This project didn’t go as planned. You see, it was spring break so I had a little extra time that was normally spent shuttling refugee women to English class and herding elementary kids who think they can’t read and so don’t want to try. But I’d been wanting to put together a cooking blog [...]
A Crazy Day - Life in Kurdistan The painter was coming at 10 with a friend’s father, although it would probably be 10:30 because life in Kurdistan runs on Kurdish time. When I got the call that the painter couldn’t come until 5 pm, I wasn’t terribly surprised. My car was stuck in a store [...]
Beginning The beginning is always filled with hope and fraught with hazard. Whether it’s a new baby or a new business, this unlikely pair always comes along for the ride. The early years of Servant Group (1992-1995) are a great example of this. As mentioned before, the ministry began as a way to address the [...]
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 [...]
Where is Home Anyway? The past six months have been a whirlwind filled with new friendships and experiences. It’s hard to remember how much things have changed since we first arrived. Somewhere along the line, relationships developed with the students, and with it evaporated the vast majority of classroom behavior problems. Somewhere along the line, [...]
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 [...]
People Always Ask About the Food Team dinner was always a special event. The team of teachers in Suly would share a meal together while Skyping with the SGI team in Nashville. It was not only a time of fellowship, but of relaying news, solving problems and just keeping in touch. I got to be [...]
