The Helping Hands refugee ministry in Athens, Greece www.helpinghands.gr/en
2 Things That Were Missing From Our Last Update...
1. We (i.e., Scott) failed to mention WHEN we are going with our short-term mission team to serve the Helping Hands ministry in Greece. We will be leaving Portland on September 23rd and returning to Portland on October 9th. 2. Although we introduced you to each of our 5 team members, we did not share with you each of their wonderful God-honoring stories. Here are the 5-minute versions for each of us...
PHIL'S STORY...
As I was sitting in prison, I made a decision to be mad at the world and God for everything that I felt was going wrong in my life. I spent years feeling this way and thought that when I would get out of prison everything would get easier and all my problems would go away. I got out of prison in January 2017 and was shocked at how difficult life really was after spending so much time away from society. It seemed that everything was working against me in my efforts to integrate back into society.
On March 24, 2017 I met the woman who would later become my wife (Kristina) at a bar in the city where I lived, and we talked for hours (about our beliefs on marriage, religion, politics, etc.). Neither of us wanted to get married—ever! Nor did we feel that God had any place in our lives due to the traumas we had both experienced. Regardless of our views on marriage, we continued to date for months while I struggled to find a stable living situation. We spent months living in bad motels with evil happening all around us (still having no desire to turn our problems over to God).
I was finally approved to move into an apartment with Kristina. At this point, I felt like many things were starting to get better and believed everything would finally work out. We continued to struggle though as we tried to solve our problems and hurts on our own. We made decisions based on previous experiences, and continued to hurt each other emotionally and spiritually.
On Christmas day of 2017, Kristina and I got into a big fight about me being unfaithful to her, and I stormed out of our apartment, ready to throw away everything we had worked so hard for. There was snow and ice everywhere, and as I was walking through a large parking lot in the dark I slipped and fell, hurting my back so badly I had to go to the hospital. For some reason, Kristina took me to the hospital and stayed with me even after I had caused her so much pain.
While we were in the hospital, we were talking about how we were going to solve the problems in our relationship. Suddenly, out of nowhere, Kristina suggested we should go to church! My mom, who was also with us at the hospital, recommended a church she had been wanting to visit, and we all agreed we would go together the following Sunday. When we showed up for the meeting on Sunday, I remember thinking that there was no way just going to church was going to solve our problems.
Not long after the pastor started his speech, he started talking about things that directly related to the problems in our relationship and also to my personal issues. I was filled with emotional pain and anger for the way I had treated Kristina so poorly, and I started to cry. Kristina saw the emotion I was struggling with, and God touched her heart to show me forgiveness and compassion. After the church meeting, we talked about what we were feeling, and made plans to attend the church again the following weekend. The next Sunday, a different pastor was sharing his story (which related very much to the pains and struggles Kristina had experienced and which had turned her away from believing in God). She began to cry with deep emotion. She was experiencing this week what I had experienced the week before! Afterward, we talked about the experiences we had, and felt like we were missing something in our life and in our relationship, and needed to continue working through our issues. So we planned to attend yet another church meeting.
As we learned how to follow Jesus, I noticed a softening in my heart and a compassion for people I was hurting, as well as for the hurting people we saw in our own community. Our thoughts and emotions started to reflect what we were learning. Not long after this, we believed God was calling us to get married to each other (even though we had been so much against it for so long before). We were still fairly new in our faith but we got married in March of 2018 and baptized in April of 2018.
We still have struggles and various problems but the strength and guidance of the Lord has helped us continue to work through them and seek help from our faith family. On this day, I am happy to say our relationship with God and each other is the strongest it has been since we met, and I look forward to continually growing with my wife and God (with HIM at the center of our relationship).
KRISTINA'S STORY...
How God Changed My Heart
I was an incredibly angry, sad and always anxious person before I met Christ. I experienced a lot of trauma and heartbreak as child at the hands of my abusive, alcoholic mother, which left me bitter and resentful and unable to trust anyone. Growing up I went to church, but I did not believe God loved me. I thought He hated me, and did not feel worthy of his love, or anyone else’s for that matter. I actually grew to hate God from a pretty young age.
As an adult, my life was dark and depressing. When I thought about my future, I never saw anything worth living for and often wished I would just die. I had no hope and thought I had no purpose. I blamed God for everything bad in my life and my anger and hatred for him spilled out of me to other people. My heart was cold and guarded. I kept all people at a distance and isolated myself from other people, for fear if I let anyone get close to me, I’d get hurt. I used drugs so I would not have to feel anything. I hated God so much that when people tried to tell me about Him or prayed for me, I literally wanted to punch them.
In December 2017, just after my 39th birthday, I was so sick and tired of my life that I honestly felt like just giving up. I was desperate for a change in my life and decided maybe I needed to go back to church. After all, nothing else I was doing was working. My now husband and I went to As Is church in January 2018, and even though it was my idea I went with a closed mind and a hard heart. I thought it was just going to be a waste of time. But God began to soften my heart that day. Pastor Jason Hopkins shared his story, and God used it to show me that even when I hated him, He loved me and was always there with me. He showed me he wanted a personal relationship with me and that he never stopped chasing me.
My husband and I kept going back each week and each week God showed me all the ways he had been working in my life, and I began to really feel His love and see the goodness of his character, and I could not get enough of Him. I made the decision to dedicate my life to following Jesus, and I am so thankful to have a personal relationship with Him.
Since that time God has changed my heart in so many ways. His love helps me love others. I went from being isolated and alone, to having many close relationships and a faith family to go through life with. My heart is no longer full of hate, anger and bitterness, instead my heart is full of love, joy and peace! Peace I’d never experienced before I met Christ. I no longer need to turn to drugs to numb my feelings, because God heals my pain and I love how I feel. Now when I go through hard times, instead of blaming God I lean on him, remembering he has always been there for me, which brings me so much comfort. Now when I think about my future, I see light and purpose and I am excited to see what God has in store for me, and I so look forward to growing closer to Him.
Rose’s story (shorter version)
My name is Rose Brown-Antunez. I’m the 5th child out of 8 of us—4 boys and 4 girls. My parents used to sell drugs when I was born. I have never met my dad because he was arrested and deported to ? for selling drugs. My auntie told me that when I was a newborn my mom took me to a party by the river and I wouldn’t stop crying. My mom got tired of hearing me cry and threw me in the river. My auntie jumped into the water and pulled me out. She told me I was very wet and started crying again. My mom decided she could not continue taking care of all us kids, so dropped us off at the “group home”.
We lived with many different families and if I had time I could tell you many stories of physical and sexual abuse, but for now I will just say they were mostly horrible experiences.
I would always think, “If we were back with our real mom life would be perfect!” After many terrible experiences with foster families, I started to feel unwanted, unloved, and alone. I started seeing and hearing something bad/evil that wasn’t physically there. This voice would be calling me to come to it. I would never go because I was afraid. It would always happen after I got really angry or violent.
The last family we were with was a Christian family. One day that foster mom asked us to sit down, and she told us that she could not afford to take care of us, and that we would be going back to our birth mother. She was crying, but I was thinking life was going to be better now. All the feelings of not being good enough would go away. She was crying when she dropped us off at our birth mother’s house but I was so happy and ready to start our new life.
I’ll never forget that first night back with our birth mother. My mom immediately told us to stay quiet, and she walked to her bedroom and didn’t come back out. It got dark and my little sister said, “Rose, I’m hungry.” I went to the fridge but it was empty. I opened the freezer and all it had was an ice cube tray. I found a cup and cracked the ice cubes into it. My mom ran out of her room and down the hallway, yelling, “What is that noise?!” I explained I was cracking the ice because Gloria was hungry.
She looked so angry. She yelled, “Crack it quietly!” and went back to her room. I remember the feelings of dashed dreams coming over me. My real mom was not as I thought she would be. I started becoming hopeless.
As we grew up my little sister would go stay with our previous foster family and come home sometimes. She always made it to school and always did her best to do the right thing. I’m so proud of her! I wanted to be like her but I always did the wrong thing.
I slept around, fought all the time, and got kicked out of all the schools. I got sent away to a boarding school. I took drugs, sold drugs, and got kicked out of boarding school. Some friends and I broke into my previous foster mom’s house and robbed her. We got caught and she saw me, and cried, and asked the authorities not to charge me. It broke my hear to see her so hurt by my actions but I couldn’t stop. I got pregnant when I was 16, and married at 21. When I was 25 I got pregnant by a drug dealer who was arrested and sent back to (his country of origin). My daughter has never met her father. He doesn’t even know I have his child.
I was making all the same mistakes my mother had made. I was re-living history.
In June 2006 I got arrested with possession of crystal meth. I got in a fight, broke a girl’s skull in jail and was getting ready to do more time. I went to a “church event” in jail in order to get out of my cell for a while. One of the women leading the meeting was an irritating woman named Sue. When I went to these meetings I would try to sit where Sue could not see me but it seemed like she would always move immediately towards me! One day she asked me how I was doing. I snapped at her, “I’m FINE!” She said, “Oh! I was just wondering because usually when people are in jail they are not fine.” I looked at her and said, “I would rather be doing what I am doing than be someone like you!” She smiled and replied, “Everyone has a right to their own personal opinion. But Rose, do you see that over there?” She was pointing at the door that led to the outside of the jail. She continued, “After this class, I’m going outside that door and going home to my family. Where are you going?” I didn’t say anything. After class, I watched her walk out the door, and with everything within me I wished I was her, and she was me.
After this, I started treating her with more respect. She helped me to finally decide to follow Jesus. She also talked me into going to a drug treatment center.
On September 8, 2006 I went to a drug treatment program. I was thinking, “I’ll go to this treatment program, get my certificate, and get back on the streets and do the same things again…BUT…instead I went to get treatment and fell deeply in love with Jesus! I was so curious about who Jesus was and how was He changing me? How could He possibly love me? How could He have the power to change what I hadn’t been able to change on my own? I read my Bible constantly and the more I learned about Jesus, the more I wanted to know Him! I prayed about everything! I sang to Jesus because I loved Him. When I graduated the program, I didn’t go home. I stayed and learned to work on the staff there. I got my high school diploma, go my license, and I wanted to make sure I didn’t leave until Jesus told me it was time to go. I was able to get my children back, and stayed working at the center for over 10 years.
Now, I am a college graduate and I’ve received two medical licenses for nursing. I work at the hospital and every day I feel like God put me here! I am a part of a local church. The first day I was there, I was homeless but clean and sober. I was serving God but scared. I lifted my hands, asking God to speak to me. While we were all singing to Him, I felt this tingling on the top of my head and a stronger powerful feeling moving over me. I sensed the Holy Spirit saying, “Don’t fight this. This is healing for you!” I just let it happen and I began crying so hard! I had mascara, snot and tears running down my face. I’ve continued to be a part of that church, experiencing many wonderful things from God but I’ve never forgotten that moment.
Now it’s 2021 and I’m still sober. I’m still violence-free. Evil voices and all dark things are gone! When Jesus touches your life, you will NEVER be the same. He’s the most powerful of all, and He loves you very much!
Vicki’s Story
I grew up in a Christian home, with parents who really loved God and loved us. None of us were perfect, but my parents created a fun and loving home, where God was talked about daily, not just on Sundays.
I asked Jesus to be my savior when I was 7 years old and was baptized. My father was a pastor, so I was continually surrounded by other Christians and the truths of the Bible- God’s word to us. I always knew all the answers “about” my faith- all the Bible stories and the lessons from them. But knowing “about God” and really having a relationship with him are different things. I was a child and so my faith was simple and I truly believed, but I didn’t let it impact my spirit or make a difference in my everyday life. For example, I knew that God wants us to be kind to others and to love them, but I was not kind to some of our neighbors. I thought it was fun to be mean to their little kids and to throw garbage in their yard and scratch their car. Sometimes I stole money from my mom’s purse to buy candy at the store. A few times when I couldn’t find any money in her purse, I just stole from the store.
As I grew older I developed a pattern of doing whatever I wanted during the day- even if it hurt others. Every night before I fell asleep I would pray “Dear Jesus, please forgive me of all my sins and help me to do better tomorrow”. Then I would just fall asleep and wake up and do all of the same things again, day after day. I believed in God, but I wasn’t letting it have any impact on the way I lived my life. One night when I was about 14 years old I was in bed and was just falling asleep, not thinking about anything important. All of a sudden, God said my name out loud- “Vicki”. Very gently and lovingly but out loud!!! I immediately KNEW it was God and I KNEW he was asking me to go tell my mom that I had stolen from her purse. I sat straight up in bed and started shaking! Though his voice was gentle, I was scared to death!! I cannot describe to you the feeling that comes when God speaks audibly to you- I wasn’t prepared and I didn’t expect it! But it truly changed my life. Experiencing God Almighty in that way really shook me to deep in my heart. In fact, though I believed He was loving, for the next 7 years of my life, I begged God every night to please, please, please not talk to me out loud again! And He never has again, though He has spoken to me in different ways. I guess God knew that He needed to do something drastic and extraordinary to get my attention! It worked!
As I said, when God spoke to me, I also immediately knew that I should go confess to my mother. I went into my parent’s room and said to my mom, “God talked out loud to me and told me to tell you that I’ve been stealing money from your purse”. Mom said, “It’s okay, honey. We’ll talk about it tomorrow, go back to bed.” She told me later she thought I had been dreaming. But my life changed so radically that it became very clear to my parents that something supernatural HAD happened to me. Over time, God showed me other ways I had displeased him and I confessed those things, as well. I apologized to those I had hurt and asked for their forgiveness. I never felt crushed under guilt, because God tenderly showed me only a few things at a time.
I see this whole experience as God’s kindness to me. He could see what direction I was heading and turned me around. Who knows where my life would have gone if God had not stepped in so dramatically? After God spoke to me, my conscience was very tender and sensitive. I was afraid to do wrong. That helped me make better decisions!
Over time, my fear lessened but my belief in the reality of God never wavered. I know that He loves me and wants me to walk closely with Him. It’s not about perfection or being afraid of punishment. My faith is about believing in HIS love for me, being grateful that I belong to Him because of what Jesus has done for me, growing in our relationship, and wanting others to know that we all are made for a friendship with our Creator. Since this happened 45 years ago(!), God has remained faithful to me. I have made mistakes, I have sinned against others, I have to battle selfishness and I am far from perfect! Sometimes I still want to do things MY way! But God has been loving, He has been faithful, He has proven that He can be trusted.
SCOTT'S STORY
I have been going to church since 9 months before I was born. I had Christian parents who practiced what they preached. They were both loving and strict. When I was 12 I started thinking, “why do I believe what I believe? Is it only because my parents believe it and taught it to me?” So I started reading books in our school library about other religions: Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, and also Christianity. Around this time I went to a conference where an American man who had been in the Vietnam war spoke. He had been blown up by a grenade and he was missing an eye and an arm, and he talked kind of differently, but I was impressed by how this man seemed to have a living relationship with Jesus, and I became aware that I only had my parents’ religion (NOT the same thing as a relationship with the Lord).
So, after all I had been thinking about and reading about, and then hearing this man’s story, I decided that no matter what my parents believed, I wanted to personally put my faith in Jesus—to trust Him for my eternal life, to enter into a relationship with Him that started here and now on earth and continues into eternity. To follow Him as my Lord and Savior. So in April of 1975, that is what I did. I transferred my trust from myself, from my good works, from my parents’ religion and put my trust in Jesus alone—trust in who He is, trust in what He has done for all of us, trust in His love, His power, His forgiveness, His payment for the wrongs I have done.
Both suddenly and gradually, I began to experience changes-- peace, and a purpose, and a power for living that started changing me from the inside out. Over the many years that I have been following Jesus, my relationship with Him has certainly had its ups and downs. There are certainly times when I sin, when I do things my own way, when I fail to love God and others well. There have been times when I have doubted or have been very angry with God. But overall, God has filled my life with meaning, with depth, with adventure, and with love. On my own, in my own strength and power, I can be a very mean, very angry, and very selfish person. But when I look to Jesus to depend on Him, He gives me power to be kind, to be patient, and to care more about others than my own selfish desires.
And one of the greatest gifts He has given me is the peace and assurance about where I will spend eternity after I die. I am not afraid of death because He has promised me a place with Him forever. In the Injil, it says, “These things were written so that you may KNOW (not guess, or hope or wish) that you HAVE eternal life.” And it is true, Jesus not only gave me the GIFT of eternal life—a relationship with Him that starts now and lasts forever—He also gave me the peace to KNOW that I really have that gift from Him. And He can do the same for you.
Because of YOU, we are able to educate others about sex trafficking, help foster a collaborative spirit amongst churches in an at-risk community, disciple others who will disciple others, and take the Gospel to the nations! Thank you for allowing God to use your prayers and financial investments to help this happen!
We praise the Lord for this small team He has given us from our church to go serve at the refugee ministry in ATHENS, Greece that Vicki and I helped start in the early 1990's. The Lord has already provided MOST the finances we need and we have already purchased our tickets! We are trusting Him to bring in the remainder of what we need (just under $3,000). Thank you for your prayers for us as we prepare our hearts, minds, and relationships.
If the Lord would lead you to invest in this opportunity, you can make a tax-deductible donation to "As Is Church" with an indication it is for the GREECE Missions Team. You can mail to:
As Is Church
Or for online giving, click here
(under "Fund", select "GREECE Missions Team")
If you would like to ask any clarifying questions, please don't hesitate to do so.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR INVESTMENT IN DISCIPLESHIP AMONG THE NATIONS!
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