Harry and Andrea

Yep, folks. That’s right. Call time at the airport will be 4 a.m. That means that people who live out in the stix have to get up at oh, let’s say somewhere around 2 or 2:15. Maybe I should have thought this through a little more before I asked people to pray for the arrival of my passport.

So, be sure and think of us while your fast asleep, cozy in your bed in the wee hours on Friday morning–or feel free to come out to the airport to see us off! Yea, right.

That’s it from this side of the Atlantic. Next time you hear from us, we may be eating baklava and fresh feta.

(Email one of us or comment if you want a copy of the prayer guide.)

We leave for Greece in one week and a little less than 24 hours. And, my passport is still MIA. According to the U.S. Passport Agency–or whoever answers their phone after an interminable wait and several failed attempts to get through, my request that my passport be expedited last Friday was ignored. And I was offered the chance to drive to Chicago or DC to get it in case it doesn’t come in. So, I should probably say, countdown to Greece, God-willing. Please pray that God will provide my passport soon!

Here are a few random facts about Greece to peak your interest:

• 98% of Greeks are Greek Orthodox
• It’s official name is The Hellenic Republic
• The weather today is ???
• Billy Zane is actually Billy Zanetakos, which is a Greek name. For a list of other celebrities with Greek heritage or to scan the Greek personals, see hellenism.net.
• The official Greek motto, which arose during the Hellenic Revolution is “Freedom or Death”. There are 9 lines in the Greek flag because of the 9 syllabus in the Greek pronunciation of this phrase.
• Ode on a Grecian Urn
• Greece is bordered by the countries Albania, the former Yugoslov Republic of Macedonia, Bulgaria, Turkey and the Mediterranean and Aegean Seas.
• 2% of the people who live in Greece are not Greek in heritage.
• The sharing place for Balkan music and dance.

-Facts taken from hellenism.net.

We have been amazed at God’s provision and your willingness to partner with us! Thank you, thank you, thank you. We have raised nearly all of the money that we need for the trip. Praise God!! Anything that we raise over what we need will be used to help other members of our team–which will be a great blessing.

We are traveling to Eretria, Greece, about 30 miles outside of Athens by ferry and bus, on the island of Evia. It’s not the hottest tourist destination, but it is a beautiful retreat for the Ms. It’s surrounded by mountains and the Aegean Sea. We leave at 6 a.m. on June 22nd and will arrive in Greece around 8 a.m. on the 23rd. There is an 8 hour time difference between Nashville and Greece.

The worship team consists of Harry as the sound technician, me and Geoff as vocalists, Jay, Earl, Mike and Ben as musicians and Jeff as our worship leader. As we said in our letter, we are leading worship for a week-long conference for Ms in Central and Eastern Europe. The other members of our team are serving in other ways: Vicki is providing printed materials for the missionaries, Kelly is providing counseling services, Kristi is providing prayer support, and Duffy is our coordinator.

Here are a some prayer requests for the next two weeks as we prepare to leave:

• Praise God for His provision for this trip. We continue to be amazed and touched by the kindness of God’s people. Please pray that He will continue to provide for the other members of our team–financially, practically for their families.
• Pray for the Ms and the regions that they represent in Central and Eastern Europe. Pray that this will be a time for them to be renewed and encouraged in the gospel and with fellowship.
• Pray for the unity of our team. We only have one more team meeting before we leave and it’s finally starting to feel like a team. Please pray that God will use us to be a blessing to the Ms.
• Pray for Harry as he tries to communicate with the staff at the hotel regarding sound issues and equipment. Pray for me and the rest of the worship team as we learn the music.
• It has been a really stressful season for Harry and me recently. We are really looking forward to the time away, a chance to focus on ministry together, and for time to meditate on what God is doing around the world. Please pray that God will use this time to renew our likemindedness, our commitment to one another and our fervor for missions.
• Getting to the airport is going to offer some creative challenges because we have to be there at 4:30 a.m. and we are currently car-less, due to a string of circumstances over the past few months. Please pray that God will provide what we need.
• My passport renewal still has not arrived and getting in touch with the passport office has proven difficult to say the least. Please pray that it will arrive quickly.

Thank you for sending in your blue cards. If you haven’t sent yours in, please give them to us, or mail them whenever you get a chance. We really have been blessed by knowing how to pray for you. Also, let us know if you’d like to be added to the email updates by commenting below or emailing us directly.