Athens Revisited

One of the "after-action" reports from someone onsite at Athens...thanks Judy!


"On August 7, 2004, 20-year-old Eleni Ioamou, a member of Greece’s Olympic judo team, jumped from the balcony of her 3rd floor apartment in Athens. It was the result of an argument with her live-in boyfriend. Six days later, instead of marching into the stadium for the opening ceremonies of the Olympic Games, she lay in the hospital in critical condition. Before the Games ended, Eleni had died.

Even the greatest achievements – such as competing in the Olympic Games – cannot eliminate the pain and emptiness that often exists in the hearts of elite athletes. This incident was a wake-up call for 50 of our Athletes in Action staff from 24 countries – who had come to Athens to minister to the spiritual needs of the 11,090 Olympic athletes. Nine of our staff were selected to serve as official chaplains in the Olympic Village. The other 41 staff trusted God to provide them with day passes to access the Village, or for “divine appointments” in the streets and squares of Athens.

And God did not disappoint. Divine appointments occurred daily. Before our project had ended we had given copies of an Olympic version of the Jesus Film (DVD format, in 18 languages) to 2,000 of the Olympic athletes. Another 500 -1000 copies would not have been too many. "