If you have kept up with the previous blog posts you may have noticed that Yezidi culture is very complex. In this installment, we’re going to be exploring the layers of society (the Yezidi castes) and the influences from other cultures around them. Yezidi Castes and Culture The caste system in Yezidi culture is very [...]
From one of our short-term team members, Brian Haney, Maryland: One of the highlights of the trip was getting to play soccer with the boys for most of the day one day. As a former soccer player, I was floored to do this. Soccer itself is the universal sport and language. Just seeing the excitement [...]
Adnan's Story Adnan has lived in Athens for about a year now. Like many others floating in the ancient Greek city, he's from Syria. But that Syria doesn't exist anymore. He's been able to work some for the last few months helping medical personnel and teaching about mental health issues relating to trauma. He's a [...]
Back to the Islands The refugee crisis in Greece is often portrayed as connected to the war in Syria. And while Syrians do represent the majority of refugees in Europe, our team spent last week on a small Greek island in a camp that is incredibly diverse. We met refugees from as far east as Bangladesh, as far [...]
Math is Too Hard! My favorite memory is of meeting Ari, a Syrian refugee. He was 16 years old and brilliant. As an engineer, I began asking him if he would like to study engineering. He said, “No, math is too hard” So I began asking him questions about math assuming he was struggling with [...]
A large refugee camp on a small Greek island needs help! We're looking for a team of 2-4 young men to go serve for 1-3 months. Responsibilities will include moving tents, passing out food, playing volleyball, and being the first impression of Christ to refugees from over 20 countries. If you are interested in recruiting a [...]
Island Team - February 2017 Each of our teams volunteering to help refugees in Greece is a bit different. Some are all from the same group or church, others are a smattering of individuals from all over the U.S. Each one ends up doing slightly different things to help refugees. But the stories and experiences [...]
The Refugees by Viet Thanh Nguyen I had high hopes for this book. I started reading it days after the travel ban had been put into place and then taken down. The feelings toward refugees were running high, and I was excited to read and review a book about a subset of refugees that I [...]
I am so very thankful. Shukraan (that means thank you in Arabic). I am still trying to put into words my thoughts and feelings about last week in Athens. The best summary I have is that it was a beautiful week, for in beauty there can be both joy and sorrow. The stories I heard [...]
THANK YOU!! In just the last two days we have raised over $7000 dollars to provide much needed shoes, socks, and warm coats for refugees moving back to their homes in Iraq. Included in that are 207 pairs of shoes for children, 142 pairs of socks, other coats hats and gloves, and lots of undesignated [...]
