“You’re back from Greece! How was it?”
It’s a somewhat difficult question to answer. It was cold. The food was amazing. The people of Greece were warm and hospitable. The refugees were innumerable, yet so personal. The crisis is very real.
In the end, I say the trip was wonderful – truly perspective-shifting. Whether the person stays where they’re standing when they asked the question or if they continue walking in the direction they were originally headed determines how much more I’ll say about it. It’s my belief that the ones who choose to stay are blessed – their eyes are opened, their hearts are touched and they’re able to catch the enormity and weight of the situation – through my stories and experiences.
It’s why I was sent to Greece. Why God chose to write this crisis into my own story. So through me – He could write it into yours as well.
The remainder of this blog is me sharing my stories and the stories of my teammates. You have the ability to pick and choose what you want to read and hear. And ultimately, you have the choice to either stay where you’re standing or walk away. I pray you stay.
I did a lot of things while I was in Greece. I was one of a few on my team fortunate enough to welcome in 8 boats full of refugees one morning. Trained volunteers would wade into the water and pull the boats onto the shore. Then someone would set up a wooden plank so people could walk onto the shore without jumping in the water. My hands grabbed arms and elbows to help them up the inclined bank and from my mouth there was an endless string of “Salaam”, welcoming them ashore. Tears of joy, words of praise, and grateful smiles and hugs were common occurrences there. I had children handed to me, scared, wet and crying as their eyes never left their mama. And I smiled at them and held their hand while I removed their life jacket, wrapped an emergency blanket around them, handed them back to their family and ushered them to the camp where they would receive a warm drink, dry clothes and a place to rest and wait before the next leg of their journey began. The experience of it all is not something I believe I will ever forget.
I also worked an 8-hr shift at one of these camps – where the refugees go right after they make it to shore. There, they received a pre-packaged meal, a bottle of water and a place to stay warm and charge their phones – which are filled with videos and pictures of their journey across the water. Shifts run morning, evening and night. Some shifts you’re overwhelmed by the number of refugees coming through – and then you might go a whole 8 hours without seeing a single one.
I helped sort through clothes one morning at a different camp – boxes, and boxes, and boxes of donated items. Separated by gender, season, size and type. Clothes that would be taken down to the beach and replace the ones that were sopping wet – effectively saving their life. Clothes that would be worn through the next part of their journey – to Athens and beyond.
I spent a number of days working in a family community center, operated by a woman named Hannah. A place where families who were waiting to take the ferry (usually around 9PM in the evening) could rest, stay dry and warm and allow their children to play in the safety of a confined space. Some of my most cherished memories from my trip took place in the community center. The people I met, the stories I heard and the gratitude shown to me by these families all helped to open my eyes to their experience.
I encourage you to read a couple of blogs written by my teammate Rachel: She died in my lap and Media Gone Wild. Each one tells you a number of stories about the people we met and the stories we heard.
You can also watch this video to see many of these people and places with your own eyes.
And if you’re looking for just a little bit more, read this blog by my teammate Alice where she shares why she leaves Lesvos with a lot of hope and a full heart.
Finally, the story hasn’t ended just because I’m no longer on the island. The boats continue to arrive. Borders are being shut down. The EU continues to talk about they’re going to try to handle it all. And the war still rages on in Syria. No one has an answer. But we all keep trying.
So what can you do?
First, I ask you to allow yourself to see it. Really see it. To let your eyes and your heart take it all in. To not try to ignore it because it’s happening half a world away and you’re uncomfortable with not having an answer.
Second, pray. Pray for the ones making the dangerous journey across the sea as you read right now. Pray for the families leaving it all behind and running from the various terrorist organizations, trying to ensure their children will grow up safe from it all. Pray for the volunteers who grow weary from the endless hours. Pray for the people getting stuck between borders – they can’t go back nor can they move forward. Pray for the people who are receiving their first taste of Jesus (through volunteers) as they make the journey to a new life – and are being baptized and receiving salvation in His name. And yes, pray for the “bad people”. The ones who are taking advantage of the situation – the terrorists, the human traffickers and the drug smugglers. Pray for them too. They need it.
Finally, I ask you to consider a different perspective. Take them or leave them – but I know my God is in them. What if we as Christians and non-believers alike considered that for each refugee running from their home – it meant one less recruit for ISIS? Or if we as Christians – who have been stopped in our tracks (whether from fear of having our heads chopped off or an inability to get past the border) from getting into the Middle East – consider that now the Middle East is coming to us? To Western Europe – which is as open to you and me as America? Would it change the way you thought about the refugees and the crisis as a whole? Would you be more willing to possibly open your arms to them?
I am.
To be able to tell you that is why He sent me to Greece.
For His glory,
Nat
