Lampedusa

The port in Lampedusa.  The coast guard boats are on the left side, the port where the refugees land is just behind.

This island has a completely different feel than anywhere else.  The refugees are delighted, thrilled, happy, relieved, amazed that they are on land and in one piece.  They will talk to you, want you to email the picture to them, tell you their names and where they are from.  They smile.  

I can only imagine their thoughts.  They are looking at the dock where they landed just a few days ago.  It must be a relief to know they made it.

One of these boys gave me his email because he wanted a copy of the photo.  So I tried to send it to kebba.sallah@yahoo.com, but it didn't go through.  So one day maybe I can tell him I tried!

As you see, not shy, not afraid, ready to talk, ready to make a friend.  It was so different as I said from anything else we experienced that we spent Sunday walking the streets and saying 'hi' and shaking hands with literally everybody.

These guys came from Sierra Leone.  They had heard of the 'Latter-Day Saints'.....Dad gave them our business card.  We told them wherever they land, they can probably find the church.  

The guy in the previous photo with both thumbs up was telling us about his story.  He had bodily proof of his sufferings.  On his stomach....on his ear....

I know, just another photo.  But these guys have been in Europe literally for a couple of days.

Med Hope took us to the local cemetery.  They have been able to discover the names and dates of some of the victims that have drowned at sea and they have buried them here.  They also have a plaque for the unidentified who have died at sea.

After dinner one night, as we exited the restaurant, here they all were, bundled up watching a soccer game.  As we all know, it's the universal language.  Every country in Africa and Europe speak that language.

The docks where the refugees disembark.   Notice there are several pavilions.  Upon landing they are separated into groups that are healthy and those that are not.  Among other separations of which I was unclear about.  This dock has welcomed from April 2103 to April 2017 about 74,000 refugees!

This is the Hotspot.  From the dock they are driven by buses to this location.  We couldn't go inside, but there was a road that we walked down that you could easily see into the compound.  The building on the left is burned out and no longer usable.  It was burned by Tunisians, who burned it after finding out that they would be repatriated back to Tunisia.  The countries that are considered safe such as Tunisia, the refugees are immediately sent back.  

The boys were walking into town from the hotspot.  They had been here 'since Thursday' they said.  'Are you treated well there?  Do you have showers and toilets and a bed?'  "Yes, we are treated well!"  

This girl was from Reggio Emilia, not far from Bologna.  She is a teacher for the refugees and teaches them Italian as well as Italian Culture.  She said they like to say 'hi' to everybody and when others don't say 'hi' back they wonder if it's b/c they are black.  No, it's just not our culture.  They also will say 'hi old man' out of respect for age but she has to tell them that people in Europe don't like that kind of salutation.  Also the difference between a bidet and a toilet.  Stuff like that.

A grassroots organization.  They have rented this space to display some of the 'stuff' recovered from the refugee boats.  They were having a meeting about issues that they felt were important to the island.

The outside of their building was made from the wood taken from refugee boats.  

These are the Italian Coast Guard boats.  Notice they are rimmed with rubber padding so that they can bump up against any boat and not damage the boat but be able to pull people onto their boat.  They can handle about 100 people, so sometimes they are all out at the same time, and sometimes each makes several trips.

One is a pastor in Lampedusa where the refugees are literally minutes off of the boat.  They come to him for clothes and shoes.  He has a shower and a toilette for their use.  The commitment to the refugees on that island is heartwarming.  Literally the whole island (20 km in circumference and 1.5 wide!) has banded together to make their first landing a warm and welcome landing.  The refugees we have previously met have been 'hands off, don't talk to me...' they are scared!  The ones on Lampedusa are so relieved to be off of the water and out of Libya that they smile and talk to you and trust you and let you take pictures of them and want your email address!  Some from Sierra Leone knew the 'Latter Day Saints'....wanted to know if there was a church on the island?  Anyway, it's sad to know that their journey is still long and hard and there will still be suffering to experience, but for the first days on that island they literally feel the safety and hospitality of Europe.  

I know.  It would be nice to hand out Books of Mormon as well, but I doubt the priest and nuns would appreciate that.

The storage area where they have clothes, soap, and other items for the refugees.  I think one of the refugees doesn't 100% trust me.  What do you think?  Paula was our translator and I really connected with her.  I could easily be friends with her.  

Isn't she beautiful?

The line-up outside the storage area of the church.  There is a huge demand.  The shoes they are issued sometimes need to be upgraded.

These boys all came together in the same boat.  They came from Senegal and Gambia.  One of the guys wanted a copy of this photo.  He told me to look him up on face book:  pape ndione.  Couple of people by that name and I doubt I find the right one.

The Door of Europe.  It's an open door.

We took a hike around and the beach really is beautiful

All work and no play?  We had to get around and instead of renting a car we got a vespa.  Smart!

Went out for dinner with the Med Hope crew.  They ordered.  All raw fish. It was great and tasty but a little too much raw fish for me.

Refugee ship graveyard.  The used to use fishing boats to ship off the refugees, now the smugglers just use rubber boats because they are much cheaper and they know that the rescue ships will get them earlier so why waste gas or a boat when it's not needed?  It's a political dilemma of huge proportions.


I did post the meeting we held in Lampedusa with the community at the church.  Before this 'conversation' took place, the Pastor shared with us a letter he was giving to the Pope (today!) and it was saying that they need to grant Asylum to the refugees in their own country so they don't have to make the perilous voyage here!  We got a copy of the letter....a day before Pope Francis!

Italian Meeting

Palermo

Palermo has a nice downtown.  Basically a pedestrian street with churches and a theater and shops and restaurants.

This fountain was privately owned when it was first built.  Then is was dis-assembled and put downtown.  I think one of the prettiest fountains I have ever seen, except of course Trevi fountain in Rome.

The Diaconale.  This is where we slept as well.  It's a compound that houses the refugees, it has a school, it has private apartments, the guest housing, offices.  The Federation of Protestant churches owns the complex.  We are having a tour by the director and a German girl who came as translator.

We were invited to tour the home of the boys who lived in this apartment.  The young(er) man lives in the apartment with the boys as the resident manager.

Here is one of the boys who everyone was really proud of his success.  He has gone to school, learned the language, but he was already 18 and about to be 'booted out' because he was no longer a minor.

The boys.  And Dad of course.

This guy was too shy, too scared to say anything to us.  But he has the most lovely smile.  What would you say?  About 15?

The boy on the far right was willing to share his 'story' with us.  I think he was from Gambia.  'They' came and took his father, he didn't know why.  They told everybody to get out of the house.  His mom and sister went one way, and he didn't know which way and he must have gone another way.  He never saw them again.  People told him to run because his life was in danger.  He got a ride and passage to Europe. He worked here and there for money and spent a miserable few weeks in Libya.  When he got here, he called home and found out his father was dead.  He has no news about his mom or sister.  By the time he was done talking to us he was in tears.  He was embarrassed.  The director told him, 'Don't be embarrassed about telling your story.  These people are here to help refugees and your story might help them to help others."

Pop is always a favorite.

This was the entrance to our hostel!  It was late at night.  We had been out all evening with the Elders from Palermo.  (Stupid me forgot to take a picture).  It was with Elder Adepodju (a post earlier about him, he is a refugee and now serving a full time mission in the Rome mission and stationed in Palermo) and a convert named Cynthia, both of whom are from Nigeria.  We hadn't planned to spend the evening together, but Elder Adepodju must have really been in tune with the spirit.  At lunch he called out of the blue.  When we told him we were in Palermo and were free that night, none of us could believe how lucky we were!
The branch in Palermo is practically all refugees.  The branch president is a refugee from Nigeria as well.  Listen to this story:  Elder Adepodju and companion were out walking the streets when they walked past a hairdresser salon.  Elder felt compelled to go inside.  He walks into the salon and says, "We are missionaries from the church of Jesus Christ.  Does anybody want to hear our message?"  The owner told them they could come back.  They did and the owner wasn't interested, but Cynthia was eavesdropping on their conversation and she got in touch with the Elders afterwards and investigated and joined.  She has been a member for 5 months.  When we asked about her story, she wouldn't say a word.  Elder Adepodju kept telling her to trust us, but she would just tremble.  I hate to even think what she has endured.

Scicli

Our first stop in Sicily was in a town called Scicli (pronounced Chic-ly.  Not warm-ly, or calml-y, but chic-ly)  This is a second stage for the refugee.  We are here because we are hosted by Mediterranean Hope.  This house is called:  Casa Della Culture or House of Cultures.  They provide classes along with the housing.  If only these girls could stay in this safe environment forever!

While there, a group of boys were brought to the house.  (photo below).  They had been at the hotspot (1st stage) and this is the 2nd stage at the House of Cultures.  Each boy arrives with a green bag with their belongings.  Each boy has a number attached to his wrist and that corresponds to the green bag.  This is all that they have in the whole world.  

These are the boys.  They have been in Italy for 5 days.  Notice the white wrist bands they have on.  And the generic clothes that they are issued.

The boys have landed in a good spot.  The first thing the director does is take off their wrist bands so they don't feel like a number.  They receive a warm welcome and will have a bed and food and a way to call home and classes and legal/medical attention.

This little girl is Sarah.  She was born to a mother who arrived pregnant to the House of Culture so Sarah was born in Italy.  The mother has since left the House and is on her own, working each day.  Sarah is loved at the House and she is welcome to join in with the kids while her mother works.

This House of Culture is funded by Italian taxes.  An interesting thing.  Each Italian pays a percentage of their taxes to a charitable organization, OR it will go to the Catholic church.  Do you remember in Belgium how everybody paid that tax as well but they had no choice, it DID go to the Catholic church.  The Italians have a choice and many of them choose their small part to go to protestant churches which pool all their money and it all goes for humanitarian causes.  The LDS church is also eligible for this tax but they are the only church which does not accept this tax!  Med Hope is funded by these protestant churches.  The Otto 8 per mille is the government organization that is the umbrella for how these funds are dispersed.  

This House accepts volunteers, but for a minimum of one month.  A year is preferred.  A volunteer was updating this poster where photos of the refugees are pinned to their countries of origin.  The volunteer was an American from Wisconsin.

The House is attached to a kindergarten, where refugee children are welcome to attend.  This little class of Italian boys were learning English.  I had a great time quizzing them on their colors.  How many kindergarten classes do you know in America where a second language is taught???

Scicli.  It has a lovely old town.

We climbed up to a church on a hill and this is the view over the city.  It has 100 churches!  And they aren't just small ones, they are huge cathedrals!  But not any LDS churches.

Just outside of Scicli is where one of the hotspots is:  Pozzallo.  We had a taxi driver take us by Pozzallo and just as we arrived they said that a boat was being accepted in the harbor that had been waiting for 3 days for authorization to enter the port.  There was a lot of 'buzz' about the place.  You can't enter without authorization, which we didn't have, so we just looked from the outside.  We still hope to enter...we go back in May with a medical group, so we have a good chance.

The interior of Sicily is verdantly green.  I thought it was beautiful.  It's the breadbasket of the island.  Loved all the wild flowers and the clouds and endless sky.