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2019, Lesvos, Short Term Missions:

Two very different dinners and other stories

Monday night tomatoes were served in Moria. Tuesday night it was hot dogs. There have been riots on tomato nights because it is a staple in the diet of the refugees, and they just do not get them often. Monday night they ran out of food, whether it is because they did not have enough to serve or if families took more than they were allowed. Hot dogs may have questionable content among other reasons, and at the end of service, they threw away cases of food; people had walked away upon seeing the menu or didn’t show up. Tonight cucumbers are scheduled and it is expected to be another busy night in the food distribution box. 

Tuesday was our first day in the All4Aid center. We were each assigned different stations, though the laundry room was the only solid assignment, the others were much more fluid. On a typical day, the first part of the morning is spent assigning numbers to women who have an appointment that day to do laundry; there are about 70 loads of laundry done each day and women are allowed to come once a month. Showers happen throughout the morning. Once that settles down a bit, morning exercise happens followed by an activity/craft. On Tuesday, both women and children made bracelets: the children with beads, and the women with buttons. Women that had showered had their hair dried and many children – some women – came up to the mirror get their hair dried by Dawn and braided by several others. Many nails were polished by Nancy and playtime with the kids was constant for all. Conversations happened with those that knew English on an basic level about names, ages, number of kids, etc. But mostly, we shared the love of Christ with our smiles, hugs, and pampering. It is admittedly hard to not be able to hear more of their stories, or explain in more detail why we are here sharing the gospel, and how much God loves them. A song – My Defender by Jeremy Camp – came to mind while Laura was braiding one girl’s hair. Knowing that this 10 year old girl is vulnerable on so many fronts, the lyrics guided her prayers for this young girl: You’re my defender, You fight for me, I will remember You’re all I need; You are my healer, My remedy, Against the power of the unknown, And I will not stand alone ‘Cause You’re my defender. God knows each and every one of the people we meet and though we may not communicate in words, our prayers are for them to have a relationship with God the Father, and know Him as their Defender. 

Being a holiday on Wednesday (May Day), the center was closed again. Our team split up in the morning, Dawn and Nancy going to clean/beautify the All4Aid center and serve lunch in Moria. The center now has clean walls and painted curtains! It has had quite a face lift over the last few months and the extra work on Wednesday only added to the bright atmosphere. 

Brenda, Lana, Laura, and Lee to serve tea and snacks at a local church, The Oasis run by the Mennonite NGO i58. At The Oasis, since tea and biscuits are served in a church and visitors know this, the gospel is openly presented. There are several American missionaries as well as Afghani and Iranian Christians, serving daily. We stepped in to serve as much tea as they were interested in, and chat as we were able. It is across the street from another refugee camp – Kara Tepe – exclusively for the most vulnerable families and is quite a good walking distance from Moria. Even so, one family we recognized from the All4Aid center outside Moria came; one of the daughters is 7 years old and we were told that 2 weeks prior she had walked herself to the center feverish with chicken pox asking for a shower. Many prayers have and will continue to be prayed for this precious, independent, resilient child to come to know God as her Father.

Brenda sat with a mom and her 16 year old daughter who spoke some English and was excited to be able to practice with her. She showed Brenda some sketches that her older sister had drawn that could have hung in an art museum! Instead, they hang in a box that they call home which their family of five shares with at least one other family.  They had been in Moria for a year before they were transferred to Kara Tepe.  They feel much safer now in the new camp, and are glad for the “box” instead of the tent they had lived in in Moria.  They identified themselves as Muslim, except they rarely go to the mosque. They are disillusioned with the oppression of Islam, but it is the only life they know unless we bring them The Good News! Please pray this family.

Another man came and recognized that we were new volunteers since he goes to The Oasis daily; he likes to go to there and does so every day (except Sunday) to drink warm tea and have a snack. He knew English quite well, and Lana was able to fill in the gaps with her Arabic. We learned he had fled the war in Mousel, Iraq to Turkey. From there he was able to get on a smuggler’s boat and landed on Lesvos. He shared his story with tearful eyes as he fled the war for a safe place to live in. He suffered depression and anxiety attacks that is taking a while to heal, though he has seen progress since being on Lesvos. He lives in his own apartment and has permission to go to Athens but has chosen to stay on Lesvos until he is stronger and healthier. Young men from his country come to sit with him and just share a warm cup of tea. He is lost and he is looking for complete healing. As he hears the Gospel presented at The Oasis over tea, we pray that he accepts Jesus as the Healer.  

Another young man was standing by the book shelf at the i58 book room. He was so focused on looking at the few booklets in Arabic on the shelf. These small booklets were a variety of the Gospels of Jesus to selected Bible stories. Noticing that he was an Arabic speaker, Lana approached him and he asked for a recommendation to what to read. She immediately gave him the Book of John. She sat with him and asked him to share his story. He said he is Muslim who fled the war in Iraq. He is 17 years old and is at the refugee camp with his parents. He shared openly that he does not practice the Muslim religion, nor does he want to be a Muslim. I shared the Gospel with him, God’s infinitive love and unconditional grace. He only listened with closed eyes and a bowed head: he heard the true love story of Jesus dying on the cross bearing the weight of our sins so we can have an eternal relationship with our Creator. Please pray for him as he heard the truth and may God bring peace and pierce his heart to know Jesus as his Lord and Savior.