What animals live in Greece?

Greece is home to some really interesting wildlife! In the mountains you can find brown bears, wolves, and wild boar roaming through thick forests. The seas around Greece's many islands are full of life too — loggerhead sea turtles nest on sandy Greek beaches, and dolphins swim through the clear blue Mediterranean water. Greece also has a surprising number of bird species passing through, since it sits right on a major migration route between Europe and Africa. In the rocky hills you might spot golden eagles soaring overhead. Monk seals — one of the rarest seals in the world — live along some of the quieter stretches of Greek coastline. God packed a lot of variety into this small corner of the world!

What do kids eat in Greece?

Greek kids grow up eating some really good food! A favorite is spanakopita — a flaky pastry filled with spinach and cheese. They also love souvlaki, which is seasoned meat cooked on a stick, kind of like a skewer. And fresh bread dipped in olive oil shows up at almost every meal. Greece has warm weather and a long coastline, so fish and olives are everywhere. A popular snack is tyropita, which is a cheese-filled pastry you can grab from a bakery. For something sweet, kids might enjoy loukoumades — little fried dough balls drizzled with honey. Greek families tend to eat together around a big table, which sounds like a pretty good tradition to us!

How do people say hello in Greece?

In Greece, the most common way to say hello is 'Yassas' (say it like YAH-sass), which is a polite greeting you can use with anyone. If you're talking to a friend or someone your age, you might say 'Yassou' (YAH-soo) instead — that's the casual version. Greek is one of the oldest written languages in the world, and here's something worth knowing: the New Testament of the Bible was first written in Greek! So when Greek believers today read the New Testament in their own language, they are reading it in a tongue very close to the original. That's a remarkable thing to think about.

What sports or games do kids play in Greece?

Herman here, with Rusty nodding along! Kids in Greece love football — what Americans call soccer — more than almost anything else. You'll find them kicking balls around in schoolyards, on beaches, and in neighborhood streets all across the country. Basketball is huge too, and Greece has even produced players who competed at the highest levels in the world. Greece also has some older traditional games that go back centuries. One is called 'trigono,' a kind of spinning-top game, and kids still play variations of tag and hide-and-seek just like children everywhere. What's interesting is that the ancient Greeks actually invented the Olympic Games thousands of years ago — they believed athletic contests were a way to honor the gods they worshipped back then. Today, the modern Olympics still return to Greece in spirit, reminding us that this small country left a big mark on how the whole world thinks about sport and competition.

What's the weather like in Greece?

Greece has warm, sunny summers and mild winters — especially along the coast and on the islands. In July and August, temperatures can climb above 35°C (95°F), and the sun shines almost every single day. The northern mountains of Greece get cold winters and even snow, which feels very different from the beach towns further south. Greeks have farmed, fished, and lived in this sunny land for thousands of years — and it is the very land where the Apostle Paul walked, preached the gospel, and started some of the earliest churches ever recorded in the Bible.

Tell me a fun fact about Greece.

Herman here, with Rusty nodding along! Did you know that Greece has more than 6,000 islands scattered across the sea, but only about 200 of them actually have people living on them? That means thousands of little rocky islands sit out there with nothing but seabirds and wind. Here is something that connects Greece to your own Bible: the apostle Paul actually sailed to Greece and walked through its cities, including Athens and Corinth. He stood on a hill called the Areopagus in Athens and told the Greeks about the one true God. You can read that story yourself in Acts chapter 17 — it happened in a real place you could visit today!

What is school like for kids in Greece?

Great question to dig into! Greek kids start primary school around age 6, and school is free and required by the government through their teen years. They study subjects like math, history, and Greek language — and Greece has a very long history to learn about, going all the way back thousands of years to ancient civilizations that shaped much of the world. Most Greek students also learn at least one foreign language, often English, and many families take education seriously. Greece has the Greek Orthodox Church woven into its culture, so kids often learn about Orthodox traditions in school. This means many Greek children have heard religious words their whole lives, but knowing about religion and personally trusting Jesus as Savior are two different things — which is one reason missionaries work in Greece to share the true good news of the gospel.

Who are the unreached people in Greece?

Great question — Greece is famous for ancient history and the apostle Paul actually traveled there sharing the gospel nearly 2,000 years ago! But today, some groups living in Greece have very little chance to hear about Jesus. The Roma people, sometimes called Gypsies, are one of the largest unreached groups. Many Roma families have lived in Greece for centuries, but most have never heard the good news that Jesus died and rose again for them. There are also Muslim immigrants from countries like Albania, Pakistan, and Afghanistan who have moved to Greece in large numbers. Back in their home countries, sharing the gospel can be dangerous or even illegal — so Greece is sometimes one of the first places they ever get a real chance to hear about Jesus. Herman and Rusty think that is something worth praying about! Ask God to send faithful Christians across the path of Roma families and Muslim newcomers, so they can hear that Jesus is the Savior the whole world needs.

How can I pray for the people of Greece?

Greece is a land with a long church history — the apostle Paul himself traveled there and planted some of the earliest churches, like the one in Corinth and the one in Thessalonica. But having an old church history does not mean everyone knows Jesus personally today. Many people in Greece follow traditions without a real relationship with Him, so there is much to pray for. Here are some good things to bring to God: Pray that Greek people would hear the gospel clearly and trust Jesus as their Savior, not just know church customs. Pray for local Greek churches and pastors to grow strong and bold in sharing the truth. Pray for missionaries working there to have open doors and courage. And pray that children and families across Greece would come to know Jesus as a real and living Lord — not just a figure from history.

What is a holiday or celebration in Greece?

One of the biggest celebrations in Greece is Easter — called 'Pascha' in Greek. Greeks have been celebrating the resurrection of Jesus for nearly two thousand years, and it is a much bigger event there than Christmas. On the Saturday night before Easter Sunday, people gather outside churches holding candles, and at midnight a flame is passed from person to person through the crowd. The Easter feast in Greece often includes a special lamb dish called 'magiritsa,' and families stay up very late eating and celebrating together. Greece has been a Christian country for a long time, going all the way back to when the Apostle Paul traveled there and told people about Jesus — you can read about it in Acts 17. Even so, Herman and Rusty know that celebrating a holiday is different from truly trusting Jesus as Savior, so missionaries still work in Greece today sharing the good news of what Easter really means.

What language do people speak in Greece?

People in Greece speak Greek — one of the oldest languages in the world still in use today! Greek has been spoken for more than 3,000 years, and the alphabet you see on Greek signs is the same style of alphabet that scholars used to write the New Testament of the Bible. That means when you read a verse like John 3:16, those words were first written down in ancient Greek. Modern Greek sounds a bit different from ancient Greek, but Greeks today can still read parts of the New Testament and recognize many of the words. That is a pretty remarkable thread connecting believers across thousands of years of history.

What's a famous place to visit in Greece?

Herman here, with Rusty peering over my shoulder at the map! One of the most famous places in Greece is the Acropolis in Athens — a rocky hill with ancient stone temples sitting right on top of it. The most well-known temple up there is called the Parthenon, and it is nearly 2,500 years old. Rusty wants to add something really interesting: the Apostle Paul actually visited Athens and stood on a hill called Mars Hill, right near the Acropolis. He looked at all the temples the Greeks had built to their gods and told the crowd about the one true God — the God who made everything. You can read that story yourself in Acts chapter 17. Greece is not just old history; it is Bible history too!

Greece — Kids Missions Explorer

Loggerhead Sea Turtle

Greece's beaches, especially on the island of Zakynthos, are one of the most important nesting grounds in the Mediterranean for this ancient reptile.

European Roller

This striking blue-and-chestnut bird migrates through Greece each spring and summer, and its tumbling aerial displays gave it the name 'roller.'

Monk Seal

One of the rarest seals in the world, the Mediterranean monk seal still finds shelter in the sea caves along Greece's rocky coastline.

Spanakopita

This savory pastry is filled with spinach and salty feta cheese, all wrapped in layers of thin, flaky phyllo dough that shatters when you bite it.

Souvlaki

Small cubes of seasoned pork or chicken are threaded on a skewer and grilled over open flame, often eaten wrapped in warm flatbread with tomatoes and tzatziki sauce.

Loukoumades

These tiny fried dough balls are drizzled with honey and dusted with cinnamon, and Greeks have been eating a version of them since ancient times.

Greece

Things you should know about Greece

Wildlife you might meet

What’s on the table

Did you know?

Life in Greece

Missions in Greece

Pray for Greece