Very thankful...

There are lots of things about today that I want to give thanks to God for. Firstly, please do keep praying for I am seeing answers to prayer each day. A prayer on my heart has been that my colleagues and neighbours would come to know that I am a Christian. How thankful and praising the Lord I was this morning when my first conversation with a colleague, ended in me discovering that he is a Christian! I also today (just in conversation) managed to say to one neighbour that I was going to church in the evening, then later in the day, to another neighbour that I was going to church. Please continue to pray about all this, but I am very thankful today for these conversations. These are little steps in the right direction and as one Chinese person put it once (I think) - 'A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step' (how profound).

Recycling, the possibilities are endless!
Doing my bit for Greece. 6 bottles =

€0.02 (long way to go for my millions!)

 





I made good progress with my lesson planning today, another three lessons done (or at least in a plan). There is certainly a lot of new information to take in, but I am reassured by my director of studies that I'll be fine. The school have been extremely welcoming and I know it will be a place where I will be learning (maybe just as much if not more then my students!).

I'm steadily beginning to know my way around and starting to see the assuring presence of the known. That is, walking to work and thinking, 'I've seen that before' or 'this is the right street' (that one feels good). It's all very comforting to know your way. I've definitely learnt that we so often come to take our surroundings for granted. The familiar too quickly becomes over familiar! Being thrown into the unfamiliar has given me a great opportunity for learning and a very valuable experience.  

One other unfamiliar I've been introduced to since living in Athens is my new church. The Church Mission Society pointed me in the direction of the Glyfada Christian Centre as a church where I could serve and look to get involved in mission. The experience of attending a church very different to what I am 'used to' has been a challenging experience but a good one. I was warmly welcomed on Sunday and this evening, as planned, I went to the weekly Bible study and prayer evening. I was again welcomed warmly and only after two visits I already feel like I know people at Glyfada. Again there were differences in style of the meeting but more importantly there was a deep hunger for God's word, a genuine love for one another and desire to worship God in every aspect of daily life. Please pray that I would settle at Glyfada CC and in all the unfamiliar and sometimes dare I say uncomfortable times, God would use these experiences to draw me nearer to Himself.