Happy Sunday!

After doing dishes, cleaning bathrooms, and cooling off in the sea, we headed to Chalkida, the city nearest Porto Astro, for the late afternoon. We hiked along the “goat path,” a narrow, rocky walkway, which was an adventure to say the least! The bus was running on Greek time, so we got to spend 30 minutes by the water, taking photos and throwing a frisbee.

The view along the drive was breathtaking! Bright blue water contrasted with forest green and sandy-colored mountains filled phone screens as we tried to capture the marvel of God’s creative handiwork. After walking along the boardwalk, consuming too much gelato, a dinner of delicious gyros, and team debrief, we boarded the bus back to camp.

This week has been very different than the previous one when we served at kid’s camp. Fortunately, our God is the same, and He is at work here in Greece. I’ve been so encouraged by the maturity, leadership, and inclusivity of The Orchard high school students on this trip, especially the way they serve others so selflessly despite being hot and tired. They’ve embraced the Egyptian kids and formed relationships with them as well as Greeks, Canadians, and Albanians.

I’ve been reading “Life Together” by Dietrich Bonhoeffer throughout the trip and have seen his observations regarding Christian community come to life. He writes, “The more genuine and the deeper our community becomes, the more will everything else between us recede, the more clearly and purely will Jesus Christ and his work become the one and only thing that is vital between us.” (Bonhoeffer 26)

Thank you for your prayers over the past 2 weeks; we’ve needed and felt them! Tomorrow will be our last day of “Leadership Camp” before we head to Athens on Tuesday afternoon. Please pray for a strong finish, meaningful conversations, lots of energy, positive attitudes as well as safe travels for our team and the Egyptians.

In Christ,

Val