How beautiful it is when someone has a thirst for the Word of God, as in the following story from Operation Joshua this year! One of our volunteers explains: “As we were in a village in Trikala, I left a bag with a New Testament on a door and turned to leave. As I was walking away, I heard someone behind me yelling while chasing me. In the beginning, I was scared because I didn’t understand the language she was speaking, but I soon realized that she lived in…
A story of salvation
“Welcome! What did you bring us?” Mrs. Eleni from Trikala asked with a dose of anticipation when she saw the gift I left at her door. After explaining it was a New Testament, she looked at me and said, “We are old now. We’re about to die. Do you know where we’re going?”. I couldn’t believe my ears! It was the perfect opportunity to talk to her about the salvation Jesus offers!
Our country needs this!
We never know how the person in front of us will respond when we offer them a free New Testament. Stories like the following encourage us to continue the distribution vigorously, with persistence, joy, and a lot of enthusiasm. As we were handing out New Testaments on the beach of Itea, a woman stopped to ask what we were doing. When we explained to her that we had gathered volunteers from all over the world to share the Gospel in every Greek home she said…
The Word of God touches lives
How much pain can a woman like Mrs. Eleni who has a husband with cancer and two children with health problems, carry? A lot, confirmed this aching mother. Yesterday, she asked us to visit her at her home so she could talk about her situation. Holding the New Testament, we explained the message of salvation. On the spot, she received the truth she heard…
From a suspicious to an open heart
“Things were difficult. Our car was trapped at a dead end in a remote village in Trikala and we could tell that it would take a while before we would be able to leave. Without wanting to waste time, I took the opportunity and went to a nearby house to give a New Testament. The family who lived there looked at me suspiciously because of the gift I was holding, and at the same time told me that they were afraid I would infect them…
Helping Each Other
We left a New Testament pack at the gate of a house and suddenly a lady passed by and took it from where we had hung it and put it on her bicycle. We were surprised and tried to figure out what was going on, then she explained: “The lady who lives here is 100 years old and can’t read. I’ll take the New Testament and come and read it to her!” We are very happy that the local people have received the Word of God so well!
Improving the conditions in Roma houses
Can a new door on your home make you happy? It sure can, especially when it keeps your favorite belongings safe from the gaze of burglars. Nikos, a resident of the Roma community in Ano Liossia, is one of eight shack owners so far who have benefited from the Petalouda Educational Center’s House Project Program, which seeks to improve local living conditions…
Gratitude in Action
One night while our Exit teams were distributing hot chocolate to the homeless in the streets of Athens, a young Indian asked me to walk with him for a while. “Of course” I answered, and followed him. He wanted to know if we were the team that helped the poor. When I said yes, he said he had something to give me…
Ευγνωμοσύνη στην πράξη
Μια βραδιά στο κέντρο της Αθήνας, και ενώ οι εθελοντές της ομάδας ΕΧΙΤ είχαν βγει να μοιράσουν ροφήματα στους άστεγους της πρωτεύουσας, ένας νεαρός Ινδός ρώτησε έναν από εμάς: «Πάμε λίγο πιο δίπλα;». «Βεβαίως» του απάντησα και τον ακολούθησα. Με ρώτησε αν είμασταν η ομάδα που βοηθάμε τους φτωχούς, και όταν του απάντησα καταφατικά, μου είπε πως είχε κάτι να μου δώσει…
A Divine Appointment
“As we were distributing New Testaments in the village of Rizochori in Northern Greece, I noticed an elderly woman sitting on her veranda, dressed in black. She was preparing a dish of sweetened boiled wheat for the memorial prayer of her husband, who had died 40 days previously. She looked very sad. I went close to greet her and…”