Greece and Bulgaria

I don't enjoy putting up posts as much without photos to go with it. The last while our camera has been giving us difficulties. Now that we got it fixed, I'm excited to get lots of photos on now.

Basically after we were spending time with all the locals in Sulcuk (Effisis) we took a ferry to Samos island in Greece. We experienced the unbelievable beauty that was there. Then we went by ferry to Athens where we went to Acropolis to see the ruins on the mountain top. From Athens we went up the east coast by train to Katerini on a quest to experience a pure form of the Greek culture we were still trying so hard to find. Unfortunately we found it to be a mini Vegas on the beach that was packed with Eastern European tourists. From there we went to Sofia in Bulgaria, which was a cheaper place to stay and to see the churches and parks in the city. Now we have returned to Istanbul Turkey, where we will fly out of on Friday to Uganda.

To be honest I've felt a little let downs since we left for Greece. I had expectations of finding someone or something that would give us a new great experience. That I would somehow connect with the culture and have an experience that would be uniquely Greek, but yet I feel we hardly experienced the culture at all the way I hoped to. We have often prayed that we will meet someone either at the ferry, the hostel, or where ever. That a person would offer us a place to stay or to introduce us to his circle of friends. It is not just a way to save money but to experience what life is truly like for the people in each place. The three of us were hoping and praying that we would see the Greek culture this way. But it didn't happen. We saw it from 'the outside', like a tourist. These last weeks I've felt a lot like a tourist, we just need the flower shirts to go with the image. It's the times like this on our trip that I question how useful I really am, what purpose I have here? I still trust God has called us to tour the world, to go where we have gone, but I sometimes fail to see why. Perhaps there is a lesson in this that I must learn. Maybe our journey is not always gonna look the way I expect it to. That my will doesn't always line up with God's. That I need to trust He is using us the way He desires. I have seen some cool things these last two weeks: we saw maybe some of the most beautiful ocean water, and rocky islands while were in Greece. We saw the Greek Orthodox churches that stand on top of little mountain peaks and experienced the effect the religion has on the people's lives. We've also met heaps of travelers, people from all over. We have shared the gospel of Jesus with them and listened to all different questions they have. Many of them have their own views of God, life, and the world. A part of me thinks I have heard it all, but I know that I've only scratched the surface of what there is out there. I imagine that as we arrive in Africa on Saturday we may be entering into a whole new land of different worldviews. I expect that I will continue to be stretched while I'm there and I don't expect that Africa will be much like anything I've seen before. We have 6 weeks in Africa, after that we will be in Europe until November, and we are asking for the strength to finish strong. There is so much more to do and see. We covet your prayers.

Kenton

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I'm not sure who this kiss is for...