A little info for you: I started my day off yesterday with a seeming barrage of messages asking where I was, if I was ok, why I hadn’t posted in days. I’m fasting from wifi this month. I’m only getting on the internet for required work and on my off days. I apologize if my absence worried you. You do need to be aware that some months I will not have any access to the internet whether I want it or not. Silence is not worrisome. As AIM says, “No news is good news”.
——————————————————————————————————-
And now some stories from this past week.
Giving Support to My African Sister
Wednesday morning I walked into Moria feeling like death warmed over. I was nauseous, exhausted, dizzy, weak, and in pain. I couldn’t skip this shift because it was the second part of a 32 hour marathon shift. Yes, sometimes you have 32 hour shifts. Yes, sometimes you can call in sick if you really are.
Anyway, I was given a cot to rest at the beginning of the shift. I ended up falling asleep for a bit. When I woke up I was feeling better so I asked to help. I worked in the clothing tent where we fill orders for clothing from the refugees to the best of our ability.
One order came in for a L-XL woman’s outfit. I found a shirt easily. The pants were a little harder. The undergarments took a while. I was wondering the whole time why she was L-XL. What part of her was above average size and did I have anything to help her out? I finished the order, packed it up and Julia ran it out to her.
Julia is back what seems like minutes later. Nothing really worked. This beautiful African woman is well endowed with curves. I had pulled the largest supportive undergarments I could find the first time. Now what could I do? I felt a need to help this woman. I understood her plight, both in needing a non-average size and in not having a wealth of clothing. I stood still a minute as we searched again through the women’s undergarment box. Then it hit me.
I had an extra packed in my backpack since we were on a long shift. Let her try it. If it works she can keep it. God will provide another one for me if I really need it. This might be the only way she can get something that fits. So I asked Julia to wait for a minute as I ran into the other room. I came back with my extra one in my hand. She looked at it and said, “That might actually work.”
I sent her off with it and went back to work packing other orders. Soon Julia and some others were needed in other places. I didn’t see her much until almost the end of our shift. I found her across camp and asked if mine had fit the lady. She said it was almost perfect. I was filled with joy. As soon as she told me, my only thought was I have another one.
So I asked her to show me where my new African sister lived. Julia took me to her housing unit and told me how to say her name. I stuck my head in the door and mispronounced it badly. A beautiful woman from the back looked up and asked, “Leoni”? (By the way, I have no idea how to spell her name properly. This was as close as I could guess.) I said yes. She came to the door and through a broken English and pantomime conversation we established that her new supportive undergarment was good and that she would like another. I told her I would bring her another one in 2 or 3 days. She said ok but had a look of “I’ll believe it when I see it” stamped across her face.
Friday during my shift I went looking for her again. I stuck my head in the door of her housing unit and asked for Leoni. She looked up from the back and hit me with a huge smile. Before she even made it to the door, she proclaimed, “Thank you very much!” She was surprised and overjoyed that I had kept my word and brought her another. She thanked me again before I left.
Never has the simple act of sharing clothing made such an impact on me. I felt loved and appreciated. I felt joy at her joy. I was grateful that I had packed more than I needed. I had thought if these are hard to find in the US, they will be crazy hard to find overseas. I was right, but they hadn’t been for me. It’s crazy how God prepares us so far in advance for even the seemingly little things.
Join me in praying for Leoni. She is from either Cameroon or Congo. I don’t know which. She speaks French. I do not. It limits our conversations.
Pray for all the refugees from places that are not Syria. The EU-Turkey deal basically states that everyone not from Syria is not a refugee since there is not active war going on in their countries. All non-refugees will be sent back to their country of origin. Unless you have a great story (i.e. filled with horror and violence) you will be sent back with no chance of asylum or entrance into the EU.
I don’t want this for Leoni or any of the others I’ve met from places around the world. They are here because there was something to run from. Pray that God grants them peace and patience in the process. Pray that the final destination will matter less than the love shown to them along the way. Pray the love will lead them to Christ.
——————————————————————————————————-
What to Watch Out for in Greece
During our orientation for our work here in Greece the presenter gave a great analogy. He said the island of Lesvos is like a 3 legged stool. One leg is the refugees. Another leg is the volunteers. The other leg is the local Greek population. He told us that if any of the legs suddenly disappeared or denies support the whole thing falls apart. It was an encouragement to minister not only to the refugees.
I spent all day Monday at Skala. (Once again I don’t know who to spell this.) Skala is a stage 2 camp. Stage 1 camps are on the beach and meant to be immediate help for those getting out of boats. Refugees would be here maybe 2 hours. The refugees are then sent to stage 2 camps like Skala to receive water, some food, new clothing if they are wet, and a blanket while waiting for transport to stage 3. Refugees would be here about 3-12 hours depending on when a bus could come. Stage 3 camps are for registration and filing of asylum or transport paperwork. Refugees would be here a few days to a few weeks.
Well, that was before the EU-Turkey deal. Now Skala stands empty except for the volunteers who keep it manned 24/7. The Turkish Coast Guard is supposed to stop boats from leaving their coasts. The Greek Coast Guard has been picking up any who make it through before they reach shore and transporting them straight to Moria. It has been over 10 days since a refugee entered Skala.
It could make for a lonely and boring shift if not for the wonderful Greek volunteers from Samaritan’s Purse Gabriel and Nikos. I laughed hard and long whenever I talk with them. I also feel loved and cared for. They are special people who do much in order to serve their island and the refugees.
The first day I met them Nikos had some advice on dangers to avoid in Greece. He said all of Greece is beautiful and good for you. There are only two things to avoid: Greek mosquitoes and Greek men. Both of them want to take advantage of a beautiful woman and drain her. Both can suck the life right out of you.
I was dying laughing. He said it so straight-faced and simple. I couldn’t help but laugh that he was essentially warning us away from himself.
Then he said there is still something worse than Greek mosquitoes and Greek men: Greek drivers! We should stay away from the roads if we want to make it out of Greece intact. I was laughing because in the few days I’ve been here I’ve seen some truth to this. Greek drivers, like many other drivers, have a particular way about them. Sometimes it can be dangerous for others around them.
After all the laughter and warnings both Nikos and Gabriel claimed that we could all find good Greek husbands before we left if we were willing to try at all. I said thanks, but no thanks amid helpless laughter.
Join me in praying for Gabriel and Nikos. They help keep Skala running almost every day. Pray for continued desire to serve their island and the refugees.
Pray for all the local Greeks who have had their simple, beautiful, tourist location transformed into a haven, a refuge, a detention center, a media frenzy, and a political battleground. Pray for continued strength and patience. Pray for a willingness to fight for their fellow man. Pray for restored hearts, lives, and businesses.
——————————————————————————————————-
A Loving No
During my shift in Moria on Friday I felt a bit like a preschool teacher. I said no more than any other word that day in a variety of ways.
No more left. No shoes. No toys. No, I’m sorry. No, you can’t be back here. No, later. No, we don’t have that. No, not today. No, stop pulling. No, I’m busy. No, come tomorrow. No, thank you. No, it’s fine. No, it’s not ok. No, not yet. No, I don’t know.
Some of the refugees have a saying in Moria. Tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow. They have heard this word so many times that they don’t fully expect you to help them today. They also always ask with fervency just in case you don’t know the rules yet.
Everything at Moria has to be carefully regulated. We are over capacity and have been that way for some time. Every shirt, every diaper, every blanket is donated. We have limited supplies of everything. We constantly are out of certain things.
For example, men’s shoes. Men make up about 40-50% of the about 3100 people currently in Moria. That’s about 1200-1500 men. Every time we get a shipment of shoes, it’s about 20-150 pair. There is an obvious lack. On Friday a man came up asking for shoes. I said no. He proceeded to show my his only shoes. They were coming apart at the seams and didn’t look like they’d last must longer. I had to tell him no again. We didn’t have any. We have a list of men just like him who NEED shoes but we have none to give.
That man was one of hundreds of times I had to deny someone during my 8 hours at Moria on Friday. The needs far outweigh the supply. Now before you start thinking that we have nothing, let me say that there are boxes of things waiting to be handed out. The problem is what we’ve been given doesn’t always match the needs of the refugees. There are only so many little girls that need winter coats.
As we move into spring here many of the refugees are returning to the clothing tent to ask for more clothing. They only have winter clothes. Some only have sweaters or hoodies as a shirt. It’s getting quite warm during the day. They are so hot but we don’t always have anything to give them. Or what we do have isn’t culturally appropriate for them to wear without another layer. Hence the problem.
In the midst of all of this frustration I was talking to God. I was asking what good was my work if all I did was say no. How is that helpful to anyone? So He asked me, “Are you saying no with love?”
I stopped. Was I? I wasn’t sure in that moment if every time I’d said no so far I had said it with love. I knew that it would be my goal for the rest of the day to say every word especially no with love. I looked back and realized that I probably could have done a little better at the start. I ended the day well even though the frequency of saying no increased as the day went on.
Friday was a good hard. I know no better way to say it. I played with kids. I had to tell people to move their tents. I helped a newly arrived family get some needed clothing. I had to deny people needed items. I got hugs and high fives. I witnessed a protest rally. I sat and talked about music and language with one of our translators. (Fun fact: His name means Thank God for Victory in Jesus. How cool is that!) I had to say no over and over again. Friday was good and hard. I pray that God’s love shone through it all.
Join me in praying for Moria. Pray for God’s provision in big and small ways. Pray for His grace and love to invade this dark place and shed the Light of the world on hurting hearts.
——————————————————————————————————-
Plea for help:
22 of the 33 on my squad are not fully funded. The deadline is 4/29 (12 days away). I know God can have us all funded by the deadline. But we need your help!
What can you do?
~PRAY!! for funding to come in quickly.
~Donate if you can to one of my amazing squad mates listed below. Every little bit helps!
~Share this information with whoever you think would be receptive to it.
~Pray some more!
~Join us in celebrating God’s awesome provision now and in a few weeks!
How do you donate?
~Go to https://www.adventures.org/give/, click on participant, choose The World Race program, enter one of the names below and fill out the other information required.
OR
~Call the Adventures in Missions office at 800-881-2461 and tell them you would like to donate to a Racer’s fund. They will help you complete the process. You will need to know the specific person you want to donate to.
If you want to donate these are my squad mates who need help. They need from about $100 to over $6000. I’m going to list them in order of greatest need.
Ryan Stephens, Sean Falconer, Alex Keeley, Paris Winfrey, Alexis Leon, Pamela Christian, Esther Houser, Lynzie Willett, Michael Fiene, Julia Bird, Heather Whitford, Jordyn Long, Talia Linde, Michael Ward, Sally Fallanca, Rebekah Campbell, Mary Helfin, Pamela Hjelmeir, Molly Cox, Melissa Flores, MacKenzie Hutchins, Kayla Moseley
