Acropolis

Wow. Today was absolutely incredible! Looking back at the photos I am amazed at what we were able to do.

Today was Acropolis day.  We didn’t have a tour guide so we went to the brand new museum to learn all about it. Reading about all of the artifacts was fascinating. To think that over 2000 years ago all of these statues and pillars etc. are still here.  We made our way up the hill, up all the stairs in the blazing heat with our parasols and reached the top where Nate taught us about Athena’s temple and the Parthenon.  The view was stunning!! We learned that the Acropolis was built for the gods and was a place to worship them.  It was built on such a high place so they could see their enemies coming at them.  Among many many other facts, we learned that in the 1940’s Hitler ordered that the Greek flag was to be taken down. The Grecian man that was watching over the flag wrapped himself in the Greek flag and plummeted over the cliff with it.

The BEST part of this visit to Acropolis was Mars Hill! We climbed the slippery stairs up to the top and sat with our Bibles reading about what Paul preached to the Athenians.  Pastor Ryan helped us envision the marketplace on the hill and what the people must have been thinking about this new way of worship, and Christ.

Acts 17:22-30

Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: “People of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. ²³ For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship—and this is what I am going to proclaim to you.

 ²⁴ “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. ²⁵ And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. ²⁶ From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. ²⁷ God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. ²⁸ ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’^[b] As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’^[c]
 29 “Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by human design and skill. ³⁰ In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. ³¹ For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.”

We prayed over the city of Athens. We lifted them up, praying against strict religion and for a freedom to worship Christ with all that they are, for the youth, and the generations to come.

Later in the afternoon, after we returned to the hotel and freshened up (it gets hot and sticky in the metro, sometimes we take 2 showers a day) we walked over to the church and helped clean the church with the youth and Vasalia. We went into the youth room and prayed and worshipped the Lord together, in Greek, and in English.  After we equipped and united our hearts, we took a trip in the city. With a few guitars, tambourine and our voices, we sang fun uplifting worship songs while some of the youth spoke to people about Christ. Their boldness is incredible. It’s so neat to see such young people with such a special gift that they want to share with the world.  4 people came to know Christ!!!!

We all got to know each other and are very excited about the camp next week!! Tomorrow is church where Pastor Ryan will speak.

We love you all and thank you for taking this journey with us and praying for us! We feel your prayers, truly!

Anastacia and Vasalia

 Praying in the hotel lobby

 Awesome art in the metro station