They’re All Worth It

Am I happy, shocked, angry, sad? It’s not possible to choose one when there are so many things happening in one night. It’s been almost three weeks of guarding gates at camp during the night. It’s been almost three weeks of standing in front of a gate making sure the right people go in. Layered up in the cold, in this rainy season, I get to accompany so many people through these hard times. Many have told me: “What are you doing here?” “Just go home and sleep!” “Don’t you have anything better to do?” but someone’s got to do the job! And if I can do anything that helps prevent bad things from happening and keep people safe at night, I will. Sometimes it may seem dull to be in the same two square meters for 8 hours, checking police papers and controlling the entrance, but these people are completely worth it.

A summary of one night can look like this: Arrive in camp at 4:00pm and go to the gate. I get good news from my 12-year-old friend from Yemen saying that he got a blue stamp and a transfer to Athens. He and his family finally get asylum after 5 months in camp. There are electricity problems. I hear over the walkie that there’s a fight in a certain place and that I can´t let anyone in or out for a while. Good news about the boy that got stabbed the other night, he is recovering fast. More electricity problems. Terrible news about a young man’s death in camp. My 11-year-old Afghan friend comes visit me at the gate. It rains. My Somali friend brings me tea. People complain and fight about the electricity problems. An Afghan woman (I like to say she’s my mother here) brings me a blanket and rubs my cold hands like a good Colombian mom would. A couple of teenage boys test me on my Farsi skills making sure that I haven’t forgotten what I learned the night before. My 13-year-old friend who speaks as much English as I speak Farsi sits next to me and tells me about his day. Another fight breaks out.

So many bad things happen in camp.

Some say this camp is like hell. It is normal to hear at least once a day “This place is no good”. I don’t know about so many of the bad things that happen in camp. But I do know that while something bad is happening in one part of camp, there is redemption going on in another. I may sound cold-hearted, in denial, blind, or too optimistic, but when I take a look at camp, I see fighters and survivors, and hope; and I feel peace. It’s so amazing to feel peace in a place like this, it really is a peace that surpasses understanding.

I see new families arriving in camp waiting for a space where they can sleep that night. While volunteers try to make some more space in the big tent where it seems impossible to fit one more person, I feel hopeful. I am happy that they survived that tough trip all the way here and I feel happy for them. And if I ever get to cross paths with them again, I’ll make sure to love them so much and do all I can to help them so that they get a taste of God’s love. Being here is an amazing opportunity to show and explain God to all through serving. It has been so great to use this time to make friends and show them genuine compassion.

About my first winter…

I have to say that the toughest thing about these weeks has been the cold. For me, and for camp. These have been the coldest nights I’ve ever experienced, and since electricity has been a big problem in camp, many people are also freezing in their tents. I have tried all sorts of tricks to keep my feet warm during the night but the piercing cold always finds its way to my toes. I tried wearing two layers of socks. Didn’t work. I heard that sweat makes you cold so I tried only wearing one. It was worse. I read that putting plastic bags on your feet helps isolate the heat. Didn’t work. I tried putting paper instead. Did the trick…until about 9pm. I really never found a way to keep my toes warm during the entire night that didn’t require me buying something on Amazon. But I learned to be strong and knew that no matter how numb my feet were, I was not going to lose a toe that night. Today is the end of a series of night shifts. I am thankful for every second I’ve spent in camp, and excited for what’s coming.

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which suprasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

If you want to check out all my blog posts of my time in Greece until now, click here!