Christmas Trip

We had a blessed trip to Greece last week. Kosova, Macedonia and Greece – 1,600 km of driving, four border crossings, and no problems. Stops included Mt. Olympus, Athens, Santorini, Thessaloniki and Skopje. There is so much history in Greece, it would take months to soak it all in. It was simply amazing to be walking through ancient ruins, many that date between the 6th century BC and the 4th century AD. Of course most of it has to do with the Greek gods, but it was interesting to consider the grounds which we wandered were also walked by several disciples of Jesus. One of the NT’s most famous speeches given by Paul to the “men of Athens” in the Areopagus (Acts 17:22-31) takes on a new energy after you’ve explored the city of Athens. He seemed to be taking in the city just as we were. Today it’s a city of 5 million+ and VERY busy. We now have a clear understanding of the expression, It’s Greek to me. The Greek language is difficult to decipher.

A relaxing highlight was our trip by ferry to the island of Santorini. The kids loved the island cats and mom and dad loved sitting in quiet, panoramic beauty. Our travel experiences are always defined by city centers, food & restaurants, open markets, and spontaneous friendships. We certainly enjoy meeting other Americans and trading stories. We’re grateful for our safe travel and feel rejuvenated, for sure. Thanks for your Christmas greetings and prayers.

Holidays

Holiday greetings to all. We are and will be thinking of family, friends and relatives during the holiday season. We’re tapping years of memories, recalling Thanksgiving and Christmas gatherings, to warm our hearts. We will miss your faces and long for a good hug, but the spiritual binds that tie our hearts (in spite of the miles) bring joy to us each day.

Thanksgiving
We were able to celebrate Thanksgiving, twice. We had a Thanksgiving lunch at school on Wednesday. Several of the American faculty brought traditional dishes. We lined up the cafeteria tables into one loooooong table. The history of Thanksgiving was explained to the students and several teachers described what the holiday meant to them.

On Thursday about thirty of us gathered at the Chesnut’s home for an afternoon Thanksgiving meal. We had turkey and all the trimmings – the smells were intoxicating. Julia cooked one of three turkeys and corn pudding. A few things missing: football on the TV, a snoring relative on the couch, pecan pie, and family of course.

Albanian Flag Day
The Wednesday following Thanksgiving Albanians everywhere celebrated Ditën Flamurit (Flag Day). It’s a bit of a combination of our July 4th and Presidents Day. No fireworks, but plenty of patriotism. Schools and government agencies were closed. Flags flew in front of many shops and homes. This was started on November 28, 1443, but become more meaningful on the same day in 1912 when Albania declared independence from Turkish captivity. The day prior to the holiday several students prepared a mix of readings and songs pertaining to Flag Day. The whole school gathered during 7th period to take in their show. It was quite impressive.

Christmas
We will be spending our first Christmas outside the US. We plan to be in Athens, Greece on December 25th and spend a day in Corinth as well. It will certainly give this Christmas added meaning being in and near the lands we read about in the Bible. We have a small Christmas tree with lights - it sure makes us smile. Your care packages serve as our presents – down to the last pack of Skittles.

A quote from Mother Teresa is an appropriate ending to this posting: “Why must we give ourselves fully to God? Because God has given Himself to us. If God who owes nothing to us, is ready to impart to us no less than Himself, shall we answer with just a fraction of ourselves?” —Mother Teresa