Hannah van der Kamp

Mission and Vision

"God will use whatever you have to complete His purpose. Do your work faithfully and learn more from Him.” These wise words from a speaker at our church encouraged me. 

Here in Mytilene, Greece, my work is to help displaced people begin to understand their new home. I assist them to adjust by providing them with language skills through English education. Refugees are a highly vulnerable group of people, and the ability to speak English decreases their vulnerability. I may be the first Christian contact with whom they interact on a more regular basis. I may even be their very first teacher! This is a privilege and an opportunity to build deeply supportive relationships with them based on the joy and compassion which comes from the heart of God. 

When my Greek husband and I first moved to the island of Lesvos in 2004 with our small children, we had no idea that a decade later there would be a refugee camp just down the road from our village. There I meet with refugees who desperately need language skills for their new lives on the European continent. The fact that God is now using me in this way connects to my childhood in BC. Watching the Ladner CRC church community care for the Vietnamese boat family that moved in next door when I was a kid, impressed on me the importance of this people group. Living and working in foreign countries and learning foreign languages taught me how the body of Christ can welcome and support outsiders. 

I learned to trust Him for our needs when, in 2016, I helped set up and run the Day Centre for refugees in Mytilene (backed by Eurorelief, a Greek Christian humanitarian organization). Along with Eurorelief volunteers I was privileged to address the needs of the people who spent time there. Some of these visitors came to Christ like an Iranian man fleeing death in his homeland who pointed at the cross on the wall and announced his new faith in Christ. There was also a young Syrian woman who quietly revealed that she was a Christian and that her father had been murdered for his faith. Although their boat had capsized during the crossing, all were saved because God answered her prayers. A young Syrian man asked me, “Why are you doing this?” The compassionate relationships we build create a curiosity about Christ, putting many people on a journey to learn more about Him

Mission Work

I am helping adult refugees acquire language skills needed to build their new lives in Europe in the refugee camp. I train volunteers to teach English effectively and connect my students with other support staff as needed. The safe learning environment I strive to create is a place where both literate and non-literate students can learn English. They can also begin to experience and talk about life in Europe, its multicultural nature, and the faith that has helped connect its people