An impromptu worship service at the top of Mars Hill where the apostle Paul once preached, playing volleyball on the sands of the Mediterranean coast as a means of witnessing, painting a school building and opening up a mayor’s eyes for future ministry opportunities and service to his community, working with children of Iranian refugees to share the gospel, and seeing the Parthenon and other ancient Greek ruins – how is that for a World Changer’s experience!
Forty-five students and adult chaperones from Fairview Baptist Church, Greer, were the only South Carolinians among those to bring “Grace to Greece” on a July trip sponsored by International World Changers – which, in addition to numerous work projects across the United States, provides high school and college students with a missions experience overseas.
“The trip was amazing!” said Chet Andrews, minister to students at Fairview. “Our youth’s worldview was greatly influenced by the ministry opportunities we had in Greece.”
Emily Brannon, 16, agreed, “This trip changed my worldview of how I see people from other countries. It made me thankful for the freedom we have to worship Christ in the USA.”
“This mission trip opened my eyes to how God works in other countries besides our own,” added Elliot Hawkins, 15.
Through activities such as painting, trash collection, drama, movie production, basketball, skateboarding, volleyball and gypsy ministry, the World Changers teams from the United States helped Athenians experience God’s love.
Chet Andrews, minister to students, talks with some of the Persian children at a worship service for their parents.“Athens is a gateway city to Europe for a lot of Middle Eastern countries, and we were working with Iranians, who prefer to be called Persians,” Andrews explained.
The Greer teens found the Greeks and Iranians open to the gospel. “We ministered at a center in Athens,” Andrews shared. “This particular place – which I can’t tell you the name of, for safety reasons – has had 200 Muslims commit to Christ in the last four years.”
Andrews even had the opportunity to witness a rare event on the mission field: a Muslim convert being baptized. “It was one of the greatest things I have every seen!” exclaimed Andrews. “They allowed me to participate by praying for the one being baptized,” he rejoiced.
Andrews, who admitted he had to repent of the fact that he, like many, can be patriotic to a fault and that led to some prejudices. He observed, however, “I worshiped and ministered alongside brothers and sisters from Iran who have the same Holy Spirit in them as I do. My Persian friends said that I would be astounded at the size, movement and growth of the underground church in Iran.”
Greer youth gather with World Changers from other states for a sunrise service on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea near Athens.Stephanie Patton, 18, daughter of Fairview pastor Steve Patton, was among those who helped keep some of the children of Iranian refugees while other World Changers held a worship service for their parents.
“I remember the moms coming downstairs where we were keeping their children,” recalled Stephanie. “They saw us laughing and playing with their kids, and you could tell they were very appreciative of the love we were giving their children.”
Laura Deaton, 15, served on a team that helped a local work crew paint several classrooms at an Athens school. An appreciative mayor invited the painters to eat lunch with him, at which they discussed opportunities for future World Changer groups to be involved in more city beautification projects.
“We were also able to give a Bible to one of the guys on the paint crew,” Laura rejoiced. “After one of our team members noticed one of the local painters looking at a Bible that we read from during a devotion and prayer time, he went and found a Greek Bible to give to him.”
The World Changers handed out Bibles to many of the people of Athens who they encountered at the various work sites and on the streets. For some, it may have been the first modern Greek Bible they have seen.
“You came all this way to tell me about Jesus?” one surprised woman asked.
And for some of Fairview’s youth, the World Changer’s trip to Greece was more than an amazing international missions project; it has become a part of their own spiritual formation.
“My trip to Athens confirmed a call I have to be a journeyman missionary when I get out of college,” said Cody Satterfield, 15.