What a crazy time we’re living in, isn’t it?
All over the world our plans have been turned upside down, life has been disrupted, and each new week brings diverse new challenges.
When Greece’s strict lock down started in March we were about to send out a newsletter, updating and letting everyone know we’d be going on furlough this summer to reconnect with all of you, as this year marks our third year here. On top of that we had Allie’s brother’s wedding to attend in June. Suddenly everything became uncertain.
For the 9 weeks of the lock down, life in the city seemed at a standstill, but the number of phone calls and messages from our refugee friends requesting physical help, information, or just needing a listening ear increased exponentially!
Living on the edge of COVID chaos
For our refugee friends, disruption, uncertainty, fear, and lack of control is the norm. Yet, even for these survivors of trauma, the sudden closure of the organizations they depend on pushed many beyond their window of tolerance (see the diagram on the right.)
They suddenly didn’t know where their next meal or shower would come from. The government stopped accepting new asylum cases, eroding their hope for the future. Basically, every system of security and support collapsed around them, threatening their community and health and leaving them in the dark.
Fortunately, you’ve lit a light of hope for them.
“Post Traumatic Impact Over Time” First Aid Arts - First Responder Manual p. 32
“Post Traumatic Impact Over Time” First Aid Arts - First Responder Manual p. 34-35
Together with you, we were able to come alongside our refugee community during this vulnerable time. Here’s how…
A 6 minute video featuring Our House
Through the Emergency Relief fund, our One Collective Athens team was able to partner financially with FoodKind, an organization providing food to Malakasa camp, where many of our friends were locked in for the 9 weeks. We also worked through the red tape to provide those in the camp with accurate information about current health and lock down situations.
We’ve partnered with a refugee-managed organization, Our House (Cafe Patogh), which popped up on our radar as one of the few groups working creatively within and around the restrictions, providing food and other supplies to anyone who needed in the city. We’re continuing to assess the needs of the refugee community and how to partner with local actors to come alongside those in need.
Thank you so much for making this happen!
Choosing to be a light in dark times…
Despite high tensions and tight space, new Afghan believers in the Malakasa camp have chosen to be a light to their neighbors.
These new believers were initially unsure about how to proceed. They began meeting quietly together in their small tent, each one taking a turn at leading by sharing what they had learned when they read the Bible that day.
Eventually, their hearts encouraged, they began sharing food with their neighbors and building new bridges of hope.
When life is disrupted and challenges come like the car on the road above, we can spin out of control. We experience grief, denial, anxiety, and anger. Eventually, the resources we have internally and through our community and faith help to steady us and we begin searching for meaning in the experience (what does this mean about me, about the world, about God?).
Yet, we’re still on the road of life, and perhaps on a stretch that is pretty bumpy - a global pandemic - where old and new stressors, loss, and trauma continue to hit us. Together with Jesus and each other, we can find healing, build resilience and experience growth.
Here are some examples of what healing, or “post-traumatic growth” can look like:
Spiritual development.
Better sense of personal strength.
Improved and new relationships.
New possibilities, previously unavailable [or unseen], are discovered.
Greater appreciation of life.
Tedeschi, R.G., Calhoun, L.G. The Posttraumatic Growth Inventory: Measuring the positive legacy of trauma. J Trauma Stress 9, 455–471 (1996).
We’ve been learning that healing is a holistic process specific to each person: incorporating body, mind, spirit, relationships and community.
This can be challenging in Covid-time when we can’t be physically close to each other. With some creativity, we can be intentional about reaching out and building community.
Congratulations Kyle and Samantha Shuflin!
We are so honored to welcome Samantha into our family and are excited to celebrate with them soon! ❤️❤️
Habakkuk 3:18
In our personal life we first experienced anxiety over the uncertainty of our summer plans and eventually grief, especially over missing Kyle (Allie’s brother) and Samantha’s wedding, and the opportunity to be with all of Allie’s siblings again for the first time in 4 years. Our family’s shared disappointment amplified our homesickness to a new level.
How do we celebrate and mourn at the same time? How can we be present with the people and needs here when we want to be somewhere else?
We also experienced frustration over the real needs and difficulties our refugee friends faced and obstacles in the way of any action. How can we rest when they have no security? We can’t just do nothing!
Our comfort came from the Lord, who sees all and is with all of us, wherever we are, and gives us rest, wisdom for action, grace for today and hope for tomorrow.
During our lockdown, we took the opportunity to do some personal development.
We participated in an online prayer course, a Spiritual First Aid Summit from Wheaton’s Humanitarian Disaster Institute, online Equip cohorts with One Collective on Spiritual Practices and Listening, an online Velvet Ashes women’s retreat, and just recently, Henk has started an online Christian Studies certificate program with Fuller Seminary with Allie happily “looking over his shoulder” freshening up her knowledge.
Thankfully for Henk’s sanity, we live close enough to the city limits along the mountainside for Henk to justify going on regular hikes as government approved “exercise”, keeping him from feeling TOO cooped up. Allie was finally able to work on oil paintings for the first time since we moved here!
As Covid measures ease up in Greece, the challenge is to live out new insights and new, positive habits and continue to adapt to the ever-changing situation.
Click on the images to view them larger with captions.
This summer marks our third year in Greece.
When we came here, we had committed to working with One Collective’s partner organization Helping Hands for 2-3 years. As of this summer, we have both fully transitioned from being staff at Helping Hands to full-time team members of the One Collective Athens team. Besides us, the team has two other members: Danielle (team leader) and Andrew, who are partnering with other ministries and churches in Athens.
This time of disruption has been a good time for the transition to happen. As Helping Hands has not been able to run their regular programs due to Covid-19 restrictions, we have had the opportunity to work with smaller groups and individuals. This has greatly expanded our vision and our connections for helping the refugee community here in Athens. We’re thankful for the time we had at Helping Hands and plan to continue volunteering there once a week (when the programs start up again).
We were able to come together with our One Collective Athens team to pray, support one another, brainstorm, and serve our communities together. Though we are the only ones working specifically with refugees, we were so encouraged by the support and effort Danielle and Andrew put into helping us and our friends during this time.
At this moment we have decided to extend our time in Athens for at least another 2-3 years. In our next newsletter we’ll share a little more about the direction God is leading us.
“Tell them we appreciate them, this is important in my life”
We know many of you made a financial support commitment with three years in mind, and that this has been a crazy year for many. As you review and look forward, if you could let us know of any changes, it will help us to better plan this next year. Whatever changes, we hope you will stay connected with us and the community you’ve been such a big part of these three years.
We are still navigating the COVID travel restrictions and requirements such as quarantine to find the best time and way to go on furlough. Currently we’re looking at the possibility of going to the States this winter. Whether it is this winter or next summer, we look forward to connecting with you!
Thank you for your prayers and encouragement!
“ Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ.”
Henk and Allie Oosterhuis