Trail of Hope

ROM (Renewing Our Minds) team, in partnership with IFES (EUS) Serbia spent three intensive days serving Syrian refugees on the Hungarian and Croatian borders in Serbia, September 2015. They witnessed thousands of young people and families with children, many walking with crutches and in wheelchairs, moving forward ever closer to the West Europe. The relief work of ROM and EUS is motivated by the summons of Jesus: “Whatever you did to the list of these, you did for me!” Time: 5:20 min.

Are We in Belgrade Yet?

Author: Ilija Mićović

Soon after we passed the town of Šid we arrived to a dirt road and some cornfileds.  We were less than two kilometers away from the Croatian border.

We quickly started to unload our vehicles and joined several groups that were already there.  Then the first group of refugees came with a bus as we were setting up all the bananas, water bottles and snicker chocolates. One volunteer, from a different organization, upon seeing us carrying the full box of packaged wet wipes, told us that it was awesome that we brought wet wipes, because, as he said, “they really like those”.

As the first bus stopped, men and women, children, young people and elderly were coming closer to our small food and distribution point. They had pale faces, some exhausted from many days of wondering and walking. They were hungry too. One refugee asked me: “Are we in Belgrade yet"? I wondered about how informed some of the refugees were about where they were going? At that place they were only a few minutes away from Croatia, and one hour by car from Belgrade.

We witnessed some surprising and moving moments. We saw a father carrying a daughter in his arms. She had casts on both of her legs. She was not older then 6 or 7. Our team decided that we should use our van and couple of cars we had to transport that whole family to the border, plus a few more mothers, children and people with hurting legs. That became a rule from that moment onward. Mothers with little children would get a free ride to the border. Unfortunately we could help only a few families at a time.

As I was handing out bananas to those who walked by, one middle-aged man, with anxious expression on his face stopped for a moment next to me, as if to clear his mind. I smiled to him as I offered him a banana. He returned the smile as if to honor my effort, and a moment later continued to walk as anxious as he was only a few moments before. Did he worry about the unknown things ahead?

By the night hours we gave away almost all we had. As we started to worry a bit about who would take care of the refugees when we leave, a group of volunteers from the Czech Republic arrived. They brought strollers and things that would make transportation of young kids easier. And then more people come from different organizations to help throughout the night hours.

As we were leaving our post next to the cornfields near the Croatian border I thought about two young Syrian men whom we met two days earlier at the Hungarian border. The border was sealed and they could not enter Hungary. A couple of hours ago we met them again, but this time as they were about to cross the border into Croatia. They were very happy to see us, talk to us and laugh with us, at least for a moment. We event took a picture with them, and then they were on their way again, into the corn fields with the rest of their group, with many more walking behind and ahead of them. In the next fifteen minutes or so they would be in Croatia.

My intention is to continue helping the refugees. I will apply today to join the volunteers at the Depot Center, where immigrants in Belgrade can get free items, from food to warm clothing and hygienic necessities.

Ilija Mićović

Meeting Jesus on the Refugee Trail

Sojourners Sept 29, 2015 published the article of Tihomir Kukolja

The moment our RCRR (ROM Community Refugee Response) international team moved to the Hungarian and Croatian borders in Serbia, we were under attack from Christians who did not approve of our action. They warned us that we were “naïve and misguided.” Some even said that we were “aiding terrorists and human traffickers.”

In their view, the trail of the thousands of refugees from Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and other people groups, including Kurds and a number of Christians, across Europe is the result of a sinister plot to “conquer Europe with Islam.” They often used Bible verses and questionable hermeneutics to buttress their views.

Our team, a collaboration between the Renewing Our Minds (ROM) initiative and EUS Serbia (IFES – International Fellowship of Evangelical Students Serbia), could not disagree more with the concerns of fellow believers who see the current refugee crisis as a serious threat to “European Christian culture and identity.” Our ROM Community Refugee Response, as we called the action, involved a group of followers of Jesus, mostly young leaders from Serbia, Romania, Croatia, Israel/Palestine, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Albania, the U.K., and the U.S. We embraced the challenge that if there was ever a time in Europe to demonstrate the love of Jesus toward people in distress, this is it as Europe faces its most overwhelming challenge since World War II.

We wanted to make a statement of love, compassion, and empathy. The summon of Jesus was clear to us: “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me” (Matthew 25:40)…

See more at: https://sojo.net/articles/meeting-jesus-refugee-trail/

Refugees are not Terrorists

This was the first update I sent to a group of friends and partners immediately following the three days of humanitarian action for the Syrian and other refugees in Serbia, organized by the ROM Community Refugee Response team, in partnership with EUS Serbia (IFES Serbia) one week ago. At the time of writing of this update, which was written in one breath, I was flying from Belgrade back to Houston. This was on Tuesday, Sept 22, 2015.

Dear Friends,

For us who came to Serbia to serve the refugees those were three days charged with emotions and dedication. Initially we planned only one day of action, but we had enough material and funds to keep on serving the refugees for three days, first at the Hungarian border and than close the Croatian border near Šid. The later was more powerful because we were serving the incoming rivers of hungry refugees, who were arriving in waves, in one bus after another from the Hungarian border and even more from the Macedonian border. As the buses would arrive the refugees would immediately start walking towards the Croatian border, with only a short stop to pick up whatever they needed to continue on.

My current and rough estimate tells me that in three days we were able to help, one way or another, between 1500 to 2000 refugees. We even used our cars to take up to 100 children and their mothers, and some people who had serious difficulties walking or serious medical problems, and help them with the final two kilometers leading to the very border with Croatia. For all of us in the group this was powerful, moving and overwhelming experience, and we were all filled with inner satisfaction that we were at that time there where we were needed the most.

Soon following the opening of the Croatian border for the refugees, media announced that Croatia closed its border for any incoming traffic from Serbia. While this was true for the official border crossings for a few days, the factual truth is that the border has never become closed for the refugees. Thousands upon thousands of refugees have been streaming across the border from Serbia into Croatia since last Tuesday, without stopping.

At the Hungarian Border near Horgos

The other thing about media is that they tend to focus on the negative side of any unveiling story. The stereotype is that the refugees look like a wild crowd of people who do not respect their surrounding, throw garbage everywhere, often cause problems, and are ready to riot when not let further. Often media are deliberate in presenting them as a nuisance, a future trouble for Europe; even future terrorists.

But what we experienced was something different. The refugees are mostly young people and young families, or early middle-aged families. There are many children among them, and many babies. Many refugees are well educated and they speak good English. We spoke with many of them. They always show gratitude for what is being done for them. They do not mind talking to you and answering your questions. Some even said that it is moving for them to see that Christians love them, while their own people do not want to help them. Many of them are hurting from walking. Many are weak from the days and weeks spent walking and slowly moving forward. Some have been on the road for the past two months. Often we heard them saying: “You are good people, thank you very much”. And giving them a handshake or even a hug was something many appreciated. They certainly do not look as if they are future terrorists sent to terrorize Europe .

Our conclusion is that those people are genuine refugees who left their countries because there was nothing good awaiting them there any more, except certain death, kidnapping and unwanted conscription. Some of them said: "Some people judge because they see us with smart phones in our hands. But what people do not understand is that at home our lives amount to nothing. It is not only ISIS. We have multiple enemies there. If one group does not kill you today, another one will come into your village tomorrow and treat you just as wickedly. And if those do not kill you a week later another group may come and kill you just the same. And they are all equally evil." Those people are emptying Syria and Iraq because they want to find a home in a place where they and their children would be safe. Most of them are from Syria, but there are also the refugees coming out of Iraq, as well as Afghanistan. There are many Kurds among them too, and some Christians too.

The current refugee crisis has placed the enormous amount of pressure on Serbian and Croatian, two countries that to date have given the best example of how the refugees ought be treated. A the same time Serbia and Croatia fear that too many refugees might get stuck in their countries as the winter months are fast approaching, and at the time when some other European countries are refusing to open their doors to the refugees.

Serving the refugees moved us deeply

We need to pray that all the European countries will understand that they have a part to play in accepting the refugees. USA, Canada and Australia need to be generous too. EU should develop a clear policy about it and release the burden of the Serbian and Croatian shoulders, and share the burden in a balanced manner. No country should act arrogantly and determine that the refugees are not their problem. Those refugees are the real people, real men and women, families and children, and we all need to embrace them.

What now? Our action moves on. The refugee crisis in Serbia and Croatia is here to stay at least for a while. At this time we are developing a follow-up strategy. In Serbia we will continue to partner with EUS (IFES) Serbia. In Croatia our partnership will be clearly defined in the next several days. We desire to move on because this is the time when ROM Community needs to lead with their example. Our action in Serbia, and actions that will follow represent well what ROM and our organization Forum for Leadership and Reconciliation stand for: to teach the young leaders that serving the most vulnerable is the best demonstration of leadership. When we are doing that we are serving Jesus, we are being little Jesus' to them.

Thank you friends for your amazing support provided in many ways. It was thanks to you that instead of serving the refugees in Serbia only for a day, as originally planned, we were able to bless them by serving and loving them for three full days.

Tihomir Kukolja, Forum for Leadership and Reconciliation Executive Director