IN THE LAND OF THE MANY
ministry in a land of many gods, many peoples
HI, I'M SAMANTHA WELLS, AND I SERVE IN REFUGEE MINISTRY WITH ONE COLLECTIVE. I HAVE PREVIOUSLY WORKED IN CLARKSTON, GA, AND AM NOW IN ATHENS, GREECE!
WHERE IT BEGAN...
When I was just seven months old, my parents went on their first mission trip to Albania. Though they had planned to stay longer, we only stayed two months. The seed was planted, however, and we returned when I was nine, this time with my three younger siblings in tow as well. We lived there for two years. Growing up in a third world country fundamentally changed the way I look at the world. As soon as I turned eighteen, I started going on mission trips with my church, with YWAM, and even by myself. I wanted to be God's hands and feet in the places where people hurt the most. It was my trips to Greece that opened my eyes to the needs of refugees, and to the incredible stories they have to tell. My passion is for refugees to feel free, at home, and safe, not only physically, but also spiritually, by finding a home in the loving arms of God. In order to pursue that passion, I joined One Collective in 2018, and since then have gone on two vision trips with them, as well as serving with them for a year in the refugee communities of Clarkston, GA. My most recent vision trip with One Collective was to a team in Athens, Greece, which works with refugees as well as the homeless and the trafficked. I was accepted onto this team, and spent nearly two years fundraising to be able to go and serve there long term!
WHERE IT'S GOING...
I moved to Greece in September 2023, and spent my first year focusing on learning Greek. I also worked with an art class for refugee teenage girls who are primarily from Afghanistan and Iran, and visited the camps near Athens on the weekends. Though we are not allowed into the camps, we take the teenagers to the beach, hang out, play games, and swim. This is an important social outlet for them, as getting out of the camps on their own can be quite difficult. Through these classes and beach trips, we are able to build trust and safety with girls who are desperate to be seen and heard.
Now that I am no longer in language classes every day, I have more time to invest in these programs, and am looking into what else is happening in Athens when it comes to refugee services and outreaches.
“NO ONE PUTS THEIR CHILDREN IN A BOAT UNLESS THE WATER IS SAFER THAN THE LAND.” - WARSAN SHIRE
GOD HAS CALLED ME TO BE A NEIGHBOR TO THE LOST, AND THIS IS HOW I DO IT: I MOVE IN NEXT TO THEM! TO THE DISENFRANCHISED, TO THE SHOVED ASIDE, TO THE UNWELCOME, TO THOSE LOST IN THE DARK - I BRING THE PRESENCE OF GOD, RIGHT NEXT DOOR TO THEM. WILL YOU JOIN ME IN BRINGING THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD TO REFUGEES IN ATHENS, GREECE?
