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As our car pulls into the Malakasa Refugee Camp in Greece, I utter prayers under my breath. God, break my heart for what breaks Yours. Give me eyes to see what You brought me here to see. Help me through this day.

We park outside, go through a military checkpoint, and start walking through the camp. It is more than 90 degrees already, and early in the day. We weave through rows and rows of tents. There are no trees, no breeze, no shade—just people and tents. We have been invited to serve through REMAR, a Christian non-governmental development organization that is working with refugees across Europe.

In this camp, REMAR is providing snacks, tea, a community room, and a large tent space for children’s services for the 1600 people in this particular camp. We are here to explore how our community in Spain, the Church in Europe, and the world can help these people displaced by war.

One of the first people we meet is Hosai*, a 14-year-old young woman from Afghanistan. Her eyes are deep and her smile is kind. “Hello!” she says to me in English. “Come and sit,” she says as she pats the bench seat next to her.

Hosai is the eldest of four children. Her family traveled five months on foot before coming to Malakasa two months ago. Her mother died on the journey, so she now helps her father take care of her siblings.

“Oh, how I miss studying!” says Hosai. “I love math. I wish I had a textbook or a teacher. I miss learning so much.” My heart breaks as I listen to her. This young woman, so full of life, intelligence, and drive, was forced to abandon school in an attempt to survive. There is nothing to do in the camp. Kids and adults alike sit, eat, and keep themselves occupied as best they can.

The volunteers with REMAR do crafts and play games with the children, but they have limited resources and limited man-power. They have asked us to help provide volunteers and supplies so the children do not have to sit aimlessly all day. We plan to return soon to help with this ministry.

This particular refugee camp has a lot of unaccompanied minors. Some of their parents died on the journey. Others only had enough money to pay for one or two people to cross the border, so parents put their children on a bus or in a boat with strangers, in hopes that their children would find the freedom that they could not. A REMAR volunteer from Argentina, a young woman, has become a surrogate mother to many of these children. “They just cling to me all of the time,” she says. “They just want someone to love them.”

Next we meet Mohammed*, a 22-year-old man from Afghanistan. Mohammed has cerebral palsy and is in a wheelchair. REMAR volunteers gave Mohammed a wheelchair when he arrived. We learn that his father, who is around five-feet tall and 50 years old, and carried Mohammed on his back across Afghanistan. I’m instantly in awe of this father’s dedication and love.

At lunchtime, we sit around a large table with other REMAR volunteers to discuss their needs. I look across the table at Spaniards, Italians, Americans, Swiss, Germans, and a few Afghan and Iraqi refugees, and I think that this is what the kingdom of God is supposed to look like.

Originally from Texas, Laurie and her family serve in Antequera, Spain where they seek to share the love of Christ with immigrants, displaced peoples, the lonely, the abandoned, and those who need a friend.

This article was adapted from a blog post by Laurie. You can read her full post on her experience in Greece here.

*Pseudonyms used for security purposes.