Final Note

It is now Sunday and it has been a couple of days since I posted. I worked Thursday, Friday and a double shift on Saturday.  Tomorrow I leave to go down to Mitylene to await the ferry at 8:00 pm.  I might spend part of the day at the community center run by Opertion Mobilization to create a haven for Refugees waiting during the day for the ferry at night.  It is always great to hear thier stories because it makes what is going on real and honest.

I have really come to appreciate the people I have had an opportunity to serve with.  I will not mention any names or organizations.  But they have all  impacted me because of thier heart for people.  I didn’t say thier heart for missions.  I am seeing more and more that the idea of missions is great for bringing the Gospel message to the world.  But sometimes I think it can overshadow the heart of the Gospel message itself and our example from Jesus.  It’s all about bringing God’s love and compassion to people.  The volunteers here don’t see the refugees as a target group to evangelize.  Instead they see people who need our compassion and our help.  The extension of God’s grace through us will create a hunger to know and understand that grace.  Imagine the impact on someone who has traveled over rough mountains, through hostile territory (refugees are killed on thier way here) and across the Agean Sea(some of the boats capsizing are intentional).  Then they arrive on Lesbos.  They are pulled from the water, given food, dry clothes, a welcome and a place to stay.  They have been the recipients of these things, for the most part by volunteers.  A very powerful section of scripture highlights the nature of the righteous.

Matthew 25:31–40 “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’ “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’ 

I believe that those I have served with truly understand the impact of these versus.  I want to thank them for thier heart and encoragement to me.

Many times when I am talking to the refugees they will ask me where I am from.  I will say America.  They will look very surprised.  They usually follow up with a question of why am I here. It is really kind of why are you here from America.  I give two reasons as straight forward as I can.  The first is this:

“I am here because of what God has done for me”

In order for them to truly understand my next response, I look them in the eye, I hold thier shoulders, hand or point to thier chest and say.  “I am here for you”.  This is followed by surprise and then appreciation.

Last night at about 10:00 pm activity at the clothing tent slowed down.  So I went and stood outside watching volley ball without a net and soccer in the “street”.  I was immediately offered a seat on a bench nearby by one of the men.  I thanked him and sat down.  He was there with some counsins, an aunt and uncle.  I can’t be sure but I think he was Lebonese from Syria. We had some small talk, which is what you have when one party doesn’t speak Arabic and the other only knows a little bit of English.  After a little while he left and I was joined by a man that traveled with a friend for 25 days from Afganistan.  He was a journalist.  He knew a lot more English.  Both of these gentlemen had noticed I had been there in the morning and was still there.  They expressed their appreciation.   One man walked up to me and send do you want some tea.  I hesitated because I was trying to understand why he was offering that to me a stranger.  I said yes and could it be unsweetened (which is kind of a special order).  He went over to the tea tent and got me tea.  Then sat down with us.  This man really didn’t speak any English except “Tea” with an implied “?”.  So he sat thier for a while in silence.  Both of us sharing a desire to communicate.   After a while he took out his phone and wanted to show me a music video of his favorite Pakistani vocalist. I listened since that’s all I could do.   I found that a lot can be conveyed with non-verbal communication.  Despite the UN being uptight about respecting cultural norms.  I have found the people I have interacted with very comfortable with physical touch.  A hand shake or a hand on the shoulder.  And know one takes offense when I say I will pray for thier journey.   As I walked out of the camp last night one man called to me “God go with you” in Arabic.

This time here has been the seed that is planted in many of these people’s hearts.  Pray for those who will water and care for them so that they can know Jesus as savior.