Visiting a Refugee Camp

Living in Europe has given us opportunities to not only see beautiful places and things, but to have some amazing experiences as well. We just happen to be living in Germany at a time when the country has taken in thousands and thousands of refugees from Syria. There are several refugee camps in our area, and I've had a desire to visit one and help out for quite some time. Today, thanks to two wonderful ladies in our community who organized a trip, our family was able to join a caravan of 15-20 vehicles loaded down with donated items to take to the people living in two camps near Nuremberg.

Our first stop was at a camp that houses only men. They live in an old gymnasium where beds are lined up all around the room. We were able to give these men shoes, warm clothes, blankets, and toiletries. They invited our entire group inside and were extremely welcoming and grateful for the items we brought to them.

Leaving the men's camp, we went just a couple of streets over to a family camp. Thirteen families (44 people in all) are housed in four classrooms of an old school building. Many of the children here were in need of winter clothing, and we had an abundance of it to share with them along with toys, toiletries, bedding, and food.

The security people at the family camp would not allow us inside, so we just set everything up in the parking lot of the school and let the families shop for the things they needed. 

These two are brothers, and the little one stole my heart. He has the prettiest curls and the longest eyelashes and was so excited to see everything. He even gave me a kiss on the cheek! You'll notice neither of them are wearing coats, and it was very cold today.

This little guy was another of the cuties we encountered.

These two gentlemen are both refugees who spoke very good English. The one on the left is from Syria, and the one on the right is from Palestine. They both are very well educated and said they simply want to make a life for themselves and their families in Germany, a place where they can be safe. The gentleman on the left has a wife and daughter back in Syria, and he's hoping to get them to Germany sooner rather than later. Like any proud father, he showed us pictures of his beautiful little girl, and he also told us the entire story of how he got from Syria to Germany. They both said they dream of going to America, but it is just too hard to get in.

One of my daily Bible readings this past week was Matthew 25. Here's an excerpt:

37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

I know the refugee issue is a hot button topic back in the States.  I feel both sides of it and certainly don't have the answers. Today all I know is that a beautiful little boy who didn't have a winter coat got one, and that's really all that mattered.