The Epilogue

I was taught that a good essay always has a prologue and an epilogue. I'm at the airport now waiting to board my plane to Heathrow and I can't but reflect on the events of the past 8 weeks. So as an epilogue, here are some of my reflections.

What have I accomplished in these last 8 weeks? Very little indeed.
I was warned at my briefing session at The Salvation Army's international headquarters that this may be my response and indeed it is the response of many a humanitarian worker.

There are over a hundred thousand refugees who have come through Greece during my time here. I was only able to just meet a few. There were many who needed food, I was able to give sandwiches to very few of them. Many children needed milk, I was able to give only to some of them. Many had sore feet but I only bought plasters for one of them.

I take comfort in the fact that there are many like me who have tried to offer something, and if there's enough of us, perhaps every singe refugee would have experienced some touch of kindness, some comfort.

There is a great march of refugees that goes through Greece seeking refuge and a better tomorrow in a European country.

The Archbishop of Greece in his visit to Lesvos reportedly said:
“All these refugees are the result of our own actions, the so-called western world. We, with our actions, have forced them to abandon their homelands and now we stack them like sheep for slaughter,” 

Who am I to know who's to blame, I'm just a humble Salvation Army officer who was on a humanitarian mission for 8 weeks. Regardless of who's to blame we, in the west, have certain responsibilities towards the people who are seeking refuge here.
As long as these people remain just numbers of whom we hear about in the media we can easily be passive and just don't care.
The moment someone comes in contact with the people who are on this great march, that moment a person ceases to be a number and is a face; it is a person with longings and hopes, with fears and joys, with sadness and despair. This person is a person like you and me, their only "crime" is that they were born in the "wrong" part of the world.

I was born in a part of the world in which I have enjoyed freedom, education, sanitation, travel, work and family. They are born in a part of the world in which they have experienced tragedy, pain, loss of dignity, separation and conflict. They are God's creation, like I am, and yet their rights have been denied to them, their life is lived in fear, their hopes are dashed and their future is bleak.




My only response is to open my arms and embrace them.

You will say that I am naive. You will find many reasons to explain why there is not enough room for all of us here in Europe. You may be right. Where can they go?




I will finish this series of posts with a quote from one of my favourite writers, Fyodor Dostoevsky:

“At some thoughts one stands perplexed - especially at the sight of men's sin - and wonders whether one should use force or humble love. Always decide to use humble love. If you resolve on that, once and for all, you may subdue the whole world. Loving humility is marvelously strong, the strongest of all things, and there is nothing else like it.”

Matthew 25:40

This evening as I see this picture that I took of Maria giving out a woolly hat to this refugee the words from the Bible come to me: "Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me." 

Christ identifies with "the least of these brothers and sisters" and He tells us that when we do something for those who are weak and helpless and in need, it's as good as doing it to Him.
I find great encouragement in this. We are all encouraged to care for the weak and helpless in our communities. When we help those who cannot help themselves it is as good as doing this to God himself.

Many things have been going on in the last few days. One of the major changes in the Refugee Crisis in Greece is that now the borders have closed for those who are not Syrian, Iraqi or Afghani. Today there are 2,500 desperate people stuck at the border. They have been through much to come all the way to Eidomeni, what can they do now? What would you do if your were in their place? Would you just willingly return to your country of origin?
I met a group of young men from Yemen the other day, they have fled their war-torn country to seek a better tomorrow in Europe. They have managed to get all the way here, what can they do now? 
As we all wait to see what will happen, probably gangs of smugglers are preparing crossings through dangerous areas (possibly Albania), areas that may prove to be fatal for some of the refugees. But for many there is no hope in going back and their only hope is forging ahead even if it kills them. And Jesus is saying to us: "Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me."

Gaining Even More Ground

I think that this is truly one of the happy days of our deployment.
This morning we were able to inform Emily and Vassili (pictured here with Polis and Maria) that they were the successful candidates and they will be starting to work for The Salvation Army on the 1st of December.
Emily will be the overall coordinator of The Salvation Army's response to the refugee crisis in Greece. She will be coordinating with UNCHR, the IOM and other NGOs so that The Salvation Army will be offering its services in filling some of the gaps that exist in the humanitarian response.

Vassili will be the hands-on man running the Day Centre, coordinating and recruiting volunteers and together with Emily and Polis and Maria strategically plan the Army's response to the need.

What a great moment to finally have identified and recruit these two wonderful people. Both are excellent people and very well qualified. Truly we are fortunate to be able to employ them.

Another wonderful breakthrough today was that we finally identified a warehouse (pictured here).
It has been a long struggle in trying to secure a space that we can use to store the donated NFIs (non food items) that we need to pass on to the refugees. It is a 900 square meters warehouse in a good location and on the same side of the city as the Salvation Army hall.

So now Polis can finally smile. Help is at hand, the warehouse is soon to be in place and The Salvation Army's response can be constant, well coordinated and targeted.

Ethan dressed up in his Emergency Services vest is a picture of hope for a better tomorrow.

Gaining Ground

Due to the lack of an internet connection at the flat in which we are staying I have not been able to post anything here for a few days. This evening  I have stayed behind at the Salvation Army Corps in order to use the internet but there are many things that have happened since by last post and it's hard to know what I should write here. I didn't have dinner yet and my tummy is complaining but I feel that I must stay behind and write something on this blog. If not everything makes sense just put it down to tiredness and hunger, but hey what is this compared to what our refugees go through?

I think looking back at the last few days I can say that, although slowly, we are gaining some ground in our humanitarian response to this great crisis. Yet the suffering continues and for some people things are getting worse.

I enjoyed sitting at a gathering of Churches Together in Athens with the focus on the refugee crisis. It was touching to see the Church being passionate about responding to this humanitarian crisis. Many reported of wonderful ways by which they try to help our fellow human beings who find themselves in this great march.
Also ways were explored of how we could coordinate and do more. For a number of churches the Safe Passage concept is becoming the driving force behind their response.
It was a great encouragement to me and to many others to see the Church working together.

"Happy to Help" are words that you may have seen on the T-shirt of a young shop assistant but they are words that best describe my contribution to the Clowns Without Borders.

Being new to Athens the Clowns were rather nervous about performing at the square without having someone's backing.
I gladly offered that backing as I watched them put a smile on the weary faces of a great number of refugees.


A number of volunteers from the Netherlands came this morning to help us. They are all social work students and they have come to Greece for a week to offer their help.
They helped us distribute sandwiches, clothing and sanitary things to the refugees at the square.
They were also available to talk to people.

I can never put it across enough what it really means to many refugees to be able to talk with someone.



The are now finally in Europe.

What are these Europeans like?
How would we be received?
How would we be treated?
Would I be valued as a fellow human being?
Will I be treated with dignity?

Certainly these are questions in many minds and just a simple chat paves the way for a welcome that many refugees long for.


"Heart Break" is the only way that can describe the story of many like Shahin Nasari, pictured here in the middle:
You may have followed on the news that after the Paris massacre several countries are closing their borders to all but Syrians, Afghanis and Iraqis.
FYROM is refusing entry to refugees who are not from these 3 countries. So in the last 2 days nearly 2,000 migrants/refugees are turned back.
Some are protesting at the border, others see no other way but to come back to Athens and see what to do next.

Shahin was registered as Iranian upon his arrival to the Greek islands, although his wife was registered as Afghani. Now they are stuck and don't know what to do.
Mike, from Karitas (pictured here with Shahin's family) took them over to their home to have a wash and to try to arrange some accommodation. Then hopefully some agency like the IOM may be able to help them.
This change at the borders will create a great deal of more distress and agony for many on this great march.

Let me finish with some good news this evening:
I am happy to report that approval has been given by headquarters for us to hire a shop very near the square. Also last night we were able to interview and select 2 candidates who will be employed to work based at the centre. More details to follow, but for now it is a matter of slowly gaining some ground.

That's it. I'm off back to the flat to get some dinner. Let's see what Rick has cooked. Poor fellow he has to put up with my vegetarian whimsies.

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.

Peculiar Volunteers

Today we may have gone on "business as usual" but I knew that at times I was under the watchful eye of some camera. The cameras didn't come for me but for Paul O'Grady who came for the day with his film crew to film the Athens Salvation Army's activities with the refugees.
Paul is working on a series which will be broadcast by the BBC in March or April and will probably be called something like: "The Sally Army and Me"

Paul helped to make sandwiches and then came with us to the square to distribute them to the refugees. Later on he and the team went back again to give out rucksacks to the refugee children.
We are grateful that the media is drawing public attention to our cause and we pray that The Athens Corps of The Salvation Army will have all the resources that it needs to meet the need present at Victoria square.

Today at the square I got to speak to two Afghani brothers (23 and 16 years old) who were born in Iran but have taken the opportunity to join the great march through Turkey and Europe to Sweden. I've heard of their hardship along the way. Crossing the Iranian border in to Turkey they had to stay in a small cottage near the border until it was nearly midnight and then they were smuggled as they walked through thick forest over a mountain. After many hours of walking through the night around 50 refugees were picked in a small van that drove them for several hours to Izmir. They explained how all of them could just stand in that dark van packed up like sardines, unable to move. Yet as they said the most harrowing experience was the boat crossing; although the sea was calm, there were way too many people on that plastic boat and waters were getting into the boat. They were relieved to arrive in Lesvos and be welcomed by the people at the shore.
Certainly many people are making money through this outburst of human suffering.

A "criminal's" day

Today I was told by one of the residents of the Victoria square area that I am a criminal. "All of you who work with these NGOs at the square" he said "are criminals". "You are the ones who instigate these wars that misplace people in order that you may continue to get funding to carry on your work".

I was accused for many things in the past but it's the first time that I was told that I instigate wars in order to stay in my job.
I tried to tell this local resident that he must differentiate between politics and humanitarian aid but I wasn't getting anywhere, so I had to just walk away.

It was after a long morning of helping to unload a 6-tone container of NFIs (non-food items) that arrived from York. There were masses of clothes for men, women and children; hygiene items, tents, sleeping bags and all kinds of useful items to help refugees on their great march through Greece.

A great number of volunteers gave a hand including Rachel seen here carrying a heavy box. Rachel and her husband Paul with their two children will be leaving Greece soon to go to the Australia's Salvation Army college for officers. We were grateful to receive help from volunteers of other NGOs as well who came to our rescue as this container had to be unloaded within 2 hours or we would incur more charges.

The good news is that we have now located a shop just a few steps from Victoria square that can be used as our day centre. I hope that the contract will be signed soon and that we can start using this space to offer our services to the refugees.

In the afternoon Rick and I went to the Red Cross headquarters to sit at a coordination meeting led by UNHCR. Again we received a clearer picture of how things are in regards to the refugee crisis.

Mrs Morelli (UNHCR's Senior Operation Coordinator ) said that she does not foresee a slow down on arrivals. One third of all arrivals in Greece took place in the month of October alone. Although we don't see a slowdown in refugees arriving in Greece we do see more shipwrecks. We were told that 29,000 refugees were stuck in the islands from 2-6 November because of the ferry strike and this of course places immense pressure on the islanders.

Winterisation is very high on the UN's agenda and on ours as well. As I wrote before, Jan has organised in Holland two truckloads of scarves, hats, raincoats and socks but the storage is our big problem. We are still praying for a big enough storage space for all the aid that is ready to come our way.

Demonstrations

Sorry I haven't been writing for the last few days.
Our team from International Headquarters has grown smaller as there are only two of us left now: Major Rick Shirran from Canada and myself.

Paul and Miri, two of the Athens corps members worked hard to prepare a flat so that  Rick and I could move and stay there for the next 5 weeks.

The Canadian Major gave a hand as well together with Rik and Polis to clean and prepare the place.

There is no wifi in the flat yet, which makes it rather difficult to carry on business as usual and making blog entries had to take second place, unfortunately. I do hope that in the near future we'll get back into our routine.

Last week there has been a ferry strike which has left refugees stranded in the islands and the Victoria square has been rather quiet.

On Friday after the refugees started appearing back at the square they were confronted by a group of local residents and the neo-Nazi organisation Golden Dawn. They were expressing their displeasure of the refugees' presence back in the square.

Thank God, very soon another group of people appeared in support of the refugees. I couldn't quite tell who they were but most seem to be university students.

Both were crying out slogans, the music was loud, anger was rising and the situations was tensed.
The police had to form a barrier between the two groups.


The refugees seemed confused and helpless.

The residents were shouting: "Give us back our life and our dignity." Obviously the great number of refugees in their square has left some residents upset and angry. What can one say to them?

We can try to understand the local residents who have been inconvenienced in recent months. Yet these people who have come to our country have been more than inconvenienced.  They have travelled over sea and land in search of a place of refuge for them and their families.

If we could only put ourselves in the other person's shoes we will not be so quick to condemn and protest. Thankfully no incidents of violence were reported and the square is continuing to be a transit route for many refugees.

I believe that soon I'll have some good news to share about a project that we will be starting. Watch this space....

Frustratingly Slow Pace

If I could put words to my feelings today I would say that frustration would be at the top of the list, and I will explain why; but first let me say that yesterday at the local Salvation Army corps we meditated on David and Goliath.

We were told by Polis that we can't fight a giant with the same type of weapons as his. David didn't go against him with sword and spear but just with a sling and some pebbles and in the strength of the Lord. You can't defeat malice with malice but you can with goodness and love.

Things keep arriving for our distribution to the refugees. For many days now we've been receiving parcels from the Netherlands but today we had our fist shipment from the UK. Tunbridge Wells Corps did a Greek evening and collected things to send over.
I was told that they went to a shipping company to get things shipped over and it so happened that the owner of that company was a Greek Cypriot. When he heard of what the things were for, he offered to ship everything for free.

Our frustration (and especially Jan's, who is trying to organise all this) is connected to the fact that we are still waiting to hear about that very large warehouse that was offered for us to use. There are several track-loads of goods ready to be shipped over and we just don't haver the storage space yet. The slow pace of my motherland can be frustrating some times.

Please pray with me for a storage space as soon as possible. Also please pray with me for the building we are trying to locate near the square which we could use as a Day Centre. Funding has been already offered for starting this project but it all just takes sooooo long.

Crossing the Border

Damaris, Jan and I had the opportunity to go and visit the border crossing that the refugees use to leave Greece on their onward journey to western Europe.

With the help of the local Salvation Army officers, Leutenants Neofytos and Anastasia, we were able to drive from Thessaloniki, an hour's journey to Eidomeni.

Eidomeni is a very small village of only about 100 people and it is about 5km to the west of the official border crossing. 

It is in fact the last railway station town before a train will cross into FYROM (Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia).

Here, as it can be seen in this picture, the two States, thankfully, have agreed to let the refugees pass without proper immigration or customs controls.

This is such an amazing gesture because the alternative for the refugees would haven been to pay smugglers a handsome amount of money to smuggle them through the border.

We were able to meet Luca, the UNHCR coordinator, who took the time to explain the setting and then walked with us to show us how the camp works. 

We were all quite impressed; and Damaris, who's got a great amount of experience, said that this was one of the best-run camps.

The numbers of people crossing per day in October is (as you can see in this photo from the board in the UNHCR office) from 4,306 to 10,490.

The way things work - and they work well – is that as the buses arrive (up to 100 buses sometimes) they are made to wait so that one bus-load of people are let into the camp at a time. 

Each bus load is given a group number and this group stays together for the entire walk through the camp.

Once the group is given a number, they walk first by the food stall where they receive some food and water. 

From there they pass by the medical tents which are manned by the Red Cross, Doctors of the Word and MSF (Doctors Without Borders), in case someone needs help. 

Then on to one of three rub halls (huge tents).

Within those tents they can rest (especially if it's raining) or even chill out and enjoy a game of cards as our friends pictured here. Toilets and drinking water are accessible just outside the rub halls.

When the group is called, they move on to the Departure Tent and then from there it's only a matter of a short time before they go out to cross the border.

The majority of buses arrive either in the morning or in the evening. That of course is connected to the fact that the ferries arrive in Peraeus from the islands either in the morning if it was a night crossing, or in the evening if it was a day crossing. 

The buses would leave either from Peraeus or from around Victoria square and after a 7 or 8 hour journey they arrive at the border. 

Depending on whether a refugee's bus is the first in the queue or the last the border crossing may take anything between 30 minutes and 7 hours.

In this picture our team is watching as the refugees finally walk from Greece into FYROM, past the few policemen who stand there watching.

Their journey through Greece has ended. Now they will be able to board the train or a bus and in 4 hours they will reach the Serbian border.

In the conversation with Luca we were able to get a feeling for where the “gaps” may be.

Since The Salvation Army has no clear mandate (i.e. MSF has a clear mandate to offer medical assistance) what it best does is trying to fill in those gaps that seem to always exist.

What we found is that there is a huge need for raincoats and as the winter kicks in there will be a great need for hats, scarves, gloves and warm socks.

On our walk about the camp we had the chance to speak with some of the refugees most of whom have their hearts set on going to Germany. 

Damaris, who is a native German, was very popular as she would say something like: “I'm from Germany, see you there”. 

As she would say this, rays of hope would brighten their troubled life and big broad smiles would be painted on the faces of those very tired people.

Later on we had the opportunity to meet with Nikos, the IOM coordinator. 

Both Luca and Nikos are very dedicated young men. They (and with them a great host of humanitarian workers and volunteers) work tirelessly so that the refugees will be treated with dignity as they cross through our lands to reach their destination; the country that will offer them peace, security and a better tomorrow.

We further explored with Nikos what the gaps might be and how our local Salvation Army officers may respond in assisting all the agencies present to make this crossing  as good as it can be.

St Paul's, UNHCR and Milk

This morning I went with the team to meet the vicar of St Paul's, the Athens Anglican church.
Of course our discussion was very much centred on the refugee crisis and the church's response. The local Salvation Army has had a very good relationship with the Anglican church as well as the other churches of the Churches Together group.
All are very keen to work together in meeting some of the needs of the refugees, and the Revd Canon Malcolm Bradshaw (pictured here talking to the team) has been appealing to the Anglican Communion around the world for funding to help in this crisis.


From there we went to the UNHCR office to meet with staff and discuss a coordinated approach. It was a very useful meeting and it did help to clarify for us what the needs and the gaps are in the humanitarian provision.
It does appear that almost all the NGOS have gone to the islands and hardly anyone has a presence here in Athens. This was a confirmation to Polis and Maria who from the beginning of this crisis they were convinced that their place of service was here in Athens.
Victoria square has been their patch and it was confirmed by UNHCR that there is a need here and this is where they ought to be.
We also found out about the need in both Athens and Thessaloniki for storage of NFIs (non food items) and the logistics involved in the storage and distribution. We are very glad to have Jan here who is head of logistics for the Salvation Army in the Nederlands. I believe he's got a very important role to play in this humanitarian relief work that we engage in.

After that, on to Victoria square to meet and talk with some of the people there. I had a chat with Ali and his friends who have been on the march for nearly a month. He's been waiting for 4 days now for money to arrive from Afghanistan.

Today many in the square could feel the cold and I just hope and pray that we can soon set up a better system by which we can give all the clothes that the refugees may need.

Our need is for a very large warehouse and Coca-Cola has offered a 2,000 square meter warehouse, which will be ideal. It does however take time as all the legal paper work needs to be in place before we can start using it.

We are also looking for a big enough shop which can be used as a distribution centre. Once this is set the refugees will have the opportunity to come and collect the clothing they need and be on their way. This will help in a big way to prepare the refugees for the winter and the cold weather they will certainly meet on their way.
We have about 6 containers waiting to come to Athens with clothing and Jan is getting very impatient to get this system running before he goes back to Holland.  Please pray with us for this need.

Later on we distributed cartons of milk for the children which were very gratefully received. Maria and Damaris also gave out to mothers of babies packages of nappies and other baby items.

Travelling to Thessaloniki tomorrow.

Continuing to asses the needs and meeting a hotelier

This morning we met with Daniel Esdras, chief of mission of IOM Greece. A lovely man with a big heart for refugees.
He helped our team to get a better picture of the refugee crisis and was able to update us on the situation after the recent meeting of the EU leaders.
The numbers are just so overwhelming that no one knows how they will cope. In many ways people are praying that during the winter months things will slow down so that no lives will be lost because of the cold and the rough seas.
One thing that I was helped to understand was that the people smugglers are well organised on route all the way from the countries of origin to the countries of destination.  The refugees who get on this big march pay a price to a smuggling ring to guide them all the way on their journey. They are the ones who through their mobile phones guide the people of where to catch the buses in Athens - a price that I heard was 7 to 10 thousand - and where and when to go to the borders and then they are guided as they go through the Balkan countries etc...
Every day my eyes continue to open to the fact that things are much more complicated than I knew them to be. This is why these meetings are very important in helping us to asses the needs and the gaps that exist and better co-ordinate with all those who seek to help.

Later on we had a meeting with  members of an association of hoteliers here in Greece who were asking us about how could they best help the refugees. They were asking if through The Salvation Army they could provide accommodation or bedding or food etc...
Thank God for people who in the midst of this crisis continue to ask: "How can I help". The situation indeed is so overwhelming but if more and more people ask "how can I help" we and those other organisations who are seeking to help, may be able to respond in a more comprehensive way.

The Team 

(Left to right: Rik, Damaris, Maria, Jo, Polis, Jan and me)

Help is here

A short post this evening as it is already quite late and I've got an early start tomorrow morning.
The good news is that Damaris, Jo and Rik from the International Headquarters of The Salvation Army have come. We will be working together over the next week in trying to assess what should The Salvation Army's response be to the refugee crisis, beyond what the local Salvation Army already does.
Off tomorrow morning to an early meeting with the IOM (International Organisation for Migration).

So much suffering

We had a late night last night talking about donated cloths and recycling and how we could best set this up here in Athens to help the refugees. Jan, of course, is an expert coming from the Netherlands with an experience of more than 10 years as head of the logistics for The Salvation Army's recycling.
It was refreshing to hear also of the vision and dreams of Major Polis Pantelidis for the things that The Salvation Army could offer in this city.
It was so late by the time we finished that I had no strength to sit in front of my laptop and share with you my news.

Yesterday Jan and I walked around the city checking out some of the spots that refugees migrated in the past: Omonoia square and Pedion tou Areos. We've heard reports that tents started going up again in these places. We went to check it out and found that these were false reports.



Walked through Victoria Square once again and I had a chat with some more Afghan young people.

I would agree with the UNHCR that we see more and more Afghan families now and not just single young men as was the case a little while ago.





I got to speaking with Mohamed Rahim (pictured here 3rd from the left) who told me that as his crossing the sea with his friends, to get into Greece their outboard motor stopped. They all panicked and din't know what to do. Thankfully the sea was calm and so they sat there quietly hopping for the best. An hour or two later a helicopter spotted them and soon help arrived and they were towed to safety. I was so happy to hear that there was a happy ending to this story.


But in the evening news we've heard of a 2 year old child slipping through its life-jacket and falling in the sea. Despite the desperate attempts of the parents and those on board to locate the child, this was yet another child that was lost at sea.


Tragically again on the news today we hear that a mother and two children died and 7 people are still lost on the shores of Lesvos island. The plastic boat and its 63 passengers capsized as it crashed on rocks in rough seas.
(Photo courtesy of ΑΠΕ, source: http://news.in.gr/)

O the desperation that drives these refugees to risk their lives with the hope of a better future for them and their children.
The pain and the endless sorrow that tragedies like these bring on the families of those already suffering people!



 So glad to see young mums like this in the square who made it safe with their children.

May God help this little child to live happily ever after and may God comfort the hearts of those who morn for their family members who died on this great march.

On the news again this evening that the FYROM borders may close. Is there more suffering ahead?

Gratefulness and Frustration

My two main feelings today were gratefulness and frustration.

After a time of prayer and devotions in which we reflected that the only right motive for the type of work we do is: Love; we set off to go and visit the Refugee Camp in Galatsi.

This is set at the Olympic Games installations in Galatsi on the same side of Athens as we are based. On a day like today when the rain was coming down relentlessly I was just so grateful that there was a place where the refugees could remain dry, fed and safe. My heart was grateful that the Mayor of Galatsi and the local Council have decided to open the doors of the Stadium. There are two big halls, one for families and the other for single men. The numbers they could cater for, is around 700 but there had been days that they had up to 1,300. This morning there were around 500. Refugees are taken on buses for free from Victoria Square or straight from the port of Pereaus  and they are free to come and go as they please at any time of day or night.

This of course makes their stay of Athens a much safer and pleasant experience. I just hope that more of the people who hang around the city squares would take advantage of the opportunity. But some seem to be afraid thinking that they may be forced to register to seek asylum in Greece when they have their eyes set on Germany or Sweden or one of the other prosperous European countries.

Jan feels that the fact that it is policemen who direct people to the buses may be one of the reasons why people may be afraid to board such buses. Perhaps this may be something we could bring up at our next meeting with the UNHCR, that maybe an NGO could take on this, rather than the police.

We got to speak with one of the Council officials who was heading the operation at that given time who shared his joys and his frustrations. A vast amount of volunteers makes the running of the camp possible. Breakfast and lunch is provided by the navy and the airforce. Besides food and cloths, medical care is also provided and we saw some young men enjoying a game of football. All in all it was a very encouraging experience for me which made me grateful for the local government's provision.

In the afternoon we went back to Victoria square and by then the rain was quite heavy. I huddled together with a group of Pakistani young men under a balcony sharing with them a common cause: trying to stay dry. I got to talk with Bashart Ali (pictured here standing next to me) who told me that the whole group of men have come from Sheikupura, about 20 Km from Lahore, seeking a better future in Europe. I've asked about their journey and they told me how they found the sea-crossing very scary. The sea was quite rough and their little plastic boats were tossed up and down, but they were relieved to reach the shores of Greece. I've asked about the price of their crossing and they told me that they paid about $1,200 each. There were 18 of them in the smaller boats and 30 odd in the bigger ones.

How can one not feel empathy for fellow men and women who go through such dangers to reach a place of safety; a place where they may stand a chance for a better future.

A group of volunteers came from the Salvation Army Hall to distribute some rain coats and dry socks but they were too few to go around the crowd in the square, and alas, we had no more to give. One of the volunteers walked to the local supermarket and bought some big black bin bags and passed them around to people to offer some protection from the rain.

O the frustration of seeing people wet and not being able to offer a raincoat. Perhaps God will answer our prayers and some more funding will come so we could buy raincoats and warm clothing as the weather changes and the winter kicks in.