Syrian Refugees Drown Trying to Reach Europe
November 12, 2015
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After surviving a trip by sea from Turkey, a Syrian refugee boy enjoys food distributed in Greece.
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Syrian and other refugees trying to reach Greece by sea are still
pushing off from shore in record numbers, including more than 300 whose
boat recently capsized in harsh seas off the island of Lesbos. At least
43 people lost their lives.
Desperate refugees have defied expectations that their numbers would
dwindle as the changing seasons bring more tumultuous waters. An
indigenous ministry in Greece serving Syrian arrivals from Turkey is
helping to keep up with the needs of immigrants fleeing war and the
Islamic State (ISIS). A ministry team recently went to the Greek island
of Lesbos to help refugees who survived the treacherous trip from
Turkish shores.
Arriving by boat from Athens, the team headed to northern Lesbos,
where most refugees arrive, the ministry co-director said. It was 11
p.m. when they began the 90-minute drive to the shores of Skykamia. As
they walked toward the beach, she said, they saw many freshly arrived
refugees walking in the dark, as well as piles of discarded life
jackets.
At a plateau leading to the beach, they saw some movement shining in
the moonlight, said the co-director, whose name is withheld for security
reasons.
"We thought it was trash," she said. "Getting closer, we realized it
was not trash but 53 people, 10 of them children, who had just arrived
from Turkey. Someone gave them thermal blankets. They were scared to
death, as it was nearly 1 in the morning, and they were in a deserted
area, not knowing where to go or what to do."
Drunk, angry villagers were shouting at them, while others were
trying to persuade them to pay 25 Euros per person to take them to the
port.
"A father was staying awake, trying to protect his wife and a
few-months-old daughter," she said. "We calmed them down. We called the
police, and they said they would come to pick them up the next morning.
My husband [a ministry co-director] made sure the locals would go away
and not return back."
Kinder locals were cooking food for the newly arrived, and the team
spent the next day helping to bring refugees to a distribution site and
serving the hungry.
"Certainly, the kids wanted to wait not even one minute," the co-director said.
The next day the team brought food to the port where hundreds of
refugees had only the shadow of the ferries to protect them from the sun
as they awaited registration. Just as the ministry provides aid and
orientation at its base in Athens, team members came alongside the
refugees as thousands boarded a ferry for the Greek capital and, upon
arrival, walked to the subway to make their way to the city center.
Listening to refugees' tragic stories, team members also found many just
wanted to know where to catch a bus for Germany.
Though in exile and need, the survivors counted themselves fortunate.
After the boat with more than 300 aboard sank on Oct. 28, authorities
recovered the bodies of 20 children, 17 men and six women who drowned.
It was the highest number of fatalities from a refugee boat in Greek
waters since fighting began in Syria in 2011. Four days later (Nov. 1),
six infants and five other refugees drowned after their boat sank off
the island of Samos. The next day, four refugees died and another six
went missing when their boat capsized off the island of Farmakonisi.
That weekend (Oct. 31-Nov. 1), Greece's coast guard reported rescuing
more than 1,400 people in the Aegean Sea. The number of migrants and
refugees entering Europe by sea in October was 218,394, according to the
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees – just shy of the total
figure for all of last year, 219,000.
In Turkey, the country from which most refugees are setting out to
sea, indigenous ministries are among organizations helping to keep the 2
million Syrian refugees there from risking the trip across Aegean
waters. A ministry Christian Aid Mission assists in refugee camps near
the south-central city of Adana recently provided 125 boxes of food and
other relief items to 125 families.
"The aid you supplied provided very well for each family," the
director of one indigenous ministry said. "Thank you so much for your
help for these desperate people in the name of the Lord Jesus. When they
received the boxes from us, they were so happy."
The need for clean drinking water continues to be critical. The
ministry team provided 1,500 bottles of water, 12 bottles per family or
24 bottles for families of seven or more people, the leader said.
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A Syrian mother arrives in Greece carrying her child and her only remaining possessions.
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"God gave us opportunity to serve these people in this way, and we are preaching the gospel at the same time," he said.
Another ministry based in northern Turkey visited a 1,000-tent camp
in the south. The indigenous director said the team visited tents
one-by-one, discussing needs with the predominantly Muslim refugees and
praying for them. Team members previously had given them New Testaments,
and on this visit they left them with booklets in Arabic entitled, "
Why Jesus?"
"Now we want to prepare the wood that the refugees will need in
winter," the director said, adding that a single family needs 40 sacks
of wood at a cost of $180 in total to survive the cold season. The wood
is used for cooking, keeping warm, and heating water for bathing.
"In Turkey, they don't sell wood as a bundle, they sell it by
sacks," he said. "We are planning to give each family 40 sacks, but we
can't give it all at one time. We must provide the 40 sacks over two or
three visits, because they can't keep 40 sacks in their tents."
At the Adana camp, refugees told ministry team members that they are
concerned about their children's futures, especially as many have gone
years without attending school. Such needs tempt parents to head for
Europe, putting their children onto overcrowded boats ill-equipped to
withstand Aegean waves, and the ministry team prayed with families about
schooling.
"They have been unhappy and worried about their kids' future," the
ministry leader said. "Every person we talked with, when we provided
help, they always reminded us about their kid's education. They never
wanted to be this way. They want this war finished, and they want to go
back to their country."
To help indigenous missionaries meet needs,
you may contribute online using the form below, or call (434) 977-5650.
If you prefer to mail your gift, please mail to Christian Aid Mission,
P.O. Box 9037, Charlottesville, VA 22906. Please use Gift Code: 400REF.
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