Dear friends and family,
As always, so much has happened since our last newsletter. We had time for a lot of extra ministry activities over the summer. Here are some highlights, especially from the summer camps where we saw God work in exciting ways…
- Men’s Camp - Women’s Camp - Family Camp -
Out of the busy city, past the refugee camps, and into the Greek country side is a place called Porto Astro. Hidden in a bay surrounded by mountains and only accessible by boat or rough donkey trail, it is a beautiful, peaceful haven. Every summer the retreat center comes to life with visitors. For many years now, Helping Hands has partnered with Hellenic Ministries (the ministry that runs and owns the camp), many other ministries in Athens, and short term teams from around the world to hold a Men’s Camp and a Family Camp for our refugee friends. At family camp alone there were 19 different nationalities working together to serve the guests! In addition, this year was the first ever Women’s Camp! The camps were each a week long.
Men’s Camp
Henk: It was great to participate in Men’s Camp. We had around 60 refugee men attend. The men all arrived by boat, and along with the electricity being generator-supplied and water being barged in from across the bay added to the sense of remoteness and adventure. It was great opportunity to get out of the stress of daily life in Athens, clear their minds and focus on God’s Word.
Twice a day, there was a time of worship and a devotion led by our Afghan and Iranian brothers, followed by a discussion group. Each group included several Farsi-speaking believers and seekers. It was great time for those seeking to ask questions, and new believers to be strengthened and learn how to share their faith. After lunch it was time for fun and games – archery, wall climbing, swimming, canoeing and playing soccer and volleyball. Of course, we have a lifeguard on duty since many of the guys have never learned how to swim.
I was in a group with a number of teenage Afghan guys, most of whom had never opened a Bible before or heard anything about Jesus. At first, they were very quiet and seemed to just observe from a safe distance, but as the week went on they started becoming more involved and asking some questions. Other guests were more ready to hear and accept the message that was spoken. On the last evening we had a special time where everyone gathered in a tight group around the new believers and prayed. Many of these men, who are so used to masking their feelings, became emotional and cried their heart out. It was so moving and we felt God’s Spirit at work.
The next morning it was time for baptisms. We all gathered at the sea, heard testimonies and rejoiced with each of the new brothers. One of them, Josh, had become a believer in Iran a year ago but had never had the chance to be baptized. His friend Ali knew and believed the essential teachings of the Gospel, but had been teetering on the edge of taking a step to follow Jesus. At the end of the baptisms, there was one last call for anyone who wanted to take this opportunity to follow Christ. Our jaws dropped in amazement when Ali stepped into the water and said, “I want to!”.
Women’s Camp
Allie: It was a privilege to be part of the first Women’s Camp. For this camp the focus was on the Refugee believers. It is amazing that there were enough women farsi/dari-speaking believers for this camp to happen. For many of these brave women it was the first time they ever had a chance to take a “retreat” away from home life and responsibilities. The Persian church, husbands and the community in Athens came together to provide childcare for all the children. With 35 women there were only 3 babies! (In most of our settings children can easily outnumber adults.) For some of the women it was a huge blessing to meet other women followers of Jesus for the first time.
So many of these women have suffered so much for what they believe. It was a beautiful to see them come together to challenge and encourage one another, and to learn, grow, and heal together as they follow Jesus.
Family Camp
Barely a week after Allie came back from women’s camp, we were off again, this time for family camp. It was fun going together after both having had our own experience there. The atmosphere of family camp was totally different than either of the previous camps… the number of guests times 3! And… wow, so many kids!
As we welcomed our guests off the boats the kids spilled out and spread over the grounds like a colony of ants inspecting and collecting crumbs. The swings filled up, trampolines were bouncing, balls flying, and everything and anything turned into a toy!
Many of the adults stared around in amazement at the beautiful landscape and campgrounds. The euphoria tampered down a little bit (especially when some discovered the spiders!), but the atmosphere remained cheerful and peaceful for the rest of the camp. At times it was a challenge to get everyone to their programs on time, but in the end everyone did listen to the teachings and participate in the small groups. We had an amazing child and baby care team that blessed the parents with their help and programs for the kids.
The Bible messages and small groups were lead by refugee believers. One of the teachers had actually come to camp just 4 years ago purposefully to keep Afghans from becoming Christians. Later on he became a follower of Jesus, and now he passionately and boldly shares Jesus with his own people. He has the gift of bringing this message in a humble, approachable yet persuasive way. Conversation about the teaching spread beyond the small group settings into meals and free time. The Farsi-speaking believers shared with their people their stories of how Jesus transformed their lives. One woman, when asked if she had seen evidence of this new creation in her life or the lives of others, responded that she’d seen it this week in all the Christians who came to love and serve them, and even care for their kids so they could enjoy camp.
Henk: I was in a small group with Ali. Ali had a good job in Iran as a banker, and had two houses, one of which a villa on the sea. However, he was an unhappy man, often angry with his wife and child. He and his family had to flee for their lives, and the government confiscated all his property. When they arrived in Athens, they were lost in the city one day when they heard the sound of singing coming from an open door. Walking inside, they stumbled into a Persian fellowship group. Several weeks later, they prayed to accept Christ at the small Persian church. Ali testified that he now felt such peace and joy inside which he had lacked all this time even though he had everything he could want. In fact, he said it was all worth it to leave their country and loose their possessions to find this peace. He and his wife were baptized at the end of the week.
Another couple listened intently and were engaged in discussions with several of the Farsi speaking believers. It was clear they were genuinely searching. The lady, Mary, told one of our coworkers, "Could it be true that I have been wrong about my faith for the past 30 years?" She asked for prayer to discern truth from lie, and the next morning God answered that prayer. She and her husband accepted Christ and were baptized that day!
In one of the female discussion groups, one of the ladies (who is not a believer) asked for prayer that everyone would accept this message and believe in Jesus! When our teammate was done praying, another lady (also not a believer) asked to be sure that she had mentioned this prayer request! For the women it can be so difficult to respond to the message of Jesus when their husbands are not on the same line, but praise God he is working in their hearts!
One woman, middle aged and married without children (a great shame in Afghan culture), had so much joy learning how to swim and kayak. This woman is completely illiterate, not even able to read the bus numbers, and always dependent on others to help her navigate the city. Her sense of joy and accomplishment was visible as she kayaked around the bay completely on her own!
- Home Visits - Bible Study - Beach Day - Visitors -
Prayer and Praise
Thank God for our refugee volunteers, who are vital to our ministry. Pray for encouragement and perseverance for them. Several of our close friends have gone and are going through difficult times recently.
Also pray for the Afghan fellowship, which is going through hard times. They’ve had the building where they’ve met and some of their homes pulled out from under them. Pray for God’s provision, guidance, and grace for them. Pray for unity and protection.
Please pray for the families that attended the camp, for God’s continued work in their lives. Pray for the women who attended camp and asked for prayer that God would show them which path is true. Pray for unity in families, and safety for seekers and believers.
Many of you might have heard of the devastating forest fires around Athens this summer. Thank God, we were safe and most of the city itself has not been affected (except by the heavy smoke). But in a suburb half an hour from us many people lost their lives. Pray for the people affected, that they would find comfort and hope in Jesus and that the church here as they reach out to their hurting community.
Now that the dry summer has come to an end we are experience big storms in the Mediterranean. Please pray for the refugees that are living in the streets and in tent camps like the Moria camp in Lesbos where conditions are already terrible. Pray for God to stop the smugglers from sending people on rafts on the sea route from Turkey to Greece during the dangerous storms.
Praise God for the good trip we had to the States in September. We had a good time visiting both of our supporting churches, many friends and some of Allie’s family. We left feeling encouraged and refreshed!
