Wow.....what a long month it has been. It started with a trip to the states on July 8th for strategy meetings & the Fuse Youth Conference. Although it was a whirl wind trip, it was great! The Fuse Conference was amazing!! Thousands of youth & young adults were wrecked by the power of God! http://instagr.am/p/HtTh4/
Pastor Stovall opened the conference as only he could do, living out loud for Jesus! He made a grand entrance and had an amazing word!! http://lockerz.com/s/120222248
The day after the conference ended I boarded a plane & headed back to Athens. After a 16 hour flight, 30 min train ride & 5 block walk up hill with my luggage, I had finally made it back to my apartment where I had a day & 1/2 to recuperate from jet lag & prepare for Operation Joshua 4, an evangelistic outreach in the villages of the Peloponnese.
On Wednesday morning I took
the train to the airport & picked up
the celebration "dream team" for OJ4.
God stretched each of us in different
ways, but through it all He accomplished His will and we had an amazing time!
1000's of Greek New Testaments
that were translated into modern Greek were distributed to homes all over the Peloponnese to families that might never otherwise have the opportunity to read God's word. Although there was much opposition & spiritual warfare, there were also tremendous victories for Jesus!
There were people young, old & everywhere in between from 13 countries volunteering for this outreach! I loved the diversity, multigenerational & multicultural. There were families, youth groups, grandparents, singles, pastors & full time missionaries who gave up 2 weeks in July to come to Greece for this particular outreach. It was wonderful seeing the family of God, the body of Christ, coming together in unity to reach a nation with His word! Thank you Hellenic Ministries for inviting us & allowing us to participate with you!
On a much more somber note, while at Operation Joshua I got word that my Dad had a massive heart attack & was in critical condition in intensive care back in Michigan. It's a terrible weight to have a tragedy happen in your family & be so far away. I am so thankful for all of my Greece family. They rallied around me in prayer & support as I tried to get organized & make plans to come home.
When I got to Michigan on July 29th, my Dad was unresponsive on life support. I found out when I was visiting back in March that he had been listening to the bible on MP3 & just recently he had told family members that he had "made his peace with God & wasn't afraid to die." When I got to his room I prayed with him, read Matthew & John to him, & told him if it was time for him to go that as long as he had Jesus in his heart he could go, but he must accept Jesus in his heart before he could go, because I wanted to see him when I got to heaven. God then gave me a scripture........Psalm 27:8....I turned to it & knew God was speaking to me what my Dad could not say, "My heart has heard you say, “Come and talk with me". And my heart responds, "Lord, I am coming.”
On July 31, 2011 my Dad went to be with Jesus. He was the most hard working, fun loving man & he loved life & the community he lived in.
Pastor Stovall opened the conference as only he could do, living out loud for Jesus! He made a grand entrance and had an amazing word!! http://lockerz.com/s/120222248
The day after the conference ended I boarded a plane & headed back to Athens. After a 16 hour flight, 30 min train ride & 5 block walk up hill with my luggage, I had finally made it back to my apartment where I had a day & 1/2 to recuperate from jet lag & prepare for Operation Joshua 4, an evangelistic outreach in the villages of the Peloponnese.
On Wednesday morning I took
the train to the airport & picked up
the celebration "dream team" for OJ4.
God stretched each of us in different
ways, but through it all He accomplished His will and we had an amazing time!
1000's of Greek New Testaments
that were translated into modern Greek were distributed to homes all over the Peloponnese to families that might never otherwise have the opportunity to read God's word. Although there was much opposition & spiritual warfare, there were also tremendous victories for Jesus!
When I got to Michigan on July 29th, my Dad was unresponsive on life support. I found out when I was visiting back in March that he had been listening to the bible on MP3 & just recently he had told family members that he had "made his peace with God & wasn't afraid to die." When I got to his room I prayed with him, read Matthew & John to him, & told him if it was time for him to go that as long as he had Jesus in his heart he could go, but he must accept Jesus in his heart before he could go, because I wanted to see him when I got to heaven. God then gave me a scripture........Psalm 27:8....I turned to it & knew God was speaking to me what my Dad could not say, "My heart has heard you say, “Come and talk with me". And my heart responds, "Lord, I am coming.”
On July 31, 2011 my Dad went to be with Jesus. He was the most hard working, fun loving man & he loved life & the community he lived in.
I just want to share with you that God has been telling me during the last month, "Be still and know I am God." And that is what I am doing. I am sitting at His feet, resting in His presence, & listening for His direction, knowing that He has me right where He wants me to be right now. Thank you to all of my partners for you prayers & support! I love & appreciate each of you! Tracy
What a journey you have been on in the past few weeks. May the Lord continue to strengthen and use you make you a great blessing to the people of Greece. Nico & Bee Bougas
ReplyDeleteI just read this Tracy. All I can say is beautifully said. Dad is beyond proud of you. And fyi, so am I, the work you do is amazing. I love you!
ReplyDeleteJody <3