Dear friends,

Happy New Year 2020! Holiday season in Athens is signaled by decorated streets, lit up Christmas trees or fishing boats in neighborhood squares, and delicious bakery treats.

We stayed in Athens for Christmas and were excited to use this time to share our celebrations with some of our refugee friends; sharing both cultural traditions and the timeless truth of Emmanuel, God with us, in the form of Jesus being born as a baby.

Our idea was to share a taste of what Christmas in our home is like, with some of our traditions, food and special family time. On two different nights we invited about 10 people, cooked food, ate together, played games, sat around the fireplace and the Christmas tree singing Christmas carols, and gave stockings stuffed with little gifts.

The girls from Allie’s art class appreciated the little star ornaments we put in their stockings. We explained how God called the wise men and guided them to come and worship the new King, who was born not just for the Jews, but for the whole world. Just as they followed a light, we can also follow the Light of the World, Jesus. He shines like a bright star in what can often seem like the dark night of our life’s circumstances.

The girls were especially interested in learning about the hope we have in Jesus and how Jesus’ kingdom is one of peace and love. But one student was discouraged. After listening carefully she said, “God loves you, Americans and Europeans, but he doesn’t love us,” and many of the girls nodded in agreement.

Aside from the struggles of identity and self worth typical for any teenager, these young ladies come from a background of systematic oppression and collective trauma, and they are aware of the narrative in the West that they are the “other” and even a threat to many.
We try to help them realize the truth of their identity, not just by words, but through the demonstration of Christ’s love for them and by creating a space for them that reflects God’s Kingdom culture.

With the refugee guys who volunteer at Helping Hands, we read John 1 and talked about the miracle of the Word becoming flesh. We gathered around the fire and sang Farsi worship songs. The guys loved hearing the story of Saint Nicholas helping the poor by secretly giving bags of gold. Each of the them excitedly unloaded their stockings (despite that they didn’t have bags of gold), admired the goodies inside, loaded them back up, and then cradled them like little babies. It was a special time for them to feel part of a family at home, although far away from home.

For Eddie and Seth, this Christmas season started off with a bad turn of events…

In November, on their way back home from a Bible study with a group of other Iranian believers, they were stopped by police as they entered the metro. Eddie and Seth didn’t have any ID to show. They were arrested and put in two different jails. Picture a small apartment sized block of cells with 10-20 guys with only a small window in the door to the rest of the police station giving a glimpse into the outside world.

Eddie

Eddie is a talented pastry chef, and one of the first times we met he was designing an intricate cake for an Afghan friend’s wedding. He also didn’t mind cooking, and soon became a faithful volunteer in the kitchen at Helping Hands.

He has been trying to apply for asylum seeker status in Greece (in order to get the required “white card” document). Unfortunately, the only way to get an appointment for an interview at the overcrowded Athens asylum services is to call ahead through skype. However, there is only 1 hour a week assigned for Iranians to call in through Skype, and reportedly only 1 person answering calls. It can take months of trying every week for someone to even get their first appointment. Eddie had not been so lucky yet. Without the document, he is considered illegal, and he will be held in prison while the police submits his asylum request. The positive effect is that he will at least leave prison with the elusive white card, but this could take several months.

Seth

Seth is a young man from Iran. He left Iran when his inability to do the required military service for health reasons brought attention to him and sparked years of oppression and exclusion for not being involved in the government sanctioned religious groups and propaganda. In Greece, the Lord touched his life and he became a believer. He took classes to improve his English and for the last several years has been a huge blessing as a translator at the Helping Hands men’s program and at many other ministries. He is also a big encouragement to other new believers and to us as staff, always greeting us with a bright smile and a warm, optimistic heart. Unfortunately, Seth had already had his case for asylum in Greece rejected twice. After the last rejection, his lawyer discovered that his case had not been properly reviewed by the immigration services. He is in the process of appealing the decision, but the court case has been delayed several times. The court also did not provide him with any official documents saying that his case was being appealed.

Handing pens and other supplies such as water through the prison door

At both prisons, depending on the police officer on duty, I [Henk] might be permitted 2 minutes or 20 to visit with Eddie or Seth. The gifts I brought (food, clothing, hygienic items, Bible) might be picked apart to ensure they didn’t have anything illegal inside, or barely glanced at while I handed them through the small opening. But each time I went, Eddie and Seth expressed their gratefulness that I took the effort. They expressed an amazing trust in God, and each in their own way were reaching out to their fellow inmates. I left feeling encouraged each time.

Seth’s fellow inmates were mostly Pakistanis, and strictly observing their own faith, but Seth was able to share with them despite the language barrier. When they were wondering whether the meat served to them was the right kind, Seth shared with them the verse from Mark 4 where Jesus says it’s not what goes into the mouth, but what comes out of the heart that makes a man unclean. One guy wondered if it really said that and asked to read it in the Bible in his own language, which Seth had gotten a hold of. The man then sent a message to his religious leader to ask if it’s true and even looked up a famous apologist of his own faith, but he wasn’t able to find anything to disprove it.

Later, there was a man from the Caucasus area who everyone else looked down on and treated disrespectfully. Seth pointed out that while they were so worried about their food, they had hateful thoughts coming out of their hearts. He encouraged them to treat the man respectfully, and they actually listened.

Through a miracle, Seth’s lawyer convinced the judge that it would be better for him to await his court decision in freedom. The lawyer said this was a one in a hundred chance, but God heard our prayers and granted him freedom! Just in time for Christmas!

The evening Seth got out of jail, one of the other inmates called him to say how much they had appreciated his presence - while he was there they had felt a special kind of peace. Even the police had been amazed at his behavior, and at the many people who came to visit him and cared so much about him.

Eddie is having similar experiences. God has been bringing people on his way who need the encouragement he has to offer from God’s word, and they have been amazingly open. One man has asked him to secretly pray for him in a small side room each evening. Another man turned out to be married to a lady who had been coming to the Helping Hands women’s program for years and who our co-workers had been investing in. Now, for the first time, her husband is showing a deep interest in knowing Jesus!

Pray for Seth’s court case, now scheduled for March.

Pray also for Eddie, for perseverance and patience while he is still in jail.

“Prison taught me about resting in God. Before, I was very hard on myself and always crammed my schedule. But I realized the ministries went on fine without me… God wants me, Seth — not a crashed Seth. Now I can say when I need rest.
Although my situation looks worse now than when I left Iran, I don’t fall into depression now. Even when I’m exhausted I can say God is still loving and using me.”

— Seth

The Helping Hands annual Christmas parties went well. This year many of our own Iranian and Afghan volunteers helped put on the nativity drama. It was a lot of fun for us to see them passionately play their roles. The effort they put into it was reflected by the captivated audience.

“This was the first beautiful day my kids experienced here in Greece. A world of thanks. ”

— A mother at the Christmas party

Please pray for each of These dear friends, that the message of Christ coming to save them would become reality in their hearts.

Over New Years we traveled within Greece and had some time to ourselves. We are privileged to live in such a beautiful country and always love exploring new places, experiencing a bit of Greek hospitality in the villages, and hiking the rugged mountains.

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