Coming Home

We are on our way home and have had several hours to think about all we have seen and heard. We have talked about what it will be like to step off the plane and enter back into our lives that we left just 12 days ago. While we were gone, life continued on normally for our family and friends. The challenge for us is that our normal has forever been changed.

More stories arrive each day

We will never forget the stories we heard over the last few days. Stories of children finding faulty, undetonated bombs on their front porch. We saw the pictures of it. We will never forget the young man who finally left with his older brother after their family had fled two different houses that were destroyed by ISIS. They fled because they want to finish their education but because ISIS controls their city, they know it's not possible and if they don't join them, they will be killed. We can't forget the ones who told us stories of being shot at and sometimes hit. We won't forget the people we met with scars that tell their story, no words are necessary. And we won't forget the tears we shared with them as the painful memories overwhelmed us all.

These stories could go on and on. We heard many stories, all different in the details, but all with underlying similarities. People fleeing everything they know to find safety. This is something most of us will never be able to relate to. God has blessed us with nice homes, good schools, safe neighborhoods and all personal opinions aside, we have a government that protects its citizens.

So what now? How do we just jump back into normal, everyday life when God has used these people to rock us to the core? God has given us an opportunity to use this experience to share these stories with whoever will listen. To let people know that what you read and hear in the news is not the whole story. To tell you that without a shadow of a doubt, God is bringing this group of people out of the hard to reach places and He's delivering them to our doorstep. God is working in the minute details of the place we were in that prove His awesome sovereignty.

Please join us in praying about our next step and what that looks like for each of us. Also pray about how God would have you respond to this refugee crisis. For some it might be adopting a refugee family and helping them get settled in the Grand Rapids area. For some, it may be financial support through Refugee Relief at Calvarygr.org. Maybe God is calling you to the international student ministry, showing love and kindness to an international student at one of the area colleges. Perhaps God is calling you to be a part of the next team that goes to Greece.

Whatever and however God may be speaking to you about this incredible humanitarian situation, please commit this to prayer and Pray. Pray. Pray. And then do something!
Thank you for holding us in pray throughout this trip, we are so thankful!

The A team

Greetings from Greece!

Yesterday was our last official day at Moria. We were assigned the family units again and our team was divided over the three levels. We noticed at least one bus arrive with new refugees which means they are still coming over. A few of these families were assigned the family units. Some were family members to those already in the camp. It truly is a blessing that God has us here to witness such joy when these families are reunited and they can celebrate the safe travels of their loved ones. 

We were also blessed to see families granted asylum papers, pack up their little belongings and say their goodbyes to the friend they have made at the camp. There are tears but they are tears of joy. They celebrate with each other's success even though they are left behind for now.  It is so good to see hope on these faces! 

This is a google image but it is a great representation of the children we saw everyday

Muhannan, our friend from our first shift in the camp, had his family called down to the office yesterday. He is trying to get to Germany with his mother and three sisters to be reunited with his father. They were processed and will be leaving the camp today! His smile stretched from ear to ear, he was on cloud nine! We sent him off with a little care package as well as a copy of the book of John in Arabic- a little reading for his journey.

We had a great day in the camp. It was peaceful and calm; a good day. As the day came to an end, we had many tearful goodbyes. So hard to leave our friends not knowing what their future holds or if we will ever see them again this side of heaven. We leave them believing that the seeds we planted in faith and obedience will be come to harvest. It is our sincere prayer that as they journey to a safe place to call home, God will bring other believers to come alongside them and continue the work that God started with us.

Make no mistake, God is doing BIG things in this camp. When most of the NGO's (non-governmental organizations) pulled out on March 20, the volunteers left here to run the camp are all believers. Let that soak in...every volunteer these refugees come in contact with are followers of Christ. There are copies of the New Testament and the book of John in both Arabic and Farsi to give out freely. A Bible study has started meeting each night in the camp and they have shown the Jesus film to select individuals. Pray that as things continue to change in the camp and as aid organizations begin to return that this will not change, that EuroRelief continues to run the family units. Pray that opportunities to share the Gospel will continue to present themselves.

Thank you so much for praying for our team. God has done immeasurably more than we could ask or imagine.

The A team

A Thankful Thursday

Today was a good day at camp! We arrived just before 8am, got our assignments and headed off to work. Our group was scheduled to work in the family unit so that's where most of us headed. As many of you know, Marv is a man of many talents and the camp leaders have figured this out. They have pulled him off our normal shift duties to do a few special projects. Yesterday they had him drive a family who had received temporary asylum papers out of Moria and over to Kara Teppe which is another camp but they are free to move around Greece from there. They are no longer required to stay locked in a prison. They also had him working on a plumbing projects. This kept him busy most of today and yesterday.
While he was working on that, the rest of us were divided up on the 3 different levels of the family unit. We served breakfast and lunch to about 1000 refugees. We filled several baby bottles with steaming hot milk. We played frisbee and jump rope, we taught some of the teenagers how to play euchre and we could draw a pretty big crowd when the bubbles came out!
We met some more wonderful people who are so kind and grateful even in there circumstances. We were invited into the tent of a family from Iraq. Such kind and generous friends who have nothing but still offered us a place on there blanket and of course the spots in the shade! They shared with us a video taken of them on their boat from Turkey. Their boat had 63 on a rubber dinghy made to hold about 20 and now they are living in a tent most of us would never dream of camping in. They all crowded around and asked if they could take their picture with us.
Yesterday we noticed a few new vests in camp, all the relief workers have them. The new ones are blue and they have been sent by the EU to start working on the paperwork for asylum. There have been no more deportations since Monday morning and we were witness to several families leaving the camp today. The smiles on those faces will be on our minds long after we return home! Even as they are leaving its only a very few and the process ahead is still a long one, continue to pray for these families.
In each of these things today we are thankful. Thankful that God provides  so generously to us. Thankful that we can eat what we want, when we want and most times, as much as we want. We are thankful for simple things like toys that keep children entertained, for schools and teachers and for indoor plumbing!!! Thankful for families, for safety and for living in a peaceful country. Today we are also so thankful for a church that sees the value in what we can do here and church leadership that says GO! Also so very thankful for our many prayer warriors that have been in constant prayer for our team while we are here. God is good all the time, all the time God is good!

The A-teamd

Time off on Tuesday

Today was a scheduled day off so we decided we would take a trip over to see the stage one and stage two camps that are also run by Euro Relief. We have yet to find a straight road to anywhere on this island but with each crazy turn God reveals to us another stunning view. Much of our drive today was the same path that many of the refugees walked before there was an organized bus 'schedule' in place to take them to Moria. Our first stop was at the stage two camp where Calvary's January team spent most of there time working.

Today the camp was empty of refugees but was fully staffed by a group of volunteers from a church in Texas. This camp is stocked with food and clothing and can provide emergency shelter for several people. It is designed to hold the refugees for only a few hours while they wait for the bus to Moria. They have even constructed a makeshift basketball hoop to pass the time.

We went down to the beach and saw the remains of a few boats as well as a life jacket and other small personal items. They continue to clean up the beaches but the boats keep coming. As you drive you see blankets, piles of wet clothes, life jackets and other personal belongings littering the side of the road. The scenery is beautiful but you can't forget what is happening here because there are reminders everywhere you go; little reminders to pray for desperate people seeking safety and refuge.

It was nice to have a day off to rest but it was important for us to see how our new friends have arrived here and see the dangers they survived to get to this point in their journey. It's hard to imagine our friends cold, scared and hungry on these boats and beaches.

Please continue praying for us as we return to Moria in the morning. Pray that we would show mercy and compassion to these people. Pray that God would give us opportunities to share the Good News  with those who so desperately need Jesus. Please pray that God would help us prepare for our departure. That seems like a strange request so early in the week but in a very short time these wonderful people have become our friends and it is going to be a sad thing having to leave them, not knowing what their future holds.

Thank you for praying for us!

The Calvary A Team (April)

A day at Moria!

Well, we finished our first "dayshift" working in Moria. Our scheduled time was from 8AM - 4PM. This time included passing out two meals and lots of time interacting with the people in the camp. We were able to build some significant relationships with families and children. Each of the team members had a significant memory created. Things like discussions with young men who speak enough English to carry on a conversation. Learning incredible details of their past as well as incredible hopes for their future. Lots of time playing with the kids which puts a wide smile on the parents faces. Also, helping a new family settle in and praying with the mother. A team member also got close to a mother who shared her journey's story from the time her husband was killed by the Taliban up to today and finding herself in Moria. We also saw other volunteers, the larger body of Christ, minister the love of Jesus as we worked side by side in the effort to care for up to 1000 souls housed in the family unit alone.
God is working in this incredible migration of Muslim people. Those that pass through these refugee camps are seeing a glimpse of Jesus as seeds are being planted. Planted by the "body of Christ" the church. Many churches, denominations, and organizations pulling together to do what Jesus himself would have done were he walking this earth today.
Please keep praying, we have 5 more days on the Island.
All our best to you, the April team!

We are not allowed to take any photos inside of Moria. These are images borrowed from Google.

These are the gates we were tasked with guarding throughout the night. No one comes in or out without the proper colored wrist band. This is at the family unit, which is a gated and secured area in the center of the compound where the young families, elderly and single women are placed. There are 3 separate areas in the family unit. Each section is set up to contain about 250 people but because the camp is so crowded, each section is housing about 500. Outside the family units there are approximately another 1500 refugees.

This is one of the boats that has been confiscated by the authorities. You can see that everything has been removed from the boat to allow the smugglers the ability to stuff as many refugees in as possible, no concerns for their safety - only the money they can make on the transport. 

The refugees spend much of their day waiting in line. We watched as they began lining up for breakfast at 7am, breakfast is served at 8:45. The line is several hundred deep by the time the food arrives. Once breakfast is done they wait in line for lunch, for tea, for clothes...lots of waiting.

Well, we finished our first day in Moria Camp. God was gracious as we saw answers to specific requests for safety in travel and no "carsickness" when we arrived. It was our first time in Moria for all of us and to be honest, we were all a bit anxious based on the several news reports we had heard. Again, God graciously took over and as we settled into our third shift responsibility of guarding the gates into the family unit, we were to only let in individuals with proper wristband id, we found several opportunities to talk with Refugees. The camp slowly settled in to sleep and we found ourselves prayerfully watching over the camp with a few people wandering through the night. We left to travel safely back to our rooms for sleep, then a great dinner together and off to a worship service together.
Tomorrow we return to Moria on the day shift. It is reported to be an historic day because of the EU/Turkey agreement which may see several of the refugees being forcibly removed from camp and sent back to Turkey for further processing.
Please pray for safety again tomorrow. Pray for discernment in our working and that we will be true to our mission, to be the Hands/Feet of Jesus in the camp.
Thank you so much for your prayer support!
The April Team!

Hello all, Saturday morning here and we begin our training and then off to the camp at 1am - 9 am tonight.Travel here went well with no issues and all luggage arrived. We will begin in Moria where approx. 2500 are staying. Will try to keep you updated and so appreciate your prayer support. Our drive to Moria is about 1.5 hrs each way on winding roads. Please pray for safety on the road as well as relief from motion sickness impacteing one team member specifically. Thank you for your support in prayer which is the basis and foundation of our time here!
May God richly bless you for blessing us with your prayers.
The A (April) team!