The day was bittersweet as we are all worn out from both the physical and emotional toll of working at the center, but we wish we could stay and work more! We will miss all of the women and children, as well as all of the All4Aid workers who mentored us and worked alongside us throughout the week. Today was busy as there were refugees from other nations besides the Middle East— we had a few women and children from the Congo. Today we made paper plate fans (as it was very hot, once again), made more sock puppets as the kids absolutely love them, and did some yoga as the morning workout. There many children today, so we were kept busy with coloring, and ended up taking some of their energy outside to do a lot of jumping rope. The shop was kept very busy as appointments had accidentally been made for yesterday, princess day, on which the shop was closed— they served double the women today!
At the end of the day, a few team members were taken by an All4Aid worker into the Olive Grove, the overflow area of Moria outside the camp walls. The scenes were overwhelming and eye-opening— the tour of the camp is when it became even more evident that the refugee crisis truly is a crisis.
The All4Aid team takes time each Friday to debrief at the end of each week. Today, they debriefed with us by asking us all to share a “glow,” which is one thing we loved about the week, and a “grow,” which is something we struggled with during the week. They also gave us advice and instruction on how to process the difficult things we’ve seen once we get home. We are truly grateful for the amazing staff that trained us and worked alongside us throughout this week.
After a quick fix of a flat tire at the center, we had an amazing dinner and are now back at the hotel packing. Our flight takes off for Athens at 7am. From there, we will tour during the day and begin our official journey home at 6am Sunday morning.
Please pray for smooth travel, the early mornings, and that we have a safe day in Athens. Thank you for your faithful prayers this past week & God bless!