Refugee camp in Thessaloniki, run by the Greek army

When we got to Idomeni, we were met by a scene of two men pouring gasoline over themselves and setting themselves on fire. That cry for help was aimed at people who think the refugees are “none of their problem.” It was supposed to awaken compassion. On the other hand, every step we made through that camp felt like a step through a valley of blessings. Talking to people there felt like talking to God. We saw God’s provision every time we sat down to share a meal of boiled potatoes with families in the camp. Most of the western world eats McDonalds and steaks,

ungrateful for what they have. These people keep giving thanks for every bite they have. “Only God can help us,” said a mother of a small child, while we were eating dinner together. I have never heard God’s name being called so many times, as in these couple of days in the camps in Greece. God was worshiped there much more than in many cathedrals and megachurches. Idomeni is a valley of blessings,

a place where God shows himself each day, through volunteers who have traveled a long time to bring a few bags of potatoes to the refu- gees, but also through locals who cook food wherever they can. One Greek local brought his herd of cows to a nearby meadow, so he can give milk to refugees. The goal of our visit was to see for ourselves what is going on in the field, because we cannot rely on what the media broadcasts. It is usually untrue, or nothing is being said at all. After we visited the camp in

After that, we went to visit other camps in Greece and,

needless to say, the needs in each were great. Famine and filth were everywhere. The biggest needs were food and hygiene. Most people could not afford to buy food every day and feed their children. A lot of children ate plain biscuits daily, but even though that would be something we would probably complain about, there was nothing but gratitude in those children’s eyes. The camp in Thessaloniki is run by the army. We visited the

camp with our friends from the organization A21. The camp was built for 3,000 people. They live in small, prefabricated IKEA houses, and are provided with food by the army. They have toilets and showers, thanks to A21. The camp is located on a former army base, so the living conditions are better here.

The refugees are allowed to go

in and out of the camp. The police are there only when food is being distributed to keep the peace. Even though the whole camp is under the jurisdiction of the army, the or- ganization of everything is handed to an American missionary. I had a very pleasant conversation with Army General Moschopoulous, who gave us a tour of the camp and told us about the situation in Greece. He pointed us to other camps with much greater needs. The scenes we saw in Greece

A family from Syria eating potatoes for the fourth consecutive day

Idomeni, we traveled to Thessaloniki, because we wanted to visit the camp led by the Greek armed forces. However, on our way there, we found five illegal camps, where people live wherever they can and eat whatever they can find. One of the camps is located at a gas station, and there were more than 2,500 people living there. Upon entry into the station, we met two workers, who, even though the gas station was closed due to this situation, came there every day and gave out boiled eggs. Their names were Alexandra and Katerina. “If we could, we would bring thousands of eggs, but we

simply can’t. We would love to help everyone get something,” said Alexandra with tears in her eyes.

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were horrifying, but these people are not hopeless. Europe might have lost hope, but these people have the chance to meet God. Brothers and sisters, we are those who need to be God’s presence

there. The great commission given to us in Matthew’s Gospel is the guiding force and the road we need to take. Make people disciples of Christ and help the least of these. That is our task, and that is our hope. We hold the Bible in one hand and bread in the other. We are servants of Christ. We cannot allow ourselves to follow Pilate’s example and wash

our hands of this situation. On the contrary, we should respond to Jesus’ words: “You feed them,” and answer with faithful and ready hearts. Elvis Džafić is volunteer coordinator for refugees for the Baptist Union of Croatia.