Perspectives On The Refugee Crisis

In late June and early July of 2016, I joined a group of 19 people from churches and ministries from the USA and Europe to get a first-hand view of the refugee crisis. The focus of our trip was Jordan and Greece.

We had the opportunity to learn from pastors, ministry leaders, missionaries, a government official, and a refugee how they had been impacted and how they are trying to help with the refugee crisis. While some people in the same category (Pastors) had been impacted and were trying to help somewhat differently to others in the same category, there were more similarities than differences within the same category.

The purpose of this article is not to give an exhaustive review of every refugee situation in these mentioned countries, but rather, it is to give Christ followers outside of the impacted areas a glimpse into the reality of the refugee crisis that the church is facing today. One similarity that was conveyed by almost everyone we sat down with is the importance of separating the individual from a religious system, and the need to think of individual refugees rather than refugees as a whole.

As we address this crisis, it will be helpful to put yourself in the shoes of a refugee. Many of the refugees are well educated and had professional level jobs in their countries before fleeing. Many had as little as eight hours to get a few things together and leave everything else they owned. As they go to a new country, they have no jobs, are not able to get jobs legally, do not know the language of the country that they flee to, have no family or friends who are living in these countries, and are often treated more like a number than an individual. Everything that they knew has now changed, all at one time. Many of the men who had previously been able to provide for their families no longer have a sense of worth because they were no longer able to work. Many of them stay inside and become depressed which compounds the issues facing each family.

Many refugee areas are breeding grounds for extremists because ISIS offers $1,000 (US) per month to each man who will join their ranks. If a young man dies in carrying out ISIS attacks, the family receives $40,000 (US). For families who have little to no money, no way of making money to provide for themselves, and are totally dependent on strangers for survival, the ISIS option becomes pretty attractive.

Let's look at how these various groups see the refugee crisis, and how we might help without causing harm.

Pastors/Churches

Jordan, a country of 9.5 million people, has 3 million refugees from many different countries. More than 1.2 million of these refugees are from Syria. ISIS is forcing many Muslims to flee to other countries, which is giving the church the opportunity and burden to share the love of Christ with them. While the pastors are wanting to share their faith, they have come to realize that one of the only things that is unchanging for those who have been displaced is their faith. Through food and non-food distributions (household goods, heaters, money, and other things), the churches are showing love to those who have been displaced without trying to force Christ on them. They are making Bibles, the Jesus film, and other materials available to people with no strings attached.

Many of the pastors we met with said that their churches are starting community centers that will provide families a safe place to be. These community centers provide child care, coffee, tea, internet access, showers, and a place to see the love of Christ. Some churches are also starting projects to give the refugees opportunities to earn a living, as these displaced people are not legally able to work in many of the countries where they seek refuge. Some of these projects include making tile mosaics, hats, shirts, and learning to cut hair.

Ministry Leaders/Missionaries

While Greece currently has between 40,000 and 50,000 refugees, more than 1,000,000 passed through the Greek Islands in 2015. Many of these people came from Turkey to Lesvos, a Greek Island about 6-7 miles from the coast of Turkey. Many of these refugees were paying smugglers more than $1,000 (US) per person to be put on an overcrowded boat or raft that was not seaworthy so that they could get to Europe through Greece. The smugglers promised food, shelter, and care when the people arrived to Greece, but they found a different situation.

One of the main challenges with this crisis is the rapid changes that churches and ministries are trying to stay in front of as they seek to provide care. In fluid situations like this, it is very difficult to continually adjust to meet the needs of each displaced person. Samaritan's Purse and Euro Relief are two of the organizations that are working with refugees. Their stated goal is to provide physical and spiritual relief to hurting people.

While on Lesvos, we were able to visit two refugee camps. One was an open camp, where refugees were able to come and go fairly freely to get supplies and food from town. Many of the efforts in this camp included providing good water and sanitation. In the camps, those employed by these ministries, including many people from local churches, are only able to speak about spiritual things when asked for a reason why they are helping the refugees. Like churches, many ministries are setting up "meeting" places where people can get refreshments and internet access while providing the Christ followers a place where they can be more open and proactive in sharing Christ's love. The second camp was a detention camp that was run by the military and police rather than NGOs (Non Government Organizations). This camp is difficult for ministries to be involved as they have to first register with the government. The approach that these ministries have to take is Christ centered but with a secular look. As they provide water, food, and other things to those in the detention camp, they earn a good reputation with those who are running the camp.

The ministries and churches operating in Jordan and on the mainland of Greece, face different challenges than those on the islands, as the displaced people are living in and among the citizens of those countries. Many of those working with ministries on the mainland wrestle with providing humanitarian aide without sharing the Gospel. One ministry rented a building for one year in order to provide an open atmosphere to share the love of Christ while meeting the needs of displaced people. This ministry developed a partnership among migrant churches, foreign ministries, and Greek churches to serve in this building. The rented building was open 6 days per week. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday all the services, including showers, laundry, child care, snacks, and language classes, were aimed at those who spoke Farsi, while the other days were focused on those who spoke Arabic. This center was open to families only because most of the problems among refugees are caused by young, single men. The building was not being scheduled for Sundays so that refugees who come to know Christ will have a place to worship together each week. These centers are open about Christ but are not preachy. In other words, you don't have to sit through a Gospel presentation in order to use the facilities or take a language class.

These ministries and missionaries are focused on restoring some dignity to refugees and trafficked women, which is a big issue in Greece.

Government Official

The refugee crisis provides different challenges to government officials. Many of the municipalities do not have funds to provide all the necessary care for refugees, causing them to depend on NGOs to provide much of the care. At the same time, much of the tourism in some areas has declined significantly because many of those who otherwise might visit think that the areas are just handling refugees. The island of Lesvos relies heavily on tourism for the livelihood of their people. While the island of Lesvos currently has between 2,800 and 3,500 refugees, the public image outside of Greece in that thousands of refugees are coming to the island on a daily basis. Even in the days leading up to my departure on this trip, I was told by a friend that Lesvos was receiving 1,000 refugees per day. In actuality, Greece and Turkey came to an agreement in March 2016 that virtually ceased the arrival of refugees to Lesvos.

Lesvos is a beautiful island that would be a great destination for a honeymoon, family vacation, or couple's getaway. The view of those living on the island towards refugees has been negatively impacted as the refugees have caused their ability to make a living to drop for the last 18 months.

Refugee

The refugee crisis is very different when seen through the eyes of a person who has been displaced. One man that we met with had graduated with two engineering degrees and was working in oil refineries in Iran (pronounced E-Ron). He heard that he was going to be arrested by the government so that he would not share trade secrets that he was privy to, so he fled for his life. When he arrived in Greece about 4 years ago, prior to the current refugee crisis, he was put in jail. He spent 40 days in a Greek jail with 70 other men in a room so small that they could barely move. He had to sleep sitting on the floor back to back with another man because there wasn't room to lie down. After 40 days, he was taken to a jail in the mountains where he was told that he would get his asylum papers within three months so that he could leave Greece and go to Germany, where he initially desired to go. This three-month stay turned into 24 months before he was able to get his papers.

During his stay, he was only allowed to go outside 1-2 hours per day. The rest of the time, he was in a cell with nothing to watch or read. As he spoke a little English, he was allowed to go outside one day when an English speaking visiter came to camp. When asked how the conditions were and how this foreigner could help, the refugee said that he would like something to read. The foreigner gave him a Bible in Farsi. Over the next six months, this man read the Bible through 10 times.

When he finally had his asylum papers and was released, he found himself at an Iranian church. After going in and being asked how they could help, he said that he did not have a place to stay. The church people gave him a key to the building so that he could stay there. This display of Christ's love, though they did not know him, had such a big impact on him that he became a Christ follower.

Today, he still lives in Greece and shares the Gospel with many of his own people who have also fled to Greece. His mother and sisters still live in Iran, but through his influence, one of his sisters has also become a Christ follower.

Conclusion

The refugee crisis has many different sides, depending on which one of the above eyes through which you view it. The crisis is so big that no one ministry, church, missionary or municipality can fully address the needs of the refugees on their own. It is forcing Christ followers to unite and partner together, working with foreign and domestic government agencies to care for the people who have been displaced from their homes.

One man that we met with said that he had lived for years in Syria with little or no open doors for the Gospel. Now, living and working with the Syrian community in Jordan, he has seen many open doors for the Gospel. There is a team of Christ followers who go to the homes of refugees five days per week to develop relationships with Syrians. Many of these Syrians are disillusioned with the religion of their homeland and are wanting to know why people from Jordan are being so kind and loving to them.

There are many opportunities to partner with churches and ministries to work with people who have been displaced. These people are coming from Iran, Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, Congo, Pakistan, Lebanon, Nepal, and many other countries. In the West, we often think that the best way we can help is through financial support. While there are many financial needs that were shared with us, the number one thing that was asked for was prayer. Christ followers need wisdom to determine how to provide relief, how to move from relief to development, and how to show and share the love of Christ sensitively to hurting people. There are many opportunities for churches and Christ followers to get involved both directly and indirectly.

The biggest personal impact of this trip has been a reminder of how many hurting people there are around us every day. We are called to help, whether that is by training Christ followers to meet people's physical needs as door openers for the Gospel, being faithful to pray for and support those on the front lines, or by sharing the need to get involved with other Christ followers.

Though no one person or ministry can meet all of the needs presented in this refugee crisis, Christ followers need to unite together and support those on the front lines of this crisis. We can do this by praying, giving, and going. Pray for strength, encouragement, and resources for those working with refugees while praying for open doors to share the Gospel with refugees. Give to those ministries who are working with and for refugees. Go and see for yourself what is really going on and meet some of the people who have been displaced.