Athens and a miracle in Basque Country

Dear Epaphras,

Greetings from hot and humid Bayonne!  We trust this finds you enjoying summer and time with your friends and family.  There is a lot to update you on.  But this week, we just want to focus on two things; Steve’s trip to Greece and a new Basque believer.  Also, for those of you who support our ministry financially, there is some important news at the bottom of this email.

Andrew and Alecia live and Athens and provide leadership to our teams in Greece, Albania, Macedonia, Kosovo and Bulgaria.  In addition to providing spiritual oversight to these southern Balkan countries, they are planting a church among Albanian immigrants in Athens.  And the church is growing!  They are regularly seeing Albanians turn to the Lord.  Andrew’s father, himself a career missionary visited Albania in 1979, under the communist regime of Nicolae Ceausescu, when faith of any kind was outlawed.  Now, after much prayer and gospel witness, 35 years later there are Albanian churches emerging throughout the region.

During my (Steve) visit in July we were able to visit a refugee program run by a local church.   This church feeds and ministers to asylum seekers from Syria, Afghanistan, Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco and many other countries.  I met Ahmed from Algeria who has been away from his country for many years, fearful for his life to return.  We spoke in French about Jesus and how a personal relationship with God is possible through Him.  As you have most likely seen on the news, thousands of refugees are streaming into Europe and it’s causing headaches for the already stretched governments.  Pray for the church to seize this opportunity.  Pray for Ahmed and others like him who are true “strangers and aliens.”  Pray they would respond to the love of God in Christ Jesus.

As you know, our church is in the heart of Basque country.  Several months ago Eric, from a Basque village, Arcangues, was unloading some trash at the local dump and saw a small book curiously, yet carefully, placed on the edge of the dumpster.  It was a bible!  It had been placed there by someone who was too ashamed to throw it away.  Eric picked it up and took it home.  He began reading it on a daily basis, attracted more and more to the Truth and the person of Jesus.  Almost everything he read left him disgusted with religion and hungering for a personal relationship with God.  He got to the place where he knew he needed to be baptized and googled “baptism” and “Biarritz.”   He came across Junior’s (our local pastor) phone number.  He and a friend, Laetitia, herself Portuguese, started attending our church.  Eric has been coming to the men’s group we lead in our home on Saturdaymornings.  It is so encouraging to see Eric’s spiritual thirst for the Lord.  Each Saturday he comes with his Bible and a bag of different colored highlighters.  He and Laetitia will be baptized in three weeks.  Continue praying for the Basque.  God is drawing them to Himself!

A note to our financial supporters.  Last month PIONEERS USA conducted a major upgrade to their donor receipting system.  After the dust settles from the overhaul, PIONEERS will be more efficient at handling your finances.   As a result, you’ll be getting a new donor number.  If you have any questions about either the upgrade or any of your donations, please click here.  If you still have questions please call or email Brian at donor services (407-581-7403 – [email protected]).

For those of you who would like to support our ministry financially, please check out the new donor portal here.  Our account numbers is 110580 or if you forget that just enter our first and last names when prompted.