Carelinks | Germany ~ Refugees / Migrants

We spent some time in Germany visiting our brethren and contacts in two migrant camps. Brother F and Sister K [also brother and sister in the flesh] were baptized by us over 18 months ago in a country neighbouring Iran, returned to Iran, were persecuted, and then fled to Turkey, and joined in the mass rush of migrants into Germany. They took with them their mother N, and two relatives S and P. It was a pleasure to baptize them. They walked for 20 days from Greece to Munich, Germany, only taking a few local buses. On the way they ate fruit from fields and drank only water, sleeping outside most nights. Just on the level of human achievement if nothing else, this was a great feat of endurance, especially as mother N is in her 60s. They will be able to say to their children “You were born here- but I walked here, from a far away land where I was persecuted for my Christian faith.” The similarities with Abraham’s journey are very telling.

Our brother and sister with their mother inside the school

The security fence around the school

They were put in a migrant camp in a school- and they said that at no time on their journey had they felt more frightened or vulnerable to attack. The school had a perimeter fence erected around it, with guards ensuring nobody climbed over it. But inside, it was a free for all. The migrants slept on the floor or on camp beds donated by charities, around 40 in each classroom. They took water from the classroom sinks, dried their clothes on radiators, and sat on their sleeping places as there were virtually no chairs in the school. All floor space was used for sleeping. Food was provided three times a day. Arabic graffiti was appearing on the walls. There was little privacy, and some had erected sheets over their sleeping places to give them some privacy; note the blackboards still on the wall of the classroom, below.

The ‘bedrooms’ inside the school

The problem is that many of these migrants took knives and guns with them for protection on the journey- and they still have them. Living in such cramped conditions gives rise to all manner of personal feuding- and many of these migrants are armed. We entered the camp by giving our passport to the guards as a guarantee, but we had a 20 kg rucksack with us full of Bibles and  Bible Basics- it could’ve been full of drugs and guns for all the guards checked. Our brothers and sisters keep themselves to themselves, sleeping together in a corner. Walking around the school with them, we were the subject of threats and abuse, including the cry ‘Kafr’- ‘apostate’. Our brothers told us that the Muslims threaten them with knives at night, and every night there are fights between the Muslims- especially between those pro-ISIS and those anti. There are of course many warring factions within Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan- and there are a few hundred of these folks sleeping together on the floor of this school, with our brethren as their one common enemy. This kind of problem is apparently quite common- a recent article in Christianity Today reports that this is a common scene in the migrant camps, and that the German Police have proposed separating the Christian migrants from the Muslim migrants for their safety. We walked into the playground, where young men were playing football, shouting ‘Kafr!’ [apostate] at us.

We’re sure that our dear ones will soon be moved on by the Government as the whole plan is to integrate them into society, but please do pray for them.

Thank you for all your prayers. Shortly after this bulletin, by the grace of God our dear brother, sister and family were blessed with an apartment.