Faros ( Φάρος) means "lighthouse" in Greek. Faros is a Christian organization in Athens that has been working to help refugees since 2014. They operate the "Center of Hope" for women and children and a shelter for unaccompanied minors (boys age 11-18). They seek to fulfill the Greatest Commandment (love they neighbor) and hope for open doors to fulfill the Great Commission (sharing the gospel with all the world).
They employ local Greeks to help with this ministry. Our group was asked to come help staff Faros in August because many of the locals take holiday that time of year (and many have NOT taken a vacation in years due to this refugee crisis).
(Side note: On Lesbos the first week in August, there was a church right next to our hotel, and I started seeing lots of women dressed in black hanging around outside the church. It seemed like a party, but I assumed it was a funeral. It turns out that these were Greek Orthodox women preparing for their big holiday which is the Dormition of Theokotus - which celebrates the death and resurrection of Mary. They wear black from Aug.1-15, and there are church services every day. I knew nothing about Greek Orthodox beliefs, and even though I don't share their belief about Mary, I found it fascinating).
Anyway, the women in our group were set to spend the week helping out at the Center of Hope.
Mondays are always "Beauty Day" and it was our busiest day of the week. We gave facials using a honey scrub and a banana mask ~
And then we applied nail polish. Lots of it. The little girls loved this so much that they would go through the painting process up to seven times - each time removing the color and trying another one.
The Center of Hope also offers counseling and Greek and English classes, so there was lots of opportunity for childcare:
I had a great first day and especially loved playing with two very active little boys. One ended up bumping his head and then sat in my lap cuddling for almost an hour.
For the rest of the week, though, they needed two volunteers to help with the kitchen at the boy's shelter. The rest of the team stayed at the Center of Hope while Mary Beth and I helped Usman, the Pakistani cook. I've always wanted to be a lunch lady and wear one of those great hair nets.
The building had no AC, and we were cooking a hot meal and washing dishes in hot water! The first day the high was 104 in Athens. This made the rest of the week seem downright cool to me when it was only 99.
We really enjoyed working with Usman. He only spoke broken English, but we found out a lot of his story. He is an immigrant now, not a refugee. He worked in military intelligence with the Pakistani army. Once he found out that I liked bread with butter and jam, he fixed us a treat each morning.
We served a large crew of boys daily. They serve them ethnic food they are familiar with instead of Greek food.
These boys are stuck in Athens with no family or means of support. About 20 boys live here in the shelter, and about 20 came in for lunch each day we were there. There are still many more unaccompanied minors in Athens that must resort to selling their bodies in order to eat. It is really sad to think about. Mary Beth and I both raised teenage boys and kept thinking about what would have happened to them if they had been in that situation. These boys did not seem that different from our boys. They eat a lot, they love sports, and they nearly all have phones. Usman tells us that the Iraqis and Syrians play football (soccer) but that the Pakistanis play cricket. Besides being the cook, Usman is the coach of the cricket team. The boys are also foosball fanatics. They came to the kitchen constantly for oil for the foosball table. We heard a huge ruckus one morning and it turned out they were cheering the winners of a foosball tournament. Usman and Babis took on the winners the next day.
Besides providing hot meals and shelter, the workers here provide so much LOVE. You could just feel it all over the place. There are really long-term relationships developing with these young men and some are coming to Christ. It was an honor to be able to help out with my skill set - chopping vegetables and washing dishes.
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