Yesterday I purposely got lost!  Yes, really.  I figured the worst thing that could happen is I'd have to get a taxi to take me home and the best thing was I could discover the flavor of each neighborhood, maybe even a treasure or two.  Nico and Bee told me that Athens is very safe and it's quite common to see even older people walking about.  So far I've felt totally safe and all the shop owners have been very kind.  I just followed busy streets to see what stores were along the busy roads.  Somehow I ended up half way across town and thanked God for Siri who directed me home!!  I got a lot of exercise, especially going up and down some serious hills.  All in all, it was a fun exploration.

This morning I woke up at 6:30 and was terribly nauseated.  I ran to the bathroom and grabbed the Bonine for seasickness and laid back in bed waiting for it to go.  I don't know if I ate something bad last night or what the problem was, but it really ruined my Friday.  Thankfully being in the mission field isn't like working for a company; they work with what the Lord provides and when He provides.  I stayed home all day praying that it's not a bad bug, which has been going around.  It's still bothering me, but I think I'll just have to ride it out.

Living in this big city is fascinating and so different from anything I'm used to.  Cars park on sidewalks and people walk in the middle of the road.  Most shops open around 9-10, close around 3 and reopen around 5.  Reminds me of Mexico and siesta's.  It's not bad at all once you know when and where.

My biggest battle to face and overcome is public transportation.  Really!!  They have buses and then they have the Metro which is under ground.  I know where the Metro is and how to get on it.  I just haven't done it yet.  Tomorrow, God willing my stomach is okay, I'm getting on the metro and taking a tour of all the amazing ruins of the city.  I'm so used to driving myself where ever I want to go, but here cars are a hindrance just like NYC because of parking, gas, and traffic.  There are many who use motorcycles as their mode of transportation. They are definitely practical and make movement around the city easier.

Now that I have my assignment mapped out overall, I'm ready to begin going to the different ministries and basically taking inventory of all the assets.  Some have already been done and I just need to verify them.  I'll tag the assets with an HM sticker that has an asset number.  They have one church in Crete which has assets.  I offered to go on my dime because I'd love to see what's going on in Crete and even a little sight seeing.

Not much excitement for the evening.  Just curling up with a cup of herbal tea and trying to take care of my stomach.

Blessings, M