I think we were all surprised by how undeveloped and decrepit much of Athens is, but we're staying and working in the cheapest area. Seeing motorcyclists riding round with no gear or helmet, talking on a mobile, amidst suicidal traffic no longer seems strange, so we miust be settled into the Athens scene now.

Thus far we've been spoilt for food, hospitality and weather! It's been pretty full on with the Athens team six days a week.

A word of prayer is so appreciated:

- Divine appointments with refugees and other conversations
- Teachable hearts for anything and everything we need to "get"
- Practical integration of implications into "real life"

Depending on how much info you'd like, read or skip for more information in the headings below.

Till next time, love.

Cheers,
Clarissa
. . . on behalf of the Awesome Team Athens
(who will also answer to the five gorgeous girls, or other such things)


A bit more about. . .

- Tea House is where about 400 - 500 refugees come in for some respite from the streets. Here they find simple food, endless cups of tea, games of chess, movies, childrens activities, and friendship. Sometimes there are language classes, showers, clothing giveaways etc. It's generally a mad house but a lifeline to many people and a great place to build relationships. We help with all this three times a week.

- Persian fellowship is a church for believers and seekers. They finish with a meal. I hear about the very high price people have paid for their faith. It's not safe to explore the claims of Christ if you're a Muslim. People have been attacked by family or intimidated by others at Tea House. To create a safe place for people to seek, they keep everything low key, relational, leave literature out of the way so you can pick it up privately, and have retreats where you can get out of town and explore further in safety. There is a beautiful rawness and aliveness to a persecuted faith.

- Born in Brothels was a DVD about kids of prostitutes in the redlight district in Calcutta. We watched it as a team with two guests who are looking at setting up stuff for human traffiking. It was a potent reminder that you can't change on variable in isolation of others. Trafficking women and children and smuggling desparate people is extremely profitable business, more than the drug business, yet no one thinks it happens in their country.

- Before and after photos Twice I have helped register the hundreds of refugees that come into the Tea House. They present some form of idenitity paper and get a meal ticket. It touched me to see the "before" photos on their identity papers. Photos of another life when the men were sharp in suits, women posed proudly for a passport. All reflecting dignity, comfort, and control. Then I look at the person standing infront of me and take an "after" photo to register them. Some are aged beyond their years. Some are hollow and expressionless. Some betray their frustration. Others are amazingly accessible, animated, alive. They were like us. No one thinks it could happen to them. They still are like us. Normal responses to abnormal situations. Imagine if we could get past their African or Middle Eastern appearance to see him like my father. To see her like my mother. To see those kids as precious, instead of fruit of a problem people.

- Contrasts. I help serve a basic meal of one pitta bread, five olives, three peppers and a chunk of fetta cheese. Then I have choice, opportunitiy and means to essentially eat whatever I fancy. It's cold at night. I'm literally under three blankets and woke up in the middle of the night cold. I wonder about the refugees who are literally on the street whilst I'm in my bed. I have a way out. I have standing. Belonging. Power. All from a passport, a ticket home, insurance and loved ones who could bail me out if need be. Refugees live so precariously. Refugees can't get health care unless it's an emergency. So a refugee volunteer on the team is walking around knowing his apprendix is about to burst (already had one near miss) but can't access health care and has to wait till it's an emergency, which is life threatening.

- Sustainability. The team is made up of foreigners because Greeks don't seem to be engaged with refugee issues. How do you spend your team energy? Direct refugee work, which could consume every resource you have and still gape for more. Or capacity building and mobilizing the Greek community to engage with the needs and opportunities in their backyard. What mix of the two? In ten years, do we want this same model or are we aiming for a transition along the lines?

- Identification. What does it look like to reach out to, to go to, to identify with, to share with refugees? Any attempt to be like them is patronizing because even if I abandoned my passport, be homeless etc that’s a choice I controlled and no one chooses to be a refugee. So I can imagine I’d seem to be from another planet in their eyes. Just not sure how to minimize the barriers with integrity that is not tokenistic or just a knee jerk reaction.

- Trivia. Wine is cheaper than coke or juice. Butter for your bread is white. There are bus loads of swat teams for football games. Apartments come stripped of light fittings, ovens and the like. Toilet paper is hard to scoop out with the toilet brush if it takes more than a milisecond for you to remember you can't flush it. It is possible to make chips even fattier after deep frying - drown them liberally with oil!