The Refugee Crisis: Stories from the camps - 26 Apr 2016

This report was sent through last week from a contact in the 24-7 community. Names and certain details have been changed to protect identities

“she didn't speak the language, so we called someone in to interpret the blood test for her…”

The train arrived at around 11.00 pm as usual. Hundreds of refugees and migrants got off the old train, hoping to get on the next one out, half an hour later. Just enough time to stretch their legs and have some refreshments...

The next train was to take them all the way through and leave them at the doorstep of Europe – their long awaited destination. 

But just then, the news arrived that Europe had closed its borders.

Discouraged and disappointed, hundreds took their place in a camp only intended as a rest stop but now their closest thing to ‘home’.

Within a few weeks, people from our church were going everyday to visit and talk to those living in the camp, understanding that simple conversation and a little human attention was more uplifting than a meal for many of these suffering people.

One day Sandra, a woman from our team, met a refugee named Zeda who was desperate to talk to her.

Zeda hurriedly told Sandra her story in one breath…

She was fleeing from war. But more than that, she needed to get to a hospital in Germany. Zeda had been diagnosed with liver cancer and she needed surgery; the cancer was spreading and she didn’t have much time left. She told Sandra that she had already undergone surgery back in her home country but the cancer had returned and spread.

Though it was forbidden in the camp, Zeda had seen Sandra praying with other refugees. “Can you pray for me?” she asked.

Sandra took her hands, “Let’s pray to Isa” and they prayed. 

In spite of the risk, Sandra felt prompted to pray for longer with Zeda, so the prayer went on for some time.

“In the name of Isa Al Masi (Jesus the Messiah).” She ended the prayer.

Sandra asked Zeda how she felt and Zeda replied that she was feeling much better - and eventually, Zeda went back to her tent with her husband. Sandra left the camp soon after, encouraged by the prayers but unable to shake the thought -

“She might die here, in this dirt…”

Two weeks later and Sandra was back in the camp doing her usual work. Suddenly, someone was running towards her, waving white papers and shouting out in broken English, “It happened! It happened!”

It was Zeda.

Following their prayers together, Zeda had asked the camp authorities if she could make an appointment at the closest hospital for tests - and the authorities had agreed to take her. Three days later, she had the test results in her hand.

“It happened!”, Zeda kept shouting, as Sandra read the papers. 

Sandra was shocked, unable to believe what she was seeing. She thought the papers said there was no more cancer - but she didnt speak the language fluently, so called someone else to interpret the results of the blood test.

“It’s says there is no more cancer in her body.” 

Zeda’s face started shining like the sun. “I want to believe like you do,” she took Sandra’s hands and pointed to the cross around her neck -

“...I want to pray like you do”

Zeda and her husband wanted to share with everyone in the camp what had happened, but Sandra was urging them not to tell anyone, as the authorities might not let the team back in the camp. But she told them - 

“Once you are gone from this camp, you can and should tell - and you should tell everyone - what Isa has done for you.”