Category: 2024, Cyprus

Saturday:  We woke up to a cool overcast day, drove 1.5 hours to Paphos, saw ruins from the days of the Apostle Paul, ate good pitas at a non-touristy taverna, visited the home of a beautiful couple & their baby boy serving in Paphos, and drove 1.5 hours back to Larnaca.  Now we are packing and attempting (multiple tries) to get checked in online for our early morning flight. The reality is setting in, our serving here is finished.  The lives of everyone we met will continue on, and we will try to remember them and pray for them until the urgency of their stories fades away, no matter how much we want to keep the experiences front and center. We hope we are changed.  We hope we come back to Grand Rapids and share the stories.  We hope we will have more opportunities to walk alongside the “foreigners in…

Our last day at the Center, yet we were each wondering when we could come back… Today was the first day we made it to and from the Center with zero “detours” (ie wrong turns).  It only took until the last day to perfect the navigating! Bob and Jim finished painting the new classroom.   Logan the director was thrilled with the new sign. Lynnell worked on organizing the attic and filling the bins we purchased yesterday.  (Before and after pics below.)                 Sherry worked with a few volunteers to keep sorting the donations. Krystal helped with the clothing distribution, popped in on an English class, and ended up entertaining kids so parents could learn. We had a pizza party for all the volunteers after the day was finished.  Bob told the Bible story of the Widow and her two mites in the…

Today was another hot but less sunshiny day.  A haze, due to dust storms from the Sahara, covered the city and activated allergies.  But we worked hard and saw more progress: Bob and Jim finished patching a future classroom and then began painting. Lynnell and Sherry re-sorted multiple boxes of donations into new bins and also set up displays for tomorrow’s distribution.  The new shelves built by Bob, Jim, and a volunteer from London/Jamaica made a big difference. Krystal went along with (2) staff members and a volunteer to teach English to Syrian teenage boys.  The boys are living in an abandoned hotel and are under the supervision of the Cypriot government.  About (10) boys gathered for a competitive game of Uno with the volunteers before the English lesson started.  The director had asked us to teach the boys how to say “please may I have…” and then food items….

  We had a full day: We started with a brief volunteer meeting and prayer time.  It was beautiful to pray with volunteers from all over the world.  The heart of the ministry was evident to everyone present. Lynnell sorted baby clothes then helped make a plan for squeezing more space out of the “attic” where the clothes were stored.  And made a couple new friends!  It’s  encouraging to see the Lord use people from all over the world to serve together in unity. Sherry attended the mommy and baby play time hosted at the church across the street.  They played, had snack, played balls, blew bubbles then sang songs.  This weekly event is meant to help moms learn how to bond with their children and parent in a healthy way. Jim and Bob, along with an amazing volunteer from London/Jamaica, finished the garage shelving! It was a full day…

It has been a good day, thank you Lord.  We saw progress in our projects at the Center and had sprinkles of relationship building throughout the day. Jim and Bob worked on shelving for the garage.  The inside storage areas are being converted to classrooms, thus the revamping of the garage.  They worked hard all day, even after most staff went home. Lynnell, Sherry, and Krystal sat in on a WOW (Women of Worth) meeting in the morning.  A staff member taught on trauma and gave opportunities to share.  We met beautiful, strong ladies from Kurdistan (Iraq), Palestine, Afghanistan and Cameroon.  We asked how we can continue to pray for them after we return to the USA.  Here are some of the responses: Pray for peace across all countries experiencing war and strife. Pray for continued safety of Cyprus, currently a safe place but geographically close to many  conflicts. Pray…

What we learned: The Center’s volunteer guidelines were reiterated but it was good to interact with the directors and ask questions and hear everything one more time. Relationship is important.  We set aside our western inclination to produce amazing results task-wise and focused on the precious people in front of us. The men (and one amazing Cypriot lady from All4Aid) went to the lumber yard in the afternoon.  They measured and picked out lumber to build new shelving in the clothing pantry.  A highlight for Jim was bringing along one of the teenage volunteers for the adventure. The organization has been using this building for over 14 years, and they desire to expand.  Renovations are in progress for converting rooms to computer training, sewing, and English classrooms.  Spaces are also being revamped for food, clothing and baby care item distribution. Lynnell, Sherry and Krystal worked on unpacking clothing donations and…

We are safely in Cyprus and learning the lay of the land, thank you for praying!  Our Airbnb is in a touristy area but we aren’t complaining!  We can see the Mediterranean from our kitchen/living room window.  It is close to the airport, so we are able to see planes flying low over the water as they prepare to land. This morning we attended LCC-Larnaca Community Church.  It was fun to experience multi-national, multi-cultural worship with familiar songs.  After service we had fellowship over coffee with the attendees.  We met so many inspiring believers: “tent maker” missionaries from San Francisco,  a young man from Congo with a fascinating story, sweet twins from Cyprus attending university.  After church we had a delicious dinner with Marv and Dawn and All4Aid leader Elena. We are working hard to stay awake today so the rest of the week will be less jet-lag-y. Stray cat…

Wow are we thankful for the wise counsel of the short term missions committee.  We were 3.5 hours early for the flight – maybe, we thought, a bit excessive for a Grand Rapids flight??  But exactly enough time for every problem that arose (lost team credit card, lost cell phone, TSA pre-check issues, “thorough” security experiences, luggage issues. And in Chicago, more problems: a technology issue in our terminal, reissuing of boarding passes, more luggage issues.  We can’t help but laugh.  We aren’t even out of the States yet. Lynnell distributed team snacks in gift bags (elevating this team experience above all others) to help our attitudes and appetites in our marathon of flights. Thank you for praying, we have already seen answers and anticipate needing more! Send off at the GRR airport, thank you Lana, Larry, Clarence & Nora, Hennie, and Suzanna for praying over us.

This is our last team meeting before takeoff. We’ve been meeting the first Sunday of each month for 5 months now, learning about one another, praying for the people we will serve alongside and getting all details squared away. We know there are always twists and turns that will shape the story of our time in Cyprus.  This morning was a special time of Elder prayer.  Tonight we are packing suitcases with baby items from Widows Ministry and T-shirts donated from a supporter of the team. Here’s a brief intro to key players: All4Aid – The organization working with displaced people in various locations.  We will be serving at their location in Larnaca, Cyprus. (Marv & Dawn – already on the ground in Cyprus, ready to help us adjust to the tasks ahead.) Sherry – Team leader, excellent organizer, positive and enthusiastic, veteran of Calvary teams. Jim – husband to…