Well it’s been a few days now and please accept m apologies for the silence! First, our last two days on the island were overwhelming! The highs of the Woman’s Centre work of our ladies, connecting with the women and children POC’s (Persons of Concern. The work of new classrooms and children’s amazing resilience in the joy of learning and activity time , smiling, laughing, having fun together causes our hearts to smile. The All4Aid Centre is definitely a ray of light in this very dark place both spiritually and humanitarian based. As the women shared the love of Jesus at the Centre, the guys walked through the heartbreak of the camp, to say overcrowded, is a vast understatement! We sorted tents, packed clothing, winterized tents, counted people, mapped tent placement in the overflowing olive groves and walked/talked with people from many countries and cultures! Lots of interaction with refugees…
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Today was a hard day! Today was an up close and personal look into the reality of the life of a refugee family. Moria camp has burst its borders and spills out into the olive groves on the accompanying hillsides. What was built to house 2500 now overflows with 15,000 people. Families of 4-6 making due in a 4 person tent! We took census today and mapped out sections of the hillside to provide some level of mapping for where people are! We met several families, husbands and wives, children all with smiling faces, eager to welcome you into their tent and share some tea or roasted bread, the little they had, with you! Would I do the same if the shoe were on the other foot? These people have nothing, they left it all behind in exchange for safety and freedom. We serve an awesome God and we serve…
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Day 2 has come to a close as I write this! It was another full day. The boys, Bill, Bob & Marv, reported to camp Moria and volunteered to help in the EuroRelief warehouse. There, we prepared clothing packs for new arrivals to the camp. These packs are put up by size, age, & gender. It was a privilege to pray over each pack and ask God to touch the life that would be receiving the clothes and draw them to himself as they journey the refugee path! We also helped reorganize and inspect a large amount of used tents to see if they could be handed out in the future! Dawn and Phyllis enjoyed another day in the center ministering to the ladies and their children. The school was in operation for its second day and everyone came back and was extremely excited. In the morning the class is for…
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Day 1, how does one even grasp the concept of refugee life? Seeing it, touching it, walking in it’s midst, is only a glimpse of the complete and utter despair of those caught in this ongoing crises! Today we touched it with the hands of Jesus and we walked it in his sandals. We offered a hand and loved in his name both in the Center and in the incredibly overpopulated camp they call Moria. The women came to the center after being closed for a week (to prepare the classrooms). Many came, so very happy to have it open again. The children came to the first day of school. Three hours in the morning for the younger ones and four hours in the afternoon for the older ones. The children came happy! Us guys worked in the camp and interacted with many, each smiling and happy to shake our…
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What a grand day we had today! After breakfast together we headed off to a real multi-cultural worship experience shared with volunteers from all over the world and many refugees from Iran, Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, and Northern Africa! We sang together, heard a compelling presentation of the gospel in three languages, and had opportunity to pray for several refugee seekers/worshipers. After enjoying lunch as a team, we pitched in, helping to clean up the All4Aid Center with the All4Aid team getting it ready to reopen after being closed for a week to complete the addition of the class room with teaching beginning tomorrow. Adding the teaching is a longtime answer to prayer and will be a solid foundational point in spreading the good news of the gospel. Tomorrow it all starts. Bob, Bill and I will be working in the camp while Dawn and Phyllis will help kickoff the education…
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Our team arrived safely and on time with all of our luggage yesterday (Friday). We made our way to our “home away from home” and after a quick dinner, settled in for some horizontal sleep after roughly 31 hours of travel since leaving our homes in GR. God answered our prayers and yours by bringing us safely here to reach out for Him! Today, Saturday, we were able to visit the All4Aid Centre and see the almost completed addition of the classrooms as they began a long awaited and prayed for ability to teach the refugee children of the camp! We also had the privilege of touring the island for the afternoon. We are looking forward to our time here of being a living testimony to the Greeks, the staff of the Center, the other volunteers, and especially all of the refugees we come in contact with. Thank you for…
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Hi brothers and sisters in Christ. Thank you for your patience in waiting for this post. Thursday morning began with breakfast at Laura and Marta’s new apartment. Baked goods were provided by a dear friend of Laura’s. At the center we helped the women and children make friendship bracelets. It was a joy to work alongside refugee volunteers. After the workday we were able to go up to see the Olive Grove which is a camp right outside of Moria. This was extremely difficult to see. Please see this video. https://youtu.be/sv_1eU889Po Friday morning at the center began with praise and worship time as well as scripture reading and prayer led by Pastor Chris. Many women and children came to the center for showers and laundry. The Calvary team facilitated and helped with various activities including completing puzzles and playing Uno with children, dancing with both women and children to “Hokey…
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