Thassos i sikte: 2013

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Leaving my mark

He's got the whole wide world in his hand...

Friday, April 26, 2013

In Thassos we've been staying in a hotel. It's preseason so it's only been us (our family and the girls) and a red cat. Conti, the owner has been there cleaning, painting and getting things in order for the coming season. We are thankful that he's letting us stay there, it's very nice. A couple of days ago we got some more inhabitants in our hotel -four very adorable little kittens!

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

the team

Please pray for us as we continue our work day by day. The Lord knows our needs and the people we are reaching out to. In a weeks time the easter holidays are starting in Greece and we are again planning for some easter craft with the kids. Until then we're keeping the church open, making friendships and having our daily time of prayer.

Monday, April 22, 2013

A land in need

Greece is for sure a land in crises. There has been a big change just this past year that we have been gone. Things are more simple, poorer... In the stores you find less extras and more empty shelves. People are taking care of more and more land to grow their own vegetables. Our hotel room is cold, but this is how many Greeks live all winter, of course because the houses are poorly built -not suited for the winter, but also because they can't afford the petrol. One man we know, 84 years old, is going out in the forest to find wood to heat his house.

But Greeks are use to a simple life and to live day by day. Sometimes we find their lifestyle lazy but it's something we very well could learn from -to live one day at the time. To enjoy the now. And most people I know are not lazy but hard working, especially now as the summer season is beginning and many are working hours that the Swedish unions never would allow.

Anyhow we can only thank God that he's word still is true. What he was telling the Israelites in their captivity is also true to us whatever hardship we are facing. “I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and go and pray to me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek me and find me, when you search for me with all your heart.” (Jer 29:11) So let our hearts be turned towards God whether we are in need or with plentiful to have his peace in our hearts and looking forward to the hope he is giving us.

Monday, April 15, 2013

2 1/2 week gone, 3 weeks to go

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Hello Thassos

The Mäkis are back in (Thassos) town!

We are enjoying very much to be back in Thassos. It's our home where we have left a piece of our hearts. Now we are back for more then a month to meet friends, work and fellowship.

We have already been in Greece for a week and a half. First we where having some days off, staying with friends in Thessaloniki, a beautiful family that is such an example of Christ love, they don't foremost teach it -they live it!

On our way

After a few days on our own we then united with a team from a Swedish Bible school, Livskraft. This year we are having the privilege of working together with four beautiful girls. We already seen a lot of creativity in them and are looking forward to see what God is about to do in them and through them this coming weeks.

The church in Drama

Our first days together we stayed in Drama. We are having some friends there as well that was really taking good care of us! We enjoyed getting to know “our” girls, the city of Drama and having some time with the church, in a beautiful sunny weather most of the time.

Sleeping in Drama

One day we were having an outreach in a simple but lovely way to meet with and being able to bless people. Before we went out we where praying and making notes from God to the people we where about to meet, then we just went out to hand out our notes to people and where available for anyone that want to talk more. I believe that God spoke to several people through this simple notes.

Sleeping in Thassos

Now we have been on Thassos since Sunday. It was rainy and cold when we got here but yesterday the sun came out and we are looking forward to some warmer weather again.

It's so good to meet with old friends and we are looking forward to spend more time together!

Facts on Thassos

Thassos is the most northen island in Greece, in the province of Macedonia. It is a very green island with high hills that makes a beautiful scenery, and there is also some really nice beaches.
There is 16000 inhabitants on the island that count a circumference of 91km. Thassos town is Limenas but there is also several vilages on the island.
To get to the island you need to take the boat from Kavala or Keramoti to either Limenas or Skala Prinou. The seagull will make you company all the way hoping to get something :-)

The vision (english)

1996 Kenneth got the calling through a dream to go to Macedonia. At that time he didn't know that such country existed , more than mentioned in the Bible. But the same morning a Christian magazine, “Light for the peoples”, came with the mail and landed on the floor with an article about a missionary family in Macedonia facing up. The first that caught Kenneth's attention was a quote of Paule “Come and help us” Acts 16:9. Kenneth then felt he would have to wait for at least 10 years before fully stepping into the vision.

During the years he has prepared himself with bible school and work in different congregations to get experience. There has also been lots of trips to the area, among other in 2001 when he was working as a guide on Thassos. Until then he had thought that Macedonia only is the small country in former Yugoslavia. Now he found out that the area in northern Greece also is Macedonia.

During the time in Thassos Kenneth got to know some Christians, Dimitri and Gordon. Together they started to have services for tourists in a pavilion by the sea. These became popular and now they have a small congregation on the island where Dimitri is the pastor. This fellowship is the base for our mission in Macedonia.

On February 7, 2009 Lena became part of the vision as we got married. Lena has been in mission for some years with YWAM, youth with a mission, and love to do more missionary work. After a few visits to Thassos she got a feel for the people in the area. Kenneth think she's an important part of the puzzle and to see the vision come true.

Kenneth is a pioneer with many visions while Lena is of more calm and stable character. We complete each other well.

After one year of marriage we decided to make our way south. For two years we were having the privilige of staying on an island with a small english/greek speeking fellowship as a base for our mission. Our mission was simply to preach the gospel in the area. Our main focus has been on the youth. Now we are back in Sweden but the church on Thassos is still serving the Lord on Thassos. And we hope that we continuously will be able to bring in teams and do other outreaches in the area. And maybe in the future come back on a more long term base.

Visionen (svenska)

1996 fick Kenneth i en dröm Makedonien som en missionskallelse. Han visste då inte att landet existerade, mer än som omtalad i Bibeln. Men den morgonen trillade ett Ljus i Öster-tidning in genom brevinkastet och landade med baksidan upp, där var en artikel om en missionärsfamilj i Makedonien. Det första Kenneths ögon fastnade på var ett citat från Paulus ”Kom över och hjälp oss” apg 16:9. Kenneth upplevde då att han skulle få vänta över 10 år innan han skulle få kliva in i kallelsen på allvar.

Under tiden har han förberett sig med bibelskola och arbete i lite olika församlingar för att få erfarenhet. Det har också blivit många resor dit, bla 2001 då han fick arbete som reseledare på ön Thassos i norra Grekland. Det var tydligt hur Gud hade sin hand med i det. Kenneth trodde innan dess att Makedonien endast var det lilla land som tidigare ingått i fd Jugoslavien. Han upptäckte nu att området i norra Grekland också heter Makedonien. Under tiden i Thassos lärde Kenneth känna några kristna på ön, Dimitri och Gordon. Tillsammans började de anordna gudstjänster för turister i en paviljong vid havet. Dessa blev populära och nu är där en liten församling där Dimitri är pastor. Den församlingen är vår bas i vår Makedoniska mission.

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Den 7 feb 2009 blev Lena del i kallelsen då vi gifte oss. Lena har flera års erfarenhet från mission genom UMU, ungdom med uppgift, och vill gärna fortsätta med mission. Efter att ha vart med på ett par resor ner till Makedonien var det lätt att känna för människorna i området. För Kenneths del är hon givetvis en oerhört viktig pusselbit som fallit på plats för att klara uppdraget. Kenneth är visionären och pionjären medan Lena är den trygga, stabila typen. Vi kompletterar varandra bra.

Efter ett års äktenskap besämde vi oss för att flytta söderut. Under två år har vi haft förmånen att få bo på en ö med en liten engelsk/grekisk gemenskap som bas för arbetet. Vår mission har helt enkelt vart att predika evangelium i området. I huvudsak har vi arbetat med ungdomsarbete. Nu är vi tillbaka i Sverige men församlingen tjänar fortfarande Herren på Thassos. Och vi hoppas att vi även fortsättningsvis ska kunna ta med team ner och ha andra missionssatsningar i området. Och kanske en dag att vi åker tillbaka mer långsiktigt.

Thassos i sikte

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