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Greece UBF

 

February 6, 2013

Part I. 2012 Annual Review

 

1. The work of God through our key verse

Our ministry’s key verse of 2012 was 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18: “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” We took this key verse in order to be different from non-Christians who are always complaining. God blessed us to share testimonies with thanksgiving topics throughout the year. This is the key to not only overcome our practical and daily difficulties on the mission field, but also to keep our faith in God, giving all the glories to Him under any circumstances. We pray that God may bless our thanksgiving topics sharing meeting to change Greece as a happy and holy nation for world mission.

 

2. Bible study

Since a few years ago, God gave us a spiritual desire to learn the full stream of the Bible from the book of Genesis to Revelation. In 2012, we intensively studied the Ten Commandments, 1 Corinthians chapter 15 (led by Paul Lee) and Galatians and Matthew’s Gospel (led by Missionary Barnabas Woo and Shepherd Stamatis). We also studied some books from the Minor Prophets: Hosea, Amos, Jonah, Obadiah, Nahum and Micah in order to have a Biblical point of view towards our current problems, and through receiving some important information about the authors and the historical backgrounds. May God bless us to be good Bible teachers so that we can explain to young Greek students the whole Bible easily, correctly, and concisely.

 

3. Bible schools, fishing and group Bible study ministry

We held the Happy Easter Bible school on April 6. God blessed us to prepare one drama with the title, “Chair,” and the missionaries and children memorized and recited 1 Corinthians 15 together.

God blessed the Sixth Balkan Summer Bible Conference in Romania and Msn Barnabas Woo to renew his spirit through the Ten Commandments. Again, he met Jesus who came to call the sinners. God leads him to visit the Campus every day for preaching the gospel from September. Through this God led him to find brothers Thomas, Yianni, and Dimitri. Also God blesses his house church to have prayer meetings every evening.

We also held our Christmas worship service on December 23.

 

The Athens Chapter 2 is having frequent fellowship with the Bible students that come nowadays, and they pray especially for brothers and sisters Haris, Panos, Dimitra, Vivi, and Anna. Also, a new sheep, brother Nikos (a freshman in applied mathematics at the technical university) attends Bible study every Saturday. His father is a police officer, but their relationship is strained. Nikos is someone who thinks about life very genuinely, and he comes to Bible study even though he lives in Megara which is close to Corinth (it takes about two hours just to come by public transportation). We pray that this brother will see the truth in God’s word and will become a disciple of Jesus.

 

4. Self-supporting

In the midst of IMF, God granted victory to Shepherd Stamatis to work at the teleperformance department for Western Union, just after S. Stamatis finished his studies through faith in Him. Also, God granted another big victory to Missionary Mark Lee to get a job at Samsung. He blessed the business of the ‘World Trade’ company through Missionary Barnabas Woo. Praise the Lord who opened the Red Sea of financial problems in the midst of the economic crisis.

 

5. Co-working ministry and the raising and education of the second generation

When Missionary Paul Lee had a problem with his left shoulder, Missionary Barnabas Woo and Stamatis delivered the Sunday Worship messages. In the midst of suffering, they were ready to take the cross of message delivering with joy. M. Barnabas Woo’s three children started to learn English and musical instruments. During the summer vacation, second gen Pauline Lee visited Korea on her own to learn history and language. She had a good opportunity to meet and have fellowship with second gens from all over the world. Also, second gens Lydia, Paul, and Pauline Lee went on a mission trip to Switzerland to learn the faith of the families of Missionaries. Missionary Pauline Lee also visited Korea with second gens Esther and Sousana during the summer vacation.

 

6. European and World Mission: Regional Co-working and serving guests

On December 28-31, the Annual European Directors’  Conference was held on a mountaintop at Fruška Gora National Park in Serbia. Seven delegates from Greece attended this event. Missionary Paul Lee was invited to Turkey’s International Summer Bible Conference on June 29-July 2 at the Black Sea and to the Bonn UBF anniversary in September. Thank God who blessed the sixth Balkan European Regional Summer Bible Conference, which was held in Sinaia, Romania from August 17-19. Thirteen members from Greece attended this conference. Also, for two days from August 19-20, Dr. John Jun and Dr. Peter Chang served Balkan missionaries with Ephesians Bible study through CME ministry (Continuing Missionary Education). After that, Dr. John Jun, Dr. Peter Chang and Paul Lee visted Bulgaria, Macedonia and Greece UBF in order to renew and strengthen missionaries in the Balkan countries. On October, Missionary Hannah Chung from Tanzania visited us.

 

7. Special Thanksgiving Topics

Praise the Lord who granted jobs to Stamatis and M. Mark Lee. Praise the Lord who blessed us to have weekly thanksgiving topics sharing at the house church of M. Barnabas Woo’s family. Praise the Lord who blessed Zoi Woo to grow. Praise the Lord who prepared us lunch fellowship from the sacrificial love of missionaries Lydia Lee and Ioanna Woo and the ping-pong fellowship after Sunday worship service. Praise the Lord who blessed second gens Lydia, Paul and Pauline Lee to co-work with their parents. Praise the Lord who blessed brother Yiannis Gargas to attend Group Bible Study and SWS again.

 

Part II. 2013 key verse and prayer topics

 

Our key verses for 2013 are Deuteronomy 31:8-13: “‘The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.’ So Moses wrote down this law and gave it to the priests, the sons of Levi, who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and to all the elders of Israel. Then Moses commanded them: ‘At the end of every seven years, in the year for canceling debts, during the Feast of Tabernacles, when all Israel comes to appear before the LORD your God at the place he will choose, you shall read this law before them in their hearing. Assemble the people--men, women and children, and the aliens living in your towns--so they can listen and learn to fear the LORD your God and follow carefully all the words of this law. Their children, who do not know this law, must hear it and learn to fear the LORD your God as long as you live in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess.’"

 

According to these words we pray to read the Bible so that Greek people can listen to God and learn to fear the Lord. We pray that Greek people may learn how to fear God through hearing His law through Bible reading. We pray that God may bless Shepherd Stamatis to establish a house church with a beautiful and faithful woman of prayer in God’s time and through His way. We pray that God may bless brother Yiannis Gargas to accept Jesus Christ as his personal Saviour through regular Bible studies and reading. We pray that God may bless second gen Paul Lee to pass by faith the entrance exams for college at the National Technical University (NTUA) and to become a Bible teacher for Greek young students. We pray that God may bless the health of Paul Lee and his business for God’s ministry in Greece. We pray for Msn Mark Lee’s family to raise one Abraham of faith and 7 disciples of Jesus Christ at the National Technical University (NTUA).

 

One Word: You shall read this law before them in their hearing!

 

By M. Paul Lee