First Baptist Church Statesville

We had our first taste of Greek food-Gyros! 

On Thursday we were blessed with the opportunity to visit the archeological site of ancient Corinth. Paul visited the church in Corinth on two of his missionary journeys. The first he stayed for 18 months and the second for 3 months. He left behind several hundred followers of Jesus. 

After Corinth we drove to the ancient port of Cenchrae where we are told in Acts that the apostle Paul left via ship for Ephesus. 

We shared communion here on the sea shore. 

After splitting up into three groups, we served at three different places around the city. On a picture you can see the group serving at RainLab - a clothing store helping refugees from around the world.

Today is our first full ministry day. We are all taking either the bus or the train to our ministry sights. We met various people along the way and were able to see a lot of downtown Athens. 

Some of the team went to Good Samaritan, a ministry of Hellenic Ministries. We played with the kids and assisted the staff with cleanup. 

This evening we were able to go on a walking tour of Athens where we learned so much about the modern and ancient city. 

During the walking tour, we went through an area called Plaka which is the oldest part of the city and filled with shops and restaurants as well as other old buildings, ancient ruins and churches. 

Our team had the opportunity to visit the Acropolis and Parthenon on Saturday. We toured all of the ancient structures that the apostle Paul would have also seen during his visit to Athens. The stunning architecture and magnificent views of the city were breathtaking. 

This morning we were welcomed to the First Evangelical Church of Athens. We met several people from the congregation and learned about the provision of God from Exodus.

Our team had the opportunity to visit the Olympic stadium of the modern era in Athens. The first modern Olympics were held here in 1896. Before that it was used by Romans and gladiators and ancient Greeks.

Sunset on Mars Hill in Athens. 

This is where the apostle Paul spoke to the Athenians about the unknown God in Acts 17. 

Part of our group was able to help with children and youth ministry at Good Samaritan organisation. 

Our team was able to hear about Rain Lab, which helps refugee women learn to sew items for sale, gain business experience, and in the process have hope for the future and eternity. We were able to help prepare a space for their supplies. 

We had the opportunity to learn about Threads of Hope which is a ministry that helps trafficked women and provides training for sewing skills, housing, counseling, and much more. We learned all about the ministry met some of the amazing women and had an opportunity to join them in some projects.

Another group of the team got a chance to hear about the Threads of Hope ministry to women. They have a learning center where the women learn to sew and gain confidence that was lost through their past experiences. We also served the ministry by getting material cut and ready for their next sewing project. 

The guys completed a painting project at Rainlab. 

On Tuesday part of the group had the opportunity to serve the Greeks with food and drinks. 

Today was our last day of ministry with several of our team going back to ministries we had already served alongside. After some of the team served again at Good Samaritan, we circled up with the other volunteers and talked and prayed for the ministry. 

Today our team will get to have some fun and enjoy three islands of Greece after a week of great ministry. 

Our team had a great time on the day cruise! This was a fantastic way to end our time in Greece!

We had a great time going over all the amazing ministry and Biblical sites that we had the opportunity to serve with and visit. We talked about how we can all take these memories and experiences back with us to our home communities where we can serve those near our homes. It has been a great week of ministry serving the people of Athens Greece who have come here from all over the world. 

Thank you for coming so far from home to serve with us in Greece. We loved serving with everyone on the team and getting to know you all. We will be praying for safe travels and blessings as you arrive home. 

George, Beth, Dawid

The team is on their way to the airport! We have loved having the Statesville team--the team who made PPM Greece a new location!