Growing up Kurdish is difficult in and of itself, in ways I can't even begin to grasp or detail out here (I'm not trying to be political, just seeking to understand my friend). Being part of a people group with no land of their own and finding yourself surrounded by warring nations provides a glimpse into his childhood. Moving from place to place when he was young, he finally settled in Iraq to begin to work when he should've been pursuing a university education. For three years he found himself bent over nearly double carrying massive stones on his back in the blazing hot sun for 12 hours a day. The pay was minimal, but after saving every penny, he was able to help his family move onward in their journey to what he hoped was a better life. His family set out through the mountains of Iran, seeking entrance into Turkey. It was here that the police took them captive, placing them in a prison for over 2 weeks with no food. His mother has diabetes (I can't imagine how she survived this!), but it was his father that had a heart attack, received no medical help, and died there. How horrific to be treated as so worthless that their lives mattered not! Upon release, they were hit with the cost of burying him in a foreign land: 2,000 Euros! Knowing they needed to keep moving forward, they sought out help to get to Europe. The corrupt man they encountered promised them a safe passage on a boat with 40 people, maximum. He charged them 4,000 Euros for this, and then used force to place them on the boat when there were 70 people climbing aboard instead. All their money was gone, and now their very life was in danger as they set out in the pitch black darkness across unknown waters. A miracle of God protected them as nearly collided head on with a black, almost invisible, ship- they were able to spin out of the way just in time and hang on as the wake nearly toppled them over. Once reaching Greece, they spent 3 months in Idomeni, the worst refugee camp at the time. But a few weeks ago the Greek government decided they were going to remove all the existing camps (able to be seen by tourists, which would affect their money intake during the summer months) and move all the people to military camps (concealed in far off abandoned warehouses). The camp his family was moved to isn't open to most organizations entering, likely because the conditions are so bad, so we sat outside the gate and talked. For 15 days no one emptied the trash bins at the camp! The amount of trash produced by 300 people is massive. There is a family there that they've heard has tuberculosis. The others have been told that there is nothing to worry about, but as they walk through the camp coughing, fact-based fear triumphs over the empty words of the guards. One look at anyone in this camp reveals one of the most horrific issues of all: mosquitos! Some people easily are covered in over 100 bites, as there is zero protection from the nightly onslaught of bloodsuckers from the nearby lake. His mother's health has nosedived as the health care provided is severely limited. There is given no information as to what the next steps will be. There is a Kurdish camp in Athens with people who've waited 10+ years for resettlement! Will this be their story? If they do get resettled in the next year, will they get to choose where they go or be sent to a far off land to live in another camp similar to this one? Will his mom be able to hold out for this seemingly never-ending resolution? Question after question plagues his thoughts. The future is unknown and seemingly bleak.
As I laid on my bed that night, pondering his story, I couldn't help but think about the life of Joseph in the Old Testament. Sold into slavery by his own brothers, falsely accused by his owner's wife, unjustly imprisoned, forgotten by the man he'd helped, etc... A true tale of woe! But through it all, God worked! It even mentions that God's steadfast love was with him when he was in prison. In my mind, steadfast love doesn't equal imprisonment, but in God's kingdom of redeeming evil to good and ugly to beautiful, it can mean this! Maybe steadfast love means injustice, refugee status, unknowns, heartache, and trials beyond compare. God alone knows what redemption of this all will be!
"As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today."
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