Laughter crosses all language barriers

On Saturday, the men went into camp for the 8-5 shift. The ladies got to a have a bit of a later start to go to women's day at the Ephraim Center (run by GEM). Women's Day is from 10-1 every Saturday. We met other volunteers serving there at 9 to set things up and prep for the time together.

Stations were set up for make up, nails, making friendship bracelets, and watercolors. As the ladies arrived, they were so excited to have a place of peace and refuge, away from the men and children, for a little bit of time for themselves. Barb was feeling a bit better and was able to join us. Barb and I were chatting with a young girl from Afghanistan, learning some Farsi words and teaching her the English words. It was fun to interact with her and laugh together, each of us laughing at our language skills.

 

  

a volunteer sharing the gospel with a Somalian woman

After leaving the Ephraim Center, I dropped off LH and Sarah at camp to join the men and other volunteers for the 8-5 shift. I took Barb to meet up with the medical team so she could go in for her 4-12 shift.

The camp ahead

Once we arrived at camp, it was a slow start for us. Many other volunteers were working on various projects and it took a bit of time to get us plugged in.  LH and Sarah went out to do some census work (basically checking in housing structures to verify that the records that we have are correct as to who is living there).  I believe Kevin and Perry did this most of the day today. Eric and I also were also sent to do the same thing. We were all in different sections of the camp.

After Eric and I finished, as we were leaving on of the units, there was an elderly man from Afghanistan sitting at a picnic table drinking tea. He asked if we would like to have some tea as well (he didn't speak English, it was by "charades"). We sat down with him, and soon after, many children came to hang out with us. We took some time visiting, and playing with the children--Eric arm wrestled some of the boys (letting them win, haha...they were 8 or 9 years old), and taught them thumb wrestling. Many of the girls wanted to sing to me, we played many hand clapping games/songs, and shared our names. Then I showed them photos of my family (husband, parents, brothers, nieces and nephews). Eric did the same. It was a really sweet time together, even with the language barrier. Before we left, the elderly man asked if we would take a photo. Of course, I was happy to do it.

After a nice dinner by the water in the town of Thermi, we ended up with an earlier evening. A few of us went to a local cafe for some tea and journaling (or blogging).

 

Tomorrow we will go to church again at Oasis. The rest of the day we hope to explore some of the island. 

It's Friday?!

It's hard to believe it is Friday. Tomorrow will be one week that we are here.

View from my balcony

View from my balcony

As we were heading to camp this morning, Kevin told us that Barb was really not feeling well, and had no voice. She called off of her shift to be able to get lots of rest. Her sore throat has gotten worse. Please pray for healing and a good night of rest. She plans to go in for her shift on Saturday night.

The rest of us were at the camp from 8-5 today. All of us were doing different jobs.  Kevin and I started out on the gravel team--shoveling, wheel-barrowing, and spreading 4 truckloads of gravel. It was hard work, but just what I needed.  Some of you will get it...others will not. It was good to relieve some stress and do some hard physical labor. We were putting gravel down on a muddy walkway in the women's area, as well as some near the minor boys and at the Info Center in camp. After lunch, Kevin and I were off doing similar jobs, just not together--guarding structures when families were moving/transferring to another location in camp, preparing tents and tarps for new arrivals, giving food to new arrivals and walking out in the "jungle" of camp to try to locate some tents to actually be able to label them on the camp map.

 

Sarah went to serve in the warehouse today. She was helping to sort clothes. Eric did some census work and helped with moving some families. Perry also was paired up with someone to gather various information in the camp, so he got to walk around quite a bit and see much of the camp. LH did the Info Desk again--seriously, she's amazing.

It was a long, hard day for all of us...in different ways. It is very emotionally taxing to be here and do this type of work. There is so much need. There is so much loss. There is so much trauma. There is so much pain. Yet, there is also joy in some places.

Our team went in to Mytilene again for dinner tonight. It is so good to be able to have the time in the evenings for the team to process and debrief the emotions and feelings experienced during the day.

(LH was also with us)

Sites in Mytilene

Mytilene

Saturday, the guys will be serving at camp from 8-5. The ladies will be serving at the Ephraim Center (operated by GEM) just outside the camp. We will be helping with a "women's day." We are looking forward to the day to be able to interact with many of the women refugees. We will go to camp later in the afternoon when women's day is over.

Thank you for your prayers. Please continue to pray for good health and strength for everyone on the team. Pray that Barb's cold/sore throat is short-lived. Pray for good rest for everyone. Again, continue to pray for healthy processing of all that we see and hear and experience. 

What Day Is It?

Seriously, what day is it?

This shift work is messing with my head--just in being able to keep things straight. On Wednesday night, we did a second 4-12 shift and then had an 8-5 shift on Thursday. Barb continues on her 4-12 (or really 12-12) shift for the entire time we are here.

After taking part in women's tea at Oasis on Wednesday, four of us started our 4-12 shift--Perry and Kevin were doing the overnight shift again. 

For the first few hours of our shift, before it got dark, we paired up to try to deliver "transfer" tickets throughout the camp to specific people. LH and Sarah went together. Eric and I went together. There are so many people packed in this camp...and sections are not labeled. We have a map showing different zones and areas of the camp, along with structure numbers to find people, but it is so confusing to find your way around...especially on day 3.

The transfer tickets we were delivering were for people to be transferred to Athens the next day. So, we were happy to be able to be delivering this news to them. Going to Athens means going to another refugee camp, but it is progress.

Once it got dark, Eric went to be in the section for minor males, where he got to play more ball and then do guard duty for that section again. Me, Sarah and LH helped out in "new arrivals" for a bit where we were rolling up sleeping mats and prepping items that would be given to those people who just arrive at camp. Everyone is given clothing, shoes, hygiene kit, towels, and sleeping bags.

Once it reaches 8:30 at night, that is when Eurorelief provides people to guard gates before the Greek police take over for overnight. At that time, Sarah went to the section for women and children, while LH and I stayed in new arrivals. New arrivals was very busy until 10:30-11 pm. They wait in line with their police papers and are given whatever is applicable to their family size. So, LH and I were packing bags and filling orders. This made the night go quickly for us.

Thankfully, Barb was able to be relieved of debriefing with her group so she could return directly from camp with us (rather than me going to pick her up in another spot at 1 am).  The night of sleep was already going to be short enough. I was thankful we could work this out with the medical group she is serving with.

The four of us that did the 4-12 on Wednesday night, left for camp the next morning to start the 8 am shift. For day shift, at the start of each shift, they go through the many different jobs that need done and you can volunteer for specific things. This morning, LH was a brave one. She volunteered to be POINT on the Info Center!?  The funny thing was, she said to me later that she had not meant to be point...she just wanted to be on the team.  Seriously, this is most people's least favorite job. It is chaotic, stressful--basically customer service, but in languages you cannot understand and you can't answer most of their questions.  Sounds great, huh?  Well, LH did awesome! She did that all day. We didn't see her much, but heard about her day at debrief over dinner.

Eric, Sarah and I ended up working with several others in fixing tarps, putting up tarps over tents, and then tearing down and assembling tents.  It was hard work.  And hot.  The tents were being replaced for various reasons and the tarps were being moved to allow for better rain run-off and prep for the upcoming winter months.

 

The team of 6 (missing Barb) went in to Mytilene to drop off laundry and have dinner in the evening. Honestly, I was really tired and this was the last thing I wanted to do. But, once we got there and I got some food, then I realized that I was just "hangry."  I am tired, for sure. But, the time together tonight with the team was so fun! We had lots of laughter and even some tears. Everyone is really bonding and growing together. It is so cool to be a part of something like this. We really miss having Barb with us!

Tomorrow is another 8-5 shift for all 6 of us. It will be good to all be together for a shift for the next two days.  And, we are looking forward to our day off on Sunday.

Barb is trying to coordinate her days off with the medical team to have off the same days that we do. Please pray that this works out.  Please pray that I can also coordinate the best schedule for our team with the scheduler for next week. 

Please continue to pray for Barb. I haven't seen her all day (because of our shifts). I know she was not feeling well--pretty bad sore throat. Pray for her health. Pray for strength and stamina for all of us. Pray for everyone processing so many different emotions as they see and hear hard stuff. The stories and journeys of many people that we are meeting in the camp are really tough.

Pray for me as team leader to be aware of the needs on the team. Pray that I get good rest. Pray that I listen well. Pray for discernment and clarity in guiding the team. I am also doing my best in gathering information about other organizations serving in the camp.  I'm also learning more about the organizations that I knew served in the camp. Pray for wisdom for the LT in the office back in the US as we continue to discern the best fit for BIC US working among refugees here.

Thanks for your prayers!

Our first overnight shift

We survived our first late shift and overnight shift!  And...Tuesday was more "uneventful" than the first few days.  Praise God!  Thank you for your prayers.

We started the day with all of us together for the first time in a few days. We took some time for devotions and prayer together. Honestly, this team is connecting so well. I am loving seeing everyone thrive in their areas of gifting (more on that later).

Our devotion and prayer time on the patio

After our prayer time, we grabbed a quick breakfast of ham and cheese sandwiches. Someone was so excited to have chips on the plate, haha! You may also notice that in most of my photos, I don't show everyone. LH is on our team and she serves with us in a secure area. So for the safety of her and her ministry, we don't show her picture or share her name. But, please, know that she is with us all of the time!

 

Since we were on late shift, we had some time this morning together to go to the Olivewood House. Mirsini and her husband have a family-owned business, making many beautiful things. She is so hospitable! I remember her from my visit here in February. She brings out the tea, coffe, candy, cakes, bread and treats to spoils every guest. 

Then, her and her husband love to show the customers the wood shop below their store where things are made. Her husband makes a gift for everyone. The men got a toy top and the women got a medallion necklace.

After leaving the Olivewood House, I went with Kevin and Barb to drop her off for her shift. She starts with the medical team at a house in Mytilene and they all travel in to camp together. I needed to know where the house was so that I could pick Barb up after our shifts because Kevin was working the overnight shift.  I took some notes and mental notes of various landmarks and crossed my fingers, hoping I would be able to find it again that night at 1 am after our shift. 

Those of us working the 4-12 shift took a bit of time to rest in the afternoon before going in to camp. 

In my last trip here, I did not work any other shifts - only day shift. So this was going to be a new experience for me.  The four of us on our team were to serve in the RIC area - this is where they house minor boys, single women, and single families (all in different sections). Our job at some point in the night would be to guard the various sections to be sure that people entering those areas were supposed to be entering those areas.

This shift is actually very relational. We had so much time to interact and talk with people. Eric was in heaven--he got to play basketball and kick balls around with the young boys (using his giftings--answer to prayer!)  LH, Sarah, and me did some census work and that took us to various tents to check, which led to many invitations to come sit and visit with tea or coffee.  We only completed 3 census checks because our visits were so long!  My American/Western side struggled a bit because we only got to 3 spots, but my relational side loved every second!  (And, the 3 of us were all using our giftings--LH with her Arabic, Sarah and me being relational) During one of our visits, we were with 10 single women from Somalia. We had such a sweet visit with them, sharing and laughing together. As we were getting ready to leave, I felt prompted to pray for them. LH felt the same. So, we went with it, asking them if I could pray for them. They were open.  What a beautiful time. Please continue to pray for these 10 women, that they would come to know and sense the love and peace and protection of Jesus Christ. 

At 8:30 on this shift, that is when we are on  duty to guard the entrances to each section. LH and Sarah were there most of the night. I was pulled away to help Kris, the night shift coordinator, to some housing. Housing is not typically done at night. But, there were some Afghani families that were in new arrivals, waiting for their tent. Day shift had left some notes about being able to house some families in a certain tent, way out in the olive grove/jungle. Through a translator, Kris and I talked with two families about the option, walked with them to show them the tent, listened as they talked about whether or not they wanted to stay there, and then once they agreed, we helped them pack their belongings and move in to the tent. 

While the tent was nothing special for sure, there would be 3 families living in there. Two families of 5 moved in that night and a family of 4 will be joining them. Although it is not ideal, these two families were so appreciative and thankful to Kris and I for the help we provided them. The work that is done here is so humbling. 

Perry and Kevin worked the overnight shift Tuesday into Wednesday. It was pretty uneventful for them. But, now they know each other's life stories!  Since Perry had this shift, he also had an opportunity to sketch, but didn't need to take it since they talked all night, haha!

On Wednesday morning, me, Sarah and LH, went to Oasis for the women's day. I had invited the two women at church on Sunday to come and that I would pick them up at camp. We also invited the 10 Somalian women to come, that LH and Sarah would walk with them. So, we drove to camp to meet everyone, and none of the ladies showed up. We still decided to go to see what the program was like. We stayed for a short time so we could come back to rest. 

Bibles in many languages at Oasis

 

Women's Day at Oasis (tea and snacks)
a place for respite and peace for the women

  

Barb continues to do great serving in the medical area. Please pray specifically for her. She is working 12 hour shifts and is trying to balance time with us when she should be resting. She is coming down with a cold and sore throat. Please pray for her health.

I am also tired and feel very close to getting a sore throat. Only because I have been going constantly, taking care of many things as leader of the trip. It seriously feels like we have been here for a week and it's only Wednesday.

Everyone else is doing well. Everyone is processing so many different feelings and thoughts. Please continue to pray for strength and stamina for everyone. Pray for favor from the scheduler as I request some changes for our schedule at camp next week. I'd love if there was some way we could be on more of the same schedule (to help with driving and sleeping and connecting as a team).  Pray that this could happen. Pray that we would continue to be bold and share Christ's love with everyone we come in contact with.

Day 1...feels like Day 6

I cannot believe it is only day 2 on the island...so much has happened, it seriously feels like almost a week already. Wow.

Barb had a great first shift from 4-12 on Sunday. I stayed up to debrief with her (and Kevin) after her first shift. She saw several different cases, of course, but really felt she was able to minister to everyone and really use her gifting. It was totally a God-thing that she was able to get to serve with the medical group. We praise God that it worked out and we can learn more about the medical organizations working inside the camp. We miss not being able to see Barb as much, but are hoping that on Tuesday our team can spend some time together during the day before we all have the later shifts.

This morning, we left for our training. Praise God! We found the place with no trouble (I would hope so after the 6 rounds we made yesterday!)  Thank you for your prayers. Orientation went well and was very helpful in preparing us to start at camp. We were joined by a couple from the Netherlands who will be here for the 2 weeks that we are here.

When we arrived at camp, we did a walking tour of the entire camp to learn all of the zones and areas. It was very overwhelming to see.  This camp is designed to hold 3,000 people and when I was here in February there were 7,000 people there. Today...there are 14,000 people in camp!  I have no idea how to describe what it was like...

When we started our shift, four of our team went to serve at the warehouse. They ended up spending the day there, sorting and packing things.

 

Me and LH stayed at camp and started out at the Information Area. This is my least favorite area (but it's not about me...) only because I feel so helpless and unable to help anyone. The language barrier is very challenging and there are many of the refugees frustrated and loudly seeking answers to questions. One awesome thing to watch today was LH in action with her Arabic skills.

Another cool thing that happened today was when we did a housing project to try to change out some beds in one of the ISO boxes that had 8 single men from Afghanistan. When we got to the door to talk with them, one of the guys who was there was one I met in February and he served me tea when I was doing ticket duty!  I had wondered about him and whether I would even see him. I thought there would be no way to see him or even find him in the sea of 14,000 people! He remembered me...it was fun to see him again.

What did I spend the majority of my day on, you ask?

photocopying...

serving meals to new arrivals

bagging up baby wipes

When we were at church on Sunday, we learned of some baptisms that were to take place on Monday afternoon. Praise God! We were able to catch some of that after completing our shift! What a beautiful thing...a man and another couple, all from Afghanistan, being baptized!

 

After the baptism, we made a trip to the grocery story. We had expected to have a fairly early dinner and evening, but no...of course another bump came up... (blow up your screen to read the sign Perry is holding)

Seriously??  Perry locked the keys in the rental car!?  We all had a lot of fun messing with him about it--obviously it could have happened to anyone. So, while we had to wait the 2 hours in the parking lot for the locksmith to come, we debriefed about our day. It was actually a great use of time--everyone had so many things to process.  I appreciate each one of these team members and the opinions and values they bring. 

Debriefing about the day

The locksmith showed up, and had the car open in less than 2 minutes!  Praise God!

Although we had a late dinner, we had a lot of fun laughing around the table and sharing together even more about the day.  This team is awesome! We are all doing great, rolling with the punches. Everyone is connecting and encouraging one another. Thank you for your prayers for the team. 

Tuesday is a later shift for all of us. Four of us will be on the 4-12 shift (along with Barb, just in a different area of camp). The other two will be on the 12-8 shift. Pray that we all get the rest we need to work the shifts. Pray that we are able to have some fun time together as a team before starting shift. Pray that we can find ways to stay connected well over the next few days as we will be on different shifts and eating/sleeping at different times.

Thanks for following along. I'm hoping that Tuesday will be a more "uneventful" day?  Stay tuned...

Big Ben…Parliament…Big Ben…

No, we are NOT in London…but, have any of you seen the old Chevy Chase movie “European Vacation” where he is driving the family around, touring London, and he gets stuck in the traffic circle, leading them to continue to see the same thing, multiple times?  Well, that’s how I felt today…but before telling you that story, let me bring you up to speed on the happenings here.

Our team arrived on Lesvos, late Saturday night, but not without a little bit of adventure thrown in.

Our flight from Newark to Athens was uneventful. When we arrived in Athens, we had a few hours before our flight left for Mytilene. My plan was that during that time, I would get a SIM card for my phone so I could communicate with the leaders of Eurorelief while working at the camp. This was a requirement as a team leader. When I went to purchase the card, I learned that my phone was not unlocked to be able to put in the card…this was after my phone provider already told me that it WAS unlocked. So, plan B. Kevin and I left the Athens airport, took a taxi to a nearby electronics store (think “Best Buy” only Greek style) to get some phones. (Kevin needed to get a phone too, but that’s another story). The store was literally 10 minutes away from the airport and we had an hour to get there, get the phones, get back, go through security to be able to make our next flight.

As the salesperson is helping us with the phones, we are beginning to get nervous that we’re not going to get done and back in time.  Plus, the taxi driver didn’t want to wait for us so we had to somehow get another taxi.  So, while I’m working with the salesperson, Kevin runs across the parking lot to Ikea to see if there are any taxis there. He finds one and asks if he will wait. The guy said he would, for a few minutes.  Probably 20 minutes later, we are finally leaving the store, fingers crossed that the taxi is still waiting for us. Praise God! He was! We got back to the airport and to our gate just in time.

When we landed in Mytilene, I had arranged for a rental van for us. After we got our luggage, I couldn’t find the rental agency right away. We ended up talking to a Hertz rental and learned we could rent 2 cars for almost half the price of what we had originally booked for the van!? I wanted to find the original rental place and cancel the reservation and book the 2 cars—so, again, Kevin and I went on a little search. We found the place, after a bit of discussion with the guy there (who was trying to keep the rental, but couldn’t match the price even close), we cancelled and then ended up booking with Hertz. Having 2 cars was actually an answer to prayer because shortly before we left for the trip, we learned that Barb was going to be serving at the camp with the medical team (she is a nurse) and we weren’t sure how we would be getting all of the team members where they needed to be at various times, with only one vehicle. The kicker is that you have to have an international drivers license to drive in Greece. So, now Barb and I were the only drivers, but with Barb working the 4-12 shift at camp, and the rest of us working other shifts at the camp, we didn’t know how we would do this with the 2 cars (not everyone would fit in one car). So…Kevin determined that HE would also get an international drivers license to help us out with driving.  But, of course, there was a process for that, and it couldn’t be done on Saturday night at 10 pm.

So, we all piled in the two tiny cars and drove to our hotel. The place is beautiful (this is where I stayed in February this year on my previous trip) and we had a warm welcome from Gina. We dropped our bags and quickly walked to town to get something to eat for dinner. We ate along the water, enjoying some delicious seafood and other Greek food. It was delicious…even though it was close to midnight.

Sunday morning, after breakfast, we decided we would walk to Oasis (church). It was about a 30 minute walk along the water—beautiful! We enjoyed our time at church, and several of us had opportunities to interact and talk with several refugees. I sat next to two young women from Afghanistan—Mina and Shabana.  I had an opportunity to pray with them. Mina has been at camp for one month and has a 2 year old daughter. Shabana has been at camp for two months and had a 9-month old son. Mina spoke English very well. I invited them to join us for women’s day at Oasis on Wednesday. I’ll be picking them up at camp to bring them. Pray that they are waiting at the entrance of camp for me to take them. Pray that me and the other ladies on my team will have an opportunity to encourage them both and be a light to them in the midst of their crisis.

After church, we had lunch with Pastor Emmanuel from I-58 (who runs Oasis) and two young adult males who are serving with I-58. It was really a great time for them to get to know us as Brethren in Christ and to share together. Emmanuel has been in Lesvos for the last few years and shared many stories of hope and light, and many refugees coming to Christ. In fact, they will be baptizing an Afghani couple on Monday afternoon. We are hoping that we may be able to leave our shift at camp a bit early (around 4 rather than 5) so we can be a part of the baptismal celebration. Pray that if God would desire, that we would be granted permission to be a part of this.

Now, back to the “Big Ben…Parliament…” story.  After lunch, there was some free time for everyone. Part of that included me driving two shifts of our group (since our car is small) to see some of the island. There were two goals for this little road trip:  find the location for our training meeting at 8 am on Monday morning and to find the camp.  Finding the camp, was no problem at all, since I had been there before. Finding the location for the training meeting…not so easy. It’s literally 5 minutes away, and even plugging the address in the GPS on the Greek phone I have, STILL didn’t help us. When we “arrived”—it looks like an abandoned building!?  NOTHING is labeled; i.e., this is the Eurorelief Training Center. That would be way too easy. So, I literally made 3 loops on the same road, meanwhile, passing a café where a bunch of old, Greek men were sitting around, talking and smoking. As I kept driving by, I waved…wondering what they must be thinking when they see the same car multiple times.  After a few tries with the first carload, and no success, I came back to the hotel and picked up the others (Kevin and LH). Off we went again…same scenario. But, this time, rather than circling multiple times, I parked and we got out to talk to those old men to see if they could help us. Well, that was entertaining in itself…and we left with really no clarity for our location for Monday morning. We have a guess as to which building it is so we’re going to head there in the morning. Pray that we find where we need to be.

When we returned to the hotel, Kevin and I decided that we would continue to take care of getting his international drivers license and getting him added as a driver to our car(s) so we would be good to go for Monday. So, while the others on the team had a couple of hours to be in town, walking by the water, playing and hanging out with the many refugees who walk to town from camp, Kevin and I made a trip back to the airport to the Hertz dealer and get our paperwork in order.

After an interesting interaction with George, the rental card guy, we are on our way back to town. We meet up with the rest of the team for dinner, debriefing for the day. Those who were by the water while Kevin and I were taking care of car stuff had so many awesome stories, conversations, and interactions with many of the refugees. It was so cool to hear how they had spent a few hours visiting and playing with so many!  And, only some of you will get this reference, but even Eric got to toss a ball around with some kids! He was pretty happy—AND—he didn’t start that or bring the ball.  😊

All of this goes to show you that even the best laid plans don’t always go as planned. I worked ahead of the trip to do the best I could to prepare for the phone and rental car, but in the end, it didn’t matter. We had to roll with the bumps and in the end, it all worked out even better than we could have expected!

Thank you so much for your prayers. All in all, everyone is doing great. Pray for us as we start our first shift tomorrow (Monday). We are in the camp from 8-5. The rest of the week, our shifts will vary.  Pray for sensitivity for the team as they walk into camp for the first time. Pray for strength and stamina. Pray for wisdom, discernment, and clarity for me as I lead the team.

Our days are full and long. The wi-fi has been in and out here. It hasn’t been easy to connect. So, as much as I want to post every day, it may not happen. And, I’m having trouble to get photos to load, so for now, I’ll post without many photos, sorry. Keep following…and keep praying!