Greece

Last blog post I wrote pretty much the weekend after I got back from my experience in Greece, and I ruffled some feathers. Since it's been a few weeks since then, I decided to write about my missions trip I took this summer. I think the feathers are settled now. I shared in a missions meeting last week about my trip and I felt like I was a blabbering mess so maybe in written form it will all sound a little better. This is my team. They also happen to be four of my best friends. Amber, Tyler, Tim & Holly. I wouldn't have wanted to have this experience with any one else. God knew we all needed each other and there was a reason each of us needed to go.

At the camp there were just rows of hundreds of canvas tents as well as some plastic type "buildings" that were probably about 12 by 6, if that. The camp that we were at had about 2,000 people. About 80% of them were Syrian. The rest of the population was rather scattered from different places, but there was a good representation from Iraq and Iran. Afghanistan and Jordan also had representation.
There were hundreds of kids just wandering around the "streets" of the camp. Very little structure, if any, is provided for these children during the day. Most of the children running around have lice. Needless to say I washed my hair quite well after this particular day. Those of you who know me know how I feel about kids (not my favorite). This picture was really only half posed as I was so happy to be occupying the time of these adorable children if only a few hours. Having the chance to give them something to do other than playing with dirt, throwing rocks, or brawling with the bigger kids was a huge blessing both to me and them.

Part of the camp was a section for "unaccompanied minors." These guys are here without parents. They've stopped their education to go seek a safe place to live, because their home is being destroyed by both ISIS and their own government. Most of them were fine sharing with us the places they came from and what they left behind, but many of these people just need to have a regular conversation with people who are willing to listen. Language was not as much of an issue with these guys because they all spoke English very well, some of them better than me! That gentlemen next to me in the blue introduced himself as Michael Jackson, and that's who we knew him as. If you know me you know me and him got along great as we are both dancers! He has spent some time in Algeria so he was very excited to hear that I have some connections to Morocco. 

We were at the camp for five days, on the 1p-9p shift. Upon arrival, our team would go straight to the huge food tent at the start of food distribution to help pass out the waters. Each individual in the camp would be provided with just one litre of water a day, no matter the circumstance. This baby's name is Maria. At camp, I was known as Maria. In Arabic it was much easier to just drop that 'H' at the end of my name. What a cool connection. Maria's father asked for an extra water because Maria is about to have a little sibling. The pregnant, extra old, and extra young, each get one litre a day. As I was thinking about this, I'm not a big drinker, but in that heat even I found myself rather desperate for water. These people have no fans or air conditioning. We were there at the beginning of June, so it was still "cool" It was about 85-89 degrees every afternoon. It was humid heat as well. Those of you living in California do not really understand humid heat, so it's difficult to describe in a way you will understand how hot 89 degrees with high humidity really feels. All this to say that 1 litre is not sufficient. 

After the food and water distribution was finished (in total it took about 2 hours) we got the opportunity to build relationships. By helping each person to carry the waters/food to their tent, it gave us the opportunity to see who was receptive to having conversation. I can't think of a time that I was not invited in to a tent for tea. Hospitality is just their nature. The volunteer group that we were with had already established relationships with some families. One of my favorite experiences was going with some of our translators to give them a gift of the Bible. This particular family spoke English very well and they were trying to improve so we were able to gift them with a Bible that was in English and Arabic. I got chills listening to the mother reading the Word in Arabic, our people translating in English. The few that have professed Christ do not have an easy road ahead of them. All "discipleship" had to take place in the privacy of a tent. Conversations about the Messiah could not happen out in the open. 

The camp is run by the Greek army with funding from UNHCR. They are provided 3 meals a day and 1 litre of water. There is a first aide and clothing 'donation' building, as well as a first aide supply tent where supplies are passed out once a week. This tent was so necessary with toddlers, and rocky ground, with bullet wounds and lingering infections prevalent. There is a playground and a soccer "field" at the camp. Except that this soccer field has no grass. If any of you understand basically any other culture besides American, you know how important "futbol" is to them. They will play with any spherical object they could find or make. The last day, we brought some of our new friends a real soccer ball and in a few hours it looked about as used as if they had been playing with it all week. 

A personal frustration for me was the time limitation that we had. The amount of depth we were able to reach with some of the people we met in just five days was unreal. Five days hardly seemed like enough. But going was better was not going. Even if all we were able to do was say the name of Jesus, maybe that's all they needed. Maybe in a few months time they will have another encounter with a Jesus follower that speaks his name and they will be reminded of us, and how we came to just spend time with them, just to listen, and in this way, show the love of Jesus. We heard so many stories. We heard where these people came from, the lives they left behind. We listened to their hopes, dreams, loves and losses. 

Please note how I have not referred to the individuals we met as refugees. Yes, they are, but we were there to humanize them. In my particular community in Florida, people tend to be rather ignorant of Arabic culture and Arabic people. At my grocery store that I work at,  I can think of about 3 covered women that shop there. There is a sentiment of fear around the Arab/Muslim culture. There was an expressed concern for my safety and down right fear when I would tell people what I was going to do and the people I was going to come into contact with. Stereotypes ran stronger than I had feared, thus my reference to these "refugees" as "people." Because that is what they are. They are people. Most of them are hurting more deeply than any one in America could ever imagine. These Arabic Muslim people have reason more than any one on earth to hate ISIS. They've been shot, bombed, their families ripped apart by ISIS. We saw and talked to people without a foot, or just half of both feet, because they had been blown off. 

Each member of our team went over there with a certain set of skills. Tyler is a handy man. Amber has the heart for the children. Holly is literally just all around amazing, so friendly to every one, and Tim has had a heart for Muslim people for as long as I've known him. Tim and Holly are the leaders of our young adults sunday school, so their hearts have always, I think, been for the young adults of their  community. And as all of you probably know, I have a heart for the elderly. Each one of us was able to use the gifts God has given us, at least once on the trip. 

This was an older lady that I had had my eye on all week. I would pass by her tent, some times she would be there and some times she wouldn't. The second to last day I was able to go with one of our translators over to talk with her. The only thing we were able to find out was that she was about 74 years old. Kurdish. And she had some upper respiratory issues. I had no idea how to help this woman but I had to be with her, if only for a minute. I was able to just massage her hands and feet, and wipe them with a wet wipe. That's all I got to do, that's all I could do. As I was getting ready to leave she grabs my face and kissed it all over. It was the highlight of my life. My heart was so full in that moment I felt like I was flying. I'm still praising God for this moment. 

I would like to thank everyone for keeping me in their prayers and especially thanks to those who supported me financially. This is a shot from Acrocorinth. We were able to do some touring around Corinth and Athens. It's still rather unbelievable that I walked the same streets that Paul and some of the other biblical greats walked. And walked we did, we walked about 20,000 steps a day. As I ate mostly Greek salads when we were there, I lost about 7 pounds!. Woops! I'm working on gaining that back. All in all, Greece was an amazing experience and we are already looking to next year. Next year Lord willing we will be going to Germany, where many of these families are hoping to start their new lives. These people are just like those we would meet walking down the street here in America. At the heart of every one is the need for the light and love of Jesus Christ. 

Prayers for the future: The situation in the camp seems desperate and hopeless. Each person has to be interviewed by the office that's in Athens. In order to make an appointment for this interview (which is usually six hours long) you have to be able to contact the office. To facilitate this contact, the camp has a Skype tent open for about an hour a day. The number they are calling for Skype is the same number for all 50,000 refugees in the country of Greece. Yes that's right, one man, in one office, at the other end of one Skype number, with 50,000 people trying desperately to reach him so they can set up an interview to maybe be accepted so they can maybe leave the camp so they can maybe find a better life in a place that can never truly be home for them, because their real home is destroyed, and they are fleeing for their lives. 

Pray fervently for a more practical solution. We want and need these camps to be temporary. 

Pray for the seeds that were planted to grow, even if the seed was tiny and our experiences brief. 

Thank you again for your love and prayers. 

Peace.