at how filthy the city is and full of graffiti and trash. When you look at all the evilness around I wonder what Paul was thinking when he walked into the city of Athens. From my perspective it seems hopeless, and yet Paul took the opportunity to reason in the synagogue and then to go to Mars Hill and talk to the philosophers. Other than that we had a relaxing time and ended of course with ice cream. 

Corinth

Thursday was a catch-up day; laundry, reorganizing suitcases, etc. On Friday, September 17, Lynette stayed at a CosmoVision Center and relaxed while Rich and Costis, our tour guide, took the train to  the ancient city of Corinth where there we were able to walk through the ruins that were so important in the ministry of the apostle Paul.

Paul’s first visit to Corinth is recorded Acts chapter 18. It is also the site of the church to which he wrote the letters of 1st and 2nd Corinthians. 

As they walked through the ancient site several things came to mind; first of all was the Bema seat which is a place of recognition of an individual by the city leaders. It can be a positive event in which the individual is glorified or it can be a negative event in which an individual is shamed and beaten.

Just in front of the Bema seat stood a small column where the individual had to kneel with the city leaders looking down on him. If he was someone to be honored he could then walk up to the Bema seat to be given his reward. If he was an enemy, the city fathers were ordered his arms be tied to the column and he would be beaten. It gives real meaning to the text which says every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord. 

Another interesting fact from the city of Corinth is the Acropolis, where there was a temple full of prostitutes who would all have had their heads shaven so when they would walk through the city everybody knew who they were.

When the apostle Paul wrote to the church we remember that the women had to have their heads covered. The purpose was not to shame anyone or to cause submission to the men but rather to give equality. If they all had their heads covered no one would know a persons background showing that in Christ all were equal.

Cosmovision

 In 2005 we were introduced to Fotis and Mary Romero. They are Greek missionaries to Greece with AMG Mission. Their goal is that everyone in Greece hears the gospel at least once in their life and they use many different ways to make that happen. 

One thing that has developed over time is the Cosmo Center. It is a location with a basketball court, a soccer field, sleeping accommodations for up to 100 teens and rooms for adults, a cafeteria and a conference center  it includes the word “cosmo”, the Greek word for “world” and the word “vision” since its goal is to instill a worldwide vision for spreading the gospel .  

While we were there an Albanian church came for a Baptism  and an international church had a weekend teen conference   

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Northern Greece

It’s been an amazing three days. We left Athens on Sunday after the morning service and headed up north having lunch by the seaside in the village of Agia Constantina and ending up at the Grand Hotel in Meteora. After a five course dinner at 9 PM we headed to our room for some rest. In the morning we headed up to the monasteries. Costis, who is a trained tour guide, and also one of the four trained tour guides in biblical history was able to explain to us the symbols and sacraments of the Greek Orthodox Church. Since he was headed to the priesthood before he came to know Christ as Savior he has an in-depth understanding of a lot of their traditions.

Our next stop was a city of Neapolis or Kamala. It was about a four Hour drive. After settling into our hotel we walked the waterfront and had a variety of fish for dinner. In the morning we headed to the ancient city of Philippi. We were first exposed to a the place where Paul met with Lydia and other prominent women. We then headed to the ancient city. What a joy to be able to listen and learn what it would have been like to be a resident of the city of Philippi listening to Paul in the town square.  As we walked the ancient city of Philippi we were able to stand in the place where Paul was questioned by the generals and where he was thrown in prison.  

Another two hour drive took us to a wonderful seaside hotel near Katrina where we relaxed and had a swim in the Aegean Sea. Katrina has the largest evangelical church in Greece and we were able to meet one of its members in his home.

On Wednesday we headed to Thessaloniki where we saw some ruins of the town square and also visited a museum that explained so much of Greek history.

Then another four hour drive back to Athens. We are staying in the Cosmo Center run by AMG missions  but that’s for another day. I will be posting some video on my YouTube channel later  

My computer is at the repair shop because of an accidental spill of coke so we will have to see how recording does on the iPad. 

Here are a few pictures to enjoy!

Sunday

What a glorious beginning to the Lord's Day. We were able to worship with other Greek believers at New Life Evangelical Church. (I will post some singing, etc. on my youtube page). It is always a thrill to be with other believes in a different country and culture.

After the service we drove north; had lunch at Agias Konstantines along the waterfront. Then headed to Meteora where we took a peek at the monasteries and ended at the Grand Meteora Hotel. We will be learning a lot in the next few days so need to keep our minds sharp.

Personally, it's is awesome to just sit and listen as the three theologically trained men as they correspond. I will probably only catch a portion of it all, but then, I'm married to someone who feels a need to share everything he learns so I'm sure I will get a rerun many times over in the next month.

Here are some pictures to enjoy. (The black and white dish is cuttlefish with ink risotto). Apparently this is where they get the ink for writing and it colors the risotto black. Taste better than it looks.

Last Day on Naxos

Friday was our last day on the island of Naxos. We decided to rent a car and drive around to see some villages we had not visited on our previous tour. 

We stopped in Moni for some french fries and coke (you can't beat the potatoes of Naxos) and then walked the city where we came upon a lady with a weaving loom. I bought a purse just to encourage her. 

We then headed to see the "Kouros." These are statues carved out of rock in the shape of a person probably before the time of Christ. They are guessing they were supposed to be a statue of the ideal man. I can't believe they had planned to roll them on logs to the harbor. But they broke, one at the neck and one at the feet so they are just laying there.

We stopped at The Rotunda for lunch. A beautiful spot at the top of the mountain overlooking the valley. I gave me some ideas for my courtyard.

Adventurers that we are, we took a back road down to Agiassos Beach. Glad we didn't run out of gas as it would have been a long walk back.

That was a full day that ended at the Waffle House for waffle with ice cream. Yum! My new favorite - Raspberry Chocolate Chunk. The flavor just burst in your mouth.

On our way home we drove by a marble factory and was able to pick up a small piece of Naxos white marble.

We logged in another 15000 steps walked on my iwatch.

Here are a few pictures for you to enjoy.

Still on the Island of Naxos

What a beautiful island! It's called the windy island and attracts many wind surfers. Our room at the Naxos Beach Resort is on the main floor with a small porch. It is near a path which is not traveled much so it seems very private. It's also close to the pool so it is easy to take a dip to cool off after a long walk to the Plaka. It's also just a short walk to the beach.

Naxos is an island of about 20,000 people year round. This swells to 200,000 in the summer months. It is noted for its long sandy beaches  We are in the shoulder season so it's touristy but not too busy. It is the family home of our friend Fotis so that is why he was here to visit extended family. He says there are a handful of evangelical churches on this island.

On Tuesday we took a bus tour around the island. Very interesting driving with a big bus up and down the mountain roads. The bus takes up all the roadway and if we meet a car, he just toots his horn and they need to find a place to squeeze to the side.

We have not had an agenda except to relax and refresh. Everyday we walk to the Plaka, eat Greek food, look at all the shops and sit on a bench by the waterfront. Yesterday I logged 18,885 steps on my apple watch.

The next two day - well, I'm not sure. We talked about renting a car and driving around the island and then we need to do some laundry before packing to leave on Saturday. Our ferry leaves around 11 a.m. so we will be leaving about the time you just might be thinking about getting up depending on where you are located. It's a 10 hour time difference in AZ, 7 hours EST and 6 hours Halifax time.

On Sunday we plan to attend one o the churches Fotis started and the we will leave Sunday afternoon for our trip to Philippi, Thessaloniki etc. . It sounds like it will be very informative and I'm hoping I can do some recording at each site which I will hopefully post to my youtube channel.

Here are a few pictures to enjoy