This past weekend we visited a refugee camp located closely to the Croatian border for the second time this month. It honestly looks like a horror movie. In an old abandoned boarding school, 800 men, women, and children fight to stay fed, clothed, and warm until they try to cross the border. The school has massive holes all over the roof so it’s practically flooded in most parts. It wreaks of sweat, urine and garbage. My first time there I thought I was going to be sick.
With all this going on I felt ashamed for being there. I showed up in my clean clothes and had an iPhone in my pocket. My biggest worry was if I’d be eating lunch a little later than usual. God had to get me past all this guilt and he really did use us there even if it was in a lot of small ways.
We pulled together some cash so we would be able to buy all 800 refugees some extra food during lunch. We bought fruit, yogurt, cookies, and even had some extra money to buy candy for the kids. The smile on their faces as they went through the line to get their food made the whole trip worth it. The kids beamed as they got to have something sweet for the first time in a while. It didn’t feel like we did much but I hope it sent them a message that there are people who view them as important individuals and that we do want the best for them.
Many times I would offer to buy someone an extra pair of shoes or anything they needed but they would refuse and say they just wanted to talk. They miss feeling worthy of someone’s time and they get bored being cooped up there all day. I was able to take a Pakistani man out for lunch and coffee and he told me his whole life story. At the end he tried to pay for my lunch. I was baffled and I had to convince him to let me pay but I think he just didn’t want to feel helpless or like a burden. He taught me what it looks like to be joyful during hard times and how to lean on the Lord for strength.
There is still so much to be done at this camp everyday and it’s just one of the hundred of camps located all around Europe. It’s overwhelming to think about how many people need help. To not do anything however isn’t the answer. I hope after my race is over I’ll be able to do things like this daily.
Thanks for reading,
Logan
