Hello from Porto Astro Greece! What an adventure we’re having!
We arrived on Thursday morning after about 18 hours of travel and somehow losing most of Wednesday. Time travel IS possible! ;) All our flights were uneventful and on time. When we arrived in Athens, Zutti was waiting for us with a big “Hellenic Ministries” sign. He helped us load all our luggage and we all changed into shorts. Have we mentioned it’s hot here?
The drive from the airport to the camp is about 90 mins and we were all fascinated by the terrain. It looks very arid, but it’s also very humid. There were vibrant pink flower bushes growing all over the place and thousands of olive trees. As we got closer to camp the water caught our attention. Pristine turquoise blue water rippling with the occasional fish jumping. Greece is an absolutely beautiful country.
The last leg of our trip was by boat or rather … barge. It’s a homemade vessel to carry supplies across the bay as there isn’t a road directly into the camp. The barge can hold up to 9 tonnes and is often used to carry water. The camp itself does not have a source of fresh water, so everything used has to be brought in. Water conservation is the way of life here and we’re getting really good at it.
Once we arrived we were directed to our tents and advised not to sleep … jet lag is real and we were all suffering! Though a delicious lunch and a swim in the bay certainly revived us for a few hours. That first night we made it until about 8:30, but I’m not sure anyone on the team saw the sun set.
Since we woke up Friday morning we’ve been preparing the camp and our hearts for the families that will join us on Monday. There’s been a lot of cleaning to do and a whole lot of tents to set up. As we’ve been working, other teams are joining us. A team from California arrived the day after us and Friday night we had some wonderful time of fellowship, worship and prayer. Saturday teams from Germany arrived and you can feel the excitement and anticipation in the air. We’re all expecting God to show up in a big way.
For those of you who are praying we’d ask that you keep praying for the families that are coming. For some this may be the first time they’ll hear about a God of hope who loves them. No terms or conditions, just loves them, right now, as they are. This is very different than what they’ve known and for some it could mean persecution from their families and communities. Following Jesus is never easy, but for us at Crossroads, it rarely threatens our lives or our families’ lives. That’s the really big prayer request, but we have a few others. It’s really hot here and some of us are struggling with the heat and sleeping in the heat. Rest is important to keep our energy up and to keep from getting on each other’s nerves. ;) We’ve also had some minor injuries, (scrapes, bad bug bites, strains & headaches) that are frustrating our efforts. Prayer cover would be much appreciated!
Bottom line, we’re all safe, a little tired & hot, but ready for those campers to arrive. Love you guys!!
PS … we don’t have access to any wifi, so we’ll update you as often as we can, but it may be sporadic.
