A Round the World Adventure

It is almost impossible to easily capture either the beauty or the squalor that is Athens. The classical beauty of the Parthenon and ancient temples and the panoramic views of the city with the very buildings sparkling in the sunlight make it easy to imagine the Greece of myths and legends, where drama and philosophy were born.

It would be nice to live in that world and to only see Athens for its glorious history, but the effects of a city “wholly given to idolatry” (Acts 17:16) have born their fruit as well, and like a 2-sided coin, the dark side of Athens contrasts sharply with its classical beauty.

Today, not only is the city grimy and crammed, but there is a darkness that pervades it like a weight of heaviness. I (Sarah) have never before been to a place where clear misery and sin was etched on so many faces or where I felt so oppressed by evil and compelled to pray.

In the area where we are staying, we are surrounded by a filth that seems both physical and spiritual. Our first night, we wandered past a gang of 50 young men, several of which were doing drugs on the street corner, and tonight we discovered that not even the police like to patrol many areas because of the danger.

Like every city, the people need Christ. So, if you have a moment, please pray for the people of this city and their need for Him. Just as Paul told the men of Athens centuries ago, our prayer is:

“that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; “for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.’

-Acts 17:27-28