Baylor Business Takes on Ancient Greece

Being in ancient Greece is one of the most incredible experiences. The country is filled with history at every turn, and the food is wonderful. This year was Baylor’s inaugural mission trip to Athens, and it combined both the faith-based side of missions while also empowering students to use their degrees to serve the nations.

Upon our arrival in Greece, we headed to the First Evangelical Church of Athens to worship with their congregation. Many of the songs that were a part of their service were Greek translations of English worship songs. It was one of the coolest things to hear people worshiping together in different languages, all at the same time!

As the service ended, I was reminded as to why we were in Greece: to use our gifts and talents to be a blessing to our brothers and sisters in Christ. Thus, our 4-day adventure in the great city of Athens began.

My team was working as a group of business consultants for the church plant in the community of Glyfada. Glyfada is a southern suburb of Athens, and it is home to many business owners and leaders – making it the second most affluent population in the city. The streets of Glyfada are lively, but it is starkly juxtaposed by a tangible hopelessness that hovers over the people, just the same as in Athens. Beyond that, one of Greece’s largest refugee camps, housing more than 1,500 refugees, is just down the street in an abandoned airport terminal.

On our first day working, the church leaders took us to the old airport refugee camp, and it felt like a scene from a movie. There were little kids running around, and some – searching for some level of a normal childhood – had even tied old t-shirts together across a bus stop to create a swing. A couple of men were on the balcony smoking cigarettes, and some women were sitting on the curb chatting.

Our group took a moment to pray for the refugees who were living in the area amidst the heavy burden of despair and hopelessness that these people were experiencing. Many of us arrived in Greece aware of the situation based on media, but being in the heart of it all and seeing the people with our own eyes made it a much stronger reality.

Many of the refugees thought that these camps would be a temporary area of residence, with the hope to move further north into Germany and other countries. However, most have been away from their homes for 8 months or more, and with European borders shutting down due to the volume of refugees, Greece has become a more permanent reality. At this point, the refugees are beginning to accept the fact that they may not get out of Greece anytime soon, so they are beginning to look for ways to integrate into the Greek culture that surrounds them.

On top of all of this, the economy in Greece has yet to recover from the economic crisis that occurred in 2009. The Greek people have been living in an economic crisis for years now, making an average salary of 500 euros and paying 450 euros for a one bedroom flat. Through our conversations, we discovered that people were generally distrusting of the government and, unfortunately, pessimistic about the future.

The Glyfada church recognizes the needs of the community, and Pastor Giorgos and his team want to become a place of hope for the city. In an effort to be a light in their city, they developed a vision for creating the Glyfada Business Centre, which would generate business opportunities and, hopefully, ignite the economy. We quickly bought into their vision and heart behind the mission and sought out how we could fit in and further their efforts.

Throughout the week, we spent our time developing mission statements, branding, and other resources that outlined the details behind starting a business incubator and training sessions for businesspeople. Our team went to local businesses and universities, interviewing citizens, to learn more about what the needs of the city were. We even had the opportunity to host a roundtable event to connect business leaders across industries – eventually leading to the desire for more frequent networking events. That was super exciting.

Ultimately, we left the church leaders with deliverables that included ideas for branding, outlines for business plans, and resources for developing a business curriculum. But more than anything, we wanted them to know that we believed in their vision and that we wanted to be long-term supporters of their efforts. As the week came to a close, we presented the church leaders with a signed Baylor flag as a symbol of our dedication to their mission. We are so excited to continue working with their team to meet the needs of the people in their community and see the hope and love of Jesus abound!

My Take-Aways From The Trip:

God can use your unique gifts and talents to move the Kingdom forward in really special ways – especially if you work out His strength.

In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul talks about the Body of Christ and spiritual gifting. In this experience, I saw that when one member of the body hurts, we all really do hurt – whether we are aware of it or not. However, out of this pain is an opportunity for other members of the body to lean in, serve, and build up those who are hurting. The team that I was a part of had students and professors from all different backgrounds, each with a unique skill set, and each person was truly a vital part of our efforts. For me, it solidified that without all parts working effectively, the body can’t function at full capacity.

God has blessed me with incredible opportunities for growth and development day-in and day-out.

It’s so easy for me to get bogged down by the never-ending amounts of homework and the strain of being in a constant state of midterms and finals. Each day, I’m learning that I often wish away the present to be in a future state, with the expectation that I would feel like I am doing more meaningful work.

After realizing this, I found this quote:

“Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the ax.” – Abraham Lincoln

I’m learning that there is so much value in spending time investing in sharpening and honing our skills and passions. I am back in class now and more engaged than ever, because I know the things I’m learning aren’t necessarily just for me but for the benefit of those that I may encounter.

There are so many breathtaking sights, delicious cuisines, and fascinating people to meet and experience in the world.

The world is HUGE and full of so many adventures! I’m so grateful that I had the opportunity to travel to Greece and experience their one-of-a-kind culture. This wouldn’t have been possible without the generosity, support, and prayers of so many of you both before and during our trip – so thank you! This past week will go down as one of the most incredible experiences of my life.

Here as some more pictures from the trip!