Thanks so much to you and the church for handling so much for us and the ministry here! It has been a relief that you are there for us as you are.
Evangelism
We are finally into the summer months here! This is honestly one of the best times of the year for evangelism in Thessaloniki as people come out (normally later in the morning) until very late at night. The afternoons get a little slow again but the evening hours have been a great time to get the Gospel out and witness to people and it has been going very well.
Not only do many of the Greeks hit the outdoors now but there are many tourists that are coming here as well. This has allowed me to give the Gospel to many people from around the world while being right here. This has also been true about Americans visiting the city, and they have seemed more open to hearing about God while here in Greece than they seemed to be when I was in the US!
During our nighttime evangelism, there are times that I will be in crowds so thick that I cannot even get tracts to all those around. Some of them will wait their turn to get them and one or two will stay behind to talk about it.
Please continue to pray for Cristos. We are still having some wall issues at the church and we have not been able to get it attended to lately because of scheduling issues, etc. That has actually been a good thing because Cristos (the son of the man working on the wall) has been out of town but will be back in time for the work next week. He has been very open before so please pray for him.
I was able to sit down with an Iranian man names Mohammed for several hours a couple of weeks ago. We had a mutual friend and he wanted to meet while he was visiting from Athens. He admits that he is not very religious but he did listen as I gave him the Gospel and spoke to him of the Bible for about 2 hours. He will be returning again to Thessaloniki later this year so please keep him in your prayers.
There is another man, Tsarkis, that I have been dealing with more lately. He is a very pleasant man and open to the things of God but still dealing with some confusion because of the Orthodox church.
Last month, I wrote about the Syrian refugees. We have seen a few of them lately but not the bulk of them as of yet. The good part is that Elia, a man in our church, speaks fluent Arabic and he has agreed to go with me to where they are this summer so we can speak to them in Arabic. This is a big step on Elia’s part and it is good to see him kind of excited about using his language ability for God.
Church
Church has been going well. We are continuing to receive visitors from around Europe and we even had a honeymooning couple from the US come last Sunday! It has been really good to see how many of these Christians from all over seek out a church to attend on Sundays during their visit here and we have been blessed to have them.
We have one couple who has been coming regularly since they have moved to Thessaloniki and they are always bringing family and friends when they visit the city. They will be returning home for the summer but are already looking forward to coming back to church.
The fellowship with people at church has been very good as we learn more and more about the people and get closer to them. These are dear people that we are so privileged to minister to and we thank the Lord for each person that attends here.
It has been a joy as well to see how they have acted with our little Timmy. They see him as the “church” baby!
Someone that had been helping here in the ministry, Kayode (the man from London) has felt that it was time for him to move on so he has returned to London for a while before seeing where he believes God would have him go next. Please keep him in your prayers.
Family
Our family is doing very well. The children have so enjoyed having the newest child around here and they are doing very well with him. My parents are currently visiting and it has been good to have them here and have my Dad go out in the city with me.
Thank You!
Thank you all for your continued prayer and support of this ministry here. It is always such a joy knowing that there are so many people who have a deep interest in this city and the Word of God going throughout it. We count it a privilege and joy to be your extension of ministry here and we very much enjoy the work that the Lord has allowed us to take part in. Thank you very much!
Charlie and Family