Dear friends and family,
Even when you are used to traveling and expecting the unexpected, life can take an unexpected turn.
Last July we had to say goodbye to our home in Greece and begin a six month period of traveling, living out of our suitcase and camping out in different people’s homes.
On our way to Ivory Coast!
At the end of our six months, we had a special trip planned. We boarded our planes, along with a Dutch couple whom we had known for many years. I (Henk) could hardly believe we were on our way back to Ivory Coast!
Our first few two days we spent exploring the capital city before the three hour trip to the town where I grew up. However, at the end of the second day I started feeling sick - I assumed I must’ve eaten something wrong. By the morning the pain was so bad I could barely move. We went to the nearest hospital, where I was held in the emergency room for 14 hours while barely being seen. There was a lot of dysfunction in that hospital, but it still took a lot of convincing to get them to discharge me! By midnight we had found a private clinic where they took a scan, which confirmed I had appendicitis.
The next day I underwent surgery, which turned out more complex than the surgeon had anticipated because my appendix had ruptured and the inflammation had spread all over my abdomen. It had been a close call. Over the next few days I was in a lot of pain and discomfort, bound to the hospital bed with needles and tubes sticking out of me, not able to eat, drink or move. Slowly, the healing set in and I was able to get out of bed, move a little more and eat liquid food. I was discharged from the hospital nine days later, and I had just the strength for us to catch our flight back to the Netherlands.
What Allie was doing while Henk was sick…
Though it was a difficult experience and I was deeply disappointed not to be able to visit my childhood home, I am deeply thankful for the ways God provided comfort and encouragement to both of us. Our Dutch friends were alongside us the whole time. A local university student who heard about us came to the first hospital and advocated for us to get better care and then to get released.
A local couple working in student ministry met us in the second hospital to help us navigate the situation and stayed with us until after midnight. The wife comforted us and talked to Allie with her limited English. This couple came to visit again over the next few days, along with two childhood friends whom I had kept in touch with on Facebook for over 20 years. Despite having left Ivory Coast so long ago, it felt like I had a small community of support around me during the difficult days in the hospital!
“We challenge you to consider how you can be the hands and feet of Jesus to those around you”
It reminded both of us once again of the importance of being welcomed when you are in a foreign country. Often, we are the ones providing that support for our refugee friends who are foreigners here in Greece, not knowing the language or procedures. And now we were the ones in the hospital, needing a friend to stand up for us, support us and help us navigate a confusing system. God’s presence became tangible to us in our time of need - the family of God became His hands and feet to us.
Memories and Goodbyes
I (Henk) grew up with my family in Ivory Coast (Cote d’Ivoire). At the age of 12, when civil war broke out, we had one day to pack our bags and leave, with no goodbyes to our Ivorian friends. First, we fled to the capital city and soon afterwards to my passport country. We were told we would probably go back to Ivory Coast in a few weeks, which turned into months, which became years. Although God has granted me places of healing to be able to process much of the grief and loss over the years, I still had that wish to travel back and visit the places where I had so many memories, and to show them to Allie.
Our last picture at our house in Ivory Coast with my sister and our pets, in 2002
Saying goodbyes - many I would never see again
Goodbyes and Afghan Ice Cream
Leading up to our trip to Ivory Coast and the aftermath brought up many memories of leaving Ivory Coast as a kid - how difficult it was not to have had good closure and goodbyes.
Many of the young refugees we work with left Greece around the same time we did last summer. With some, we were able to say goodbye; others left without any warning. Thankfully, we were able to visit some of these friends during our travels in Germany later in the summer.
Samira and her sister had been a part of art class for about a year. Although, at 15, she had never learned to read and write in her own language, she worked hard at Greek school and made progress with both Greek and English. She abruptly had to say goodbye to her life in Greece as her family moved to Germany and now she has to start all over!
We were able to visit the girls in Hamburg during our six months out of Greece, and we took them to a street with mostly Afghan-owned stores and restaurants. They were so delighted and had many memories brought up from their time in their home country - not in the least thanks to the authentic “shir yakh” (Afghan ice cream) that we enjoyed together.
Incarnational ministry
Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”
We believe that, as followers of Jesus, we are called to imitate Jesus in life and mission, just as Jesus in turn was a perfect representation of the Father. Jesus has sent us to be in the world just as he was sent into the world. This means coming alongside, entering into life together and participating in its joys, challenges and sorrows.
This is not without risk - we may be called to sacrifice our time, comfort and energy. We may experience heartache and heartbreak, sadness and frustration, as we join in others’ suffering. But this life of discipleship and service that Jesus has called us into also brings joy and hope, often in unexpected places.
In the hospital in Ivory Coast, we were reminded again of the impact as we were on the receiving end of this kind of incarnational presence.
Jesus came “that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10). It is a joy to be a part of leading people into this fullness of life as Jesus intends it.
Updates from our community in Athens
While we were gone, our team mates were able to continue the art class and young guys’ outreach despite many from our community leaving Greece.
The refugee situation in Athens is changing (as always). Currently the government is trying to create an image of a “refugee free Athens” by relocating most refugees out of the city into semi-closed camps. Those who are still in the city mostly have to be self-sufficient and end up working long hours in underpaid jobs (including the teens). This requires creativity and flexibility in how to continue to reach out to our friends.
Our team is currently working on growing our community of teens and expanding our network of people and organizations.
We have had to deal with complex problems regarding the safety of the teenage girls in Athens and predatory individuals trying to exploit them. This is also an area where we are looking for strategic resources and partnerships to help prevent and address the issue.
This month we are taking some much needed time for debriefing, rest and renewal. We are currently in Spain doing a one-week debriefing of our experiences over the past years with a counselor.
We appreciate your prayers!
Thanks for all the ways you are joining us in this work!
