Some final thoughts...

A day at camp...

Camp is a short 5 minute drive from town. Leaving the beautiful seaside town and driving the road toward camp is like entering another world. On the road to camp, the drive is usually slow because there are so many POCs walking along the road. Some as friends. Some as families. Never single file. They are free to come and go from the camp and many take the opportunity to walk to town for a change of scenery or to fish or to play by the water.

As you near camp, you can begin to see many of the white tarps covering tents and white ISO boxes, scattered on the hillside. 14,000 people in a space designed for 6,000 people.

Two different worlds clashing in such close proximity.

Entering through the gates to camp, you see tents with spray painted numbers, on pallets covered by tarps in every nook and cranny. Some tents without pallets or tarps. These dwellings line the entire path walking into camp. One side is tents. The other side is ISO boxes. The entire camp is filled with these dwellings.

There are overflowing dumpsters everywhere.

A constant chatter is heard in the camp. Many POCs set up shop with various foods, fruits and veggies. Sometimes you pass a barber shop. Many POCs are sitting or standing outside of their housing units during the day. Some on their phones. Some having tea. Some visiting with their neighbors. Some sleeping.

The many smells wafting through camp range from sweet smells of donuts or other delicious foods to the not so fragrant smells of body odor and garbage.

The constant calling of "my friend, my friend," is heard often. In new arrivals, we are always giving instruction to the minor boys waiting in line for food... "no line, no food" they often try to butt in line. We try to create order.

The RIC area houses all single women, single women with children and minor boys. There are 650 minor boys in new arrivals, 1500 minor boys in the entire camp. These boys are "orphans", here without any parents or families. Medical area is set up in the RIC area as well. Many wait in line overnight so they can get in for an appointment in the morning.

Outside of Eurorelief information center is chaos during the day.  This is where the POCs come to have any question answered. Many want pallets that we don’t always have. Many need housing. Many want to move their housing. Many are not happy. Many are frustrated.

Diaper delivery also happens in this area. Families are given 2 diapers per day and 6 wipes to last the week?!

While all of this may paint a sobering picture, many of these people are still in a better place than where they came from. And, you see many more smiles than angry or sad faces.

Our team took some time on Saturday to share things we are thankful for in the midst of this hard stuff. Some of my highlights:

·       On my last evening in new arrivals, I was handing out the bags of clothing and sleeping bags to people who had just arrived in the last day or so. There was a family of 5, 3 children and the cutest little boy ever. He was maybe 2. As I handed them their bag, he saw the sleeping bags on the top of the pile in the bag, and he also saw OTHER sleeping bags behind me on the shelf that we pack from. He kept pointing to one that he wanted. We are really not to do exchanges (or we would have EVERYONE doing that). I couldn’t resist. Kevin started pointing to a couple different bags and when he got to the green one, the little boy smiled and reacted excitedly indicating that was what he wanted. What a joy to hand this little boy a green sleeping bag. Seeing his entire face lit up with a smile was beautiful! His entire family was smiling. His sister wanted to change out her bag, so we did. This family left with some happiness in their hearts. It was really a beautiful thing.

·       Sharing tea early in our week with the 10 ladies from Somalia. Visiting with them, sharing, laughing, enjoying tea and being able to pray for them was sweet.

·       The time Eric and I had tea with the elderly man and were surrounded by many children.

  

Here are a few things that others shared:

·       The times spent with the children. When they run up to you with smiles, hugs and so much joy, it is so sweet.

·       Barb shared of a child she cared for during her two weeks. He had a burn on his arm and she was changing his bandages throughout her time in camp. After she cared for him, he gave her a thumbs up and blew her a kiss.

·       Playing ball with the boys.

·       Drawing and sketching with some of the boys.

·       Enjoying time with our team. We all had a lot of fun together and grew together.

·       Interacting with Norman and Kris, the shift coordinators. It’s always a joy to hear others stories and journey of faith and to be able to encourage them in it.

·       Seeing joy in the POCs in spite of their circumstances.

·       Perry and Kevin got to celebrate with 5 minor boys who were given asylum and would be going to Athens soon. There was a little dance celebration among their friends.

Many of the POCs we met were from Afghanistan and Somalia. Both of these countries have an unreached population of 99.9%. While we could not necessarily evangelize to any of the people we met, we certainly touched lives and represented Jesus. By helping to meet basic needs, we DID help them. Honestly, many on the team are still wrestling with all of the emotions that go along with what we have seen and experienced. Wrestling with “why are we the lucky ones because we were born where we were.” Wrestling with the unfairness of things.

We know God is good. Continue to pray for the team as you think of them and our experiences. Each of us are returning to the US a different person. Many are in the process of discerning next steps in their lives, in where God is calling them to use their gifts. Some have received more clarity on that. Some have been more challenged to do something at home.

We are thankful for this time. We are grateful for so much. We have mixed emotions. We are trusting God and His big picture. We are only a drop in the ocean.