One of the most difficult parts of refugee ministry is that we’re constantly saying goodbye to people we’ve come to love dearly. That’s the case again this week, as another good friend moves on from Athens. “A” is a strong woman. She came to Athens from Afghanistan with five children and a drug addicted husband… [Read more…]
August 26, 2011
Happy Friday! Well, we haven’t gotten back into the habit of taking the camera out after our time in Switzerland. So here’s one (literally one) last picture from the International Teams conference earlier this month. If you have a keen eye, you can spot Kristin, Emma, and I in the back left. Sofia’s in the… [Read more…]
August 22, 2011
Almost all of the refugees that come to us are hoping simply to pass through Greece on their way to Europe. However, most find themselves stuck: no hope of asylum in Greece, no path forward (into Europe), no way back (whether to Afghanistan, Iraq, or Algeria). Many are desperate. Just a few weeks ago, several… [Read more…]
August 18, 2011
Happy Friday! More photos from our time in Switzerland! We’re still buzzing about the beauty there. Enjoy! Check out more about Jeff’s work here – http://www.schumancentre.eu/
August 15, 2011
We’re back in Athens after a week in Beatenberg – a mountain village in central Switzerland. Wow, talk about beautiful! I didn’t know that these kinds of places really existed outside of the movies! Breath-taking. So, what was the occasion? We gathered together with roughly 100 other International Teams workers from throughout Europe (plus a… [Read more…]
August 8, 2011
It’s back… The International Association for Refugees (IAFR) has posted the 2011 World Map of the Refugee Highway. It’s a great visual of where refugees come from, where they’re going, and some of the stops along the way. You can see that Athens is a major path for those coming into Europe from Afghanistan, Iran,… [Read more…]
February 14, 2011
As you may remember, International Teams has missional teams working with refugees across Europe and around the world: from Minneapolis to Rome, from Sydney to Sudan! I love learning from the stories and experiences of our co-workers around the globe. One such team is the staff at “The Oasis,” a refugee ministry center outside of… [Read more…]
July 26, 2010
What does Athens have to do with Dublin? Well, Greece is the primary entry point for “irregular migrants” (refugees and illegal immigrants); the Dublin II Regulation is the common European asylum law. The European asylum system is a mess. Period. From my perspective (I’m not a politician, but on-the-ground working with refugees in Greece), the… [Read more…]
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January 12, 2012
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