Dear Friends and Family,
Greetings from Athens, where we are on the verge of spring! Even though we haven’t experienced the snowstorms and cold fronts that batter the Midwestern US, we are still excited about warmer weather and especially the fields of flowers that will soon be here.
Four Praises
Stories of God’s faithfulness in this new year
Matt and zack
Last month, we came back to Athens after a Christmas trip to the news that a young friend of ours, Matt, was in jail. This was a huge shock! Matt (16) and his brother Zack (14) grew up in Afghanistan. Their small village is controlled by an extremist group which is constantly battling the government. When asked directly why they left, they reply “so we can go to school”. Listening, further it is clear that their family sent them away to save them from forced enlistment into the extremist group. They left behind their parents and 8 siblings and within a half year, arrived in Athens with their grandma. They came to Helping Hands a year ago and since then we’ve developed a friendship with them and they always come by to greet me with a smile and just to hang out, to play games at our weekly game night for teens or to watch the Jesus film in the kids’ room.
It turned out Matt was in jail because the police had stopped him on the street on a day he forgot to carry his ID card on him. When his younger brother went to the police station to find out where he was being held, they wouldn’t give any information. Some time later, after some persistence Zack and his grandma finally found out which jail Matt was in and brought his ID to the police. However, the police did not respond except to say that he would be held for at least 3 months.
When Zack shared this with us, we were frustrated and worried. We knew that these boys have had a lot of issues with authorities mistreating them throughout their whole journey, including the Greek police. It is so hard to see these young guys looking for something safe and stable only to have the authority figures and powers around them consistently use, abuse, and disregard them. We promised to try to help him and we prayed together, asking God to step in on behalf of Matt, keep him safe, and bring him freedom .
A few days later, I (Henk) opened the door at men’s day and to my utter amazement, there was Matt in front of me! He had unexpectedly been released! He and Zack both had a HUGE smile and their faces and I gave them him a big hug. I told them we had been praying (and also many of our friends), and they kept smiling.
Praises and Prayer
Praise that we were able to be involved with the Youth Camp weekend, at the same place where the yearly Family, Men’s and Women’s camp is held. It was a great time with 40 youth, believers and seekers, coming together to heard from God’s Word and enjoy a fun time together.
Thanks to all of you on our prayer group who prayed for Matt and Zack! Please keep praying for them. Their situation became more difficult as their grandma left for Germany several weeks ago, leaving them behind by themselves. Pray that they won’t get caught up with the wrong crowd, but that they will make wise decisions as they figure out how to survive here on their own. Praise that they were able to come to Youth Camp.
Pray for God to bless Mo and Summer’s family and their ministry to fellow refugees. Pray also that Mo will be able to find a job and provide income for his family. It’s difficult for local people to find work here in Greece, let alone refugees.
Praise for Nadia’s husband being found, and pray that he will soon be reunited with his wife and son.
Pray for the many refugees who are newly arriving in the city. Many are without a place to stay and are sleeping on the streets. Our Friday tea house program has been so full to the point of utter chaos recently. Pray for peace in our center and wisdom for us in how to best help these people.
Some of the girls Allie has befriended are going through tough times and we need wisdom to know how to deal with a complicated and difficult situation.
Pray that we will be able to find rest and strength in God in the midst of busy and intense work weeks!
Baby samueL 01.28.19
Our friends Mo and Summer also featured previously in our prayer updates and newsletter. They have been our close friends since they got involved in Helping Hands around a year ago, and we have had many adventures together, both in the ministry and outside. We had the privilege of taking them out of the city to see some sights in the Greek countryside and spend a night in a mountain village. It was beautiful and sad to see them taken off guard by the hospitality and friendliness of the local villagers - something they don’t experience in the city very much.
Visiting Corinth on the way
They had waited for 7 years and almost lost hope of having a child. Some even suggested God had cursed them for following Jesus. Then last year they found out they were pregnant! Our team has been closely involved with them and we held a baby shower for them. As Summer’s due date came closer there were some unexpected health complications. One evening, they went in for a check up and due to some healthy concerns, they kept Summer in for the evening. Mo didn’t get clear information from the doctors so we, along with our Greek teammate, came in to help and give moral support. That evening Summer had a c-section. Allie spent the next several days and nights in the hospital helping Summer with her baby, navigating the languages and cultures in the hospital, and just being there with her as she recovered.
Praise God for baby Samuel - his name means “God Heard”! Mother and son are both doing well. This family is an inspiration and example to us in their trust in God and their passion for sharing their faith.
Click the photo to enlarge
Long lost
Nadia is a person I (Henk) would usually not interact with. She is a woman alone, from a culture where unrelated people from opposite genders usually don’t speak to each other. However, I found myself sitting next to her at a Tuesday meal day, and she seemed lonely and sad, so I struck up a conversation. I invited her to my English class for illiterate people, and she faithfully showed up for several weeks and showed a persistence to learn despite never having gone to school. One day she told me part of her story. She and her family were Afghan refugees in Iran, when her husband was detained by police and deported back to Afghanistan, leaving her and her children behind. Deportation often means facing danger and hardship. Nadia didn’t hear from her husband for five years, and eventually gave up hope of finding him alive. Eventually, she left for Greece with her son. After hearing her story, I prayed with her, not knowing how to pray and not suspecting that God would answer far beyond what I had faith to pray for.
Two months later Nadia came up to Allie full of excitement and started rattling off urgently in Farsi! When we got her to calm down and talk slowly, we understood a miracle had happened - her husband had been found! He had been kidnapped and held hostage for five years, and had only just been released and found an opportunity to contact Nadia to share the news! She attributed this miracle to our prayers, and we were humbled by seeing this great answer to prayer. We are continuing to pray that Nadia and her son may be reunited to their husband and father soon.
“Last week, a lady came to Helping Hands. She had been to the Christmas party but had not been back to Helping Hands since. She shared with our team that after the Christmas parties she had a dream. In her dream she saw many people gathered around a Christmas tree. Each person brought something beautiful to hang on the tree. As she came closer she knew that the people were hanging their hopes and dreams to the tree. Then, a man in white appeared next to her. “Why don’t you join them and hang something up?” he asked. She replied, “I have nothing to bring, I have no hope, I have no dreams”. The man in white then said to her, “Come to me and I will give you hope and dreams, for I am alive and I am Life!”.”
A look back at our Christmas programs in December 2018.
Thank you for being a part of bringing God’s kingdom, both here and in your own place!
Blessings,