Greece:Samos Team Update #6

The visual representation of Hellenic Ministries Oikos focus is a blue framed double door with one side halfway open.  Our team is one of 14 teams sent to smaller communities in Greece to build relationships that lead to doors opening to welcome friends and neighbors in to study the word of God.

Our mission field is the beautiful island of Samos. We have begun to implement the vision shared with us during our training sessions. Strategies focus on relational evangelism where we have Spirit-led conversations with people where we  ask questions, get to know their stories, and share our story with them in an “effort to build relationships that are strong enough to support the weight of the Gospel message.” [Dan Vorm Oikos 2025 Training Session]

Prayer is the foundation we are building on with  our days on Samos. These prayers started when we first said yes to God’s call on our hearts to be part of Oikos25. Prayers that you have joined us in as we prepared to come. Prayers that became increasingly focused as we received inspiration and instruction when we arrived in Greece. Prayer’s that our hearts are open to engaging in relationship building conversations.

These prayers are being answered. Each team member has been given opportunities to talk with someone and hear their story. We have been blessed by these encounters. Then blessed again as we share what we have learned with the rest of the team.

Having been empowered by the Holy Spirit with the courage and hearts open to engaging with people in a meaningful way, we are excited to prayerfully continue our mission of building relationships that will eventually lead to open doors  where communities of believers gather to study the word of God.

Memorable encounters include: a business owner who sells things he makes from olive wood, he leaves his family each year to sell what he makes; he accepted prayers from the team. Another business owner [who shared he has no family] accepted prayers from the team as well. We’ve had ongoing conversations with the owners and workers at the hotel we are staying at, and a conversation with a college student whose father has 200 goats.

The rest of the days events are chronicled in our Oikos25  journals and prayerfully considered in our hearts.

Paula Epp for the Greece-Samos Team