11/11 A Letter from Home in Greece 1 – Hao-Min & Jui-Fang
Regarding our whole family’s move to Greece for the overseas spreading, after fellowship with the brothers and much prayer, we deeply feel that it is the move of the Holy Spirit. I remember the night before we left, I was tossing and turning in bed, unable to sleep. I didn’t know if it was because the bed was too hard after I had put away the mattress while tidying up the room, or for some other reason, but I just couldn’t fall asleep. Thinking that it had been a long time since I had insomnia, I prayed to the Lord and had fellowship with Him about this trip. In prayer, I had a deep sense that ‘this going is because He has already gone; He is pleased, and He is already there. We are going in His going, and He is pleased that we partake of His going—partake of His present, His today’s going.’ Initially, I had received the burden externally, but inwardly I still didn’t quite understand why we were going to Greece. Although my heart was joyful, I also felt it was heavy. Praise the Lord, in prayer I experienced more deeply that He is, and I am not; He has, and I do not. What a salvation and release it is to let Him do everything. At that moment, I renewed the consecration of myself and our family to the Lord.
Our family has been in Greece for nearly a month and a half. Everything is well, and our life has generally settled down. Recently, we have been diligently learning Greek and seizing opportunities to contact people on campus. From Monday to Friday, I attend a four-hour Greek class at the University of Athens Language Center during the day, while my wife stays home with the children or takes them to the small group. On Tuesday and Thursday evenings, it’s her turn to go to class, and I take the children to the prayer meeting and the small group meetings. On weekday noons, we take our children to the university cafeteria to contact students. In our contacts, we feel that the Greek people are quite friendly. They are talkative, sociable, and willing to befriend people. But we ask the Lord to work deep in their hearts to remove the veil of religion and tradition. We have gradually gotten a list of people willing to stay in touch, and we are beginning to have second and third contacts. We have also invited students to our home. May the Lord make the local young seekers manifest. For the sake of the campus gospel, we also have weekly fellowship and prayer with the coordinating family and the saints, and we study points for a breakthrough.
Ninety-five percent of Greeks believe in Eastern Orthodoxy. Eastern Orthodoxy is not just their faith; it is interwoven with their history, culture, family, and daily life. It can be said that all important life events are connected to the Eastern Orthodox Church. Furthermore, because the Orthodox faith is closely linked to national identity, even if they do not participate in religious activities, most people still identify their faith as Eastern Orthodox. To change their faith is like asking them to change their national identity.
The spreading in Athens has a history of nearly thirty years. The saints labor diligently in shepherding, but the Greeks who are gained tend to come and go. May the Lord’s word continue to grow in this land and gain the local seekers!
[A Fun Fact about Greek 1] Ηρέμησε (Irémise)
Since our family lives with Wei-Hsin’s family, one day I heard their two children mention a classmate named Irémise. I looked it up later and realized it’s not a name, but means “Please be quiet.” There was a very noisy classmate, and the teacher often said ‘Irémise’ to him, which made the other children think it was his name.
Ηρέμησε (Irémise) is the most common and natural way to say “calm down,” “relax,” or “be quiet.” 👉 Used when telling one person: “Calm down!”
11/11希腊家书一 浩皿&瑞芳
这次全家赴希腊海外开展，经过弟兄们的交通和多方祷告，深深觉得是圣灵的行动。记得出发前一晚，我躺在床上辗转难眠，不知是否是因整理房间时将床垫收起导致床太硬影响，或另有原因，一直翻来覆去却没有睡意。心想已经很久没有失眠了，便向主祷告，为着这次的前去与祂交通。祷告中深觉‘这次的前去，是因祂已前去，祂喜悦，且祂已在那里。我们乃是在祂的去里去，祂喜悦我们有分祂的去。有分祂现时的，今天的去。’原先是外面领受负担，里面多少仍不明白为什么到希腊，心里虽喜乐却也觉得重。感谢主，在祷告中更深经历祂是，我不是，祂有，我没有，能让祂作一切这是何等的拯救与释放。当下，便再把自己和我们一家更新的奉献给主。
我们家来到希腊已近一个半月，一切都好，生活也大致安定下来。近期就是竭力学习希腊文并抓住机会在校园里面接触人。每周一至周五，我白天在雅典大学语言中心上四小时的希腊文课，姊妹则在家带孩子或带去参加小排。周二及周四晚上换姊妹去学校上课，我带孩子去祷告聚会和小排聚会。平日中午，我们带着孩子到学校餐厅接触学生。在接触中我们感觉希腊人相当的友善，他们健谈、善于社交，且乐意和人作朋友。但我们求主在他们心里深处作工，除去宗教和传统的帕子。已过陆续有些许愿意继续联系的名单，开始有第二三次接触，也有邀约学生到家里，愿主显明本地的青年寻求者。为着校园福音，我们也与配搭的家及圣徒周周交通祷告，并研讨突破的点。
希腊人有九成五信仰东正教，且东正教不仅是他们的信仰，更交织于他们的历史、文化、家庭与日常生活中，可以说人生所有重要事件都会与东正教会牵连在一起。另外，因东正教信仰与民族认同紧密相连，即使不参与宗教活动，多数人的信仰认同仍是东正教。要更换他们信仰，如同要改变民族认同一样。
在雅典的开展已有近三十年的历史，圣徒们相当竭力牧养，但得着的希腊人来来去去，愿主的话在这地继续扩长起来，得着当地的寻求者！
【希腊文趣事1】Ηρέμησε （Irémise）
因我们家和惟信家一起住，一天听到他们家两个孩子提到班上有同学叫Irémise，后来查了才知道原来那不是人名，是“请安静下来”的意思。因班上有个很吵闹的同学，老师常对他说’Irémise’让其他小朋友以为是那位同学的名字。
Ηρέμησε (Irémise) 是最常用、自然的说法，意思是“冷静下来”“放松”“安静一点”。👉 用于对一个人说：“安静下来吧！”
