Roller Coaster Vacation

Since Terry and I spent two weeks in Greece and the boys had various things they were involved with, we didn't have time for a big family vacation.  But I wanted to plan something fun and different.  So we decided to head to Cedar Point to ride roller coasters.  The kids didn't like any "scary rides" when they were younger, and Terry and I swore off taking them to an amusement park until they were old enough to really enjoy it.  Time got away from us, and we almost waited until we were too old to enjoy it!

Joseph couldn't get off of work, but we bought a plane ticket for Rebecca and picked her up on the way as a surprise to the boys!  This was our first time all together since her wedding, and it was so fun!  We camped at East Harbor State Park.

The campsite was nothing to brag about, but the kids enjoyed tossing a frisbee around in Lake Erie, and we drove down the road a ways and saw a cool lighthouse.

We spent two days at the park, riding roller coaster after roller coaster.  Rebecca doesn't like heights, but even she enjoyed them!  Terry and I had to take Benadryl and Ibuprofen in fairly large quantities. We gained a new appreciation for the phrase "more fun than people oughta have!" Terry, Nathan and Rebecca actually blacked out on some of the rides.  Caleb read that the trick is to tense your core like fighter pilots do.  

This is the first one we rode.  It was intense and very jerky.  I started worrying whether I had made a bad mistake planning this trip.

But then we discovered the GateKeeper - a wing coaster that we all enjoyed!

The most fun thing was just being together - we even managed to play games while standing in line:

I decided that our fun little trip sort of symbolized our lives together - ups, down, twists, turns, fears, joys, yelling, waiting (lots), but most of all speed.  Life goes by so fast.  There's nobody I'd rather spend it with than this bunch!

My Friend, My Friend

We heard the phrase "My friend, my friend" over and over again during our work at Gateways2Life.
Even those that knew no other English seemed to know this phrase.  We found ourselves using it when addressing the children we were caring for as their mothers took showers and did laundry.  It sounds so much friendlier than "Hey, you!"

One of the things I will always remember about this trip is the friends I made, and I wanted to record some of my thoughts about them here.  I already talked in my earlier post about some of our Greek friends in the town of Panagouida.  But we also got to know some of our fellow workers at Gateways2Life.  Vanessa was a favorite of our whole team.

She was from Brasil and had traveled with YWAM in many dangerous parts of the world sharing the gospel.  She was bold in her faith and so good at showing love to the refugees.  We tried to learn as much as we could.

We all had certain women and children that we became attached to during our time there.  My favorites were a little boy named Hamid and his mother and aunt.

Hamid was a handful but also loved to give kisses.  Mary Bond said she thought he would either be the evangelist or terrorist of his generation.  I try to pray for this little boy and his family every day.  I can pray for the refugees in general, but my heart seems to work better in specifics.

I also try to pray for Ikran and her daughter, Sabrina.  She had so much joy for being in a place like Moria.  She hopes to end up in Minnesota.

And I pray for Menach, her daughter Lara (pictured below), and the rest of her family.  Menach would cry when talking of Syria.  I could tell she had so much pain over what had happened to her country.

And I pray for the Greek staff at Gateways2Life.  It is challenging work.

Efcharisto

Efcharisto means "thanks" in the Greek language.  But it means so much more!  It is the same word as "eucharist" - literally the holy grail of Christianity.  One of Jesus's last directives to his disciples was to eat the bread and drink the cup in remembrance of Him. When we remember, we have joy, and we give thanks. Here is an interview with Ann Voskamp about this concept.

Once I knew this word picture, I never forgot the Greek word for thanks, and I tried to remember to use it as much as possible.

We met several Greek folks in Pangiouda that embodied grace to us and for whom we say "Efcharisto!"

First, this bakery owner who greeted us with a huge smile each morning! And another one each evening when we came by for gelato!

Second, our wonderful hosts at the Cosmopolitan.  They were always quick to offer directions, invite us to local events, and do some handyman fixes in our rooms.  They treated us like friends more than customers.  We hated to say goodbye.

And lastly, the "Olive Oil Lady." She owned a store selling items made of local olive wood.  When we first met her and she asked where we were from and where we were staying, she said "I will make you some cake and pies this weekend."  We told her we would be gone early on Saturday and Sunday, so she surprised us by delivering homemade goodies to our hotel EXTRA early!  She baked for us again the next week just out of graciousness.  I know this isn't communion bread, but I was reminded of the eucharist and efcharisto. 

She came by the following morning just to say goodbye.  There were hugs all around.  

Efcharisto, indeed!

Top 12 Tour of Lesvos 2018

Last year, I posted a tour of Lesvos, not thinking that I would be back again in less than a year.  This time we were in Lesvos for 12 days, so I'm going to post my top 12 sites.

12) Camp Moria

While this is definitely NOT a tourist attraction, our whole team was interested in getting an up-close look at the refugee camp.  It helped us to process what daily living is like for the women and children that visit the center.  William took us through the camp in small groups.  We weren't supposed to take photos except with much discretion.  I tried to "shoot from the hip" with my phone.   I'm not including the several photos I took of my sandals and the sky.

11) Errosos

This beach is recommended as the #1 beach on Lesvos.  I was not impressed.  It is probably the most like American beaches - crowded, hard to find parking, lots of opportunities to spend money, etc.  It also had the hottest sand I have ever stepped on.  Truly painful.  But still pretty.

10) Molyvos

We drove like crazy to get to this castle before it closed (every tourist site closes at 3 PM).  You can see it all in 30 min or less, though.  Its history is a bit sketchy - it was built, destroyed, built again, destroyed again, built again, and then destroyed by an earthquake in 1867 at which point they gave up.  The ruins had good views.

Also, near Molyvos, there is a site that is quite sobering.  It is the lifejacket graveyard - the remains of lifejackets and boats used by the refugees that have come through Lesvos in recent years.  I would say that's a photo of me looking sober, but that's just the face I make when taking selfies.

9) Petra

This beach was a step up from Errosos.  For the price of a Diet Coke, you can sit in a chair under an umbrella all day.  Instead, we just stayed about an hour.  It was definitely hot enough to enjoy a dip in the cool Aegean.

8) Thermis

This place was very close to where we were staying, so it was just a quick trip up the road.  There is a "prehistoric archeological site" there that was already closed, but we had a lovely walk along the beach.

7)  Xampelia Beach

This beach was about a 30 min. drive up the coast from Panagiouda.  The beach had mostly small rocks instead of sand, and there was some annoying seaweed (which looked like confetti paper) floating on top of the water, but this was a nice little beach.  It was a great place to take a quick swim, relax, and buy a cold drink (here's where we discovered some Stevia-sweetened diet drinks).

We also saw a local artist at work making some incredible 3-D mosaics out of shells.  The large restaurant on the beach was totally decorated with this artwork - including all four walls and the ceiling. A quick internet search told me the artist's name is George Hatzinikolas.  Here's one of the smaller pieces, but many were as big as 4 ft X 6 ft.  

6) Roman Aqueduct

We visited this little place near Moria on one of our last evenings on Lesvos.  It was only about a 15 min. drive from our hotel, through the narrow streets of the small village of Moria (not the same as the camp, but the town from whence the camp gets its name), and up into the hills above town.  We all really thought it looked like something from Lord of the Rings - a massive structure built by an ancient empire in what looks to be like the middle of nowhere!  Historians think it was built by Hadrian.  So I have now seen Hadrian's Wall, Hadrian's Arch and now Hadrian's Aqueduct.  I need to see what else he built so that I can make a bucket list.  

5) Agiassos

This was a cute little village at the base of Mt. Olympus.  It was very picturesque, with a large church in the center of town.  We had fun walking around.  I might have liked it a little more, but it was full of little trinket shops and had a bit of a "tourist-trap" feel to me.  The omelette I ate there was one of the best things I tasted on the trip.  One of the filling ingredients was French fries!

4) Skala Sykamineas

This town on the northeast coast of Lesvos is just so cute!  Some might like Agiassos better, but this one has the Aegean and lovely little jewelry stores.  This is also the spot where most of the refugees arrive by boat.  This little community has rescued many lives.

Melanie and I bought matching fish bracelets.  The shopkeeper told us that the fish symbolizes good luck and flexibility.  I told her the fish represents Jesus to us!  I also think it's a great reminder of the little town that plucks these precious souls from the sea and a reminder to us that we are fishers of men.  

3) Mytilini

By far the biggest town on Lesvos, we have a record in the New Testament that this harbor was visited by Paul.  It has a lovely stretch of sidewalk going all the way around an oval-shaped harbor, and it is magical-looking in the evening.  There are restaurants and stores across the street - even a place called "The Sugar Store" which was a favorite.  It also has a very interesting castle on the hill with great views from high above and even a cool crypt down below.  

2) Mt. Olympus

This was a favorite spot for our team.  Terry had been trying to figure out a way to get to the top of this mountain since he first saw it.  Turns out there is a road that goes up to the top.  We stopped a little bit short of the top (the road was a bit scary), and hiked the last bit of the way.  We had a great view of much of the island and stayed up there quite a while taking it all in.  

There was a Greek orthodox chapel at the very top along with this cool cross:

1) Panagiouda

My number one spot on this island is the little town that we called home for two weeks.  I loved the peaceful harbor, the wonderful restaurants right on the water, the silver church dome that sparkled at sunset, the clock tower lit up at night, our colorful little hotel, the local swimming hole and the wonderful people (more about them in a post to come).