Dear friends,
Happy Easter! Christ has risen!
Easter is one of our favorite times of the year in Greece, as the weather is pleasantly warm but not too hot, the fields and mountains are bursting with wildflowers and we are celebrating the most important celebration of the year - Christ’s death, burial and resurrection! All over Greece, people greet each other with the words “Christos anesti!” (Christ is risen) - “Alithos anesti!” (He is risen indeed).
You may have noticed that this email is being sent from a different address. As of last summer, we have made a transition to being sent out through International Teams Netherlands (ITeams NL). Although some things have changed for us here in Athens, for the most part we can continue to be involved in the same ministry work. Also, One Collective has agreed to keep our US account open, so for those financially supporting us you can continue to do so through One Collective. They will forward our funds to ITeams NL. Let us know if you have any questions.
Blessed are the peacemakers
As part of our weekly Bible study with a group of Farsi-speaking prisoners, we have been reading the Beatitudes as a prayer. One week, we focused specifically on the question: what does it mean to be peacemakers? Many of the men in our group come from situations of war, violence, corruption and injustice. Our conversation soon turned to world events and politics in the Middle East. One man said, “... {the people of a certain group} all deserve to die”. We discussed whether this reflects a Christ-like attitude. What does it look like to be peacemakers in this situation? The men recognized the problem and expressed a desire to follow Jesus in this area, but the practical outworking is very challenging! How can we let go of preconceived notions and misconceptions, truly listen to those different from us, and see them through Jesus’ eyes? The book “Emotionally Healthy Spirituality” (chapter 9) provides practical steps on learning to become a true peacemaker, and the men were eager to learn. Please keep these men in your prayers as they learn to follow Jesus in all areas of life.
“What could it look to be a peacemaker in your context? ”
Opportunities for Sharing
Last fall, we were asked to give a presentation on self care, burnout and resilience to a group of ministry leaders serving Afghans worldwide. Our first thought was, why us? Most of these leaders have years, if not decades, more ministry experience than us, and they are from a variety of cultural backgrounds, many of them closer to the community they serve than we are. However, it was encouraging to find that by simply applying some of the same approaches we use with the teenagers and young adults, we were able to create a safe atmosphere where people were able to open up and have vulnerable conversations. We have been working through questions of self-care, emotional health, burnout and resilience ourselves over the past year or two through some difficult experiences, so working through this material hit close to home.
At the Refugee Highway Partnership conference in Malaga, Spain, last month, we were asked to lead a workshop on working with refugee teens. We were encouraged to see a growing interest in reaching out to this group that up till now has often been overlooked by refugee ministries.
Thanks to all who are a part of this work through encouragement, support and prayer!