Short Story

Impact Houston - We're still searching for good dates to go on this trip. The response was sort of lukewarm towards going during July 4th. So, I've added the option to go during the Red River dates in late June. If we choose to go in June, we will be replacing the Red River trip in favor of Houston. Please let me know your thoughts. I need an idea of who would be willing to go before we can commit to anything.

Athens, Greece - There is a small chance we could get an opportunity to help a local Church of Christ host a VBS for kids overseas in Athens. I'd like to know your thoughts on going on an overseas mission trip. No guarantee this opportunity will pan out, but I'd still like to know what you think. (See below for explanation)

Long Story

Athens, Greece - I and my home congregation, Broken Arrow CoC, used to do mission work in Ukraine hosting VBS's with local congregations. One of the cities we worked in had a church with a Greek preacher. Since the war in Ukraine, the preacher relocated back to Greece. My dad recently reconnected with him during his visit to the States. The preacher expressed interest and desire in having a team from Broken Arrow come to Athens, Greece to put on a VBS like they used to do in Ukraine. My dad and the youth group at Broken Arrow are considering doing a short term mission trip during the summer to go to Athens, Greece. My dad called me and asked if our youth group would be interested in joining if they end up going for it.

The VBS trip would likely be 1 1/2 - 2 weeks in length and would involve international travel. This trip would only be open to high schoolers (and parents/adult helpers). The VBS would likely involve a 9am - 4pm program for 5 days in which we do tons of Bible lessons, crafts, and activities with local kids and teenagers. There would be time for sightseeing. Probably the coolest part about this trip would be the proximity to the Parthenon. The preacher says that if you sit in the church building on a Sunday morning, you can look out the window and see the Parthenon.

If the VBS program is anything like the mission trips I participated in while I was at Broken Arrow, it will be a life-changing experience. Again, this is very much just an idea/opportunity. There are lots of variables and there is no guarantee this opportunity will pan out in the long term. Please let me know what you think.