On Wednesday, we had a day full of orientation, prayer, and loading up the van with hundreds of New Testaments before heading out for our first day of bible distribution on Thursday. We picked up our information folder, which contains the names of the villages we are to visit (including population and number of bibles to distribute,) maps, and dispatch phone numbers. After a quick breakfast and devotional, we met the rest of our team – three Greek youth group kids from Athens: Alexandra, Timos, and Viki. The nine of us drove two hours to our first village. We were nervous about how things would go but were very thankful that we had three Greek speakers to communicate with any people we may encounter in the villages. 

Upon arriving at the village, we prayed together at the highest point, loaded ourselves with bags (each containing a new testament in Greek, information about Operation Joshua (OJ), and a testimony from a famous Greek musician), and set off in three groups. We hung Bibles on door knobs, fence posts, and even handed them to some people. We were rejected by some, but continued to push forward and carry ourselves with strength from Jesus, hoping to be a light for him to the people we encountered. We went to five different villages and followed the same steps at each one, ending the last one with a buddy car (a vehicle in a nearby region that assists another group if necessary) in order to finish our village assignments for the day. We then returned to our camp for supper and afterward headed back to the hotel with one day of experience under our belts.

Although some people wanted nothing to do with us, some, happily accepted the bibles after a bit of conversation and the realization that the bibles are a free gift. We prayed that they would take time to read them and would find the promise of salvation. 

God has given us countless opportunities for developing the virtue of patience. The language barrier has been difficult at times, the heat has exceeded 90 degrees, we’ve spent many hours in the car, and we have gotten little sleep. We are relying heavily on God and asking him for strength, patience, and discipline through our mission here.

Please pray for wisdom in communicating and interacting with the Greek people we meet in the villages. Pray that they would be receptive to the gift of the gospel. Also pray for energy, rest, and patience for us as a team.

Alexandra