The Island of Winds: Mission to MykonosThe Phantom Intercessor - 9 Jul 2015

"When we visited her there, seeing the work she was doing, we felt rather like the disciples must have felt as they followed Jesus around…"

In the Aegean SeaI, in the Cyclades off mainland Greece, is the island of Mykonos...

Averaging 300 days of wind tempered sunshine a year, it’s home to glorious golden sandy beaches, a deep aquamarine, snorkelling-friendly sea and a population of 12,000 locals and ex-pats. The town is white ‘sugar-cube’ houses with navy blue doors dotted around on the rocky slopes, where hobbled goats, donkeys and a few sheep graze.  Palms and cypress shade the houses and beaches, while olive plantations and small vineyards deck the slopes.

The main source of income is tourism, with over a million visitors descending over the holiday season. The streets are lined with both boutiques selling designer clothes and expensive jewellery, and souvenir shops - catering for the mass market and the millionaires. 

Those locals working in the shops, however, don't usually earn much. Wealthy syndicates are known to exploit their employees. The local government is also corrupt, influenced by a few powerful (and feuding) families, who own most of the land.

Increasingly known as a party island, years of moral and legal leniency has bred a culture of wild hedonism; where sex, drink and drugs have free license. In the high season, the beautiful beaches are defiled with obscene sexual orgies. Drug-fuelled youngsters career along pot-holed roads on quad-bikes and mopeds, with last summer alone seeing 180 deaths on the roads.

Though disapproving of the behaviour, little is changing for the better, with local people having prioritised the money this culture brings in.

2 years ago, to this beautiful but hurting island, Linda felt called by God. She fell in love with Mykonos while woking there for a time after university and continued over the years to return to the island to visit.

Having trained as a Christian counsellor and practised for ten years, she set up a local community, missional charity in her home town, inspired the words of Isaiah 58. During a period of bad health, in which she was forced to give up her role as the charities director, she received a prophetic word that she would be called back to Greece - and she was soon preparing to leave.

Many didn’t understand her move at first, including her own church. But undeterred, she stepped out in faith, moving to the island in the promise of Gods provision.

She has been tested in many ways, but never doubted she was in the right place. Homeless for three months and sleeping on a friend’s sofa, God eventually, miraculously, provided a tiny, 2 roomed house in the heart of the town, perfectly situated for mixing with the locals. 

And that is what she is doing: she is meeting people. 

She sees when they’re in pain or difficulty and inquires with love. She offers to pray there and then; on the street, in shop doorways, on the harbour front or in cafés, and they always respond ‘Yes please’. She lays her hand on the seat of the pain and prays in detail and in the name of Jesus. Every time something happens: heat over the area, deep peace, relief of pain. 

When we visited Linda, we felt rather like the disciples must have felt as they followed Jesus about, touching individuals in their need with the Father’s love. A lady in a kiosk with sciatica, a street-cleaner who recently lost her mother, a sandal-maker who couldn’t bend over with severe back–ache, a handy-man with abdominal pain, a mosaic-maker with pain across her shoulders…all were touched by the Lord’s love and many were healed straight away. We felt so privileged to share in this Christ-like work and what a joy to see the wonder on people’s faces!

Rejoice with us that God is at work, honouring His faithful servant, Linda, and blessing the poor in Mykonos who so badly need to know that Jesus loves and values them. 

Please pray for Linda’s protection and that the Light of Jesus will grow in this dark place. 

All images are used by permission in accordance with commons copyright license terms: Feature image is a derivative of the images 'IMG_0721' by 'discomethod'