After many days of maximizing the schedule and all of our opportunities, today felt like we had a more relaxing day. Breakfast was at 9 am, Church was at 11 am, and then we had time to explore downtown Thessaloniki until about 5 pm.
The morning’s bus ride to church was punctuated with a devotional by Zeek and Isaiah on how “Love keeps no records of wrongs,” encouraging us all not to carry “rocks” of unforgiveness in our “backpacks!” We then got to participate in the Evangelical Church of Thessaloniki. It was a Greek service (but then again, aren’t all services in Greece “Greek”) but we were all given translation devices with headphones. It was a joy to hear the sermon and meet many of Antony and Evelyn’s family and friends.
We then had a lunch of souvlaki sandwiches before a relaxing walk on the shoreline of downtown Thessaloniki. We took a 30-minute boat ride that gave great views of this port city of 1 million people. Then, on the way home, Evelyn and Antony had a registered tour guide (who is also a member of the church) give us a quick, 1-hour bus tour of the city. We saw ruins of the Ancient Greek “agora” and Roman “forum” of the city, the ancient city walls (remember, to escape persecution, Paul was lowered in a basket through a window in these walls), the traditional location of the house of Jason (Acts 17 and Romans 16) where Charis, Lisette and Mr. Anderson prayed over the city of Thessaloniki, and finally a Church built in honor of Demetrius, a 4th century martyr for Christ.
After dropping off our tour guide, we returned to the Child Evangelism Fellowship grounds for a nice dinner of schnitzel, mashed potatoes, Greek salad, and homemade ice cream!
We then heard a testimony from Joe and Liz Jones. They are an American couple who have answered a call to be missionaries here in Thessaloniki. They shared how the Lord called them to Greece, and how he demonstrated His faithfulness during this transition to become missionaries when it was not at all part of their own plan.
We finished the night with games of Chameleon, Cockroach Poker, Dutch Blitz, Foosball, and Ping Pong!
Please keep praying for our team! We want to be open to all the Lord has for us!