Pretend with me for a moment…
What would you do if your country was in a war, your homeland became a battleground?
What would you do if you hadn’t heard from family trying to escape in days or months?
What would you do if you knew your family was fighting on different sides?
What would you do if violence was a real threat to your life? There is gunfire on the corners, bombs randomly go off, and your town and surrounding ones are consistently raided? What would you do?
What would you do if not only your life was threatened, but those of your family, your parents and children?
What would you do if sending your children away, hoping they aren’t tricked into sex-trafficking, murdered, lost, was the only hope of a better life for them? For a life at all?
What would you do if you didn’t know who the ‘good’ guys were?
What would you do if you lost all hope?
To whom would you turn to for help? Where would you go?
Would you try and make a run for it in the middle of the night? Walk for hours or even days on end? Would you risk your life to cross treacherous waters in the winter for a chance at freedom? A chance for a better life for you and your family?
What would you do if these were the decisions you had to make?
The Syrian crisis began in 2011 after war broke out when protests against the government became violent. (mercycorps.com) Four months later, rebels were fighting the government, and then complications between Islamist and secular armies and ethnic group divisions continue to complicate things.
In Syria, it is hard to tell who is on whose side. There are so many people fighting. Syrians have given up hope the country will become peaceful anytime soon. So they have left their temporary camps close by in search of something more solid, a better education and future for their children.
Many pay smugglers to help them find European soil. They walk for days on end through Turkey. Syrians battle dehydration, chances of children being kidnapped to fight the war or sold into the sex trafficking, snipers, and other obstacles to find themselves on the shore of Turkey looking towards Greece. The distance between Greece and Turkey is not that far from where they stand, a mere 3.5 miles in some places, but this could be as close to freedom as they get. Up to 80 people can be crammed onto a raft and sent into stormy waters to make the voyage.
Sadly, many do not make it. The rafts are not strong enough, the water is too rough. They succumb to the cold, wet weather.
The refugees are greeted on shore with blankets and foil to warm them up. When there are enough clothes, they receive dry clothes. A small amount of food and things are given to them as they crowd onto buses or walk their way to the next checkpoint.
So, my question: what would you do?
What would you do if this was your life? Would you flee? Would you risk your life for freedom? Would you pay to be smuggled across borders?
I am not sure what I would do in this situation, thankfully it is probably not a situation I will ever face.
BUT…
For now, I will go. I will go to help people off the boats, take inventory of supplies, pass out food or water, help them get warm, or whatever else is needed.
My situation is different. I have the opportunity to go and help. I have an opportunity to make a difference in someone’s journey, someone’s life. You have an opportunity to help as well. You can help by praying over our trip, it will be exhausting.
The other Fellows and I are fundraising to go to Lesvos to help the refugees. If you would like to contribute a tax-deductible donation, you may do so here, http://give.adventures.org/campaign.asp?campaignID=1072
