Athens Trip – March 2010, Day 3

Today was the only day where we did not have plans this trip. We took it easy and slept in, then tried to figure out what exactly we wanted to do. We decided to go to Piraeus, the main port city in Athens that we had ran through on our last trip, but did not have time to walk through. A couple of stops before we arrived on the Metro, we learned that the green line did not make it all the way to Piraeus due to construction. However, we were able to find our way there on the bus.


Once we arrived, we found that the city was dead, probably due to the Metro not running into town. Having seen a futbol (soccer) stadium, we asked an information desk worker if there was a game there this evening. She said there was so we decided to go there and check it out.



The stadium is home of the Olympiacos Futbol Club. The game started at 7:00PM, which was less than 2 hours. We decided it was a unique opportunity worth capitalizing on, so we purchased tickets for 15 Euros and went to the game.

The fans chanted during most of the game, but it was primarily limited to one rowdy section or quarter of the stadium. They sang, jumped, threw stuff onto the field, and even started fires with flames. It was pretty cool to watch… from the other side of the stadium! Olympiacos tied 2-2, which was disappointing for them because they dropped out of first place to a team that was near the bottom of the league.



This is a picture of Jamie & me and their mascot... He was friendlier with Jamie than me, which I was grateful for!

BA Mission Trip: Sunday

This morning we went to a local Baptist church. Their worship was very expressive and genuine; encouraging to be a part of. During the middle of the service the pastor recognized us. He had us come forward and then I was put on the spot without a clue of what to say or do. Through our translator, I thanked them for having us and told them it was a pleasure to be with them. The pastor wanted me to say more and I'm not sure what came out next, but it was something about how we are to shine and share the love of Jesus.


After church, a local missionary couple had us over for lunch: Jason & Kelly Frealy. Their presence alone is inspiring as they have a 4 year old girl Daniela and 13 month old boy named Nicholas. It was nice to spend the afternoon with them and listen to stories about daily life here, seminary, and what their life was like back in the States (he was a police officer with lots of great stories).


In the afternoon, we hosted a soccer watching party at a restaurant. 4 or 5 people from the neighborhood came and fellowshipped with us. Mark shared his testimony and the Gospel with those present at halftime. One of the guys present asked for prayer for his family at the end of the game. He seemed overwhelmed with gratitude for the prayers and it was obvious God was moving.


After the event, we actually went to a soccer game. With all the riots and murders and insane fans, I was a bit nervous about going, but the fears were unwarranted for our experience. The home team, River Plate, won 3-1. All of the fans stood, sung, jumped, and danced the entire game. It was crazy to watch and I think I was more entertained by the atmosphere than the game... not that the game was bad, especially for soccer!

River Plate Soccer Game

For the first time in my life I went to a soccer game, although they call it futbol here in Argentina. It was crazy to watch as the fans were on their feet singing, chanting, dancing, and yelling the entire time the game was going on. River Plate won the game 3-1 with all 3 of their goals coming within about a 5 minute span. Although I am still not a soccer fan, I will say that I loved the sporting atmosphere and now have a favorite Argentine team. Here is a video from the game: