Refugees

The following story is a real account of what happened, although for the safety of those involved we have chosen not to use their names. The story can also be found in Spanish below the English version, since the stories were first shared with us in Spanish by the Costa Rican man mentioned in them.

Like most Sundays, I’m at the piano leading my congregation in worship. The lights are lowered in the gym-turned-sanctuary where we worship.

Many are wondering what Christians who are far from the U.S. southern border can do to seek justice and support the dignity of those who are migrating.

Here are a few ideas:

1) Pray

If you’re wondering what to say, and how to say it, when praying for the “migrant caravan” during Sunday worship, these words might help:

Advent: Middle English, borrowed from Medieval Latin adventus, going back to Latin, "arrival, appearance"

Refugee claimants (people who have fled their countries of origin to make a refugee claim, and do not yet have refugee status) have been arriving in Canada, via plane, boat, train, long before the topic of border crossings was making headlines.

In August of 2016, we at Loop CRC in Chicago helped support a Syrian refugee family in their move from Jordan to Chicago. It was our small way of living out God's call to love our neighbors and welcome the stranger. We raised financial support, greeted the family at the airport, and visited them weekly for over 6 months.

For the last two years we’ve been working in Northern Uganda to respond to the influx of South Sudanese refugees that fled here due to war. We responded through the WASH program—we constructed  770 communal pit latrines along with hand washing stations. PSNs (People with Special Needs) are people who are not able to build the latrines themselves– the elderly, disabled, child headed households, and single female headed households. 

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:

In January 2018, the Trump administration held back $65 million of a planned contribution of $125 million to the United Nations agency charged with caring for Palestinian refugees, known as UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East).

We offer you this prayer and litany to support your congregations as they work to welcome the stranger, in word and in deed. 

Prayer

Leader: Triune God, in Jesus, you entered our human world -- vulnerable, oppressed, and seeking refuge. You dwell among those who have no place to rest, who are fleeing persecution, who rely on the charity of others.

Congregation: God of mercy, hear our prayer.

He came to us in dire straits.

Joseph wasn’t the name his mother gave him when he was born in Darfur—it’s the name he took on when he was baptized after coming and receiving medical help in this Middle Eastern country. His story as a refugee is full of twists and turns, starting with his flight, as an injured university student, from the authorities he was protesting.

His story as a refugee is full of twists and turns.

And the end has yet to be written.