Joy in Times of Trouble

I was asked to help sing some songs at the Parent and Toddler group of the Athens Salvation Army the other day.
I suppose having sang nursery rhymes at toddler groups, at least once a week for many years now, it puts me in good stead for leading such an activity.
Normally toddlers have fun during our singing together and for some strange reason I seem to have fun too. My enjoyment comes from seeing others happy. To me, singing with children in Athens who probably don't have much opportunity to be entertained, is a special thing. Real life entertainment that doesn't come out of a large TV screen is something that even very young children do appreciate.

You may think that being deployed with the International Emergency Services of The Salvation Army should only be about distributing food or tents or providing shelter and so on; what does entertainment have to do with emergencies?

Today at the square I met a group from the Clowns Without Borders. I had never met them before but only heard about them; I heard how with their presence they changed the whole atmosphere at the Eidomeni camp in a big way.

Anna, a young lady from Barcelona, explained that they had been active in Eidomeni but as more team members arrived, they were exploring the possibilities of being active in the Athens camps and possibly Victoria square.

I got to thinking how

these clowns are just little people, they are not part of the big players like UNHCR or IOM or the Red Cross. They volunteer their time (any funding they receive goes to pay for tickets, accomodation etc.) and yet they make a great big difference, what little they have to offer goes such a long way.

Isn't this a great lesson in life? We don't all have to be presidents or prime ministers or great famous people. God has given each of us a gift and he calls us to use it to bless others and bring glory to God.

In big humanitarian crises such as this, a clown may help put a smile and release the tension in an otherwise very stressful situation.

That little boy of long ago only had two fish and five small pieces of bread and yet he offered to Jesus the little he had and with this 5,000 men were fed (plus thousands of women and children - sorry they only counted men in those days).

We've all got something to contribute. Prior to leaving the UK for my deployment I attended a meeting for the establishment of the Medway City of Sanctuary.  It is a group that promotes a welcoming attitude towards refugees in our communities. Even if you could be a person who offers a warm welcome it surely goes a great long way in establishing peace in our communities and a better tomorrow for our children.