Stories of arrival: Lesvos, Greece
I keep going back to Acts 17:26 when I think about the migrant crisis: ‘From one man he created all the nations throughout the whole earth. He decided beforehand when they should rise and fall, and he determined their boundaries.’ We lived in Athens for many years. Paul was on Mars Hill in Athens saying ‘at a point in time that God has appointed the boundaries to change’. The current movement of peoples into Europe is unbelievable. Europe will change for generations.
Last year I visited Germany, Hungary and Greece, including spending time on Lesvos, the Greek Island where the majority of the refugees and immigrants are arriving. It is a totally mind blowing experience. The video ‘people of nowhere’ sums up what is happening. You see thousands coming in the rubber dinghies – probably 4-500 a day. October was the peak, but even now, when it is snowing, boats are still coming.
Depending on the weather, it can be a tough journey. Many times people are sold substandard life jackets and you see arm bands and rubber rings on the children. Each boat should hold 10-12 people, but they are crowded with many times that. You look down and see two ladies in wheelchairs in the middle. There are blind people, those with no legs, who have been shot or bombed. And a lot of children and babies only a few weeks old … desperate people.
“They think once they have landed in Europe, they have arrived, but they have no idea what is in front of them. This is not the final stage of their journey – it is just the beginning.”
The majority arriving are Syrians, next Iraqis and Afghans but you also see Iranians and even Moroccans who fly from Casablanca to Istanbul. When they arrive, there is a sense of satisfaction and excitement – ‘we have made it’. They unwrap their smart phones to use WhatsApp and take selfies of themselves in life jackets, to let people back home know they have arrived.
At the lighthouse where we were working, people crawl up the rocks and walk 5-6 miles to buses to get to the next camp on their journey to the two camps were they can register. There are different camps around the island but two are for registration. One is slightly better for Syrian families and women, and one for everyone else.
We would give them water and an apple at one of the first stage camps and try to get them on buses to go to the next camp. There are certain things you can and can’t do, but nobody is stopping you from walking a mile with people, just hearing their story and telling them we are praying for peace for your country, and for you. As a girl working on the bus said ‘All I can do is show them God’s love – I can’t solve their problems or what they are going to face.’ And the nationals have commented on the difference in attitude between the Christians and non-Christians who are helping.
The Greeks are struggling. Some are responding by reaching out, others say ‘this is destroying our country and our island.’ I talked to a bus driver who has been doing this for months now, maybe 10 or 12 trips a day. Even though he was making money in the non-tourist season, he was frustrated. He told me ‘I don’t sleep at night, I’ve had dead babies on the bus. It is a battle.’ There is a lot of fear about what will happen next year, whether tourists will come back.
After their arrival the authorities try to make the process as fast as possible. The refugees are registered and then take a twelve-hour ferryboat to Athens. If you are at the Athens’s port of Piraeus, you see 2-3000 get off the boat daily. Many of them are Syrians, they have money and pay 30-50 Euros to get the bus to the border then start the trip to Northern Europe.
Athens goes in cycles: when I was there it had slowed down, but now it has picked up. You see people in parks and on the streets. The Orthodox Church is responding by feeding people. The Greek evangelicals are helping as well – I heard about a group in Thessaloniki who had just fed 3000 people. The Greek government has opened up two former Olympic stadiums for all the people who can’t get through at the border. The UN and Red Cross are also helping, as well as many faith-based organizations providing volunteers.
My observation from going to Germany over the last few years is that the Muslim background immigrants are more interested in talking about religion than the Germans or the Greeks.
God is at work; you have opportunities to share the Gospel that you would not have in the Middle East, but you need sensitivity and understanding where they are coming from. You don’t want to take advantage of the fact they are desperate and it is important to listen to them. Many who become Christians experience difficulties, but there is also fearlessness about them.
But I feel it is a season, and that the openness will not last forever. After a few years of living in Germany it is like a wall goes up and they have a cultural group. Right now, they are landing and wrestling with ‘what does this look like’.
They think once they have landed in Europe, they have arrived, but they have no idea what is in front of them. This is not the final stage of their journey – it is just the beginning.
BOB TILL oversees New Initiatives at Greater Europe Mission. He has 35 years experience of mission in Europe, including 16 years in Athens, Greece.
Resourcing you:
The Syrian Circle – a prayer movement for Syrian refugees. Launched on Dec 1, 2014 http://thesyriancircle.com
“People of Nowhere” - a video of Lesvos https://vimeo.com/144857118