A Global Witness, by Johnny Pike

 My wife and I and nine students from Southeastern were a part of more than one hundred who made up the Global Outreach Athens 2004 team of church planters and soul winners who attended the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece.  Most of our time was taken up with Bible and tract distribution in the city squares of Athens where people from all over the world were busy taking in the sights of this ancient city.  We distributed 24,000 bibles and 180,000 gospel booklets in more than 40 languages.  We had the opportunity to personally share the gospel with people from 39 different nations and were able to win 16 people to the Lord from 16 different nations.  Only heaven knows the full impact this trip has made for eternity.

 A CROSS-CULTURE LOCAL CHURCH:

 We were able to share in the services of a Greek Baptist (Arminian) Church and how exciting to find out that they have Greek, Arabic, and Romanian congregations meeting in their building.  They are truly ministering cross-culturally.  Unexpectedly I was able to meet with a Moldovan/Romanian man that I had ministered to in Carpinine, Moldova eight years earlier who now pastors the Moldovan/Romanian church in Athens.

 MARS HILL AND CORINTH:

 Nothing could compare to the excitement of the witnessing but it was thrilling to stand on Mars Hill where the Apostle Paul preached to the Greek philosophers, (Acts 17) and to visit Ancient Corinth and stand before the Bema Seat where he stood before Gallio, (Acts 18).   God provided us with a born again professional, guide and we gained many insights into the history of the region and the ministry of the great apostle.

 GOLD MEDAL WINNERS:

 As usual, the students were great.  They looked great and conducted themselves in a Godly manner at all times.  They are a fine group of young servants of the Lord.  They had fun and did not have to dress or act like the world.  We were part of a larger Baptist group and I could not say that for some of them.  Several leaders of the other groups that were with us commended the Southeastern group for their attitudes, actions, and their attire.  Even people who do not hold to good Bible standards recognize those who do.  Thank God that He was seen through these students.  Each of these students deserves a “Gold Medal” for faithful service to our Lord. 

 THANK YOU!

 I want to thank Bro. Edgar Fagaley and his wife for the invitation to be a part of this event.  He is a church planter from Lebanon and has become a good friend over the last few years.  He has a great burden for the Middle East and its perishing multitudes.  Pray for him and his wonderful wife.  I also want to thank all of you who gave to these young people so that they could take part in this life changing experience.  Without your sacrificial giving they would not have been able to gain the vision that I think they now have of our Lord and His burden for a lost world.  It was worth every dime.

 WORDS FROM THE STUDENTS:

 As I spent this past summer raising funds for a mission trip to Greece . . . it seemed as though God gave me one specific desire.  I knew that this trip would be the soul-winning opportunity of a lifetime.  I also knew that it would be the privilege of a lifetime to put a Bible and tract in the hand of someone from a country where the gospel is non-existent, and see that person get saved and take the gospel back to his own country.  Imagine the impact that one person could make.  God granted my desire during our evangelistic efforts in Greece.  Greece was a beautiful country and going to the Olympics was exciting, but a price tag cannot be put on what took place during our trip

            As we traveled from Milano, Italy to Athens, Greece, I was privileged to sit beside a dear man from Brazil.   As I asked him about his relationship with Christ, he was in awe of the Bible that I held in my hand.  Heartbroken, I realized that not only did he not know who God was; but that this was the first time he had ever seen a Bible.  I went through the Bible with him from Genesis to Revelation, and he was just astounded at the gift of salvation.  He was disturbed that he had never heard about Jesus, and expressed his desire for this God that I knew.  He was ready to receive Christ at this point, but he was afraid to make such a decision so quickly.  He told me he wanted Jesus, and would accept Him.  He got my e-mail address and said he would e-mail me as soon as he trusts Christ as his Savior.  If that wasn’t wonderful enough, Sunday, August 15th, I had the opportunity to see a wonderful miracle take place in the city of Athens.  God allowed me to come in contact with a Muslim from Iran.  This man “Reza” sadly told me how Muhammad will not answer his prayer and neither did our God, the living God.  I was then able to tell him how to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  Fearing Islam, he was very reluctant to begin with.   Finally, he realized he had nothing to lose, compared with the joy of having Jesus.   Reza happily prayed the sinner’s prayer right there on the street in Athens, Greece.  He was so excited about Jesus coming into his heart, after he prayed he asked, “Is Jesus going to come in real soon?????”  He had a huge smile on his face when I assured him that Jesus came into his heart the minute he asked.   I believe that God would have allowed us to go to Greece, if it had only been for Reza.  Heaven rejoices over one soul and we will never know the impact Reza will make on his country.

            This mission trip was definitely a life changing event, and the best experience of my life.  One thing that was very convicting to me was the fact that there are thousands dying and going to Hell right here in America.  We have the opportunity and privilege of taking the gospel to every street in America, but it seems that we are slack on the job.  There are people all around the world that may never hear the gospel because of living in a country that is closed to the gospel and maybe even because of persecution, but that is not the case in America.  We have the ability of getting the gospel to millions.  I now see the small effort I have personally made to win souls to Christ, because of the opportunity that I have in America.  I pray that God will call more missionaries to go to the dark parts of the world, but I also pray we will become more burdened for the souls we can reach here in America. 

 Jennifer Jackson

             The 2004 Summer Olympics!  People from all over the world flooded the city of Athens, Greece, the birthplace of the Olympic games, to watch as their nations competed for a small medallion of gold; Christians flooded the city of Athens to give the Gospel to the people from those countries!  Praise the Lord, it was a SUCCESS!  The Global Outreach Athens team was able to present the Gospel of Jesus Christ to approximately 39 different countries, some of which are currently closed to the Gospel. 

            One of the greatest aspects of being a part of the GO Athens team was being able to interact with so many different cultures and backgrounds.  How marvelous it was to present God’s Truth to Arabic men who have been blinded by Satan’s lies for so long, and to hear the stories of those who were bound by the chains of a false religion coming to know Christ as their personal Savior!  Praise God for the work that was done!

            Another wonderful aspect of being on the GO Athens team was the helpful and practical insight that we were given about the Bible, especially concerning the ministry of Paul.  We were able to visit Mars Hill, where the Apostle Paul preached his famous sermon in Acts 17; we walked through what was left of Ancient Corinth, and were able to see and touch the Bema Seat.  Seeing such sites invokes a passion in the soul to continue to “press toward the mark.”  It was a wonderful encouragement; the New Testament will truly never be the same to me as I read it!

 Tonya Walden

 “A Changed World...Or Just a Changed Girl?”

             “The world has just gotten smaller,” a classmate remarked as we returned home from our recent mission trip to Athens, Greece.  I remember his words as I lay in bed that night, realizing how true they were.  Yet, I also became aware of another truth: Yes, the world had become smaller, but the need was greater than ever before.  There truly was a world that was lost and dying without Christ.

            Many people have asked me how the trip went, and I do not know how to answer them.  Sure, it was a lot of fun, and a huge blessing, but it was so much more.  How do you explain to someone that which changes the way you look at the world?  As I stood at the Acropolis, I understood what Paul must have felt when Acts 17 said that his “spirit was stirred within him,” because the city was lost.  And, yet, I met people from all over the world, faces I will not soon forget, and I think of the need in their countries as well.  I do not know how God will use me for missions, although I know that I cannot help but be involved in it now.  But one thing is for certain: the world will never look the same again.

 Dawn Phillips

 AFRICA TOO:

 Heather Spivey was able to spend two weeks in Africa and gives the following testimony:

             This summer I was allowed the privilege of taking a mission trip to Malawi, Africa.  The Lord touched my heart in so many areas while on this trip.  The people I saw were extremely poor, sick and hungry.  It made me realize just how much I take for granted each day.  In Malawi, the people are fortunate if they are able to eat twice a day.  The majority of people must walk everywhere because they can not afford any other means of transportation.  The hospital was probably the most disgusting place I have ever been in my life.  Disease is everywhere and most people do not live to be forty.  But although they have so many needs, the Christian Africans I met had the most giving heart of any other people I’d met before.  When it came time for the offering on Sunday, they gave from their hearts.  Although they could not give money, many gave the only food they had: a small guinea, some eggs, nuts and corn.  The African people were so open to the Gospel.  Over four hundred people made a profession of faith in the church services that were held.  God was so gracious in allowing me to witness this.  I miss being in Africa and I feel that God may want me to return there in the future.  If God is looking for someone to go I pray he looks no farther when He looks at me.