From Christian Aid Mission (www.christianaid.org) -- For Immediate Release
Contact: Amie Cotton APR, +1 (434) 327-1240, Amie@christianaid.org
GREECE (ANS – July 28, 2015)
-- Fallout from Greece's international debt crisis is expected to
further squeeze war-ravaged arrivals from Syria, but the refugees and an
indigenous group serving them are rising to the challenge.
Banks
reopened in Greece on Monday (July 20), after three weeks of shut-down
to avert a crash while the government scrambled to obtain a bailout from
international creditors. The first days of the shut-down, however, left
the ministry to Syrian refugees, Bridges, with a cash shortage.
The directors were pleasantly
surprised and encouraged when the Syrians they have worked so hard to
serve offered to help them in return.
“They looked at us and said, ‘I
have got some money; I will lend it to you, and you give it back when
this ends,’” Voula Antouan said. “We really have to admit that God has
been our shield and protection, as we went through these capital
controls as if they never existed. That Wednesday we were able to
provide groceries for about 209 people.”
Throughout June, the ministry provided 850 Syrians with groceries and clothes, she added.
Some 31,000 refugees, most of
them from Syria, came to Greece in June. The capital controls that began
June 29 included the closure of money transfer offices such as Western
Union that refugees rely on.
“The refugees are using mainly,
if not exclusively, Western Union to transfer money,” Antouan said. “By
my point of view, this is partially good, as this way they were not
able to transfer money to their smugglers.”
After seeing their homes in
Syria bombed and their relatives killed, refugees in Greece now struggle
to afford housing and food. That task became tougher this week, as
terms of Greece's bailout include a 23 percent tax, up from 13 percent,
on many food and other items. In exchange for bridge loans to make
payments on debt to the International Monetary Fund and the European
Union, Greece agreed to the tax hikes as well as privatizations that are
expected to drive other prices higher.
“More effects will be brought
to the surface, as we shall have about a 10 percent increase on many of
our groceries plus on many other services,” Antouan said.
The ministry works with several
social, medical and other agencies not only to meet basic needs of
refugees but to advocate on their behalf. Though small, the group is one
of the most effective groups ministering to refugees in Greece; the
Antouans’ sometimes laugh when the larger agencies to which it refers
refugees suggest they return to Bridges for help.
“When we send our people to
other agencies to find help, they come back to us with a piece of paper
and laughter as they show it to us, saying, ‘They told me that if I want
to get help I have to call Ilias, and they wrote his name and phone
here,’” Antouan said.
Most of the refugees are
passing through Greece enroute to other destinations, so their
priorities are food and shelter, as well as attaining legal status that
will smooth their paths elsewhere. Bridges helps them with these needs,
especially temporary housing, as it addresses their deepest spiritual
needs. Refugees regularly put their trust in Jesus.
“During
June we had the joy to lead many Syrians to Jesus and baptize four of
them,” Antouan said. “Out of those, three are already in other European
countries building their new life.”
At times the directors feel it
is impossible to fully grasp the hardship the refugees face. Antouan
said she and her husband asked the fourth person baptized, formerly
Muslim, if he would share his faith with his wife, who is still in
Syria. He replied, “If I do that by phone, there are two possibilities:
My wife and children will be either kidnapped or murdered.”
The new Christian has asked for prayer to get his wife and children out of Syria and bring them to Greece.
Hundreds of refugees are coming
to the Greek islands every day. The ministry receives calls daily from
people from Syria and elsewhere – Egypt, Turkey and Jordan, among others
– looking for assistance in a country reeling from economic crisis
that, even in the best of times, is ill-equipped to receive them.
Shelters, medical services and jobs are in short supply.
Smugglers are getting rich from
Syrians' despair, Antouan said. In spite of their hardship and
vulnerability, those who arrive seek to give as much as they receive,
she said.
“We have a 5-year-old boy who
is here with his mother; the parents are divorced,” she said. “He lost
his voice when their house was bombed before they left Syria. He is
under psychological tests. The mother has legalized herself in Greece
and is helping us with groceries and clothing distribution, organizing
our storage, and doing home visits, as she is still unemployed.”
Whenever the ministry can
afford it, it supports the mother financially, as she works with all her
heart alongside the ministry team, she said.
Last month, at least 25
refugees benefitting from Bridges left for other European countries, but
the number attending the ministry's worship meetings remains constant
with the continual stream of newcomers. The directors strive to remain
in contact with those who leave, and they have considered starting
Bridges branches in the European countries in which the refugees are
settling. Those departing regularly ask the Antouans’ when are they
coming to countries such as Belgium, Germany or Sweden.
“We are blessed to hear their
voices before they go, saying, 'You must help us to start the same
there!’” Antouan said. “We are blessed to see how Jesus changes hearts
and rebuilds broken lives so that then they become servants of others.”
To help support ministry to Syrian refugees in Greece, you may contribute online at http://www.christianaid.org/Gifts/Basket.aspx,
or call 434-977-5650. If you prefer to mail your gift, please mail to
Christian Aid Mission, P.O. Box 9037, Charlottesville, VA 22906, USA.
Photo caption: Syrian refugees can still be seen living on the
streets of Athens. (Photo: Christian Aid Mission). 2) Christian Aid
Mission logo.
Note:
Christian Aid Mission is an evangelical missionary organization based
in Charlottesville, Virginia, that assists indigenous missionary
ministries overseas through prayer, advocacy and financial support.
Since 1953, Christian Aid Mission has identified, evaluated and assisted
more than 1,500 ministries in more than 130 countries that are reaching
the unreached for Christ in areas of the world where there is no
witness for Christ, where Christians suffer from poverty or persecution,
or where foreign missionaries are not allowed. Today, we assist more
than 500 ministries overseas with tens of thousands of indigenous or
native missionaries in the field. These ministries are currently working
among more than 1,000 people groups in 100+ countries around the world.
For more information, please visit www.christianaid.org.
** You may republish this story with attribution to the ASSIST News Service (www.assistnews.net)
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