Dear friends,
We’d like to update you on a the developments that have been going on for us the past few months.
You may remember we wrote about the changing refugee situation in Athens and Greece in general. In the last few months, the number of refugees arriving on the Greek islands near the coast of Turkey has increased dramatically due to complex political factors. Many of the Afghans arriving now have escaped since the Taliban takeover, and they are threatened with deportation in countries they may have otherwise stayed in - Pakistan, Iran and Turkey. We are not directly noticing the effects of this in Athens as most of the refugees are being brought under in the camps on the islands or transferred to various camps around mainland Greece, outside of the city.
Camps
Malakasa camp is within easy reach of Athens by train, and a number of girls make regular trips into the city to visit the art class. Despite the usual turnover and sadness of saying goodbye to girls we’ve grown to know well, we’ve also seen new girls from this camp join the art class community and it’s great to see a bit of continuity in the group.
Many people have recently been relocated from the islands to Ritsona camp, an hour’s drive from Athens. We have been brainstorming ideas to build community and bring art class out to teens and young adults in this camp on a regular basis, since they are very isolated and there is little for the young people to do in or around the camp. So far we’ve made a couple of trips and taken a group of young people to the beach for an afternoon pick-nick with fun, games and swimming.
Samos trip
As we seek to better understand the ever-changing situation and build connections for referrals and sharing information, we had an opportunity to make a trip to Samos island. Samos is the Greek island closest to Turkey. Since August the camp population has increased from 500 to 5000, well over the camp’s capacity. The people in the camp are mostly from Afghanistan, Palestine, Syria and sub-Saharan Africa. We were hosted by Peace House, an organization that does meals, community days and Bible studies in different languages. We were also inspired by a visit to the Skills Factory, a center offering woodworking, tailoring, painting and gardening skills training and a sense of community for refugees from all backgrounds.
Allie has agreed to consider a position as a Catalyst (team leader) for One Collective!
Our Athens team has grown and is serving in three main communities: the refugee community, anti-trafficking and those in prostitution, and the local Greek community (homeless/marginalized as well as youth and students). We are now exploring what it could look like to have separate teams and catalysts (team leaders) for each of these communities that will still work together, sharing resources and fellowship.
We are considering what holistic ministry according to One Collective’s “Integrated Community Transformation” model could look like among refugees in Athens, focusing on art as a way of building bridges. At the same time we are also looking at the broader picture of refugee movement in the region and what it looks like to care for refugees along their journey.
We are saddened to hear the news about the war in Israel and Gaza and all the bloodshed and violence happening there. It was especially confronting hearing the stories from some of the Palestinian refugees we met on Samos island losing family members and seeing the graphic images they were showing us. Please pray with us for all those affected. Pray for peace.
Sadly the photo captions don’t show up on mobile unless you click on “desktop site”
Photos used with permission - but please don’t share.
Prison ministry
I (Henk) have started partnering with an Albanian-Greek ministry leader named Rudy who serves in prison ministry across Greece. He had been leading a Bible study with a group of around 20 Afghans and Iranians in the largest prison in Greece, but without anyone to help with translation. It has been great visiting every week and getting to know the guys. I’ve started to help lead the group using the interactive Discovery Bible Study method. It’s challenging because we only get one hour max with the guys and are sitting in a long hallway with side cubicles separated by plexiglass. But for many it is their only visit during the week and they have no one else in Greece to check in on them. I am excited to see how God works in the lives of these guys, many of whom have a deep desire to learn and grow in their faith but at the same time feel isolated and ashamed about their situation.
Greek Christian artists conference
We had been looking for ways to connect with the Greek Christian art community, and last weekend we had the opportunity to go to a conference of the Greek Christian Artists association. It was amazing to see all the talent and diversity in this community! There was music, poetry, stand up comedy and workshops on art, dance, and theater therapy. Greek Evangelical, Pentecostal and Greek Orthodox backgrounds were represented. It was interesting to hear talks relating theology and creativity: as creatures made in the image of God (little icons) we are called to use our gifts to sub-create and thereby reflect the character and image of Creator God in us. We have lots of people to follow up with and hope that it will lead to fruitful connections as we seek to use art to bring people together in Athens.
If you would like to hear more frequent prayer requests and updates, please consider signing up for our prayer email or whatsapp group by clicking here or replying to this email.