This Place is Hell
That is one of the phrases that keeps repeating itself over and over in my head; it’s from our time in Greece on the island of Lesvos.
It was one of my last days in Moria; I was watching the gate where the family section was, when a new couple showed up that I will never forget because of how boldly they spoke to me. I was not allowed to let them into the gate, so I invited them to sit on a bench outside. The husband spoke very good English, so we started talking. We exchanged names and I asked them where they were from. They were from Syria and his wife was 8 months pregnant. He looked at me and said, “What is this place? Look at it! It’s like a prison! This place is hell!”
How should I respond to something like that? What can you say? I looked at them and replied, “I’m so sorry.” What else could I say?
These people have been lied to again and again. They were promised a better life, left everything, and risked their lives because they believe there is something better. However, when they show up in a country that is not their own, they face so much disappointment, especially when the process to get asylum takes so long! Once they are allowed to be in a country legally, they still can’t find work. It’s a never ending cycle of hardships!
Having these realities stare you in the face and feeling so helpless to do anything about it was hard to deal with. It all seems so hopeless! We don’t hear about this stuff in the news anymore, but that doesn’t mean it has stopped. The refugee issue is still very real and will be for who knows how long.
What is there to do? I don’t have the answers to that, except that maybe we can make ourselves available to help or show love. Isn’t that what we as the church are called to do? I know that looks different for each person. Some people are called to physically go, some are called to help with resources, and some are called to pray.
All I know is for me during that time in Moria, the thing that kept me going was focusing on the one in front of me, and knowing that that was the person God was calling me to love. Though I am not able to solve this problem, I can be the bearer of hope in the midst of their hardship. I can put a smile on their face even for a minute.
