Kontaktmission USA Director Blog

Mission trips to Greece and Albania

If you're interested in seeing what God is doing in a part of Europe that feels very different from most of Europe, then Albania and Greece are the perfect countries for a closer look. Kontaktmission has missionaries in both countries, and just happens to have GoConnect trips scheduled for the first half of 2010. GoConnect trips are Kontaktmission's platform for connecting mission-minded Christians with up-and-running European mission projects, giving participants a chance to decide where they would like to invest themselves for God's purposes in the world. 

Even though Greece is home to ancient buildings and some of the earliest Christian sites, it belongs to modern Europe, complete with wealth and everything the world has to offer.  The Kontaktmission church work there is in the city of Thessaloniki - the Thessalonika of the Bible - in a very urban and multi-cultural part of town.  A GoConnect trip here provides an opportunity to interact with Greek people and others from around Europe.  The host missionary is Timotheos Antoniadis, a veteran Greek church planter who knows exactly what you need to understand about mission work in Greece.  You'll visit sites like Philippi of the Bible and the spot of the first Christian baptism of a European believer (Lydia of Acts 16), and you'll put it all in the context of what God is doing NOW in this complex place.

Albania, although it is a neighbor of Greece, is a completely different place.  It's a largely Muslim country which is still struggling to get completely to its feet after years under a delusional dictator.  The people are warm and the culture is very relaxed and inviting... and very welcoming to Americans.  Missionaries Lorenc and Daniela Ahmet are very effective church planters in the city of Korca (pronounced "Korcha") who will teach the GoConnect trip team about mission work in this country and about the different people groups living the region, which include gypsies, Kosovars, and the majority regular Shqip (Albanian) population. 

Openings are still available for the 2010 GoConnect trips to both countries.  Interested?  You can learn more and sign up at www.kontaktmissionusa.org . 

interested in missions, permanently

The jury is pretty much in now, and I think it's fair to say that I'm permanently interested in missions, permanently consumed with reaching Europe with the message of hope in Jesus, permanently fascinated with all that's involved in church planting in the countries of this awe-inspiringly complex continent.  I'm also very interested in travel to these countries as well as in exploring the wonderful peoples and cultures of these countries and their languages.  This blog will be a place to express some of what I'm learning, feeling, experiencing, wanting, and planning as I continue to live out this passion through my work with Kontaktmission.  Since I'm always interested in hearing from someone who is as interested in European missions and church planting as I am, I'm also hoping this blog will provide opportunities to connect with hearts like mine. 

The Lord is truly good to us, letting us work together on something that's simultaneously so mind-bogglingly important and so amazingly interesting.  Working on a meaningful project with others is always great fun, even if it's just building a parade float or the world's largest ice cream sundae.  But when it's for this high a purpose that feeling of joy in cooperation is multiplied by a thousand.  Kontaktmission is creating a community like this, and I really hope and pray we can add lots of people who feel the same pull in their hearts, and maybe haven't yet found a place to plug in with others. 

Well, those are some of my hopes and intentions for this blog.  Asking for wisdom from the Father to keep me from writing anything that displeases Him along the way...