It’s been a crazy week and it’s not over yet! It started out quietly enough but then the levee broke when we learned that our church had agreed to house 13 Ukrainian refugees and they would arrive the next day! And of course we were totally unprepared! We’ve had our own version of “March Madness”!
A Furious Search for Furniture, Bedding, Food and Readiness
Word went out through various social media that we desperately needed any help church members could offer. We needed beds, bedding, a washer and dryer, food and general preparations for their arrival. Like many in our church, my wife and I spent the day scouring for various things we needed. We had a few beds and mattresses in storage from our work with Aktion Wohnraum that we made available.
We also reached out to our network of supporters and managed to secure another bed with mattress, and washer and dryer. In parallel, others worked through their networks to get another, new washer and dryer at discount and a surprising amount of furniture contributed by Ikea. It was an outstanding effort from everyone! We were even successful in finding a small apartment to house five of the Ukrainians.
Tuesday, my wife joined a team of drivers going to pick up our guests. The number swelled to 15, requiring 4 cars and a trailer to bring them here. It took the better part of the day as the commute was 2.5 hours each way.
Late in the afternoon, I took our Romanian friend to his second Doctor’s appointment. We got some great news that his blood work looked really good. It meant we could delay treatment for at least a month. It was an answer to prayer, giving us time to further investigate affordable treatment options.
Continuing Efforts
There continues to be strong efforts by many in our church. We’ve gotten the washers and dryers hooked up, installed an under sink hot water heater, had repairs made to assure hot showers and plans are now underway to see if we can increase the number of refugees by renovating some other rooms in our church.
It’s been truly rewarding. Our guests have been terrific. The entire group is humble, helpful, polite and deeply appreciative. Two of them will soon be relocated with family in the US but the future for many is totally uncertain. Wives have been separated from husbands and children separated from fathers. I can’t imagine the frustration and fear they must feel, not knowing what will happen to them, their country or to the important people in their lives. The fate of the entire country and their communities is under threat.
It makes it appropriate that we reach out, endure some inconvenience and do what we can to compassionately lend a hand. More than that, Scripture is clear that few priorities are higher than proper treatment of foreigners and asylum-seekers.
Closing Words of Encouragement
In Scripture, refugees and foreigners are an elaborate picture of evangelizing, bringing others to a saving knowledge of God. Many miss that the Abrahamic covenant included Abraham’s slaves – his nonphysical descendants (Genesis 17:12-14). They were foreigners to the Hebrews but were included in the covenant!
Even more miss that Israel’s exodus included a Gentile multitude (Exodus 12:38) that accompanied them to the land and became Hebrews through circumcision (Joshua 5:3), celebration of the Passover (5:10) and renewal of the covenant (8:31-33).
It foreshadowed us, the Gentile church who were once foreigners, distant from the covenant but now brought close, made fellow citizens in the new Jerusalem (Ephesians 2:12-13, 19), and heirs to the Abrahamic promise. We have been adopted and are now Abraham’s children and sons of God.
Key is the thought that we were once foreigners, seeking asylum from the curse of sin and death. God not only gave us asylum but adopted us, making us sons of God and thus heirs to eternal life. Knowing this, we cannot turn away from people just like us, foreigners who are also seeking asylum.
The amazing part is what God is doing in the midst of this (and many other) tragedies. Christ told us to go into all the world and preach the Gospel. But today, global stresses are bringing the world to us, right to our doorstep. God is making evangelism easy and virtually risk-free. If we refuse to extend mercy to them, how can we expect God will extend mercy to us?
We hope you will pray for the Ukrainians and the many other peoples at terrible risk. And we hope that your prayers bring a great outpouring of the Gospel to them and a great outpouring of Christ-like love and compassion in you.