An Account of the Gospel in Greece

INTRODUCTION

By:  Eva (Vardakis) Vassiliou

January 1986 

These notes are a summary collection of memories and certainly not a complete one. There are dates, persons and events that would otherwise be forgotten as the time goes by and the older friends are passing away. The younger friends hardly know any of these stories and to some of them even the name of John Micheletos will be unknown.  

In the fall of 1982 my husband and I visited South Africa and the friends there showed great interest into hearing our testimony and especially the stories about the beginnings of the work in Greece. I know some stories from my mother Elly and my father Kimon Vardakis. As a child I had heard John Micheletos many times giving his testimony and later Anton Koutsourelis.  The friends in South Africa wrote down our narrative and sent the notes to us in Athens. This motivated me to ask my mother to fill some gaps as I realized it was about time to keep some notes on the past events. It is hard to describe the hardships that the first workers and friends faced in our country. But it was a good and sound foundation and there was true unity among them.

At John’s funeral on Dec. 8, 1966 there was a big crowd of people, friends, relatives of friends and people who had met him and had been impressed by his spirit. It was like Jacob who had left his fathers home with only his rod in hand yet he returned rich with a crowd of people and many possessions.

John Micheletos passed away in Athens 1966 
Annie Mc Bride-Micheletos in Hania, Crete 1944
Theo Karvounakis in Athens 1944 
John Bacossis was executed by guerillas 1944 
Amalia Bouzakis in Hania 1980 
Anton Koutsourelis while visiting the U.S.A. 1981

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John Micheletos was born in a village on the high mountains of western Crete around 1880. As a young man of about 17 he left Crete and went to Canada to seek his fortune, as many other Greeks did in those days. He had no formal education, he had only learned the essentials of reading and writing instructed by his father. He was a strong, tall fellow ready to fight at the least provocation and--as he used to say in his testimony--he always slept with a revolver gun under his pillow.

In Canada he used to work as a helping hand in the farms. Teams of men like him offered their work during times of pressure with harvesting et. al. moving from one location to another.

In those days preachers of various denominations would stop by giving sermons after which there was a collection.

One day two sister workers arrived at the area of John's work and held a Gospel meeting for the farm hands that evening. They were surprised to see and hear women preachers. These were Annie McBride and her companion. After the meeting the men decided to have a collection among themselves and offer it to the sisters. They thought it would be more appropriate than letting the women collect. To their surprise the preachers refused to accept any offer.

This made a deep impression to John. He attended further meetings and he came to the point of decision. He wanted to follow the Truth but he felt so unworthy, so full of sin, that he believed the Lord would not accept him. One certain night he prayed in agony and promised that if the Lord would accept him, he would serve him with all his heart for the rest of his life.

This prayer brought suddenly a great peace in his heart, an assurance of God’s acceptance and a calm restful sleep as he never had before. He must have been in his mid-twenties at that time.

Living a Christian life among these hard people was not easy at all, and John was teased and tested by his comrades all the time. But he had made a steady decision. After some time he expressed the desire to go out to the harvest field.

His own country, Greece, was in his mind and he wanted to spend his life preaching the gospel to his people. But this was discouraged by everyone. Greece was just after 1st World War. Times were difficult with a lot of internal political turmoil in the country. No companion was available for him and John was extremely disappointed.

He confessed all his thoughts and temptations to Annie McBride who had brought the Truth to him and who listened to him as a spiritual mother. Annie, who was almost 20 years his senior, offered to marry him and join him as his companion to Greece.

She did this because she realised how eager he was to go and how sincere his desire was to help Greece. She understood him deeply and helped him stand on his feet and overcome his disappointment. Their decision was faced with great skepticism by the elders; and John would always refer to Annie's great sacrifice to marry him and spoil her flawless testimony.

Annie was a very spiritual person and had a deep knowledge and revelation of the Bible. Her presence helped John to deepen his roots and rise above his background. Everybody who knew them remember how much he respected her and seeked her opinion and also how she obeyed his every decision.

She was a petite frail Irish woman, a strong contrast to him who was tall and imposing with his fair hair and blue eyes. They remained in Canada for a while and then they left, via Ireland and England, for Greece.

While they were in the British Isles they gave wise advice to a problem that had arisen in the church and thus brought a godly solution and peace to the friends there. They were encouraged by the brethren, and it was from these countries that they received help in the difficult years of the beginning while there were no saints in Greece.

They arrived in Greece in 1920. At first in Athens and then to Crete in the mountain villages of John's parents. (John's mother died early and he had been raised by a stepmother). They spent their time visiting the relatives while Annie tried to learn Greek. John, as well, had quite forgotten his language after more than 20 years in Canada.

John's immediate family regarded Annie with great respect but they never professed. His stepmother professed in the last days of her life. Many of his other relatives, however, professed later.

After some time Annie could manage the language quite well even though she always spoke Greek as it is written in the Bible.

They were alone until 1924 when Theo Karvounakis and Fred Quick, came from Australia to join them. Theo and Fred stayed mostly around Athens, while John and Annie from the villages went to Hania the nearest town and started to preach the gospel.

The Salt Mines of Samos

October 23 - All of our American visitors have left (sob), so I figured it was going to be a boring day.  After eating breakfast, a fellow at the main square in town, the Lions Square, randomly handed me a brochure which showed all of the caves and mines on Samos.  So Denita and I hopped in the car, and drove about 25 minutes to see a 2,500 year old shale mine.  It turned out to be just above the airport, near the little town of Chora.  

It appears the Greeks followed veins of high quality shale, rock that splits off easily in thin sheets.  They left enough material in columns to sport the weight of the ceiling, which are visible in the pictures below.  We wondered how they got the rock down the hillside; perhaps with mules and wagons of some kind.

We needed a Maricle, and got three

October 7 - Our days as empty-nesters has come to a close.  Erica is back from Armenia Special Meetings, and today we received two more helpers from Athens, Alexandra and Anna.  Alexandra has been diagnosed with cancer, and will stay with us until she can get the surgery scheduled.  That can take awhile in Greece.  I am told that if you want things to happen quickly, the doctor in charge will work a lot more efficiently if they are provided with a little personal "incentive." (It is a state-run system).  Alexandra would remind you of a Greek Jean Larson.  Outgoing and gregarious, she has a huge heart for people and loves the Truth of God deeply.

We will also be taking care of an old Greek sister, Anna.  We took the big, clunky table out of the living room, our Greek friends brought over a spare bed, and she now has a very comfortable bedroom.  

Last night, we found out that we have been harboring felons.  Yes, both of our two Greek sisters, so proper and innocent looking, have been behind bars!  In fact, most of the older workers here have been imprisoned for the Gospel's sake; one for as long as eight years.  It all sounds like ancient history, tyranny from a bygone age, but they have seen it and lived it.  To profess in those days meant reduced job prospects, rejection and ridicule.  It was the same for the Jews who accepted Christ in New Testament days.  After they were kicked out of the synagogues, they were ostracized by the community, and no one would buy or sell from them. (See Hebrews 10:32-34)

Cindy Maricle called from Crete, and she and her two daughters will be arriving on Samos next Wednesday.  We would love the company, but as I thought about it, the reality sank in.  Right now, it is just me and four ladies.  I'm pretty outnumbered, right.  But come Wednesday, it's going to be me against seven ladies.  Is it possible to drown in a sea of estrogen?

Denita and our three sisters

Cindy, Mandy, Emily, and Denita at the Temple of Hera in Pythagorio.  

The Maricles with the Temple of Doom in the background.  

The ladies at the Pythagorian Cave, engaged, no doubt, in some secret fertility ritual.

This picture shows the southern end of the 5th century BC city of Pythagorio.  Remnants of the old wall can be seen on the left coming down the hillside.  What makes it interesting is that you can see where the 2/3rds mile long tunnel described by Heroditus on the opening page of the Blog exits.  It looks like a rock pile, just about in the middle of the picture.  The tunnel was dug from both ends, and met in the middle with an error of about 2'.  It brought water from a spring on the other side of the mountain safely inside the city.

I'm not going to lie: Emily took this picture.  The mountains of Turkey can be seen in the background.

We walked to the island of Kassonissi, separated from Samos by about 100 yards of sea and sand.  It was only about 4' deep.

Cindy read the Butterfly Effect to us at the sea between the two islands.  I suspect the Maricle sisters had heard it all before, but we enjoyed it.

Smyrna

October 4 - We are flying back today from Istanbul by way of Izmir. Izmir is the biblical Smyrna, one of the Seven Churches of the Revelation.  I am collecting visits to these places like I used to collect baseball cards.  Smyrna is number three on our list.

Ancient Smyrna lies about 1/2 mile from the present coastline, right in the middle of big, bustling Izmir, the third largest city in Turkey.  We visited two sets of ruins from two different eras.  These sites are several miles apart.  The first four pictures show archaic Smyrna, which was destroyed by Cyrus the Great around BC 545.  This city was built on a small hill at the mouth of the Hermus River.  We were able to walk around the excavated walls in under half hour, so it could not have contained more than a couple thousand souls.

The Smyrna of Paul's day was built south of the Hermus River, stretching from a harbor on the Aegean Sea up the slopes of Mt. Pagus.  It was founded about 300 BC.  Due to the terracing of streets and homes up the hillside, this city was praised far and wide for its beauty.  It may or may not be a coincidence, but the acropolis atop Mt. Pagus was called the "Crown of Smyrna," see Rev. 2:10.  We saw the lower agora area, with several standing temple pillars, and the basement of an adjacent basilica that had been partially excavated.  Most of our pictures show the massive stone arches of that underground basement.  Smyrna was one of the greatest cities of the Roman province of Asia, boasting almost 100,000 citizens.

We learn from Rev 2:9 that Smyrna  was one of the churches which gave ear to the false apostles, the circumcising missionaries who were teaching gentiles to keep Torah:  "I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy (ie, slander) of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan."  This is a concise, but very accurate, description of the proto-Catholic movement.  The other church which had to contend with this doctrine was Philadelphia, see Rev. 3:9.  Smyrna was the center of the early Catholic Church until it was superseded by Rome in the middle of the second century.  The Catholic elder of Smyrna, Polycarp, is one of the few links to the apostles claimed by the Roman and Orthodox churches.  We still possess an account of his death, The Martyrdom of Polycarp, reliably dated to AD 155.

The day we left Istanbul, we were warned that space on ferries and rental cars would be scarce.  I asked why, and was told the Festival of the Sacrifice would begin the next day.  I had never heard of it, but the Muslims commemorate Abraham's willingness to sacrifice Isaac on Mt. Moriah.  So we ended up flying to Izmir.  Once there, we got on the bus and just before we hit the metropolitan area, we saw what appeared to be a county fair.  Huge tents, livestock, and lots of cars parked in a field.  The faithful were buying their sheep and cattle for the festival.  Both our taxi driver and a hotel man volunteered the information that, when they butch it, 1/3rd goes to their family, 1/3rd to the neighbors and friends, and 1/3rd to the poor.  It brings out an aspect of the Jewish Passover that might be a little unpleasant to our American sensibilities.  One lady told us she finds butchering distasteful, so she just sends money to the poor in Africa.

Pictures of archaic Smyrna

The Temple of Athena

Looking from outside toward the city walls and the entrance

 A residential area of the city.  The average house measured 20' by 25'

Pictures of the Agora in Roman Smyrna

Istanbul

September 30 - We ferried over to Turkey with Mike and Sandra Lefevre, and showed them through the ruins at Ephesus.  Then we drove to Izmir, hopped on a plane, and landed in Istanbul.  Denita and I stayed in the touristy part of the old city, and they stayed with Erica Chapman in a residential area about an hour north.

The next day they took the tram back, and together we visited the Hagia Sophia, the Cistern of Justinian, and the Blue Mosque. 

The following day, we walked through the Palace of Topkapi.  It is "beautiful for situation," occupying a low-lying hill right where the Golden Horn joins the Bosphorus.  Lovely views up and down the historic waterway, smack dab in the middle of Istanbul with its eight million people.  The palace complex is surrounded by an ancient wall, and consists of many elegant buildings and covered walkways interspersed in a beautifully landscaped setting.

On day three we met Erica Chapman, Miriam Beyer, Chanel, Mike and Sandra at Taksim Square, one of the main open plazas in Istanbul.  Erica then lead us down a street famous for its sights, smells, and hordes of people.

The Hagia Sophia in Istanbul

A wall mosaic showing the emperor giving a bag of money to the Virgin Mary for the construction of the Hagia Sophia.  The reward for his amazing generosity is found in Mathew 6:2.

We then headed to the Blue Mosque, where we were given the proper attire

One of the foot washing facilities at the mosque. They are segregated; one for the men and another for the women.

The interior of the mosque.  The dome is supported by 4 huge pillars.

Across the street from the Hagia Sophia was the cistern of Justinian.  This vast "water tank" had been hidden for 1,000 years.  It is enormous!  I counted 28 rows of pillars and 12 columns, all spaced at 20' intervals.  They say it holds 100,000 tons of water, enough to supply the old Byzantine city for years.

These stone pipes and connectors were used to flow water in and out of the cistern.  No, they are not concrete.  

October 2 - We visit the palace of Topkapi 

The entrance to Topkapi Palace

The view from the palace gate looking back out.

The crew in an interior courtyard

A typical scene

The Circumcision Room

The entrance to the harem

The king's chambers were right next to the harem. Probably just a coincidence...

We had lunch with Erica Chapman, Miriam Beyer from Germany, and Chanel from South Africa

Mike and Sandra arrive

September 22 - We picked up the Lefevre's at the Pythagorio airport. But just before they came out of the arrival gate, our two Samos friends burst through.  Unbeknownst to everyone, they had been on the same flight from Athens as Mike and Sandra!  So we introduced everyone all around, and took a few pictures.

At the airport

The harbor at Pythagorio

Relaxing on the rooftop

The hike to Micro Seitano Beach

The mountain village of Manolates

Kokkari, our favorite hangout

Guess who fiddled with the 10 second delay too long? 

Man, these legs don't move like they used to .......

The Archaological Museum at Samos

Mike, Sandra, and Goliath

This statue is the tallest Greek kouros in existence.  

It was found next to the Temple of Hera outside Pythagorio.

Ikaria, Part 2

The Theoktisti Monastery, high in the lush green mountains of Ikaria near the little village of Pigi, was the most unique one yet.  The chapel looks like something out of Harry Potter.  The literature claims it goes back to the 16th century and once held 100 monks.  It really is a beautiful spot, very quiet and peaceable.

The Chapel

A close-up of the chapel

The chapel contained the usual trappings of Orthodoxy

I'm guessing this was the original kitchen & possibly the mess hall as well

The lower level of the monastery complex