There are millions of refugees in the world with nowhere to go. OneLife Matters, under the umbrella of the International Mission Board, recognizes the significance of this travesty, but also sees the enormous potential for sharing the gospel.
A Big Brother’s Story
There are 1 million Syrian child refugees, three-fourths under age 11. Two such refugees are Muhammad and his younger brother, both of whom were wounded by soldiers after praying in a mosque on a day when there was a demonstration in the streets. Muhammad tried to protect his younger brother by hiding under a car. However, when the car moved, it ran over Mohammad, breaking his leg in three places. Both were taken for care in separate ambulances. However, they are not the only children to have suffered the world’s brutality. Many such children are experiencing depression and post-traumatic stress disorder from what they’ve experienced.
Greece
Athens, Greece, is the largest European gateway for immigrants from Central Asia, the Middle East and Northern Africa. One million (20 percent) of Athens’ population are immigrants and refugees, which has become a national crisis for the country.
Refugees who’ve made their way to Athens have experienced enormous difficulties due to war, poverty and discrimination. Finding themselves in limbo, they have physical and spiritual needs the Oasis Refugee Center is working to resolve by caring for, sharing with and befriending those who seek shelter there.
Unable to integrate into society and unable to return to their homelands, OneLife assists more than 500 people a week by reaching out and meeting basic needs, including skill training to help provide for their families. For example, women are taught sewing methods, which they can utilize to make a living.
Volunteers, working through the Oasis Refugee Ministry in Athens provide hot meals, groceries, clothing, hygiene items, showers, haircuts and medicine, but also language training. Volunteers there teach English to adults and children, which will open the door to more opportunities for them.
Crisis in Syria: An Open Door
There are more than 9 millions Syrians (4 million children) who are displaced and homeless are a result of civil war. They flee with nothing except the clothes on their backs, flooding border towns and refugee camps in neighboring countries. They are not allowed to obtain jobs. Most suffer from malnutrition.
OneLife’s goal in this endeavor to is establish a community center to serve in a number of ways, including food and clothing distribution, provide a secure (monitored) playground, provide Arabic literacy and ESL classes, teach arts and crafts to the women, and provide a medical clinic and health classes.
One long-term goal is to provide apartments in the community center to house teams of volunteers who come on a short-term basis to serve refugees in such a way that leads to visits and sharing. Syria’s history includes the fact the people are Muslim, practicing Islamic beliefs, customs and traditions.
You Can Help
There currently are 18 projects being hosted by OneLife, all which can be found at OneLifeMatters.org. Advocates—those who want to help in any of these causes—can offer assistance at whatever level is reasonable for him or her or a team. A hot meal can be provided for as little as $1, or groceries for 150 refugee families can be provided for $750. Individuals and mission teams can get involved on a short-term or long-term basis. Contact OneLifeMatters.org for additional information about where you can help in various locations around the world.
