His tent is an old blue tarp stretched between two rusty crowd control fences. He has slept the past six nights on foam mattresses “borrowed” from who knows where. Blankets handed out by relief agencies are laid out across the mattresses providing a small measure of comfort for him and his friend. The space is a mere three feet tall and six feet wide, not much room for a man well over 6 feet tall and with the shoulders of a dedicated gym rat. But the two men share it with gratitude. He and I have become friends over the past few days. He is a Christian from Pakistan, and I won’t share his name for security reasons; he fled Pakistan after being persecuted by his co-workers. This past Thursday, as we were talking, he laughed and said, “Let me show you my home.” We walked to the back of a cold, grey storage container and found his tent secluded but nearly falling off the slope of a hill. The hill dove down towards the government’s registration compound where so many dreams are fulfilled, or hopes are crushed. His view is one of rocky earth, shipping containers, barbed-wire fences, and many, many foreigners who seem to have very little time for him.
“Welcome to my home!” he tells me as we stop outside his tent. I smile, laugh, and tell him how nice it is. “Yes”, he says, “the neighborhood is quite good!” He smiles and continues on. “Here are my neighbors,” as he points to two men who spend every night sleeping on the ground. “I haven’t had time to build the second story, but we’re working on it. Welcome to my front porch!” He motions to the two feet distance between the edge of his tent and the drop of the hill. With a wink he adds, “And here is my garden.” I look to the side of the tent and all I see is gravel and dirt. “It’s very nice,” I say, “I love what you’ve done with the place! You’re a great gardener.” He leans back, chuckles, and says “Yes, yes I am, I hope to have a good crop this year.” He sits down with his neighbors to eat their small helping of noodles and bread that they received for lunch after standing in line for two hours. We talk about his struggles in Pakistan as a minority believer, and his struggles in the camp as a Pakistani. He is lost with no plan and no power to change his course. He desperately misses his three little girls and his strong, brave wife. He left home three months ago, and talks to his family only a few times every month.
But he still has joy, a quick smile, and a witty sense of humor. He enjoys deep conversations and sharing cultures. He is struggling, and life for him is too difficult for me to even imagine, but he has not lost hope and has not lost his faith. Jesus is so good, so strong, and the focus of his life.
I love helping men and women who have been forced to become refugees in order to survive. But these men and women impact me so much more than I could ever impact them. They teach me something new every day, and I am so grateful and humbled that I am able to be here.
In order to stay here and continue working with Adventures in Missions, I need $2,000 worth of gifts committed to my name by the end of April. My hope and vision is to continue working with Adventures after my time is Greece is finished; I want to create and lead their disaster response/relief department. This dream requires that I raise $1,400 a month to support myself in Gainesville, Georgia.
The Lord has called me to this life, and I’m so excited about he has done in Greece, what he will do in Greece while I’m here, and what he will do with me after my time in Greece. I want to ask you to come alongside me in his will and in his ministry. I want you to be involved in the ways Adventures is impacting the world. I have been able to meet, build up, and pray for men like my Pakistani friend because you have chosen to support the Lord’s call and will in my life. I wouldn’t be here without you, and I cannot take the next step without you. God is moving through this crisis, and we are so blessed by being one small part in it.
My email is [email protected]. Please email me with your questions, prayer requests, or news from home. I would love to setup a time to talk with you over video chat, or schedule a time with you once I return home. I look forward to hearing from you and building the Kingdom together!
PS: Check out this video about the refugees crisis from “World Race Films”, the team of amazing video talent from Adventures in Missions.
