comfortable

God is so good. There have been a few days that are just . . . days. Ya know? But then there are days when I'm just overwhelmed with how good God is and how blessed I am. I had those moments last year a lot. I've had a few already on this trip.

I missed my train yesterday. It didn't bother me too bad because I actually had reserved my hotel room for the extra night in the beginning and the lady at the train station had mentioned to me that I could use my train ticket anytime, not just the time that was shown. So...I had contingencies in place without even trying really.

And then today, of course I made the train this time. When I asked about where to get on the train, the attendant simply said, "platform 5". Ok...that much was easy enough. I found Platform 5 but there was no one directing traffic. My ticket didn't have a seat number or even a car number. There weren't many people on the train so I just went in and found a 6 seat compartment and made myself comfortable. I didn't have to check my backpack or anything...there was plenty of room in my compartment for it.

After about an hour, the train stopped at the FYROM Border (Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia). Fortunately I had read already in one of my guidebooks that my passport would be taken and I could retrieve it by following the crowd at the border. Which I did. No problem.

We arrived in Skopje about 2 hours earlier than I thought we would. I was still in my compartment completely engrossed in a John Grisham novel when we arrived. I was probably the last person off the train because I didn't realize we were there already. I had to ask someone if we were there. They laughed at me!

I got off the train and made it to the street. I said a quick prayer and approached the 2nd cab driver I saw and told him I was looking for an inexpensive hotel. He got some translation help from a waitress that was working a nearby sidewalk cafe and then told me to hop in his car and off we went.

So here I am. At the Hotel Kapestic or something like that. It's a little pricier than I wanted (about like staying at a hotel in Wiggins or something). It's comfortable and quiet and has several English channels on the tv and it has wireless internet. It's within walking distance of a couple of restaurants- I got a pretty sorry hamburger and fries with mayanaise and ketchup. What's up with that?

And so I had these thoughts: Who am I? Who gets to do this stuff? I got off the train and felt like I was imbued with 9/10ths peace that passes understanding and 1/10th just don't really care. I was pretty much completely at-ease doing all this crazy traveling. Last year, arriving at the new places was one of the most stressful situations that I experienced. I guess it's different when you feel responsible for a bunch of other people... when you know they're looking to you to know what you're doing. On this trip I don't know what I'm doing and it really doesn't matter. If I screw up, I just backtrack. Worst case is I find a dark place and unfurl the sleeping bag.

Tomorrow my taxi driver is coming back to pick me up and take me to the train/bus station. I don't think there'll be any problem getting to Pristina and Peja. I have contacts waiting for me there and I'll get to go to church (presumably English speaking) on Sunday. I'm excited about that. I can already see a lot more English language/western influence here in Macedonia...the result of thousands of NATO peacekeepers that have been here for several years. That's good and bad I suppose. Makes like easier for me but they are not without their warts. Google it. Their presence in this part of the world was/is major fuel for the sex trafficking that's so prevalent in this region.

Committed Again . . . .

I missed my train from Thessaloniki to Skopje today. I just wasn't thinking in military time I guess. 1600 is 4:00 pm, not 6 pm! But it works out ok. My train ticket can be used just about anytime.

I got a couple emails from my Romania contacts tonight. Wow...they are really on top of things. I think I will be very busy while I am with them.

I made a couple of commitments yesterday and today. I booked a flight from Skopje to Kiev, Ukraine next week and a flight from Odessa, Ukraine to Timisoara, Romania later in the month. It's the "Beaver" in me; I like knowing where I'm going and when!

Biking for Human Slavery

Hey Everyone...I want to commend a website to you. www.freewebs.com/baht

Some friends of mine are trecking 450 miles on bicycles to the Grand Canyon to raise awareness for Human Trafficking- slavery on a much larger scale than what occurred in the America's in the 1800's. My friends are hosting a nightly call-in Conference Call featuring leaders from a number of organizations dedicated to combatting human trafficking. The conference call is really simple. Just dial 1-218-486-1600 followed by the access code 472085#. Below is a list of the line-up for the conference calls the rest of this week.

Wednesday, March 26^th

Make Way Partners (Alabama). Through the hope of the Gospel, they go to the most vulnerable and least protected to end human trafficking and modern-day slavery. Kimberly Smith, the president, will be sharing about their involvement with human trafficking in Sudan, Eastern Europe and the US of A. http://www.makewaypartners.org/

Thursday, March 27^th

Center to Restore Trafficked and Exploited Children (Iowa). They are committed to the protection and restoration of trafficked children, focusing on their physical, mental, psychological and spiritual healing. They are dedicated to re-humanizing and reintroducing the children back into society with a sense of dignity and a right to be free. D.J Steen, a speaker and visionary of CRTEC, will be sharing about how human trafficking affects our kids right here in America. www.crtec.org

Friday, March 28^th

Not For Sale Campaign. Not for Sale is a campaign of students, entrepreneurs, artists, people of faith, athletes, law enforcement officers, politicians, social workers, skilled professionals, and all justice seekers, united to fight the global slave trade. Not for Sale aims to educate and mobilize an international abolitionist movement through the innovation and implementation of open-source activism. Inside the United States, the campaign identifies trafficking rings and collaborates with local law enforcement and community groups to shut them down and provide support for the victims. Internationally, the campaign partners with poorly resourced abolitionist groups to enhance their capacity. They believe that every single person has a skill that they can give to free an individual living in bondage. Keisha L. Hoerrner, Ph.D, - the state director of Not for Sale in Georgia - will be sharing about what they are currently doing to end modern-day slavery and how you can become a modern-day abolitionist. http://www.notforsalecampaign.org/

Saturday, March 29^th

David Gutnick has been working with CBC Radio (same as NPR) as a writer-broadcaster since the mid-1980's. One of David's passions is finding alternative ways of telling stories on the radio. This past December he traveled to Mauritania, Togo and Ghana to report on modern-day slavery and human trafficking. He will be sharing a first hand account of what he witnessed while traveling throughout these three African countries. http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/slavery/

Sunday, March 30^th

E. Benjamin Skinner, the author of A Crime So Monstrous: Face-to-Face with Modern-day Slavery will be sharing about his first book that was just released Mar. 11, 2008. Going undercover when necessary, Skinner infiltrated trafficking networks and slave quarries, urban child markets and illegal brothels. In the process, he became the first person in history to observe the sales of human beings on four continents. Born in Wisconsin, Ben Skinner graduated from Wesleyan University. He has reported on diverse topics from five continents for Newsweek International, Travel + Leisure, and others. He now lives in Brooklyn. Click here to read the first chapter of his book. http://acrimesomonstrous.com/

Monday, March 31^st

Chad Mast – who currently works for The World Race – will be calling out a generation of radicals to pursue Jesus and justice at all cost. As the body of Christ, we have a responsibility to love and serve our neighbor. He is passionate about waking up a generation to their identity and role in the Kingdom. Chad has traveled to over 30 countries and five continents to serve and learn from the poorest of the poor. And, hopefully, the bikers will be able to check in and share a quick report about their bike ride! www.chadmast.theworldrace.org

Thessalonians

I arrived in Thessaloniki yesterday after a beautiful train ride through the Greek countryside. The train skirted the Olympus Mountains (which I might come back to on my way home in May). It is gorgeous country...seems like the train basically followed fertile valleys the whole way, often with snow capped mountains out one window and fields stretching out to the sea on the other.

Yesterday was also Independence Day so traffic was light leaving Athens and many stores were closed here in Thessaloniki when I arrived. I didn't have any problem finding a reasonably priced hotel not far from the train station. I walked fairly late into the night last night with no problems.

One of the features of Thessaloniki is the waterfront with a busy harbor on one end and a landmark Ottoman Empire tower on the other end. It got really cold and windy just as the sun was setting so I have some fabulous pictures.














I stumbled upon a chocolate/cake shop last night that had some world-class creations in the window. They let me take some pictures (note the 1 foot tall chocolate egg...yes, everything is chocoloate). I went back there today and spent an unholy amount of money buying cinammon chocolates and pepper chocolates and some sort of fudge with every nut known to man in it! Wish I could ship it home; guess I'll just have to eat it myself.

















I had a Gyro today that had mustard and ketchup on it. Strange.

I met two "exotic dancers" last night. Sofia from Jamaica and Victoria from Dominican Republic. You tell me...how do they end up on Thessaloniki of all places? One of them said she was a student here. Yeah.

I walked miles and miles today. There are dozens if not hundreds of Byzantine era churches here. Like the ones in Athens, they are mostly monuments. There are some large Greek Orthodox churches but I haven't seen any sign of Protestant activity.

I read 1st and 2nd Thessalonians yesterday on the train. I was struck by how much Paul loved these people and how loving and active they were. It makes me want to shout to the people here today to wake up and remember where they came from.

Tomorrow I want to visit at least 4 museums. One of them is a War Museum...Nazi's destroyed almost the entire Jewish population here during WWII. There are supposedly less than 1000 Jews here today in a city of 1 million people. Like Athens, I suspect there are people from all over here. I met a man from Bulgaria today. There's also a Museum of Byzantine Culture that is supposed to have more early Christian Art than anywhere other than the Vatican.

I'm taking the train tomorrow evening to Skopje, Macedonia. Pray for me as I'll arrive at midnight. Train stations at midnight can be a little unnerving. I'll probably stay a couple nights there before finding a bus to Pristina in Kosovo where I have a ministry contact waiting for me. A day or so later I'll figure out how to get to Kiev, Ukraine (probably a LONG, LONG train ride!)

Athens, Greece Video Highlights

Corinthians

On Saturday our entire ministry team toured ancient Corinth. It was amazing. Only about 1% of the ancient city has been unearthed. But WOW! We saw a cool inscription on the road that marked where Erastus the city treasurer paid for the making of the road with his own money. No big deal…except that it’s highly likely that this is the same Erastus that partnered with Paul in ministry (Acts 19:22, Romans 1:23 and 2^nd Tim). Whatever preconceptions we might have that early Christianity was a religion for the poor masses doesn’t stand up here- Erastus would have been quite the upper crust of society.

As I’ve mentioned earlier, it’s astounding how much being here brings the Scripture to life. Do you remember all those times Paul used “slavery” imagery or athletic imagery. Well of course, Greece is the home of the Olympics, so the athletic imagery makes perfect sense. But did you know that Corinth was home to 300,000 citizens and 400,000 slaves. How ‘bout that!

We stood before the BEMA seat- a public court of sorts. This is not a place “like” where Paul would have been but it is the VERY place where Paul stood (and was acquitted by the way). Surrounding the area where the BEMA is, there were shops including one that has been identified as a Butcher’s Shop. So when Paul was talking about food sacrificed to idols, he may have been thinking of the shop just down the street from where we were. The Jewish Synagogue is likely just a short distance away too. AMAZING!

We climbed to the top of the AcroCorinth- the Roman Fortress overlooking the city. It was occupied by various forces through the centuries. According to Wikipedia, it’s one of the most important Medieval Castle sites in Europe.

Yesterday the teams from TN,GA and MS headed home in two waves. The MS group left at 9:45 and they actually just got home a little while ago! I missed them as soon as the bus pulled away. I loved my Neighborhood Impact team and I really hated to see Susan leave.

I took a 4 hour nap after they left and then started getting caught up on internet stuff last night (after trekking back into the city for another incredible Gyro). Last night I had good enough internet to WATCH MS State and Memphis on CBS.Com.

Today I figured out where the main train station is and booked a ticket for tomorrow to Thessaloniki. You can’t help but do a fist-pumping thing when you figure stuff out like that all alone! I plan to spend 2 -3 nights there so I can spend a day in Thessaloniki and a day in Phillipi. After that I’ll probably take a train to Pristina, Kosova where I’ll meet an I-Team contact.

Worth a Visit

If you haven't already checked it out, I recommend you visit: www.iwcstories.com.

An International Mission Board 5-Man Media Team spent the week with us in Athens and produced some pretty sweet video's and took some great pictures.

A Day In The Life . , ,

Me and Susan atop a windy Mars Hill in Athens, Greece.

I’ve been waking up fairly early- usually right around 7 pm. That may night sound early to you, but I’m not a morning person; never have been. It’s nice and quiet around here for about an hour and a half at that time in the morning. I’ve been reading 1^st Corinthians, praying, journaling through a Purpose Driven journal and working through Seth Barnes’ Art of Listening Prayer. I don’t have a history of spending an hour or more with the Lord everyday, much less doing so in the morning but this has been a great week and I hope I can continue the practice throughout my time in Eastern Europe.

We eat breakfast at 9:00 am. Everything is a little later here than at home. Lunch is around 2 and people eat dinner all the way up to 10 or 11 at night. It’s a very social culture. People meet at coffee houses or restaurants and sit all night. A lot of the college age students are just hitting the streets at 10 at night.

We’ve been meeting for a “share” time at 10 in the morning followed by some “group” time (the group we came with…the MC group, the Georgia group etc.). We worship at about noon and take care of chores around the house. We eat lunch at 2 and we’ve been leaving for our ministry sites at 3:00.

Earlier in the week our ministry consisted of servant evangelism around a neighborhood (picking up trash and giving modern Greek Bibles to people). Our goal was to invite people to The Oasis- a coffee house venue at a nearby refugee center. At the Oasis, we have a few hours at night to sit around and get to know people. The Georgia Southern University group has a Step Dance Team and they’ve been performing. There’s also a Drama team that performs. A couple of our teams have been making a Video/Film during the week that includes Greek people in the cast. We’re debuting the films tonight.

Of course, our ultimate goal is to share the gospel. The Oasis is a great venue for doing that. We can connect new believers right then and there with at least 2 local pastors and our resident missionaries.

One team has also been ministering in a gypsy settlement. They are squatters. The city is threatening to relocate them outside the city and bulldoze their current homes. The cool thing though is that just a few months ago our missionaries were met with resistance and now the gypsies are asking for the missionaries to continue coming to minister to them when they move to their new land.

The Greek people are very hospitable and receptive (mostly). The young people (high school through late 20’s) almost all speak enough English to converse with. Like young people in so many other parts of the world they are quiet eager to practice with a native speaker and they seem to like Americans- not the President so much- but definitely our college students. They are proud of their homeland. They should be; it’s beautiful here. I’m sure there are sketchy places in a city this large, but we haven’t seen them. I’ve felt safer here than most of the places I’ve been.

So…after spending a night meeting people on the streets and in cafés and then hanging out at The Oasis until 11:00 pm, we then take the Subway to it’s last stop and then walk about a mile and a half back to our house in the Suburbs. It takes an hour or more to travel in and out of the downtown area from where we live. That puts us back at the house at midnight or later for a pretty short night of sleep.

Community Living and other thoughts.

Community living, again. The whole team is here now. Over 60 college students that are plenty excited, as they should be. The weather is amazing. The scenery is amazing. We get to see our ministry sites today and we’ll worship atop Mars Hill at sunset this evening. We are staying at a ministry base here in Athens. There’s plenty of room and we have hot showers. There’s plenty of coffee in the morning- we’re trying to keep a tally of how many cups are consumed this week! But if you want some quiet time, you have to get up pretty early. For some reason my body is adjusting well to the time change which so far has allowed me to be awake an hour or two before everyone else which is the only time I expect it to be quiet around here.

Our ministry will keep us out late every night. I don’t expect to see a bed before midnight this week but that’s ok…that’s sort of my default schedule anyway.

Rumor has it there will be a Govt. Strike on Wednesday which will shut down the Subway system. That could pose problems for us for transportation. We’ll see.

Have you ever heard pastors and mission speakers talk about their trips to the Holy Land…about how being there makes the Bible come alive? Well it’s true. I was reading from Acts 17 the other day while I was sitting on Mars Hill. In about the same place I was sitting Paul must have stood and gotten everyone’s attention and said “The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.” Mars Hill is surrounded by temples. I read somewhere that within just a couple hundred years Athens was filled with thousands of churches. You can still see many of them today although they are no longer vibrant communities of faith- rather they are monuments to a bygone era. That’s one of the reasons we are here. To breathe new life into this place; into these people.

Made It!

I am in Athens! After my late flight out of Charlotte, I was subsequently late for every other connection- which put me in Athens at 11pm. I rode a bus all the way to downtown which was a fun adventure. Then I rode the subway back to the outskirts of town where one of our contacts picked me up and drove me to the "base". I hit the sack about 2:00 am. So, I'm here! I'm looking forward to getting out around the city today. A team from Georgia is here already. The MC/FBC Clinton team will arrive tomorrow.

I'll post more later.

Delayed...it's better than being Denied.

The best laid plans. I remember when I first booked my flight that there were several itineraries that arrived at London Gatwick Airport and then connected to Athens via Heathrow Airport. I remember thinking, “man, what a pain in the butt that would be to arrive at one airport and have to collect your luggage and get to the other airport!”

Well. Yeah, it is. A pain in the butt that is.

My flight from Charlotte, NC last night was delayed over an hour. That coupled with the less than efficient manner in which we were processed through customs here in London this morning means I missed my connection to Athens. (Why did I even have to clear customs? I should have been able to go directly to the international terminal for my flight to Athens…alas, it’s just not set up that way).

So, here I sit in a coffee shop in Gatwick Airport. I packed my power adapter in my checked luggage so I don’t think I’ll be able to play on the computer very long.

US Airways gave me a voucher for a meal and transportation to Heathrow. They said I can get my luggage in about an hour. We’ll see.

I did have fun in Charlotte though. My World Race friend Tana visited with me for nearly 2 hours and Katie called me. The flight itself was pretty uneventful. It was full and it seems like it was the most crowded and cramped overseas flight I’ve ever been on. It was pretty uncomfortable.

I’ll arrive in Athens after 10 tonight. I suppose it will take a while to clear customs there so it could be a late night. I emailed my contact there; I’ll play it by ear as to whether I want to try to find the place in the dark or just get a hotel room for tonight.

The Mississippi Team (FBC Clinton) won’t arrive until early Sunday evening.

Empty Handed

Empty handed. During The World Race we used to talk about standing before God, palms up, saying "I got nothing"- an expression of offering all we are and all we have (which isn’t much- thus the “empty” hands”).

I sit here in the Jackson, MS airport terminal looking at my empty left hand. This is the first day since May 31, 1997 that I haven’t worn a wedding band. Yesterday was the 2nd anniversary of Kim’s homegoing.

I remember reading an article about “wedding ring” etiquette several months ago. The advice columnist said one should wear a wedding band after the death of a spouse for as long as one still feels married.

That was definitely the case for me right up until about the time I came home from The World Race. Until then I wasn’t even interested in being interested in anyone. I think I’m slowly turning a corner- I think I could be interested at this point. It’s not like I woke up this morning though and some switch had clicked on or off; like I still felt married yesterday but not today. It’s just a decision I made.

It feels strange and it looks strange though.

The Countdown is On

So, I've spent the last week or so making the "family and friends" rounds before leaving the country for 10 weeks. I've been from N. Alabama to Atlanta and back, then to N. Mississippi, to Central Mississippi and to the Coast. Then to SE Louisiana and then to Vicksburg. I've visited all the siblings, nieces, nephews and the great niece and nephews. I've seen a lot of my friends.

I'm going back to my home church- Bayou View Baptist Church this Sunday morning. I'll spend the night on the Coast and try to see some friends and family there and in Mobile.

My flight to Athens, Greece originates near home in Jackson, MS at 1:00 pm this Thursday. I have a 4 hour layover in Charlotte where I hope I'll see some World Race friends for a couple of hours.

I'm not sure what all I'll be doing in Greece. There will be a lot going on.

A Media Team with the International Mission Board is accompanying us and will take you “behind the scenes” in Athens, where we will spend spring break sharing Christ through Gypsy ministry, drama, video interviews and a coffee house. You can log onto the website: www.iwcstories.com and worship alongside team members as we sing praises on Mars Hill, pray with us as we walk the ancient city streets and rejoice when God does amazing things in Athens.

Stay current through blog entries, photos, video and audio slideshows, and find out how you can be an integral part of this team through prayer. Check in regularly and experience Athens with us!

Not a bad weekend, not bad at all, except for . . .

Friday Night. I spent my last night in Alabama at the Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center for the traveling Broadway Production of CAMELOT starring Lou Diamond Phillips as King Arthur. It's a great story- you know how I love the whole Knight in Shining Armor thing. Of course, the Knight in Shining Armor was Sir Lancelot. The guy that played him was wonderful- he really created a completely smarmy French guy you love to hate and hate to love. The set and costumes were colorful and engaging, the orchestra was flawless. The script was funny and well-paced. And dare I say it... ok, no I won't call it a "date", but I did go with a friend and it was enjoyable.

Saturday. The weather was AMAZING! It was just hitting 72 degrees just after noon when I hid my Kayak under the Hwy 69 Bridge north of Jasper and then drove 7 miles downstream to park my Jeep. I then biked back to my Kayak and hid my bike and began the 4.5 mile trip down Blackwater Creek. Note to self: The GPS is cool for checking distances but it doesn't do much giving you the actual condition of the creek in question. So...I was kayaking blind, having never been on this river before. Funny thing happened: I flipped the Kayak within 20 seconds of entering the water! Yep, embarrassing. But seeing as how I didn't want to ride the bike back, I just kept on. Now...Why did I have my phone and camera with me? To take pictures of course and to call someone if I got into trouble...like if I flipped my Kayak or fell and couldn't get up. Hopefully, it will be a while before I'm that stupid again! The phone is somewhere in the creek still. The camera I think is rusting on the passenger seat of my Jeep. My new number in case you haven't heard is 601 954 8542.

At places the Blackwater Creek is Class 3. That's not too crazy or anything, but I think my Old Town Otter is really rated for Class 2 water. It was FUN and BEAUTIFUL. There were crazy sandstone bluffs and granite boulders. There was some sort of stone house built into the side of a cliff near the Boy Scout Camp. It was an awesome day even if it did cost me a lot more than I dreamed it would!

Sorry for not posting an original picture. The camera wouldn't cooperate...so here's some stock footage!




Sunday: After spending the night with my sister and mother, I went to First Baptist Church in Aberdeen to see my friend Chris and some other friends. It was fun seeing some people I haven't seen in nearly 20 years. On the way to Jackson from Amory, I found that I was in Starkville just as Mississippi State was throwing the first pitch in their rubber game with Air Force. So it was well worth $7.00 to catch some 70+ degree weather and an hour of MS State's pounding of Air Force Academy. It just doesn't get any better than a sunny day at Dudy Noble Field!