Escaping Home

Adhanom Hidug, Missionary, South Sudan
The Call, July-September 2016

Nine years ago, my friend and I had to escape from a system that not only wanted to stop me from practicing my Christian faith, but also resolved to put me in prison just because I followed Jesus. We walked for four days and three nights to enter a Sudanese border city. It was a very risky journey. The Eritrean border patrol units crisscross the terrain near the Sudanese border, and they have a “shoot to kill or injure” order against anyone leaving the country illegally. If we were to try to leave the country legally, it would be like a rat teasing a cat in an open field where it cannot hide. 

God allowed us to walk through the camp of these units unnoticed. I wondered if He had made us invisible to them. We crossed a dry river without being physically aware of it. We only realized that it was a river bed after finding ourselves on the other side of it. God changed the route we had planned to follow and made us follow a route He planned for us. As we slept for three nights in the open semi-desert, He protected us from all sorts of fierce wild animals, and He made us survive the extreme heat. He was in charge of our lives.

Throughout my journey, I believed the words: “See, I am sending an angel ahead of you to guard you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared” as if they were said to me (Exodus 23:20 NIV). I kept remembering Jesus, who had to escape to Egypt as a baby. I would pray, “Jesus, You made a risky journey while You were a baby. Please keep me safe.” 

While I was living with my family as a refugee in Kenya, I would pray, “Jesus, You once were a refugee in Egypt, and we are now refugees. Please, take care of us.” 

As refugees we had many challenges, but our main challenge was harassment and extortion by the police. However, our challenges strengthened my faith in the Lord. Now that I am in my newly adopted home among the friendly Canadians in Edmonton, Alberta, I consider it a noble act and a ministry to regularly pray for Eritreans, Syrians, and people of other nationalities who are going through similar circumstances that I went through. The Lord delivers!

PRAY: Acquaint yourself with specific types of suffering and persecution that Christians face around the world today. Pray for these Christians and their persecutors as you read the Word, especially passages like the stoning of Stephen in Acts.

Prayer Calendar August 28 - September 3, 2016

Coming tomorrow on The Call blog:

"After having recently given birth to our fifth baby on our third continent, I am beginning to wonder if I might need to look more closely at this issue of migration and the loss of one’s home and home culture."

Pray for missionary families as they raise their children to be "sojourners."

Living Among Refugees: Are We Willing to Love These People?

A missionary living in the Middle East
The Call, July-September 2016

How would you feel if your homeland was so torn apart by violence and war that you were forced to leave? Images of your hometown play on the news, showing injured neighbors and obliterated buildings. What kind of future could you possibly build for your family when you have lost everything? 

Yemen, Iraq, Syria—this is reality for many in the Middle East. My own family evacuated our city in a country in turmoil when a colleague was killed. When we moved to the country where we live now, we unknowingly rented an apartment that is in the midst of Iraqis who fled the war in their own homeland. 

We have a unique connection point with our neighbors because we understand, to a lesser extent, the trauma of having to leave your home suddenly. We understand seeing pictures of streets where our family once walked that are now filled with trash and destroyed homes. 

In my present role, I get to work with teams located throughout the Middle East. I get to help individuals and families get ready for ministry in this region. Historically, we’ve seen that after societal upheaval like a war, there’s a period of spiritual openness. We want to be ready to move in with the message of Jesus Christ. And here’s the good news: in the middle of the awfulness of the wars here, God is moving! 

People in these countries are seeing the horror wrought by “defenders” of their religion. They are questioning their own belief systems. They are reaching out, looking for some measure of hope. As refugees flee, it’s often believers—both local and those sending support from foreign countries—who respond with aid, care, and love. 

I know this is a difficult issue, but here’s where I land: while we were yet sinners, Jesus laid down His life for us. Are we willing to lay down our own lives for others? Are we willing to love these people?

GO: Our church has a center that helps refugees develop their English, computer, and other skills. Volunteers are always welcome to come short term and teach. Contact Kristina Gleason,volunteer coordinator, at 765.671.7227 or email via@wgm.org for more information. 

Where We Stand: WGM's Position on Immigrants and Refugees

The Call, July-September 2016

With millions of people in the Middle East fleeing war and poverty, a humanitarian emergency has engulfed the globe and sparked intense controversy. We join with many other voices in affirming God’s love of refugees and immigrants and His concern for their physical and spiritual well-being.

We believe unequivocally that Christians are called to reach out to all people with God’s love. We also understand the fear that causes some to question how to—or even if we should—help people whose religion and cultural practices seem in complete conflict with our own. We encourage Christians to remove lenses of fear and anger from their eyes, and, instead, put on the lenses of Christ’s example of perfect love.

The Scriptures are filled with stories of men and women who were refugees and immigrants. (Jesus Himself was a refugee with His parents.) We are told clearly how to treat foreigners living among us. We are told clearly to be hospitable and to love our neighbors. We do not pretend to have all the answers for this complicated crisis. There is much that simply must be left to God. But we know that we must speak truth—the truth that God loves all people, regardless of nationality or religion. We know that we must love our neighbor with a love that endures and persists beyond hatred and fear. We know that we must take action, for faith without action does nothing.

We encourage Christians and churches to partner with nonprofit organizations that are involved in resettling refugees and immigrants, helping to supply homes, furnishings, language helps, employment, and education for children. Although media attention is focused on the current migration movement from Syria and the Middle East, we believe these principles apply to immigrants of all nationalities and religions.

We do all this as we seek to model the example that our Lord Jesus Christ gave: to live sacrificially and to reach out to the most vulnerable with compassion.

PRAY: Pray for World Gospel Mission as we respond to opportunities to work with immigrants and refugees around the world.