For one week, a team went with Global Aid Network (the humanitarian partner of Agapé UK) to serve alongside long-term volunteers working at the camp, and to demonstrate practical love to the people there who have already been through severe trauma in their journey to get this far.
The team were responsible for a variety of activities whilst there; from census-taking, to cleaning toilets, to running craft activities with some of the women, to prepping tents with tarpaulin ahead of the storms to come. For one team member, Sarah, each new challenge presented an opportunity to show the kindness of Jesus, and she was deeply moved by those she met:
“I was so encouraged, during my hours of cleaning, when a handful of refugees came up to help… one man and his family were sleeping in the rubbish pile outside of the toilets, and he volunteered to do one of the most disgusting jobs himself while his children were putting rubbish in bags. It was a real blessing to see his desire to make it better, not only for himself and his family, but for others.”
The kindness shown to these families prompts them to ask searching questions about the volunteers’ motivation to serve, particularly as they grapple with making sense of what they have experienced whilst holding on to hope in a loving God.
GAiN UK have teams going regularly to serve alongside local partners and enable them to respond to the ongoing crisis. Would you like to be part of helping with heart and hand and join their next team? You can find out more about future teams here: globalaidnetwork.org.uk/getinvolved