getaway...

Here are some pics of the brothels we visit. They are usually housed in great old buildings that could be beautiful under different circumstances. Brothels are indicated by white lights in our "red light" district.

(brothel photos by Andrea Rip)

I met a sad Nigerian girl working on the streets on Monday. She shared with us that she's only been here for 3 months and now thinks she's pregnant. Elephant-sized tears rolled down her cheeks as she talked. She asked us how to find free medical help. She doesn't want to keep the baby. We begged her to call us the next morning and we would meet her and help her.

But we never heard from her.

Sadly, that's really common. They promise they'll call because they'd like to get help or get out or get advice...or just meet for coffee. But they often don't call. We think this girl's phone was confiscated.

Please pray for her! Her fears, her pimp, her chains, her dangers are big. But I try to remember that God is Bigger still! "...to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory..." Eph 3

Some good news!... Marie, also from Nigeria, made a run for it last week! When she was dropped off on the corner to do her job, she made her break and ran to get help. My teammate helped her get to a safe place hours away from her trafficker! This one good story is hugely encouraging in this line of work! Please pray for continued protection for her as she is still in danger for a few months.

translation...

Yeia sas, Friends! I started an intensive Greek class last week. As you can see, I'm well on my way to fluency. Mon, Wed & Fri Stella is teaching 6 of us from all over the world....including my new friend from Slovakia whose husband is a British Embassy official. (Sounds important....)

Even without my studies here are some things an American can translate...

ahhh, the Bucks... a welcome familiar in this foreign land.

this naturally follows...

international house of cheap, yet hip, furnishings...

duck tape sold on the street corners for 1 euro.

I see Jesus in Greece, too. There is a lot of faith based symbolism in Athens. To be Greek is to be Greek Orthodox almost exclusively....but it's often a historical, cultural tradition for people...rather than a heart thing. There are 3 main evangelical churches here (cleverly called 1st, 2nd and 3rd).

Here are a few things I'm having trouble translating... perhaps I'll have better luck after wk 2 of class...??
What are these?? Should I try them?? These are standard questions for me at the grocery...

This is outside of my design expertise... "hair equipment"??

Parking rules are mere suggestions. The red arrow indicates where the corner ends....totally irrelevant to the red car! Also, note the cars parked 2 wide.

from the opposite angle...

I will only be going to the Monday night outreaches from 7:00 - 10:00 PM until my class ends in 6 wks. So in case you are curious... that is 10:00AM in Idaho and 9:00AM in Seattle. Last week I met Sara who asked me a lot of questions about how to find medical help here. I'm praying she took our advice and went to get the free check-ups! She also has our card and could call us for further help.

FYI, here are the demographics of the prostitution Nea Zoi saw in 2009...

29% Nigerian
24% Romanian
14% Bulgarian
12% Albanian
9% Greek
10% Former USSR

Thank you for standing w us in prayer as we hit the streets!

street work...

Although brothels are legal in Athens, working on street corners is not. At midnight on Thursdays we go to where people work on the streets. These girls are mostly from Nigeria and most of them have been trafficked. They believe they are working to pay off the debt they "owe" to their trafficker. The good news for me is that they speak English...so while we pass out hot tea and biscuits, I try to banter with them about how we can help.

It's tricky, though. Last week there were 50 teenage girls on one small city block. They were all distracted by getting the few customers that came through...desperate for the money. They gather around you because they want the treats...but it's like trying to have a meaningful conversation in a junior high huddle! They are talking over you, giggling, teasing each other. I was wishing I was a youth worker and knew how to turn up the 'hyper' to keep up with them.

All the girls are from the same state in Nigeria. All over Europe it's this way. The trafficking only happens in this certain state! What's the deal?? Extreme poverty? Corruption? Nea Zoi is praying that prevention can happen in Africa before they ever reach this continent!

It's too early to tell...but I have a feeling that this problem of trafficking MIGHT be too big for me to "fix" in the next 12 months. (haha) But I'm encouraged that it's not up to me to fix it...
"And see who has created these stars, the One who leads forth their host by number, He calls them by name; Because of the greatness of His might and the strength of His power, Not one of them is missing." Is 40

big anniversary...

Today is my anniversary. I've been here a week. That's good, right? That has to be marginally noteworthy to have made it a whole 7 days! Although, I did almost starve to death. Still challenged by ordering food and buying groceries. But it's getting better...

Update on my first 2 outreaches.... I was on the sidewalk prayer team during Monday night's outing. There were 7 brothels on one small block, each indicated by a white light. I stood with a guy outside the brothels and waited for two teammates to go in and talk to the Madams and the Girls. The most unsettling thing for me was how many men were going in and out of the brothels. There was just a constant stream! It seems there is more shame associated with shady behaviors in the States....aka you park in back of the x rated video store. Not so in Greece. It was a busy street and there were loads of men going in and out. It makes me sad and I understand there isn't a ministry in Greece that addresses the "customers".....but that's certainly its own kind of depravity and slavery.

During our Wednesday AM outreach I had frontline exposure. I went in to the brothels with a Greek volunteer. Many of the Madams were happy to see my team member as they have developed a relationship with her over the years. The Madams were appr. 60 years old and very friendly. One even offered us oranges. If the Girls were available, we talked to them too. They were also glad to see my teammate and were touched by the scripture calendars we were delivering. As the Girls smiled and chatted with my coworker I was reminded of Prov 14, "Even in laughter the heart may be in pain". These encounters will take some getting used to for me... as the Girls aren't wearing clothes when you talk to them in the brothels! Ummm, so awkward....

I'm leaving now for our late night outreach to the African girls who speak English and work on the streets in lieu of brothels. Stay tuned...

On a really different note, let me introduce my roommate, Krystal. She's from Michigan but has been in Greece for 6 yrs. I'm thankful the Lord prepared a place in advance for me here w her!

so far so good...

I'm here after an uneventful, good flight last week. Thank you for your prayers for my transition!

Here are some early impressions as seen thru my design lense...

• Ancient Architecture: My "flat" is in Athens Centre in the shadow of the Acropolis, the famous hill in the middle of the city. I had lunch at the base today and watched people climb to the Parthenon at the top - the ancient Greek's temple to the goddess Athena.

• Sustainability: My trip to the grocery 2 blocks away resulted in the purchase of some unfamiliar and unrecognizable items. I'm hoping whatever they are will augment my bread and cheese diet.
• Infrastructure: Bad news re the plumbing. You can't flush TP. Shoot. And I have to turn off the hot water heater before I shower... or I might DIE! (Those were really the instructions... :)
• Picturesque: I have a lovely balcony off my room with these tall doors & shutters. It's very quaint and European.
  

• Orange: Orange trees are everywhere! But evidently they're not edible...

My Greek life starts tomorrow. I'll ride the metro to the Nea Zoi office to meet the team, go the staff meeting, and then join the Monday evening outreach to people working on the streets. I'd appreciate prayers for that first outreach....prayers for peace and courage. I should also start my language study soon. Studying with my good "buddy" Rosetta Stone helped me get familiar with the Greek alphabet and sounds...but now I see how important it will be for me to have some basic conversational Greek in my daily interactions with locals.

"But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." " 2 Cor 12

7 day countdown...

It's official! I really am going to Greece. In ONE WEEK! I leave Jan 6.

This week's challenge is to pack all my worldly possessions into 2 bags, soak up time with my family and mentally prep for the adventure ahead. Hmmm, I'll be busy this week.

Also, I just read this book by David Batstone....



So good. Great explanation of slavery in our time. Did you know that more slaves are in bondage today than were bartered in four centuries of the transatlantic slave trade?? (That's from page 6....but all the other pages are informative too. :) I'm ashamed I didn't know that. It seems trafficking is a well kept secret underground. People are sold as prostitutes, kidnapped as child soldiers, and trapped as laborers under lock and key. Seriously, something needs to be done. I'll go to Greece and investigate...

I have the book sitting near a giant poinsettia for seasonal effect. I hope you all had a Merry Christmas with your families!

Watch for my next post...from ATHENS!

decisions, decisions...

After a minor crisis of indecision, I have decided to go to Greece the 1^st wk of January in lieu of November. And the much-prayed-over-reasons go like this….

1. Finalizing support....(super close).

2. The Nea Zoi team will be gone much of December.

3. It's one of the last harvests I'll get to participate in, as my Dad will retire someday....(I assume that's how it works....?)

4. I've lived away from home for 10 years and am enjoying this fall with fam in the wide open Idaho spaces.

Thanks for your patience, Friends, as I tie up loose ends and get ready to set sail in 2010. In the meantime, ministry is still happening in Athens! Please pray with me for Ava, an older Russian madame, who opened up to the Nea Zoi team more than she ever had about her loneliness, desperation, and fear. The hope is that she can be connected with a Russian speaking group in Athens for friendship and more.

Meanwhile, down on the farm….

"...as with the gladness of harvest..." Is 9