The Need and the Chance since 2012 Start!
In the center of Athens,
where our Church and Mission is located, just between the two largest squares
Omonoias and Karaiskaki there are hundreds of refugees and migrants from many
countries (Iran, Iraq, Afganistan, Kourds, Banglades, Somalia, Africans, Former
Soviet Union countries, and lastly from Syria) who are gathered in well-groups
daily, outside in the streets. Most of them are Muslims, some Hindus and of few
other religions. Their majority is without work and very little into drugs and
prostitution. Their number has increased so much the last years that they seem
to be more than the Greeks. Many of the shops in the market are used by them
and the historical center of Athens is not the same as it was 5-10 years
before! The situation is getting worst, mainly because of their poverty and the
lack of basic needs for their survival!
In the midst of this, the
Lord of Hosts has put upon my heart a very heavy burden for these people, to do
something very crucial, vital and saving for them. I confess that because some
brethren of our church could not come in our meetings because of the danger of
the drugs and the robberies (few sisters of our congregations were attacked and
robbed) done by some of them, we were praying to the Lord to take us in another
place. To move our church to a safer and cleaner place, as our services were
very much reduced in attendance, the last few years.
However, as much as I
was praying about that, the Lord showed us that He wants us not to leave,
but to stay in that area and reach out these foreigners with His love and Word!
Actually it is something
very brand new that has never happened before as a mission of the Athens Church
of God, into our changing society! It’s a unique chance for us the Christians
of the Church of God to reach them out and show them the love of Christ,
sharing His saving Gospel. Our Church of God is amongst them and very close.
God has brought them close in order to reach, evangelize and make disciples of
the Lord.
Thus, we have had some
outreaches endeavors with our very short ‘means’, that you can watch here:
The Vision and the Particularity
My Vision was to go to
those people where they are. To start talks with them one by one – if it’s
possible in a daily basis - becoming familiar with them. By that way they’ll come
to know that there are some friends beside them – Christians who love them and
care for them. Thus, some of them might trust us, so God might open their
hearts for His Gospel to be received and become their Way unto salvation!
The Particularity is
that our target and purpose was that since we go to them – as the Lord Jesus
used to do it alone and together with His disciples – our purpose was and is to
give them just food or clothes, as well personal time in communication,
personal friendship, care and endeavor to ‘catch’ them into His nest, so when
He opens the way of their hearts to show the Word of Christ in them!
The Sustainability of
the Project
I do believe that in due
time, some migrants/ refugees will respond to God’s call and invitation and
will become Christ’s disciples. That means that we’ll have to teach them in a
regular basis the Word of God and make them disciples of Jesus in theory as
well in action too. As a result we’ll reproduce to them the same Call of God to
me/ us and thus we’ll continue reaching out more and more new souls and lives
of these precious people!
And if our Father likes
it, He may grant us with a wonderful Refugees Christian Support Centre, or
something named like that!
Going to them just after
coming from Syria through Turkey via our Greek islands in 2015!
Since Summer 2015, we are living the greatest Refugees Crisis after
Second World War! News and Media report that more than 3.000.000 refugees/
migrants at Turkey’s coast are aiming to pass through Greece in Europe out of
the Middle East countries, but mainly because of the destructive war in Syria,
which has almost been destructed in whole!
All the last 6-7 months more than 1.000.000 souls have come in Hellas/
Greece via Turkey, from where the smugglers ‘buy and sell’ their move to the
liberty in Europe, charging from 1,200 – 5,000 Euros per person!?!? Recently I
learned from an official source that their illegal/ black money out of that
‘trade’ is more than six (6) billion euros!!! Many times we cannot stop crying
as we’ve been testifying countless deaths of drownings, women and kids in the
Aegean Sea, pleading to God to stop it, to put an end to that TRAGEDY of the
loss of so many people!
In my suffering country Greece, with 1.500.00 people in unemployment,
150.000 young Greeks having immigrated to other European countries such as
Germany, in order to find a job and survive, and thousands of shops still
closing every single day, salaries and taxes have been cut eleven (11) times,
since 2012, more than 6.000 Greeks have committed suicide! It’s so obvious that
or Father’s Heart together with our redeemed ones are in so much pain, agony
and care for what MUST BE DONE!
Despite this situation, of the worst moral and financial crisis ever, my
country’s people in our islands, as well to all different places where their
camps (hot spots) are planted, have showed vital solidarity, care and great
help to all those needy people! We do not beat them, as some others are doing
at their borders! We do not close our borders expelling them away, although
it’s becoming very-very hard and difficult to accept/ receive more thousands
out of them! In action, as Greeks in general we are implementing God’s Word
Order: “And
you (Greeks & Christians) are to love those who are aliens, for you
yourselves were aliens in … (America, S. Africa, Germany, Canada…)” (Deutoronomy
10:19)
And now comes the most important and vital question:
What are we – the Church of God people – doing into this ‘kairos’ time for/
to these people?
You can see in our Church of God in Greece Official Blog, what we did in
a very limited way, here:
As well you can watch at my youtube channel the following very short
videos:
A HEAVENLY/ DEVINE UPDATE/ URGENT CALL HAS GIVEN TO ME:
I – Anastasios Aronis – sought the Lord few months ago. It was exactly
when the whole World was watching the outburst of the Refugees Flow to Greek
islands via those small boats, at the end of last Summer - beginning of last
Autumn, in an astonishing way, that Almighty God showed and instructed me,
after a unique revelation, under specific SIGN, the following:
“My son Anastasios, I have ordained a Plan for
you to implement in saving souls of these people coming in your country towards
Europe: Conduct the owner of the room beside your Church of God room, which is
on sale and ask him what is the cost of that place, because I’ll give it to
you, as it’s been my Will, to make it A Christian Support
Centre for Greeks, Refugees and Migrants poor and needy, in order to feed the people and preach them My Gospel
‘saturated’ with songs and hyms, as it has been prophesied by my servant Herodotus
Kourpas, many years ago, according to the Call that I’ve given you, the last
years, upon which you indeed already are walking. I AM with you Who is sending
you to do My Will!”
Immediately, I felt a great
peace and joy inside of my spirit as I obeyed to the Lord, and called the owner
who has ‘on sale’ that room. After I explained him very shortly why I called
him, I asked him what is the price/ amount? He mentioned it to me. Then, I just
started praying, and believing that He Who promised that will help us, He might
cause and guide everything so that His Will to be done and accomplished!
However,
since we CANNOT do this very BIG MISSION by ourselves, after some weeks I inquired
the Church of God World Missions a Project Number. They designated the
following Project Number: 765-0057 - Aiding
Refugees in Greece.
We’re very
thankful to Dr. Tim Hill and CoGWM staff for their work upon that!
Even though that the financial aid has been very-very short ($145.00)
till now, and the cost of that Project is much-much higher, we are thankful to
our beloved Lord God in Yeshua’s (Jesus) name that He’ll provide and make us
able to do and accomplish it at the right time!
That’s why, we are very kindly and humbly asking your prayers and
partnership – if God moves your precious hearts – with us, in this MAKING
HISTORY for His Kingdom pleasant to God and to people Project!
May the compassion of God Father and His Son Jesus Christ be increased
in our hearts, by His Holly Spirit so we might be moving with the right
attitude, for His Glory!
With the love of Christ and appreciation.
Anastasios Aronis
Church of God in Hellas/ Greece overseer
