They need you.
The reality is that the UN and NGO’s are funneling money toward this crisis.
The reality is there are warehouses full of donations.
The reality is the refugees just keep coming.
And the reality is they need you.
They need people who can give their time. People who can serve in the capacity my team did this month. People who can man the camps— hand out dry clothes, cook the food in the makeshift kitchens, run the tickets and busses, handle crowd control, maintain donations, and bring order to the calamity. Most of all, they need people who will do all of the above with a smile on their face and Christ’s love in their hearts.
The difference is VAST between the Greek police and their riot shields shoving people into line to “keep the peace” and my team walking with them and between them, offering a smile and pulling them into single file. I think we can look at these interactions as the gateway drug to Jesus—
They see we are different.
They are attracted by kindness.
They want some of that.
Life transitions or big times of change are proven to produce people more receptive to the gospel (https://bible.org/illustration/times-transition). As refugees have lost everything and are seeking new life and stability, it would only make sense that this community would be a fertile place to plant the Truth.
Yes, they come from Muslim backgrounds, but long term workers on the island have testified being present for months before encountering anyone to ask for a place of prayer. And this is supposed to happen 5 times daily… amidst hundreds of thousands. They are not holding onto their faith in this time of adversity because their god is not the God of deliverance and salvation.
As prayers are poured out on their behalf, I can only believe in the Lord’s sovereign purpose through it all. I believe they are moving from their nations of despotism into environments where His name is spoken freely and in abundance. And I believe people will be placed in their paths who will be able to share the Good News, because these are some people who desperately need to hear something Good.
If you need more convincing, the volunteer network is a WONDERFUL community. I participated in some of the most uplifting worship sessions in my life on that island—gathering together and praising the Lord amongst believers from all nations united by our love for Christ and the passion to serve. It is such a unique environment—truly a picture of the body of Christ and what the Church was meant to look like.
Additionally, the people of Greece have expended their resources and energies for far too long unrewarded. Your presence on the island benefits their economy, boosts their spirits, and is certainly a dual purpose of your ministry time. Greece is predominantly Greek Orthodox and rooted in tradition. Idol worship in their churches is very common, but there have been many locals’ interest sparked by all of the ‘evangelicals’ flooding to help.
Yet a third aspect of ministry exists as the long-term volunteers need and are deserving of a break. The same people drive the same windy island roads everyday and need to be poured into just as much as they are pouring out. I witnessed one baptism during my time on the island, and it was, in fact, a volunteer. A worker for Samaritan’s Purse convicted by the love of Christ she saw in the surrounding volunteers. You never know how the Lord is using you and who is watching you.
If you happen to speak Arabic or Farsi, then it is simply not an option… you have to get yourself on the next plane and go right away! There is a tremendous need for translators at the camp for registration. Keeping order in such a large, chaotic environment would be much easier if only their questions could be answered. Instead of standing in line for days on end, they could understand the attempt at order through the number on their ticket. The communication about protocol is literally nonexistent. I had a man walk up to me asking “Where do we go? We just got here,” and a huge crowd was following him because he was the only one who spoke English.
I am not well-equipped to offer what so many of them are seeking–I cannot offer medical care or government official documents or help with the translation barrier. I cannot offer a safe home or promise a better standard of life.
But I could give them warm tea. I could make their babies smile. I could encourage other volunteers and bring cheer to a worn down island. I could do donations or trash or building benches or washing dishes. I could and you can too, because we are God-equipped.
I can promise you your time in ministry on this island will be blessed. If you are in a season of life where you have a few weeks to get away, the Lord can use you here. And He told me to ask you!
Matthew 8:36-38 “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”
