When Fleeing is the Only Option

The tattered remains of their boats are a somber sight along the shoreline. These empty vessels were meant to carry refugee families to freedom, but they’ve instead left these men, women, and children in a perpetual state of limbo.

The terror in their eyes says it all. In the middle of a brutal, divided world, they’ve seen the worst. They’ve flooded into Greece, escaping war, terrorism, poverty, and oppression in Syria. Now refugees, they’ve left their homes and face an uncertain future.

Over the past few years, millions of refugees have entered Europe. Most of them travelled on foot across mountainous terrain to reach the Turkish border. There, they once again risked their lives by paying smugglers to carry them in flimsy, inflatable boats across the sea. After arriving on the shores of Greece, they tried to make their way to other countries in Europe. But the borders closed, leaving tens of thousands of refugees stranded in a country that is ill-prepared to host or help the large group of refugees.

The dream of a safer place begins to fade after their arrival. Instead of starting a new life, these refugees now live in tent cities in squalid camps as they wait to be processed. The hopes they left home with fade a little more each day. Months turn into years as they wait to learn if they will be granted asylum.

“Many refugees lived like us,” said Jillian, a Saddleback Relief Team leader. “They had careers, homes, and friends, and then all that was taken away. While working for an American-owned Fortune 500 healthcare company, one young father lived under constant threats from ISIS. He knew he had to move his family to safety after his colleague and best friend was murdered. Husband, wife, and two young children walked for a month in order to find smugglers to get them to the Greek islands.”

Mary Lil, another Saddleback Relief Team member, added, “One person we met had been a successful veterinarian. His family owned an apartment building and were in it when it was bombed. He told me that he lost $3 million that one day. He has nothing to go back to. When I met them, they had been living in a tent for four months.”

The plight of these refugees so profoundly touches the hearts of many Saddleback members that they join Saddleback Relief Teams to comfort Syrian and Iraqi refugees in Europe. The Saddleback Relief Ministry tries to move quickly to help people who are suffering or displaced. They share God’s love and lift up local churches overwhelmed with needs like the refugee crisis. Every volunteer has a desire to be Jesus’ hands and feet to those suffering. Jillian and Mary Lil, members of a recent relief team, went to Greece as peacemakers by offering hospitality as a way to battle the extreme despair the refugees experience.

War has ravaged the nation of Syria. These families are paying the cost.

Working in a refugee center, the team helped with the laundry, taught English classes, and distributed food.

“We want everyone here to know they are not alone,” Jillian explained. “We sit with them, listen to them, and pray for them. Even when we don’t speak the same language, we smile. It is the dialect of connection — we all speak it. Amid the trauma, we strive to give them hope because God loves them and so do we. It is liberating for them to learn, despite their current situation, that there is a purpose for their lives.”

“Christ wants his church to share in the sorrow of these people,” Jillian continued. “When you look into the eyes of someone who has lost everything meaningful to them, your heart changes. Everyone on the team learned that regardless of nationality, politics, or religion, we are neighbors, and God commanded us to love our neighbor as ourselves.”

“One woman was so depressed, she couldn’t move,” Jillian said. “She sat in her tent all day in suffocating hopelessness. She had lost all sense of optimism, dignity, and worth. Little by little, as church members went to visit her, our hands outstretched in grace and kindness in an effort to nurture. Our efforts were small: bringing food, holding her hands, and praying over her so she knew she was not alone. Coming out of her depression, she is now learning both English and Greek in hopes of landing a good job once she gets processed and can work. These seemingly small acts can make a tremendous difference.”

Mary Lil got to hear the stories of a group of married women who were living in the camp.

“The men had gone ahead to Germany to find a home for their families, but the borders closed and now they were separated,” Mary Lil said. “One 25-year-old daughter, Adar, spoke fluent English. She had started her education at the university in Syria. She desperately wants to finish her education. Two of her sisters are engaged but don’t know when or if they will see their fiancés again. When I asked Adar what she would say to the members of Saddleback Church, she responded, ‘Tell them to pray for us.’

“We told them God has not forgotten them and offered to pray for them in Jesus’ name. No one refused. Most have never heard that God loves them. And they are listening; they are hearing. God’s love is impacting them.”

“Everyone has a part in this,” Jillian explained. “By extending God’s love beyond borders and differences, the church can tangibly love everyone — and help bring peace, hope, and reconciliation to our hurting world. In this difficult battle, you can conquer despair with love by praying, giving, or going.”

Learn about current Saddleback Relief initiatives at saddleback.com/relief

Learn more about The PEACE Plan at saddleback.com/peace

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