“Tamoum.” It means “finished,” as in “there is nothing left.” I stood in the clothing tent with a little boy, who was pleading with me for shoes. I was trying desperately to communicate with him that all our shoes were gone but he wasn’t understanding. Finally, I remembered the Farsi lesson I’d had earlier that day with one of our translators. I sadly shook my head and said “tamoum.” It sounded so much better on his tongue as he repeated it. After comprehending what I’d been trying to communicate, he looked down and walked away, defeated. At first I felt accomplished because at last, he’d understood. Then my heart broke as I realized that I’d uttered my very first Farsi word telling a little Afghan refugee I didn’t have shoes for him…
The situation here is grim. The media has been covering it for months, but I wanted to share some facts from the other side; facts most people may not know.
The migration of refugees started off being 60% Syrian and 40% other middle eastern nationalities. Now, the scales have tipped. 60% of refugees are from countries besides Syria. Most come from Afghanistan. Others travel from places such as Pakistan, Iraq, Iran, Mali, Somalia, Eritrea, Nepal, Bangladesh and even the Congo!
Most northern european countries have closed their boundaries to everyone but Syrians, which means once refugees reach the border of their final destination, there’s a good chance they will be detained and sent back to exactly where they came from. Because of this, many refugees cut up or throw away their passports to destroy any evidence they are from another country, hoping this might ensure their sanctuary.
The life boats come from Turkey and all transportation is controlled by the mafia. There are thousands of refugees still waiting to come to Greece and most of them are being held at gun point before crossing. One of the refugees that spoke english said “they would just shoot anyone.” Another told me they would take credit cards, passports and even young girls to sell into sex slavery!
Since the mafia is illegally trafficking people, the typical charge for a seat on one of their flimsy rafts is $1,000. It’s another $125 for a life vest, a majority of which are completely fake. Some families, although they’ve left their homes, are well off and have the money. Others have sold all their possessions in order to make the payment for their entire family. Our camp here in Lesvos is slow on calm, sunny days. Why? Because the mafia raises the prices when a safe trip is almost guaranteed. Come night fall, our camp may be filled with 700+ refugees. Tickets are cheeper since it’s more dangerous to travel in the dark. Stormy days are the busiest though since most people have no choice but to risk their lives making the 2 hour voyage through the Mediterranean waves. Regardless of weather conditions, life boats are running out, and the prices for tickets are rising.
Most of the refugees are men. We’ve concluded that there’s most likely two main reasons for this. They are either escaping ISIS recruitment, or they are going ahead of their families to establish a home. Despite this pattern, there are some opposite instances. Some children, even babies, hit the shores of Greece completely unattended. In a desperate attempt to get their children to safety, mothers will sometimes place their kids on lifeboats before being able to make the journey themselves.
The Greek economy that was already suffering, is getting hit hard! Once a popular vacation destination, tourists are rarely seen here now. In fact, many travel agencies have already canceled bookings to Lesvos in 2016. This has hurt local restaurants, hotels and shops. In addition to this financial impact, the shores of this beautiful island are now littered with deflated rafts, life vests, soaked clothes and water bottles. Despite all the negative effects this is having on Greece though, most of the locals are still open hearted. Many volunteer to pick up trash along the shores. Local business donate food and clothing to our refugee camp and hotels offer discounted prices for foreign volunteers willing to help. I’m completely amazed at the utter graciousness of the Greek people.
Although there is devastation, there is also so much kindness and love. It gives me hope. My fellow volunteers are from countries all around the world! Switzerland, Sweden, Holland, Australia, Germany, Chili, Costa Rica, Serbia, Egypt, Jordan, South Africa and the U.K. It’s been incredible to see such a global effort. I’ve been here a week and it already feels like a month. I’ve experienced joy, peace, anger and discouragement. I’ve dressed babies, colored with little girls and taken selfies with entire families. I had a young woman faint in my arms today. As I gently lowered her body to the floor, I wondered what her story might be like. I used to think refugees were poor, desperate people groups, helpless, ragged and in need. If there’s one thing I’ve learned though, it’s that refugees are people, just like you and me. They had friends, families and jobs. They had homes, they shopped at malls and browsed their Facebook news feeds. Then they were forced to leave everything. The terror we’re afraid of in the U.S. is the same terror they are fleeing from. I can’t imagine what they’ve been through, and I’m left to ponder: how bad would things have to get before I abandoned life as I knew it?
Please pray for me and my team as we continue to send thousands of refugees through our transition camp. Pray for safety, patience and wisdom.
I’m still incredibly in need of support for this mission as well. The cost of living is very cheap here, so even a donation of $20 would provide me with food for an entire week. If you would like to help me and the refugees I work with, please make checks payable to “Emily Bishop” and send them to 2116 Aspenwood Dr. Holt MI. 48842. I also have a GoFundMe account.
I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving.
