Drama

My next adventure in Greece was a small town called Drama. I will have to admit dispite the great people we met and the amazing love each one showed for our group; it was the hardest week I've had since I have been here.
I have a hard time understanding why it was hard for me considering we went to some great places and God worked in a mighty way. The first day in Drama was on a Saturday and we had the whole day off to do whatever we wanted. So with that in mind we went to Philippi to see the ancient ruins and also to the beach.

Philippi made me a very happy woman due to the fact that Philippians is my favorite book in the Bible; God works in so many ways when you can actually see where things from the Bible took place. I was able to see the church that Paul started in Philippi; the area is mentioned in Acts 16:12. I sat at the place where Lydia was baptized (Acts 16:11-15) and had a prayer with my feet in the ice cold water that still flows today. We took pictures in front of the prison where Paul and Silas were jailed (Acts 16:16-40).

As you walk through the streets of what use to be an ancient city your mind begins to wonder. You think back to all the verses you have read and all the sermons that have come from each one; but when you are standing in the same area Paul was standing when He preached to the Philippians the verses and words no longer seem to be so long ago and so ancient. They become alive. You now see a glimpse of what they saw; and how they lived.
After leaving Philippi we went over to Kavalla, which is a modern port city, there we enjoyed once again the beauty of Greece and all it has to offer. At Kavalla we went to a beach that was more beautiful that words can ever begin to explain.

Finally we returned to Drama with a week of work ahead of us. In Drama we had programs at night for the kids in the area which included a Bible lesson, games, crafts, and singing. The first night we even had about 7 or 8 teenagers who we sat and had question and answer dicussion with. God allowed His spirit to move in the hearts of the teenagers as we sat with them for about 2 hours. They opened up to us and asked some really hard questions that under our own power and wisdom we would have never been able to answer; but God being all mighty and all powerful spoke through us to answer each question with true honesty. I pray for each of these teenagers; each with their own struggles and hardships. I pray God will continue to work in their lives. One girl stated to her friend later that she already knew what we were saying about Jesus and she still does not believe and then another had questions about how to become a Christian. So this is let you know the distance between the group but also the friendship they hold with one another. I pray that God will use this to draw them closer to each other and also to Him.

Later in the week we joined with a group from Kavalla to do open air evanglism at the park in Drama. The first program was with the children; then the later program was for the teenagers and adults. The program included puppets and a Bible lesson for the children and then a presentation of the Gospel through a drawing for the adults. God was moving in both programs. For the children about 40 kids attended and about 30 Jesus Films were passed out. For the adults many people heard the Gospel and some New Testaments were passed out. The pastor of the chruch in Drama was allowed to speak with a man about all of the New Testament and He also had some questions about Salvation. I ask that you pray for this man for he is searching for who God is and is also homeless.
Each day we had the morning off and had some great fellowship with one another. Sharon, Thomas, and I were blessed with not only meeting each other but we also met some amazing people in Drama. Each person there showed us great love and opened their homes to us. I will never forget the people and most of all the Pastor and his family.

Even with all that God was doing in my life and the lives of the people around me; Satan was still attacking me. So many times in the week I allowed Satan to get the best of me. I allowed him to take some of my peace away and also some of my patience away. He took me down and was holding me there so that I could not get up. He made my body tired and would not allow me to rest. I then relized on Tuesday when the Pastor was preaching that I had forgotten to put on the Armor of God each day (Ephesians 6:10-20); and with this Satan had free aim for anything in my life that he could use to bring me down.
I ask for prayer in many areas; pray for strength to continue each day, wisdom to speak the word of God, courage to be bold, the understanding of faith and where it may lead me, and also love and comfort to know that I'm not alone.