Brother Logan writes:
We had a good witness in the city. We also spent more than an hour in the main city post office. The ladies in charge of mass mailings ushered us right in saying that usually appointments must be made in advance but strangely today there was no one tying them up. We were told that excluding business addresses and suburbs, there are 420,000 residences in Thessalonica receiving mail in boxes. We asked what just the DELIVERY would cost. She said we could negotiate but that the price would be about 4 euro cents per piece, which equals 16,800 euro to reach every dwelling in the entire city in 5 DAYS through a postman in each area. At the current exchange rate this equals $21,000.
Before we got any further, she asked what we wanted to mail. Angelo told them straight up that it would be the gospel of Jesus Christ with further instructions to contact us. She said NO PROBLEM as long as we WERE NOT Jehovah’s Witnesses. Amazing! She advised that it should be done in envelopes so people would not throw it away without reading it. She also said that she will send us a quote soon that would include the cost of the envelope, printing, stuffing, and delivery. I have no idea what this will cost, but we will wait for the quote as well as check other sources for pricing.
Angelo witnessed to both ladies, and they received gospel tracts gladly. While we were exiting, they said, “Times are so hard in Greece right now. People are searching for something. If you mail this to everyone, you will most likely get a large response from a lot of hurting people.” Tell the brethren to pray about this. If we had people on the streets every day for eight hours a day for a year just putting tracts in post boxes, we couldn’t cover half of the city with tracts in my opinion even IF we could get into all of the apartments (which is doubtful).
Large expense but a small price for the souls of men and for the peace to be able to say, “We are pure from the blood of all men in the vast city of Thessaloniki.”
Brother Angelo writes:
Praise the Lord for another day to go out and lift up our sin-forgiving saviour; preaching singing and passing out gospel tracts. Because of the word of God people are drawn to the scripture signs one after the other. They ask what is this as they receive gospel tracts from brother Brent and Benjamin his son who arrived in Greece last Friday.
Some respond in disgust saying if it’s not G.O. its blanky blank and so get out of our country. Then Brother Brent gets a bite and throws me the line.
A middle-aged G.O. man named Thanasis (picture 1 below) asked what we are. I said not JWs and he started to listen with a tender heart, hearing for the first time in his life of the one who loved him enough to die for him and that JESUS is the saviour, not any church or anyone or anything else. It is all about JESUS. He smiled and walked away saying thank you.
As Brother Benjamin gets all excited as he passes out tracts with one hand and holds the word of God in the other hand I see his dad calling me to come and talk to two very inquisitive G.O. ladies. They are very genuine sweet ladies. I told them straight away we are not JWs and this put them to ease. Then what are you? I said we are Bible believing Christians trusting in JESUS CHRIST alone for our salvation. One of the ladies asked the questions. The other was anxious to go because of work but Roula asked away, question after question. We believe the same thing you are telling us. I said aunty Roula if you both died right now where would you go? They said only God can know. I then explained God’s simple plan of salvation. Roula did not want to leave but her friend had to get to work and basically dragged her off. They were amazed that the Bible actually taught that JESUS CHRIST was the only way to the Father. I quoted John 14:6 and she helped me finish the verse.
There are people everywhere. This is deep sea fishing at its best. We can’t give out tracts quick enough. Some mock, some scorn, but most take them. One young lady Eva (PICTURE 2 below) takes a tract from brother Benjamin and as she starts to read the back of it (they all do that) I tell her straight away that we are not JWs but Bible Believing Christians preaching the good news about JESUS and his love for you. She sighed with relief and said that they are hated here and everyone here would think your JWs. I asked the question if she died right now where would she go. She told me she was a big sinner and on her way to hell fire and her only hope was confessing her sins to a priest. If she did not confess every one of her sins in time, she said sadly and tearfully, she would go to hell. I told her the priest is a sinner like all of us and cannot help you. Let me tell you about one that is not a sinner who can help you. I pleaded with her to turn to JESUS. After I explained the gospel she read all of John 3 and 1 John 5:9-13. She never ever heard of anything so beautiful. She smiled with new hope and said, “Thank you for giving me this good news. You have brought me close to God.” I tell these precious souls I am just the messenger it is God’s word speaking to their hearts and if they want to know more from the Bible they can call.
Picture 1
Picture 2