In Greece we didn’t have set ministries assigned ahead of time we did ATL which stands for ask the Lord. We got to pray and ask God what He wanted us to do, who he wanted us to talk to and where he wanted us to partner with what he was already doing. 

The Lord put refugees on all of our hearts and we found a refugee care center that we got to work at a couple times each week while in Greece. The care center provided a warm meal, clothes, childcare and groceries to take back to their camps. Every week they serve around 500 people and there are about 10 people that run everything. The volunteers there were so kind and full of joy and so appreciative to have help. They made us a part of their family and we got to have dinner with one couple that were from Washington. The couple had retired in the states and moved to Greece to do missionary work in their retirement. We learned so much from them, especially that your life is not over once you retire and that age is not a limit on the impact you can have in the world.

Picture of our team with the volunteers at the refugee center and a visiting group from South Korea

While working in the refugee center we met so many people from all over the world. My eyes were open to the sheer amount of countries that are war torn and the violence going on all over. We met people from Syria, Afghanistan, Iran, Ukraine, Lebanon, Palestine, Sudan, Morocco, Nigeria, Israel and many other countries. I’ve seen these things on the news but actually seeing these people and hearing their stories broke my heart. One man from Afghanistan choked up as he showed us pictures of his father, uncle, brother and nephews and said that the Taliban had killed them all and he had been walking for four months to get to safety. He hopes to get his papers soon so that he can find work and can safely get his wife out of there. We met countless people with similar stories of struggle, loss and pain to find safety and a better life. It was a privilege to hear their stories, sit with them in their grief and show them love in their pain. 

I got to work in the childcare room when we served. They normally struggle to have someone in there due to lack of volunteers and it was so sweet to be able to play with the children and provide an environment where they could just be kids while giving their sweet mothers a break. Most of the children are not able to go to school anywhere due to the legal red tape and the mothers expressed their heart’s longing for their children to receive a formal education. That was such a difference from some attitudes I have experienced about education in America and a reminder of how privileged we are to have that opportunity for our children in the states. The kids had definitely been through some extreme trauma that we can’t even begin to imagine. This was indicative of some of the behaviors I had experienced. For example there was a two year old that picked up a plastic kitchen knife from the play area and kept pushing kids up against the wall holding it to their throats. I held him in my arms and prayed for him as I wept at the innocence that was stolen from this sweet child. 

The mothers that went to the center started to form their own family and it was beautiful to see how they began to care for one another and their children from all over the world. It reminded me how beautiful living in community is and how powerful it can be to share in one another’s burdens. These women were so brave to leave these dangerous places and travel these dangerous areas with their young children, it is truly so inspiring.

Please keep all the refugees all over the world in your prayers as they navigate unfathomable challenges. Our team watched The Swimmers on Netflix and it is a beautiful real life picture of just some of the challenges refugees face. I recommend it if you want more insight and humanization of the refugee crisis. Also please keep the team at the refugee care center in Thessaloniki in your prayers. Pray that the Lord sends more people to help them and continues to provide resources to their ministry. If you plan to travel to Greece consider volunteering with refugees while you are there. 

While doing ATL we also had so many beautiful divine appointments where we got to make friends with local people, share hope, love and the gospel with them. One day we met a man playing the guitar and felt called to chat with him. My friend Nathaniel asked if he could play his guitar and give him a break and I got to chat with the street performer while Nathaniel made him a lot of money. The man had a really rough week with a lot of personal issues and his home had burnt down. He was amazed because the only thing that didn’t burn was a bible. He showed me a video and he was still in shock and processing it in a lot of ways. It was beautiful to come alongside what the Lord was already doing to pursue him and speak life and truth with him and pray for him. Our team got to experience a lot of beautiful moments like this as we explored the beautiful city of Thessaloniki.