As we are going through the first quarter of 2018, we would like to inform you about the progress of the Thessaloniki “Care Center” for refugees. The number of the beneficiaries has increased significantly:  now we serve more than 340 people on each operating day. Think about it! About 700 people are each week enjoying our services!

We are offering snacks and warm drinks to all our guests. They can have pieces of clothing they are in need of, they can also wash their own clothes and take them back clean and dry within an hour. During an operating day more than 50-60 people can have a warm shower, individuals that are practically homeless. They are foreigners, who are not registered as refugees but as immigrants, a fact that doesn’t give them access to services or housing programs run by NGOs and funding by UN.

A few weeks ago, a family from Iraq that comes regularly to our center (mother, father and four young children) needed our help. Mother Nora, 33 years old, was diagnosed with a large tumor over her uterus   and needed urgently to be operated on. The surgery was successfully done at the St. Luke’s Hospital. We deeply thank all those who have responded to this need.

God’s interventions are manifold and impressive indeed. The Lord leads people to us who really want to help! Last Tuesday, March 20, 2018, a man, unknown to us, came to the Center and donated a great number of men’s clothes. On this very moment it was a precious, much needed gift! As we thanked him, we were happy to hear that he had been advised by a local phone guide to come to us!

In the last few weeks every day, when the Center is open, at 4 pm, a short Christian message is given in English and translated into Arabic. It is a great joy for us, when many Pakistani men tell us, that they would like to hear the message in their own language as well! We have a very positive feedback, as the message is always   followed by interesting discussions. This gives the opportunity to our volunteers to give their personal testimony and talk about Jesus Christ the Savior in individual conversations with men from Pakistan speaking English.

We are more than blessed to accept donations in kind, such as clothing, food etc, which we distribute to refugees. We thank God for the new cold and hot water device we have recently acquired and for the immediate response of donors to our needs. We are still in need of many things, but we continue to serve faithfully.

The “Care Center” for refugees of the Greek Evangelical Alliance does not have any financial support from official agencies or from the Greek government. We operate with your support, with the support of Greek Evangelical Churches or of other churches abroad and Missions, as is Agape Hellas, AMG international and the ‘Christian Steki’. It is crucially important for us, that groups of volunteers are coming from churches abroad to help with our work, as we have regularly teams we can count on. For every full day of operation and depending on the number of incoming refugees we need about 30 volunteers to keep the whole project going.

We still need your prayers, your financial support and more than that, your presence as volunteers. Voluntary work at the “Care Center”, apart from meeting the needs of the refugees, gives joy and blessing to those who serve showing in action the love of Christ to suffering people.

At His service,

Dimitris Tsoukalas – Center Manager                  

tsoukos2@gmail.com   00306988066907

Eirini Anastasopoulou – Operation and volunteers coordinator

ianastasopoulou@yahoo.gr   00306907646546

On behalf of the Evangelical Greek Alliance,

George Kaloterakis                                        Fotis Romeos

President                                                        General Secretary