GEM-Refuge

It's been said that the refugee crisis today is the largest movement of people since World War II.  GEM's mission is to reach Europe by multiplying disciples and growing Christ's Church.  We desire to see God expanding His Kingdom through all peoples of Europe to the world.  With thousands of refugees flooding into Europe daily, GEM is placed in a unique position.

As a rapid response to the dire needs, several months ago GEM created GEM-Refuge as a way of collecting and distributing funds and sending people to the front lines of the refugee opportunity in Europe.  One family who has served with GEM for a long time in Germany has actually moved their family to the island of Lesvos, Greece.  They are working 70+ hours/week, welcoming refugees, distributing food and clothing, filtering funds, and organizing volunteers.  Early last month at GEM's Annual Conference we heard an update and stories of how God has been working.

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The refugees streamed through the line as volunteers filled cup after cup of hot coffee.  As the containers emptied, they placed them under the table.  One new volunteer arrived and grabbed a container from under the table.  "That's empt..." someone began.  They stopped themselves when they realized that the container was indeed full.  They continued to fill cup after cup, serving the refugees in such a simple yet profound way; the containers of coffee never ran out.  As the volunteers emptied the containers and placed them under the table, they continued rotating them, filling cup after cup after cup after cup.  God performed a miracle in the form of coffee.

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A GEM missionary Ed* sat with a refugee discussing the Bible.  Though I'm not positive, I'd imagine they were speaking in English.  Another refugee walked up to the table and began speaking in Farsi to the man with whom Ed was talking.  The two refugees disputed, one being persecuted, the other the persecutor.  Ed sat listening to this conversation in Farsi understanding every.single.word.  Ed doesn't speak Farsi.  Ed has a Mennonite background; he's never experienced the gift of speaking in tongues - until this day in Greece, that is.  God gave Ed the ability to understand Farsi as if it was his own language for just a few moments so that he could further discuss and encourage the refugee man in his search for the Truth.  God performed a miracle in the form of Farsi.

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The other day I saw a post on Facebook from a friend who has served on several short-term teams in Lesvos.  

Here is how things stand, going into the last week of August: 

Moria [refugee camp] is bulging at the seams with refugees. Around 3500, with 300 new arrivals today. A bit of a panic, as we literally had no place to put them. EuroRelief had no funds available, and I made the decision to spend some discretionary funds: 756€ to buy 27 six man tents. That doesn't even put all the new arrivals under a roof, but it was what we could do. They will probably be still sorting it all out at midnight.

I took the team to the airport today: we were all sad to see them go. Numbers for this week, with volunteers, is at an all time low. Where we usually have 25 on a shift, we have nine or ten. Couple that with a large influx of arrivals, and we could be in trouble.

My heart longs to go, but, obviously, with a 12 week old baby, Jordan and I are not in that position.  However, maybe you can go.  Maybe you can be the physical hands and feet of Jesus to thousands of refugees fleeing war, famine, rape, murder. The news seems to be highlighting the refugee crisis less and less, but that doesn't change the reality. 

"...Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me."

*Name has been changed for privacy

**This was also an interesting and insightful article on what's currently happening in Lesvos.

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