Refugees Finding Refuge

“Before I came to the church for the first time, I didn’t feel like a human being.”

A refugee from the Middle East told me this a few months ago. The first time he attended the church, about a year ago, people greeted him, talked to him, loved him. As he had already been exploring Christianity for some time, it wasn’t long before he gave his life to Jesus Christ. He explained recently some of the ways he has changed. “I used to be lazy when someone needed help with something. Now I want to help.” He visits a disabled friend each week, cooking meals, cleaning, taking him shopping. He also prepares the coffee for the church nearly every week.

When I asked this man’s permission to tell his story, I said I would not share his name or country to avoid any potential danger to him. He replied, “I don’t care and I’m not scared because I chose my way whatever happens.” Thank God for such bold faith!

The friend who invited this man to join him in his exploration of Christianity left his country many years ago, journeying from country to country looking for a home. At one point he crossed the Sahara desert from Libya to Niger by truck. During the journey of several days, some fellow travelers died. In his home country, he says people kill each other over anything. “Over a chicken,” he says. And he used to feel the same hatred and rage himself. Not anymore.

A young man from Central Asia saw his three brothers leave the country and never heard from them again. Later he left too. But life in Belgium didn’t seem worth living. Hearing about euthanasia, he asked a doctor for help committing suicide. Fortunately, this doctor turned him down. An invitation to the church led this young man to faith in Christ, which changed everything. He found peace and joy. But his conversion also cost him: his best friend and his father, when they found out about his Christian faith, both said, “You will never speak to me again.” The hardest news yet was hearing just a few weeks ago that his third and final application for asylum was denied. Thinking about his situation makes me feel sick. He cannot return home and he cannot stay here. He told me I could share his story. In sharing it, I ask you to pray for him.

Ministry with refugees feels like a great privilege. We see lives transformed. I hear stories of miraculous answers to prayer, healings, release from jail. Jesus speaks to people in dreams and visions.

Ministry with refugees is also anguishing. Refugees run from the trauma of war, violence, persecution, and poverty. They run through the trauma of the desert, the ocean, and hostility. When they arrive in a foreign land and apply for asylum, the trauma haunts their memory while the uncertainty of their situation continues to add stress. They have dreams – to study, to work, to serve the church. Many of them are educated people who had solid jobs in their countries. They are regular people. Imagine if you suddenly had to flee for your life. Those who are granted asylum have difficulty finding an apartment to rent, as few people want to rent to immigrants or refugees. Some refugees who have just met the Lord have to leave the country. I worry about them.

As this is my first season through all of this, I find it overwhelming. The assistant pastor of the church, a 25 year old named Jan Witsel, finds it normal. From the time he was 15, he spent many afternoons in a refugee center near his hometown in the Netherlands. That became the proving grounds of his Christian faith, as he discussed life and religion with men 30 years older than he was. Jan also married a refugee, a woman from Ethiopia. Her own situation was exceedingly complicated, even after they got married. They finally figured out they could get her legal status if they moved over the border to Belgium, which is how they ended up at the church here in Antwerp.

Jan guides refugees from the church through the complex legal process. He helps them respond to senseless interview questions like “What is the most important song in the Protestant church?” Jan is building a team to do outreach among refugees (starting with weekly soccer near a refugee center), networking with other churches, and helping lead a European refugee ministry organization.

One of the people I shared about above scouted out several churches, looking for a place where he could learn more about Christianity. “The reason I came back to this church was because of Jan,” he said. “Jan explains everything at your level. If you need it at 20%, he explains it at 20%.”

Jan has also been an invaluable partner to me. I have not been very stable, as you will know if you have read any of my recent blog posts. Grief leads me through a cycle of sleep troubles, depression, doubt, anxiety, and fear. I have been so grateful to have a gifted young man as co-pastor. The church brought him on full time for just a year, to cover the time when they were waiting for us to arrive. That year is up at the end of June 2018. Conversations with the church council and other members of the church led to the clear conclusion: we want Jan to stay.

Jan wants to stay too, while studying for a master’s degree so he can be officially ordained as a pastor. Members of the church are stepping up to provide the finances needed for a half-time position for Jan. He will strengthen the church’s ministry with refugees (from outreach, evangelism, and discipleship, all the way through to legal issues) and continue to lead youth and children’s ministry.

To enable Jan to devote time to his further education, we are looking for some outside partners who would like to give financial support for the next few years. The total goal for outside giving is €15,000 (approximately US $18,500). Would you like to be one of those partners with Jan, Antwerp International Protestant Church, and this ministry among refugees?

If so, let our church treasurer Jart Essink know what amount you plan to give and for what time frame (one year or longer?). That helps us plan and make a budget. You can contact him at gerard.essink@googlemail.com.

There are a few ways you can give.

• US dollar checks can be written to International Church Services, Inc, with “AIPC – Witsel” written on the memo line. Mail them to:

International Church Services, Inc

802 Carriage Court

Augusta, GA 30909

USA

• Bank transfers to the church’s bank in Belgium are also possible. To do this please contact the church treasurer Jart Essink for details. essink@googlemail.com.

• For those who prefer convenience, you can donate via paypal through the church website aipchurch.org. (You can also find videos of sermons and other things there).

What about these refugees who have been denied asylum here? They are struggling, but by God’s grace they are also strong. “My faith is something untouchable,” one of them says. Another says he feels the presence of God with him when he reads the Bible. And though he feels overwhelmed, “I trust him and know that he knows my every thing.” Another told me this week, “Papers or no papers, it doesn’t matter. I have Jesus the Messiah.” Their strong faith is lifting me up, as I myself wrestle through a dark night of the soul.

And by the way, some refugees do end up staying. And they can become servants and leaders in the church, brothers and sisters along with the Belgians and immigrants who make up Antwerp International Protestant Church. That is our wish for every one of them. Talking about ministry with refugees can be a little awkward, like they are a separate category. They are in fact, human beings like the rest of us. They have just happened to suffer so much that sometimes they don’t feel like it. Meeting Christ and his church makes the difference.

Like any of us, they can find that “The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.” – Psalm 9:9