Refugee Crisis, Greece
While the Syrian Refugee Crisis is far from over, we were moved to leave the comfort and safety of our own home to go and serve those who are fleeing from war for a short time.
Serving people who were experiencing genocide, war and worse was life changing. The Syrian people are highly educated and prior to the war lived in a technologically advanced society, similar to ours in America.
Those that are lucky enough to have escaped the war, are now being forced to adapt and adjust to daily changes in border security and political policies. Some days they are allowed to cross from Turkey to Greece and from Greece to Macedonia, other days, they are not. While on refugee status, they are permitted to be in certain places, but not allowed to work and children aren’t permitted to attend schools. These factors make it almost impossible for most families to survive for very long without assistance.
Our objective this trip was only to serve them, by way of working in the camps.
While at Lesvos (the island between Turkey and Greece) we greeted small boats full of people, assessed the need for medical attention, and ensured they had dry clothes and a small snack before continuing on their journey. It wasn’t much, but it is the only provisions available in the camps. The temperatures at the time were below freezing most nights and hypothermia was a great concern.
We also spent time at the Greece/Macedonia border where another camp was set up to assist people who desired to cross over. Most people came at night because traveling during the day was too dangerous for them. A very elite few traveled by bus, a luxury most could not afford. Most people arrived needing medical attention from being in the woods for many days hiding out of fear.
