wednesday and thursday in corfu

wednesday morning the greek evangelical church hosted the anglican church for a service at the youth center--they are planning on continuing to use the center for their weekly morning meetings. there were many people who came and almost all spoke english--many had either retired in corfu after visiting and falling in love with the island, or met their spouse in corfu while visiting. the anglican priest gave a short devotional and Shaynor preached a homily. we also sang and several of our students gave their testimonies. after the service, we had lunch at the center and were able to continue visiting. it was neat to see people in so many different walks of life coming together--i talked with a mom of a two-year-old, several women whose husbands have retired, and others who are working (just not at the time because it wasn't tourism season). i rejoiced in seeing our students not only conversing with these people they only just met, but already beginning to care for them and their story--where they grew up, how they got to corfu, what their plans are, etc. i am thankful for our students commitment to Christ's working in their lives and how they were clear in testifying that Jesus sought them and called them to Himself. that they didn't do anything to earn His favor and love, but that the beauty of grace is that He loves them when they don't deserve His love. the Gospel was proclaimed, and we trust God for the work that only He can and will do.

we also had a service that evening back at the greek evangelical church--very similar to a mid-week service that we would have in the States. again, several students shared their testimony--with the added challenge that it was being translated. they, too, shared of God's grace in their lives and how he has continued to work. Shaynor preached, also with the pastor translating, and we all sang hymns (in both greek and english).

after the service, there was a jazz concert which many of our students were interested in going. so our group split up, with ten students going to the concert and seven of us going out to eat with the pastor at his family's favorite restaurant. thankfully, i was with the group eating, probably the best meal i've ever had. the appetizers came out, consisting of (and i'm probably forgetting something) fresh bread with fresh olive oil, tzatziki sause, and something like humus, fried feta, marinated peppers, eggplant with a marinara-like sauce, fresh tomatoes...and then they brought out the main course! there was a beef and garlic dish, a chicken dish with prunes and a divine cream sauce, and a pork dish with raisins and another divine cream sauce--which is actually only made in corfu, and has its roots back in greek mythology where apparently Odysseus came to the island and had it. besides amazing, i can think of no way to describe it. the group that went to the jazz concert had a great time and ate downtown at the mcdonalds (which they all said was better than in the states).

thursday was our last day in corfu. in the morning we went back into town where most people bought souveniers and enjoyed being in the city. we walked more around the city and enjoyed the beauty of the sea and gazing out across at albania.

around lunchtime, the pastor from albania and his family met with us and he shared how he came to know the Lord Jesus through the grace and mercy of a family in the greek evangelical church who helped him after he fled albania and invited him to come to church. he also told us of the work the church that he pastors is doing in albania and of the children's camps they are running and their visits with neighboring villages. it was a beautiful reminder that God is at work in this world and that He is not yet finished in seeking and saving His people. we were encouraged to hear the pastor and he told us that his family is encouraged to remember that he doesn't concern himself with how many people believed, but how many people heard the Gospel; the Lord called us to preach, not to save--only the Lord can save. a beautiful reminder for us.

that afternoon, we broke into small groups of about four and visited members of the church. i went with several other students and the pastor to a home where the woman we were visiting actually grew up in that church--she remembers going to sunday school and hearing about Jesus since she was very young. it was really exciting to hear her story. she didn't speak english, but the pastor served as our translator and it seemed very natural. they were wonderful hosts, having made us greek coffee (which i really liked!) and cookies that were similar to snickerdoodles. she told us about her family and we were also able to visit with her mother-in-law, too.

when we got back, i heard that one of our students got sick, so i went to help her out. that night, several of us got sick, in a wide spectrum of severity. thankfully no one had to go to the hospital (we feared dehydration), as we were told by the pastor's wife that we do not want to go to the hospital on the island--we were nervous, to say the least. we were flying to athens the next day, and hoping that no one would need medical attention until then. our prayers were answered, and most people were feeling better by the time we arrived in athens.