My Big Greek Easter

Holy week & Easter were celebrated all over Greece recently & I was blessed to experience it in person by being right in the middle of it all, here in Athens. The Orthodox Easter is the country's most important "religious" holiday. The traditions bring family, friends, & generations together for the most sacred & celebrated of all holidays in Greece. Their festivities start with a 40day fast, culminating with Holy week which starts on Palm Sunday. On Holy Thursday, traditionally the special red eggs, which symbolize the blood of Christ & renewal of life, are colored. Good Friday or Great Friday, is the most sacred day of Holy week here, & is considered a day of mourning. All flags on government buildings are set at half mast to mark the mournful day. Women & children go to church to decorate the "Epitaph/Bier of Christ" or tomb of Christ, with flowers. The morning of Good Friday Jesus burial is reenacted at the church & in the evening the "Procession of the Epitaphios of Christ" takes place. The decorated coffin is carried through the streets by the faithful dressed in mourning clothes weeping. This takes place in every city & village throughout Greece. On Easter Saturday morning preparations start for the festive dinner of "the night of Resurrection". Just before midnight, people gather in the churches & squares in the city, holding white candles which will be lit with the "Holy Light", which is believed to be brought from the Church of the Holy Sepluchre in Jerusalem. It is distributed by the priest to all in attendance. At midnight the church bells ring & the Priests announce "Christos Anesti!"...Christ is Risen! Everyone in the crowd responds "Alithós Anésti"....Truly He is risen! The people then leave the churches & squares to gather in the homes of family & friends. The candles they carry are placed in each home & burn throughout the night symbolizing the "Light" returned to the world. The celebration continues with the cracking of the red eggs, which is meant to symbolize Christ breaking from the tomb. They also partake in the resurrection table meal where traditional foods are served with celebrating into the night & early Easter Sunday morning.

On Easter Sunday the Easter table is prepared and the festivities continue. The Easter meal is truly a feast with the traditional main dish being lamb, served in honor of the Lamb of God who was sacrificed and rose again. A whole spiced lamb is roasted over a charcoal fire & is the most traditional of Greek Easter foods. The Easter Sunday celebration lasts through the day while visits are made to family & friends & the feast is shared with every guest. (below is a picture of our Easter lamb!)

Sophia & Dimitris, our good friends here in Athens & brother and sister in Christ, took us to the market to show us how they pick out the lamb & then we were invited to their family's home to share Easter Sunday dinner with them, celebrate our Risen Savior & fellowship.  The meal was absolutely delicious! We experienced all of the Greek Easter Holiday down to the lovely dinner with family & friends. I am so grateful to have been able to experience what many only read about. My prayer is that the people of Greece would not only celebrate the Risen Savior during the traditional Easter/Holy holiday, but that God would, by His Spirit, pour out a spirit of wisdom, understanding & revelation in the knowledge of Jesus here in Greece. And that His light would shine in Athens & throughout Greece, so that people's hearts here would comprehend His love & longing for a relationship with them & be forever changed. Please continue to be in agreement in prayer for the people of Athens & of Greece. That they would experience the risen Jesus in a real, tangible & personal way that would bring hope, joy & freedom to their lives. 

   Christos Anesti!
 Love & Blessings, 

~Tracy~ 

Prayer moves mountains!

Last night we were invited to a prayer rally in Omonoia Square. It was an invitation asking all believers in Athens to come together to pray in unity for Greece and for a breakthrough in the crisis going on in this country. It was an opportunity to humble ourselves together, confess our sins, seek His face for this country and for it's leaders. I believe that this Unity in prayer is key to God bringing lasting change. I was so excited to be a part of such an event and pray that these rallies continue to happen more frequently. There was an awesome turn out and I believe that God moves mountains through our unified prayer! Please pray in agreement with me that we continue to unite together in Athens in prayer.


The earnest prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available [dynamic in its working].  James 5:16b amp
  
Omonoia Prayer Rally: 
http://plixi.com/p/92421098

A Stranger in this Land

My first week in Athens has been filled with many experiences, all of which I am grateful for. At times I have felt out of place. Like an alien from another planet, a stranger........a fish out of water. I don't understand their alphabet, can't speak the language yet or read the street signs. I don't know where I am going when I get on the bus or the metro, & they don't have a Walmart or a Target here! But then God reminds me that we are all, as followers of Jesus, "strangers & temporary residents on this earth" Ps 119:19a. Hebrews 11 talks about how Abraham, by faith, obeyed God, left his home & went to an unknown land.  It says that "they were aliens & strangers." Reading over these verses reminds me that I'm in good company, I'm not the only one that has ever felt this way and I won't be the last. I am reminded God is with me. His word is my comfort & my guide, whatever my circumstance.

We have been visiting different areas of the city, meeting people, looking at buildings, talking to the different ministries we will be partnering with & visiting churches. It has been both exciting and saddening. The people we have met in the Christian community here have been wonderful, very welcoming, helpful and gracious. I am so thankful to be building relationships with them & to be able to call them family. As I have walked through the city I have seen many things that are distressing, sad, and remind me how vulnerable people are though. There was an addict shooting up right in front of us as we walked down the side walk, a drug deal went down just steps away from me, there are prostitutes and homeless on the streets. The peoples eyes are filled with emptiness. There's no hope, no peace, no love, no Jesus. That is why we are here! To bring the love of Jesus which gives hope, peace and brings freedom!

I am humbled and honored to be used by God here in Athens. I pray that he continues to work in and through me and equip me to do all that he wants me to do here. Please keep all of us on the Celebration Athens team in your prayers. We have alot of work to do for God! I will also keep you in my prayers.                              
Love & blessings,  Tracy

We made it!!

I can hardly believe I am waking up in Athens Greece this morning! A little chilly but I'm praying that the sun will come out and warm things up! I am so in awe of all that God has done over the last few months. It has been nothing but His love, grace, mercy and miracle working power that has gotten me here. I will continue to walk in faith, trusting him to lead the way. I am excited to get to work serving the people here in Athens and sharing his love with them so they can experience all that he has for them as well!

We are currently staying at a Bible College here in Athens. They have taken us in and welcomed us like family! I am so very thankful for Ms Helen and I can't wait to get to know the students here. The grounds here are beautiful with a garden, walk ways, outside sitting area, & volleyball courts.  Waking up this morning I'm excited to get out and do some exploring! Pictures will follow =)

As I venture out on this journey I am continuing to trust my heavenly father who has encouraged me that nothing is impossible with Him! Please continue to keep us, the Celebration Athens team, and the people of Greece in your prayers.


Ephesians 3:7-8,  By God’s grace and mighty power, I have been given the privilege of serving him by spreading this Good News. Though I am the least deserving of all God’s people, he graciously gave me the privilege of telling others about the endless treasures available to them in Christ.