Exciting news! Long-term staff are joining the Kingfisher Greece team.
Ioana from Romania will come on board to cook. Josh and Abby from Australia and the US will take on the roles of dean of students and other administrative and maintenance tasks. Jo from the UK will serve as a Resident Assistant, mentoring students and overseeing domestic duties with support from short-term volunteers. There are others interested in joining who are waiting for confirmation about their involvement. I’ll share their names and roles once it’s clear they’ll be part of our team. Please pray that the resident visas are processed smoothly and that a support group emerges to help fund this team.
In August, for lack of staff and suitable facilities, we took a step back for the first time since starting the Kingfisher Project in 1997. Family camps and spiritual retreats were canceled, giving Sandra and I a needed break, albeit there was still much to do in preparations for the coming fall school.
The two Bible schools, however, in spring and fall turned out to be very positive experiences. Every year, the attendees seem to arrive with a stronger desire for a genuine relationship with God. In the spring, six students were baptized, declaring their commitment to following Christ. In the fall, after a road trip to Thessaloniki and Philippi, visiting ancient biblical sites, the students were thrilled with the idea of being in the same locations that Paul the Apostle visited. At the riverside where Lydia was baptized at ancient Philippi, they sang songs of praise. The tour bus driver was so moved by the group that he wept when saying goodbye as he dropped them off for the return ferry to Skopelos. The following week, they studied the book of Acts and realized that these aren’t just stories but events that happened in real places where they had just been.
This winter, we aim to make significant progress in getting the new buildings operational. Our goal is to have facilities ready for summer retreats and winter Bible schools, allowing year-round activities. We faced delays this summer due to health issues that our project manager was having, but we expect to be moving forward again by the end of October.
Soon we’ll announce a new second-term program called “Support Staff at Kingfisher.” This internship is intended for alumni of Torchbearer bible schools. Its aim is to allow participants who wish to give back, sharing their appreciation for their student experience. They will have the opportunity to be involved in the school’s operations, mentor and guide current students, discover and enhance their skills and gifting, and develop their leadership abilities based on the example set by Jesus, who washed his disciples’ feet.
It seems that as the building project draws near to completion, so is the staff team coming together to take the Kingfisher Project to a new phase of operation. We would appreciate your prayers and any contribution you may care to make. Contact me at theo@torchbearers.gr for information on how to participate in what God purposes to do here.