Adventures Outside of Camp

Thank all of you who prayed for our team during our work at the Moria refugee camp and for those who took the time to read my posts and hear what’s going on in Greece! The prayers got us through the hot days and the heartbreaking circumstances around us. We are all changed.

We did have a few days to see sites and relax, so here are some photos of our adventures! 

First of all, the little town of Panagouida (population = 1000) where we stayed.  The church building is the center of town, and our inn was right next to the church. Eating out by the water every night was a special treat.  The food, the service, and the ambiance were all excellent.  We did have some gypsy beggars most nights.  We thought at first they were refugees, but they were not.  

Since we worked several evening shifts, we also had got to spend a few days in Mytilini.  This is the largest city at a whopping population of 30K.  

Between Mytilini and Panagouida is an ancient Roman Aqueduct.  We went there one day after the end of our shift.  It's some impressive architecture in such an out-of-the-way spot.

We decided to make do our version of the Beatle's cover.

Our last day in Lesvos, we visited Mt. Olympus (not THE Mt. Olympus) and the cute little town of Agiassos at its base.  Our group photo up there ended up looking like another album cover.

The Diaper Line

Our group has gotten to do lots of cross- training here - learning all the various tasks undertaken by EuroRelief in the camp. Yesterday I worked the diaper line.

EuroRelief distributes donated diapers to each family in Moria once/week (to families with kids in diapers, of course). The # you get is dependent on how many kids you have, what ages, etc. - it’s actually all tracked on a computer.

Diapers are distributed daily but each family can only come once/week in order to make it manageable. Either the mom or dad can stand in line, and 100 tickets for the daily distribution are given out at 8 am - 50 to men and 50 to women. They are supposed to stand in an orderly line to get the tickets.

Yesterday the men filed by one by one for their tickets. It could not have been more orderly. Five feet away it was UTTER CHAOS in the women’s “line.” So much shouting. A cat fight broke out. We threatened to not give out any tickets for the women at all. The men had their tickets in one minute, but 15 minutes later the women were still not lining up!

I expected the men to step up and explain the process and get the women to get in line. Instead, they all just watched and laughed. Then I hear this happens every day! I was embarrassed to be a woman!

Most things in Moria run on a schedule and involve at least an attempt to establish orderly lines. Of course, it helps camp run better but it’s also because the refugees are hoping to begin their lives in a Western culture. Here life runs on a schedule. Here it’s not cool to cut in line. In their cultures, it’s totally acceptable for the biggest and loudest to dominate and refuse to get behind someone else. I have to admit I smiled a little when the pushy ones got no ticket yesterday. They will get their diapers. But they will have to wait their turn!

Muslims do not believe in birth control. So lots of diapers! We also gave out sanitary pads. Muslim women are not allowed to use tampons (Sheesh!).

Sharing the Faith

Some notes on sharing your faith in Moria & Greece -

1. A non-refugee cannot bring a Bible or any religious material into Moria on penalty of imprisonment. Of course, most of the Christians have it on their phone, LOL. I guess that’s ok as long as we don’t use it while there.

2. We can tell our own faith story or answer questions if asked, but we’ve been implored by EuroRelief to use the Holy Spirit’s guidance and discretion. All NGOs working with refugees ( and many are faith-based) cannot speak of faith matters freely. They can direct folks where to go for answers outside the camps and NGOs if they ask.

3. It is against the law to proselytize a minor in Greece - not just refugees, but Greek citizens. Even if you are a Greek citizen. Minors are off limits for any teaching of faith matters (surely parents are exempt, but I haven’t been able to confirm this).  There are many beautiful churches, and I don't doubt that some there have genuine faith, but they don't reach out to refugees.  We even heard of a refugee in Athens who had converted to Christianity and was turned down by 26 different Greek Orthodox churches when he asked to be baptized.  He finally found his way to a Syrian church.   

4. Evangelicals of all kinds are considered a cult. Anyone seen reading a Bible in a coffee shop is assumed to be in a cult. They don’t really read the Bible much in the Greek Orthodox Church. Certainly not outside church.

5. The evangelicals working on Lesvos and the refugees who are believers (including some who have believed since arriving here), all meet together for worship. No denominations. All nationalities. The church is called Oasis. We worshipped there Sunday. It was wonderful! [We all removed shoes on entry and sat on mats. Sitting on a mat for one hour gave me empathy for the refugees who have no chairs. My back was killing me! I’m getting too old for that.]

6. There is also a center outside of camp sponsored by the Greater European Mission (GEM). They are not an NGO, and folks can share freely there. The women on our team worked at this center on Saturday. The center is called “Ephraim” - which stands for fruitfulness in the land of affliction. I think that’s a beautiful and fitting name.

Entrances, Exits, and Encounters

There were at least 300 new arrivals in Moria this week. At least one boat was being shot at on the Turkish side but escaped and was rescued in Greek waters. Life jackets are brought to a “Lifejacket Graveyard” to commemorate their passage. We saw new ones being dropped off last Monday.

After arriving by boat, refugees are then brought to Moria by bus where the UN documents them. Then Euro Relief provides each individual with a bundle of clothing, shoes if they have none, sleeping bag, towel, sheet, and toiletries appropriate to age and sex. These are organized for families by EuroRelief as the boats come in. They are given food and Euro Relief starts to work in finding room in the camp. They will be sleeping on a cot in a big hall or on the ground near the New Arrivals gate until space is available.

The last two nights we worked at least part of the time in New Arrivals, feeding them and giving them their bags that will for the most part be their only worldly possessions.

Most will be in Moria for six months or more. The first step out is a mandatory visit to the doctor. Stephanie and I were tasked with delivering doctor tickets to 4 individuals/families the other night. It is quite a feat just finding the right tent and person in this camp of almost 8000.

The first person we found was so ecstatic! He gave us hot tea (so great when it’s 95 F!) and called his family in Syria and put us on FaceTime. Euro Relief encourages us to not be task-oriented like Western cultures tend to be but to be relationship-oriented like the refugees we’re serving. So we took some time to share his joy!

Our best encounter was that evening when we met a family seated on a large blanket outside their tent. It looked like a man was writing English and I asked if it was a school. He said “Yes! We are trying to learn English!” We sat down and visited with them. They were delightful! They have been in Moria two weeks but seemed to really be making the best of things. Seeing folks like them gives me hope.

But actually our only hope is Jesus. These folks need Him, and this whole situation (both here and in the U.S. )needs the love and wisdom that only He can give.

Real Estate Deals (No Money Involved)

The title of this post pretty much describes much of our work here the last few days.

How would you like to sell a spot in this tent for a family of four to join 12 others? The tent has electricity but no appliances included - not even a light or a fan (these are occasionally donated but aren’t given out until there’s enough for everyone as you can imagine the riots). And like all real estate deals it’s location, location, location. Is it near the bathrooms, showers or food line? Must you walk up a long hill? Is there a crying baby in the tent? Are the neighbors the same ethnic group? Are they obnoxious?

I spent most of yesterday morning trying to sell a spot in an air-conditioned box home. You would think this would be a move up from a tent. It took five tries before I found a family wanting to move. In some cases they really liked their current neighbors or didn’t like the new ones or didn’t want a smaller space even if it had AC, or just didn’t want to move one. more. time.

To do these “home showings,” you must first find the people. There is some general organization into areas and tents are numbered, but they aren’t lined up in order. Then when you find the tent you must talk to someone in charge, not just the kids. Translators aren’t always available. It is both frustrating and humorous trying to communicate. Then you show them their potential new spot.

If you successfully close the deal, then that leaves an empty spot in the tent and you must start the process again - this time trying to “sell” the tent spot that has just been vacated. Sometimes you have to set a guard at a spot to keep squatters out.

Amazing to me is that many folks clean up their old spot for the next family.

At one point yesterday I was in a small tent with five Afghan men arguing loudly and rapidly.
I’m not sure what was going on, but it had something to do with electricity.  I just waited for them to talk it out. The man took the spot for his family.

Other members of our group saw more difficult things. One man started beating his wife when told they must make room for more (neighbors pulled him off, and he was reported). Terry had a situation where they were going to call the police because a man refused to move (he had circumvented the process and just grabbed an empty spot). Believe it or not, this situation ended up peacefully and with a hug.

So the camp is like a giant puzzle where the pieces are being rearranged constantly - trying to take care of the most vulnerable and having some sense of fairness. The folks in the office (also volunteers) have all the data on ages, sicknesses and other factors that go into housing decisions. Our team just implements. We do give choices. A family already housed does not have to move (though they may have to make room for more). The choices for new arrivals are harder - their choice is take it or leave it (which leaves them on the streets without a spot in the food line). There are 400 new arrivals to fit in the puzzle this week. It is heartbreaking.

Today we work evening shift which will be a combo of real estate deals and guarding gates.

First Day Update

We survived Day One! Thanks for your prayers. Moria is an unbelievable place - crowded and chaotic are two adjectives that come to mind. I cannot take photos, though you can see I adjusted the rules ever so slightly to take the two below. So I will try to describe a little what it is like.

Imagine camping for months on end in a tent. Now imagine 12 people in a tent on bunks with blanket dividers between families. Imagine it is 95 (fortunately yesterday the high was only 86). You have maybe 10 sq ft of floor space outside your bunks. Then imagine a EuroRelief worker shows up and tells you (through an interpreter) that you must make room for more. This was the job of some of our team yesterday (including the brave Stephanie Estabrooks). This sometimes takes hours. Then you bring the refugees from new arrivals (if you can find them) and they see their new home. They have been paying smugglers to bring them here and most were hoping for a bit more. They still have such a long way to go to a “normal” life.

Terry was on a team that worked in the hot sun setting up a huge Swiss-made tent without instructions. Sounds perfect for him! Add a few Swiss young adult aid workers helping him whose only tent-making qualifications were being from the country that made the tent (never having even camped recreationally). Terry apparently did a great job of keeping his mouth shut.

I worked in the “info” area where people come with all kinds of requests - the most common being for a bigger tent or a move to an Isobox (a trailer with AC). The answer is usually “no”, but these are negotiating cultures and the people are desperate so they ask over and over. We have translators (who are themselves refugees living in the camp and are volunteering).

One request where the answer is “yes” and where no translator is needed is blowing up and patching holes in soccer balls. This was my favorite task in info!

Yesterday afternoon I was sent to guard an isobox that had just been emptied to make sure that only the appointed family could move in. While there, I met a little girl named Pareenaz from Afghanistan who spoke Farsi. I showed her I could write my name in Arabic (which has the same alphabet as Farsi). This sparked a real connection. She picked up a piece of trash (a local grocery ad), and we “talked” our way through it using English vs. Farsi, getting excited when we found a word in common like “coffee.” We drew pictures (thank goodness I had a small journal and pen in my pocket) and were eventually joined by two other little girls.

Pareenaz drew this little picture of me that has both our names in a heart. Then she wrote my name in a little piece of paper and put it inside her shirt and wrote her name on a piece of paper and handed it to me. I folded it and put it next to my heart. What a way to end the day!

Arrival on Lesvos

We arrived on Lesvos, Greece, yesterday where we will begin working in a refugee camp tomorrow. I can’t take photos in the camp, but we toured it today. Nobody is starving or without water, but a former military camp that was designed for 2000 has 7000+ at the moment. 1500 have come by boat in July. We volunteer with the group in charge of housing.

After our training session we drove north to see Skala Sykamineas and the Molyvos Castle.

Here is a photo of the lookouts. As soon as a boat of refugees enters Greek waters, a rescue boat is sent (usually from this charming little town of Skala Sykamineas that is pictured above).

Please pray for us. Our first shift is tomorrow, and we are all a little nervous. It’s hard to know what to expect.

Corinth

We had a day in between visiting ministries in Athens and our flight to Lesvos, so I decided to take the group to Corinth.  It's only about 90 minutes from Athens.  We rented a car and drove there together.  Our main preparation was watching this pastor teach about ancient Corinth.  If you have the time, I great recommend the video.  It was so helpful to us in explaining what we were looking at, and hey, we didn't even have to spend money on a guide!

First, we visited Ancient Corinth.  There is a huge temple to Apollo, and you can see the ruins of the town where Paul worked with Priscilla and Aquila making tents and where he stood before the proconsul Gallio.

The inscription is a quote from Corinthians which says "these light and momentary afflictions are preparing us for an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison."

 Stephanie made this picture of me just before we got told we couldn't make photos like this.  

We loved our little lunch spot looking up at the AcroCorinth.

Next, we climbed the AcroCorinth, even though it was 104 F.  Hottest hike of my life!  

When we came back down, we went in search of the canal and managed to find both ends of it.  

The shallow end

The deep end

It was amazing.  I don't guess I've ever seen anything quite like it.  We also found the harbor of modern Corinth.

Even though we were hot and exhausted, it was a very good day of seeing new things and bonding as a team.  I also think I have another level of appreciation for the setting of the New Testament.