Greece Day 4 (or The Day I Got Proposed to on Mars Hill)

My fourth day in Greece was very special. Not only am I a huge history buff, but Greco-Roman history is my favorite time period. Everyone else on the team went to the Acropolis and toured the Parthenon and Mars Hill on Sunday but I didn't arrive until Monday night so I missed that adventure. On this glorious morning I was able to spend a few hours exploring one of the most amazing feats of architecture of the ancient world. I traveled with the prayer walking team and then got off at a later stop to begin my hike up to the Acropolis. At the base of the Acropolis I stopped to snap a quick picture or two of Lykavittos, the hill that we prayer walked the day before:

Lykavittos Hill

I finally found the entrance to the Acropolis and was thrilled to walk around and experience such an incredibly historic place.

Greek Amphitheater

Entrance through the Temple of Athena

Parthenon

Words cannot describe my wonder! I so loved walking around and exploring...and trust me, I took many more pictures! However, as I looked at this impressive buildings my heart became burdened for those that worshiped these idols and imaginary gods. As much as I enjoy the story of these myths and legends, they blinded so many from the One True God. I pondered this as I left the Acropolis and headed towards Mars Hill. This is where Paul the Apostle addressed the men of Athens in Acts 17.

Mars Hill

I spent the next 45 minutes on the far right corner of the hill, eating lunch and reading Acts 17. I just couldn't believe I was sitting where Paul had been! I spent some sweet time with Jesus on that hill. And then...

I got up to take more pictures. While I was snapping away I was approached by a Greek gentlemen who asked to take my picture for me. I politely declined and took a step to get a different angle for my next shot. In doing so I slipped on the rock and my new Greek friend caught me. We chatted for a bit, exchanging typical pleasantries, and then he proceeded to rejoice in my eye color and declare his love for me. He said, "This is love at first sight and I must propose marriage to you right now!"

Yes I am serious, no I am not making this up! He must have sensed my shock when I did not respond immediately due to my jaw hitting the floor. He then asked if I had a boyfriend...and that sounded good to me so I said, "Yes!" in hopes that would deter my would be suitor. However, it did not and many questions followed, "How long have you been dating?," "Why aren't you engaged yet?," and "Where is he?" I responded that he was waiting for me down the hill and I must go meet him...and my suitor hollered out, "Tell him he has competition!"

I don't know why strange things happen to me, but this one is for the books! I mean, how many Americans can say they've been proposed to on Mars Hill?

Here are the shots I took while I was talking to my new friend:

The Acropolis as seen from Mars Hill

Lykavittos Hill as seen from Mars Hill
The city of Athens as seen from Mars Hill

After my wonderful morning and early afternoon of exploration I met back up with my group and we went to the soccer field to watch the big soccer game! All week we had been inviting everyone we met to come play or watch and it was so much fun! The teams were both mixed with Greek and American players and everyone played hard and had a blast. For those of you that know me, both teams were thrilled that I declined to don a jersey. My athletic skills are greatly lacking!

After the game the Mayor of one of the local towns treated us to a wonderful dinner! It was a special night celebrating what the Lord had done that week and fellowshipping with our team. After dinner I had the privilege of meeting up with a new friend I'd made on the train for some coffee and hang time. She's an amazing young woman who had some great questions about my faith, reading the Bible and praying. She is a fellow actress so it was a neat connection and God truly prepared us for this sweet time together.

We concluded the night with a prayer experience. We prayed over the work God had been doing, did that week and would continue to do in Athens. It was such a sweet time on our knees and we ended with heartfelt, joyful worship to the King of Kings!

Greece Day 3

On Day 3 I hiked this:

It was beautiful. We spent the morning prayer walking over Athens. We partnered up and prayed from the Metro station all the way to the top of the hill. Athens has 6 million residents and only 4,000 claim the Christian faith. Please pray with us for this city, rich in biblical history but blind to the true Light of the World.

Here are a few shots of the climb:

The beginning of the climb
At the top of the stairs, about to start hiking switchbacks
A view of the city from the bottom of the hill

Let the real climb begin!
View from the top: The Acropolis (zoomed in a lot)

The breathtaking city of Athens

There was a chapel at the top and you could light candles for loved ones. I thought this was a neat shot.
Just to prove I actually made it to the top. Even though it took me awhile (many thanks to my patient prayer partner, Seth.) And yes, I am showing some Rush of Fools love with the t-shirt!
The prayer walking team

Greece Day 2

Day 2 came a tad early for me, but I was ready to explore the beauty of Greece! Everyone was already split into teams and those teams went to a different site each day. I joined the Media Team so I could visit as many sites as possible. Our team started off by joining the group conducting interviews of Greek locals. Students would approach different people and interview them about their culture, traditions and religious beliefs and practices. Everyone was delightful to talk with and openly shared about their rich culture.

Rows and rows of coffee shops...coffee is a BIG DEAL in Greece!
One of the teams paused for a photo op before starting their interviews!

After discussing traditions with our server (who wouldn't teach me any Greek dances, despite the fact that I was ready and willing to learn!) we piled in the van to visit the crew that was clearing away brush and planting new trees as part of a city beautification project.Clearing away the brush

The team takes a lunch break

We enjoyed lunch and a hike up the hill with this crew then we made our way to the sports clinics. Every afternoon our team split up to either lead or participate in several different sports, aerobics and dance classes in the community. This gave us an opportunity to meet more Greeks and learn their way of life in hopes of having a chance to talk with them about their way of life. I joined our two resident black belts for the Tae Kwon Do class. And no, I did not participate!

Shawn was incredible! He taught those kids some moves! He and his sister Kjerstin are from Alaska and are two of the sweetest people!
Kjerstin is an amazing young woman. She was born deaf but can now hear and speak thanks to a cochlear transplant! Not to mention she's a black belt. And from Alaska.

After the sports adventures (other teams went to fencing, aerobics, ballet, traditional Greek dance, basketball, and soccer) we headed back for dinner at our homestead and then had a wonderful night of worship. I was able to share a piece from my new show Grace's Cafe. Here's a shot of Stella (not in costume, as I had no costumes in Greece!)

Stella is a great character!

After such a full day it was early to bed to prepare for the hike we tackled on Wednesday!

Greece Day 1

My first day in Greece coincided with dinner so I met the team and enjoyed fantastic Greek food right off the bat!

Maria, the restaurant owner, and Dr. Jerry from GA Southern

One of the servers serving up some Greek delights!

Jennifer led worship, and Mark was our project coordinator. Jennifer and I went to college together and lived in London together so it was wonderful to catch up with her again!

Maria, her sister and the kitchen and serving crew!

Greece Updates Coming Soon

My deepest apologies for not being able to update you during the trip last week. Blogger locked me out of this blog and I've only today regained access. I will be updating this blog with stories, photos and video of the trip throughout the day. Thank you so much for your prayers...the Lord moved in some amazing ways! I look forward to sharing with you!

Greece!!

Hey everyone! I arrived safely in Athens, Greece and have had a wonderful time so far! I will have more time later tonight to load some pictures and hopefully some video, but I wanted to check in and let you know I arrived safely. The ministry teams are doing a great job! They are meeting locals in coffee shops and learning about their culture through questions. Today a team was helping to clear brush from a recent wildfire, others are prayer walking and doing construction work. The teams are about to meet back up and then break off into groups doing sports ministry...and by sports I mean basketball and fencing. Tae Kwan Do and low impact aerobics. Totally random, but hey, it's all about meeting some locals and loving them by hanging out with them, right? Thank you so much for your prayers, please continue to lift our team of 50 up to the Lord. Feel free to post questions and comments!

Fuge Winter Weekend

What a whirlwind of a weekend! (I like alliteration, can't you tell?) I had a wonderful time at Ridgecrest, NC this weekend performing for Fuge Winter Weekend. Almost 30 amazing staffers led students in Bible study, Michael Spooner of Nashville, TN led worship and Gary Morgan, pastor of Mosaic church in Nashville shared the Word. What an honor it was to share the message of the Gospel alongside these guys! I was able to share a few sketches from my upcoming show Grace's Cafe...and they loved it! Several adults and students responded to the pieces and shared how the Lord touched them through the message of Grace's Cafe. I can't wait to debut the show next fall!

I left Ridgecrest today around 11 and made the six hour drive back to Nashville heading straight to the airport, and here I sit awaiting my flight for Athens, Greece. Well, technically I'm going to Washington/Dulles first, then Frankfurt, Germany and then Athens, but you know what I mean. :) All in all I'll be traveling for about 24 hours, please pray that I am able to sleep on the flight tonight! After all of the excitment this weekend, I'm fairly certain it won't be a problem.

I've got a few videos to edit from the past couple events so hopefully I'll get those posted soon, but I'll be posting Greece stuff (if I have internet) as soon as I can! Thank you for praying for our team, I am looking forward to meeting everyone and getting to work. Have a blessed week!