My Refugee Friends
Families risked it all, many lost everything, and are now stuck at a border where they do not want to be. I am no expert in political science, so I will refrain from commenting on politics other than saying it’s a very difficult situation and I don’t know how it can best be resolved.
But I can still love people affected by the decisions from the EU and Balkan countries.
There are some small refugee camps set up outside of gas stations and hotels, where the needs are pretty well met. However Idomeni, with 10,000-15,000 refugees, is a whole different beast. When we visited a smaller camp, one volunteer put the feeling very succinctly. “I like coming to this camp because I feel like I can make a difference, but Idomeni– man, I just feel too hopeless when we go there.”
So, of course, Idomeni is where our team went. We met families, figured out what they needed, brought them the supplies we could, and built relationships in the process. Our main goal was to show them love and care, regardless of their religion.
This little girl, Zena, walked around with pure joy and awe at everything she contacted (including this ball). Photo Credit: Rachael Powidzki
These families are broken and desperate. Children, who have lost years of education to get here, are now stuck and starving. Families have been split up. They risk being kidnapped or robbed by smugglers. Children have been sold into sex slavery, people have been found dead with their organs harvested. Thousands have drowned trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea. Many Middle-Easterners have died in war, and now many have died trying to avoid war. They live in hazardous health conditions and hole riddled tents, contemplating if they’d be better off returning to their war-torn homes.
A little love and hope goes a long way.
We made many friends all around the camp. We fed hungry children, clothed naked babies, and laughed with the grieving. I met many families, but only became a part of one.
Well, they were actually two families, but they had been neighbors in Homs, Syria and they are now tent neighbors in Idomeni, Greece. The first day we came to the camp, the children yelled “Hello!” from the tent. Ehea, one of the fathers, said “Come! Come, sit down.” They spread out a wool blanket on the ground under a shoddy tarp stretched over the front of their tent to create a shaded area.
They offered tea and coffee even after we insisted “no”. Many people were after the food I had in my bag, but these families were after friendship. Between our visits, Ehea told me that Hasan, his 5-year-old son, would walk up and down the road and ask “Where’s Mike?”(Ehea and Hasan are the two I am standing with in the photo).
If I were to meet these families in the States, I would unhesitatingly dine and hang out with them. They are my kind of people.
Mrwa was teaching me how to write in Arabic, and she wrote this totally unprompted.
One day Mrwa, one of the mothers, showed me a video on her phone. At first all I could make out was debris. Then she pointed to herself and said “My home in Syria.” I could see the holes in the roof from where bombs dropped through and ripped to shreds all of the furniture upon exploding. I asked her when the video was taken and she said, “Yesterday.” Then with downcast eyes she said, “Assad, boom” and made an explosion gesture with her hands.
Omari Mosque in Deraa. Top: 2011, Bottom: 2013. Photos taken by Reuters. Article Source: The Guardian
How am I supposed to respond when they show me that video and ask, “Should we stay here and wait or go back? What is better?”
I’d be lying if I said I haven’t thought about ditching the rest of the World Race to stay in this camp. I don’t want to just visit, I want to move in here and be a part of this community. They have an enormous amount of physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual needs. This cannot be swept under the rug and it certainly cannot be burned up in a sensational fire.
Many people ask, “How can I help?” Please continue to keep them in your prayers. Continue to spread the word, learn about the crisis (I will post some good sources below). I highly recommend coming here and helping over any amount of donation. There is no price equivalent to giving your time, your hands, and your heart. Obviously that is not an option for everyone, and I will post some good organizations where you can donate as well.
These families have lost hope and felt so much heart break. Our ministry this month was to bring them love and hope. In the process I brought them food, clothes, and supplies. We made rich memories and deep friendships. My only wish is that in a year I get to have dinner with them in Germany.
Reputable charities
These are two recommendations actively helping with the crisis. I personally saw Samaritan’s Purse all over the place and met some amazing people working with them. However, if you want to donate somewhere else, I recommend first checking the organization out on a watchdog site like Charity Watch.
International Rescue Committee: http://www.rescue.org/crisis-syria
Samaritan’s Purse: http://www.samaritanspurse.org/
Articles
Note: While there are too many heart-breaking stories to count, I am referencing mainly unbiased, fact/number-based articles for the sake of researching and learning. This list is by no means comprehensive, but it’s a good place to start understanding the situation. I still would encourage anybody to do more independent research.
Syria: The Story of the Conflict Fantastic, mile-high explanation of the evolution of the current situation through 8 brief summaries of different angles that have impacted the war.
Quick Facts: What You Need to Know about the Syria Crisis: Thorough, numbers and facts around the humanitarian impact of the war and refugee crisis in bite sized pieces.
These next two are breakdowns of the different “sides” of the war happening in Syria. It is wildly complex, and both articles do an amazing job of using charts and graphs for visual representation. The first one is my favorite, but both are thorough, impressive, and worth reading. These are the two best sources I found to understand all of the different sides and overlapping alliances involved.
