First off, thank you so much for following our blog and praying for our team and Operation Joshua. Your prayers are being felt and answered!

Today was our last day of Bible distribution, and it was one for the books. Our van (Krista, Nate, and the Kleinschmidts) was about halfway done with our section, and we were taking our lunch break on the side of the road. We were about to head to our next area when a man angrily approached our van and started yelling at us, calling us “heretics”. Our translator, Viky, stayed calm and tried to explain to him what we were doing, but he wouldn’t listen. We got in our van to leave, but he wouldn’t let us, blocking the van with his body every time we tried to move out.

Eventually the police arrived, and they talked to the angry man and another man from the street. We were then asked to follow the police to the police station. On the way to the station, we were praying and singing to the Lord, thanking him for this opportunity to talk with the authorities about what we were doing.

At the station, we gave the police our passports and other information, while one of their officials talked to the two men. After talking to the police for a while, the two men left, and the other man who came from the street apologized to us on the way out, for he had realized that what we were doing was not illegal and not against the Orthodox Church.

We waited in the station for about another hour or so, and decided to mark some passages in the Bibles we had with us and give them personally to the officers. They took the Bibles and thanked us. The main official gave us our passports back and told us that it was his dream to go to the United States and Chicago, but that it was too expensive. Laura offered for him to stay at her home if he ever visits and ended up giving him her email! We are praying he comes!

Our visit to the police station was positive all-throughout. We were reminded of Acts 4, when Peter and John were before the council for healing a man. They spoke boldly of Christ, and the authorities found no reason to keep them any longer, similar to our experience today!

Thank you for your prayers for our safety. Please continue praying for the angry man, that his heart would be softened. Pray for the police officers, that they would read their new Bibles and find new life in Christ! Pray for all the people in the country of Greece who received new Bibles this week (all 80,000 of them!) and that the gospel seed gets planted, watered, and sown. Praise God for all He has done and continues to do!

Megan