I am currently sitting in a coffee shop, looking out at the harbor in Mytilene on the island of Lesvos, Greece. WHAT?!?!? I still can’t believe I got to live in Greece for a month. We board a ferry this evening to head Macedonia to debrief. Honestly, I could stay here another month.
Our time in Greece was a lot different than I expected it to be. There is beauty here unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. I lived by a castle, trekked through a sheep pasture to go to town everyday, ate WAY too many Gyros, went to some AMAZING hot springs, and basically felt like I was living in a movie every day. However, the difference between the place we lived and our off days, compared to the camps we worked in was extremely contrasting. It was really easy to feel completely hopeless while serving in the camps because there is SO much that needs to be done and so few volunteers compared to the amount of people and needs within the camp. It was also easy to feel extremely guilty because I got to leave every day and go sleep in a bed and all of the people at Moria are being held there like prisoners.
One day as we were serving at one of the camps we had a little time to go and be by ourselves (and when you’re on the race, you take that every chance you get). I went outside the camp to an old wooden crate and sat down. I began to look out at the water and on to Turkey, which was in clear view. The weight of the situation here was weighing on me that day. It’s such a large-scale problem and honestly I was feeling a little hopeless. I began to ask the Lord, “What do we do, Lord? How do we even make a dent in what’s happening?”. As I sat there I very clearly heard the Lord say, “Feed my sheep”. I sat there for about an hour and just thought about what that meant. The Lord began to reveal to me that all He needed us to do was feed His sheep. He just wanted us to be diligent about the tasks that were given to us and take care of His people. He knows we can’t fix the problem, but He allows us to help Him take care of His people. He is sovereign, and like I’ve said before, I fully believe that He is behind and before this entire issue. He is taking care of all of this. And even though I know that in my mind, sometimes I really need the Lord to remind of that in my heart.
Feed. My. Sheep. This simple statement was so detrimental to remember each day we worked in the camps. I don’t think I’m an overly emotional person. I am pretty level headed and deal with stress well. However, when I was going tent to tent taking clothing orders and all of the sudden had 20+ men standing around me, all shouting that they need shoes and underwear, it’s a little hard to handle. Don’t get me wrong, they were all nice (…for the most part) and considering their situation, very understanding. But it’s so easy to get down and stressed and wonder HOW IN THE HECK do we provide for these people?! Moria is currently about 1,000 people over capacity. That means they don’t have enough tents, space, clothes, food…it’s insane. The NGO we worked with is doing their absolute best to clothe every person in that camp. But I will admit, it’s completely overwhelming trying to do it. I found myself so many times praying, “Lord, please help. I don’t know what to tell this man.” It’s hard to help people understand that you have no more mens pants when they have been wearing the same pair for a month and desperately need a new pair. It’s hard when you see kids running around and the soles of their shoes are literally in shreds and you have no more to give them. It’s hard when a mama needs milk for her newborn baby and you have to tell her there is no more milk. But every second there, I just had to keep reminding myself to ‘Feed His sheep’.
I can’t fix the problem. My team and I tried our best to serve with everything in us. But we can’t fix it. I just keep having to remind myself that the Lord is sovereign. He’s sees every need. There is Hope for this situation. But it’s not in me or my team or the world race or the NGOs serving. It’s in Jesus. He is the only Hope we can cling to in this.
SO, overall my time in Greece was absolutely amazing. I saw beauty like never before. I also saw hurt and devastation unlike ever before. I feel like I’m finally starting to really process what this month has been….and we leave today. But that’s okay. I’m thankful that we got the opportunity to serve here. I’m thankful to have met so many amazing people. Please continue to join me in prayer for the refugees and the volunteers staffing the camps.
Okay, well. I’m going to go explore this town before I board an overnight ferry. Gotta go stretch my legs before I have to get my sea legs on. (That was a horrible joke and I am finishing this blog on that note.)
Yassas!
