Hello Everyone!
It’s been some time since I’ve posted pictures for y’all to see so here they are! Photos of my time on the island of Lesvos and working in the refugee camp:
Since I was living in Florida before I came on the World Race I was extremely excited to look around the island for beaches! I love the Aegean sea. The stones along the shore are stunning and tons of fun to make designs with. The water is a bit cold but I can’t say that stopped us from swimming!
Another very beautiful part about where we are staying on the island is the castle. It’s small but has a great view when you climb to the top.
Also, sometimes when you explore the town you run into a donkey and become friends with it!
It’s a lot of fun to take photos with your team as you explore.
Exploration brings a lot of joy but also can be painful. There are many areas of the island littered with refugee remnants. It is a surreal experience to walk next to the many scattered life jackets and see the popped rafts washed up on the shore. The sobering reality of Lesvos is there is an undeniable crisis going on and we’re at the front lines.
Still, God constantly reminds me I am never alone in these difficult times. His sunsets are great reminders of the fact that He is working everything to coincide perfectly with His will.
About a week ago my team was chosen to stay for another month in Greece. The need was still great at our refugee camp and they didn’t want to pull all 45 members of my squad from serving. As a result of us staying longer, we also needed to switch our hotel. I wasn’t very thrilled about having to move until I came across this cliff about a five minute walk from our new abode. I call it “My Happy Place.” Often in the mornings before going to the refugee camp you’ll find me sitting at the top of the cliff embracing the beauty that God has poured into creating this sea.
This next photo is of the refugee camp we work at in Skyaminea, Greece. The days are very busy so I haven’t taken many pictures but this one shows the lay out of the camp well. The smaller white tent in the front of the picture is our food tent. I spend a lot of time in there helping to prepare meals for the refugees who are in the camp during dinner time so that we can serve them a warm meal (often a soup made of random foods we find throughout the shelves.)
One of the people I’ve met while serving at the refugee camp has been my friend Yiannis. He was a refugee about 3 years ago from Iran. When he had come over on his raft, most camps weren’t set up. He was sent to Thessaloniki to sit in a room by himself for 18 months while they worked on processing him. During this duration, Yiannis read through a bible given to him 10 times! By the end of his stay he had chosen to give his life to Christ. Now he’s back at our refugee camp to help those who were just like him and share the love of Jesus all at the same time! I admire my friend Yiannis very much. He is the one on the left of this photo.
The last thing I would ask is that you continue to pray for my team. Pray that we don’t burn out, but are constantly reminded of why we are serving at this refugee camp. I want to continue to grow closer to Jesus as I look into the eyes of people from all over the world searching for hope. I want Jesus to shine through my actions in every way possible.
Much love to each of you! God is so very good. He is very much at work here. I am thankful He has asked me to be a part of it.
