The Shell is Worth Cracking: 1st Greece Update

Hey guys!! I apologize for being a stranger I definitely got lazy and put this blog off but there’s so much to unpack! Starting off with…

DEBRIEF 

This was my last week in Thailand when we got to be all together as a squad again for a week. I thought it was just the best. I missed all my other buddies and got to make deeper connections with people I hadn’t really gotten a chance to know toward the beginning of the race. This week consisted of unpacking the past month in Thailand, figured out what we did good, what we can improve on, and goal setting for Greece! We also played lots of card games which was super bonding.

TRAVEL DAY 

83 hours of planes, buses and trains they just keep getting longer!! We said goodbye once again to our friends who we will see again in the coming country. And excitingly we got to spend a full 24 hours in Romania for a layover! It was so shocking coming from 90s to 45° weather 😂. Although the architecture was beautiful and we were soo excited to have something other than chicken & rice! There was definitely culture shock but we enjoyed it nonetheless. They did not lie when they said Thailand was the land of smiles and us as Americans are thought of very highly in their culture so as you can imagine… we got humbled very quickly coming to the EU where people have harder shells on their outside exterior.

THESSALONIKI/ MINISTRY

We were picked up from the bus by our host Antonis. He shortly introduced us to his family and his coffee shop “Moses” that he uses to reach the community! This coffee shop has been a blessing on Thessaloniki as they use it to host Bible studies, church and invite strangers on the street in. We take part in this movement by going out into the city! Our job is to make friends so we can bring them back to an established community after we leave. So far we have had some success! We also take part in a refugee center where we help prepare food and make connection (we lovee this). Our third ministry opportunity is going to a camp about 30mins from the city. This camp is being built to create community and a center for retreats, our job is to continue help build that and clean whatever they may need. To me the best part about working here is where it is located! This camp is sitting on top of the route where the Apostle Paul walked through to preach to the Greeks! There is definitely no shortage of history here!

LIVING SITCH 

We live in an apartment that is owned by our host which he uses to house women coming out of domestic violence. We live very close to the city center and something I learned about Greece is that they have a very heavy “walk” culture. This is where most people, even ones with cars will usually walk instead of drive or take public transport. As I said before the weather was for sure a shock and seasonal depression was lowkey taking over our team BUT the sun has been out for the past week which has made this so much more bearable and I think I’m getting used to the cold again haha! I think my favorite part of Greece has been the fresh foods and different scenery. We live a 15min walk from the ocean which has been so freaking awesome and beautiful. Plus! For dinners we have a new system where everyone has a day to cook and we are in charge of the budget and what we will make! This has been super fun because I’ve gotten to see what my teammates bring to the table based on their family traditions or what they like to eat and if you don’t know my team… we really bond over food.

GOALS/ WHAT IVE LEARNED

Honestly I feel like time is flying too fast for comfort and I have this feeling of constantly wanting to live in the moment and hold onto it but before I know it it’s already gone. Because of this, I’ve been contemplating time quite a bit and I really admire how the Greeks take life very slowly. Antonis (our host) has really been teaching me this concept. He talks very slowly and takes many loops and analogies to get to his point. If you don’t know me very well, I like quick answers when I ask questions and usually lose focus if it doesn’t come through the way I expect. This has been a weak spot I’ve been working to strengthen! Antonis has put this to the test and let me tell you, as he’s been working with me over the past three weeks I have become completely engaged when he speaks. Let me give you some background on him, he is a theologian who has the ability to make you question everything you’ve ever believ even if you thought it was 100% sound. Although this freaked me out in the beginning I have grown to love the journey of our conversations and now have a complete different view on it! I’ll give you an example of this is,

One day after church we were trying to figure out where he wanted us to evangelize. So we went to him while he was sitting, alone, in the corner of the coffee shop and all he said was,“please just allow me to enjoy my coffee”. So of course we went back to sat down and an hour later he came to us telling us where to go.

All this to say, this just shows a glimpse of their culture and how he is teaching all of us to just sit in the moment and enjoy it before we move onto or think about anything else. I have definitely learned that the shell is worth cracking.

Okay guys! That was the update, thank you for reading and keeping me in all of your prayers! FOUR MONTHS TO GO!! 🥲 🎉 ‼️

Overlook on the “White Tower”

The neighborhood I live in!

Pirates Ship! (we rode on it)

Fun cars that always make me giggle

My team 🙂