Group of 16 serve fleeing Syrians, working through Samaritan’s Purse, EuroRelief
Many stories have been told about the refugees crossing the unresting waters of the Mediterranean and Aegean Seas in flimsy rafts. The dangers of such a crossing are real and thousands have died in their attempts. In addition to Syrian Muslims fleeing the violent hand of ISIL are a strong number of Syrian Christians.
For two weeks (February 10 through March 6), a contingent of 16 area residents – of varied ages and walks of life – supported Samaritan’s Purse and EuroRelief staff and volunteers assisting asylum seekers on Greek soil, an island called Lesvos, located off the western coast of Turkey.
During the course of the 14 days, those volunteers brought their love and sense of service with them to Lesvos for the sake of the refugees.
The Sweet 16 were led in their trek by coordinator Mike Nelson of Mountain Lake. Additional group members included Tim Swoboda; Beth Lohrenz; Mike’s daughter, Ashton Nelson; Eric Schlabach, his wife, Anita Schlabach and their son, Leighton Schlabach; Gary Poortvliet; Lori Golinghorst; Jason Clipperton, and his wife, Mikayla Clipperton; Jason Penner, and his wife, Laura Penner; Kurt Jahnke and Shane Toutges.
The volunteers arrived on Lesvos following an 11-hour ferry ride from the mainland of Greece. They were greeted by Kim and Jenny Garrity, who took them to their housing facilities for the next couple of weeks – a family-owned hotel by the little town of Molyvos – and learned about some of the logistics of this trip. From the island, the sea could be seen from everywhere. It was extremely mountainous, with very narrow, steep, curvy – “awful” – roads.
There are many NGO’s (non-government agencies) at work on the island, with 700 to 1,000 volunteers.
Before heading out to serve, the 16 were divided into two teams. The A Team consisted of Mike Nelson, Tim Swoboda, Beth Lohrenz, Ashton Nelson, Eric Schlabach, Anita Schlabach, Leighton Schlaback and Gary Poortvliet. Members of Team B were Lori Golinghorst, Jason Clipperton, Mikayla Clipperton, Jason Penner, Laura Penner, Kurt Jahnke and Shane Toutges.
Each team quickly learned about the three levels of camps through which the arriving groups of refugees are sent.
“Stage 1” camps are along the coastlines and are not run by agencies for the most part. Group members shared the description that they “looked like hippy camps.” If the refugees make it to the island’s eastern shore, this is their first stopping place. It is here that they receive dry clothes. Along that island coastline are situated spotters 24/7 watching for approaching boats from the high cliffs. On standby are professional teams of lifeguards and rescue boats.
The refugees are then taken by vans to “Stage 2” camps, of which there are a pair on the island. One is Skala, which is run by Samaritan’s Purse and Euro Relief. The volunteers worked there in 24-hour shifts. This camp is not very busy now because Frontex (the border patrol police) are intercepting the rafts as much as they can – once they get over into Greek water.
When that happens, they often bypass Skala and take the refugees directly to Moria, as Skala is only intended as a camp at which to provide the refugees with food, clothing and some time to decompress after their journey across the water. (However, if the Turkish border patrol picks them up, they are deported back to their home country or placed in jail.)
If the asylum-seekers make it to a “Stage 2” camp, they are taken by bus to Moria.
Moria is a “ Stage 3” camp – and the only one on the island. It is very large and was once a prison – and to the volunteers’ eyes, does indeed look like one.
All of the refugees are required to go through Moria before they can move on to Athens. They are carefully screened and given paperwork which allows them to move on. There are 1,000 to 2,000+ refugees at Moria at a time. They are usually in this camp for from 24 to 48 as they wait to get passage on the ferry to Athens.
So far, approximately more than six million Syrians have fled their homes since the outbreak of civil war in March 2011, taking refuge in neighboring countries. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), over four million have fled to Syria’s immediate neighbors Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq. Twenty-eight thousand are registered within North Africa. In addition, one million Syrians have declared asylum in the European Union and beyond. Meanwhile, 13.5 million are internally displaced within Syria and need assistance.
Those are the hard truths that greet the refugees if they make it safely to Lesvos – and the facts of the number-crunching counts of those from Syria who are affected.
However, each member of the local group of volunteers can now envision in his or her mind’s eye a face – or faces – from among the refugees they met – drawing the millions of faceless asylum seekers to the individual human level. They know their stories, have laughed with them, cried with them, shook their hands, hugged them – and have many poignant memories to cling to as they wonder about the fate of those they helped
Several of the group members have shared their blog posts – and reflections on returning home – with Cross-Counties Connect.
Here are their stories:
+ Anita Schlabach – I’m going to apologize in advance for the lack of pictures. My favorite thing, when sharing a story, is to show more than to tell. But for many of our stories here we will have to use words to communicate instead of pictures, as we’re not allowed to share pictures of the camps or refugees on social media.
The A Team has spent the last two nights (midnight to about 10 a.m.) working at the Moria camp. We will be there again tonight (we leave in a couple of hours) and Saturday night. This camp is housed in a former prison, so picture concrete block buildings and razor wire, plus thousands of temporary shelters and camping tents. Most of us have been working in the Vulnerable Families Unit, which provides shelter at night for families with young children, single women, pregnant mothers and the elderly or disabled.
This job involves welcoming in people who are newly arrived to the camp, meeting their needs as much as we are able (some need clothes, some need bottles filled for their babies, some need blankets, some are looking for information and answers to questions), and (because we’re there overnight) finding available beds and getting them settled.
Then, sometimes just a few hours later. at 7 a.m., we have to wake everyone up and get them and all of their belongings out of the buildings. Everyone has to be out until 3 p.m. so the rooms can be cleaned. Eric (Anita’s husband) said it’s like saying, ‘Welcome, welcome, welcome . . . get out!’ Waking people up (especially those who just got children to sleep) and asking them to leave has not been an easy part of this work. There are hundreds of people in this unit, and thousands in the camp.
The other job we do at Moria, is man the Tea (Chai) Tent. The camp provides free tea and biscuits (cookies) 24 hours a day. So, we made huge vats of tea and served thousands of cups of tea and thousands of biscuits . . . mostly in the last couple of hours as people are awakened and start their day. The chai is VERY sweet, and a nice way to start a cold morning.
The children are beautiful. The situation is heart-breaking. The stories are overwhelming. There is so little we can do, but we’re thankful for a tiny opportunity to live out Matthew 25, and give cups of water (or hot, sweet chai), warm blankets, and a smile or a hug to people who are scared, and tired and cold, and overwhelmed.
I got to play tic-tac-to with three siblings today, (Shyma, Batah and Amna) sitting on a rock on the dirt with a razor wire fence behind us.
Beth Lohrenz got to help an elderly woman into warm socks and give her a bed.
Ashton Nelson gave away her shoes to a woman who couldn’t find any donated ones in her size.
Lori Golinghorst made bottles for a woman whose baby was teething and found pants to fit an eight-month-pregnant woman.
Gary Poortvliet teased a little boy who likes to help us hand out biscuits in the tea tent and made him giggle.
At the Moria refugee camp, Ashton, Beth and I, were showing a beautiful Syrian family to their room. As we walked, the father, who spoke English quite well, kept saying, ‘Life is wonderful. You are wonderful. Thank you so much.’
Later, we brought them food and hot chia, and he asked us to join them for the meal.
These are people. Beautiful, vulnerable, cold, hungry, tired, scared humans formed by God, in His image. Please don’t forget that as you listen to and read news stories about the refugee crisis.
I hoped that coming to see this situation in person would bring some understanding. Instead, it’s even harder to wrap my brain around, except perhaps for the very clear realization that if the world were just a tiny bit different, this could so easily be my family, fleeing from danger and depending on the kindness of strangers for our survival. I hope I would be as gracious and thankful as so many of these sweet families.
I no longer see a people group stereotypically. As I served thousands of cups of chai in the tea tent, I made a conscious effort to try to look each person in the eye, smile and greet them. In doing that I was able to see each person with a soul; a person deeply loved by their Creator. A person that is NOT forgotten by God.
When we landed at Athens (returning from Lesvos), we estimated that there were maybe 3,000 people disembarking the ferry, probably 1/2 of them refugees. They were all together on one side of the room and each person was carrying all of their worldly possessions on their back, parents with children in their arms – the weight of the world on their shoulders.
As I looked across the sea of faces, my eyes locked with a beautiful young girl that I had served tea to. She moved away from her parents to see me well and she shyly gave me a lovely smile. She is no longer one of many; her face is implanted on my heart.
+ Lori Golinghorst – I worked at both camps with different experiences at each. While I was at Skala, there was an Afghan family that arrived while I was there that couldn’t speak English – except through the interpreter. They were understandably upset because the rest of their family didn’t make it (they must have been on a different raft) and it is assumed they were caught by the Turkish patrol and taken back to whatever fate was before them. If you can imagine this, they don’t know where and when they will see them again.
On another night I was on the overnight shift at Moria. It was so wonderful and so hard all at the same time. We had mostly Syrians come ALL NIGHT, 10-12 buses full. We worked in the Vulnerable Family compound, which is three levels in the inner camp. It is for families and elderly. If the males are over 18 they cannot stay there unless they are married or a father. I spent all night getting them dry clothes, serving chai tea and fruit and biscuits, making baby bottles, assigning beds, making beds on the floor for children, etc. We were very busy because many people came across since it was a calm, clear night.
There was another night when my heart was broken in two. I really couldn’t stop the tears all afternoon after my nap. So many experiences. Tiny infants in their mother’s very tired arms, toddlers and children trudging along. All the wordly possessions they have are what they can carry in a bag or backpack.
One pregnant woman that was very far along took me aside and lifted up her shirt to show me her pants which were far from being zipped up. I took her down to the Samaritan Purse clothing tent to help her get some maternity pants. We got that done and then we had to walk back up the hill, which isn’t real long but a steep incline. I had my arm around her and helped her back up. When we got back she just hugged me over and over and keep nodding and saying. ‘Thank you.’ That’s about all she could tell me.
So, this is what was hard. In America we have prenatal classes, birth plans, etc. These women that come don’t know even where they will deliver, just like Mary and Joseph.
I held babies to relieve such weary mothers so they could get their other children to sleep. Keep in mind this is going on all during that night. At one point I checked the time and it was 3:30 in the morning and these parents were trying to settle everyone down. I made and delivered lots of bottles.
There are just too many things to share. These people are so very grateful and even though we couldn’t communicate much at all, much was transmitted through gestures and eye contact. When we left in the morning, hopefully they knew they were loved.
One young Syrian woman that I had spent time with, came to me and asked for my phone number. She said, ‘Friend,’ and she wants to text me when she gets to Germany. Who knows when that will happen. They have so much ahead of them.
I have a picture with her. (I can’t post any pictures of refugees on social media). As a side note, their smart phone is their most valuable possession. They need it to contact people back in their home country, keep up with the latest information on what borders are closing, check maps, etc. Without it they can’t acquire the information they need to travel on.
These are lovely people . . . people caught in the midst of terrible things. We cannot begin to understand. I don’t know the answer politically, but we do have a calling to love and serve them. As a Christian I don’t see that there can be any other way!
+ Ashton Nelson – On one night, our night shift at Moria started out slowly, with steady activity. In the middle of the night word came that there were buses coming, and we began to prepare. Soon, there were so many families waiting out in the cold – soaked head-to-toe. There were too many for the clothing tent to take on, so they began sending those who needed immediate help to our station.
The ladies took on the women and children, and the men helped the men, and we did our best to fulfill the clothing needs of everyone. It was a rewarding job, because not only did we all get to help them (Oh, and hold and clothe a lot of adorable babies), but because trying on and finding the right clothes can take awhile, we were given more time to hear many of the refugees’ stories. Her learned about ladies holding their babies up in the rafts to ensure their safety, a daughter diving in the water after her family’s few belongings fell in, families being separated, I could go on-and-on. They (the refugees) are fiercely brave and completely humble.
+ Laura Penner – I remember the first night on Lesvos, Kim Garrity asked us the question: ‘Why are we doing what we are doing?’ He talked to us about the passage in Matthew 25:31-46. This is why we are doing what we are doing. In these verses Jesus says, “For I was hungry and you gave me something to drink. I was a stranger and you invited me in. I needed clothes and you clothed me. I was sick and you looked after me. I was in prison and you came to visit me. Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go visit you?’ The king will reply, ‘Truly, I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
These refugees that are coming in are strangers, hungry, need clothes, need refuge. I needed to see the refugees as if they are Jesus. They are not people of which to be afraid. They are not just Muslims or Syrians or Iranians; they are Jesus.
It was overwhelming, heartbreaking, and rewarding all at the same time. We met volunteers from literally all over the world helping this one cause. I was not anticipating that aspect of the trip, but it was so rewarding to see these people from around the world unified for this one cause: to help refugees who are fleeing horrible situations in their country.
The refugees were so thankful for our help. That was rewarding. It was heartbreaking to see families split because some family members did not make it to the island of Lesvos either because they were captured by Turkey officials or they did not make it into the raft. There are many reasons families could be split. One woman arrived at a camp we worked at who told us her husband and children were missing. She did not know where they ended up. Some at the camp feared they were picked up by Turkish officials and were taken to a prison or were sent back to their country they are trying to flee.
It is overwhelming because of the numbers of refugees fleeing their country and the needs of these families. They have a long journey ahead of them. Arriving at Lesvos – where we worked – is just the beginning of their journey. Some refugees I spoke with were happy and excited to be there. Others were discouraged, hearing news that they may be sent back to horrible circumstances in their home countries. They gave up everything to make the risky trip on a raft in the middle of the night and now they may be sent back.
+ Tim Swoboda – I have been involved in a lot of service projects over the years, but this has been the most rewarding experience ever. It was truly heartbreaking and heartwarming. I wish we could have stayed longer.
The refugee crisis is the largest humanitarian problem in the world today. It was a joy and a blessing for us to be on the ground where we could see and make an impact in another families life as they went about their journey seeking freedom, something we all take for granted.
The refugees that landed ashore the island of Lesvos were most grateful and appreciative for everything we did to help. There were many ‘Thank-yous’, handshakes, high-fives, hugs, smiles – and even a few tears shared with them and our team.
I think the biggest take-away for me at this point was the realization and surprise that despite the differences in language, how we looked, and life experiences, we had so much in common.
One very vivid memory was of a family that I escorted into the family housing unit that we were in charge of and each male in the family shook my hand and said ‘Thank you’ – over-and-over. There was a great deal more said in that brief encounter. These were men who were trying to protect their families, trying to get them to a better and safer life, and they were grateful beyond words for the help given.
So glad I was able to go, but certainly heart-breaking at the same time.
Over the course of their service, the local group posted an updated blog: https://lovinglesvos2016.wordpress.com/
To learn more about the service of Samaritan’s Purse (an inter-denominational evangelical Christian humanitarian organization that provides aid to people in physical need as a key part of Christian missionary work), go to: http://www.samaritanspurse.org/article/voyage-to-a-second-life/
To learn more about EuroRelief (Hellenic Ministries’ humanitarian arm, dedicated to providing first responder and extended help in natural disasters throughout the region), go to: http://eurorelief.net/
