Wednesday – May 25

What a glorious day it has been! At 6:30 am 6 of us headed up to Skala for a 24 hour shift. It has been a perfect sunny day with some stiff breezes at times. Skala is the stage two camp where refugees were taken from the beach and give dry clothes, food, and then a bus ride to the other camp. Originally that was a two to three day wait. Now they are in the camp for at least two months. Skala resembles the other camp on a very miniature scale. Here I can take pictures so I can at least get a sample of what it is like.
We relieved the overnight shift and then started prep for the day’s large gathering. As none of the EuroRelief staff are now in camp, we gathered from all over the island for a picnic and then a time of worship, prayer, and communion together.
We moved tables and chairs around, into the. very large tent. Then we started chopping vegetables for the pasta dish. Set up continued until about 11 when folks started arriving. It was primarily YWAM teams so many young people. Volleyball was set up on the gravel parking lot – no diving digs!
Skala was built on a former soccer pitch – one of the few level places in this vertical landscape. Skala is all white tents and gravel. But below us are trees and houses and villas and the sea just a short distance away – a mile by road but much shorter as the crow flies. Remember all those switchbacks i talked about. Above Skala are olive trees and stone terraces. Lesvos is a former volcano so the landscape is very rocky and steep. It reminds me a little of the Holy
Land, except here the rock is grey rather than brown and orange.
About one, the games stopped and lunch of sausages, pasta, and bread was served. Yummy. There were between 100-120 people here and over 20 different countries represented. Our team of 6 alone represents Australia, Iceland, Canada, and America. Such an amazing coming together of God’s people, After lunch, worship began with two guitars and many voices lifted up to God. It wouldn’t have been my taste at home – repetitive choruses – but here it seemed perfect. Watching these young people rejoice in their Lord warmed my soul. I am not naive enough to think this simple faith will not be tested and maybe even rejected in the future, but they will always have this time.
Small groups were formed for prayer – for our needs and the needs of the camp and refugees and the machinations of the outside world – the UN, the EU, NATO, the Greek and Turkish governments. We were told that there had been a peaceful protest in the camp with signs saying Bring Back EuroRelief, We Have Peace With EuroRelief and so on. There is hope that we can get back in next week. We are told that life in the camp is very difficult without the volunteers. Much prayer
After the crowds left, a few of us cleaned up the few actual dishes we had and then 3 of us headed to the exquisite little town of Sykamenia,, just down the hill. It was where we had been on Monday. If I was visiting, this is where I would stay. A tiny little village tucked into the hill and moving down to the perfect small harbor. A few shops and restaurants surround the
little square and harbor and the tiny white church sits on a rock by the harbor. If you picture a perfect Greek fishing village, this is it. You are even greeted by the local colorful person – clothed in a bright red sleeveless V-neck dress and heels, with hairy chest and receding hairline, daring you to react.
The three of us started with coffee, moved to shopping, and then a supper of pizza and wine. Back to Skala so the others could go out and now we have our quiet evening and then bed on a cot. All is most well.

“When the Lord brought back the captives to Zion, we were like men who dreamed. Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, ‘The Lord has done great things for them.’ Restore our fortunes, O Lord.”
Ps 126:1,2,4