The refugee camp on Lesvos - English version
Door: Christien
Blijf op de hoogte en volg Christien
20 Januari 2017 | Griekenland, Lesbos
The first update.
It's going very well here. We have a very nice team and we're doing a lot of beautiful things in the camp. For me, I'm playing a lot with the children, and I'm spreading a lot of love to the people and the children. The parents don't really look after their own children. It's pretty heavy to see how many people live in small tents. And, for example, five families that live in a space as large as a living room. Most people are very nice, a lot of them come from Africa and the middle east. I feel pretty save and I'm not afraid in the camp. Yesterday was a fight between some refugees, but I didn't notice much of it.
Somewhere it feels hopeless, because many of them live here for over ten months or something.
As a team we guard the family compounds, we do chores (f.e. fix broken tents/zippers), we hand out tea etc. Above all, we try to be a light for these people, we try to make them smile again.
For me personally, I'm good. It touches me, but I succeed in being strong as well. And within the team we are ready to help each other as well.
The second update.
I've never celebrated Christmas and new year this way before. De first Christmas night I spend with children on my lap, in my arms. A girl about two years old, she was a little bit too thin, was being played around with by her brother. She wore very thin clothes, no jacket and her pants was actually too big and constantly fell on her knees. She put on her flip-flops the wrong way. This really touched me, no home and no attention.. I'm glad I could give a little bit of love to these children, with flawed clothes, cold and dirty little hands..
Most people are looking down on refugees, because they are a burden. Imagine all people looking at you with disgust. Furthermore most of the people in camp are male, 80%. Many Africans and people from the middle east. Also many Muslims. What touches me the most is that these people are normal people like us. And I knew that already, but now I realize it. Just my brothers and sisters. People with dreams, that want a good life.
Lately I had a nightshift, where we stayed up all night to guard the families. I've never been cold for so long. And every time I'm reminded that these people have been cold for a much longer time. Many live in tents, and I've been told some might not even survive because of the cold. Just because it's cold..
We had a day off as well, that was so much fun! We saw much of the island, which was stunning. We also went to a place where a lot of boats full of refugees arrived over the last years. There are more people that didn't make it, then people that did. Someone told me that the border between Turkey and Greece lays in the middle of the water. And on Turkish water it's not allowed to save the people. That means that he saw before his own eyes people drowning and he wasn't allowed to do anything, even if they were very close. Lifeless children washed ashore on the stony coast. Yes, that breaks me. Then we went to a place covered with thousands of lifevests. I was thinking, seriously, what a hopeless world. You know, every human being is a child of God, carefully and lovingly made. Made for a purpose and a destination. And how are we treating them.. right?
But I can't lose hope: ''the glass is half full, don't forget that!'' This is how somebody from the team encouraged me.
It is very much needed that we are here, even though it doesn't seem much, in the eyes of God we're doing a great and important work. In such circumstances love is the greatest weapon, trust me!
Apart from the sad things we do have a lot of fun. We all can laugh so hard with the refugees in the camp. I just love it to talk and laugh with these people. I feel pretty save and at home right here, because the people are so hospitable. I love it, all these cultures! I think it's beautiful to broaden my perspective and to spread the love, that God has given to me, to people that really really need it. That's what my heart is beating for, and that feels so right.
Today with the new year we'll work the evening shift, whereby we will just help the people again, hand out tea, et cetera. So no big party, no special food. But it feels so good to celebrate new year like this for once.
To wrap it up, every time again I'm reminded: what do I live for. In the deepest part of my being; what do I live for. And I'd like to ask you the same question: what are you living for..
The final update.
These last days in the camp were pretty tough for me. The hopelessness in the camp weighed heavy upon my shoulders, sometimes I didn't know anymore where to find the hope. So many times I had to say ''no'' to them, to people that barely have anything. And I'd love to give them everything, but there's simply not enough. During new year a sad and troublous atmosphere hung over the camp. Many refugees were reminded of their current condition, and couldn't start the new year with brightness and hope. It was a troublous night with riots, someone who wanted to cut his wrist and even someone that wanted to put himself on fire.
Afterwards I'm pondering, what did they actually need.. What's the one thing that would help them to keep up the hope, to keep pressing on, to have faith in a hopeful future. What could withhold them from falling into depression and neglect their own children.. During our day off when we were riding through the mountains, I listened to someone's music when suddenly 'opwekking 618' (a dutch song) began to play. Then tears streamed down my face while listening to this song. In which they sing that Jesus is the hope of the nations, that's Jesus. Because He brings life, He is the hope of our existence, He wants to carry our pain. He is the light through which the world can see God. He is like the sun that comes up again, every single morning.
The moment I'm writing this, I'm reminded of Romans 5:2-5 which says: Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.(!)
Now I'm back in The Netherlands and I want to realize more how I can be thankful for the small. How I can have more attention for people, each one of us is so valuable. I want to look at my neighbor through the loving eyes of God and look more and more like Jesus. I could worry less about myself, about the problems in my life. A problem in fact is not a problem, it's an opportunity! ''Love your neighbor as yourself'' is what the bible tells us, right? And the more we focus on others, the happier we become. :)
It's going very well here. We have a very nice team and we're doing a lot of beautiful things in the camp. For me, I'm playing a lot with the children, and I'm spreading a lot of love to the people and the children. The parents don't really look after their own children. It's pretty heavy to see how many people live in small tents. And, for example, five families that live in a space as large as a living room. Most people are very nice, a lot of them come from Africa and the middle east. I feel pretty save and I'm not afraid in the camp. Yesterday was a fight between some refugees, but I didn't notice much of it.
Somewhere it feels hopeless, because many of them live here for over ten months or something.
As a team we guard the family compounds, we do chores (f.e. fix broken tents/zippers), we hand out tea etc. Above all, we try to be a light for these people, we try to make them smile again.
For me personally, I'm good. It touches me, but I succeed in being strong as well. And within the team we are ready to help each other as well.
The second update.
I've never celebrated Christmas and new year this way before. De first Christmas night I spend with children on my lap, in my arms. A girl about two years old, she was a little bit too thin, was being played around with by her brother. She wore very thin clothes, no jacket and her pants was actually too big and constantly fell on her knees. She put on her flip-flops the wrong way. This really touched me, no home and no attention.. I'm glad I could give a little bit of love to these children, with flawed clothes, cold and dirty little hands..
Most people are looking down on refugees, because they are a burden. Imagine all people looking at you with disgust. Furthermore most of the people in camp are male, 80%. Many Africans and people from the middle east. Also many Muslims. What touches me the most is that these people are normal people like us. And I knew that already, but now I realize it. Just my brothers and sisters. People with dreams, that want a good life.
Lately I had a nightshift, where we stayed up all night to guard the families. I've never been cold for so long. And every time I'm reminded that these people have been cold for a much longer time. Many live in tents, and I've been told some might not even survive because of the cold. Just because it's cold..
We had a day off as well, that was so much fun! We saw much of the island, which was stunning. We also went to a place where a lot of boats full of refugees arrived over the last years. There are more people that didn't make it, then people that did. Someone told me that the border between Turkey and Greece lays in the middle of the water. And on Turkish water it's not allowed to save the people. That means that he saw before his own eyes people drowning and he wasn't allowed to do anything, even if they were very close. Lifeless children washed ashore on the stony coast. Yes, that breaks me. Then we went to a place covered with thousands of lifevests. I was thinking, seriously, what a hopeless world. You know, every human being is a child of God, carefully and lovingly made. Made for a purpose and a destination. And how are we treating them.. right?
But I can't lose hope: ''the glass is half full, don't forget that!'' This is how somebody from the team encouraged me.
It is very much needed that we are here, even though it doesn't seem much, in the eyes of God we're doing a great and important work. In such circumstances love is the greatest weapon, trust me!
Apart from the sad things we do have a lot of fun. We all can laugh so hard with the refugees in the camp. I just love it to talk and laugh with these people. I feel pretty save and at home right here, because the people are so hospitable. I love it, all these cultures! I think it's beautiful to broaden my perspective and to spread the love, that God has given to me, to people that really really need it. That's what my heart is beating for, and that feels so right.
Today with the new year we'll work the evening shift, whereby we will just help the people again, hand out tea, et cetera. So no big party, no special food. But it feels so good to celebrate new year like this for once.
To wrap it up, every time again I'm reminded: what do I live for. In the deepest part of my being; what do I live for. And I'd like to ask you the same question: what are you living for..
The final update.
These last days in the camp were pretty tough for me. The hopelessness in the camp weighed heavy upon my shoulders, sometimes I didn't know anymore where to find the hope. So many times I had to say ''no'' to them, to people that barely have anything. And I'd love to give them everything, but there's simply not enough. During new year a sad and troublous atmosphere hung over the camp. Many refugees were reminded of their current condition, and couldn't start the new year with brightness and hope. It was a troublous night with riots, someone who wanted to cut his wrist and even someone that wanted to put himself on fire.
Afterwards I'm pondering, what did they actually need.. What's the one thing that would help them to keep up the hope, to keep pressing on, to have faith in a hopeful future. What could withhold them from falling into depression and neglect their own children.. During our day off when we were riding through the mountains, I listened to someone's music when suddenly 'opwekking 618' (a dutch song) began to play. Then tears streamed down my face while listening to this song. In which they sing that Jesus is the hope of the nations, that's Jesus. Because He brings life, He is the hope of our existence, He wants to carry our pain. He is the light through which the world can see God. He is like the sun that comes up again, every single morning.
The moment I'm writing this, I'm reminded of Romans 5:2-5 which says: Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.(!)
Now I'm back in The Netherlands and I want to realize more how I can be thankful for the small. How I can have more attention for people, each one of us is so valuable. I want to look at my neighbor through the loving eyes of God and look more and more like Jesus. I could worry less about myself, about the problems in my life. A problem in fact is not a problem, it's an opportunity! ''Love your neighbor as yourself'' is what the bible tells us, right? And the more we focus on others, the happier we become. :)
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