My three weeks here in, Macedonia crossing the border to work with refugees in Greece has left my heart burdened and worn out. This has been a difficult month with a 9 hour time change, healing of my injures from last month, allergies, illness, and ministry. I find myself tired and sad.
It was incredibly difficult saying goodbye to the families and children I have met over the past few weeks. The goodbyes were sweet, yet carried bitterness in my mouth. I despised the fact that I was getting to move onward, whereas they are stuck at the border.
The refugee crisis is real and it’s a problem. These are people who have lost so much to seek safety for themselves and their families. They have risked their lives, lost family, been separated from one anther, and lost all their belongings. The children are growing up dirty in tents and learning how to be beggars to gain basic needs. Summer is fast approaching and the threat of more illness and heat is a problem. There is also an immense amount of injustice happening to the refugees here in Europe; people taking advantage of them and using them for their gain. The stories of kidnapped children, organ trafficking, death, and smugglers wear on your heart. But, I must say the thing that weighs most on my heart, is that they don’t yet know Jesus.
We know Jesus to be our hope, and He is! But when you don’t have Jesus, what do you have?
Jesus’ death was the sacrifice we all needed to be covered from our sin. It wasn’t something we were worthy of, but God did it because He desired to be with us. Years prior, sacrifices were needed to be close to God and God provided the final sacrifice for us so we could have Hope.
Hope points to God’s character and love. It testifies to His faithfulness and promises. It proves that God has plan for all of His children. Hope invigorates us to be faithful because of God’s faithfulness; it is something we can wait for because of the ascension of Christ and His return.
This month was difficult sitting amongst people who had lost hope, or were still hopeful in their own strength; either way there was a blindness and emptiness to their souls still. It was a daily struggle to know how to help them and comfort them best. I found myself wanting to give them everything I could. I even gave away my watch and now am really struggling to be on time any place I go.
But beyond physical things we could provide, there was a desperation to look for ways to give the gospel in word and deed. Asking God for opportunities and a soft heart for them to receive it. I could share about Jesus or pass out the word of God in their language, but the thing that really sustained me and spoke life was Hope. So, as I came to the end of myself, I realized the hope I carried inside me, Jesus, was all I really had to give away and share.
I got to be a vessel that shared it. My presence, love, care, faithfulness, and joy alone delivered refreshment and life to their days. It was seed that was thrown out to one day be harvested. And I believe that one day much fruit will come from all of it. I have hope that I will see the families and children I met in Heaven, and I believe that God will continue to provide for them in the mist of hardship, injustice, and affliction because He is faithful. I also recognize, in spite them not knowing Christ yet, or understanding real hope, they still got a taste of the gospel by what my team and I carried with us each day, not in what we did or provided.
God taught me a lot about hope this month and His faithfulness. He shook me awake to see what I have been given and who He is. He declared His character to me in worship, nature, prayer, tears, struggle, and even anger. He was quick to comfort me with His promises and gentle in loving me to see Him.
So, leaving the camps was not easy, and honestly, I pray I can return one day to continue serving them. Yet in the meantime, I learned that God’s hope and faithfulness is the only thing that sustains us in hardship and struggle; it is the light and breath to our sight and heart.
Folks, God is faithful and He desperately loves His children.
The refugee crisis is real and they are God’s people.
Don’t not forget to see them as that!
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in Him.” The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. – Lamentations 3:22-26
