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The weather is beautiful today! I just returned from a sunny, warm stroll through Plaka - the old part of the city center. I Wish you could have been with me!
During the Monday outreach, I ran into the sad Nigerian girl I told you about. She said she "dealt with her problem" and is no longer pregnant. I wasn't surprised... I'm sure she couldn't find answers to some very real questions, such as, "How could she make money while she was pregnant? Where could she live? What would her pimp/trafficker say/do? Who would help her find a doctor ...or an adoption agency....or, crazier still, a way to keep the baby". I wasn't surprised at her decision, but sad nonetheless.
We also found a new brothel. Actually we've recently found a lot of new brothels springing up. Athens doesn't seem to be overly concerned with safety or health codes. This new addition - completely illegal according to the "official" books - is on the 2nd floor of a building. The former window was knocked out and a door loosely hinged to the wall. A rickety staircase is propped up on the wall for customers to use (it literally rocks when you step on it!) Where is the Dep't of Public Safety!? or the Health Dep't? ....maybe the Better Business Bureau...?? Somebody should care that this is happening in their lovely city. Prostitution is just such a way of life here. I've heard even as many as 1 in 3 Greek men have visited a den of 'ill repute'...not to mention immigrants and tourists. I guess it's just easier to look the other way when a new one joins the ranks.
As the US celebrated President's Day last wk, "we" Greeks celebrated Clean Monday. It's the day the Orthodox people spend symbolically "cleaning" out their fridge (and simultaneously their hearts and attitudes) to purge all the meat in preparation for Lent. 
I celebrated by taking the bus 2 hours away to a coastal town called Nafplio. After the Turkish occupation, it was the original capital of Greece before they moved it to Athens. A lucky move for Nafplio... enabling it to retain it's quiet charm and quaintness.
My friend and I sat in cafes and watched people dressed up in crazy costumes for the final hours of the 3-wk carnival that ends when Lent begins. 
In exciting Nea Zoi news... my teammate, Kelsey, spent the long wkend at a shelter for trafficked girls. There are currently 12, TWELVE, 12 girls staying there! It seems like we don't usually get to see tangible changes for that many at the same time! Some of them had been rescued by a police raid last week. Kelsey enjoyed living among the girls and being able to have some meaningful conversations about magic, fortune tellers and faith in God. One girl was pregnant and had been to the clinic 3 times for an abortion but just couldn't go through with it. During the wkend, she decided to keep the baby. Please pray for the shelter....for the staff they need and for the girls that come through. Pray that they encounter the Lord's love for them in a real and life-changing way during their short stay!
Story #2. Another Nea Zoi player, Jim, just happened to be driving through Athens on a Saturday evening a couple of weeks ago. He pulled over when he saw a hysterical, screaming and naked Nigerian girl. In his street-work-trained mind he knew that meant she'd just had a bad experience with a customer. So without missing a beat, he threw open his car door and offered for her to jump in. She gladly did... he offered her his coat and his phone (in that order!) and got her safely home.
We are always praying for a way to take it to the next level with the Nigerian girls we meet on the streets. They know us, love to see us coming with tea, they like chatting with us. But they rarely call....rarely take steps to make changes. Please pray that God could use Jim's kindness to further build the bridge of trust. That the word would spread in their community that we don't want anything from them...but we can be trusted to help.
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.
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!
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
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!
During the Monday outreach, I ran into the sad Nigerian girl I told you about. She said she "dealt with her problem" and is no longer pregnant. I wasn't surprised... I'm sure she couldn't find answers to some very real questions, such as, "How could she make money while she was pregnant? Where could she live? What would her pimp/trafficker say/do? Who would help her find a doctor ...or an adoption agency....or, crazier still, a way to keep the baby". I wasn't surprised at her decision, but sad nonetheless. 
