Over the next few days, Melton, her husband, and the rest of their group on the trip began ministering to the young man.
“God just moved in his life that week, and we got to see him accept Christ and be baptized,” Melton said. “It was amazing, and I brought that story back and just started sharing it.”
Melton’s new friend had been a husband and father before losing his wife and child in a bombing. She remembers sharing his story and the story of his salvation with a close friend, who immediately encouraged Melton to share it with a larger audience. Melton wasn’t sure how to achieve this, so she started an Instagram and called it More Than Numbers.
“Because that’s what a refugee is; they’re more than just a number. They’re moms, and dads, and doctors, and lawyers, and teachers, and farmers… just like us,” Melton said.
Since that first encounter, Melton has made five trips back to Greece to work with other refugees. The trip that changed everything took place last year when Melton and her husband brought their six-year-old daughter along with them to Greece.
This time, they met a family of Syrians that included two young daughters. Melton remembers the way the parents invited her family into their home. They served them dinner and really connected with Melton’s family.
“They said, ‘This is what it’s like in Syrian to be with friends,’ and they fed us, and loved us, and we loved them. We shared our stories with each other,” Melton said.
When Melton and her family left, they were informed by an interpreter that their hosts had not eaten in three days, yet they had been so excited to feed their guests.
“Coming back from that trip, I was just broken and really felt God moving.” Melton said. “I’m meant to do more than just tell stories to raise awareness about the crisis. I’m meant to use those stories to help meet those needs, so that’s where More Than Numbers grew into something more.”
Melton worked to establish More Than Numbers as a full-fledged ministry, working to address the needs of refugees in Greece. Today, the group has its first full-time partner on the ground, a Greek pastor and his wife. They are working to provide English services, clothing, food, formula, and diapers. Melton soon hopes to begin the next phase of the mission, providing mental healthcare to refugees. She has gone back to school to earn her master’s in International Psychology to help make that a reality.
“It’s a dream, being back on campus, where it started for me,” Melton said. “This is where I started growing, feeling God moving and changing me. I would have never thought that I’d be back here, representing an organization that I started."
