Stories From Camp: Lesvos Five

More than 400 people came to the camp during our shift yesterday.

First I met an eleven year old girl from Syria. She and a friend spotted the kids’ area and went straight for the hula hoops and jump ropes. They laughed as they tried to get the hula hoops to stay up. She spoke with me for a bit, because she wanted to practice her English. She said it had been a long journey to get to Lesvos. She had gorgeous, big eyes.

Then I talked with a man who has a wife and three small children back in Syria. He said crossing the water to get to Greece is extremely dangerous, and he couldn’t live with himself if he were to lose his family. So his goal is to get to Germany, and get the proper papers to bring them to Europe safely.

I spoke with a husband and wife who said they came because “everybody in Syria is dead.”

When I showed one little girl the kids’ tent she said “ahhhhh!” in wonder. Before playing she hesitated, then asked me, “is it free?” I told her yes, of course it’s free! Can you imagine? Playing with toy cars and blocks and balloons should always be free! It is a blessing to be here, to participate in the joy, to make the journey the tiniest bit easier.

They were all very excited to finally be here. I tried not to think past the moment, too far into their futures, because it’s all still so uncertain.

Please Lord, keep them safe.